Monday, December 21, 2009
Final Fantasy XIII Helps PS3 Sales
The game, which comes to the United States in March, is a PS3 exclusive title in Japan but when it’s released outside of Japan it will also be available for the Xbox 360.
Being a PS3 exclusive for Japan the game was also able help sell PS3 consoles. PS3 sold 240,000 consoles over the week, including “Lightning” edition PlayStation 3 bundles. Many believe a lot of PS3 sales were because of the games release, because a week before that Sony was only able to sell 74,000 consoles.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Golden Globe Nominees Are Here
Nominees:
Avatar (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
The Hangover (2009)
It's Complicated (2009)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Nine (2009)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Nominees:
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Tobey Maguire for Brothers (2009/I)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Nominees:
Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria (2009)
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
Matt Damon for The Informant! (2009)
Daniel Day-Lewis for Nine (2009)
Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man (2009)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
Sandra Bullock for The Proposal (2009/I)
Marion Cotillard for Nine (2009)
Julia Roberts for Duplicity (2009)
Meryl Streep for It's Complicated (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:
Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:
Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Julianne Moore for A Single Man (2009)
Best Director - Motion Picture
Nominees:
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Clint Eastwood for Invictus (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Nominees:
District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
It's Complicated (2009): Nancy Meyers
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell("I Will See You")
Brothers (2009/I): U2, Bono("Winter")
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Everybody's Fine (2009): Paul McCartney("(I Want To) Come Home")
Nine (2009): Maury Yeston ("Cinema Italiano")
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Nominees:
Avatar (2009): James Horner
The Informant! (2009): Marvin Hamlisch
A Single Man (2009): Abel Korzeniowski
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Carter Burwell, Karen Orzolek
Best Animated Film
Nominees:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Up (2009)
Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees:
Los abrazos rotos (2009)
Baarìa (2009)
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
La nana (2009)
Un prophète (2009)
Best Television Series - Drama
Nominees:
"Big Love" (2006)
"Dexter" (2006)
"House M.D." (2004)
"Mad Men" (2007)
"True Blood" (2008)
Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
"Entourage" (2004)
"Glee" (2009)
"The Office" (2005)
"Modern Family" (2009)
"30 Rock" (2006)
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:
Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
"Little Dorrit" (2008)
Taking Chance (2009) (TV)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:
Kevin Bacon for Taking Chance (2009) (TV)
Kenneth Branagh for "Wallander" (2008)
Chiwetel Ejiofor for Endgame (2009)
Brendan Gleeson for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Jeremy Irons for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:
Joan Allen for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Drew Barrymore for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Anna Paquin for The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009) (TV)
Sigourney Weaver for Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)
Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)
David Duchovny for "Californication" (2007)
Thomas Jane for "Hung" (2009)
Matthew Morrison for "Glee" (2009)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
Toni Collette for "United States of Tara" (2009)
Courteney Cox for "Cougar Town" (2009)
Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009)
Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)
Lea Michele for "Glee" (2009)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Nominees:
Simon Baker for "The Mentalist" (2008)
Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)
Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007)
Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)
Bill Paxton for "Big Love" (2006)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Nominees:
Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)
January Jones for "Mad Men" (2007)
Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)
Anna Paquin for "True Blood" (2008)
Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion
Picture Made for Television
Nominees:
Michael Emerson for "Lost" (2004)
Neil Patrick Harris for "How I Met Your Mother" (2005)
William Hurt for "Damages" (2007)
John Lithgow for "Dexter" (2006)
Jeremy Piven for "Entourage" (2004)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:
Jane Adams for "Hung" (2009)
Rose Byrne for "Damages" (2007)
Jane Lynch for "Glee" (2009)
Janet McTeer for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)Chloë Sevigny for "Big Love" (2006)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Critics' Choice Nominees Are In
Avatar (2009)
An Education (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Invictus (2009)
Nine (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
A Serious Man (2009)
Up (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Viggo Mortensen for The Road (2009)
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (2008)
Best Actress
Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria (2009)
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles (2008)
Alfred Molina for An Education (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Best Supporting Actress
Marion Cotillard for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Julianne Moore for A Single Man (2009)
Samantha Morton for The Messenger (2009/I)
Best Acting Ensemble
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Nine (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Clint Eastwood for Invictus (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Best Original Screenplay
(500) Days of Summer (2009): Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
A Serious Man (2009): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Up (2009): Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Best Adapted Screenplay
District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
An Education (2009): Nick Hornby
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Geoffrey Fletcher
A Single Man (2009): Tom Ford, David Scearce
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Best Animated Feature
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Up (2009)
Best Young Actor/Actress
Jae Head for The Blind Side (2009)
Bailee Madison for Brothers (2009/I)
Max Records for Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Road (2009)
Best Action Movie
Avatar (2009)
District 9 (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
Best Comedy Movie
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
The Hangover (2009)
It's Complicated (2009)
The Proposal (2009/I)
Zombieland (2009)
Best Foreign Language Film
Los abrazos rotos (2009)
Coco avant Chanel (2009)
Chi bi (2008)
Sin Nombre (2009)
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
Best Documentary Feature
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
The Cove (2009)
Food, Inc. (2008)
This Is It (2009)
Best Song
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Everybody's Fine (2009): Paul McCartney("(I Want To) Come Home")
Nine (2009): Maury Yeston("Cinema Italiano")
The Princess and the Frog (2009): Randy Newman("Almost There")
Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Karen Orzolek, Nick Zinner("All Is Love")
Best Composer
The Informant! (2009): Marvin Hamlisch
The Princess and the Frog (2009): Randy Newman
Sherlock Holmes (2009): Hans Zimmer
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Carter Burwell, Karen Orzolek
Best Picture Made for Television
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) (TV)
Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Taking Chance (2009) (TV)
Best Cinematography
Avatar (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Nine (2009)
Best Art Direction
Avatar (2009)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Nine (2009)
A Single Man (2009)
Best Editing
Avatar (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Nine (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)
Best Costume Design
Bright Star (2009)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Nine (2009)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
The Young Victoria (2009)
Best Makeup
Avatar (2009)
District 9 (2009)
Nine (2009)
The Road (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
Best Visual Effects
Avatar (2009)
District 9 (2009)
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
2012 (2009/I)
Best Sound
Avatar (2009)
District 9 (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Nine (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Halo: Reach Unveiled
Doesn't look like Master Chief is in the game, instead we're getting a whole new group of Spartans to follow around.
The trailer looks interesting and I will play the game, but it didn't blow me away.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tom Savini Returning to Friday the 13th?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
What Happens When You Sleep? Apparently Nothing
This was the directing debut of Oren Peli who filmed the movie in his own house and on a budget of $15,000. The movie uses the same camera work as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield and uses unknown actors to try and drag you into the world.
The movie revolves around these two unknown actors, Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) who just moved into a new home in San Diego. Since they moved in, Katie has been complaining about strange things happening and that causes Micah to buy a video camera.
They then start to document their home through this new camera and over the course of several nights they start to record strange things happen and hear footsteps and whispers. Then we learn that Katie has been followed by a demon since she was a child and he wants her.
That’s basically as deep as the story goes, because it’s not a movie that’s trying to get you that way it’s trying to get you with it’s scares. Because, if you sit back and think about the story after you watch it really is dumb.
Now the scares in this movie are not good or scary, I know there is going to be a lot of people sending me comments and emails about this, but the fact of the matter is that I was not scared at all. I laughed a lot, I mean if you don’t laugh at somebody getting dragged out of their bed, then what’s wrong with you?
Yes the scares are boring and we’ve seen it all before. The movie is also repetitive, the “scary” things only happening at night and the camera always has the same angle of the couple’s room. There is not much variety here and it caused me just to become bored. I wish the theater had a fast forward button so I could have gotten through the day parts quicker, they just went on forever and really never offered anything remotely interesting.
