Friday, December 25, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
The Great Re-Watch vol. 4 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Some movies can terrify a generation just with a name or a poster. Movies like Jaws (1975) are so etched into the collective consciousness that even if you haven't seen it (then shame on you) you can still be scared by it. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is one of those movies. I know growing up as a fan of sci-fi and fantasy that segued as a teenager into horror, Texas Chainsaw was the first barrier I had. When you start watching extreme movies you set barriers for yourself. "I watch horror movies, but Texas Chainsaw is too intense for me." That barrier was quickly passed and movies like I Spit on Your Grave (1978) (disappointing), Last House on the Left (1972)(disturbing), Nekromantic (1987) (impressive, but not for everyone) and Cannibal Holocaust (1980) (now a favorite) all had a place among my barriers. Texas Chainsaw is still a very special movie to me, so I wanted to revisit it when I saw the new 40th Anniversary blu-ray edition on the shelf this October.
This movie still has the ability, no matter how many times I watch it, to feel unsettling and still a little disturbing. From the very start with the iconic opening voice over and the almost poetic flash-bulb sequence with its screeching sound effects makes the viewer wonder what they have gotten themselves into. This is no Hollywood throwaway slasher flick. This is part art film, part slaughter house tell all and part deranged family reunion. By now everyone knows who Leatherface is, but his murderous family of brothers and grandparents are just as bizarre as he is. The cruelty of The Cook and the insanity of The Hitchhiker are what really drives this movie and pushes their unsuspecting victims into a living nightmare. Make no mistakes, the original movie broke barriers and terrified movie goers for years. But the movie is brilliant in its style, grittiness and delivery. It was like no movie before it, or any movie after (especially the host of Hollywood sequels - starting with part 3 - and pale remakes).
I think it helps the eeriness of the original film to know that it is (very) loosely based on the true atrocities of American serial killer Ed Gein. Director Tobe Hooper has repeatedly told the story of how his older relatives used to tell him as a child that the cannibal was going to get him if he was bad like a modern day boogie man. So while Hooper knew some basics of the real case, he never did any real research to follow up what had become mostly urban legend. This is why the family's house in the movie is decorated in furniture and art made of the parts of their victims and various road kill. This loose mythos layered with amazing set design and the oppressive Texas heat makes for an even more intense setting for the film. On top of all of that is Hooper's avant garde approach to sound design that can make your skin crawl.
Part of the genius of Texas Chainsaw is the dark humor Hooper and company inserted amid the horror. One moment that always makes me chuckle is when the teens stop at the Cook's gas station.When he comes out to talk to the kids, a wacky hillbilly with a bulbous head follows with a bucket and starts washing the window on the van. Every time the Cook goes back to the office, the hillbilly stops cleaning and walks back. When the Cook goes back to his conversation with the teens, back to window washing. There are a few gems of dark humor throughout the film. There is a sense of thumbing their nose at American society and ideals of the family union. While this motif is faintly noticed here, I love Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) for its black comedy and high octane violence joined hand in hand.
Some of the myth of Chainsaw 1 is that it is one of the bloodiest movies of all time. This is plainly not true. While the violence is intense, clever filmmaking and inventive editing trick the mind into thinking you saw more than you really do. Many of the interviews and documentaries about the film point out how many members of the audience were too busy covering their eyes from the terror to see just how bloodless the scenes really were.
Another big impact that Chainsaw had on horror history are some very early examples of staples in the genre. It has been noted that Marilyn Burns' Sally may have been one of the original Final Girls. The Final Girl is a theory based around the common slasher theme of brutal serial murderer movies having one female character, usually the "good girl" of the original larger group of teens, that bests the killer and survives to usually show up in the sequel (ie. Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) or Sydney in Scream (1996). Another common technique in horror that may have originated in Chainsaw is creating a gang of victims that the audience grows to hate a la Hostel (2005). Sally, Jerry, Pam and Kirk are at times annoying and trite long before we meet the real bad guys of the movie. Take a look at how they treat the wheel-chair bound Franklin. Its hard to believe that any of them are friends or family to him considering the trip the take him on in the completely handicap inaccessible back roads of Texas. On the other hand, Franklin is one of the most irritating characters in the history of movies. Just like in Hostel, you are almost ready to jump in the screen and hurt these characters yourself, but luckily Leatherface and family take care of this for you.
For me, the excitement of picking up this blu-ray edition was the extras. I was happy to see that among the documentaries on the second disc was the David Gregory feature Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000). This doc is a wealth of stories straight from the filmmakers' mouths and a big influence to me when I started interviewing horror icons when I was in grad school working on my thesis film. Along side of Shocking Truth is a collection of newer featurettes including Red Shirt Productions excellent Flesh Wounds: Seven More Stories of the Saw (2006). I love the candid look at actors Ed Neal and Gunnar Hansen, the fans of the film and more. Both of these docs are available on past DVD sets, but its nice to have them together here.
New extras in honor of the 40th Anniversary are on this edition too. There is a wonderfully intimate discussion with John Dugan who played Grandpa as a teenager. Seeing him now look back on the torturous shoot and the behind the scenes fun was great and at times touching. A brief interview with the editor of the movie, Larry Carroll, also revealed some new stories. And another cool bonus extra that I was happy to see on this set was the episode of Horror's Hallowed Grounds that tours the locations from the film.
On a sad note, there was a definite delay in me writing this blog post. The horror community was shocked by the news that Leatherface actor, Gunnar Hansen, had passed away on November 7th. This was a very tough blow for me. As I mentioned earlier, when I was in grad school I made a two part documentary on horror and cult films called indie/cult/horror. At the time Gunnar was a little hard to get in touch with and I had to actually send a letter to his home in Maine asking for an interview. Gunnar was not giving many interviews back then, but expressed interest in my project and agreed because of the educational nature. He was the nicest man I encountered during the year that I made my movie. So much more than a man behind a mask in a horror movie, Gunnar was a witty and charming person who led an interesting and happy life. His career as a journalist and writer was his true passion and trips to horror conventions to meet fans made for a strange and pleasant diversion. He was kind and warm to me and would greet me at conventions after our first meeting with a big hug and smile. I will truly miss him and was so sad when I heard of his passing.
Back to the review. So if you haven't guessed, I highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves horror movies. Having sat through the 2003 re-make, I honestly wish it hadn't been made. I was so disappointed that I wanted my money back...for both tickets...and popcorn...and soda. It makes me sad that an entire generation think of the wrong movie when the words Texas Chainsaw Massacre are spoken. If you fall under this category, you owe it to yourself to right this wrong. The clothes and the music may feel dated, but the brutal terror is still there.
This movie still has the ability, no matter how many times I watch it, to feel unsettling and still a little disturbing. From the very start with the iconic opening voice over and the almost poetic flash-bulb sequence with its screeching sound effects makes the viewer wonder what they have gotten themselves into. This is no Hollywood throwaway slasher flick. This is part art film, part slaughter house tell all and part deranged family reunion. By now everyone knows who Leatherface is, but his murderous family of brothers and grandparents are just as bizarre as he is. The cruelty of The Cook and the insanity of The Hitchhiker are what really drives this movie and pushes their unsuspecting victims into a living nightmare. Make no mistakes, the original movie broke barriers and terrified movie goers for years. But the movie is brilliant in its style, grittiness and delivery. It was like no movie before it, or any movie after (especially the host of Hollywood sequels - starting with part 3 - and pale remakes).
I think it helps the eeriness of the original film to know that it is (very) loosely based on the true atrocities of American serial killer Ed Gein. Director Tobe Hooper has repeatedly told the story of how his older relatives used to tell him as a child that the cannibal was going to get him if he was bad like a modern day boogie man. So while Hooper knew some basics of the real case, he never did any real research to follow up what had become mostly urban legend. This is why the family's house in the movie is decorated in furniture and art made of the parts of their victims and various road kill. This loose mythos layered with amazing set design and the oppressive Texas heat makes for an even more intense setting for the film. On top of all of that is Hooper's avant garde approach to sound design that can make your skin crawl.
Part of the genius of Texas Chainsaw is the dark humor Hooper and company inserted amid the horror. One moment that always makes me chuckle is when the teens stop at the Cook's gas station.When he comes out to talk to the kids, a wacky hillbilly with a bulbous head follows with a bucket and starts washing the window on the van. Every time the Cook goes back to the office, the hillbilly stops cleaning and walks back. When the Cook goes back to his conversation with the teens, back to window washing. There are a few gems of dark humor throughout the film. There is a sense of thumbing their nose at American society and ideals of the family union. While this motif is faintly noticed here, I love Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) for its black comedy and high octane violence joined hand in hand.
Some of the myth of Chainsaw 1 is that it is one of the bloodiest movies of all time. This is plainly not true. While the violence is intense, clever filmmaking and inventive editing trick the mind into thinking you saw more than you really do. Many of the interviews and documentaries about the film point out how many members of the audience were too busy covering their eyes from the terror to see just how bloodless the scenes really were.
