Monday, September 27, 2010

Sculpture (2009)



Sculpture (2009) Dir. by Pete Jacelone

Sculpture is a psychological horror gore-fest that tells the story of Ashley Steele, an aspiring artist who returns home after the death of her father only to find the haunting memories of her repressed childhood await her. She is commissioned to create a life-size sculpture of the perfect man, and uses body builders from her brother's gym as models, but soon finds herself spiraling down a path of unspeakable psychopathic terror and murder as she frantically tries to complete her masterpiece. Written by Pete Jacelone on www.IMDB.com

I was recently given a screener of this film, and after multiple attempts to watch it, I was finally able to finish it today. It is a wickedly cool movie with an interesting and fairly original story by an onslaught of writers including Marv Blauvelt, Pete Jacelone, Paul Quintero, and Trevor Wright. I felt like the story was definitely a strong point to this film and the story really drives the film.

Raine Brown serves up a above par performance as the questionably insane Ashley Steele, and it is always nice to see a girl as a psycho in film. Raine does have some acting mistakes but overall she did a really great job. There were some great supporting roles from Alan Rowe Kelly(talked about him alot lately), Susan Adriensen, and a great Asshole performance from Marv Blauvelt!

The concept of this film is really what makes some of the film's mistakes forgivable. While Raine had a strong performance, there were moments of severe overacting, and that made me cringe a bit a few times, but her stronger scenes are all when she is really calm. The first half of the film seemed a little off as far as pacing the film goes. The second half of the film picks up a lot and you forget about the bumpy start. The film is very sexual, VERY SEXUAL, and at times it adds to the story, but at other times seems to take away from it. I get it, there are lots of big muscular men around, and you will have that working with some of the guys from Muscle Wolf Productions, but at the same time it often felt distracting in the film. That was the least distracting part of the film. The special effects are what distracted me the most. Watching the film, I couldn't help but feel like it would have been a stronger film if they had used less Gore and more story/acting, and I am a HUGE fan of Gore. The special effects struck polar opposites at different points of the film. The cutting and stabbing with knives and other things looked really really good, but the molds and some of the other effects looked like poorly made Halloween costumes. Also, I don't think how hard it is to remove a persons limb was taken into affect either. I think it could have been more suspenseful having used less blood and guts and in result it could have added more questions as to the final result of her sculpture. At one point of the film I couldn't help but ask myself, "Where the hell did she get a Katana?!" but I let that slide for simple fact that I like swords, even if they are randomly added to a movie. Unfortunately, my love for swords was quickly replaces with shocking disappointment when I witnessed the beheading that followed. It was hands down the worst beheading I have ever seen on film. It almost ruined the movie for me, but it didn't.

I did like the film as a whole, and I think it is worth at least one viewing for everyone, but for some it should be owned on DVD just to show to your friends at a party, haha. I look forward to seeing more films by these guys, and especially more films by the writing crew.

Entertainment Value: 6/10 Katanas
Cinematic Value: 4/10 Katanas

Something Just

Something Just - Directed by Scott W. Perry

I just got to see a short film called Something Just, and it was simply amazing.

Here is the link to watch it, and I recommend everyone go see it.

http://vimeo.com/15300069


In order to stop a child killer, the guardian of one of his victims seeks the aid of a shady figure from his past. Starring Alan Rowe Kelly, Jerry Murdock, Evan Robert Smith, Joslyn Jensen, and Joseph Zaso. Written, Produced, and Directed by Scott W. Perry. Cinematographer and Editor Dominick Sivilli. Co-Producer Jeremiah Kipp. Original Score and Sound Mix Tom Burns. Shot in 1080p High Definition. Courtesy of Slick Devil Entertainment.

Alan Rowe Kelly is one of the most versitle actors out there and he one again shines in this role. The always amazing Jerry Murdock keeps the film on a ground level and acts as the glue that pieces this story together. Great low budget special effects, great acting, and a story that everyone can relate to make this a great must see short film.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Bare Feet
Cinematic Value: 7/10 Bare Feet

Friday, September 17, 2010

Hypochondriac (2009) Screener



Hypochondriac (2009) Dir. by Peter Jacelone

In a story by Marv Blauvelt of Muscle Wolf Productions, and a script by Trevor Wright, we are given alien abduction,do-it-yourself surgeons,slutty nurses, and a large number of odd situations at a small clinic.



