The aisles of Target are bursting with candy for the fast approaching holiday. This is perfect for me since I'm always on the hunt for new Halloween candy. I was not disappointed.
Yes, Chef Ghoulicious lives up to his ghoul-tastic name by packaging boogers for youngsters to eat. The "boogers" are varied in color, from dark green to the extra nasty yellow. They are also textured to have that booger look. These gummies are soft and gooey and they stick together like putty.
As for taste, they are sweet. Then again how could boogers not be sweet with flavors like "Snottermelon" "Sour Green Boogy" and "Lemon Loogy"? I'm not sure if boogers are sweet are not I"m not sure, though you may not believe it I do not eat boogers.
Good for a gag, but otherwise stick with something a little less slimy and something a little more canabalistic...Sour Patch Kids.
Just from looking at the cover of this film you know that it is going to be brutal...and it is. So brutal I actually found myself holding my hand up to my face with split fingers to skew my vision, while still wanting to watch every second.
The film follows Sarah, a pregnant woman who is still mourning the loss of her husband Matthieu who died four months earlier in a car crash where she was the only survivor. Now she is pregnant and alone, and to top it all off she's set to deliver on Christmas day. At home is is plagued by nightmares about her child and is startled awake by a knock at the door. Someone who knows her name and everything about here is outside wanting in.
A visit from the police puts her mind at ease as she lays in bed for the night. She wakes again because a woman shrouded in black stabs her in the bellybutton with a pair of scissors. Yeah, in the friggin bellybutton. Sarah slips into the bathroom, and the attacker wreaks havoc on Sarah and the visitors that show up at different times through the night.
Just how gruesome is this film?
Here's a taste....
There is an at home tracheotomy preformed with a knitting needle...and an at home c-section preformed with scissors.
This is an excellent French film that is very similar to the film "The Strangers"...which releases Tuesday on DVD.
It follows Clementine and her significant other Lucas who live in a remote mansion in Snagow. After a strange phone call before bed Clem is woken up by several strange noises outside and sees that her car has moved.
No electricity, strange lights shining into the house, and short encounters with shadowy figures leave this couple terrified for their life. Will they survive?
This film really makes use of shadows and natural sound which amplifies the creepiness of it. In the beginning it mentions that it is based on a true story, which parts are true and which are fabricated I'm not sure, but the added element of it being based on something that actually happened definitely made me appreciate the film more.
Just recently "Friday the 13th: The Series" released on DVD and it got me thinking. I love horror movies as much as the next person, but horror TV shows are an even better because it's a constantly weekly installment with an ever changing plot. However many of these have taken a turn for the worse, and really sucked up many hours of my time. I could spend many long winded paragraphs explaining what I like and dislike in a horror show, but I say we jump right into it and start with the worst of them.
Friday the 13th: The Series:
The basic premise of this series is that Lewis, an antiques store owner, makes a deal with the devil that requires him to sell cursed items. Lewis breaks this pact and dies from it. Now Ryan and Micki, Lewis' niece and nephew, have inherited the antiques store and, along with one of Lewis' friends Jack, they have to retrieve all the goods that were sold.
Why is this show bad?
Well for starters it's called "Friday the 13th: The Series", so you would assume that they would associate Jason with this in some way/shape/or form. Not only does this show have nothing to do with Jason Vorhees, it also has nothing to do with Friday the 13th. The items don't disappear on this date, in fact, they only briefly mention the date in one episode. There isn't an episode even set on the date!
Every episode focuses on the three characters finding out about a new missing item and them trying to find the item to lock up in the vault in the basement. With episodes like Cupid's Quiver, or Bedazzled you would think the show would be a hit right? Well, it did go on for 3 seasons.
Kindred: The Embraced
This was a soap opera on Fox back in the mid-90s, which was loosely based on the Vampire the Masquerade. This series only ran for 8 episodes, granted they were in talks for a second season, but pulled the plug when one of their main actors died.
This show focuses on San Fransisco cop Frank Kohanek (C. Thomas Howell) and his quest to find alleged mobster Jullian Luna. Jullian is actually the Kindred prince and very involved with the masquerade, a group of vampires that tries to keep the vampire legend just that.
Freddy's Nightmares:
At least this television spinoff still had something to do with the character that made the film series famous. That's right Freddy is back, and he's moved off of Elm Street and now invades the nightmares of Springwood Ohio kids. Well, he doesn't even really invade their nightmares, more like he introduces them.
Each episode was two fold, the first segment would tell one story, then the second segment would take a minor character from the first and revolve it around them. Freddy would pop in from time to time, mostly in little breaks between segments and offer a little quip with a morbid twist.
Kolchak The Night Stalker:
If you're thinking "Murder She Wrote" with the dad from "A Christmas Story" you'd be right. That comparasin is probably the best thing about this show, that and the fact that this was one of the inspirations for "The X-Files".
The series focused on Carl Kochak, a newspaper reporter who investigated mysterious crimes that the proper authorities wouldn't look into. That's pretty much it. Unbelievably, this show actually got re-made in 2005 starring Stuart Townsend as Carl Kolchak. It was cancelled after six episodes.
Millenium:
Produced by Chris Carter (creator of "The X-Files"), this show focused on FBI investigator Frank Black, and was set in the years leading up to the new millenium (1996-1999). Now Frank had himself a special gift...he could see through the eyes of serial killers. Therefore it is only appropriate that he dealt with the nastiest crimes and dealt with all the millenium rumors.
I think the best part about this show is that Terry O' Quinn is in it.
Wolf Lake:
This series focused on a pack of werewolves living in Seattle. I think I've said enough...it was cancelled after nine episodes.
