FILM REVIEW: FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING - VERSION 2

Not being a fan of this film in particular I was curious when I heard about “Version 2” which claimed to have alternate scenes and takes and different music, so, I decided “what the hell” I’m game. As directed by Danny Steinmann FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING was a departure from the previous films in that the killer was not Jason Voorhees but a paramedic who wanted revenge for the death of his son. To many people this film was a lame attempt trying to find a way to revive what should have been a dead franchise, but it did just this (as the subsequent 5 sequels and upcoming remake will attest). Don’t be ashamed, I thought it was a lame movie as well, until now.

Upon viewing the film again (for the first time in many years mind you) I realized that the film had a good template as a starting off point; it was just the “green” cast that made the film seem worse then it was. There are many parallels to the original film mainly in that like the original the killer is never seen but only hinted at whenever s/he kills someone. This was meant to hide the identity of the killer. The first film had the huge reveal of it being Pamela Voorhees who is the killer whereas this film has the killer being the paramedic. Both killers are motivated by the death of their child at the hand s of a caregiver; in the first film the caregiver was the camp councilors whereas in this film is was the so-called half-way house for disturbed teenagers. Both films also feature the death of random teenagers/characters (although in this film the killer seems to mover all over the place to various locations).

Although both films are filled with relatively fresh actors (so that you don’t know who will be killed next), the first film had an excuse as it was done on an extremely low budget whereas this film should have had a higher caliber cast given the much bigger budget. What this film does have is a huge body count even though the deaths are somewhat less imaginative then in some of the previous sequels. Another asset to this film is the continued reliance of the character of Tommy Jarvis (from the previous film) who is still haunted by the image and presence of the Jason Voorhees after having killed him in the previous film.

All in all the film had the marks of being an interesting sequel that would take the franchise in a new direction but producers of the subsequent films had a change of heart and resurrected Jason in the next installment.
Getting back to the “Version 2” aspects of the film, I hate to say this but I saw no significant differences between this version and the original release version. Some takes and scenes may be alternates but they’re so miniscule that you’ll never even notice and even if there were music cues that are different much of the score is similar so there couldn’t have been that much of a change (unlike say the original theatrical version of HALLOWEEN: H20 versions the PRODUCER’S CUT which restores the original music cues of composer John Ottman). Unless you truly are a devout fan of this film the “Version 2” has nothing new to offer even though the film as a whole was an interesting rewatch.

Graphic Novel Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS

The Marvel Universe has jumped on the band wagon in terms of how much our culture and times have made the zombie genre of horror a pop phenomena from the plethora of films (i.e. SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE DIARIES, 28 DAYS LATER, etc.) to animation (i.e. DEAD SPACE and RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION) and now to comics (i.e. THE WALKING DEAD, WAKE THE DEAD, THE EVIL DEAD, and countless others, but it is Marvel’s alternate universe that has been over run by a zombie plague that has captured readers from all kinds.

I’ve never caught any of the Marvel Zombies series in their initial run waiting instead for the collected graphic novel. The first Marvel Zombies series was the first thing I’d read from Marvel comics in over twelve years (I hadn’t given up on the medium only become more immersed in Manga and what publishers IDW and Dark Horse where releasing) and boy did I pick the right time to come back. That first series made me an instant fan and I read the subsequent graphic novels MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES both of which made me want to know more about how this whole phenomena started. MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS is the collection of all the appearances of the Marvel Zombies leading up to the first MARVEL ZOMBIES stories including the prequel MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS (from which the collection gets it name).

In addition to the prequel DEAD DAYS this massive graphic novel collects the first story about the Marvel Zombies “Crossover” from ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-23, the continuation of the story ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #30-32 called “Frightful,” and the last part of this early trilogy “Good Eatin’” from BLACK PANTHER #28-30. That’s 10 big issues of Marvel Zombie goodness in one collected graphic novel. Old school Marvel readers (such as myself) may not care for the Ultimate line of Marvel titles seeing as though they are a retelling of the Marvel Universe for the newer generation. Although this was my very first experience with the Ultimate titles I wasn’t too put back as even though the Fantastic Four are a much different team now then when I was growing up the “characters” were true to whole they’ve always been which is a great testament to writer Mark Miller who wrote both “Crossover” and “Frightful.” In my opinion the story “Good Eatin’” felt like a third part in a trilogy which is big action but little story but since this story was in BLACK PANTHER this is to be expected. This can also be said of the prequel story “Dead Days,” which also works in parts but not as a whole which I presume is because writer Robert Kirkman only had the one issue to tell the story instead of several issues.

The artwork from all four stories is top notch (from pencilers Sean Phillips, Greg Land, Mitch Breitweiser, and Francis Portela) and the original covers are provided in the back of the book for those curious fans (such as myself) who wanted to know what painter Arthur Suydam concocted next. The graphic novel as a whole is a great addition to any collector’s bookshelf with stories that you will reread time and time again (I know I will).

