I went to a screening of a film tonight at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre which was presented by Eli Roth. The film is a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark done over 7 years in the mid-80’s by a couple of kids in Mississippi (max age 17ish). Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation was kitsch gold. I wished that all of the Dead Lantern/Grand Horror crew was there to see this DIY masterpiece. It probably won’t ever make it to DVD because of the obvious copyright restrictions but it has been making the indie-theatre circuit for 5 years with the blessing of Mr. Roth who hooked the filmmakers up with a renewed career in film and even a meeting with Stephen Speilberg himself.

Spinning from this amazing backstory is a Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) screenplay (and perhaps comic?) and Paramount project in the works based on the kids who made it (now in their late 30s).

When I get to catch things like this, it’s pretty fucking rad to live here.

Filed under: Comic Books, Movies, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

I saw The Ruins last night and just now I checked its rating at Rotten Tomatoes. I think we’re going to talk more about it on the next Splattercast, so I won’t share all my thoughts here. In short, I liked it and would recommend it. The summary screenshot from RT above struck me funny because I thought the movie should have had a bit more gore, whereas the RT critics are saying it’s got too much already.

Filed under: Man vs. Nature, Movies | 2 Comments »

This flick is average at best.  Once you get a good look at the monster this allure of the movie goes way down.  It’s well acted and well done, but something about it just screams, “blah”.  So was the movie overhyped?  Or just average on its own?  Who knows, but look for this great debate as well as a full review on Splattercast #62…if anyone besides me saw the movie that is.

Filed under: Commentary, Movies, Splattercast | 5 Comments »

You should read Mat’s list for a more sensible look back at 2007, he’s the most erudite student of film here at Dead Lantern. I, on the other hand, sort of just like what I like. My list is broken into two sections, first are the films that I thought were the best, most standout films that I saw in 2007. After that are the movies that I really enjoyed personally, but that I wouldn’t classify as high art by any means.

And like Mat said: We live in a smallish midwestern city; we don’t get the opportunity to see everything theatrically, so some indie darlings and other slightly more obscure fare may have simply flown under our radar. This list is not definitive, it’s just the best of what I managed to see at the theater.

First, the movies that I thought were really great in 2007…

No Country for Old Men is probably my pick for best movie of the year. Such a simple, yet captivating, premise: What if you found a bag full of dirty money? It’s like a superior version of A Simple Plan (no offense, Mat) that trades boring family angst drama for one of the most commanding villains in recent memory.

300 ranks just a hair below No Country for me. Okay, yes, I realize that the historical events didn’t happen like this and there are plenty of aspects of the Spartan society that I would disagree with. However, within the context of this movie, the Spartans are the most badass movie heroes of the year and their uncompromising pro-freedom message is as thrilling as any fist-pumping rock concert.

I’m not a movie snob by any means (for proof, just continue reading this list) but I really think that anyone who says Planet Terror is the better half of Grindhouse is just out of their mind. Death Proof is fantastic, it perfectly achieves exactly what it was aiming for. The whole thing is great, but that one single moment where Stuntman Mike looks at the camera is worth the price of admission.

Mega dittos to everything Mat’s said about Cronenberg. He’s drifted away from the horror genre lately, but I won’t hold it against him because his work has been top-notch. Case in point: Eastern Promises, a crime drama about Russian mobsters operating in London.

Bug is a wonderfully weird little movie. Mat and I disagreed about it way back on Splattercast #30, and I still say it was one of 2007’s more interesting films. If you’re willing to accept the premise and go along for the ride, it’s a lot of fun to watch the characters spiral downward into madness. Harry Connick Jr. deserves props for turning in an excellent performance as an abusive boyfriend who despite being cruel is the only glimmer of sanity by the movie’s end.

Now for the second part of my list: a selection of movies that weren’t amazing (or maybe even good at all) but that I personally enjoyed nonetheless…

Ghost Rider is a pretty fluffy movie. The villains are horrible and the whole affair definitely pales in comparison to the far superior Spider-Man films. Still, for fans of the character, this was a fun watch. Just seeing Ghost Rider realized on the big screen is worth a look. I mean, come on, it’s at least better than X-Men 3.