The movie does take some pointers from The Blair Witch Project mainly the camera work and the night and day system, but Blair Witch did it more effectively. When you sat down and watched Blair Witch you were going through an intense experience with the characters. Even when the sun came up in the Blair Witch you still saw the characters fighting for survival but in Paranormal Activity when the day time came it just seemed like they weren’t too fazed by what happened the night before. This could have been because the performances from the two stars was never believable at any point in the film and is one of the reasons I was dragged out of the experience the moment Katie pulls into the driveway in the beginning.
I do have to give the film credit for trying though. Even though I didn’t like it, there is going to be people out there who will love it and be scared out of their minds, but after watching hundreds of horror movies this one just doesn’t hold up.
To sum everything up the movie lacks in so many areas for me. It’s night and day system is boring and repetitive, the whole demon story line is just dumb and the actors really didn’t deliver much of a performance to make me believe in their world. I don’t understand why so many people are given this a high score it’s doesn’t deserve this much praise. It was over hyped and the movie is lackluster.
Save your money, wait for DVD or TV.
D
Saturday, October 31, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Carrie
Happy Halloween everyone and today marks the end of 31 Days of Horror 2. I would like to thank everyone for making this very popular once again. But before we end it we still have one last movie to mention and that's Carrie.
This was Brian De Palma's breakout hit and of course it was based on the classic Stephen King novel of the same name.
The movie is based on High school girls played by Amy Irving (in her film debut), P.J. Soles and Nancy Allen plot to avenge themselves on ostracized fellow student and budding telekinetic Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) after they get in trouble for pelting her with tampons. When they get popular boy Tommy Ross (William Katz) to be her date for the prom, the stage is set for some cruelty and fiery retribution. De Palma uses split screens, slow motion, color filters and tracking shots to imbue the proceedings with a haunting, allegorical elegance. John Travolta has a memorable role as one of the girls' beer-guzzling boyfriends. There was a sequel in 1999 that was just awful and there was also a short-lived Broadway musical.
If you haven't seen Carrie, do yourself a favor and watch it.
Well that concludes my second year of 31 Days of Horror - so you now have 62 movies to watch if you combine my two lists together. That's a lot of movies and they all should be watched at least once.
Brian De Palma's commercial breakout, based on a novel by Stephen King, helped launch a whole slew of teen-based horror films, and Carrie the blood-spattered prom queen has taken her throne in the...
Friday, October 30, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Don Siegel's cult classic, interpreted as an allegory of both McCarthyism and Communism, is undoubtedly one of the screen's most disturbing evocations of paranoia. The movie Kevin McCarthy as Dr. Miles Binnell, a physician whose arrival in the emergency room of a San Francisco hospital leads the staff to believe he's lost his mind. In a series of flashbacks, he unwinds a bizarre account of his last few days. After his return from a trip to rural Santa Mira, his nurse, Sally (Jean Willes), explains that his office has been flooded with patients who have made appointments yet never appeared. Former girlfriend Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter) tells him that she's unable to rid herself of the belief that the man claiming to be her uncle is an impostor. Then a young boy refuses to return home, claiming that his mother is not his mother. Miles's concern over this pattern of incidents, temporarily allayed by some jargon from the town psychiatrist, is newly aroused when he gets a phone call from friend Jack Belicec (King Donovan), who begs him to come over and take a look at the strange mannequinlike figure that's suddenly appeared on his pool table. This exceptionally well written and directed fable, the ultimate comment on the subtly coercive conformity of the 1950s, may be Siegel's best film, and it is undoubtedly one of the most exciting science fiction films ever made.
31 Days of Horror 2: House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Audition
31 Days of Horror 2: Storm of the Century
Monday, October 26, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Wolf Man (1941)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: IT
The reason why I hate clowns.
A small town group of youngsters are terrorized by a malignant force that kills. Some thirty years later, they learn of another string of child murders back in their home town, and this time team... A small town group of youngsters are terrorized by a malignant force that kills. Some thirty years later, they learn of another string of child murders back in their home town, and this time they team up to fight back.