Forever Knight:
This show follows Nick Knight, an 800 year old vampire working in modern day Toronto. He is seeking to repay society for his sins. If this doesn't scream Angel I don't know what does.
Not to be confused with Elisha Cuthbert's "The Girl Next Door", Jack Ketchum's tale is probably one of the most raw, dirty, gut churning tales I have seen in a long time. I actually found myself wanting to stop the movie every five minutes, it was that hard to watch.
This film is set in the 1950's in suburbia. Davy is a young kid brought up in the typical "Leave it to Beaver" household. He meets Meg the gorgeous cousin of his neighbors while out craw fishing in a creek near his house, and there is an instant connection.
Meg and her sister were involved in a car crash that killed their parents. Her aunt and their three cousins were gracious enough to take them in. The sisters were sorely disappointed to find out that their cousins were among the ranks of what you would call hillbillies. Meg's aunt is not what you would call the greatest mother either. She feeds the neighborhood kids beer and talks to them about things like the "hoochie coochie" show she used to watch at the carnivals she went to as a little girl.
As the film progresses Meg confesses to Davy that her aunt isn't letting her eat because she thinks she is fat. Then, on one of Davy's many visits to their house she accuses Meg of being a town whore.
All the boys in town are attracted to Meg, even her cousins, and they invent a "game" to try and make her confess whatever secrets that she has. Meg's aunt likes the idea of this "game" and allows the boys to proceed.
The "game" is in fact not a game at all. They string up Meg down in the basement and hoist her arms above her head with ropes and gag her.
I wont go on because this film proceeds to get more and more disturbing as time passes. You'll just have to watch and see what happens.
Though this film touches on some very disturbing subjects it has the underlying themes of family secrets, and the helplessness of children, and how parents can shut down to the truth their children tell them and ignore the possiblity they are right.
If you can make it through this film you will be so glad that you did. This is one film that hit me hard like "Requiem for a Dream". This is a true horror film.
I walked the aisles of Walgreen's looking for something that would dull the aching throb in my sweet tooth I was surrounded by bags of brightly packaged candy wrappers. They were all the same though, giant econo-sized bags of Reece's or Snickers. I'm so tired of the same old thing. Don't get me wrong, you put a Reece's peanut butter cup in front of my face I'll forget my name, however that isn't what I was in the mood for this candy shopping spree. I wanted something sweet and sugary, and of course I wanted it to have novelty value to it.
I was not disappointed my friends, no no. Near the end of the candy aisle, way up on the top shelf were two single, slender black boxes sitting next to one another. One contained Ghoulish Gummy Hearts...
and the other Ghoulish Gummy Skulls....
At about 2 bucks a pop these macabre shaped candies are a bit pricey and not worth it. When I got home I tore into the Ghoulish Skull. It felt slimy, and my thumbprints were absorbed into the thick of it like a memory foam mattress. As I bit into it I felt my teeth scream for help as incredible amounts of sugar pounded the enamel of my teeth.
The skull had the consistency of Play-dough and tasted like cherry flavored Chapstick. My taste buds died a little with each bite of the skull I took. I managed to stomach the entire skull down, but would not recommend eating another, or a first, to anyone.
Now the heart was a similar story, only this had the added flavor of a hard, crunchy, black heart vein. Not good!
These candies were excellently molded to catch my eye, but I think that from now on I'll stick to the Kit-Kats and Almond Joy's of the world.
The latest edition of ghost story from the Pang brothers. You may (or may not) know them as the guys that directed "The Eye". NO, not the crappy Jessica Alba re-make, the original, terrifying film. Re-Cycle definitely holds up to the Pang brother's reputation.
This film follows successful novelist Ting-Yin who, after having done incredibly well with her last three love novels is now experiencing a case of writer's block. She wishes to write a horror novel, that's when odd things begin to happen. She finds long strands of hair that are not hers (very common in Asian horror. I don't know what it is about hair that freaks them out so much), she receives odd phone calls where the other line is filled with static and weird noises. As the odd experiences keep occurring she wishes that she had never said that she wished for a supernatural experience.
One day after leaving her apartment she steps foot onto a street that she has never been to in her entire life. The buildings are decayed and defunct and at the end of the street there is a giant drop off to nowhere. She finds out that she is in fact in another dimension where all things that are forgotten survive...including the dead.
This film offers amazing visual effects, and a very creepy look at where we will be should we not take action to remedy the problems of today.
Odd things in the film that I think are pretty kick ass...
Hanging zombies:
Giant foetus monster:
Library of forgotten books:
Land where the grass has no roots:
Some creepy lady and her army of the dead:
And of course her messed up face:
This movie is so amazing. I highly recommend you all watch this...yes, it is in Mandarin.
This is a question that has really been stuck in my head for quite a while now, and it only seems appropriate that I rant about it in October. I mean why don't these iconic horror villains like Jason or Freddy grow some facial hair? Usually the beard gives off the idea that the person with the beard is hiding something, not something under his beard, but hiding in the sense that he is a secretive person.
Lets first look at Jason. First of all, right off the bat we know he is hiding something. I mean he wears an effin mask. Now, is he hiding the fact that he looks like Sloth from The Goonies? I'm not sure about that, but regardless I think that a full beard would look great on him. I think that he could take off that mask (which I'm sure smells like crap since he's died in it like 5 times) and maybe even attract a lady. Don't go thinking that that idea is too far fetched...I mean Rocky (from Mask) got a girlfriend, granted she was blind, but he still got one! Also, keeping that clean smooth baby face has got to be hell. I mean he can't just walk into Osco and buy some Gillette Mach 3 Turbo razors. He probably has to scrape that machette across his face, leaving his face riddled with cuts from that. Should anything happen where the cops get on his trail (like always) then he could go and shave that sucker off and no one's the wiser. He could get away scott free...until those meddling kids and their dog come and hunt him down...again.