I personally know a few people involved in this project, and I knew what to expect going into it. These filmmakers love to go over the top, and have fun while filming a movie. They typically like to stay more serious in their movies, but Hypochondriac is pretty much all comedy, sprinkled with the a little bit of over-the-top gore. Over the top is the best way to explain it, and I don't mean it in a negative manner. If you go into Hypochondriac expecting Oscar winning performances, top notch special effects, and a dramatic story, then you will be let down. Not once during the film did I take it too seriously.

All the characters were very unique, and Alan Rowe Kelly steals the show as always. Not to take anything away from anyone else, but Alan always has the ability to play original and interesting characters, and this doesn't fall short of the standard he has set. He plays Charity Betencourt, an older woman who is obsessed with medically fixing herself at home, and then bringing herself in to check the results with a local clinic. She is always doing the most drastic thing possible, and the new Dr. Combs reaction to it is hilarious. Dr. Oliver Combs, played by Marv Blauvelt, is a doctor who has just transferred from the big city to the middle of nowhere to take over for a Doctor who is leaving. His character is a germ freak, and his reactions to all the disgusting things that happen are hilarious. Zoe Daelman Chlanda is beautifully amazing as always in her uptight Priscilla Grace character.



All in all the film was very entertaining, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the Psycho Street anthology it is being released in. If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about the movie, I would have to say I didn't feel any sort of depth or creativity with the slutty Nurse Amber Love Joy. It was nothing against the way Raine Brown portrayed the character but she was a slutty nurse, and that was the extent of it. It felt like she was there for filler. It didn't take anything away from the film fortunately. I will return to this film many times, as it was very entertaining, and I look forward to getting more from these amazing filmmakers.

Entertainment Value: 7/10 Alien Babies
Cinematic Value: 5/10 Alien Babies

Monday, August 30, 2010

www.picturenose.com

I was recently approached by one of the great writers over at www.picturenose.com about my review on Bubba Ho-tep. If you want to read that review I posted a link on my original story. While I disagree extremely about Phantasm not being of CULT CLASSIC status, the review of Bubba Ho-tep is extremely good. It got me looking at the rest of the reviews these guys were pumping out and I found a very interesting movie review site in the process. I just wanted to give them some props and tell people to go check out their intersting movie reviews over at www.picturenose.com . I hope you enjoy their reviews as much as I have.

Monday, August 23, 2010

My Top 50 Stephen King Movies in order of how I like them! (Companion piece to recent post)

Since we all voted and did the Top 5 Stephen King movies according to you the readers/movie watchers. I decided to write down the Stephen King movies I have seen in the order I like them. I probably missed a couple, but it is very unlikely. Tell me what you think.

#1- The Mist
#2- Shawshank Redemption
#3- Cujo
#4- It
#5- The Stand
#6- Needful Things
#7- Riding The Bullet
#8- Stand By Me
#9- Tommyknockers
#10- Misery
#11- Pet Sematary
#12- Maximum Overdrive
#13- Children of the Corn
#14- Christine
#15- The Shining
#16- Carrie
#17- The Night Flier
#18- Salem's Lot
#19- Creepshow
#20- The Dead Zone
#21- Firestarter
#22- Silver Bullet
#23- The Running Man
#24- Graveyard Shift
#25- The Dark Half
#26- Dolores Claiborne
#27- Sometimes They Come Back
#28- The Green Mile
#29- Sleepwalkers
#30- Thinner
#31- Apt Pupil
#32- Storm of the Century
#33- Nightmares and Dreamscapes
#34- Dreamcatcher
#35- Desperation
#36- 1408
#37- Secret Window
#38- Rose Red
#39- Hearts in Atlantis
#40- The Mangler
#41- Cat's Eye
#42- Golden years
#43- Trucks
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.
.
.
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#50- The Langoliers


Ok, so I left some room for all the other movies from King coming out that will all be better than The Langoliers. That movie was horrible, and by far the worst adaption from a great Stephen King story! Let the comments begin! :-)

The Votes are in!!! Top 5 Stephen King movies based on You!