Another big impact that Chainsaw had on horror history are some very early examples of staples in the genre. It has been noted that Marilyn Burns' Sally may have been one of the original Final Girls. The Final Girl is a theory based around the common slasher theme of brutal serial murderer movies having one female character, usually the "good girl" of the original larger group of teens, that bests the killer and survives to usually show up in the sequel (ie. Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) or Sydney in Scream (1996). Another common technique in horror that may have originated in Chainsaw is creating a gang of victims that the audience grows to hate a la Hostel (2005). Sally, Jerry, Pam and Kirk are at times annoying and trite long before we meet the real bad guys of the movie. Take a look at how they treat the wheel-chair bound Franklin. Its hard to believe that any of them are friends or family to him considering the trip the take him on in the completely handicap inaccessible back roads of Texas. On the other hand, Franklin is one of the most irritating characters in the history of movies. Just like in Hostel, you are almost ready to jump in the screen and hurt these characters yourself, but luckily Leatherface and family take care of this for you.
For me, the excitement of picking up this blu-ray edition was the extras. I was happy to see that among the documentaries on the second disc was the David Gregory feature Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000). This doc is a wealth of stories straight from the filmmakers' mouths and a big influence to me when I started interviewing horror icons when I was in grad school working on my thesis film. Along side of Shocking Truth is a collection of newer featurettes including Red Shirt Productions excellent Flesh Wounds: Seven More Stories of the Saw (2006). I love the candid look at actors Ed Neal and Gunnar Hansen, the fans of the film and more. Both of these docs are available on past DVD sets, but its nice to have them together here.
New extras in honor of the 40th Anniversary are on this edition too. There is a wonderfully intimate discussion with John Dugan who played Grandpa as a teenager. Seeing him now look back on the torturous shoot and the behind the scenes fun was great and at times touching. A brief interview with the editor of the movie, Larry Carroll, also revealed some new stories. And another cool bonus extra that I was happy to see on this set was the episode of Horror's Hallowed Grounds that tours the locations from the film.
Back to the review. So if you haven't guessed, I highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves horror movies. Having sat through the 2003 re-make, I honestly wish it hadn't been made. I was so disappointed that I wanted my money back...for both tickets...and popcorn...and soda. It makes me sad that an entire generation think of the wrong movie when the words Texas Chainsaw Massacre are spoken. If you fall under this category, you owe it to yourself to right this wrong. The clothes and the music may feel dated, but the brutal terror is still there.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
The Great Re-Watch vol. 3 - The Omen
Now its time for a real classic, Richard Donner's 1976 epic, The Omen. This movie is one of the all-time top horror films, up there with iconic movies like The Exorcist (1972) and Psycho (1960). Its a classy, A list picture with an impressive cast. I would hope almost everyone reading this has already seen it, but if not, I hope I can move it to the top of your "To Watch" list.
The Omen is the tale of the coming of the offspring of Satan in the form of a little boy. The parents have no clue that the child they are raising is pure evil, until the strange events start to add up. Even then, rational thought keeps them from accepting the truth till it is almost too late. Gregory Peck stars as the adopted father who is the American ambassador to England, while his wife, played by Lee Remick, starts to suspect something is wrong. The world's strangest nanny has had a heavy hand in bringing up little Damien and she has kept him safe and sheltered with the help of a rather large hell-hound. A priest tries to warn the father, but it is only when a freelance photographer brings some physical evidence does the politician start to listen. Their quest to discover the truth puts everything in a truly biblical level and makes for one of the most epic stories in horror history.
I have always felt that movies like The Omen and The Exorcist have had a deep impact on me personally because of my Roman Catholic upbringing. There is something purely terrifying about the idea that so of what I was told in catechism may have actually been true and there will be an earthly battle between God and Satan in my lifetime. Even though I consider myself a well educated agnostic, movies like these still creep into that place in the back of my brain where the irrational stories of religion still live.
This is only part of what makes The Omen such an effective film. On the other side, this is an extremely well made film that still works today. From the screenplay to the cinematography and the physical effects and extraordinary acting, The Omen is a perfectly formed story that lent itself wonderfully to a motion picture. It is quite easy to get swept up in the story and let the film take you captive for two hours. Quite frankly, Hollywood doesn't make movies like this anymore.
There are so many iconic images in this movie it is hard to avoid spoilers. From the epic suicide of a nanny, a horrifying zoo visit, the violent reaction to just the sight of a church, we watch as Damien's evil becomes more apparent.
Two moments stand out to me as so impressive that they are the reason I love this movie so much. The first one is the set design on the obsessed priest's bedroom. As part of his penance, the priest had covered the room with bible pages and crosses. The images of his cell are eerie and will stick with you. Another moment that made a big impression on me is when they go to the ancient cemetery to find the grave of Damien's birth mother. The gothic setting coupled with the horrifying hell-hounds are the stuff of nightmares. Just brilliant. And on top of all of that is one of the greatest film scores of all time!
Apparently this is the screenplay that got rejected all over town. No one wanted to touch a horror movie in those days. Then The Exorcist did so well that Warner Bros. was preparing to make a sequel. Now Fox wanted to be able to compete with their own horror movie and The Omen got a second chance, luckily for us. According to Richard Donner, who went on to direct Superman (1978), The Goonies (1985) and Lethal Weapon (1987), the success of The Omen even helped to finance Star Wars (1977), so thank you for that too!
I was so happy to see that with this viewing that the film still works. It is still just as beautiful and compelling as ever. The only thing I did notice this time though was just how negligent Damien's adoptive parents truly are. At some points they just plain forget to pay attention to him and the rest of the time they seem to completely trust his care to a virtually unknown nanny. It is hard to think that this type of absent care would fly in contemporary movies.
So the version I watched was the Blu-ray special edition. I was happy to hear Donner talk about just how important The Omen was, not only in film history, but also in his own career. The documentary had some great interviews with everyone from the screenwriter (David Seltzer) all the way to the composer (Jerry Goldsmith) about the making of the film and its impact. The best feature though is the master class by director Wes Craven on the importance of The Omen with a breakdown of some of the iconic moments.
So its quite obvious that I highly recommend this film to everyone and anyone, horror fan or not. The Omen is just a true Hollywood classic. I know that it became a trilogy (I gave them a watch and they were decent) and a recent remake in 2006 (which I haven't bothered to watch yet) but the glory of The Omen is that is a beautiful stand-alone film that doesn't need any other resolution beyond the final frames of the film. Check it out. You won't be sorry.
The Omen is the tale of the coming of the offspring of Satan in the form of a little boy. The parents have no clue that the child they are raising is pure evil, until the strange events start to add up. Even then, rational thought keeps them from accepting the truth till it is almost too late. Gregory Peck stars as the adopted father who is the American ambassador to England, while his wife, played by Lee Remick, starts to suspect something is wrong. The world's strangest nanny has had a heavy hand in bringing up little Damien and she has kept him safe and sheltered with the help of a rather large hell-hound. A priest tries to warn the father, but it is only when a freelance photographer brings some physical evidence does the politician start to listen. Their quest to discover the truth puts everything in a truly biblical level and makes for one of the most epic stories in horror history.
I have always felt that movies like The Omen and The Exorcist have had a deep impact on me personally because of my Roman Catholic upbringing. There is something purely terrifying about the idea that so of what I was told in catechism may have actually been true and there will be an earthly battle between God and Satan in my lifetime. Even though I consider myself a well educated agnostic, movies like these still creep into that place in the back of my brain where the irrational stories of religion still live.
This is only part of what makes The Omen such an effective film. On the other side, this is an extremely well made film that still works today. From the screenplay to the cinematography and the physical effects and extraordinary acting, The Omen is a perfectly formed story that lent itself wonderfully to a motion picture. It is quite easy to get swept up in the story and let the film take you captive for two hours. Quite frankly, Hollywood doesn't make movies like this anymore.
There are so many iconic images in this movie it is hard to avoid spoilers. From the epic suicide of a nanny, a horrifying zoo visit, the violent reaction to just the sight of a church, we watch as Damien's evil becomes more apparent.
Two moments stand out to me as so impressive that they are the reason I love this movie so much. The first one is the set design on the obsessed priest's bedroom. As part of his penance, the priest had covered the room with bible pages and crosses. The images of his cell are eerie and will stick with you. Another moment that made a big impression on me is when they go to the ancient cemetery to find the grave of Damien's birth mother. The gothic setting coupled with the horrifying hell-hounds are the stuff of nightmares. Just brilliant. And on top of all of that is one of the greatest film scores of all time!
Apparently this is the screenplay that got rejected all over town. No one wanted to touch a horror movie in those days. Then The Exorcist did so well that Warner Bros. was preparing to make a sequel. Now Fox wanted to be able to compete with their own horror movie and The Omen got a second chance, luckily for us. According to Richard Donner, who went on to direct Superman (1978), The Goonies (1985) and Lethal Weapon (1987), the success of The Omen even helped to finance Star Wars (1977), so thank you for that too!
