I really wanted this to be an amazing movie. It had a unique and interesting concept, a solid cast, and some clear social commentary. Unfortunately the script is weak in a number of areas and the movie falls a bit short. The cast do their best to elevate the material and the action is great. There are also some very memorable scenes and some pretty tense parts. I like a lot of what's going on in this movie and would still rank it slightly above average, but man... it COULD have been so much better. Oh well.
Now, I know I'm a bit late to this party, but I finally got around to watching The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I was at Walmart and it was a bit of an impulse buy. I knew that it got great reviews and that a David Fincher directed English remake is coming out, but that's really about it. I went into the movie knowing almost nothing and (surprise surprise) I really loved it. Maybe I'll give it a real review one of these days, but for the moment, I direct you to the trailer for the remake below.
I'm usually against remakes of foreign films that are so recent. I learned my lesson from Quarantine. They're sad attempts to cash in on what has proven to be successful overseas. With this movie, however... they got David Fincher. You don't get someone like David Fincher unless you're looking to make a serious movie. I have faith in this, since he came out with my favorite movie of last year (yeah... sorry Black Swan, but The Social Network edged you out over time) and his track record is more than solid. I'm also excited to see what Rooney Mara does with the role of Lisbeth. She's a good actress and seriously needs to get back on track after that abominable Nightmare on Elm Street remake.
I'm going to make this blog post short. I'm sick, sneezing and coughing up a lung, but I wanted to stick to my schedule and get this out tonight. Attack the Block is probably going to be on my top 10 of the year list. It's a hell of a lot of fun, it's well-written, and it's a nice twist on an established genre. It's amazing how character-driven the plot is, too. It's in a subtle way, though, and very easy to miss on a first viewing.
On a side note... I have no idea what I'm going to do for a Halloween video. I was planning on doing a retrospective of the Halloween series, but James Rolfe (aka The Angry Video Game Nerd) is already doing that as part of his Monster Madness series. I was going to do them all in one video and he's doing a separate video for each movie, so mine wouldn't be nearly as comprehensive as his is. Thoughts?
It's extremely rare for a trilogy of movie, let alone a trilogy of HORROR movies to keep this level of quality for each installment. While some of the scariness and some of the novelty of these movies has worn off a bit three movies in, it's hard to deny that each movie is incredibly solid. They're creepy, well-paced, well-acted and well-written. Will they be able to keep this up as they continue on? Well, if you had asked me after Part 2 I might have said, "no," but after this one? We'll see. They really raised the bar this time in terms of creativity. There were no repeat gags as far as I can remember (save for one time where the door moved on its' own, but even that was handled differently) and that oscillating fan-cam was a stroke of genius.
As the series continues, though, there's one thing I've certainly been noticing. It's getting more and more cinematic. While the first one felt simply like we were watching someone's home movies that went horribly wrong, the two sequels feel a LOT more like conventional movies. It's hard to explain exactly why, but it's something that's creeping into the series in a noticeable way. It's sad to see that, since it loses a lot of that magic that I felt with the first movie, but again, the sequels are incredibly solid, so I can't be THAT heart broken about it, can I?
On the plus side, Paranormal Activity 3 had the biggest opening for a horror movie OF ALL TIME. Glad to see a movie that actually deserves it get some bank.
I think everyone misses the point when it comes to gore in horror movies, whether it be the fans, the studios, or the haters. Gore is not the issue, and it never has been. Gore will never make a movie good or bad. It's everything else that's important. A death scene will effect you if you like and care about the character that's dying, regardless of how gory the scene is. If a movie is well-directed, well-written, and well-acted, then adding some blood splatter and intestines here and there isn't going to suddenly turn the movie into a piece of crap, and likewise if the movie is garbage then adding a couple decapitations isn't going to make it any better. I repeat, gore is NOT the issue.
But this is all talking very specifically about a certain kind of horror. This is talking about movies that actually try to be scary. Movies that take themselves seriously and want to effect you. Some movies, however, just want to have fun. In movies like The Evil Dead 2, Hatchet, Hobo With a Shotgun, Planet Terror, Dead Alive (Braindead for you guys overseas), and basically ANYTHING put out by Troma, gore is used to such a vast extreme that it becomes comical (intentionally). Dead Alive even coined the term, "splatstick." For a more recent example, we have Piranha 3D, which simply put... was WAY better than it had any right to be. It surprised a hell of a lot of people, and I STILL find myself wondering how the HELL they got away with an R rating. The movie was a hit and nobody expected it to be, so (surprise surprise)... there's a sequel coming out. I gladly point you to the trailer below.
