Hello Friends,
Today is not so much a review as it is a rant, because I cannot let this rest. There are some things that deserve to be left in the past, as it was the only appropriate time for such things to exist.
As I was trolling around on the Internet, I came across a very disturbing list.....Every Horror/Scary movie you ever loved is being remade!!!!! Just to name a few...
Carrie
Child's Play
Frankenstein
Pet Semetary ( I might be the most angry about this one)
It
The Creature From The Black Lagoon
Hellraiser
Poltergeist
An American Werewolf in London
The Mummy Reboot
NOW here's why I have such an aversion to this "trend" happening. As an audience we have been desensitized from primal fears like, the dark, shadows, being lost and strange noises. We have become accustomed to blood, guts and seeing all of it happen. Most of these films didn't have lots of blood and you didn't see a lot of scary things.
Horror films lack mystery and the producers nowadays underestimate the audiences ability to IMAGINE scary things by themselves. That's why The Blair Witch Project worked, it played on most of those fears and you didn't even see anything! You saw twigs, rocks and phantom baby hands! Nothing like, what happened to the girl at the end....it was left up to you to imagine what happened.
Now people will argue that they are remaking them to reintroduce them to newer generations but the truth is: money is the reason. Hollywood believes that these films will bring in a lot of cash flow but I believe that this philosophy is flawed. With films like Saw and Paranormal Activity, they will have to re-write these scripts with gorier and edgier plot points thus turning the films into complete messes. Look, I will probably see all of these to see what they will be like but I will be unhappy the whole time.
Thanks for reading and please sound off on the comment box on what films you wish they would or wouldn't remake.
Keep Watching and Get Scared!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
The Ground Is Sour!
Hello Friends,
Forgive my absence, I have started a new adventure and I'll be posting more about that. BUT today lets keep going with the Stephen King theme
Pet Semetary (that's how it's spelled!) features some of the BEST movie lines, for instance " The ground is sour" and " I want to play with yoooouuuu". And the film touches on everything from zombie children, ghosts, Indian burial ground and creepy shut in sisters.
Behind a young family's home in Maine is a terrible secret that holds the power of life after death. When tragedy strikes, the threat of that power soon becomes undeniable. -- IMDb Plot: Pet Sematary (1989)
Honestly, Herman Munster and Gage still the show. With Mr. Munsters foreboding advice about the ground and Gage threatening his father, the two of them have the scaring down! Now not to say this movie is flawless ,the costumes and hair are ridiculous but after all, it's the '80's so there you go. And some of the effects are lame but overall this film provides spooks and laughs, so if you haven't seen it please go rent it!
I know today's post was short and sweet but this film speaks for itself....so as always
Keep Watching and Get Scared!
Friday, July 19, 2013
They're All Gonna Laugh at You!!!!
Hello Friends,
It's Saturday and tonight you need to something to watch? With the impending Carrie remake on the way starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore,( I am very skeptical about said remake by the way) I thought tonight you should watch the original Carrie featuring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and John Travolta.
Stephen King's first novel published however, his fourth story he ever wrote, was the 1974 hit Carrie. A story of a young girl who, after menstruating for the first time, finds she has telekinetic powers and develops them to get even with bullies.
King has said that the idea for Carrie, came from a composite of two girls that he knew in high school and that the menstruation and release of hormones is what intensified the telekinetic powers.
I know you shouldn't root for the "bad guy" well girl in this case, but Carrie had a lot of problems so really...girl get even with everyone. Her mother, a crazy religious fanatic who beats her upon leaning of her getting her period, instills a fear in Carrie that leaves her sheltered and odd. In fact, when Carries Aunt Flow comes, she believes she's bleeding to death and then the girls in the locker room throw tampons and sanitary napkins at her! And if that isn't enough, she then has an atrocious prank pulled on her at prom.