I was so happy to see that with this viewing that the film still works. It is still just as beautiful and compelling as ever. The only thing I did notice this time though was just how negligent Damien's adoptive parents truly are. At some points they just plain forget to pay attention to him and the rest of the time they seem to completely trust his care to a virtually unknown nanny. It is hard to think that this type of absent care would fly in contemporary movies.
So the version I watched was the Blu-ray special edition. I was happy to hear Donner talk about just how important The Omen was, not only in film history, but also in his own career. The documentary had some great interviews with everyone from the screenwriter (David Seltzer) all the way to the composer (Jerry Goldsmith) about the making of the film and its impact. The best feature though is the master class by director Wes Craven on the importance of The Omen with a breakdown of some of the iconic moments.
So its quite obvious that I highly recommend this film to everyone and anyone, horror fan or not. The Omen is just a true Hollywood classic. I know that it became a trilogy (I gave them a watch and they were decent) and a recent remake in 2006 (which I haven't bothered to watch yet) but the glory of The Omen is that is a beautiful stand-alone film that doesn't need any other resolution beyond the final frames of the film. Check it out. You won't be sorry.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Movie 12 - Nightmares in Red, White & Blue
Back to the great unwatched of my DVD collection that is looming in the corner! Next up is a documentary from 2009 by Andrew Monument called Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film. This film is an excellent decade-by-decade look at how American horror films were influenced by the world around us featuring a cast of some of the most important names behind the scenes.
This really smart documentary becomes a timeline of horror in America. The truly awesome cast of great American directors includes John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), George Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead), Roger Corman (Pit and the Pendulum, The Terror), Larry Cohen (It's Alive, The Stuff) and many more. And it is even narrated by Lance Henriksen of Aliens and Near Dark fame!
I really love that this documentary starts at the very beginning by talking about Edison's Frankenstein (1910) and then moves to the films of Lon Chaney in the 1920's and the backdrop of World War I and the Great Depression. The 30's are dominated by Universal's game-changing Dracula and Frankenstein which are the first true horror films and usher in the monster age ... and a host of imitators. This led to the 40's monster mash-ups like The House of Frankenstein starring Dracula, the Wolf man and the Monster, but by then the Nazi's were scarier than anything Hollywood could put up on the big screen. Then, of course, the 50's are full of sci-fi terrors that put our fears of the A-bomb front and center like Them and The Day The Earth Stood Still. On and on the movie analyzes how each generation has different fears based on the real world and how they translate to the fantasies we watch on the movie screen.
It's also interesting how over time films get more brutal as real life gets more violent and crazed around us. Obviously this happened during Vietnam with films like Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So many filmmakers in this documentary and others have noted how they didn't shy away from being gruesome since everything was silly make believe compared to the nightly news. It was interesting to see a doc new enough though to equate this same reaction with the post 9/11 world and the advent of so called "torture porn" like Hostel and Saw.
I definitely recommend Nightmares in Red, White and Blue to any fans of horror movies, film history, world history and even psychology. While I may not have picked exactly the same line up as the people we see here, it is a great group of filmmakers that represent the genre. I would have liked to hear from maybe some of the screenwriters and fx artists to round it out a bit more, but this does include some cool people we never get to hear from like Brian Yuzna who produced Re-Animator and From Beyond.
This really smart documentary becomes a timeline of horror in America. The truly awesome cast of great American directors includes John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), George Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead), Roger Corman (Pit and the Pendulum, The Terror), Larry Cohen (It's Alive, The Stuff) and many more. And it is even narrated by Lance Henriksen of Aliens and Near Dark fame!
I really love that this documentary starts at the very beginning by talking about Edison's Frankenstein (1910) and then moves to the films of Lon Chaney in the 1920's and the backdrop of World War I and the Great Depression. The 30's are dominated by Universal's game-changing Dracula and Frankenstein which are the first true horror films and usher in the monster age ... and a host of imitators. This led to the 40's monster mash-ups like The House of Frankenstein starring Dracula, the Wolf man and the Monster, but by then the Nazi's were scarier than anything Hollywood could put up on the big screen. Then, of course, the 50's are full of sci-fi terrors that put our fears of the A-bomb front and center like Them and The Day The Earth Stood Still. On and on the movie analyzes how each generation has different fears based on the real world and how they translate to the fantasies we watch on the movie screen.
It's also interesting how over time films get more brutal as real life gets more violent and crazed around us. Obviously this happened during Vietnam with films like Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So many filmmakers in this documentary and others have noted how they didn't shy away from being gruesome since everything was silly make believe compared to the nightly news. It was interesting to see a doc new enough though to equate this same reaction with the post 9/11 world and the advent of so called "torture porn" like Hostel and Saw.
I definitely recommend Nightmares in Red, White and Blue to any fans of horror movies, film history, world history and even psychology. While I may not have picked exactly the same line up as the people we see here, it is a great group of filmmakers that represent the genre. I would have liked to hear from maybe some of the screenwriters and fx artists to round it out a bit more, but this does include some cool people we never get to hear from like Brian Yuzna who produced Re-Animator and From Beyond.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
The Great Re-Watch vol. 2 - Zombie
I promise that not all of these Great Re-Watch movies will be about zombies, but don't tempt me!
My second look back at one of my all time favorites is Lucio Fulci's Zombie (1979). Zombie is the gateway drug of Italian horror. There's no sexy giallo thrillers or nightmare inspired terror films here, just a straight ahead, good ol' blood and guts horror movie. The movie was intended as an illegitimate Italian sequel to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which was released in Italy as Zombi (sporting an alternate cut by producer Dario Argento aimed at a more visceral, less talky, horror/action feel for the European audience). This cut of Dawn was a huge hit overseas, so everyone wanted to jump into the walking dead game. When Argento found out about Fulci's film, he sued the producers. The result is the alternate title for European markets, Zombie 2: Flesh Eaters. This films other big claim to fame is being on the top of the UK's Video Nasty list - which meant it was banned for decades and its infamy made it even more alluring for gorehounds everywhere.
Zombie is the story of a search for a scientist from New York who has gone to the island of Matul to help his friend, Dr. Manard, to investigate a strange disease that has infected the natives. The scientist's daughter teams up with an eager reporter to travel to the island and find out why her father's boat has returned to New York without him. Along the way they befriend a couple that owns a boat and are vacationing around the islands. When the four of them finally arrive in Matul, they discover that the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. The only explanation seems to be voodoo and there seems to be no way to bring this nightmare to an end.
Unlike Romero's vision of the undead, Fulci and his crew have created a mythos that admits ancient superstitions may be real and evil is not always at the hands of mankind. We still aren't sure why the dead walk, but pollution, radiation, overpopulation and other man-made evils do not seem to be the cause here. Another big difference between the two directors' films are the look of the zombies. Fulci's film makes Dawn of the Dead recently deceased look clean-cut. These zombies have been diseased before they died and now they are nasty, decaying derelicts dressed in rags and covered in maggots.
Fulci's Zombie also comes from a long line of Italian exploitation, B-movie cinema. There are gross-out scenes that involve massive zombie feasts, absurd battles with sharks and random nude scuba divers, extended shower scenes and one very memorable splinter that leads to a character's demise. Italy loves its splatter almost as much as it loves naked women in their movies and Fulci doesn't shy away from anything.
So why do I love this film? While it may feel absolutely absurd from start to finish, the world of the movie takes itself very seriously. There are so many moments that feel natural and realistic. In the church that has become a make-shift sick ward, we watch the doctor and his aides try to save the lives of the islanders. In the bloody, nasty chaos the sick slowly become the dead and then eventually the undead. The illness ravages them as flies circle their beds. The world is sweaty, dirty, gritty and so are the people. As opposed to the trained SWAT team members of Dawn, this rag-tag crew of survivors must learn to fight for their lives...and sometimes they aren't very good at it. It is realism and surreal all at the same time.
This is a film populated by outstanding make-up and special effects that look so different from how American horror films at the time looked, There is a DIY aesthetic that has impressive results. And of course I love that the film bookends itself with these wonderful moments in New York City to bring everything full circle...and the perfectly iconic (and extremely illegal in a "we don't need no stinkin' permits" kinda way) image that shows the dead crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Zombie is also filled with some amazing music that brings tension and atmosphere throughout the movie.
On a very last note I want to tip my hat to the Red Shirt Productions and Blue Underground Distribution teams for creating a brand new batch of extras for this Blu-ray special edition. There are interviews with so many of the important people who made Zombie as great as it is. There are make-up and effects artists, production designers, producers, writers and composers who each had a major impact in making this classic film. There is even a short interview with Fulci's daughter talking about her late father's legacy. But my favorite is the look at the fans of the film and how the actors feel about the lasting impact of the movie.
Ok. Enough gushing for this week. Basically I am saying that this may not be a movie for everyone, but for many of us out there this is a true classic.