The first time I watched this movie, Pennywise really scared me. I always wondered why in the hell did it have to be a clown, why did they need to make clowns scarier?
I love how IT begins but when the movie gets towards it second half it really fails for me. So, what I'm recommending here is the first half of the movie and not the lackluster second half.
IT has become a movie that everyone talks about when the subject of clowns comes up. You would be surprised on the number of people who hate clowns after watching this movie and for good reason. Pennywise is most likely one of the scariest things in horror movies. He is evil, scary looking and a freaking clown which tops it all off.
If you haven't seen it, I suggest watching it. Yes, Pennywise will give you the creeps but this TV adaptation really didn't do the source material justice. Yet, if you haven't read Stephen King's novel then you might like it better.
31 Days of Horror 2: Creature from the Black Lagoon
Saturday, October 24, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Frankenstein
Scientist Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his hunchbacked assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), embark on an unholy mission by stealing a body from a graveyard and a human brain from a medical college. Unbeknownst to Frankenstein, however, Fritz takes a violent and murderous abnormal brain. Henry's strange letters about his experiments worry his fiancée, Elizabeth (Mae Clark), and friends Victor (John Boles) and Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan). They arrive at Frankenstein's laboratory to find the spectacular scene of creation under way--and Frankenstein intoxicated with his own godlike power.
This will forever be the defying Frankenstein movie. From the look, the atmosphere and the direction this is a classic that will forever be remembered.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Silence of the Lambs
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Last House on the Left
31 Days of Horror 2: The Fly (1986)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Dracula (1931)
31 Days of Horror 2: House of Wax (1953)
Friday, October 16, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: An American Werewolf in London
31 Days of Horror 2: My Bloody Valentine
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Hellraiser
Demon to some. Angel to others. It's time for Hellraiser.
Clive Barker’s directing debut follows the tale of a couple (Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins) who move into an old house and discovers a hideous creature (Oliver Smith) -- the man's half-brother (and his wife's former lover) -- hiding upstairs. Having lost his earthly body to three demons, the man's been brought back to life by a drop of blood on the floor. Soon, he's forcing his former mistress to bring him human sacrifices to complete his body.
Hellraiser introduced pinhead to the world and he’s truly a creepy horror icon. He’s scary because he can basically do anything, and if you find yourself going up against him you’re done.
The movie was released in 1987 and so it was another great horror film that was given to us during the genre’s heyday.
31 Days of Horror 2: The Hitcher (1986)
Whatever you do, don't stop for the Hitcher!
The movie is about a Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) who is transporting a car to another state is stalked along the road by a cunning and relentless serial killer, John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), who frames the driver for a string of murders. He is soon being Chased by the police and shadowed by the killer, the driver's only help comes from a truck stop waitress.
The movie plays out more like a thriller rather than a horror, but still offers horror elements to keep the fans interested.
The film is good, if you know what you are getting into before you watch it. If you think this is going to be the greatest movie of all time then you're going to be disappointed, but if you go into knowing its an '80s thriller/horror you'll love it.
I thought the story was very interesting and it kept my attention all the way through. John Ryder, in my opinion, is up there with the '80's classic slashers, he's scary and his presence on screen makes him very intimidating.
The movie is not for everybody and it might not scare you as much as other films on this list will but it is worth seeing in the month of October.
Do not get in confused with the 2007 remake if you go out and get this movie make sure it's the 1986 version (the original).
Monday, October 12, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Gremlins
Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous. Oh yeah it’s time to break the three rules and take a look at gremlins.
When a man brings home an adorable creature from Chinatown as a Christmas present for his son Billy, the shopkeeper's sage advice, no eating after midnight, don’t get him wet and keep him out of the sunlight – are broken and they suffer the consequences when green monstrous creatures spawn from their cute pet.
Gremlins is just a fun movie that everyone can enjoy. It’s not overly scary and it’s not gory. It’s a movie that fun and will also make you jump out of your seat from time to time.
This is a great movie to get the kids for Halloween, they will love it.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Mothman Prophecies
Today we head over to Point Pleasant, West Virginia to find the Mothman in The Mothman Prophecies.