So the votes are in, and the results were not too terribly shocking. It was in a little different order than I expected, but I could have called the top five before the vote was taken. Stephen King is a legend in my book, and will always be a hero to me. His books will forever line my shelves, and I pray the man writes until bites the big one. I mean that in the most respectable way possible. I DON'T want the man to stop writing. Just when you think he is probably going to start fading as a writer, he tosses out something incredible like "Cell" or "Under the Dome". The man is on the track to go out as probably the most popular Author of all time. Although I couldn't find actual facts to support it, it seems he has more book to movie deals than any other other I know of. Almost everything he has ever written has either been optioned, started filming, or has already graced DVDs, the big screen, or the little screen.

I could have done a top 5 movies based on sales, or IMDB rating, but I really wanted to hear what my closest friends, family, and fellow bloggers had to say when it came time to cast their vote. So to start this thing off, here are a few quotes from the vote:

The Mike of From Midnight, With Love said, "I can't not pick Shawshank. Shining and Mist are close, but to me it has to be the tale of Andy Dufresne."

Cory from Slaughter Film replied, "THE NIGHT FLIER! It's a modern twist on the classic vampire tale and WAY better than any of the vampire crap that has come out in the past ten years. Also I love how the main character works for some trashy "Weekly World News" magazine. *Sigh* I miss the 90's..."

The Scream Queen said, "This one is tough, but I'd probably have to say The Stand. That likely won't be the popular vote, but I love that movie. I did a five-part review on it when I was home sick from work earlier this year."

I also wanted to touch on the ones that didn't make the top 5 but came damn close. Here are the ones that were just a vote or two away from making the top 5!

Shawshank Redemption
The Night Flier
Misery
Christine
Children of the Corn
Stand by Me
Sometimes They Come Back
and Pet Sematary was named more times for people's second choice than any other film.

All great movies, but they just didn't quite get enough votes. I could go through all the movies that got at least one vote, but that would be a long, long list. So without further wait, I give you the Top 5 Stephen King movies You as readers/viewers voted on:



#5 The Stand Dir. by Mick Garris

The Stand is still considered one of the top made for TV movies of all time, and it is well deserved! The plot goes as follows: (After the world is decimated by a man-made plague, a battle of literally Biblical proportions ensues between the survivors.) The religious tones of the film only add to the overall effect of the material. I'm really glad that other people agree with me that this deserves to be in the Top 5.



#4 The Mist Dir. by Frank Darabont

I have said it before, and I will say it again- Frank Darabont is the only person that should ever be allowed to direct a Stephen King movie. In my mind, he is 3 for three, having also directed The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. It just feels like he knows King from the inside out. He even rewrote his own ending for The Mist, and Stephen King approved of it, saying "The ending is such a jolt—wham! It's frightening." The film follows a group of towns people trapped in a grocery store after a thick mist falls over the town, and seems to be filled with dangerous creatures. This was also my vote for #1, even though it didn't make it.



#3 Carrie Dir. by Brian De Palma

Carrie is undoubtedly one of the most memorable Stephen King movies to ever land on the big screen. Sissy Spacek helped drive up the box office numbers with her spot-on portrayal of the psionic powered teen. Although De Palma hasn't made a good movie since 1996, he used to be quite the filmmaker back in the day, and his take on Stephen King's work is honorable, and respectful of King's material. Carrie is well deserving of being on the Top 5



#2 It Dir. by Tommy Lee Wallace

I always have a hard time supporting anything Tommy Lee Wallace directs because he gave us the worst Halloween movie of all time. Halloween III: Season of the Witch, but on the other hand, he also gave us Fright Night 2, which is an admirable film. Either way, he gave us It! It is hard to find anything bad about it. I feel that if I were to say something bad about it, a clown might show up in my room in the middle of the night and eat me. As if people weren't terrified of clowns to begin with, It is almost single handedly responsible for thousands of clowns losing their jobs in the early 90's. I have a friend named Ryan, who might actually start convulsing like an epileptic upon seeing Pennywise. Tim Curry really helps develop this fear by whole-heartedly throwing himself into a what others might say is a typically goofy role, and giving it a touch of seriousness that terrifies me more than the character did to begin with. He plays Pennywise so perfect that I don't think there is anyone else on the face of the planet that can play the part even half as good as Curry did. That also makes me wonder why they have decided to remake it for next year. Oh well, Wallace's It will is always be near the top of any list made about Stephen King's movies.