My second look back at one of my all time favorites is Lucio Fulci's Zombie (1979). Zombie is the gateway drug of Italian horror. There's no sexy giallo thrillers or nightmare inspired terror films here, just a straight ahead, good ol' blood and guts horror movie. The movie was intended as an illegitimate Italian sequel to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which was released in Italy as Zombi (sporting an alternate cut by producer Dario Argento aimed at a more visceral, less talky, horror/action feel for the European audience). This cut of Dawn was a huge hit overseas, so everyone wanted to jump into the walking dead game. When Argento found out about Fulci's film, he sued the producers. The result is the alternate title for European markets, Zombie 2: Flesh Eaters. This films other big claim to fame is being on the top of the UK's Video Nasty list - which meant it was banned for decades and its infamy made it even more alluring for gorehounds everywhere.
Zombie is the story of a search for a scientist from New York who has gone to the island of Matul to help his friend, Dr. Manard, to investigate a strange disease that has infected the natives. The scientist's daughter teams up with an eager reporter to travel to the island and find out why her father's boat has returned to New York without him. Along the way they befriend a couple that owns a boat and are vacationing around the islands. When the four of them finally arrive in Matul, they discover that the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. The only explanation seems to be voodoo and there seems to be no way to bring this nightmare to an end.
Unlike Romero's vision of the undead, Fulci and his crew have created a mythos that admits ancient superstitions may be real and evil is not always at the hands of mankind. We still aren't sure why the dead walk, but pollution, radiation, overpopulation and other man-made evils do not seem to be the cause here. Another big difference between the two directors' films are the look of the zombies. Fulci's film makes Dawn of the Dead recently deceased look clean-cut. These zombies have been diseased before they died and now they are nasty, decaying derelicts dressed in rags and covered in maggots.
Fulci's Zombie also comes from a long line of Italian exploitation, B-movie cinema. There are gross-out scenes that involve massive zombie feasts, absurd battles with sharks and random nude scuba divers, extended shower scenes and one very memorable splinter that leads to a character's demise. Italy loves its splatter almost as much as it loves naked women in their movies and Fulci doesn't shy away from anything.
So why do I love this film? While it may feel absolutely absurd from start to finish, the world of the movie takes itself very seriously. There are so many moments that feel natural and realistic. In the church that has become a make-shift sick ward, we watch the doctor and his aides try to save the lives of the islanders. In the bloody, nasty chaos the sick slowly become the dead and then eventually the undead. The illness ravages them as flies circle their beds. The world is sweaty, dirty, gritty and so are the people. As opposed to the trained SWAT team members of Dawn, this rag-tag crew of survivors must learn to fight for their lives...and sometimes they aren't very good at it. It is realism and surreal all at the same time.
This is a film populated by outstanding make-up and special effects that look so different from how American horror films at the time looked, There is a DIY aesthetic that has impressive results. And of course I love that the film bookends itself with these wonderful moments in New York City to bring everything full circle...and the perfectly iconic (and extremely illegal in a "we don't need no stinkin' permits" kinda way) image that shows the dead crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Zombie is also filled with some amazing music that brings tension and atmosphere throughout the movie.
On a very last note I want to tip my hat to the Red Shirt Productions and Blue Underground Distribution teams for creating a brand new batch of extras for this Blu-ray special edition. There are interviews with so many of the important people who made Zombie as great as it is. There are make-up and effects artists, production designers, producers, writers and composers who each had a major impact in making this classic film. There is even a short interview with Fulci's daughter talking about her late father's legacy. But my favorite is the look at the fans of the film and how the actors feel about the lasting impact of the movie.
Ok. Enough gushing for this week. Basically I am saying that this may not be a movie for everyone, but for many of us out there this is a true classic.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
The Great Re-Watch vol. 1 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)
In honor of the Halloween season and my desire to re-watch some of the films that I truly love, I am starting a new sidebar on this blog. The Great Re-Watch will be me going back to some of the genre films that have had a big impact on my life. In some cases, the reviews will be for new editions on Blu-ray, so I will be sure to let you know about all the extras.
It is only fitting for me to start this initiative with the modern classic that shaped many of the horror movies that came after it - at least the good ones. Dawn of the Dead (1978) is George A. Romero's classic zombie tale of survival in the modern society of American commercialism. This film is possibly where Romero because an auteur. While he made history with Night of the Living Dead (1968) and found his own voice with Martin (1977), Dawn was a break-thru which had audience appeal even with an X rating. Also, while Night was the film that created modern horror as we think of it, you must remember that it was an experiment by a group of media professionals to see if working together they could make a full length film, so it was art by committee. Martin, Romero's excellent take on the modern vampire, on the other hand, was a Romero picture that clearly showed his style and flair, but it didn't find an audience till years later on home video. Dawn was Romero's first real success and the people found it in the theaters even without a big ad campaign or commercial support.
So what made Dawn of the Dead so special? It was gritty, dark and didn't shy away from the blood and gore, but at the same time it had realistic characters who we come to know and relate to. Also the film has a sense of satire that ran a bit deeper than one would expect from your average horror flick. Romero has gone on record many times about the rather clear message that the consumerist society that America was reveling in during the 1970s, would be our own downfall. Once our heroes get to the mall, they find us, the American public - zombies spending our hard earned money on things that in the end are useless. The film also pokes fun at the gung ho, military nature, especially in the hick confines of the middle of the country, that enjoy disasters and war so that they can be seen as macho saviors. On top of all that deep thought, the film still stays true to its action, scares and a healthy sense of humor.
Now that I have gotten off my soapbox of genre film history, let's talk about this edition of the film. I am sitting down with the 2007 Blu-ray from Starz/Anchor Bay. The first thing I noticed was that the commentary tracks and featurettes are the same as the Ultimate Edition DVD box set from Anchor Bay. I chose to watch the movie with the pop-up video style trivia. There were some good notes and even a few I hadn't heard before, but the text tended to go away too fast and I had to either rewind or pause in order to read some of the trivia. A few of these pop-ups are obviously in the wrong spots and one had a mistake that was rather obvious to fans about the handyman zombie that attacks Roger in Penny's. A huge plus is that this is definitely the clearest and cleanest transfer of the film that I have ever seen. It makes the picture and colors pop. The only downfall of all this clarity is that much of the film was shot handheld by Michael Gornick and because of that technique there are moments when the focus is blurry. High Def images make the out of focus shots more obvious. But overall the film still looks great.
So why do I love this movie so much? What I always fall in love with on George Romero's movies is the immense character development. His films tend to be rather lengthy, but that is because we need to know these people if we are going to care about them enough to follow them on an adventure. It is his glimpses into the humanity and realism of his characters that make them special. A great example of this comes very early in Dawn of the Dead. When our four heroes are getting ready to take off in their helicopter there are groups of other cops and emergency workers that are also getting ready to leave. One of them, a very quirky guy, is going from group to group asking if anyone has cigarettes. Fran and Roger say no, but the minute they are up in the air, we watch as they light up...and Peter takes this all in with a broad smile. Just like us, he is getting to know the rest of his party. Once we get on the road, the audience gets to see Roger, Peter and even Steven start to become friends as they work and live together. Another great moment is when Fran makes it clear to the guys that she does not intend to be a damsel in distress for them to protect. She wants to learn how to use a gun, fly the copter and be in on any decision making. Just like the consumerist zombies in the mall below her, Fran is a sign of the times. Welcome to the women of the 1970s and the feminist movement...like it or not. All of these moments makes them realistic people to me and make me care more than I would when watching normal horror films. I care about them and become invested in their survival. This is why Dawn, and all of Romero's best films, are important to me.
So have I blathered on long enough about this modern masterpiece that I love? And I could probably talk about it all day if you let me. I haven't even touched on the awesome score by Italian prog-rockers Goblin, the revolutionary special effects by maestro Tom Savini or the blistering commentary on the effects of media on society. The moral of the story is this: If you haven't seen the original Dawn of the Dead (not the mediocre 2004 remake), than you need to watch it now. Buy it, rent it, stream it...do whatever you have to do, but enjoy this Halloween season with the real reason that the world cares about zombies, not The Walking Dead, but the groundbreaking, 1978 classic, Dawn of the Dead!
It is only fitting for me to start this initiative with the modern classic that shaped many of the horror movies that came after it - at least the good ones. Dawn of the Dead (1978) is George A. Romero's classic zombie tale of survival in the modern society of American commercialism. This film is possibly where Romero because an auteur. While he made history with Night of the Living Dead (1968) and found his own voice with Martin (1977), Dawn was a break-thru which had audience appeal even with an X rating. Also, while Night was the film that created modern horror as we think of it, you must remember that it was an experiment by a group of media professionals to see if working together they could make a full length film, so it was art by committee. Martin, Romero's excellent take on the modern vampire, on the other hand, was a Romero picture that clearly showed his style and flair, but it didn't find an audience till years later on home video. Dawn was Romero's first real success and the people found it in the theaters even without a big ad campaign or commercial support.
So what made Dawn of the Dead so special? It was gritty, dark and didn't shy away from the blood and gore, but at the same time it had realistic characters who we come to know and relate to. Also the film has a sense of satire that ran a bit deeper than one would expect from your average horror flick. Romero has gone on record many times about the rather clear message that the consumerist society that America was reveling in during the 1970s, would be our own downfall. Once our heroes get to the mall, they find us, the American public - zombies spending our hard earned money on things that in the end are useless. The film also pokes fun at the gung ho, military nature, especially in the hick confines of the middle of the country, that enjoy disasters and war so that they can be seen as macho saviors. On top of all that deep thought, the film still stays true to its action, scares and a healthy sense of humor.