Now Freddy, he is not hiding anything. But he could really stand to change with the times. Sure he can change when it comes to setting up crazy dream sequences (Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors) why can't he change his look. I say he should take after Howie Mandell. Freddy is funny, cracks a joke here and there, I think a nice hoop earring and a little soul patch would "hip" him up a little bit. Plus the resemblance to Howie would make for a double scare.
Michael Meyers is a different case completely. He is always wearing that William Shattner mask. I think he is already sprouting the Aragorn look...so he's good in my book. He doesn't even really need the facial hair too much, he isn't deformed or anything so he could totally pass as a normal guy, until he killed everyone he was hanging out with...but again that problem could be solved with a quick few swipes of the razor and getting rid of that stubble.
Such a simple solution rather than wearing those costly masks or going in for facial reconstruction surgery.
This was my first experience with horror films as a kid.
This is the best/worst/best again horror film from the 80s. Not only does this have a young Stephen Dorff, but it also has...
1. A troubled, nerdy, metal-head kid that owns a rainbow blanket and listens to metal in his basement-bedroom. 2. An eye in the palm of a hand. 3. Demons that look like turds. 4. A giant bottle rocket that destroys said demons 5. A carpenter trapped in the walls of the house he died building.
When I was growing up and Halloween came around, I actually had to plan a costume. Now as I walk around stores I find aisles of pre-made costumes for all kids to enjoy. It makes me wonder just how many Hannah Montanas I will actually see this year.
I never had the luxury of being able to go to the store and pick out a pre-made Spidey costume. No, I would end up going to the fabric store with my mom and she would buy a kit. Now let me explain these kits to you. They came in paper envelopes that looked like the envelopes photos came in. Inside were pieces of paper with the measurements for the cutting of the fabric.
There were never any name brand kits either. You could never say, let me have the Captain Hook kit. No, if you asked for that they would give you Pirate-Male or Pirate-Female. Looking back on my costumes I wore here were just a few...
Pirate- Male Ninja- Male Scarecrow- Male Clown- Male Spider-Man- Male
One year I got creative, I wanted to change, I didn't want a costume made from a kit. So I got to work. My childhood imagination leapt from idea to idea, synapsis I didn't even know that I had were firing, it was in these moments I was a costume god. Then, after that euphoric 30 seconds, I came up with the best idea that I had ever had for a costume. It was the most original idea on the block.
I rushed down the stairs shouting for my mom and dad, they rushed out of the kitchen thinking something terrible had happened. They were greeted with my giant toothy grin, "I wanna be Steve Urkel", was all that needed to be said.
The plans were set in motion, I bought a pair of stretchy suspenders, a yellow and blue striped shirt, doned my finest blue-jeans and rolled up the cuffs. The turtle-shell glasses and glasses strap were the finishing touch. But wait there was something missing. My parents couldn't tell, they thought I was the spitting image. Ah, but I knew what that something was, I'm a white kid, Steve is black.
Did you figure it out yet?
Thats right, I painted my face black. I went Trick or Treating in blackface.
Now remember the blackface had nothing to do with race...it had to do with accuracy. Steve was black, how could I not paint myself.
Long story short, I didn't get much candy that year.
But I look at kids costumes now and I see no creativity in them, they are all store bought, cookie cutter costumes that I will see 1000 times that night. Where are the kids with the stones to go in blackface? Where are the kids that want to be so creative that they will make a costume that nobody else has? I'm gunuh be 25 in November and I still make my own costumes. That will be something that will never change.
To all who have kids, if they do want to go as Hannah Montana, make that damn costume, I guarantee the crappiest version you make, will be 10 times better than the store bought.
I'm sure that many of you are thinking, "Why is he putting the third Jason film up before any others?" Well there is a simple answer to this question, this is the Friday film where Jason gets his mask.
Now, I did have the pleasure of seeing this film in theaters in 3-D during a film revival while in high school. This film's 3-D has got to be some of the worst. Though the DVD is not 3-D you can tell where there are 3-D parts.
Where they pass the doobie...
The town crazy...
And where something flies by the camera...
These reasons don't justify my complete love for this movie. There is also the incredibly bad dialogue, the gratuitous nudity, and my favorite part...the fact that Jason steals the mask from a fat nerdy kid. That's right everyone Jason got his trademarked mask from a nerd. Suck on it!
When I was a kid my parents always made me eat the "healthy" cereal. You know the crap, honey nut Cheerios, Wheaties, and of course the dreaded Mini-Wheats. The only chance I ever had to really fully indulge in the gloriousness of heavy sugar cereals was at my friend's houses.
Now that I'm older, my tatste for cereal has faded and I prefer a more filling breakfast. Now that it is October I only want to eat things that are Halloween related all day. As I browsed the asisle of the local grocery store looking intently for anything remotly resembling a Jack-O-Lantern or witches broom in any fashion I thought back to my sugarless childhood and remembered my favorite cerals I could never have as a kid. Thats right my thoughts fell upon Frankenberry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry.
My hopes were up, as I half skipped down the cereal aisle. To my dismay these delicious sugary cereals were nowhere to be seen. Could it be that my sugary friends have been discontinued? This was something I would not accept. I pulled out boxes of "normal" cereal looking for the good stuff. "Maybe they're hiding in a trap door like in Chocula's castle," I thought to myself as I pulled apart the shelves.
A stern cough interrputed my search and I turned to face the store employee, a confused look on her face. "Where is Count Chocula?" I asked. She stared back at me confused. "What?" she asked with a bit of attitude. I couldn't believe it, she had no idea who Count Chocula was. I hung my head in defeat and said, "I'll clean this up."