John Klein, a Washington Post journalist, has just lost his wife in a fatal car accident. John soon finds some sketches his wife made after the accident. They all show a winged creature. Two years later, John all of a sudden finds himself one night in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He has no idea how he has journeyed the 400 miles in less than two hours. In the small town, local cop Connie struggles with many sightings of a moth like creature taller than a man being reported, while John believes that an explanation for his wife's death can be found. The deeper John digs, the clearer the mothman's purpose arises - only to leave his life in immediate danger.
I love this movie because the stories of Mothman have always intrigued me. I know this movie is more of a thriller, but it really does creep you out.
The movie has no gore and it relies on strange events to blow your mind and also to scare you.
31 Days of Horror 2: Pet Sematary
Sometimes dead is better and we learn that the hard way in Stephen King’s Sematary.
The film is about the Creed family, who’ve just moved into a small community. Not long after their move, their son is killed. The father becomes stricken with grief and finds a cemetery behind their house, where you can bury your loved ones and they will come back to life.
He takes his son’s body to the cemetery and, of course, he’s brought back to life. The father is thrilled to have his son back, only until he kills someone. The father is shocked about his son’s behavior and learns that “Not Everything that comes back is the same”. Now it’s up to the father to stop his son before he wipes out the small community.
When talking about Pet Sematary people usually fall into two groups – love or hate. In my case I would say I fall more into the loved category, because it has everything a good horror movie has.
The movie has true scares, gore and explores mortality and the even more complicated grieving process.
The film might seem silly to some but in my opinion it truly is an effective adaptation of Stephen King novel and should be mandatory viewing for any horror fan.
Friday, October 9, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Session 9
Today we head on over to an insane asylum that has some restless spirits in Brad Anderson’s Session 9.
The film is about an asbestos abatement crew who wins a bid to clean out an old abandoned insane asylum. The job becomes rushed, when the crew learns if they get the job done quickly they will receive a large bonus.
Things start to get creepy when a would be lawyer, Mike, finds mysterious tapes in the basement of the hospital and starts to play them. On the tapes is a woman with multiple personalities, including a mysterious personality Simon who doesn’t show up until the tape titled Session 9.
The movie is really creepy and will leave you with a strange feeling long after it’s over. The filmmakers effectively replace gore with a scary atmosphere, that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the disturbing ending.
One thing I want to say is that Session 9 is more effective than other horror movies because it doesn’t show you everything, it really doesn’t show you anything. You are given sounds and you hear terrible things happening, but without being shown your mind creates more fear than the filmmaker ever could.
Yet, I warn you that not everyone is going to be impressed with the story. The story is rather simple but everything else is effective so you can kind of forgive them for lacking in that department.
If you haven’t seen this movie, I strongly suggest it.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Frighteners
Before Peter Jackson was conquering Middle-Earth, he was making some horror movies and one of those horror movies is one of my favorites.
The Frighteners is a movie that blends horror and humor together in a very successful way. It centers around a psychic detective Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), who uses his psychic ability to communicate with the dead to keep the funds rolling in for his business.
Things go terribly wrong when an evil spirit is unleashed and members of the community start to get killed off. Frank then joins forces with one of the victim’s wife (Trini Alvarado) and together they start to uncover the dark mystery surrounding the supernatural killings.
This is a fun, scary, and just awesome movie. Its light on the gore and it’s really a horror movie that anyone can enjoy. The story towards the end does get darker so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under thirteen.
I really enjoyed Jackson’s horror films and he really is getting away from it now. Yeah, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was great, but he was really talented when he blended humor and horror and I would love to see him do it again.
If you haven’t seen The Frighteners I strongly recommend it. I think it’s one of Michael J. Fox’s better performances. Yes, the special effects might not be that great, but who cares? The story and performances will keep you entertained until the end.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Ring
Today we look at Gore Verbinski’s remake of Hideo Nakata’s truly chilling film – The Ring.