Now that I have gotten off my soapbox of genre film history, let's talk about this edition of the film. I am sitting down with the 2007 Blu-ray from Starz/Anchor Bay. The first thing I noticed was that the commentary tracks and featurettes are the same as the Ultimate Edition DVD box set from Anchor Bay. I chose to watch the movie with the pop-up video style trivia. There were some good notes and even a few I hadn't heard before, but the text tended to go away too fast and I had to either rewind or pause in order to read some of the trivia. A few of these pop-ups are obviously in the wrong spots and one had a mistake that was rather obvious to fans about the handyman zombie that attacks Roger in Penny's. A huge plus is that this is definitely the clearest and cleanest transfer of the film that I have ever seen. It makes the picture and colors pop. The only downfall of all this clarity is that much of the film was shot handheld by Michael Gornick and because of that technique there are moments when the focus is blurry. High Def images make the out of focus shots more obvious. But overall the film still looks great.
So why do I love this movie so much? What I always fall in love with on George Romero's movies is the immense character development. His films tend to be rather lengthy, but that is because we need to know these people if we are going to care about them enough to follow them on an adventure. It is his glimpses into the humanity and realism of his characters that make them special. A great example of this comes very early in Dawn of the Dead. When our four heroes are getting ready to take off in their helicopter there are groups of other cops and emergency workers that are also getting ready to leave. One of them, a very quirky guy, is going from group to group asking if anyone has cigarettes. Fran and Roger say no, but the minute they are up in the air, we watch as they light up...and Peter takes this all in with a broad smile. Just like us, he is getting to know the rest of his party. Once we get on the road, the audience gets to see Roger, Peter and even Steven start to become friends as they work and live together. Another great moment is when Fran makes it clear to the guys that she does not intend to be a damsel in distress for them to protect. She wants to learn how to use a gun, fly the copter and be in on any decision making. Just like the consumerist zombies in the mall below her, Fran is a sign of the times. Welcome to the women of the 1970s and the feminist movement...like it or not. All of these moments makes them realistic people to me and make me care more than I would when watching normal horror films. I care about them and become invested in their survival. This is why Dawn, and all of Romero's best films, are important to me.
So have I blathered on long enough about this modern masterpiece that I love? And I could probably talk about it all day if you let me. I haven't even touched on the awesome score by Italian prog-rockers Goblin, the revolutionary special effects by maestro Tom Savini or the blistering commentary on the effects of media on society. The moral of the story is this: If you haven't seen the original Dawn of the Dead (not the mediocre 2004 remake), than you need to watch it now. Buy it, rent it, stream it...do whatever you have to do, but enjoy this Halloween season with the real reason that the world cares about zombies, not The Walking Dead, but the groundbreaking, 1978 classic, Dawn of the Dead!
Friday, September 4, 2015
Movie 11 - I Am Bruce Lee
Movie 11 is another documentary. This time we look at Pete McCormack's 2012 movie I Am Bruce Lee that was made for Spike TV. Scanning the imdb listing for the director, I am not surprised he got this gig since he also worked on the sports doc Facing Ali (2009) which was also a well made look at an iconic fighter. The thing that both of these documentaries have in common is that they take some of the real people that knew these men and show just how much they are still affected by their encounters with greatness.
The true strength of this film is how the filmmakers capture the emotions of the people they interviewed. There are some wonderful moments caught of the people who really knew Bruce, that the audience can't help but feel choked up watching them. By including both Bruce's wife Linda and his daughter Shannon, this movie also proves just how important not only Bruce was to his family, but his family was to Bruce. And here we see even further proof that Linda was the key to Bruce's success. She kept it all together and when he was gone, she kept his memory alive in the best way. To me, their involvement in this documentary makes it legitimate.
I Am Bruce Lee is a little different at first, but starts to make sense as you fall in line with the train of thought. I mean that in the beginning I thought the casting was a strange random mix, but at least the people they choose show the diversity of Bruce's reach by including dancers, fighters and other athletes and actors. The truth is there could have been 10x more people from an even more vast range of vocations. Enough people in the world have been influenced by Bruce Lee, that they could have easily made a tv series filled with interviewees.
The movie also featured an amazing collection of "home movies". We have seen glimpses of these before in other docs that were sanctioned by the family, but to me it is the other professional footage that is really great to see. We forget that there was more than just the 5 films and Green Hornet. Bruce did so much more work behind the scenes in Hollywood and so much as a child actor in Hong Kong. Its those clips of his cameos from tv shows like Longstreet along side the backyard footage of training James Coburn to help paint the picture of what life was like for the Lee's.
It is always powerful to hear the concepts and ideas from the man himself. Those classic interviews that Bruce did for tv talk shows and his Hollywood screen test show his true genius and star power. My hat is off the film's editor, who mixes Bruce's own words perfectly, using audio samples and text on screen, to drive the message home.
One last thing that I appreciate in I Am Bruce Lee is that it is the first doc that I have seen to breech a very sensitive topic. Is Bruce Lee the father of MMA and would he be happy about it? While it is not clear exactly how Bruce would feel about MMA and Jeet Kune Do role in its development, I think it is good to hear it discussed. The filmmakers do show just how against the traditional karate and martial arts tournaments Lee was and how he felt true fighting can only happen on the streets. I feel like he would be just as opposed to the UFC. On the other hand there was Lee's obsession with American boxing matches. While many of the people interviewed are part of the UFC and give Bruce Lee lots of the credit for inventing their sport, I'm not sure I agree. I feel like Bruce would be just as annoyed with the rules and regulations in MMA as he was with karate and all the other existing forms, but I guess we will never know for sure.
As you can see, I really enjoyed I Am Bruce Lee and highly recommend it to any martial artists and fans of martial arts movies. In all honesty, I think anyone who just knows Hollywood action films and has heard of Bruce Lee but may not have seen his movies would really benefit from sitting down and giving this doc a watch. And definitely watch the extras!
The true strength of this film is how the filmmakers capture the emotions of the people they interviewed. There are some wonderful moments caught of the people who really knew Bruce, that the audience can't help but feel choked up watching them. By including both Bruce's wife Linda and his daughter Shannon, this movie also proves just how important not only Bruce was to his family, but his family was to Bruce. And here we see even further proof that Linda was the key to Bruce's success. She kept it all together and when he was gone, she kept his memory alive in the best way. To me, their involvement in this documentary makes it legitimate.
I Am Bruce Lee is a little different at first, but starts to make sense as you fall in line with the train of thought. I mean that in the beginning I thought the casting was a strange random mix, but at least the people they choose show the diversity of Bruce's reach by including dancers, fighters and other athletes and actors. The truth is there could have been 10x more people from an even more vast range of vocations. Enough people in the world have been influenced by Bruce Lee, that they could have easily made a tv series filled with interviewees.
The movie also featured an amazing collection of "home movies". We have seen glimpses of these before in other docs that were sanctioned by the family, but to me it is the other professional footage that is really great to see. We forget that there was more than just the 5 films and Green Hornet. Bruce did so much more work behind the scenes in Hollywood and so much as a child actor in Hong Kong. Its those clips of his cameos from tv shows like Longstreet along side the backyard footage of training James Coburn to help paint the picture of what life was like for the Lee's.
It is always powerful to hear the concepts and ideas from the man himself. Those classic interviews that Bruce did for tv talk shows and his Hollywood screen test show his true genius and star power. My hat is off the film's editor, who mixes Bruce's own words perfectly, using audio samples and text on screen, to drive the message home.
One last thing that I appreciate in I Am Bruce Lee is that it is the first doc that I have seen to breech a very sensitive topic. Is Bruce Lee the father of MMA and would he be happy about it? While it is not clear exactly how Bruce would feel about MMA and Jeet Kune Do role in its development, I think it is good to hear it discussed. The filmmakers do show just how against the traditional karate and martial arts tournaments Lee was and how he felt true fighting can only happen on the streets. I feel like he would be just as opposed to the UFC. On the other hand there was Lee's obsession with American boxing matches. While many of the people interviewed are part of the UFC and give Bruce Lee lots of the credit for inventing their sport, I'm not sure I agree. I feel like Bruce would be just as annoyed with the rules and regulations in MMA as he was with karate and all the other existing forms, but I guess we will never know for sure.
As you can see, I really enjoyed I Am Bruce Lee and highly recommend it to any martial artists and fans of martial arts movies. In all honesty, I think anyone who just knows Hollywood action films and has heard of Bruce Lee but may not have seen his movies would really benefit from sitting down and giving this doc a watch. And definitely watch the extras!