#1!!!!!!! (drum roll please) The Shining! Dir. by Stanley Kubrick

I saw this coming ahead of time, but I find it hilariously ironic that the film we vote as the #1 Stephen King film was described by King himself as the worst adaption of any of his works. Of course, this quote was taken long before The Langoliers was made, which gets my vote for worst adaption. There is no doubt the Kubrick made one hell of a film with The Shining, and it is deserving to be on the top of any horror film list. It is absolutely one of the best films ever made, ranking #49 on IMDBs Top 250, and it is definitely one of the best movies best on works of Stephen King, so it is well deserving of it #1 ranking. Great job folks, and thanks for all the people that participated! I also wanted to let people know I used my favorite posters for each movie on here as well. I especially love The Shining poster!



Let me know your finale thoughts on the Top 5, and let me know if you have any ideas for a future Top 5!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Why do we keep giving Uwe Boll money?



Everyone who knows me well, or even just slightly, knows my hatred for Uwe Boll. The man has been putting out garbage for the better part of the last two decades. He is undoubtedly in my mind, the worst director I have ever seen on the big screen, and I mean that in all sincerity. I used to have issues with Eli Roth until Boll made Roth looks Oscar worthy. Here are the rating's for Uwe Boll's movies on IMDB:

German Fried Movie : IMDB – 1.3/10
Barschel: A Murder In Geneva: IMDB – 2.1/10
Amoklauf: IMDB – 2.1/10
The First Semester: IMDB – 2.1/10
Sanctimony (TV): IMDB – 2.9/10
Blackwoods: IMDB – 2.5/10
Heart of America: IMDB – 4.1/10
House of the Dead: IMDB – 2.0/10
Alone In The Dark: IMDB – 2.3/10
BloodRayne: IMDB – 2.7/10
In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: IMDB – 3.8/10
Seed: IMDB – 2.6/10
Postal: IMDB – 4.1/10
BloodRayne: Deliverance: IMDB – 2.5/10
1968 Tunnel Rats: IMDB – 4.5/10
Stoic: IMDB – 2.8/10




Clearly other people agree that Uwe Boll's movies are shit worthless. I didn't use his last 4 movies because they haven't had a chance to gain very many votes yet. With this amazing list of films that give me suicidal tendencies, Uwe Boll has managed to make the worst of the worst. He even had the pleasure of having two movies in the IMDB's Bottom 100 with House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark. Two movies that very much deserve to be on that list. House of the Dead is one of those movies I bought on DVD as a spontaneous buy, and thus my hatred was born. He manages to get Video Game adaptions like free suckers at the doctor's office, and he manages to demolish them relentlessly. Rottentomatoes.com barely recognizes him as a director at all, only acknowledging a few of his movies even exist, and giving his movies an average of 1-11%.



The man shows no respect for anyone else in the movie making business, no respect to critics, and no respect for the people who watch his movies. He has said he makes movies to make a paycheck and that is why he makes 3-4 bad movies a year to bring in the paychecks, and people keep giving him money. He uses this money to get really good actors to take part in his films, and it in return makes me even more angry. People have tried to stand up against this monster, but have had no luck. He even knocked out a few nerds for fun, because he said if someone could beat him in a fight, he would stop making movies. Someone should knock his fucking ass out! Why can't we find some golden glove boxer here in the states to put him in his place? I'm trying to encourage people to stop watching his movies, or at least stop paying for them. It just encourages him. The man is a worthless piece of shit making worthless movies, and if we keep giving him money to do these things, then it will never stop. There should be a boycott on all Uwe Boll movies! Who is with me?! From here on out, I will never review a Uwe Boll movie on my blog!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

What is your favorite Stephen King movie?