The movie is about a videotape that shows some disturbing images. If you watch this tape, you’ll then receive a phone call and then die in seven days. This catches the attention of newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) after four teens die mysteriously in one week, all of them having watched the tape.
Rachel is able to track down the tape and she of course, being the skeptic she is, she watches it and now she only has seven days to try to solve the mystery before she meets her end.
The Ring is a very well done movie. It doesn’t depend on gore to scare you it rather takes the route of creepy visuals that will really freak you out.
This movie is all about its visuals. Verbinski does a great job in scaring the audience by creating a truly unique and creepy atmosphere.
This is a great movie for people that are not into the gory horror movies but still love to get a good scare.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Sleepaway Camp
We head to camp today to remember a classic slasher from the ‘80’s – Sleepaway Camp.
The movie is set at Camp Arawak, a place that lets teenagers explore nature and other things. Yet, these campers start to die off one by one in what is considered horrible accidents. They soon discover that someone is turning their summer into a real hell.
Has something from the camp’s past returned? You’re going to have to watch the movie to find out.
Sleepway Camp is a rip-off of Friday the 13th, there I said it but we all know it. That doesn’t make it any less of a movie; in fact it’s one of the better slashers from the ‘80’s.
The film has very high level of camp, which I love in these types of movies, and it also has one of the creepiest endings in this sub-genre of horror.
If you’re looking for a movie with gore, humor and one killer twist than look no further. Sleepaway Camp is a classic and it might be a rip-off of Friday the 13th but who hasn’t borrowed?
Monday, October 5, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: American Psycho
Before Christian Bale was Batman he was something much darker – an American Psycho.
Bale plays Patrick Bateman, a broker in the 1980’s junk-bond boom, who seems to be the perfect yuppie, which also makes him the perfect serial killer. That’s the running joke throughout the movie.
Bateman takes pride in everything, from his Huey Lewis CD collection to his business cards to plotting his next victim’s death. Batman is a sick, twisted and really a loser who you follow through his very grim and disturbing life.
This film will make you laugh uncomfortably and when you walk away from it you’re going to feel dirty. There are some really gory scenes and also very disturbing scenes that will turn some people off and some people might not be able to watch The Dark Knight the same way again.
But when watching the film you need to remember, besides having horror elements it’s really a satire on the dark side of yuppie culture. My favorite part of this is Bateman’s demented lecture on Huey Lewis, if you’ve seen it you know what I mean.
American Psycho is not scary; it’s disturbing. This film will definitely make you cringe but it will also make you laugh at the most awkward moments.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Prom Night
NO! I’m not talking about the 2008 remake that was so bad that it should just be forgotten about. I’m talking about the 1980 classic with Scream Queen herself – Jamie Lee Curtis.
The movie is about Kim Hammond (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her group of friends, who have been keeping a very dark secret. Six years before their prom, the kids antagonized another child, which resulted into her untimely death.
Now with their prom approaching Kim and her friends have been getting threatening phone calls from someone who witnessed the incident years ago. The killer then strikes on Prom Night and no one is safe.
Now Prom Night is not a great movie, but it’s still a classic in my eyes. Yes, it’s not as exciting or fun as other Slasher films and some might even find it boring, but the movie should still be viewed. If you just want to watch a horror movie that is light on the scares, has some gory scenes but all and all you can have fun with and laugh at then look no further.
I will not recommend the remake though; I mean what was Hollywood thinking when they decided to make that? They should have at least given Jamie Lee Curtis a cameo.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
October 3, 2009: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Moving away from modern times, we head all the way back to 1977. This was the year people were introduced to a cannibalistic family living in the desert in - The Hills Have Eyes.
The movie is about a family heading out to California that meets their fate when they decide to take a detour off the main road, in hopes to find the silver mine that Big Bob Carter (Russ Grieve) and Brenda Carter (Susan Lanier) received as an anniversary present.
Soon after they leave the main road their camper breaks down and the family is now not only stranded but is also being stalked by a group of people that have a taste for human flesh.