Friday, August 14, 2015
Movie 10 - Six Days in Roswell
Today's movie is a lot of fun. The documentary Six Days in Roswell (1998) was made by the people behind one of my all time favorite documentaries, Trekkies (1997) - and its sequel, Trekkies 2 (2004), was really good too! Timothy B. Johnson and Roger Nygard have an amazing ability to march into the belly of the beast and show just how absurd and hilarious humanity can be.
In this doc, we follow one of the people we met in Trekkies on his pilgrimage to Roswell, New Mexico. Last time we saw Rich Kronfeld he was traveling in his motorized recreation of Captian Pike's wheelchair/life support/Dalek thing from the original Star Trek. In this film we learn that Rich's life-long dream is to be abducted by aliens, so he treks to Roswell for their annual festival in honor of the crash site. We get to travel with him as he takes in the sites and meets many, many interesting people.
I love the filmmakers' style of guerilla documentary and simple storytelling. At times it feels like we are watching a school filmstrip about UFO kooks. The simple graphics and background music are perfect for this approach.
Since our host is just as quirky as many of the people he interacts with, there is a surreal element to the entire experience. I love when his questions go off topic because he just can't help himself when dealing with some of these characters. Like when he is interviewing a man from Montreal who has built a special metal detector to find leftovers from alien crashes and gets distracted by the fact that Canada has Radio Shack. These kinds of moments make the movie feel genuine and that much more enjoyable for the audience.
One thing I wasn't crazy about were the moments that were obviously staged and felt more like comedy skits than sections of a documentary. For example, at one point we see him getting lessons on self defense just in case he encounters a hostile alien, but it feels scripted and unnecessary. They seem to exist as visuals to accompany the narration of our host's journal entries, but take me a little out of the moment.
Otherwise I loved this film and was pretty upset that the Bonus Material section on my dvd did not want to work. I was dying to see the outtakes and deleted scenes because I couldn't get enough of these wacky, sun-baked, UFO aficionados! I recommend this film to fans of both science-fiction and documentaries, but you have to have a good sense of humor!
In this doc, we follow one of the people we met in Trekkies on his pilgrimage to Roswell, New Mexico. Last time we saw Rich Kronfeld he was traveling in his motorized recreation of Captian Pike's wheelchair/life support/Dalek thing from the original Star Trek. In this film we learn that Rich's life-long dream is to be abducted by aliens, so he treks to Roswell for their annual festival in honor of the crash site. We get to travel with him as he takes in the sites and meets many, many interesting people.
I love the filmmakers' style of guerilla documentary and simple storytelling. At times it feels like we are watching a school filmstrip about UFO kooks. The simple graphics and background music are perfect for this approach.
Since our host is just as quirky as many of the people he interacts with, there is a surreal element to the entire experience. I love when his questions go off topic because he just can't help himself when dealing with some of these characters. Like when he is interviewing a man from Montreal who has built a special metal detector to find leftovers from alien crashes and gets distracted by the fact that Canada has Radio Shack. These kinds of moments make the movie feel genuine and that much more enjoyable for the audience.
One thing I wasn't crazy about were the moments that were obviously staged and felt more like comedy skits than sections of a documentary. For example, at one point we see him getting lessons on self defense just in case he encounters a hostile alien, but it feels scripted and unnecessary. They seem to exist as visuals to accompany the narration of our host's journal entries, but take me a little out of the moment.
Otherwise I loved this film and was pretty upset that the Bonus Material section on my dvd did not want to work. I was dying to see the outtakes and deleted scenes because I couldn't get enough of these wacky, sun-baked, UFO aficionados! I recommend this film to fans of both science-fiction and documentaries, but you have to have a good sense of humor!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Movie 9 - Trauma
I am a huge fan of Italian Giallo director Dario Argento, but I have admittedly overlooked some of his more modern films. So in an effort to fix this error in my ways, today we are looking at Argento's 1993 thriller, Trauma. It seems that many people have also skipped Dario's films from the 90's because they felt there was no way these movies could compare to his classics. Considering how I was disappointed with Argento's Phantom of the Opera (1998) and had hoped for so much more from Two Evil Eyes (1990), I too was unsure about the films in the middle, but its time I gave Trauma a chance to defend itself.
I will start off by admitting that I was a little timid about watching this particular movie because I was worried that since I haven't heard a lot about Trauma that maybe it wasn't very good. I picked up the Anchor Bay DVD year's ago but kept passing it over. I really wish that I had watched it sooner. I think this movie may not be as stylized as some of my favorites like Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) or Opera (1987), but was still an excellent horror movie. In traditional Giallo fashion, the story centers around a mysterious case of murders, but this time all of the victims have been decapitated.
There are a few great treats here in the casting. First and foremost, this is the first time that Dario worked with his daughter Asia, who has of course gone on to make many movies with and without her famous father. More exciting for me was the appearance of Piper Laurie as Asia's mother, the medium. While there are some similarities with Laurie's portrayal of a psychotic mother in DePalma's classic Carrie (1976), there is an eccentric air of importance here that is decadent especially when she performs a séance. She was perfect for this role.
Another big highlight for me here is getting to see Tom Savini team up with Argento again. The effects are top notch. No one makes a severed head as real as Mr. Savini and his shop rose to the occasion with the murders of the film's villain, The Headhunter. There is only one instance in the film that is cringe worthy and that is a very dated image involving a certain disembodied head and some not so great green screen work, but I am willing to let it go since we are still talking about the early 90s.
While I am always a little creeped out seeing Argento direct some awkwardly sexual moments with his daughter, I was intrigued by the interview with the director on this DVD. Apparently Asia's character was influenced by two young women that Argento had experienced who suffered from anorexia. He went on to research the condition and tried to portray a realistic interpretation of a girl who is afflicted with this disorder. Unfortunately several of the scenes that hoped to really drive this point home were removed from the final film and this goal is a little too ambiguous leaving her to come across more like a recovering junkie.
I will say that this movie really shines at the end. Once the true backstory of the killer begins to unravel and we see how the victims are all linked, there is a nightmarish air to the flashbacks. The true murderer is revealed with a great and grisly twist ending. Here we see Argento show his true colors and are reminded of the beautiful stylized final moments of his classics Suspiria (1977) and Profondo Rosso (1975)!
The only real complaint I have here is that there is still a missing ingredient that would make this film stand up against Dario's other films and that is the score. Argento movies work best when they are backed by the music of Goblin (and sometimes just the front-man Claudio Simonetti) or the music of Motorhead and Iron Maiden - like in Phenomena (1985). A traditional orchestral score feels oddly out of place to me in Trauma. I could only imaging what some frenetic, synth driven, pulse-pounding prog rock or even some well placed heavy metal in the soundtrack would have done to make this movie better!
All in all, I definitely recommend this film to fans of American thrillers, Italian Giallos and Dario Argento. Now if you will excuse me, I think it is time I pick up a copy of Argento's Stendhal Syndrome from 1996 and see how it holds up too! I'll let you know about it one day.
I will start off by admitting that I was a little timid about watching this particular movie because I was worried that since I haven't heard a lot about Trauma that maybe it wasn't very good. I picked up the Anchor Bay DVD year's ago but kept passing it over. I really wish that I had watched it sooner. I think this movie may not be as stylized as some of my favorites like Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) or Opera (1987), but was still an excellent horror movie. In traditional Giallo fashion, the story centers around a mysterious case of murders, but this time all of the victims have been decapitated.
There are a few great treats here in the casting. First and foremost, this is the first time that Dario worked with his daughter Asia, who has of course gone on to make many movies with and without her famous father. More exciting for me was the appearance of Piper Laurie as Asia's mother, the medium. While there are some similarities with Laurie's portrayal of a psychotic mother in DePalma's classic Carrie (1976), there is an eccentric air of importance here that is decadent especially when she performs a séance. She was perfect for this role.
Another big highlight for me here is getting to see Tom Savini team up with Argento again. The effects are top notch. No one makes a severed head as real as Mr. Savini and his shop rose to the occasion with the murders of the film's villain, The Headhunter. There is only one instance in the film that is cringe worthy and that is a very dated image involving a certain disembodied head and some not so great green screen work, but I am willing to let it go since we are still talking about the early 90s.
While I am always a little creeped out seeing Argento direct some awkwardly sexual moments with his daughter, I was intrigued by the interview with the director on this DVD. Apparently Asia's character was influenced by two young women that Argento had experienced who suffered from anorexia. He went on to research the condition and tried to portray a realistic interpretation of a girl who is afflicted with this disorder. Unfortunately several of the scenes that hoped to really drive this point home were removed from the final film and this goal is a little too ambiguous leaving her to come across more like a recovering junkie.
I will say that this movie really shines at the end. Once the true backstory of the killer begins to unravel and we see how the victims are all linked, there is a nightmarish air to the flashbacks. The true murderer is revealed with a great and grisly twist ending. Here we see Argento show his true colors and are reminded of the beautiful stylized final moments of his classics Suspiria (1977) and Profondo Rosso (1975)!