Stephen King has been my inspiration for almost everything in my life. When times got tough as a kid, I resorted to burying myself in a fictional world created by Stephen King. He is probably single-handedly responsible for helping me become this creatively deranged individual I am today. He is one of the best selling authors of all time, if not THE best. He has had more movie adaptions from his works than anyone else in the history of film. While some of his adaptions often come up weak and short, others shine as masterpieces. He is known as being the King of Horror, but he has seen big success with non-horror as well with Stand by Me, The Green Mile, and Shawshank redemption.



I'm calling out to my fellow bloggers, and readers to find out what everyone else's favorite Stephen King film is of all time. I'm going to compile a list at the end of the week and then have a Top 10 Stephen King films list by bloggers and movie fans everywhere. I am really excited for this article, as he is an important part of my life. I am also asking this on my facebook, so please try to only cast your vote once on one or the other to keep it as accurate as possible. Thank you to all, and I can't wait to see the results!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Hatchet (2006)



Hatchet (2006) Dir. by Adam Green

When a group of tourists on a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare.



I LOVE Hatchet, and I look forward to Adam Green doing many many great movies! It sucks that I haven't been able to get a hold of more of his stuff. I know that Hatchet and Spiral are two of my favorite movies in the last five years. While Spiral was a well though out psychological thriller, Hatchet is anything but that. Green shows his love for cheesy, over the top, bloody, gutsy, and breast filled slasher horror films of the 80's... by making one from 2006. I loved every minute of it. It had the jumps that got my heart pumping, and sustained it by showing enough action to rarely slow it down. He doesn't get drawn out and boring at any point in the film, and I was fine with giving up boring story points for a short action packed film. The blood was laughable, and the acting was mediocre, but at no point in the film did I feel like Green was trying to do anything more than that. He just wanted to make the fun horror slasher he wanted to make.



It is always great to see the under appreciated Joel David Moore, and best friend of the director, although I was a little annoyed by him in the beginning. He got much better as the movie went on. I love how Adam Green wanted as many people as possible to know that Kane Hodder was going to be playing Victor Crowley (the killer). It not only brought in many more people to see the film, but told people right from the start that it was going to be vicious. Hodder is the kind of guy that instills fear in people he walks by on the way to get groceries for the week. He has brought viewers so many great characters through his career. He is a veteran, and it only makes sense that he plays the new "big" horror legend, when he did his part to help us keep one of the best (Jason Vorhees) alive. The rest of the cast is filled up with lesser known people doing above par jobs for people of their experience. Tamara Feldman is definitely a pleasant surprise as the female lead, and I think she hits her character dead on. I was definitely upset to hear she refused to reprise her role in the sequel being released Aug 26th across seas. Deon Richmond (The Cosby Show) offers up some clever humor as the main source comedic relief, not to mention cameos from more horror legends Robert Englund and Tony Todd (who is frickin hilarious). Make sure you keep an eye out for the young Victor Crowley, who is played by Rileah Vanderbilt, and she would later marry Adam Green a few months ago. Congrats to both of them.



When it comes down to it, the special FX are what makes me fall in love with this film. In a time like today, CGI can always be a way to make stuff look OK, and make it for cheep, and much less of a mess. Hatchet doesn't fall prey to the easy way out. They keep it bloody and traditional by using buckets of blood, and old school special FX. I really hope more feels start to move back to this traditional, and respectable manner of making movies. It reminds me of times when I felt it required someone special to make it in the film business. It inspired me to work in film, and to want to aspire to be something more than just normal. I'm not trying to think into it that much, but nowadays anyone can make a crappy movie look a little bit better using CGI programs. I'm not trying to say that people who use alot of CGI aren't talented, I'm just saying they are less talented. :-)

I honestly look forward to seeing every single film Adam Green makes, and I expect only bigger things for him to come in the future. He has certainly made his mark among the horror community. I can tell you that.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Double-sided Axes
Cinematic Value: 8/10 Double-sided Axes

Friday, August 13, 2010

SyFy Channel Original Movies Picture Quiz!!!

I haven't been able to keep up on this week as much as I would like to. I have two book deals going on, plus working on 3 film scripts, not to mention getting ready to film on of my short scripts next month, so I haven't been able to catch as much of the SyFy channel as I had originally intended, which is ok, but...