Sissy Spacek was the perfect Carrie because she looked kind of crazy in a 1970's kind of way, a little mousy and a little...off. She had acted in a few bit parts including a role in Terrance Malick's Badlands, but was relatively unknown that is, until after Carrie. Piper Laurie amazes as the creepy mother who beats and locks Carrie in a religious cupboard where she must pray about her sins. Her shouting at Carrie " They're all going to laugh at you" is one of the best lines in a horror film because of the sheer desperation and madness that is behind it.
This film serves to remind us of how bullying affects those around us and you never know what someone may be hiding so choose your words carefully.......
Thanks for reading,
Keep Watching and Get Scared
It's Saturday and tonight you need to something to watch? With the impending Carrie remake on the way starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore,( I am very skeptical about said remake by the way) I thought tonight you should watch the original Carrie featuring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and John Travolta.
Stephen King's first novel published however, his fourth story he ever wrote, was the 1974 hit Carrie. A story of a young girl who, after menstruating for the first time, finds she has telekinetic powers and develops them to get even with bullies.
King has said that the idea for Carrie, came from a composite of two girls that he knew in high school and that the menstruation and release of hormones is what intensified the telekinetic powers.
I know you shouldn't root for the "bad guy" well girl in this case, but Carrie had a lot of problems so really...girl get even with everyone. Her mother, a crazy religious fanatic who beats her upon leaning of her getting her period, instills a fear in Carrie that leaves her sheltered and odd. In fact, when Carries Aunt Flow comes, she believes she's bleeding to death and then the girls in the locker room throw tampons and sanitary napkins at her! And if that isn't enough, she then has an atrocious prank pulled on her at prom.
Sissy Spacek was the perfect Carrie because she looked kind of crazy in a 1970's kind of way, a little mousy and a little...off. She had acted in a few bit parts including a role in Terrance Malick's Badlands, but was relatively unknown that is, until after Carrie. Piper Laurie amazes as the creepy mother who beats and locks Carrie in a religious cupboard where she must pray about her sins. Her shouting at Carrie " They're all going to laugh at you" is one of the best lines in a horror film because of the sheer desperation and madness that is behind it.
This film serves to remind us of how bullying affects those around us and you never know what someone may be hiding so choose your words carefully.......
Thanks for reading,
Keep Watching and Get Scared
The Conjuring
Hello Friends,
To be warned, I'm not going to spoil anything....
Finally a horror film that understands the difference between being scary and being gory. The Conjuring, starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Ron Livingston, mastered the less is more genre of scary movies.
The Perron family, who after moving into a new home that they got at a bank auction start having paranormal occurrences, call upon Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens are accomplished paranormal investigations, from The Amityville Horror, the Annabelle doll case and The Devil in Connecticut case, takes the case. But all is not what it seems.
Lorraine Warren worked very closely with the cast and crew to ensure that the film captured every feeling that she and her husband felt throughout the case. And thank goodness for that because it felt personal. You felt for the families and you shivered and cringed along with the children. Warren was able to communicate she and her husbands beliefs without it being preachy.
The film as a whole was understated and pleasantly accurate given the time period. For instances, the costuming was appropriate without it being "Wow look at us, were in the '70's". The scene featuring the "Annabelle doll" was particularly crazy, I really want to know where they found that doll that they used! The props team did a really great job finding strange toys and artifacts. From people being dragged around a room, to disembodied voices, this film delivered some good jumps and scares and at one point a few shrieks! The eeriness of basements, old homes, dolls, demons and birds helped make this film a true classic.
Patrick Wilson did a great job playing Ed Warren, the demonologist who loved his wife deeply and would do anything to make sure she was safe. While Vera Farmiga shined as Lorraine, the concerned trance clairvoyant with her own demons, she had a few cliched moments but over all did well.
Now yes, some of the spooks were reminiscent of other films such as, The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity and Drag Me to Hell but in the films defense, all of these films deal with demonic possession and dark entities. So really the scares are staying true to the real phenomenon's that all of these films are based upon.
Overall, this film was refreshing and scary with all that was promised in the previews and more. A true story that stirs the audiences and makes you afraid of your closet all over again. It plays on the child-like fear of the dark and the very adult fear of loosing your family to something you can't fight. I enjoyed this film very much and when I got home from the movies, I barred my closet doors.