This film was directed by Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and it is genuinely creepy but also extremely disturbing and twisted. The movie isn’t for everybody, I really want to stress that, but if you’re a horror movie fanatic this is definitely one you need to watch.
This was Craven’s second film after his really disturbing debut, The Last House on the Left, and it doesn’t disappoint. This movie sends people on a very intense journey that is not really for the faint of heart and really shows people what a horror movie can be.
The movie was remade in 2006 and it’s not a bad remake but a very rough one. The remake is good and it has all the elements of the original and amplifies them to extreme brutality. If you want to watch the remake I suggest you watch the original first, see if you can handle it, if you can watch the remake.Friday, October 2, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: Cabin Fever
Here is Cabin Fever, the movie that got Eli Roth (Director of Hostel) started in his horror film career and it’s also the only movie that I’ve liked out of his so far.
The movie is about five college friends, Jeff (Joey Kern), Karen (Jordan Ladd), Paul (Rider Strong), Marcy (Cerina Vincent) and Bert (James DeBello), heading off for a weekend of partying at a cabin in the woods. Things start to go wrong when a blood-soaked hermit finds his way to their campfire one night, who is clearly infected with some sort of flesh-eating virus. This virus soon spreads to the five friends, causing them to slowly be eaten away and hostility to grow between them.
If you thought that was bad, once the locals learn about the infected college kids they pose another danger to the group.
Yes, I liked Cabin Fever and I liked it because it plays homage to the classic ’70’s and ‘80’s horror movies. It does this by playing on the genre’s conventions; it doesn’t reinvent any of these, which isn’t a bad thing and is what caused me to like it.
The movie is light on the scares but heavy on the gore, which I usually hate but it works well for the specific subject matter this movie is exploring (flesh eating virus).
Cabin Fever becomes more of a black comedy in the end with a showcase of gory scenes, which made some people not like it. Yet, in my opinion the mixture of gore and laughs really makes for a decent horror film that succeeds on taking from the old and making it new again.
This movie is much better, in my opinion, than Roth’s Hostel and Hostel part II (I just don’t get into the torture horror films). I wish he would make another movie similar to this one, it could be great.
If you haven’t seen Cabin Fever I will warn you now that it does have some parts they might make you cringe. There is a specific scene in a bathroom, which I thought was the movie’s best and most disturbing scene and I guarantee it will creep you out.
Everyone who is a fan of horror movies or just wants to watch a scary movie should give this one a try.
31 Days of Horror 2: The Descent
It’s really rare to find a decent horror movie nowadays but back in 2005 ‘The Descent’ hit theaters and it was a genuine creepy movie.
The movie centers on Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) who suffers a tragic accident in which she looses her husband and daughter. A year after the accident her five friends put together a pleasure caving trip, led by the thrill seeking Juno (Natalie Mendoza). Juno leads them into an unknown cave where they become trapped underneath the earth. With their oxygen becoming limited they start to panic and to make matters worse they’re being stalked by creatures that dwell deep inside the cave, and these creatures are out for human flesh.
The Descent accomplishes a lot, the feeling of claustrophobia you get when watching these characters slide through small cracks of rock miles underneath the ground will make you feel very uncomfortable.
Another great thing about the movie is how it has a story that mingles with morality, vengeances and the dark depths we will go for our own survival.
The only complaint I have about the film is the over use of the creatures towards the end. They do provide the movie with some really gory and creepy moments, but if we saw less of them, leaving more to our imagination, that would have been creepier.
All and all the movie has a plausible plot which really drives it forward. It’s a sadistic film that will satisfy any horror fan and if your not a horror fan but want a good scare I would definitely recommend picking this one up.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
31 Days of Horror 2: The Descent
It’s really rare to find a decent horror movie nowadays but back in 2005 ‘The Descent’ hit theaters and it was a genuine creepy movie.
The movie centers on Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) who suffers a tragic accident in which she looses her husband and daughter. A year after the accident her five friends put together a pleasure caving trip, led by the thrill seeking Juno (Natalie Mendoza). Juno leads them into an unknown cave where they become trapped underneath the earth. With their oxygen becoming limited they start to panic and to make matters worse they’re being stalked by creatures that dwell deep inside the cave, and these creatures are out for human flesh.