As I left the store with a ratty box of Cocoa Pebbles I knew it would never be the same. What has happened to the amazing things we had as children come Halloween time?
Noted as the goriest film of all time, Peter Jackson really knows how to make even the toughest of the horror buffs cringe.
The Sumatran rat monkey is one of the newest displays in a New Zeland zoo. Lionel, the son of an overbearing mother, sneaks out of the house to meet his date, Paquita at the zoo. After strolling around Lionel sees that his mother has tracked them down to the zoo and begins scolding him immediatly, not knowing she had stepped within reach of the Sumatran rat monkey.
The monkey bites her and she slowly starts to become a zombie. Lionel, being the good son that he is, makes every attempt to cover up his mother's condition. This only leads to catastrophy and the addition of several other zombies including a nurse and a priest.
Durring dinner one night the priest zombie and the nurse zombie get a little funky and make a baby. Yes, a baby zombie.
From here, hilarity ensues, until Lionel's greedy uncle stops by threatening to take the house from him. That night Lionel's uncle throws quite a schindig where zombies run amok and Lionel is the one that needs to step up and save the day. Will he be able to stop the zombies and save his love Paquita?
Well it's October, one of my favorite months of the year. Mostly because this is the one month where I am praised for my fondness for horror films, not looked down upon. So we are going to have some fun this October. I know it has been a long time since I have posted last. Things have been very hectic with my schedule, but I will make time this month. Everyday I will post a movie review for one of my favorite horror films, and I expect you all to watch them. Also, I am going to post a poll that will allow you to pick what I should be for Halloween this year. Also, as I wander through stores looking for delicious fattening candy I will post what I think are some of the best and worst candies out there.
So with that being said sit back and enjoy October.
Chicago is a really cool place to work, especially when you are right downtown in the center of it all. However getting to and from work is quite a tale of its own. In the six block walk I encounter all sorts of things....
When boarding the train I need to find a place to sit. This has a very 'new kid at lunch' feel to it, because you don't want to sit by anyone, but there are never any open seats. Now, we Yankees aren't too keen on talking to, let alone sitting next to strangers. This is a feat I accomplish every day. Once I've acquired my seat, it's time for some people watching. There are all sorts of characters on the train that you need to watch out for because they are priceless. There is "woman who talks too loudly about personal information"..the woman said that she had a hysterectomy, lupus, and hepatitis C...I moved seats after hearing that conversation.
Next is "looks like a murderer businessman", the guy looks like Mickey Rourke, only not as effed up. He's got a big tattoo down an arm and makes everyone in his crew on the train laugh. They are sitting at the "cool kid" table.
After getting off the train and on my walk to work there are several more characters everyone walks by without even noticing them..
First there is "crazy guy that yells at his reflection", he stands right outside the train station. Next I encounter "guy that sits on a plastic crate with a cane" he sits there every day rain or shine. He has a cane and several copies of the FREE newspaper that, I can only assume, he tries to sell to people. See I don't know for certain because he doesn't talk, he just sits there silently staring at everyone.
When I get out of work I always see "looks like skinny Elvis" guy. I don't usually listen to his ramblings because I have music blasting on my iPod, but I'm sure he's an "end of the world" preacher.
Back at the train I always get stuck with "way too cocky conductor" on the train. He tries to bring style to punching tickets everyday, and impress the ladies I would imagine, by flipping the hole puncher around like a cowboy with his pistol, and making change from the coin holder on his belt with a bartender's grace.
Then I'm back home and ready to do it all again the next day. This journey I make everyday isn't as exciting or deadly as Frodo's or Bilbo's but it sure is entertaining.
Well, his work does at least. Last night I watched "City Of The Living Dead", this is one of the early films in his big 4 of zombie films. (Zombi, City Of The Living Dead, House By The Cemetery, and his masterpiece, The Beyond) As you watch each film you can see how he progresses toward better editing, quicker paced story telling and just how far he can push the actors. Even the soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi sounds identical to "The Beyond".
"City Of The Living Dead" open with a priest hanging himself in a cemetery in Dunwich (former place of the Salem witch trails), thus opening the gates of hell. A woman holding a seance sees this and dies of fright...or so we think.
A reporter investigating myserious deaths throughout town is moseying through the cemetary when he hears our dead psychic screaming from inside her coffin. He breaks her out and they then begin to investigate.
People in Dunwich are dying very greusomely right after they see the dead priest flash before their eyes.
I wont spoil the whole movie for you but know that this does come with some excellent acting...Katherine McColl, Michael Soavi, and Lucio Fulci himself are all in the film. A definite must watch for any who are in love with the seedy underbelly of horror.
So for all of you curious, I moved to Chicago. Why, you ask...well because I got myself a job. That's right 6 months of unemployment finally paid off with this job. It's a sales job, and I'm still getting my feet wet with it, but I really like it so far. The fact that it is in Chicago makes it even better because I get to ride the train (Metra) and see all the crazy sights. I seriously work right downtown. There are a ton of homeless people around here, and I feel awful for them...then they go and yell at their reflection in a window and I chuckle to myself. I mean c'mon how can you not? You don't wanna laugh at them too much or ignore them too much, I read this news report in the paper I read on the train in the morning and 2 homeless people beat up this lady and knocked like 14 of her teeth out. That's insane.
Enough homeless, I'm sure you're all asking yourself "but how is the city". Answer...excellent! Thats all you need to know for now. If you do come here just dont talk on your cell phone while driving downtown...you'll get a mondo ticket. I live on the outskirts of Chiacgo in a studio apt, pretty small, but perfect for my needs. So now you see why Movie Of The Week has been a tad neglected lately. Work and also because I get up at 4.45 every day of the week.