A few head-scratching plot holes drag this vampire flick down, but 30 Days of Night is still a very good genre picture with a great setting, an original premise and some satisfying gore.

Shoot Em Up is like an R-rated Looney Tunes version of an action movie. It’s totally absurd, but in the best possible way.

What can I say? I still like the Saw franchise even after the fourth iteration. Saw 4 serves as a sort of bridge between the previous three films and the future of the franchise. There were plenty of things that didn’t make sense, but I appreciate that the filmmakers are trying to move the story forward with new characters and plotlines. We talked about it back on Splattercast #51, if you’re interested in hearing more.

Sort of weird of me to put a straight-up comedy on my list, but I thought Superbad was a lot of fun. It’s probably the raunchiest movie of the year, and several Gyno-Americans I’ve talked to didn’t appreciate the humor at all. However, if this sort of R-rated comedy is up your alley, Superbad does it better than anyone.

So there you have it, the flicks I most remember enjoying in 2007. Here’s hoping 2008 will be even better!

Filed under: Commentary, Movies | 1 Comment »

A new trailer for next summer’s Hellboy sequel is available both here and at the official site. I really love the way Guillermo del Toro makes his movies and I’m looking forward to this one.

Filed under: Movies, Trailers | 7 Comments »

A movie about Mat’s worst nightmare! I’m not kidding. It’s a movie about vaginas…with teeth! The movie is about Dawn, who decides to go get her cooter checked out because something is wrong…down there. Mayhem ensues. Check out the trailer here.

Filed under: Man vs. Nature, Movies, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

My little bro Nate and I went to see I Am Legend tonight. My wife was a little bummed that I went without her, but now that I’ve seen it I think I did her a favor. This movie just isn’t that great. The middling reviews it’s been getting tell the tale: awful CGI monsters and an unsatisfying ending diminish what starts out as a promising take on Matheson’s classic novel.

Anecdotally, I think it will have a good opening weekend because here in Lincoln the theater was packed for the late showing, and we even had to drive across town to a different theater because the first one we tried was sold out.

Filed under: Movies | 12 Comments »

The New York Times has short story on the “uncanny” digital actors in Beowulf.

I’ve asked in the past “What’s the point?” in digitally recreating the likeness of the actor. I can understand doing it for things that don’t exist (like Grendel), but Angelina Jolie? There’s a lot of scholarly discussion going on about what this does to movies, how audiences react to the cold, fake realism of these types of films (and, incidentally, whether or not animated movies are really movies at all). It’s interesting to think about, I guess.

I’m seeing the flick in about an hour. Look for a review later today as well as my feeling’s on the subject.

Filed under: Movies | 5 Comments »

Okay, I know I’m really late to the game on this one, since the movie’s been out for many months, but I finally watched Hostel 2 on DVD last night. I must say, I liked it quite a bit. I think it’s a great companion to the first movie, and is probably the better of the two. Once again I have a starkly different opinion than most of the other fellas on the site. For reference, here are links to Mat’s reviews of Hostel 1 and Hostel 2 (quick summary: he hated them both). So, anyway, for what it’s worth here are my thoughts on Hostel 2…

You could say that this is just the same as the previous movie except with young women as protagonists instead of young men, and you’d have a point. However, I think that H2 is more than just a crappy cash-in. I’m not saying that Roth didn’t strike while the iron was hot (and so what if he did?) but even so, H2 is pretty decent.

Right off the bat, the girls are far more likeable than H1’s very douchey “arrogant American” male leads. Yeah, Bijou Phillips’ character is trampy, but she’s more than tempered by Lauren German and Heather Matarazzo’s polite, nice girl characters. Maybe it’s just me as a guy feeling bad for pretty girls, but the leads in H2 were much more tragic than the guys in H1. You can come out of H1 and sort of say “Those dicks were asking for it!” but that element is nowhere in H2. Which maybe makes H2’s characters even less complex than H1’s, but that’s not what I’m trying to say.