Thanks friends for reading,
Keep Watching and Get Scared
To be warned, I'm not going to spoil anything....
Finally a horror film that understands the difference between being scary and being gory. The Conjuring, starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Ron Livingston, mastered the less is more genre of scary movies.
The Perron family, who after moving into a new home that they got at a bank auction start having paranormal occurrences, call upon Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens are accomplished paranormal investigations, from The Amityville Horror, the Annabelle doll case and The Devil in Connecticut case, takes the case. But all is not what it seems.
Lorraine Warren worked very closely with the cast and crew to ensure that the film captured every feeling that she and her husband felt throughout the case. And thank goodness for that because it felt personal. You felt for the families and you shivered and cringed along with the children. Warren was able to communicate she and her husbands beliefs without it being preachy.
The film as a whole was understated and pleasantly accurate given the time period. For instances, the costuming was appropriate without it being "Wow look at us, were in the '70's". The scene featuring the "Annabelle doll" was particularly crazy, I really want to know where they found that doll that they used! The props team did a really great job finding strange toys and artifacts. From people being dragged around a room, to disembodied voices, this film delivered some good jumps and scares and at one point a few shrieks! The eeriness of basements, old homes, dolls, demons and birds helped make this film a true classic.
Patrick Wilson did a great job playing Ed Warren, the demonologist who loved his wife deeply and would do anything to make sure she was safe. While Vera Farmiga shined as Lorraine, the concerned trance clairvoyant with her own demons, she had a few cliched moments but over all did well.
Now yes, some of the spooks were reminiscent of other films such as, The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity and Drag Me to Hell but in the films defense, all of these films deal with demonic possession and dark entities. So really the scares are staying true to the real phenomenon's that all of these films are based upon.
Overall, this film was refreshing and scary with all that was promised in the previews and more. A true story that stirs the audiences and makes you afraid of your closet all over again. It plays on the child-like fear of the dark and the very adult fear of loosing your family to something you can't fight. I enjoyed this film very much and when I got home from the movies, I barred my closet doors.
Thanks friends for reading,
Keep Watching and Get Scared
Friday, July 12, 2013
Pacific Rim!
Hello Friends,
As I am typing this, I am currently in line for Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim. Starring Charlie Hunnman, Idris Elba and Rob Perlman.
The script however, could have used a few revisions. It was chalk full of cliches including the solider with daddy issues, the girl out to prove she can run with the boys and a man with emotional baggage. The dialogue suffered because of these dense characters. Now not to say that it was all bad, Charlie Day ( It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) amazes as the excitable Kaiju enthusiast who butts heads with the scientist he's forced to work with. For all the ladies this film is chalk full of man candy, particularly Hunman and Robert Kazinsky.
The visual effects were amazing! The inside of the Jagers were exceptional, leaving the audience wishing that they could go inside one. The amount of detail and thought that went into constructing and conceptualizing the robots and how they maneuvered. The battle sequences were also intense, however the final showdown let me wanting. It wasn't as action packed as the others and it seemed rushed.
All in all, I enjoyed this film. Partly due to the fact I wish I was apart of the Jager program, but mostly due to the fact that it was visually stunning and that makes up for the script situation. Think of it as a huge budget PowerRangers film.
Thank all for reading and remember,
Keep Watching and Get Scared!
As I am typing this, I am currently in line for Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim. Starring Charlie Hunnman, Idris Elba and Rob Perlman.
As a war between humankind and giant sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and trainee are paired up to drive a giant power ranger (pretty much)in a desperate effort to "cancel the apocalypse." Charlie Hunnman plays Raleigh Beckett, a solider with a sad past, is recruited to be apart of the last resistance against the Kaiju ( the sea monsters). With soilders from all around the world including Russia, Hong Kong and Australia; they are all that's left of the Jager program ( the robots)
Del Toro's style is flawless as usual with a well developed and visually stunning film. His "creatures" evolve and change in each of his films and Pacific Rim doesn't disappoint. While maintaining his own personal touch, the creatures still hold their own. From Pan's Labyrinth to Pacific Rim, Del Toro shines again.