The only real complaint I have here is that there is still a missing ingredient that would make this film stand up against Dario's other films and that is the score. Argento movies work best when they are backed by the music of Goblin (and sometimes just the front-man Claudio Simonetti) or the music of Motorhead and Iron Maiden - like in Phenomena (1985). A traditional orchestral score feels oddly out of place to me in Trauma. I could only imaging what some frenetic, synth driven, pulse-pounding prog rock or even some well placed heavy metal in the soundtrack would have done to make this movie better!
All in all, I definitely recommend this film to fans of American thrillers, Italian Giallos and Dario Argento. Now if you will excuse me, I think it is time I pick up a copy of Argento's Stendhal Syndrome from 1996 and see how it holds up too! I'll let you know about it one day.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Movie 8 - Midnight
John Russo's Midnight (1982) tries to mash up several horror subgenres that were successful at the time - occult, backwoods and survival. Unfortunately it comes up short on all of them.
It feels like Russo took a very business-like approach to this movie and created what seemed like a fail-proof formula. First you start with Russo's name recognition from his involvement with Image Ten in creating the classic Night of the Living Dead (Russo was the co-writer of the film). Then you look at what other horror films had made a lasting impression on the American audience - namely The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Rosemary's Baby (1968) and even Last House on the Left (1972). These three subgenres had a major impact on horror in the 70s. Occult films had made a huge stir since Rosemary gave birth. Movies like The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and Race with the Devil (1975) were prime for the exploitation circuit at the drive-in. Audiences are always ready to blame satan for the horrible atrocities of men. Speaking of atrocities...Leatherface influenced a swarm of films about killer families of in-bred crazies. Mother's Day (1980), The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and actually the Grand Daddy/Uncle/Brother of all in-bred horror was Deliverance (1972), but all these movies prove how scared we are of our redneck brethren that roam the backwoods. And there is even a touch of survival horror within Midnight that owes some dues to the Last House and I Spit on Your Grave (1978) - which I would bet Russo and company never actually sat through either of these, but may have seen the trailers. So the influence of all of these successful B-Movies should have added up to one scary film, but maybe there was just too many ideas getting in the way of a good story.
Please don't get me wrong, this is not the worst independent horror movie I have ever seen. Far from it. It's not that bad. It just isn't great. I had pretty high hopes, but it didn't have the big scare you would hope for. There was some good performances. Look out for the entrance made by Romero regular John Amplas (the star of Martin) who comes across as a pretty nasty redneck cop that doesn't care for city folk. He is accompanied by Greg Besnak (a zombie in Dawn of the Dead and the bald biker in Knightriders) who also is pretty convincing as a backwater, trigger-happy officer.
MAJOR SPOLIER ALERT. DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THIS MOVIE.
When it turns out that these two are actually the murderous brothers from the beginning of the film, I will say I was surprised and happy for the plot twist. And while we in the Spoiler Zone - I was almost disappointed that their mummified Mother was alone in a room preserved ala Grandpa in Chainsaw. This was a little too close of a reference for me.
OK SPOILERS ARE OVER! What this movie does do well is set up that nasty feel of the backwoods towns that are down the highway a piece from the city. I would say that these are a sign of the times of the early 80s, but I will admit that we still feel these outdated sentiments today. The bigoted townies are still out there - and that is the really scary thing about this film.
I will recommend this film to all of us that used to scour the horror sections of our local video stores. Just like back then, this film will feel vaguely like many of the movies that lie in the boxes next to it on the shelf. Nothing new or revolutionary here, but not that bad either. Its just ok.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Movie 7 - Halloween II (2009)
So I wasn't going to originally include movies that I have watched before, but this one is worth a second view. Today I am talking about Rob Zombie's Halloween II from 2009. Now I am a big fan of Rob Zombie - especially his music, but definitely his films House of 1,000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, but when I heard he was remaking Halloween I will admit that I was a little worried. You see, I am also a huge fan of John Carpenter and his original Halloween is a classic. Please remember how many of these horror classics have been remade in the early 2000's...It was getting ridiculous. I didn't want to see what happened to my beloved Texas Chainsaw Massacre happen again. But I do live by the rule that you can't rip a movie apart until you have actually sat through it, so I went to see Zombie's Halloween and was pretty happy with the results. Here was a movie that respected the original, but added something new to keep me interested. I wish I could say the same about his squeal.
When Halloween II hit theaters I was worried again. The original Halloween II is not a great movie. It is an ok sequel, but at the same time an obvious cash in on the previous success. It was a rush job and Carpenter didn't want to have anything to do with it. So why should we remake a movie that wasn't great in the first place? Or maybe I'm wrong...maybe that is the perfect reason to remake a film. Maybe its a second chance to make a better story. But the movie I saw in the theater was not an improvement. It was a confusing, disjointed mess that could not tell me a clear story. While I appreciated the first half hour being a reference to the original part 2, what followed didn't make any sense.
So I think that brings us up to date. A while back I picked up a used copy of the "unrated, director's cut" and decided to give the movie a second try. I am definitely glad that I did. This time around the dream-like sequences of what Michael sees were more integrated with the plot and made more sense. You also really get a clear picture of how heartless Dr. Loomis becomes as he completely sells his soul for the money from his true crime books. I also love that (spoiler) this is the first time Michael Myers is aloud to stalk and kill without his mask. This shows us that his real face has become his mask and it is just as scary. And as usual, I really appreciate what Zombie is able to do with sound design to add emotion to the aftermath of destruction. You almost want to cry for characters that have to find their loved one's brutalized remains. The film is definitely intense and gruesome and makes the viewer involuntarily cringe from the physical violence.
I do still have one big issue with the film and it is with the evolution of the character of Lorie Strode. In the first film she is a pretty typical teenager, maybe a little tougher than her friends but still the girl next door. Now she has become a punk rock rebel who curses out her therapist and works in a super hip record store/coffee shop. Her bedroom is a shrine to cool and the centerpiece is a massive poster of Charles Manson over her bed. I have a hard time believing that a survivor of a serial killer's rampage would adorn her room with the image of one of the most notorious serial killers in history. I really think in his quest to make Lorie his ultimate teenager that Rob dropped the ball here.
Bottom line - I recommend the director's cut (not theatrical) to fans of horror, slashers, the Halloween franchise and Rob Zombie - but only if you've seen part one.
When Halloween II hit theaters I was worried again. The original Halloween II is not a great movie. It is an ok sequel, but at the same time an obvious cash in on the previous success. It was a rush job and Carpenter didn't want to have anything to do with it. So why should we remake a movie that wasn't great in the first place? Or maybe I'm wrong...maybe that is the perfect reason to remake a film. Maybe its a second chance to make a better story. But the movie I saw in the theater was not an improvement. It was a confusing, disjointed mess that could not tell me a clear story. While I appreciated the first half hour being a reference to the original part 2, what followed didn't make any sense.
So I think that brings us up to date. A while back I picked up a used copy of the "unrated, director's cut" and decided to give the movie a second try. I am definitely glad that I did. This time around the dream-like sequences of what Michael sees were more integrated with the plot and made more sense. You also really get a clear picture of how heartless Dr. Loomis becomes as he completely sells his soul for the money from his true crime books. I also love that (spoiler) this is the first time Michael Myers is aloud to stalk and kill without his mask. This shows us that his real face has become his mask and it is just as scary. And as usual, I really appreciate what Zombie is able to do with sound design to add emotion to the aftermath of destruction. You almost want to cry for characters that have to find their loved one's brutalized remains. The film is definitely intense and gruesome and makes the viewer involuntarily cringe from the physical violence.
I do still have one big issue with the film and it is with the evolution of the character of Lorie Strode. In the first film she is a pretty typical teenager, maybe a little tougher than her friends but still the girl next door. Now she has become a punk rock rebel who curses out her therapist and works in a super hip record store/coffee shop. Her bedroom is a shrine to cool and the centerpiece is a massive poster of Charles Manson over her bed. I have a hard time believing that a survivor of a serial killer's rampage would adorn her room with the image of one of the most notorious serial killers in history. I really think in his quest to make Lorie his ultimate teenager that Rob dropped the ball here.
Bottom line - I recommend the director's cut (not theatrical) to fans of horror, slashers, the Halloween franchise and Rob Zombie - but only if you've seen part one.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Movie 6 - Masters of Horror: Pelts
Our next DVD is an episode of Masters of Horror from season 2 named Pelts directed by Dario Argento in 2006. If you are not familiar with Masters of Horror, let me explain. This was every horror fan's dream! The best directors of the genre can each make a 1 hour movie. The closest equivalent would have been Tales from the Crypt, where to stories did not have to be related in any way and have no restrictions in the way of theme or tone. The idea actually came from dinner parties that Mick Garris (who directed Sleepwalkers as well as many TV movies) would hold and would invite his friends from the industry. After a while he realized that the guests were some of the top names in genre filmmaking and started to joke that they were the "Masters of Horror".
I had watched most of the first season of the show since it included some of my all time favorite directors such as Stuart Gordon, Tobe Hooper, Don Coscarelli, John Carpenter and Dario Argento. Highlights that year were Cigarette Burns, Incident On and Off A Mountain Road and Jenifer. Somewhere along the way I lost track of watching the episodes on Showtime, but still picked up a few on DVD at horror conventions.