Yep. You read that right. Piranha 3DD. I saw that a long time ago, but I always assumed it was a working title. I assumed it would change later, but nope. There it is. In the trailer. I love it. It fits the attitude of the movie wonderfully, since Piranha was so over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek and self-aware as it was. Hell, the title could have easily been "Tits and Gore and something about fish" and I wouldn't have been surprised. This looks like just as much fun as the first one, and if it is, I'll be more than happy.
Oh man, this movie was such a piece of crap. I don't think I've ever seen a slasher movie blatantly abandon all logic and reason without being tongue-in-cheek about it. Is it gory? Yeah, but that's not nearly enough to save this pile. You basically HAVE to turn your brain off to enjoy this thing, and I can only do that to a certain extent. This one just pushes it way too far. Fuck this movie.
Moving on... Halloween is swiftly approaching, and if you've been following film maker Adam Green for a while, then you'll know that he does a short film every single year. Two years ago he made his most popular one to date, with the now famous, Jack Chop (fahkin' glowstick!). That being said, this year's installment just came out. Check it.
If you follow Green's twitter account (or rather, if you did around the time that Frozen came out), then you'll already know Green's opinion on illegal downloading. If you didn't before, then you sure do now. I'm not going to get all preachy here and start talking about why illegal downloading is wrong (two words: it's stealing), since I think it's pretty self-explanatory, but no matter what side of the debate you fall on you have to admit... this video is as hilarious as it is disgusting. Win.
If you want to check out other Halloween shorts by Adam Green, then go check them out at the Ariescope Website.
One last thing, it looks like my twitter account should be fixed. It's up and running again so go check that out. It might take a while for my following/follower lists to show back up, but the account is there at least.
There's two ways to look at The Thing. You can compare it to the Carpenter Thing or you can compare it to everything else that gets a wide release in the horror genre. Does it stack up to Carpenter? No. Not even close. The Carpenter version is the best remake of all time and one of the best horror films ever made. It doesn't stack up and I don't think that anyone expected it to. Is it still worth watching, though? Sure. It does stand out a bit from the rest of the mainstream horror crowd simply due to some fantastic creature design (note that I said "design" and not "effects"). Overall it's pretty average. I'm sure it'll be forgotten pretty quickly. It won't leave a lasting impression on the genre like the 1982 Thing did, but it won't leave a bad taste in our mouths like certain other remakes do.
Or wait. Prequel. I guess it's a prequel, isn't it?
If you haven't seen Behind the Mask, do yourself a favor and check out one of the smartest, most original takes on the slasher genre ever put to film. I've put the trailer for that, a message from Leslie, and a link to their facebook page below.
Seriously, though. Everyone loves to complain about crappy remakes and generic, paint by numbers horror flicks, yet when those hit theaters people still go to see them and nobody pays for the stuff that's actually original or interesting. I understand that a lot of this stuff gets a limited release or gets shoved out straight to DVD, so it's a bit harder to find, but if people would actually put in the effort rather than just bitching about it we'd all be better off. Let go of the mouse, log off of Pirate Bay, and actually support these things. Buy the DVD, don't just torrent it. Are they expensive? Sure, but if you want to see more movies like this then it's worth it in the end.
I guess this is a big part of why I got into reviewing horror movies. There's just so much out there that people don't know about because it doesn't have an ad on TV every 30 seconds. It's not hard to find this stuff, though. Websites like Dread Central, Shock Till You Drop, or Bloody Disgusting are AMAZING resources for finding this stuff. Sadly, a lot of people don't want to go out of their way. So I want to get as many people in the know about this stuff as possible. I've had people tell me on Youtube that they checked out the Hatchet movies thanks to my reviews, so I know that at least in some capacity, it's working.
Now... enough of me preaching about indie films. Let's talk about a big summer blockbuster. Let's talk about the future. Let's talk about THIS...
Yep. That's the trailer for the Avengers, which has been eagerly awaited ever since that scene that they brilliantly tossed on after the credits of Iron Man. Marvel is doing something interesting and unique in terms of big summer blockbusters and at the very least, it's the most genius marketing ploy of all time. Will the Avengers live up to the massive hype? Probably not? Will it at least be good? I say with full confidence... yes. Every movie under the banner of Marvel Studios thus far has AT LEAST been decent, some of them even escalating to be some of the most well-made action movies in recent years. These aren't movies that break the mold by any means, but they're solid, well-cast, and have enough character development to keep me happy.