The script however, could have used a few revisions. It was chalk full of cliches including the solider with daddy issues, the girl out to prove she can run with the boys and a man with emotional baggage. The dialogue suffered because of these dense characters. Now not to say that it was all bad, Charlie Day ( It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) amazes as the excitable Kaiju enthusiast who butts heads with the scientist he's forced to work with. For all the ladies this film is chalk full of man candy, particularly Hunman and Robert Kazinsky.
The visual effects were amazing! The inside of the Jagers were exceptional, leaving the audience wishing that they could go inside one. The amount of detail and thought that went into constructing and conceptualizing the robots and how they maneuvered. The battle sequences were also intense, however the final showdown let me wanting. It wasn't as action packed as the others and it seemed rushed.
All in all, I enjoyed this film. Partly due to the fact I wish I was apart of the Jager program, but mostly due to the fact that it was visually stunning and that makes up for the script situation. Think of it as a huge budget PowerRangers film.
Thank all for reading and remember,
Keep Watching and Get Scared!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
"I See Dead People"
Hello Friends,
After a small vacation, I'm back. Today let's talk about a film that wasn't too scary but it resonated with millions of people and gave audiences one of the most quotable movies lines ever......" I see Dead People"
Before The Sixth Sense was released in 1999, very little people knew who M. Night Shyamalan was but he was about to explode due to this films high praise and box office gold. This film was one of four horror films to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, the others being The Exorcist, Jaws and Silence of The Lambs.
The film centers around Malcom Crowe, a child psychologist, who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same illness as the ex-patient. The boy claims he "sees dead people". Crowe is the last hope for the young boy, named Cole, as his mother is at her wits end with his constant obsession with death.
If you haven't seen this film, I sincerely hope you've been living in the wilderness or under a rock for many many years because that is the only exception for not seeing this movie! It is full of twist and turns and spine tingling frights. I also hope someone hasn't spoiled the ending for you, but if they did still see this movie.
Now moving on to M.Night Shyamalan, the director and writer of this film. To say that this was his Citizen Kane, the famous Orson Welles film that was his regarded as his best work and could never top it , is an understatement. With all the success came the inevitable question: What will be next from M. Night Shyamalan? Now I liked Signs and Lady in the Water but none compare to The Sixth Sense.
This film set the bar for horror films to come, a quite frankly, none have quite matched it as of yet.
Thanks guys for reading!
Keep Watching and Get Scared
After a small vacation, I'm back. Today let's talk about a film that wasn't too scary but it resonated with millions of people and gave audiences one of the most quotable movies lines ever......" I see Dead People"
Before The Sixth Sense was released in 1999, very little people knew who M. Night Shyamalan was but he was about to explode due to this films high praise and box office gold. This film was one of four horror films to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, the others being The Exorcist, Jaws and Silence of The Lambs.
The film centers around Malcom Crowe, a child psychologist, who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same illness as the ex-patient. The boy claims he "sees dead people". Crowe is the last hope for the young boy, named Cole, as his mother is at her wits end with his constant obsession with death.
If you haven't seen this film, I sincerely hope you've been living in the wilderness or under a rock for many many years because that is the only exception for not seeing this movie! It is full of twist and turns and spine tingling frights. I also hope someone hasn't spoiled the ending for you, but if they did still see this movie.
Now moving on to M.Night Shyamalan, the director and writer of this film. To say that this was his Citizen Kane, the famous Orson Welles film that was his regarded as his best work and could never top it , is an understatement. With all the success came the inevitable question: What will be next from M. Night Shyamalan? Now I liked Signs and Lady in the Water but none compare to The Sixth Sense.
This film set the bar for horror films to come, a quite frankly, none have quite matched it as of yet.
Thanks guys for reading!
Keep Watching and Get Scared
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