Child's Play

Child's Play
(1988) [Trailer]
Director: Tom Holland (IMDB)

While growing up everyone had that doll in the house that you thought to yourself "when it's dark in the room, this little bastard is scary as shit." Whether it was a Cabbage Patch Kid or a clown, you knew deep down, you hated that fucker. The beauty of Child's Play is that it tapped into those fears and exploited them.

Synopsis: A little boy's stuffed doll comes to life after it's possessed by a murderer.

This was one of my favorites as a youth and I was excited to finally pick it up on the baby blu. It still manages to hold up nicely in my opinion and is pretty effective as a horror film. Chucky is creepy and is perfect as the antagonist. I forgot the guy from Fright Night was in this... he's pretty cool. The little kid started to annoy me after awhile, but isn't that what all kids do? There's not much to knock, some little issues here and there, but honestly... this is a fun movie.

Carpenter Fest: Dark Star, Vampires, and Ghosts of Mars.

John Carpenter... the man, the myth, the legend. He's one of my favorite directors, so I thought I'd sit down with three films of his that I haven't seen and knock them out.

Dark Star
(1974) [Full Movie]
Director: John Carpenter (IMDB)

Synopsis: Grizzled astronauts are traveling through space blowing up stars and also having to deal with an asshole beach ball mascot.

As you can tell by the synopsis, this movie is a weird one. It's Carpenter's first full length film and stands out as a rarity from anything I've seen of his. For being released 3 years before I was born, the movie holds up for me in a strange way. The effects, set pieces, and models they used were a little dated... but still fun to watch.

The beach ball critter is just way out there and a very odd addition to the movie. It's a bit silly, but I think that's the point of it.

The pitfalls for me were the dialog and plot, which aren't the best. I did love the ending of the movie, I won't spoil it for you, but it's "totally gnarly!"

Vampires
(1998) [Full Movie]
Director: John Carpenter (IMDB)

Synopsis: James Woods and Daniel Baldwin (the unpopular one) head a group of vampire hunters hired by the Catholic Church to track down blood suckers and you guessed it... kill them.

Vampires is a decent enough movie and has a definite Carpenter feel to it. The cinematography is pretty cool. I noticed a strange reddish tint on a lot of the shots and I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I kind of liked it. There were a lot of great kill scenes and a decent amount of gore throughout. It was also fun to see Laura Palmer back in action, Twin Peaks fans rejoice!

I wasn't a fan of a lot of the dialog in this and some of the acting was shit. Example: there's a scene where James Woods is telling a Priest that he can forget everything he learned about killing Vampires in the movies, like garlic and crosses... then immediately follows it with... the only way to kill these vampires are by sunlight or a stake to the heart?

If you're into JC, John Carpenter not Jesus Christ, then I would check this out. If you're not, you could pass on it and still lead a good life.

Ghosts of Mars
(2001) [Full Movie]
Director: John Carpenter (IMDB)

Synopsis: In the future, we run shit on Mars, but one colony soon finds out that they're not alone on the planet. When the police show up to capture Ice Cube, they get into a lot more then they bargained for.

Sadly, this movie didn't really do a lot for me. Like Vampires, the dialog and acting aren't impressive. The score is the worst of any Carpenter film (which always have killer scores) or any other film for that matter. Also the fight scenes seem extremely slow and overly choreographed.

I did enjoy the set pieces and the overall futuristic look of Mars. The bad guys looked freaky and the buzz saw thingys they threw resulted in some amazing kill shots.

Dario Argento Double Feature: Deep Red and Suspiria

As stated in my last review of Demons... I'm heading into a double hitter of Dario Argento's films. I've only seen one of his movies, Inferno, which I liked, but I think Deep Red and Suspiria are generally considered better films, so I thought it was time to school myself.

Deep Red
(1975) [Full Movie]
Director: Dario Argento (IMDB)

Synopsis: A man witnesses the murder of his psychic neighbor which sends him into investigator mode as he tries to figure out who the killer is.

There are lots of things in this film that I really love.

#1: The soundtrack. It's awesome. It's not actually scary, but funky. It'd be good at a party to get down too... or... cut a rug too.

#2: The cinematography. This might be one of the prettiest horror movies ever.

#3: The reference in the film to this picture.

#4: The creepy ass toys and also that extremely scary puppet.. holy shit... the arm hairs stood up a little when that bastard came prancing across the screen.

#5 The pictures in the hallway... I want to own one. Talk about fine art.

I also enjoyed David Hemmings, who I dug in Blow-Up, but haven't seen in another movie since.

I don't know man... there's not a lot here that I didn't like, the pacing of the second half felt a little off at times, and there was one plot hole I noticed, but other then that it's perfect.

Suspiria
(1977) [Trailer]
Director: Dario Argento (IMDB)

Synopsis: A dancer enrolls into a ballet academy and realizes that her stay is about to get crazy as all is not what it seems.

This movie is definitely a mind fuck and I wouldn't recommened watching it on hallucinogenic drugs. Its not as gory as Deep Red but more weird and artful. It's main source of horror, for me, was provided through the use of sound and cinematography.

