10.) Eastbound and Down
Season 2 of Eastbound and Down was even funnier than the 1st, and season 1 was pretty damn funny. If you take the most egotistical, sexist, racist, drug-abusing-ist former athlete around, and send him to Mexico for the season, its bound to resort in comedy gold. Kenny Powers is the worst human being to appear on television in a long time (at least the characters from Its Always Sunny TRY not to be so racist, although they rarely succeed), but he is also one of the funniest. The scene in episode 2 where he made his first appearance for the Mexican baseball team while Hulk Hogan's old theme song "Real American" played had me in tears the first time I saw it.
9.) Louie
Louis CK has always been a great stand-up comedian, but I had no idea that he possessed the kind of comic genius it took to come up with Louie. Its really hard to describe the show if you haven't seen it. Each episode is made up of series of short films, sometimes they are outright hilarious (such as in episode 8 when he smokes pot with his neighbor) and sometimes they are darkly disturbing (such as in episode 11 when he has a flashback to an extremely creepy religious lesson from his youth). Just about every episode, though, involves at least 1 scene with Louis involved in a situation so awkward that even The Office has never reached the depths of discomfort exhibited by this show. It is brilliant, brilliant show and I am glad that FX renewed it for a second season.
8.) Fringe
In Fringe's first season, it was a show that I liked, but didn't love. It was trying too hard to be 00's version of the X-Files, trying to find a good balance between building a mythology and having standalone episodes so that they could please diehard fans and attract casual viewers as well. Usually, all that strategy does is fail to satisfy both types of viewers. Last season, Fringe decided to scrap that and go full tilt into the mythology. While that hasn't helped its ratings, it has allowed them to craft a fantastic sci-fi narrative and bump this up into "love" territory for me.
I am a sucker for alternate Earth stories and multiple versions of the same characters (one of the first comic books I ever remember owning was a team-up story with the Justice League and the Justice Society featuring alternate versions of The Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, etc.), so the conflict between the 2 Earths storyline was right up my alley. This season, the decision to switch the Olivias has made for some great storytelling and I am really anxious to see where the story goes next when new episodes start in January.
7.) 30 Rock
30 rock dropped off a little bit last year, but that was mostly earlier in the season. The end of the season really picked up the quality back to its higher levels and that resurgence has continued over until the current season. The Jack Donaghy-Liz Lemon relationship is one of my favorite on TV. Her goofy liberalism vs. his raging capitalism make for a great dynamic week after week.
6.) Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empire is a fitting addition to the history of great dramas from HBO. The premier was directed by Martin Scorsese, and the rest of the episodes followed with the same Scorsese style. Its the story of Atlantic City at the onset of Prohibition, with all of the corruption and mob activity that came along with it. Boardwalk Empire mixes real and fictional characters into a fantastic tale about how much badness you are willing to let into your life in order to get what you want. Steve Buscemi gives a great portrayal of Nucky Thompson, the man who pulls all the strings in Atlantic City and is being forced to cross the line from mere corrupt politician to full on gangster in order to keep that position. The season finale has set things up for season 2 so well that I cannot remember when I was anticipating the next season of a show as much.
5.) Lost
I know that the finale of lost left many people either let down or angry. I was not one of them. Even if it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, I didn't let it ruin my appreciation of its awesome final season (it did not effect me nearly as much as the finale of Battlestar Galactica did - I was extremely angry at the end of that one for how crappy it was). The finale notwithstanding, I thought the final season was extremely well done, giving you some more of the history of the island (the episode that told Richard Alpert's tale was one of the best the show had ever done), wrapping up things in our current time while at the same time showing an alternate story (of course I would be all over that) with our characters that kept you guessing. I read many complaints online that the finale ruined the entire show for some people, in that they could never go back and re-watch it knowing that so many of the mysteries would go unsolved. I think that is nonsense. I can't wait to go back and once again watch one of my favorite shows of all time and let it carry me along on that roller coaster again.
4.) It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
This is a show that many people have been telling me I need to see for years. Finally, this summer Comedy Central aired it for a few weeks and allowed me to check it out. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked. I was glad that I was able to get into it before Season 6 started this fall, as this season was particularly strong. Sweet Dee having a baby was the perfect wrinkle to change things up this year, and the resolution in the season finale, involving a drug-fueled Paternity party with all Dee's past conquests and Frank's bridge people (a fantastic addition to the odd supporting cast employed by this show) and a transvestite was pure Sunny craziness. I recently got the entire series on DVD so I can go back and fill in the gaps on what episodes I have not seen, and Sunny has been added to the list, along with Arrested Development and The Office, for shows that I thrown on every once in a while for a re-watch when I need a good laugh.