TWILIGHT - Film Review

Now a lot of people may not forgive me for saying this but as a horror film fan I had no reservations about the film TWILIGHT, which is the quintessential “non-horror” film that would upset any die-hard fan with the “true-blue” blood flowing through their veins. This is a romantic-love story with only the hint of horror-genre trappings with the appearance of vampires and werewolves. Some would even call this the anti-UNDERWORLD (although some “true-blue” bloods won’t even consider this movie a horror film but an action film). The point is, if you are a true-blue member of the horror crowd then you won’t like this film but if you have an open mind and believe that films that cross genres can’t be all that bad then TWILIGHT might just be of interest to you, whether you’ve read the novel or not.

Based on the original novel by Stephenie Meyer with a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, TWILIGHT is the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) who moves to a new town to live with her father and becomes infatuated by the mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), one member of a clan of vampires who have vowed never to take human life again. Instead, The Cullen family lives off the blood of the animals in the wild living separate from the rest of their race. As Bella becomes closer to Edward, they realize that their relationship is put in danger when a rogue group of vampires invade their town killing their prey wherever they may. Their love for one another will be tested as Edward must decide whether to kill another one of his kind or see the woman that he loves killed.

The film is definitely made to appeal to the younger crowds as is par for the course since it is based from a teen novel but the film does appeal in a basic sense to just about anyone who has experienced a forbidden love in their life. By making the movie more about the relationship between Bella & Edward the film is more a love story then anything else and the rogue vampires just represent an outside force trying to tear them apart. Many people will see the parallels with the Shakespeare play ROMEO & JULIET as well they should and like that story this story has many underlining facets that are only glimpsed at in the first film (since there are a series of novels) but which should have a very big payoff in future films.

The film is very rich in character and story and will appeal to the many people who watch films more then once to pick up on the nuances in the story which is a testament to the screenplay (and novel) and director Catherine Hardwicke. Although not a flawless film TWILIGHT is nevertheless one of the more enjoyable romantic-horror-action films of the year that I hope audiences of all ages will be able to embrace.

Film Review: FUNNY GAMES (2007)

Stephen King labeled it one of his favorite films of the year in his Entertainment Weekly column but I don’t see the appeal of writer/director Michael Haneke’s U.S. remake of his own film FUNNY GAMES (2007). Having never seen the original and going only by rumors that the remake is an exact copy of the original with some small differences (ala THE OMEN remake) I was expecting something in line with the French film ILS (aka THEM), which has a similar story line. What I got was something far inferior.

FUNNY GAMES is the story of Ann and George (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, respectively) who are on their way to their vacation home with their son Georgia (Devon Gearhart). No long after they arrive they are greeted by two strangers (played by Michael Pitt & Brady Corbet) claiming to be friends of their neighbors. When Ann has a slight altercation with one of the two strangers she soon come to the realization that this is all a game the strangers are playing on them to determine if they will survive the night or not. If you’ve seen the previously mentions ILS or the more recent THE STRANGERS then you generally know the whole story of what will happen next, but unlike those two films this film is neither a horror film nor a suspense-thriller; it is more a comedy of errors if nothing else.

The film has an impressive cast in Watts and Roth and Pitt I’ll admit but with the exception of Pitt the entire cast is underused. With an unknown cast this might have faired well but with such accomplished actors as Roth and Watts, who both do almost nothing of interest in the entire film, it just comes off as bland and uninteresting. Another fault with the film is to diffuse all the violence in the film with comedic moments (SPOILER ALERT – Do not read anymore if you don’t want to know more details of the film’s plot, but if you don’t really care then read on.), such as when Georgia is killed. When little Georgia is killed you’re watching Paul (Pitt) making a sandwich in the kitchen. It should be a tense moment, especially when it’s a child being killed, but instead the scene comes off as being comedic. Both George and Ann’s death’s are unaffecting as by the end of the end you want them to die since they keep making stupid mistakes while crying every moment they get. I was happy to see them die when they did because I was at my whit’s end. Let’s not even get into the whole killer talking back to the audience thing or the fact that the killers can rewind back time when ever things don’t go their way.

The most violent scene in the film is when Ann gets the upper hand and kills Peter (Corbet), but then Paul rewinds the film in order to prevent his accomplice from dying. An interesting plot device which is sort of set up when the killers are the only ones that can talk back to the audience but this comes off as a “cheat” that as soon as it happens you realize that you should just through in the towel because all logic in the film has just been thrown out the window (ala the twist ending to HIGH TENSION).

The film had the potential to be an art house classic (as I’m sure the original comes closer to being) but this big budget remake that’s too clean for its own good just comes off as Hollywood trash with a great looking cast. Nothing in the film is striking or even original and was better done in both ILS and THE STRANGERS.

RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION - You Can't Keep A Good Zombie Down!

The RESIDENT EVIL franchise takes another giant leap forward as it reveals its first all CG feature length motion picture RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION. This new film is a departure from the live action films as it follows closer to the storylines connected with the video games.