First the sound. I would recommend using headphones with this movie. I watched the first half of the film without them and had to constantly adjust the volume between the music and the dialog. The second half I watched with headphones on and it was intense. The score is extremely eerie and I think it's mixed loudly to make more of an impact. It helps ramp up the tension of the film and makes for a unique viewing experience.

Second the visuals. The cinematography in this is just as amazing as Deep Red. It's lends itself to an odd nightmarish state where nothing seems real, this is achieved through the use of bizarre lighting and a set piece (the school itself) that's unlike any thing I've seen in cinema. The closest comparisons I can think of might be Twin Peaks or The Shining.

The plot isn't ground breaking and like Deep Red I felt it had a few pacing issues, but nothing that came even close to ruining it. Again, another must watch for horror fans, especially if you like art house stuff and horror combined.

Demons

Demons
(1985) [Full Movie]
Director: Lamberto Bava (IMDB)

I've seen this film on a lot of peoples top horror movie lists, so I figured I'd check it out. Dario Argento presents this film and Mario Bava's son. Lamberto Bava, directed it. I've been on an Italian movie kick recently, with my last review being Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik and my next two films up to bat being Suspiria and Deep Red... so if you don't like Italians, skip my reviews for a few days you racist.

Synopsis: A group of moviegoers get more then they bargained for when the movie they're watching starts to take place in real life.

This movie is a lot of fun and a pretty cool slice of 80's horror. It's pretty campy and has tons of gore, there are a few really great cringe worthy scenes scattered throughout. I always enjoy horror films where people are trapped in a location and there's some ominous presence trying to fuck them up, this film pulls that situation off masterfully. There are a few absurd moments, one mainly involving a helicopter, but I'll save you from any spoilers. I'd check this out if you get the chance, especially recommended for fans of horror.

Danger: Diabolik

Danger Diabolik
(1968) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava (IMDB)

I'm sitting on a bus from DC to New York right now and decided to kill some time. I had a copy of Diabolik and thought... why not. I didn't know a lot going into this, I just knew Mario Bava (who I'm fond of) directed it and Ennio Morricone (who is my favorite composer) did the score. I had read some praises for it online as well, so I was hoping for a good time... was that time spent wisely... I will tell you now.

Synopsis: Diabolik is a super criminal who is pretty fucking rad and pulls off lots of heists in Italy.

Wow.... this blew me away with awesomeness. I dare you to watch the first ten minutes of this movie and tell me it's not one of the coolest films ever made. I loved everything I saw on screen and was like a parasite just wanting more and more of it as I went along.
What rules about this:

1. The score is bad ass. I want it as theme music to my life.
2. The cinematography is over the top, in a great way. Lots of quick zooms, close ups, and first person shots... plus grand views of Italy.
3. Diabolik and his girlfriend, both are totally hot together, can you say "power couple"?
4. The heists: everyone of them are unique and really fun to watch unfold.
5. Diabolik's hideout... it might be one of the greatest set pieces in film history.

I can't sing enough praises about this movie, in my opinion it's a must see for any fan of Tarantino or Wes Anderson or film in general. My only complaint is that I watched it on my laptop and not on a big screen... call me Nostradamus cause I see a re-watch in my future.

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Tim Burton (IMDB)

I'm down in Virginia visiting my parents and a bunch of new born babies that have been dragged into my family tree. While out with the old man today we decided to check out Tim Burton's newest installment to his repertoire... Dark Shadows

Synopsis: Johnny Depp stars (which is strange for a Tim Burton film) as Barnabas Collins, who's a vampire from the 18th century set loose into the 1970's.

I always enjoy Burton's work and was highly anticipating this movie. It pretty much delivers exactly what you would except from it. Quirky characters, a dark and creepy aesthetic, and brilliant compositions by Danny Elfman. I was pretty entertained by the whole thing but I felt it was misfiring somewhere. I think it tended to be flat in certain spots and the plot dragged it's tale a bit. There were a few funny moments but the dialog seemed weak at points. I think the main issue I had with this film was the trailer for it. I feel like it ruined the experience for me, it presented too much of the movie and as a result I felt like the film was a garment I had already worn.

I'd say, if you're really into Tim Burton, check it out, if not, wait for the baby blu.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
(2011) [Trailer]
Director: Brad Bird (IMDB)

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this film from a contest held over at one of my favorite websites/podcast ever... FilmJunk.com.
I never had a chance to check MI4 out last year and have been looking forward to seeing the Cruiser in action.

Synopsis: Secret Agent Ethan Hunt is back on assignment after his organization is framed in the bombing of the Kremlin and he has to clear their name.

Memory is a bitch and as I get older I feel myself losing it more and more. Movies have to be real interesting to leave an impact on me nowadays and MI4 missed the mark in a lot of ways.

Tom and Co. were all solid and got the job done. The action was well paced, and set pieces and film locations were all interesting. Obviously the scenes with Cruise climbing on the side of the Burj Khalifa are incredible.

But after viewing this a can say... not a lot of it stuck with me and I also found it a bit long. When the dust storm settles in Dubai I thought the film was gonna wrap up but then it continued on too.... see this is what I mean, I'm sitting here writing this review and I can't even remember what happened after Dubai, I actually had to go to IMDB and look it up for a refresher.