3.) Community
In its second season, I think Community has evolved into the most consistently funny show currently on television (although, it only holds that title because the next show on my countdown isn't on TV right now - well done NBC). They have established the right mix of crazy, pop culture reference-heavy episodes (like this season's zombie-themed Halloween episode) and episodes about the relationship between the main characters (like the episode early in this season where Jeff went back to visit his old law firm), and sometimes both types in the same episode. This is only possible because of how richly the show's creators have developed the 7 main characters over the course of its' season and a half. An episode can feature any combination of the characters as the main focus, and the quality of humor and sentimentality is just as high. A great show that more people need to be watching.
2.) Parks & Recreation
You ca take that last line about Community and it applies double for Parks & Rec, as NBC held off on it through the entire fall season for Outsourced (UGH) because of its poor ratings last season. It is a complete travesty that no one is watching this show. Hopefully, when it gets the post-Office timeslot in January, more people will discover this fantastic comedy. It started out as too much of a clone of The Office, but they wisely decided in Season 2 to tweak Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope character from a female Michael Scott (loathed by all) to someone that her co-workers actually like, and want to help when she comes up with her crazy schemes. It was a needed change that allowed Parks & Rec to grow on its own. Also, Ron Swanson is one of my favorite characters on TV - a government manager who thinks that all government should be privatized. He is comedy gold.
1.) Mad Men
Once again, Mad Men hit it completely out of the park this season. Don Draper's slowly deteriorating life has made for fascinating television. The seventh episode, "The Suitcase" was the culmination of everything that has gone on between Don and Peggy since the beginning of season 1 and one of the best hours of television that I have ever seen. The decision to start fresh with a brand new add agency was a gamble, and it completely paid off by allowing for a much wider range of story possibilities than if they had kept with the status quo. Simply the best show on TV.
Honorable mention:
Walking Dead (A good start to the series, but with only 6 episodes, there is plenty of room for growth)
Sherlock (A BBC updating of the Sherlock Holmes story to a modern setting. At only 3 episodes, too short to make the list but it was still excellent)
The Venture Brothers (Another solid season)
Futurerama (I was never that big of a Futurama fan during its last run, but I found the new episodes to be very funny)
30 for 30 (An excellent documentary series from ESPN)
The Office (The quality has dropped way off in the last 2 seasons, but still pretty humorous)
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret(This British series staring David Cross and Will Arnet, shown on IFC, was ridiculously absurd, usually uncomfortable to watch, and ofter very funny)
Ineligible: - Breaking Bad, Pacific, Archer
These 3 series would have been under serious consideration for the list (and in the case of Breaking Bad would have been very near the top), but I was not current on them at the time I wrote the list. I am mostly done with The Pacific (HBO's follow up to Band of Brothers) and Archer (a hilarious Adult swim-esque spy comedy from FX), but I am an entire season behind on Breaking Bad. However, AMC is going to be running all episodes of it Wednesday nights staring in January, so I can catch up eventually on Season 3 before the new season starts next year. If you haven't seen it, set your DVR's as it is a fantastic show.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Top 10 CD's From the Second Half of 2010, Pt. 2
Click here for part 1 (#'s 10-6)
5.) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter is a band that I really like (this is the 4th CD of theirs that I have), and its obvious that I really like this disc, based on where I ranked it. However, I am really struggling to come up with a review for some reason (this is why I don't do this for a living). And since I am trying to get this post done this week, and only like 3 people are reading it (hi Tony!), just take my word for it that this is a good CD.
4.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I have always liked some of Kanye's songs, while also hating some of his others (I really can't stand "Jesus Walks" in particular for some reason ). ...Twisted Fantasy is the first album of his that I have liked from start to finish, and I REALLY like it (which is probably evident since I included it on this list when it wasn't released until November 22). This CD contains the best traits of Kanye pretty much on every song from start to finish, such as fantastic beats, top notch guest stars who actually contribute something worthwhile to the song, and lyrics that throw in an occasional humorous reference (like quoting Napoleon Dynamite). Kanye's fifth album has been getting near-universal acclaim, some of it a little overblown, but it does deserve praise. It is his most complete album to date and pretty damn good.
3.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire has had about as good of a beginning to a career as an indie rock band could ask for. Their first album (2004's Funeral) was met with universal acclaim by indie rock critics (it is considered one of the best albums of the decade) and sold very well for an independent release. Their second album (2007's Neon Bible) was met with similar high praise, appearing at or near the top of many year end Best Of lists (except for Pitchfork, which only had it at 27, but they are notoriously finicky, usually just because they can), but this time it sold like a mainstream release, reaching gold in both the US and their native Canada and reaching #2 on the US Billboard charts. The Suburbs, their 3rd release, was the culmination of all the band's previous success and debuted at #1.