I think I really need to switch it up a bit to try and generate something again, so I am going to have a Quess the movie picture contest. I cannot offer any monetary gift of material gift what-so-over, hell I'm selling half of what I own to shoot the movie, but I do have an idea. A couple people read my blog a week, so I'm going to say that the first person to guess all ten pictures gets a free article on Dead End Drive-In! A whole article however long you want (Don't be ridiculous) and it will be a chance to do some free advertising. Everyone needs free advertising, hell I know I do. So the first person to post all 10 right gets the free advertising. Here is the kicker- If you guess ten but don't get all ten right, then the next person already has an insight into what they could be, so there could be a benefit to waiting a day, unless someone is really good. I'll admit that they are not too terribly difficult, and they are not my favorite SyFy movies, but I wanted to pick out some that were not blatantly obvious. Let me know what you guys think of the quiz, and I look forward to getting some answers!

#1



#2




#3



#4



#5



#6



#7



#8



#9



#10




Good Luck to everyone and I can't wait to hear back from you!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Alien Apocalypse (2005)



Alien Apocalypse (2005) Dir. by Josh Becker

An astronaut doctor Ivan Hood and his fellow astronaut Kelly return from their mission in space to find the world has been taken over by aliens.



I noticed there aren't any SciFi original films playing on SyFy today, so I decided to touch on one of the more memorable moments in SyFy for me. I LOVE Alien Apocalypse! It is such a horribly cheesy movie, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It is filled with horrible acting, horrible special effects, an awkward story line, and Bruce Campbell. I went into this movie not expecting much, and maybe that helped, but I respected Josh Becker's attempt to keep this movie serious. It was just too ridiculous to achieve it, but it is the attempt that counts. Becker is no stranger to cheesy, but good moments on TV. He directed Stan Lee's Harpies in 2007, not to mention many episodes of Xena and Jack Of All Trades.

Bruce Campbell is awesome as usual, but in an over the top way. He is hardly believable as a Doctor or an Astronaut, haha.



I recommend at least one viewing to everyone. It is fun, and try not to take it for more than what it is, a cheesy SyFy Original Movie

Entertainment Value: 7/10 Alien Bugs
Cinematic Value: 4/10 Alien Bugs

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sand Serpents (2009)



Sand Serpents (2009) Dir. by Jeff Renfroe

A small group of Marines in the Afghan Desert are forced to fight giant serpents and the Taliban at the same time.

OK, so the movie has a bunch of unknowns directed by another unknown, and with plot/creatures taken directly from a Dune meets Tremors head on collision. Desperate Housewives frequenter Jason Gedrick leads the cast as they battle these massive beasts.



The plot is kinda ridiculous and by that I mean it doesn't really have much of a plot at all. The serpents look more like worms, and they prove to usually be more helpful than harmful to the core cast for most of the film. They eat more Taliban than the Marines can shoot.



The movie is fun, but not as good as other Syfy Original Films. I was kinda letdown by my first choice for Syfy week.

Entertainment Value: 5/10 Giant Worms
Cinematic Value: 3/10 Giant Worms

Monday, August 9, 2010

A Week of Posts Dedicated to the Syfy Channel!


Rain or shine, happy or sad, healthy or sick, there is nothing that can stop me from enjoying the Syfy channel and all its glory. The Syfy channel has be pumping out mediocre quality movies for decades, and I have been lucky enough to grow up in this time period. When I found out Syfy was doing nothing but replaying a bunch of they Syfy Channel original movies this week, I thought it would be a great opportunity to dedicate a week to a channel that has let me get lost in imagination.



I would be lying if I said I didn't draw inspiration from the Syfy channel. I will start of by talking about some of the recent TV shows that I love on Syfy. In the past, Scifi brought us Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG1, and the start of Ghost Hunters, not to mention plenty more. Now days we have the same quality TV shows, not to mention a whole bunch of new additions to the line-up.



Warehouse 13 is a show about two Secret Service agents, who after they save the President's life, find themselves transferred to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Warehouse 13 is where they hide artifacts from all over the world that house special powers. The show stars Saul Rubinek, Eddie McClintock, and Joanne Kelly, and has fast become one of my favorite shows. It showcases lots of unique artifacts, although there are supernatural elements, they are backed up with real history lessons. In my opinion, it is one of the best shows on right now.