It was so refreshing to get out of Detroit. That is one big pit of depression...and the news reminds you every single half hour. Chicago may have similar problems but thankfully they aren't up on their high horse about it. Also, there is always room in sales. I like doing it so far, but then again I'm only like 7 days in. Not much else has been going on lately, I'm still getting my bearings here in Chicago...oh I did find George Halas' masoleum..that's in the cemetery right near my house. Wiki him if you don't know who he is...and if you live in Chicago and don't know who he is...shame on you!
Well I hope that everyone is well...and promise I will try and keep up on the Movie of the Week postings!
I know that the last two weeks have been foreign films...so I'll jump back to some domestic stuff...or at least stuff in English. I will be putting lots of foreign films up on these posts...espcially Asian films, mostly from South Korea. They have really mastered the art of storytelling. Sure their films can be a little more slow, but the payoff is tenfold at the end. Onto this weeks movie.
This weeks movie is... I don't care what he does now, or what he calls himself...Schwarzenegger is a Total Badass. From Conan to True Lies, there are not many bad films that he has made. This is one of my all time personal favorites. I especially like it now, with all the Mars stuff going on, we found water...maybe we will unmars (I feel the term unearth is inappropriate here) a similar alien machine. Plus I mean there is some chick in this movie with 3 boobies.
Synopsis: The year is 2084. Douglas Quaid is a construction worker, every night Doug has been having horrible nightmares about the planet Mars and it has become very obsessive for Doug. Doug goes to "Rekall INC" a company that sales false memories of ideal holidays. When Doug has a false memory of a holiday on Mars implanted, it all goes terribly wrong. Doug has lost his memory and he is being chased by a group of assassins and his beautiful wife Lori is a agent who claims his whole life is a fake and he isn't who he is. After discovering he is Hauser, a former Mars Intelligence agent, Quaid goes to the colony on Mars, in hoping of finding answers. Where he meets a woman named Melina who is working for rebels and the assassins are working for Vilos Cohaggen, the colony's corrupt administrator. As Doug sets out to discover who he is and why Cohaagen is after him, Doug not only is finding answers, he also begins to question reality. Is the events of Rekall INC, being chased by assassins and going to Mars really happening? Or Is it all a dream?
Over 40 drafts of the script were written, some of which depicted Quaid as a mild-mannered accountant (instead of a construction worker). According to Paul Verhoeven, although there were many changes made to each of the scripts, the final draft of the script was very similar to the first draft.
Johnnycab whistles the Norwegian national anthem.
References to "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy " include the annoyingly polite robot (Johnnycab), wrapping a towel around your head to avoid being found, and the triple-breasted whore.
Robert Picardo was voice of and facial model for the "Johnnycab" robot.
The original cut of the movie was given an X-rating by the MPAA for excessive violence. Some violence was trimmed and different camera angles were used in some of the more over the top scenes and the movie was then re-rated R.
Patrick Swayze was signed to play Quaid when the movie began preproduction in Australia with Bruce Beresford as the director. However, early in preproduction, Dino De Laurentiis' company went bankrupt. After Arnold Schwarzenegger heard about this, he persuaded Carolco to buy the script for him.
All of the crew fell ill due to food poisoning during production, with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Shusett. Schwarzenegger escaped because he always had his food catered from the US. This was because three years earlier, he had fallen ill due to drinking tap water in Mexico during production of Predator (1987). As for Shusett, he took extreme health precautions (such as only brushing his teeth with boiled water) which where mocked by the crew until they all got sick.
The miniatures used for shots showing Martian geography were based on Martian photographs.
One of the early versions of digital rendering of real-life objects was used in the scene where Quaid removes the fat lady mask.
One of the heavily re-edited scenes to get an R-rating was the escalator shootout where Quaid uses a human body to shield himself from bullets.
Body count: 77
Kurtwood Smith was offered the role of Richter, but he turned it down because he felt the role was too similar to his character in RoboCop
Christopher Reeve was offered, but turned down, the role of Douglas Quaid.
Many apologies for not posting the movies of the week. I was getting settled with the new job and learning the ropes. Plus I have to be up at 5am everyday to catch the 6.30 train to be able to start work by 7.30 then I get home about 7.30 at night. So posting isn't top priority right. Ok so enough of my schedule lets get into the films, its Labor Day and you're bored.
This weeks movie is...
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is the third movie in Park Chan-wook's (Chan-wook Park in the states, over in Asia last name is spoken and written first)"vengeance" series along with "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and "Oldboy". These films are brutal, heart wrenching, and not to be taken lightly.
Synopsis: After thirteen and half years in prison for kidnapping and murdering the boy Park Won-mo, Geum-ja Lee is released and tries to fix her life. She finds a job in a bakery; she orders the manufacturing of a special weapon; she reunites with her daughter, who was adopted by an Australian family; and she plots revenge against the real killer of Won-mo, the English teacher Mr. Baek. With the support of former inmates from prison, Geum-ja seeks an unattained redemption with her vengeance.
The snow at the ending is not real. They brought two trucks of salt, scattered it all over the street and finally adjusted the scene using computer graphics.
The bakery that Geumja works in is called "Naruse", which is the name of the Japanese director Mikio Naruse.
The two hired assassins are played by Ha-kyun Shin and Kang-ho Song. They played the two main protagonists of Boksuneun naui geot (2002), the first film in the vengeance trilogy, in which Song's character reaps vengeance on Shin's.
I will be caught up with this one until the day before I start work, so everyone has a lot of movies to watch, I hope that you all enjoy them!
This weeks movie is...
Now you didn't think that you could go every week without running into my awesome taste for horror did you? These films are a little harder to find than most, but well worth the search!