The amazing thing is that they were able to accomplish this success while retaining all of their indie cred. This is only possible because their music lives up to all the accolades they receive. The Suburbs is meant to invoke a feeling and sound right out of its title and succeeds.
2.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
As I mentioned in my last post about Belle & Sebastian (my post about 1997 music),their music may not be the most "rock 'n' roll" sounding, but it certainly is beautiful. In the follow up to 2006's The Life Pursuit (which contained one of my favorite songs of the last decade), B&S again continue with their signature sound, while this time adding a little bounce to the songs that calls back to early 70s pop. Its a fitting that one of the least rocking bands around is paying tribute to one if the least rocking genres in rock 'n' roll history, but it works for them.
1.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
Disconnect From Desire is the second release from School of Seven Belles, which is the band that the lead singer of the Secret Machines left his former band to start. I was disappointed at the time, as I really liked Secret Machines. However, I think, based on this release and their first disc, 2008's Alpanisms, that I like this band even better. The sound of the 2 bands are much different - Secret Machines had a prog rock sound straight out of the 70s, while School makes upbeat, electronic dream pop. The addition of female singers helps lighten the sound even more. Disconnect... has a very atmospheric sound that swirls around you like a fog. It is an excellent record and I am really looking forward to where this band goes in the future.
Now that I have finally finished that list, here is my overall top 10 CD list for 2010:
1.) Yeasayer - Odd Blood
2.) Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
3.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
4.) Beach House - Teen Dream
5.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
6.) The National - High Violet
7.) Spoon - Transference
8.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
9.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
10.) The New Pornographers - Together
5.) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter is a band that I really like (this is the 4th CD of theirs that I have), and its obvious that I really like this disc, based on where I ranked it. However, I am really struggling to come up with a review for some reason (this is why I don't do this for a living). And since I am trying to get this post done this week, and only like 3 people are reading it (hi Tony!), just take my word for it that this is a good CD.
4.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I have always liked some of Kanye's songs, while also hating some of his others (I really can't stand "Jesus Walks" in particular for some reason ). ...Twisted Fantasy is the first album of his that I have liked from start to finish, and I REALLY like it (which is probably evident since I included it on this list when it wasn't released until November 22). This CD contains the best traits of Kanye pretty much on every song from start to finish, such as fantastic beats, top notch guest stars who actually contribute something worthwhile to the song, and lyrics that throw in an occasional humorous reference (like quoting Napoleon Dynamite). Kanye's fifth album has been getting near-universal acclaim, some of it a little overblown, but it does deserve praise. It is his most complete album to date and pretty damn good.
3.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire has had about as good of a beginning to a career as an indie rock band could ask for. Their first album (2004's Funeral) was met with universal acclaim by indie rock critics (it is considered one of the best albums of the decade) and sold very well for an independent release. Their second album (2007's Neon Bible) was met with similar high praise, appearing at or near the top of many year end Best Of lists (except for Pitchfork, which only had it at 27, but they are notoriously finicky, usually just because they can), but this time it sold like a mainstream release, reaching gold in both the US and their native Canada and reaching #2 on the US Billboard charts. The Suburbs, their 3rd release, was the culmination of all the band's previous success and debuted at #1.
The amazing thing is that they were able to accomplish this success while retaining all of their indie cred. This is only possible because their music lives up to all the accolades they receive. The Suburbs is meant to invoke a feeling and sound right out of its title and succeeds.
2.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
As I mentioned in my last post about Belle & Sebastian (my post about 1997 music),their music may not be the most "rock 'n' roll" sounding, but it certainly is beautiful. In the follow up to 2006's The Life Pursuit (which contained one of my favorite songs of the last decade), B&S again continue with their signature sound, while this time adding a little bounce to the songs that calls back to early 70s pop. Its a fitting that one of the least rocking bands around is paying tribute to one if the least rocking genres in rock 'n' roll history, but it works for them.
1.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
Disconnect From Desire is the second release from School of Seven Belles, which is the band that the lead singer of the Secret Machines left his former band to start. I was disappointed at the time, as I really liked Secret Machines. However, I think, based on this release and their first disc, 2008's Alpanisms, that I like this band even better. The sound of the 2 bands are much different - Secret Machines had a prog rock sound straight out of the 70s, while School makes upbeat, electronic dream pop. The addition of female singers helps lighten the sound even more. Disconnect... has a very atmospheric sound that swirls around you like a fog. It is an excellent record and I am really looking forward to where this band goes in the future.