Haven, oh what to say about Haven. It is based on the story "The Colorado Kid" by Stephen King. The series follows the shrewd and confident FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose) who has a lost past, and arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are affected by a range of supernatural afflictions. As the townspeople's dormant abilities begin to express themselves, Audrey helps keep these forces at bay while discovering the many secrets of Haven — including one surrounding her own surprising connections to this extraordinary place. -SyFy.com At first, I was really worried about this show, but it has really started to grow on me.



Ghost Hunters has been around for a long time, and then came Ghost Hunters International, but now comes a new additions, Ghost Hunters Academy. While not as strong as the first two shows, GHA showcases new people in a reality show setting, trying to get a spot on one of the other two shows. They travel back to a lot of places the original fans should remember, and offers new experiences on old places. The show is only in its second season, but I expect it to get better and better as it goes along. The show is ran by fan favorites, Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves, and the chemistry between the two of them is flawless and hilarious. I love watching them, and they make the show worth watching. Without them, I don't think I would give the show the time of day.



These are the shows I really wanted to talk about, but Caprica (Stemmed from Battlestar Galactica) is really bringing in the numbers. I haven't really watched the show, but I didn't care for BG much either. It is worth mention because many other people do like the show.



That's it for the TV shows, and I'm going to pick on movie a day to review, so here is the schedule for this week:

Monday:

9:00 am - Sand Serpents (Syfy original movie)
11:00 am - Screamers
1:00 pm - Screamers: The Hunting
3:00 pm - Beowulf (1999)
5:00 pm - Predator 2
7:30 pm - The Fifth Element

Tuesday:

8:00 am - Lockjaw: Rise Of The Kulev Serpent
9:30 am - Showdown At Area 51 (Syfy original movie)
11:30 am - Predator 2
2:00 pm - Mutant Chronicles
4:30 pm - The Fifth Element

Wednesday:

9:00 am - Mortuary
11:00 am - Rest Stop
1:00 pm - See No Evil
3:00 pm - The Shaft
5:00 pm - 100 Feet

Thursday:

8:30 am - In the Spiders Web
10:30 am - The Hive
12:30 pm - Arachnid
2:30 pm - Arachnophobia
5:00 pm - Vipers

Friday:

8:00 am - Sometimes They Come Back Again
10:00 am - Sometimes They Come Back... For More
12:00 pm - The Dunwich Horror
2:00 pm - The Cursed
4:00 pm - Stephen King's Desperation

I only have the time to pick one, plus I can't watch them while my little guy is around, so I will pick them carefully, but this should be fun, and I hope you all enjoy this week as much as I am going to.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Dead Air (2009) Quick Review



Dead Air (2009) Dir. by Corbin Bernsen

Logan Burnhardt is the ego-king of the airwaves, but his unflappable persona is put to the test when a terrorist bio-attack unleashes a plague of flesh-ripping maniacs on Los Angeles.



Corbin Bernsen's first attempt at Directing horror is mediocre at best. Bernsen is a well known actor stretching back to the 80's and I am a bit of a fan of his. I thoroughly enjoy his roll as the father on "Psych" on USA Network. All you horror fans might remember him as THE DENTIST!!! or THE DENTIST 2!!! haha. I haven't seen either of the other two films he has directed, but I know neither of them are horror movies. Corbin seemed to do an OK job with Dead Air, but I don't know if I really liked the way they took it. I understand they were trying to hit on hard topics like religion and politics, but I just felt like that might have slowed the film down a little too much. It really killed the tension of on air descriptions that drove Pontypool to be so great. It definitely had plenty of action mixed in there, but many of the "fight" scenes seemed to be poorly executed or poorly choreographed. I found them to be awkward and unrealistic looking. I get it, it's supposed to be a low budget horror movie, but that doesn't mean you try your hardest to make it look bad. I have seen people do it better with a hell of a lot less money.