Synopsis: The corpse of Waldemar Daninsky [Paul Naschy] bears the mark of the werewolf (a pentagram on his chest), so two disbelieving coroners remove the silver bullets to prove to themselves that there are no such things as werewolves. Of course, the werewolf is immediately revived and kills the two coroners on his way out the door.
Back in Paris, college students Elvira [Gaby Fuchs] and Genevieve [Barbara Capell] are completing their "final thesis." They've tracked down the tomb of the a 15th century Countess Wandessa d'Arville de Nadasdy, a supposed witch and vampire. The Countess's tomb is said to lie near a small village somewhere in northern France, so the girls load up their car and go in search of the place. Short on gas, daylight, and directions, however, they accept an invitation to stay at the rustic (meaning 'no lights, no phone, no motorcar') countryhouse of writer Waldemar Daninsky. Over a dinner of cold cuts and wine, Waldemar reveals that he's writing a book about the history of gothic churches and monuments, but he falls silent when Elvira mentions her search for Wandessa.
All of Naschy's films take place on Walpurgis night...if you live here in the States you have no idea what this is. Walpurgis Night is like Halloween, it is celebrated in several countries in northern and central Europe on the night of April 30. Festivities include setting large bonfires and playing pranks on neighbors and strangers. It was also, according to belief, was the night when the devil was abroad-when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked.
Naschy almost wasn't cast in his most famous role of Waldemar Daninsky, which he had played in all his other Noche "night" films. The German producers of the film stepped in and demanded Naschy reprise his role.
This was the first film Leon Klimovsky did with Paul Naschy.
Patty Shpard regretted taking the role of vampire, Countess Wandesa Darvula de Nadasdy. She was concerned about how a significant role in a horror film would look on her growing credits.
After an initial screening Naschy told Klimovsky he was dissatisfied with the production. However this is Naschy most successful film in Spain to date.
After seeing the film people would call out greetings to Naschy when they saw him on the street shouting "Senor Walpurgis"!
One day Naschy was taking a stroll in his wolfman make-up while waiting for a shot to be set up in a cemetery. Absentmindedly he stepped out from behind a headstone where an old lady was laying some flowers. She let out a scream of terror and almost had a heart attack on the spot. She even tried to sue the producers.
This film was released over in the states as Werewolf Vs The Vampire Woman
The next movie of the week is one that is so good I'm surprised how few people have seen it. I've actually had its theme running through my head for the past few days because David Black used it as his main track in his remake of the song Hypnotize.
This weeks movie is...
I love this film so much, mostly because I love Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, I mean she was my first celebrity crush...Hello Raiders of the Lost Arc!
Tagline: He has traveled from a galaxy far beyond our own. He is 100,000 years ahead of us. He has powers we cannot comprehend. And he is about to face the one force in the universe he has yet to conquer. Love.
Some Interesting Trivia:
Jeff Bridges' character (Starman) walks in and buys a Cadillac "cash". In the 1974 film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Bridges character (Lightfoot) exclaims that one day he would like to walk up and buy a Cadillac with cash.
This script was being developed at Columbia at the same time as another script about an alien visitation. The studio did not want to make both, so the head of the studio had to choose which film to make; he decided to make this one and let the other script go to a rival studio. The other script was for _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_.
Let's step away from some of the depressing and indie films for a bit and throw a classic out there...a classic which I am watching as I post.
This weeks movie is...
Goblins, crying babies, and David Bowie...I can't think of a more perfect movie.
Synopsis: Young Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is left home alone by her parents and she has to babysit her little brother Toby. But the baby keeps crying and Sarah, while telling him a story to make him sleep, inadvertently conjures from a fantasy world the Goblin King (David Bowie) who steals the child and brings him to his castle in the middle of a labyrinth. Sarah has to rescue him before midnight, or the baby will became a goblin...
The full costume for Hoggle was lost for some time. It turns out that it was lost on an airplane and later bought from the airline by 'The Unclaimed Baggage Center', a store in Scottsboro Alabama. It is now on display in their museum.
The sources of the characters can be seen in Sarah's bedroom at the beginning of the movie. She has a stuffed animal that looks like Sir Didymus on her dresser, a doll that looks like Ludo on the shelves next to her door, a Firey doll on a shelves next to her bed, bookends with with Goblins reminiscent of Hoggle on her dresser, and figurine of Jareth on the right hand side of her desk. In addition, the dress that she wears in the ballroom scene can also been seen adorning the miniature doll in her music box, and a wooden maze game on her dresser next to her books is reminiscent of the hedge section of the Labyrinth. There is also a small painting on her wall that depicts a contraption much like the one operated by the "Cleaners" that Sarah and Hoggle had to escape from.
To help the puppeteer inside him to see, there was a miniature video camera in Ludo's right horn that fed to a small television monitor mounted inside the puppet's stomach.
The various things that Jareth does with the crystal balls (rolling them around his arms and in his hands and so forth) are not camera tricks or any other kind of special effect. They are actually done by choreographer Michael Moschen, who is an accomplished juggler.
The upside-down room in the Goblin City is directly inspired by a drawing by M.C. Escher (entitled "Relativity") - which can been seen in Sarah's room at the beginning of the film.
The owl in the title sequence is computer generated - the first attempt at a photo-realistic CGI animal character in a feature film.