Now that I have finally finished that list, here is my overall top 10 CD list for 2010:
1.) Yeasayer - Odd Blood
2.) Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
3.) School of Seven Belles - Disconnect From Desire
4.) Beach House - Teen Dream
5.) Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
6.) The National - High Violet
7.) Spoon - Transference
8.) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
9.) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
10.) The New Pornographers - Together
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Top 10 CD's From the Second Half of 2010, Pt. 1
This is the follow up to my list from the first half of 2010. For the second half of the year, I am setting the timeline as CD's released from July 1 - November 28 (since there really isn't much new released in the month of December).
10.) The Walkmen - Lisbon
Lisbon is the 6th album from The Walkmen, and indie rock group out of New York City. Their sound has always been a kind of depressing, modern type of surf rock/garage rock, with a little bit of piano thrown in. With this release, they have added a slight bit of 50's rockabilly, while at the same time laying off on the depressing lyrics just a bit. This approach helped differentiate Lisbon from their earlier efforts while still continuing the quality of their previous music.
9.) Girl Talk - All Day
Gregg Gillis may not have the same musical or songwriting talent as the rest of the artists on this list, but his ability to pair together such disparate sampled beats and lyrics the way he does into a cohesive whole is pretty amazing. And the fact that he is able to make a living at this despite releasing All Day for free (I imagine clearing the samples would have proved prohibitive and expensive - I don't know how he was able to sell any of his earlier CDs) is impressive as well. He is an extensive touring act (he sold out 2 nights the last time he was in Columbus), and his music is the perfect match up for a live experience. All Day continues that party vibe, with samples from the likes of 2 Live Crew, Cream, Modern English, Jay-Z and pretty much everything in between.
8.) Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Black Mountain is a Canadian band with a sound that is a throwback to the early to mid 70's, particularly the prog rock and psychedelic bands. This sound continues on the band's third release. With most bands looking back to the 80's and 90's for their sound, its a refreshing change to hear a band that isn't afraid to embrace a sound from before the Punk Rock era. Black Mountain is able to take these influences and create music that stands on its own in 2010 without being entirely derivative. Rock 'n' roll has always relied on taking sounds from the past and forging them into something new, so I have no problems with bands that wear their influences heavily on their sleeves, as long as they add something of them selves to that sound. Its nice to be able to listen to something that sounds like its from that era without having to pull out the same discs over and over (that were actually made in that era). Wilderness Heart fits that bill nicely.
7.) Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Cee Lo takes a break from a successful 2 album run with Danger Mouse (as Gnarls Barkley) to get back to his solo career. I had a long paragraph talking about the Cee Lo and his music, but it got erased, and I don't remember what I wrote, so screw it - just listen to the clip below. If you like it, get his CD. It's good.
6.) Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle
My write up on Blonde Redhead didn't save either. SIGH. I am trying to get this review done before 2011, so here is the short version: they are a dream pop band that normally has more of a guitar-heavy sound, but they decided to go with a more electronic sound for their 8th album. It is a good way to mix up their sound and keep it fresh.
Coming soon (hopefully this week), Part 2...
10.) The Walkmen - Lisbon
Lisbon is the 6th album from The Walkmen, and indie rock group out of New York City. Their sound has always been a kind of depressing, modern type of surf rock/garage rock, with a little bit of piano thrown in. With this release, they have added a slight bit of 50's rockabilly, while at the same time laying off on the depressing lyrics just a bit. This approach helped differentiate Lisbon from their earlier efforts while still continuing the quality of their previous music.
9.) Girl Talk - All Day
Gregg Gillis may not have the same musical or songwriting talent as the rest of the artists on this list, but his ability to pair together such disparate sampled beats and lyrics the way he does into a cohesive whole is pretty amazing. And the fact that he is able to make a living at this despite releasing All Day for free (I imagine clearing the samples would have proved prohibitive and expensive - I don't know how he was able to sell any of his earlier CDs) is impressive as well. He is an extensive touring act (he sold out 2 nights the last time he was in Columbus), and his music is the perfect match up for a live experience. All Day continues that party vibe, with samples from the likes of 2 Live Crew, Cream, Modern English, Jay-Z and pretty much everything in between.
8.) Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Black Mountain is a Canadian band with a sound that is a throwback to the early to mid 70's, particularly the prog rock and psychedelic bands. This sound continues on the band's third release. With most bands looking back to the 80's and 90's for their sound, its a refreshing change to hear a band that isn't afraid to embrace a sound from before the Punk Rock era. Black Mountain is able to take these influences and create music that stands on its own in 2010 without being entirely derivative. Rock 'n' roll has always relied on taking sounds from the past and forging them into something new, so I have no problems with bands that wear their influences heavily on their sleeves, as long as they add something of them selves to that sound. Its nice to be able to listen to something that sounds like its from that era without having to pull out the same discs over and over (that were actually made in that era). Wilderness Heart fits that bill nicely.