Now this episode, Pelts, had gotten a lot of praise, but I think I was a little weary of the content and potential gruesomeness because of the subject matter. The story is about a sleazy fur trader who has some questionable morals. Aside from his work, this man's other obsession is a particular stripper at a nearby club. Overall the story is an Aesop's fable that warns you that sometimes in life you get what you deserve, but there is a lot of sex and gore used to tell the story.
The effects are amazingly realistic. Howard Berger (ex-KNB FX) does a beautiful job on these gags that center on human flesh being treated like animal skins. While they may not have the stomach for it, PETA should use this film as a war cry for their cause. Seeing the people that are affected by the curse of the sacred raccoon pelts turn on their own flesh with tools of the trade lets the audience see them vividly get their just desserts! Argento works his magic to expose the cruelty of human beings again!
Definitely recommended for fans of horror who can appreciate some well spilled blood.
I had watched most of the first season of the show since it included some of my all time favorite directors such as Stuart Gordon, Tobe Hooper, Don Coscarelli, John Carpenter and Dario Argento. Highlights that year were Cigarette Burns, Incident On and Off A Mountain Road and Jenifer. Somewhere along the way I lost track of watching the episodes on Showtime, but still picked up a few on DVD at horror conventions.
Now this episode, Pelts, had gotten a lot of praise, but I think I was a little weary of the content and potential gruesomeness because of the subject matter. The story is about a sleazy fur trader who has some questionable morals. Aside from his work, this man's other obsession is a particular stripper at a nearby club. Overall the story is an Aesop's fable that warns you that sometimes in life you get what you deserve, but there is a lot of sex and gore used to tell the story.
The effects are amazingly realistic. Howard Berger (ex-KNB FX) does a beautiful job on these gags that center on human flesh being treated like animal skins. While they may not have the stomach for it, PETA should use this film as a war cry for their cause. Seeing the people that are affected by the curse of the sacred raccoon pelts turn on their own flesh with tools of the trade lets the audience see them vividly get their just desserts! Argento works his magic to expose the cruelty of human beings again!
Definitely recommended for fans of horror who can appreciate some well spilled blood.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Movie 5 - Paura Lucio Fulci Remembered
Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered vol. 1 is a documentary DVD made by Mike Baronas and released in 2008. We met the interviewer/producer/director of this disc a while back at the Chiller Theatre Convention where he was assisting several guests in the Euro-Horror room. I picked up his DVD out of curiosity and in a way of supporting/checking out an independent documentary producer. Since this is an area that I have done some work in, I like to see how others go about it.
I was wrong in assuming this was a documentary. It is actually a collection of sound bites from nearly 90 interviews with Fulci's peers, collaborators and actors. While the list of names ranges from the completely obscure to the extremely impressive (such as Lamberto Bava, Umberto Lenzi and Michele Soavi) the collection does become a bit tedious. The problem is that the answers are limited to just one question - "What is your fondest memory of Lucio Fulci" - but I wanted more. While the actors were ok, I was so impressed by the range of interviewees that worked with Fulci on his films. Seeing that the effects artists, composers, cinematographers, writers, producers, costumers and more made me wonder what other stories they could tell about working on these films.
I also felt that the work feels unfinished. The clips are alright, but I found myself wishing that someone (as I raise my hand from the desk in the back of the class) should take this footage and mold it together to create a more comprehensive narrative describing the man and his legacy.
I only recommend this for die hard fans of the Godfather of Gore, Maestro Lucio Fulci. Everyone else may feel a little left out without a more traditional documentary that tells you more about Fulci's life and career.
I was wrong in assuming this was a documentary. It is actually a collection of sound bites from nearly 90 interviews with Fulci's peers, collaborators and actors. While the list of names ranges from the completely obscure to the extremely impressive (such as Lamberto Bava, Umberto Lenzi and Michele Soavi) the collection does become a bit tedious. The problem is that the answers are limited to just one question - "What is your fondest memory of Lucio Fulci" - but I wanted more. While the actors were ok, I was so impressed by the range of interviewees that worked with Fulci on his films. Seeing that the effects artists, composers, cinematographers, writers, producers, costumers and more made me wonder what other stories they could tell about working on these films.
I also felt that the work feels unfinished. The clips are alright, but I found myself wishing that someone (as I raise my hand from the desk in the back of the class) should take this footage and mold it together to create a more comprehensive narrative describing the man and his legacy.
I only recommend this for die hard fans of the Godfather of Gore, Maestro Lucio Fulci. Everyone else may feel a little left out without a more traditional documentary that tells you more about Fulci's life and career.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Movie 4 - City on Fire
Todays' movie is Ringo Lam's City on Fire from 1987 starring Chow Yun-Fat. I have to be honest and say this is not my kind of movie. It's pretty standard cop flick fare with too many clichés to list. Chow Yun-Fat is charming as always as he goes back and forth in his undercover work and trying to keep up a real life, but the rest of the film falls flat. There were some good chase scenes though.
If you really love HK action and undercover cop films than you will be into this, but it didn't keep my interest. I don't recommend this one.
If you want some great Hong Kong crime action starring Chow Yun-Fat, I suggest you watch A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled or The Killer instead!
If you really love HK action and undercover cop films than you will be into this, but it didn't keep my interest. I don't recommend this one.
If you want some great Hong Kong crime action starring Chow Yun-Fat, I suggest you watch A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled or The Killer instead!
Movie 3 - Chung King Express
Next is Chungking Express by Wong Kar Wai from 1994. Quirky stories of love in the city of Hong Kong. This was definitely not what I expected. The stories are set in a dark and seedy underbelly but are actually fun and charming. Both stories revolve around cops, but instead of their hardened work lives, focus on their search for love. Great acting.
This disc was part of Tarantino's Rolling Thunder line. Check out his bit about the film in the extras.
I definitely recommend for fans of HK cinema.
This disc was part of Tarantino's Rolling Thunder line. Check out his bit about the film in the extras.
I definitely recommend for fans of HK cinema.
Movie 2 - The Ogre
Next up is The Ogre by Lambert Bava from 1988. Atmospheric and well done (especially since it was made for Italian TV).
Even though the cover of the DVD says Demons 3, it is definitely NOT Demons 3! Bava even says in an interview on the extras that it was never part of the Demons films. It was actually 1 of 4 stories in a series for tv that was similar to Masters of Horror.
I highly recommend for fans of giallos.
Even though the cover of the DVD says Demons 3, it is definitely NOT Demons 3! Bava even says in an interview on the extras that it was never part of the Demons films. It was actually 1 of 4 stories in a series for tv that was similar to Masters of Horror.
I highly recommend for fans of giallos.
Movie 1 - Volver
The first movie to get things started is Volver from 2006 by director Pedro Almodovar.
This drama is more of a black comedy about death, relationships and superstitions and it is excellent. Penelope Cruz is so natural that you easily get drawn in. I definitely recommend to anyone that enjoys international cinema.
This drama is more of a black comedy about death, relationships and superstitions and it is excellent. Penelope Cruz is so natural that you easily get drawn in. I definitely recommend to anyone that enjoys international cinema.
Welcome to the show
Welcome to my new blog about movies. If you know me, you know that I love movies. My favorite genres are Italian Giallos, Hong Kong Action, Japanese Samurai and Kaiju and American Sci-Fi and Horror of the 70s and 80s. But that is honestly just the start. I love movies from the early silent films all the way up to the latest blockbuster. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some films I absolutely can't stand - Inception comes to mind - but I have a great love of movies in general and will watch almost anything.
The other thing you need to know about me is that I am a collector. It started with Baseball cards I inherited when I was a kid and moved on to comic books, video games, records and cds, action figures, autographs and many more. A big part of my collections are movies. I used to collect VHS back in the day, then I moved up to Laserdisc, DVD and now Blu-ray. So as you can imagine, I own ALOT of movies. Then I got married to a guy that also collected DVDs and we combined our collections. And then we started collecting together. So now there are EVEN MORE movies.
So when it comes to collecting, my eyes are bigger than my stomach. We keep two racks of DVDs just for movies we haven't watched yet. I am on a mission to devour all the films that have been stacking up over the years.
Each entry will include the movies trailer and a short synopsis with a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Grab some popcorn and watch along at home!
The other thing you need to know about me is that I am a collector. It started with Baseball cards I inherited when I was a kid and moved on to comic books, video games, records and cds, action figures, autographs and many more. A big part of my collections are movies. I used to collect VHS back in the day, then I moved up to Laserdisc, DVD and now Blu-ray. So as you can imagine, I own ALOT of movies. Then I got married to a guy that also collected DVDs and we combined our collections. And then we started collecting together. So now there are EVEN MORE movies.
So when it comes to collecting, my eyes are bigger than my stomach. We keep two racks of DVDs just for movies we haven't watched yet. I am on a mission to devour all the films that have been stacking up over the years.
Each entry will include the movies trailer and a short synopsis with a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Grab some popcorn and watch along at home!
The collection
The shelf in question
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