Phew, sorry about that incredibly long delay everyone...details to follow. About 3 weeks ago I was reading The Watchmen comics to get myself pumped for the movie (from which what now is almost looking like a pipe dream), when I got a call informing me that my godfather had died. So a day later my family and I had packed up some clothes and made our way to Illinois. The funeral was hard, then again what funeral is easy. So, once all was said and done with that I was helping my grandparents around the house when I totally freaked out about working. The whole weekend I had Morgan Freeman's quote from "The Shawshank Redemption" running through my head, you know the one "Get busy livin', or get busy dyin." Now, if you don't know my sob story all the way through yet, I've been looking for work for 6 months and living with my parents...not the greatest way to live my life, so I started applying for jobs in Chicago...and got one!
Things have been so busy since then. There has been drama everywhere and money spent on new things (which is the most fun), I've had to figure need vs want for my move, and also tried to figure out Chicago's transit system. It's been one hell of a week and I'm mega excited to start my job on Monday. Which is so weird, because my last job working as a Hyperion Administrator started August 25, 2007...my new job starts on August 25, 2008 exactly one year later to the day. Weird shit like this happens to me all the effing time.
So if you were wondering, "when is that douchebag gunuh put up another film for me to watch?", well now you know the story and are up to speed on my stress. I will post the make up ones today.
Ah our third installment. I hope that everyone has been enjoying the films that I have been recommending. This week I'm going to do a little change up from the usual doom and gloom films.
This weeks movie is...
Man, if you haven't seen this film you are so missing out!
Synopsis:
The setting is Camp Firewood, the year 1981. It's the last day before everyone goes back to the real world, but there's still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve. At the center of the action is camp director Beth, who struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor. He is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA's Skylab which is hurtling toward earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans. The questions will all be resolved, of course, at the big talent show at the end of the day.
Although called wet hot, the credits thank the crew for surviving a cold, wet Pennsylvania spring. You can also see the actors' breaths at points during the movie.
The owners of Camp Towanda (where the movie was filmed) were told that this was going to be a family comedy. They were mortified when they saw the final cut of the film.
It rained 25 out of 29 days during filming of this movie.
During the scene where Beth (Janeane Garofalo) is announcing which campers need to put their trunks out for an early bus, Janeane Garofalo improvised most of the names. You can hear her call for "David Ben-Gurion," who was the first Prime Minister of Israel.
I hope that everyone made it through "Leaving Las Vegas" without wanting to kill yourself.
This week's movie is....
Yes, even if you hate Bjork you can't deny her this film.
Synopsis: The final installment in Lars von Trier's Golden Heart trilogy (which includes BREAKING THE WAVES and THE IDIOTS), DANCER IN THE DARK takes the director's original blend of heightened pseudorealism, fabricated melodrama, and the priciples of the Dogme 95 genre to a dangerously intense...The story concerns Selma (Björk), a Czech immigrant living in 1964 Washington State with her 12-year-old son, Gene (Vladan Kostic). On the verge of blindness, Selma spends her days working in a factory, as well as performing other odd jobs, in order to save up enough money to pay for an operation that will cure Gene of the same disease. To pass the time, Selma fantasizes that her own life is a musical, one in which her friends join her in sweeping song-and-dance routines. After her neighbor Bill (David Morse) discovers Selma's hidden savings and steals them from her, she is forced to perform an act of salvation that will condemn her forever.
Directed By: Lars von Trier
Cast: Bjork Catherine Deneuve David Morse Peter Stormare
Some Interesting Trivia:
As a countermeasure for wearing strong glasses extensively, Björk wore contacts of the opposite level to neutralize her vision during those scenes.
Björk's first leading role in a feature film. During the shooting, she left the set. No one knew where she was and no one was able to contact her. Shooting was suspended indefinitely. She came back after three days
Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 25 Most Dangerous Movies".
Lars von Trier has said that each morning before filming, Björk would say "Mr. von Trier, I despise you," and spit at him.
So last night my favorite show was on, "I Survived A Japanese Gameshow". Last night's show was excellent it was the big baby episode. What do you mean when you say big baby Andrew? I mean that the contestants of the show dressed up like giant babies and ran through and obstacle course. Was it weird, yes. Was it hilarious, double yes.
The laughter stopped when Mary, my favorite contestant, had to fight for her position to stay on the show by entering into the elimination round against Donnell, the pompous, arrogant douche. The elimination game was also hilarious. The two contestants had to dress up like chickens and pop giant balloons with their butts. Sadly, Mary lost.
With Mary gone my faith in the show wavers. What makes Mary so cool you ask?
1. See title of this blog. 2. She seemed to take a genuine interest in the culture of Japan, and that is so awesome. 3. She wasn't a douche like some of the other contestants. 4. She took everything in stride and did the best she could.
She totally deserved to stay on the show longer and win the $250,000 prize money (26,288,102 yen).
Mary you can be the Hiphopapotamus to my Rhymnoserous any day of the week...you know, if that's what you're into.
I'm a big reader, and I always love it when I stumble across books that are relatively unknown and get to spread the word about them.
So this review will be of John Saul's novel The Unloved.
Synopsis:
Kevin wakes with a start from the nightmare he had of killing his mother, he is the only Deveraux to leave the family stomping ground, but that is about to change. When Helena Deveraux, Kevin's mother, is on her death bed her one wish is that her long lost son Kevin return back to Deveraux. Upon Kevin's return he rekinldes his relationship with his sister Margurite, and finds that after his mother's passing he is contractually bound to live in Deveraux.
Margurite has known nothing other than taking care of her mother Helena. She used to aspire to become a ballet dancer, but ever since her accident she has resorted to teaching ballet to the local girls. After Kevin returns back to Deveraux Manor and her mother passes, she feels abandoned, alone, and strangly has taken a great interest in her now dead mother. Everyone thinks that she is crazy, but she knows that mother would be, is happy with who she has become.
This is a great novel that has many plot twists and at several points scores a 10 on the "Scare-O-Meter". I highly reccomend that you pick this book up!