7.) Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Cee Lo takes a break from a successful 2 album run with Danger Mouse (as Gnarls Barkley) to get back to his solo career. I had a long paragraph talking about the Cee Lo and his music, but it got erased, and I don't remember what I wrote, so screw it - just listen to the clip below. If you like it, get his CD. It's good.
6.) Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle
My write up on Blonde Redhead didn't save either. SIGH. I am trying to get this review done before 2011, so here is the short version: they are a dream pop band that normally has more of a guitar-heavy sound, but they decided to go with a more electronic sound for their 8th album. It is a good way to mix up their sound and keep it fresh.
Coming soon (hopefully this week), Part 2...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
1970: Movies Pt 4
Woodstock
While I have seen clips of the performances in this film over the years, this is the first time I have ever sat down and watched the whole film. Also, the version I watched was the 40th Anniversary edition on Blu Ray, and it is LONG. The main version of the film on this edition clocks in at around three hours and 45 minutes. Plus, there is a second disc with another hour and a half plus of additional footage, most of which are additional performances (some that have never been seen seen in any previous version of the film). However, despite its long running time, I didn't even really seem to notice or mind. This was the perfect film to put on while I was doing other things. I was able to focus on the film when I wanted to (such as when a band I like was playing or a particularly interesting interview was being given), or I could multi-task and listen to the music in the background (or when some hippie was babbling on about something only their burnt out mind could understand, I could tune out completely).
As many people know, The Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place in the summer of 1969 at Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY (not actually in Woodstock, NY) and it featured many of the top music acts of the time. This film focuses not just on those performances, but also on the people attending the show, the people supporting the show (such one scene dealing with the sanitation worker whose job it was to clean out the port o johns, probably one of the worst weekends to have that job in the history of port o johns) and the different townspeople affected by the show. The film doesn't hide anything from the viewer. It shows all the nudity, drug use (more on that in a sec), dirtiness and the effects of effects on some people of putting themselves through the ordeal for 3 days with little food or sleep. There are interviews from residents of the town who were vehemently against the festival, but also from those who were very supportive and even donated food and supplies.
The film does a fantastic job of capturing the crowd and the community at the festival. However, even better are the music performances. The music acts, especially on Blu Ray, look and sound fantastic, especially anyone playing at night. Considering they were out in the middle of nowhere, the lighting effects at night and the close up camera views make for a spectacular sight. This is particularly true of Sly and The Family Stone's performance, which, visually and due to the high energy of the music and the band, was my favorite of the whole film. Another technique that was really effective was the use of split screens. This was well used both during performances by groups that have multiple vocalists, like The Who (another band that looked fantastic at night and had some really cool slow motion effects added to their performance), where both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend could both be shown singing different parts at the same time, and also to show both the band and the crowd reactions to their performance.
My favorite musical performances were The Who, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sly and the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival (from the bonus features) and Jimi Hendrix (whose performance was so phenomenal, it has been released on its own DVD). My favorite non-musical scene was the drug/alcohol montage, where scenes are strung together of various concertgoers indulging in their vice of choice (including one guy very impressively making a pipe out of nothing but tin foil) and capped off with a shot of 2 cops eating popsicles.
This film is a must see for anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in either the history of the time period or any of the bands who performed.
That wraps up 1970. Coming soon, I jump ahead 2 years to 1972.
While I have seen clips of the performances in this film over the years, this is the first time I have ever sat down and watched the whole film. Also, the version I watched was the 40th Anniversary edition on Blu Ray, and it is LONG. The main version of the film on this edition clocks in at around three hours and 45 minutes. Plus, there is a second disc with another hour and a half plus of additional footage, most of which are additional performances (some that have never been seen seen in any previous version of the film). However, despite its long running time, I didn't even really seem to notice or mind. This was the perfect film to put on while I was doing other things. I was able to focus on the film when I wanted to (such as when a band I like was playing or a particularly interesting interview was being given), or I could multi-task and listen to the music in the background (or when some hippie was babbling on about something only their burnt out mind could understand, I could tune out completely).
As many people know, The Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place in the summer of 1969 at Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY (not actually in Woodstock, NY) and it featured many of the top music acts of the time. This film focuses not just on those performances, but also on the people attending the show, the people supporting the show (such one scene dealing with the sanitation worker whose job it was to clean out the port o johns, probably one of the worst weekends to have that job in the history of port o johns) and the different townspeople affected by the show. The film doesn't hide anything from the viewer. It shows all the nudity, drug use (more on that in a sec), dirtiness and the effects of effects on some people of putting themselves through the ordeal for 3 days with little food or sleep. There are interviews from residents of the town who were vehemently against the festival, but also from those who were very supportive and even donated food and supplies.
