Welcome back gang. We are almost close to the end of Horror month, and this week is once again horror centric. But yet again, the top movie is not a horror flick. So I gotta change some shit up because this is just getting silly. Either way, it's a really good week. A classic high, and a mediocre low and all between. So sit back, and lets get nuts.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (October 19th, 2014)
Director: Charles B. Pierce
Starring: Andrew Prine, Ben Johnson, Charles B. Pierce, and Dawn Wells
Now this is a movie I've been looking to see for a while now, thanks to being name dropped in Scream and kind of being ripped off in Friday The 13th Part 2. It was hard to find until the amazing Scream Factory released it on Blu Ray. That and the remake coming out with some good buzz behind it, now was as good a time as any to see it. And it's a solid little horror/procedural. A mad man is attacking and killing couples every 21 days, leaving this little town in a state of fear. There's some good kill scenes. Creepy stalking moments to make this a nice, early example of the slasher genre. There's only one really goofy moment in one of these scenes that kills the scene in its tracks. Another really misguided element that is way too corny is a comedic relief cop, a guy so stupid and worthless he'd be kicked out in a day if he did even a quarter of the shit he pulled. It ruins the murder mystery elements of the story. The movie isn't perfect, obviously, but it has a nice low budget charm to it. What really sets this apart from others in the two genres it plays in, especially of the time, is that there is no real ending to the story. The case is never solved and the killer is never caught. It wouldn't be surprising to if David Fincher saw this movie, since it's spiritually similar to Zodiac. For those interested in 70s cinema and/or horror in general, this is a nice little movie to see. It probably isn't for everyone though.
Cabin Fever (October 19th, 2014)
Director: Eli Roth
Starring: Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, James DeBello, and Joey Kern
Well, directors have to start somewhere and not everyone starts out fully formed. Much like Rob Zombies debut last week, we jump to the debut of fellow splat packer Eli Roth. In his debut, he follows a group of young bloods as they go to a cabin to have fun, but end up catching a flesh eating virus. It's that simple. And simplicity can usually be a boon to horror films. But in this case, it's way too one note. In this case, its just waiting to see people die. Theres no tension of a chase or a fight. Someone drinks dirty water, then they die. It's a bit of a non starter as a horror movie, especially with such a long time to get to the killings. It also doesn't help that the movie is really contrived and cliched, making the characters do stupid shit to make the plot go along inorganically. Really stupid moves that are just insulting to a viewer, especially a horror viewer who sees these movies all the time. The cast is ok, but are stranded with the pretty crap script. One final thing that really kills the movie is some really terrible comedic relief bits. Just, beyond awful. Next level stupid shit that is embarrassing. Now, the movie isn't complete crap. There's some base entertainment to be had with the violence and what not, but it's just kinda DOA. Not Troll 2 or anything, just very disappointing.
The Fly (October 22nd, 2014)
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz
David Cronenberg really is afraid of his body melting away. There's no other explanation for his constant motif of bodies being mutilated throughout his early career. This is another example of it, but maybe the best and definitely the most commercial/human of them. Goldblum is playing a scientist trying to perfect teleportation when he meets Davis' reporter. She decides to follow him for the exclusive story rights when they start to fall for each other. But when an experiment goes wrong, Goldblum is merged with a fly and all hell breaks loose. First off, this movie is really gross. Amazingly so, expertly crafted makeup effects really heighten this movie. Secondly, the acting is great. Goldblum and Davis really sell the connection and it makes the story all the more heartbreaking. Really, the only negative is that the movie could be a little longer. It feels a little bit rushed and maybe could have used a bit of more fleshing out. But aside from that, the movie is great. There are those that won't be able to handle the weird nature of the story, but fuck them. Highly recommended.
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John Wick (October 24th, 2014)
Directors: David Leitch, Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Willem Dafoe, and Alfie Allen
What a fucking year for action movies. This movie is an honest to god action masterpiece, and it's not even the best of the year. That honor goes to The Raid 2. But whereas The Raid 2 is a brutal masterpiece of nasty violence, John Wick is a masterpiece of precise murder. And what I mean by that is that Wick (Reeves) is the best assassin ever, the boogeyman criminals tell to one another and he is clinical in his killing. Headshots all around. The amount of bullets to the dome is astounding. Wick is like a shark, just pure violence. When his wife dies, she leaves him a puppy to love and to grieve with. But when the spoiled son of a crime boss kills the dog, Wick goes on the hunt and nothing will stop him. The movie is simplicity in its finest form. Revenge is on the mind and that's it. Theres some honest emotion in the movie with his motives, nothing played for irony. Reeves is perfect as the killing machine, his blank persona playing perfectly like a shark smelling blood. The rest of the cast is great, with a lot of bigger names showing up for smaller parts to round out the world. One of the smartest things about the movie is the world it builds, a world with organized assassins guilds where this stuff is just part and parcel of the world. For those itching for some amazing action, a masterful piece of kick ass cinema, there's no better option on cinema screens right now. These directors have shown some major skills in their debut. Here's hoping they work a lot more in cinema. Hell, get them a comic book movie. They'd work perfectly, since this feels like an adaptation of a graphic novel that never existed. Highly recommended.
The Return of The Living Dead (October 25th, 2014)
Director: Dan O'Bannon
Starring: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, and Thom Matthews
It's an odd experience when you see a movie that is referenced a lot and you never knew it. Well that happened here. I never knew that zombies moaning "braaiiiinnnsss" came here. Or maybe it didn't and I'm a dumb shit, but whatever. This movie, either way, is a really good movie. It takes place in a world where Night Of The Living Dead exists, but is secretly based on a true story. There are some zombies missing, boxed up in sealed containers and the army is looking for them. Turns out they're in warehouse of medical supplies, and they are accidentally released. But they aren't the typical zombie. They can't be killed by headshots. The only way they can die is being burned into oblivion. But that releases some toxic waste into the air, contaminating others. They can also talk, a big change. But they are absolutely controlled by the need to eat brains, kinda poignantly because it makes being dead hurt less. O'Bannon really kinda did some really good work here. Its obvious he's friends with Carpenter, as they have a similar sense of humor. This movie plays more like a comedy, which is fine cause it is funny a lot of the times. It has a nice little anarchic sensibility, which works in the typically anarchic genre. This is a good movie to watch to shake off the cobwebs of the tons of zombie media that just rips off Romero. The only thing that keeps this movie from great status is some obvious low budget problems creeping in, like reusing footage. But it also has a lack of something great, like a set piece. It is consistently good, but never reaches higher than that. Which is fine. Just a shame. I'd recommend it.
Top Movies
1. John Wick
2. The Fly
3. The Return of The Living Dead
4. The Town That Dreaded Sundown
5. Cabin Fever
Top 5 Moments
1. Wick Goes To The Club - John Wick
2. Brundlefly Attacks - The Fly
3. Braaiiinnnssss - The Return of The Living Dead
4. Seth Wins Arm Wrestling - The Fly
5. Home Invasion - John Wick
Top 5 Performances
1. Jeff Goldblum - The Fly
2. Keanu Reeves - John Wick
3. John Getz - The Fly
4. Michael Nyqvist - John Wick
5. Geena Davis - The Fly
- Tom Lorenzo
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