The Descent accomplishes a lot, but first is the feeling of claustrophobia you get when watching these characters slide through small cracks of rock miles underneath the ground, it's very uncomfortable.
Another great thing about the movie is how it has a story that mingles with morality, vengeances and the dark depths we will go for our own survival.
The only complaint I have about the film is the over use of the creatures towards the end. They do provide the movie with some really gory and creepy moments, but if we saw less of them, leaving more to our imagination, that would have been creepier.
All and all the movie has a plausible plot which really drives it forward. It’s a sadistic film that will satisfy any horror fan and if your not a horror fan but want a good scare I would definitely recommend picking this one up.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Evil Has No Destiny
In this film Rob Zombie brings us back to the way beginning and tells us the reasons Michael kills. This is the first misstep, because what made Michael scary in the original movie was the idea that this killer had no motive.
Now, Zombie gives him a motive and the reason he is driven to kill is because he comes from a broken home and he’s being picked on by bullies at school. Come on Mr. Zombie, I appreciate you trying to do something different with Michael, but bullies? Michael Myers became a killer because of bullies? What kind of crap is that?
SO, these bullies push and push Michael until he goes and kills the main bully. After this he brings his murderous rage home and when his mother is at work (oh, yeah his mother is a stripper) he kills his sister, his sister’s boyfriend and his mother’s boyfriend. He spares his baby sister, Laurie, and sits with her on the sidewalk and waits for his mother to get home.
Michael is then sent to Smith's Grove - Warren County Sanitarium and is put under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis, a child-psychiatrist. This is the films only good thing, the performance Malcolm McDowell gives is great and it’s a shame he didn’t have a better script to work with.
Eventually Michael escapes the Sanitarium and finds his way back to Haddonfield, Illinois, to find his sister, Laurie, who was adopted by another family, after Michael’s mother killed herself. This is where the movie becomes a remake of the original, but never reaches the heights the original did.
The biggest thing that brings this movie down is the characters and dialogue. The movie does show signs of trying to be a character driven film, but that becomes a problem if you don’t know how to write characters.
It seems that Zombie has a problem writing dialogue, because everything that comes out of characters mouths is about sex. Now, since the dialogue is bad these characters never were able to take off and evolve as the movie went on. They are stuck being two dimensional and when the movie begins to pour on one horror cliché after another, the characters become boring and dull.
This includes Michael. Michael does what Michael does best and kills everyone who gets in his way, but it’s not scary, it’s tiresome. Since all the characters are boring and never feel like real people, we never really care when they are killed off. Also, Michael does do a lot of pointless kills, which just make you say “Why?”
In the end this movie is just not good. It has a lot of stupid moments, like the title screen (those who’ve seen it, know what I’m talking about), the back story gave the film something different, but ultimately ruined my whole image of Michael Myers, the script was bad, the characters were dull and the dialogue was terrible. The only thing this film did effectively was make me appreciate the original so much more.
Is this the worst movie ever made? No, I’ve seen worse, but this one definitely missed the mark. If some things were moved around and the script had another writer this could have been a decent film, it would have never lived up to the first one but it could have been a good Michael Myers movie.
D-
Friday, August 28, 2009
Steelers will go unbeaten, but Pats win Super Bowl
There weren’t too many surprises in those winners as each as a great chance at winning the division this year. As for the Steelers pulling off a 16-0 season, well that’s stretching it a bit, but it could very well happen.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Fable III Announced
Lionhead’s director, Peter Molyneux, announced at Gamescom 2009 that Fable III will be coming in late 2010.
The game will read you’re saved game data from Fable II and you’ll be able to play as the son or daughter of your Albion hero.
The goal and selling point for Fable III seems to be able to rule all of Albion. You don’t get to start as the ruler, but you can campaign in the game and eventually become ruler.
The game will also still offer action and adventure like the two other Fable games.