The film does a fantastic job of capturing the crowd and the community at the festival. However, even better are the music performances. The music acts, especially on Blu Ray, look and sound fantastic, especially anyone playing at night. Considering they were out in the middle of nowhere, the lighting effects at night and the close up camera views make for a spectacular sight. This is particularly true of Sly and The Family Stone's performance, which, visually and due to the high energy of the music and the band, was my favorite of the whole film. Another technique that was really effective was the use of split screens. This was well used both during performances by groups that have multiple vocalists, like The Who (another band that looked fantastic at night and had some really cool slow motion effects added to their performance), where both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend could both be shown singing different parts at the same time, and also to show both the band and the crowd reactions to their performance.
My favorite musical performances were The Who, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sly and the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival (from the bonus features) and Jimi Hendrix (whose performance was so phenomenal, it has been released on its own DVD). My favorite non-musical scene was the drug/alcohol montage, where scenes are strung together of various concertgoers indulging in their vice of choice (including one guy very impressively making a pipe out of nothing but tin foil) and capped off with a shot of 2 cops eating popsicles.
This film is a must see for anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in either the history of the time period or any of the bands who performed.
That wraps up 1970. Coming soon, I jump ahead 2 years to 1972.
Monday, December 6, 2010
1970: Movies Pt. 3
(Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2)
Airport
I added this movie to the list not because it is universally acclaimed as a great movie from the 70's (although it was nominated for and actually won some awards), but because it was the film that kicked off what was one of the quintessential 70's movie genres: the "Disaster film". This type of film was so widespread in the 1970's that it even warranted its own parody film before the end of the decade, 1980's Airplane!
When I put the disc in the player and it showed that the film was Rated G, I wondered if I made a big mistake by selecting this movie. While I wouldn't say that choosing to watch this film was a "big" mistake, it is by no means a good movie. It is supposed to be a tense drama about a snowbound airport and an airplane that has bomb on it. However, it takes FOREVER to get things going. It is approximately 35 minutes into the film before they even introduce the bomber and its over an hour before the plane even gets off the ground. Instead, the film spends all that time exploring the characters and their particular personal problems (I guess when the cast includes Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy and Maureen Stapleton, you want to try to give them some sort of plot to show them off, but this film goes way too far). It took so long to get things going, ad the build up was so cheesy and melodramatic, that I actually shut the film off and went to bed, because it didn't interest me enough to want to power through to the end that late at night.
I was really hoping that the tension would increase once the plane was in the air an they discovered that there was a bomb aboard, but that was not the case. Other than a quick confrontation between the bomber and Dean Martin, the entire resolution fell pretty flat. About the only interesting thing I took away from this film was seeing exactly which scenes Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel chose to mock. I know this film was a huge success and spawned a few sequels and the other 70's disaster films. However, I am really hoping that the other disaster films I have not yet seen will prove to be more exciting than this one...
Airport
I added this movie to the list not because it is universally acclaimed as a great movie from the 70's (although it was nominated for and actually won some awards), but because it was the film that kicked off what was one of the quintessential 70's movie genres: the "Disaster film". This type of film was so widespread in the 1970's that it even warranted its own parody film before the end of the decade, 1980's Airplane!
When I put the disc in the player and it showed that the film was Rated G, I wondered if I made a big mistake by selecting this movie. While I wouldn't say that choosing to watch this film was a "big" mistake, it is by no means a good movie. It is supposed to be a tense drama about a snowbound airport and an airplane that has bomb on it. However, it takes FOREVER to get things going. It is approximately 35 minutes into the film before they even introduce the bomber and its over an hour before the plane even gets off the ground. Instead, the film spends all that time exploring the characters and their particular personal problems (I guess when the cast includes Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy and Maureen Stapleton, you want to try to give them some sort of plot to show them off, but this film goes way too far). It took so long to get things going, ad the build up was so cheesy and melodramatic, that I actually shut the film off and went to bed, because it didn't interest me enough to want to power through to the end that late at night.
I was really hoping that the tension would increase once the plane was in the air an they discovered that there was a bomb aboard, but that was not the case. Other than a quick confrontation between the bomber and Dean Martin, the entire resolution fell pretty flat. About the only interesting thing I took away from this film was seeing exactly which scenes Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel chose to mock. I know this film was a huge success and spawned a few sequels and the other 70's disaster films. However, I am really hoping that the other disaster films I have not yet seen will prove to be more exciting than this one...
Friday, November 26, 2010
1997: Music
This is the next post in my random review of my favorite CD's released in my lifetime that began with 1978.