H2 also features a subplot that follows a pair of clients, two American businessmen, as they travel from the U.S. to Europe for a pay-to-slay vacation. Their plot converges with the girls’ plot at the movie’s climax. I loved this part of the movie. There’s a little twist with these two guys that I probably should have seen coming, but I didn’t, and I thought it was really cool as it unfolded.

I dunno, I guess I shouldn’t go on too long here. I think maybe my sunny assessment of Hostel 2 is partly a reaction to the overwhelmingly negative things I’d heard prior to seeing it for myself. Mat has spoken often about how a big hype machine around a movie tends to repel him, and I think the opposite has happened here with me and Hostel 2. I’d heard so many negative things - call it “anti-hype” - that when I watched the movie and it turned out to be even a little enjoyable, then the result is me being very positive about it. Sort of like when we did the Uwe Boll special for Splattercast #50. Set against the hyperbolic things I’d heard, watching a Boll movie and having it not be a total black hole of awfulness left me with an even more positive view of the film than I would have had if I’d been able to go into it with a purely neutral frame of mind.

It’ll never happen, but I’d actually love to see a third and final Hostel film where the Beth character from H2 uses her fortune to hire some badass contract killers to go destroy the hunting club. I envision a sort of action-horror mix, heavy on the action. Tons of shooting, bloody squibs everywhere and with Beth winning in the end.

So, yeah, Hostel 2… I thought it was worth watching.

Filed under: Commentary, DVD, Movies | 5 Comments »

Here’s one for me and Steve to enjoy, since we’re the only ones here that like this movie: Arrow in the Head has posted a nice little piece on The Last Boy Scout with some pics and video clips.

Filed under: Movies | 14 Comments »

Just got back from 30 Days of Night and I have to agree with Steve’s assessment. I think this may be the best horror movie of the year. There was one little bit that I didn’t like, but it’s sort of a nitpick.

Maybe we’ll delve into 30 Days and perhaps Saw IV on Splattercast #51. I don’t think there’ll be room in episode #50, it’s already bursting at the seams with Boll-osity.

Filed under: Movies | 4 Comments »

If you were to ask me this question again in a year I’d probably end up giving you a different answer, but here it goes:

5. Friday the 13th

4. The Exorcist

3. Night of the Living Dead

2. The Ring

1. John Carpenter’s The Thing

Filed under: Movies, Top 5... | 2 Comments »

After commenting on MaT’s top 5 post, I, for whatever reason, started thinking about horror franchises. The film series that produced the most recognizable horror icons around today. The ones that always come to mind to me are A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And you know what? Elm Street is the only franchise whose first film in the series isn’t one I abso-fucking-lutely despise. I have a feeling I’m in the extreme horror minority.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre = suck.
Friday the 13th = suck.
Halloween = super suck.

Filed under: Commentary, Movies | 7 Comments »

While you’re cruising around the internets and sumbitting your Uwe Boll questions and what not for the once in a lifetime Splattercast #50, make sure you stop by my Sleepycast buddies’ Myspace page and message them letting them know your top five favorite horror movies. Or you can email them at sleepycast1@yahoo.com (I think that’s their email address). It’s only their 15th episode, but 15 is still a special number, right? Just not as special as 50

For the record my top 5 are:
1. The Exorcist
2. Dawn of the Dead (original)
3. The Blob (original)
4. John Carpenter’s The Thing
5. Dolls

Filed under: Movies, Splattercast, Top 5... | No Comments »

This movie was fan-fucking-tastic. I’ve never read the graphic novel so I can’t say how well it sticks to its source material. But still, great movie.

8/10

Review coming maybe tomorrow if I don’t die after work. Otherwise you can all look forward to listening to me ramble incoherently about this film on Splattercast #49.

I’ve been up for around 26 hours now and I still have to do homework before I can sleep! Yay!

Filed under: Movies | 4 Comments »