Now, the trailer. Is it exciting? Yes. Is it the best trailer ever? Nah, not even close. It doesn't really show us a whole hell of a lot, and it doesn't give us ANY new information. Sure, we see a shot of the Hulk, but we already knew he was in the movie, and we already knew basically what he would look like. I still want to know exactly what this big thing is that they need the team to deal with. Yes, we get Loki as a villain once again (much to my delight, since I found him to be one of the most complex and interesting characters, let alone just villains in all of the Marvel Superhero movies to date), but I get the distinct feeling that he will not be the only antagonist of the film, and I'm eager to see them give us SOMETHING new. Yes, seeing all of these well-established characters together is cool, but it's not that interesting to see a trailer that offers us nothing that we haven't seen before. Still, Tony Starke's dialogue is hilarious and we did get to see more than Jim Gordon coughing on a bed and clips from previous movies in the series. Just saying.
What can I say about the Thing that hasn't already been said? It's a classic, plain and simple. It's the best remake of all time and one of the best horror movies of all time. The cast is great, the movie has a chilling paranoid tone, and the effects are astounding and inventive, showing gore used in a way that takes imagination, not just corn syrup.
A Horrible Way to Die is above par in a lot of respects and certainly isn't the type of horror movie we get all that often. The storyline is unique and intriguing, characters are well-developed, and the actors do a fantastic job. The only real downside is the shaky camerawork, but it's not nearly as bad as it is in other movies, even if it is more frequent. Still, I can see some of you gore-hounds out there being bored with this one. If you're looking for a scare a minute, steer clear. This builds slowly and takes its' time, which is something I'm quite fond of, but I accept that some people hate it.
If you want to hear AJ Bowen talk a bit more about A Horrible Way to Die (and acting in general), check out the fourth episode of "Same Shit Different Show." It's an all-around great podcast with a good blend of hilarious antics and some really interesting behind the scenes information.
If you're in or near Connecticut and want to check out a truly awesome haunted attraction, then you'll need to make your way to the Trail of Terror. It's got some really great scenes involving video games, comic books, and of course... horror movies. There's one scene in particular that I know a LOT of people will find surprising (if you're familiar with the movie). Here's a hint... it was in my top 10 horror movies of the decade list, and it's not something that got a wide release.
Now let's get on with this whole "blog" thing, shall we? I wanted to share this poster for The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence, because... well... just look at it!
You should all know by now that I found the first Human Centipede to incredibly tame by modern standards. It's not especially gory or grotesque, and in fact, only the premise itself is really all that shocking. In a world where movies like A Serbian Film and Martyrs exist... The Human Centipede has some catching up to do. That being said, the second is supposedly doing just that. I've heard a lot of pretty interesting things about them really ramping up the gore and shock factors for the sequel, and hell... that poster is disgustingly wonderful.
Honestly, though... I think that poster is probably a lot better than the movie will turn out to be. Even if I didn't think the first one was all that shocking, I still found it to be fairly well-made. It's not a bad movie, it just has kind of a ridiculous premise. That, and the doctor really nailed it. Would this really be improved by adding barbed-wire rape? Well... the early reviews have been less than stellar, so we'll see. Either way, though... that poster is still awesome.
Welcome to the official Reel Creepy website... blog... thing. Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday I will be updating with videos, either reviews or vlog posts, and I'll be linking to them here. Check out my most recent video below. It will give you all of the details (although if you're here I then I get the feeling that you've already seen it).
In addition to these videos I'll also link to headlines and trailers and anything else that I find interesting or worth talking about, so keep checking here for that. It's October and I've got a lot of movies to talk about (my schedule is already booked through for a few weeks), but if you have anything that you want to see me review then send me a message on youtube, leave something on my facebook page, or tweet me.
Did anyone really want a new Planet of the Apes movie? It's been a while since they've graced the big screen, and after that debacle that I like to call "Mark E Mark and the Monkey Bunch" I don't think anyone really had any faith in this movie. Not to mention, the CGI apes really through a lot of people off. To my pleasant surprise however, I really ended up enjoying this movie a lot. Great characterization, good pacing, and some truly shocking moments.
This movie was completely unexpected. It's totally different from everything else this summer and that's a good thing. The acting all around is really solid, the characters are distinct and well-developed, and there are some legitimately thrilling scenes.
Cowboys and Aliens is such a cool premise. I haven't read the graphic novel, so I have no idea how accurate it is, but this movie really could have been something special. Despite some good performances, I just ended up bored and disappointed.