5). The Tragically Hip - Live Between Us
In my original post, when I set up the rule I would use when choosing the CD's to write about, I said that I wouldn't disqualify live albums, and this disc is makes me glad that I didn't. The Tragically Hip (also known simply as "The Hip") is a Canadian rock band that has a huge following in their native country (they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005), but are virtually unknown in this country (except for areas that are close enough to get some Canadian crossover, like my hometown of Erie, PA). It really is a crime that they never really discovered in this country, as I think they would have been a fairly popular staple of alternative/college radio back in the 90's.
Live Between Us was released after their 5th studio album (1996's Trouble at the Henhouse) at the height of their popularity - the week this disc was released, it put 8 songs on the Canadian top 20 list. It contains live versions of my 2 favorite songs by The Hip - "Springtime In Vienna" and "Ahead By A Century". Listening to this disc always takes me back to the late 90's in Erie, when the only way to get decent music on the radio was to pick up the Canadian alternative station from Hamilton, Ontario when conditions were right over Lake Erie...
4). Belle & Sebastian - Dog On Wheels/Lazy Line Painter Jane/3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Life EPs
While none of these are full length CD's, they were all released in the same year and, had they instead been released as one disc, would probably be Belle & Sebastian's best album. Belle & Sebastian play what is known as "twee pop", probably the least masculine form of alternative music there is (although Emo is a lot more whiny, so it might take that title). Twee is a cute, soft-sounding, totally white person version of indie pop that, while not very "rock 'n' roll", nevertheless is some of the most beautiful-sounding pop music ever produced, and Belle & Sebastian are the flag bearers.
B&S had 2 albums under their belt when they released this trio of EP's in 1997, and their fame in the indie music world was still mostly ahead of them. However, these EP's contain some of my favorite songs of theirs, including my #1 favorite "Lazy Line Painter Jane".
3). Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney is one of the greatest female rock bands in music history (not just in indie rock). They managed to do something that very few female acts were able to accomplish - they were able to make serious rock music on their own terms, without resorting to turning themselves into a bunch of over-sexed versions of the male fantasy "rocker chick" stereotype. And, man, do these women ROCK. They went on hiatus in 2006, which is a shame, because the music world definitely needs more women like these.
2). The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
Its pretty amazing that Biggie is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time based off of only 2 albums. That just goes to show how incredibly talented he was. He had the perfect combination of lyrics and rapping ability and was equally adept at firing off the angriest "life in the ghetto" song or the smoothest R&B-tinged song about his skills with the ladies. It has been 13 years since his death and he is sorely missed.
Life After Death is considered one of the top hip hop albums of all time, and was certified Diamond, meaning it sold over 10 million copies. It was nominated for and won a ton of awards when it was released. Unfortunately, Biggie didn't get to enjoy any of that, as it wasn't released until after his death.
1). Radiohead - OK Computer
We move from one of the to Hip Hop records of all time to what is considered by many to be the greatest alternative album of all time (1997 was a pretty good year in music apparently). This was Radiohead's third album, and it marked their transition away from the more straight forward rock-based music of their first 2 albums and showed that they were not afraid to totally reinvent themselves to keep their music on the cutting edge of creativity. From this point forward, Radiohead positioned themselves at the top of the Alternative music world and left a sea of imitators (I'm looking at you, Coldplay) trying to keep up, and while many of them made good music, none of them were as good or as innovative as Radiohead was over their next few albums.
5). The Tragically Hip - Live Between Us
In my original post, when I set up the rule I would use when choosing the CD's to write about, I said that I wouldn't disqualify live albums, and this disc is makes me glad that I didn't. The Tragically Hip (also known simply as "The Hip") is a Canadian rock band that has a huge following in their native country (they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005), but are virtually unknown in this country (except for areas that are close enough to get some Canadian crossover, like my hometown of Erie, PA). It really is a crime that they never really discovered in this country, as I think they would have been a fairly popular staple of alternative/college radio back in the 90's.
Live Between Us was released after their 5th studio album (1996's Trouble at the Henhouse) at the height of their popularity - the week this disc was released, it put 8 songs on the Canadian top 20 list. It contains live versions of my 2 favorite songs by The Hip - "Springtime In Vienna" and "Ahead By A Century". Listening to this disc always takes me back to the late 90's in Erie, when the only way to get decent music on the radio was to pick up the Canadian alternative station from Hamilton, Ontario when conditions were right over Lake Erie...
4). Belle & Sebastian - Dog On Wheels/Lazy Line Painter Jane/3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Life EPs
While none of these are full length CD's, they were all released in the same year and, had they instead been released as one disc, would probably be Belle & Sebastian's best album. Belle & Sebastian play what is known as "twee pop", probably the least masculine form of alternative music there is (although Emo is a lot more whiny, so it might take that title). Twee is a cute, soft-sounding, totally white person version of indie pop that, while not very "rock 'n' roll", nevertheless is some of the most beautiful-sounding pop music ever produced, and Belle & Sebastian are the flag bearers.