In this film Claire Redfield is coming home to Harvardville when a terrorists unleashes the T-Virus at the same airport she’s in. This all coincides with the arrival of Senator Ron Davis who is believed to be the one responsible for the catastrophe that happened at Raccoon City years earlier. In addition to the terrorist unleashing a zombie in the airport, a plane crashes into the airport full of zombies causing a mass outbreak in which Claire finds herself trapped with Senator Davis and other survivors.

When agent Leon S. Kennedy arrives at the scene his job is to save the Senator and figure out who is behind the threat. Leon is assisted by a local police agent by the name of Angela Miller, who soon discovers that it is her own brother who is behind the terrorist threats who want Senator Davis to reveal the truth about what really happened at Raccoon City, where his wife was killed.

The film starts off as a simple rescue operation but soon turns into a espionage thriller as the convoluted conspiracy gets bigger the deeper Leon and Claire dig. The story is much richer then that of the live action films and should appeal to all fans of the video game but I do miss Milla Jovovich. The CG animation is quite good in parts but at times the females are drawn a tad out of proportion but this is negligible. The set pieces are much bigger then anything they could do in a live action film (unless of course they had $100 million) which is one of the films greatest assets as both the beginning plane crash and the ending of the film are magnificent. If this is a taste of things to come for the RESIDENT EVIL franchise then they are heading in the right direction.

WICKED LAKE is Wicked Good Fun!

If you want a horror film with brains then WICKED LAKE is not for you but if just want to have one hell of a fun time then just sit back, grab a beer, and put an arm around your loved one because this film is just one great ride.

Based on an original screenplay by Adam Rockoff (which was rewritten by Chris Sivertson) WICKED LAKE is the story of four attractive and bewitching women who go out on vacation to a remote cabin in order to let their hair hang down at midnight. Unbeknownst to the women their vacation is about to be interrupted by not one, but two separate group of over-sexed men who want nothing more then to have their way with the women. Things go supernaturally wrong when the Midnight Hour chimes and the four women are endowed with supernatural powers in which allow them to live forever and have extra-ordinary strength. There is no logic to this, you just have to roll with it.

For a film with as flimsy a plot as this one, one could mistake this film for the trash that it tries to emulate yet it has a strange since of charm especially in terms of the four leads (Carlee Baker, Eryn Joslyn, Eve Mauro, and Robin Sydney), who add spice to the otherwise pedestrian (in terms of plot) film. For horror-hounds the film has many allures in terms of excessive gore and nudity (a girl on girl orgy occurs early in the film) and it all works because the film hovers on the line between being too camp for its own good. Thankfully, this never occurs (although I can’t say the same thing in terms of how the male characters are portrayed in the film) and the film comes off as a manic witchcraft film.

Like I said, don’t think to hard about the film or you’ll ruin the fun.

Film Review: Four Christmases

Very few Christmas themed movies ever cross pass my radar and if it hadn’t have been for the amazing cast of this film FOUR CHRISTMASES I wouldn’t have taken another look. It’s hard for a holiday film to outshine the classics such as IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and A CHRISTMAS STORY and A CHRISTMAS CAROLE or even the darker NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION and SCROOGED, so why bother. I’ve seen all THE SANTA CLAUSES and JINGLE ALL THE WAY and HOME ALONE films that I can stomach and therefore I’ve skipped just about every holiday film to come out within the pass decade (with the exception of A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS). So what made me go see FOUR CHRISTMASES you might ask? How about Robert Duvall. Sissy Spacek. Mary Steenburgen. Carol Cane. And I could include in that list Jon Voight, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, and let’s not forget the stars of the film Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. Now that’s an impressive cast.

FOUR CHRISTMASES is the story of unmarried couple Brad and Kate (Vaughn and Witherspoon, respectively) who don’t believe in the union of marriage due to their fractured family life. In fact, instead of spending the holidays with their families they’d rather go to the islands and spend their holidays in the sun scuba diving, but when their flight is cancelled due to weather they are forced to visit each of their estranged parents and siblings in the course of one day. As they come to terms with their families they must also decide whether or not to take the next step in their own relationship or watch it whither and die away.

Like most holiday films the theme of family is very present (is there any other theme for a holiday movie I ask you). The gimmick of having the couple go to four different Christmases over one day is hectic yet works for the film and gives the tired-old-Christmas story a kick in the ass. There are many funny moments in the film as both Brad and Kate are forced to learn things about each other that they never knew simply because they’ve never really taken their relationship serious enough. Vaughn and Witherspoon have great on-screen chemistry with one another which is good considering that they are on screen every second of the movie and with all the cameos in the film no one over stays their welcome too long. Director Seth Gordon does a great job balancing out all the different elements and stories within the film creating a film that I can honestly say I enjoyed.

Christmas-holiday films may not be my thing but FOUR CHRISTMASES is a film I don’t mind adding to my list of classics.