The acting in the film was all pretty mild. I didn't feel like there were any strong stand out performances. The always likable Bill Moseley probably gave the best performance of the film, but Navid Negahban as Abir the terrorist wasn't too far behind. Other than those two core characters, there was a whole lot of crap acting. I found it hard to feel for any of the characters other than those two and maybe Gil (the awesome David Moscow!). There were some unique special effects in the film, but I felt like they could have done a bit more with it. If you are going to have that many people getting ripped apart by the living dead, at least have some better special effects. Overall, I felt the movie was worth one watch, but it isn't something I'm going to rush out to buy. I am getting a little wore out on mild zombie flicks now. I really need someone to come along and give us something ground breakingly original again. I know it is alot to ask for, but as one of the biggest zombie fans in the world (my opinion only probably,haha), I feel like I deserve it!

Entertainment Value: 6/10 Chemical filled bombs
Cinematic Value: 5/10 Chemical filled bombs

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG!!!

Four friends of mine recently began a collaboration of badassery in blogging, and everyone I know needs to follow them, and tell them how awesome their blogpage is! The title for the blog is (Optimus)Prime and Prejudice. It stems from Narcosleepy's love for everything Transformers, and his wife (The H-Bomb)'s love for Jane Austen books/movies. These guys/girl are all awesome writers, and too smart for me sometimes, but they are great none-the-less. I know most of you are used to sticking with your hardcore horror movie review sites, but I assure you this one is worth your while. There is plenty of range in topics: Movies/Books/Video Games/Cookies/and plenty of hilarious randomness. So please take the time to stop by and welcome to the blog world! Oh and the awesome guy you know as The Mike from the blog From Midnight, With Love is one of the writers. I think you will enjoy it. So click the link NOW!

http://primeandprejudice.blogspot.com/

I know you will thank me.
R.D. Penning

Monday, July 26, 2010

P2 (2007) Quick Review



P2 (2007) Dir. by Franck Khalfoun

A businesswoman is pursued by a psychopath after being locked in a parking garage on Christmas Eve.



First time director Franck Khalfoun really created quite a flop with this movie. I really like Wes Bently, but he rarely uses his full acting ability, and Rachel Nichols is a very attractive girl, but this movie was just boring. I couldn't help but feel like the movie would have been better as a twenty minute short. The story just didn't have enough depth to span a full feature movie. Wes Bently does a slightly above mediocre job as the psycho, but let's be honest, he looks like a psycho to begin with. I do think it is hilarious that both of his parents are ministers, and he looks so damn evil. There honestly isn't a whole lot I can say about this movie. It was just an epic fail on many levels.



Entertainment Value: 2/10 Parking Ramp Levels
Cinematic Value: 2/10 Parking Ramp Levels

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Walled In (2009)



Walled In (2009) Dir. by Gilles Paquet-Brenner

A young woman who recently graduated from engineering school travels to a remote location to supervise the demolition of a mysterious building. She soon discovers the horrifying secrets of the building and its past inhabitants, many of whom were victims of a vicious murderer who entombed his prey alive within its walls. Now she must turn the tables on the killer before she becomes his latest victim.



Based on the best selling French novel Les Emmurés' by Serge Brussolo, Walled In is a unique experience of a film by putting together other types of film. It is definitely a great checkmark on the horror resume of first a first time horror director. It has elements of what feels like Japanese horror. It has the characters for a serial killer horror. It has the paranormal feel of a good ol' fashion ghost story. The thing I loved the most about the film is that none of those themes outweigh the other, and the are really distributed evenly. I will say the movie was a little more scary than I had anticipated. I love a movie that can give me chills with throwback special effects and barely any blood.



The casting was done surprisingly well, and I was really impressed with the usually bland Mischa Barton. I don't know what she did to prepare for the part, but she did a great job. The always creepy Cameron Bright stars as the weird and mysterious Jimmy, and the veteran Deborah Kara Unger (Silent Hill, White Noise) really help fill out the well known cast. Although lesser known among the states, the veteran French actor Pascal Greggory gives one hell of a performance as the famed architect of the monstrous building to be demolished.



In the end, this film really pays off with the hard work you can tell was put in to it. It's not the greatest film I have seen, but it delivers strong enough that I would purchase the DVD. It moves a little slow at times, but makes up for it in a fairly unique story.

Entertainment Value: 7/10
Cinematic Value: 5/10