So my best friend/co-host worked on a film down in Savannah Georgia a few years back, and now it is finally getting released to DVD. The film looks amazing, and I already have my copy pre-ordered on Amazon.com.
So, lets kick the first week of "Movie Of The Week" off with a short explanation.
This section will showcase films that I love, and also films I feel it is important for all to see. Now, I know that I have posted many odd Japanese trailers and film reviews on this site. My taste does vary, so not all these films will be foreign. I will also try and keep the list of films local, when I say local I mean you can drive to your videostore, or Netflix and get them from there.
That being said, lets get into our first film...
Yes, even if you hate Nick Cage, you can't deny him this film.
Synopsis: Because his wife left him and took his son with her, screenwriter Ben Anderson has started drinking, a lot. He's getting more and more isolated and he troubles women in bars because he wants to have sex with them. When he gets fired, he decides to leave everything behind and move to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. In Las Vegas he meets Sera, a prostitute with some problems as well who he moves in with.
Directed By: Mike Figgis
Cast: Nick Cage Elizabeth Shue Julian Sands
Trivia That Makes This Film Interesting:
Nick Cageresearched his character by binge drinking and visiting many hospitalized career alcoholics. Elisabeth Shue associated with prostitutes and interviewed them on the strip in Las Vegas.
Author John O'Brien, on whose novel this movie is based, committed suicide two weeks after the movie went into production. Director Mike Figgis contemplated abandoning the project, but decided the film would make a good memorial for O'Brien.
The "supermarket sweep" with Ben whistling his suicide death note scene was voted Empire magazines eighth greatest drunk scene in movie history (2005).
Ben doesn't eat a single thing during the entire film. This reinforces his dependence on alcohol as chronic alcoholics usually forget to eat or can't force food down. During the restaurant scene he puts spaghetti on his fork but doesn't eat it. And when Sera fixes him rice, he eats an ice cube instead.
Nick Cage won the Oscar for Best Actor In A Leading Role.
Hey everyone, sorry for the large gaps in between posts lately, I've been quite busy. So to make up for it I will make several posts. I'm adding one now called "Movie of the Week" where I will recommend a film and post a trailer and a quick review for it.
Also, I am going to start posting other reviews, video games and books as well. This will not only allow me to showcase the things that I am interested in, but it will also give these artists work a chance to become a little more widespread.
So with that these next few posts will be the start of new trends. I hope all you readers are well and that you are all enjoying Lingo! Don't forget to vote in our polls, and also to purchase some Lingo merchandise. All the proceeds go to a charity, I believe this time around it is animal rights. Help some animals, let them has cheeseburgers!
Yes indeed Lingo is still rockin, and the newest special extended episode is up and waiting for your ears. Click on the above image to be taken there magically!
I'm trailer crazy today, maybe I'm excited that Jeremy (el douche-o) was kicked from the Bachelorette. Maybe I'm excited because tonight is "I Survived A Japanese Gameshow", I don't know, but I do know that these next couple of films look hilarious and awesome!
High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter
OnceChanbara: The Movie
Stacy
Stacy is a great flick! Not only does it have zombies in it, but also, the weapon they use to kill them is the "Blues Campbell 2 Chainsaw". It attaches to your hand!
So those are some nifty horror trailers for all, and if you think that they look dumb at least you broadened your horizons to other culture's zombies!
Here it is! For all you Bond junkies I present, the "Quantum of Solace" Trailer
I think that it looks totally badass, especially knowing that Daniel Craig chopped off part of his finger filming, and there were all those accidents. Will this film rise from the ashes of the "curse" that many people have said is upon it?
I'm not going to jump to conclusions yet...will you?
The film world lost and icon last week, Stan Winston.
If you don't know who he is you've been living under a rock. Stan Winston has created some of the most memorable characters in film history. I bet he hasn't created that much, you're telling yourself. Well you are WRONG!
Jurassic Park Terminators Gremlins Predator Alien Iron Man Indiana Jones: The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
These are just a few of the films that he's worked on and created for. He revolutionized the film world, and brought hope and respect to those who found effects to be their dream. The film world will never be the same.
This season's Bachelorette is DeAnna Pappas, and she's a cutie. I'm sure all you readers are laughing right now, but I do enjoy watching these two shows. I can back up why I watch them though, I like to see people make fools of themselves for beautiful people, and I also like to see women wearing bikinis. If that isn't good tv, I don't know what is.
The purpouse of these shows is for one person to weed out one person from a batch of 25 and get married. Now, thats all well and good, but it seems to me like these people on the show always pick the douchiest person of the batch as their better half. DeAnna was on the bachelor and the guy dumped her, so now she's back with a vengance jumping on all of the douchiest guys on the planet, then again DeAnna may look good, but I think that she has the personality of a dull rock.
Design Star
This is a show on the odder end of my vast array of tv taste. Design Star is on HGTV and the main premise is that 10 designers use their designs to compete against one another in an all out design battle. I tried to make that description sound like Mortal Kombat with paint sample fans to manly it up a little more.
This show is funny because 2 people always make it on... 1. The Cryer - Last season it was an overly emotional man that made me laugh with delight because almost anytime anyone said anything to him about his work he cried. This season it's some stuck up woman from Kentucky who cried five times last episode. I wish I was kidding, but I'm not, she cried five times.
2. The Outwardly Gay - There is always more than one in the group I'm sure, but there is ALWAYS one that stands out singing "Fabulous" in the crowd. Last season it was a guy named "Sparkle" Josh. This season it's a guy named Michael, who is quite funny. He called the crying woman from Kentucky "Mommy Dearest" one episode, I got a kick out of that.
Judge if you will, but these shows are entertaining as hell!