B&S had 2 albums under their belt when they released this trio of EP's in 1997, and their fame in the indie music world was still mostly ahead of them. However, these EP's contain some of my favorite songs of theirs, including my #1 favorite "Lazy Line Painter Jane".
3). Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
Sleater-Kinney is one of the greatest female rock bands in music history (not just in indie rock). They managed to do something that very few female acts were able to accomplish - they were able to make serious rock music on their own terms, without resorting to turning themselves into a bunch of over-sexed versions of the male fantasy "rocker chick" stereotype. And, man, do these women ROCK. They went on hiatus in 2006, which is a shame, because the music world definitely needs more women like these.
2). The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
Its pretty amazing that Biggie is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time based off of only 2 albums. That just goes to show how incredibly talented he was. He had the perfect combination of lyrics and rapping ability and was equally adept at firing off the angriest "life in the ghetto" song or the smoothest R&B-tinged song about his skills with the ladies. It has been 13 years since his death and he is sorely missed.
Life After Death is considered one of the top hip hop albums of all time, and was certified Diamond, meaning it sold over 10 million copies. It was nominated for and won a ton of awards when it was released. Unfortunately, Biggie didn't get to enjoy any of that, as it wasn't released until after his death.
1). Radiohead - OK Computer
We move from one of the to Hip Hop records of all time to what is considered by many to be the greatest alternative album of all time (1997 was a pretty good year in music apparently). This was Radiohead's third album, and it marked their transition away from the more straight forward rock-based music of their first 2 albums and showed that they were not afraid to totally reinvent themselves to keep their music on the cutting edge of creativity. From this point forward, Radiohead positioned themselves at the top of the Alternative music world and left a sea of imitators (I'm looking at you, Coldplay) trying to keep up, and while many of them made good music, none of them were as good or as innovative as Radiohead was over their next few albums.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
1970: Movies Pt. 2
(Here is a link to Part 1)
MASH:
Since I was a kid of the late 70's and 80's, I had a lot of exposure to the MASH TV show, as it was in constant rotation in syndication (even as it was still showing new episodes on CBS) as I was growing up. I loved that show and it wasn't until I was much older that I was even aware that the show was based on a movie. Finally, when I was in college, I got around to watching Robert Altman's film. I was apprehensive going in that, because of my exposure to the TV show, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the movie without comparing the two. That lasted about 5 minutes. After that, I became engrossed in the film and really didn't give the TV show another thought.
Just like Catch 22 (from Part 1 of my 1970 series), Altman uses dark humor in the setting of a previous war to offer an anti-Vietnam War message. In this case, its the Korean War and a surgical hospital that has to deal with the attrocities of war every day. The way that the main characters - surgeons Hawkeye, Duke and Trapper John - dealt with these horrors was to drinl and carouse and basically do whatever they wanted - anything to make them forget they were in the Army when they were off duty. They ran the camp, and anyone who tried to stop them were either run out of there (Frank Burns) or eventually assimilated to their side (Hotlips). The results were always hilarious - Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould were at the top of their comedic game.
While Catch 22 was decent, this is the far superior film of the two.
Coming soon - Part 3!
MASH:
Since I was a kid of the late 70's and 80's, I had a lot of exposure to the MASH TV show, as it was in constant rotation in syndication (even as it was still showing new episodes on CBS) as I was growing up. I loved that show and it wasn't until I was much older that I was even aware that the show was based on a movie. Finally, when I was in college, I got around to watching Robert Altman's film. I was apprehensive going in that, because of my exposure to the TV show, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the movie without comparing the two. That lasted about 5 minutes. After that, I became engrossed in the film and really didn't give the TV show another thought.
Just like Catch 22 (from Part 1 of my 1970 series), Altman uses dark humor in the setting of a previous war to offer an anti-Vietnam War message. In this case, its the Korean War and a surgical hospital that has to deal with the attrocities of war every day. The way that the main characters - surgeons Hawkeye, Duke and Trapper John - dealt with these horrors was to drinl and carouse and basically do whatever they wanted - anything to make them forget they were in the Army when they were off duty. They ran the camp, and anyone who tried to stop them were either run out of there (Frank Burns) or eventually assimilated to their side (Hotlips). The results were always hilarious - Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould were at the top of their comedic game.
While Catch 22 was decent, this is the far superior film of the two.
Coming soon - Part 3!
Monday, November 8, 2010
1970: Movies Pt. 1
As I stated in one of my very first blog posts, despite the fact I have seen a lot of movies, and I love 70's movies in particular, there are still a lot of great films from the decade that I have not seen. I am going to try and rectify that. I going to pick one year in the decade at a time and, using various movie lists on Wikipedia (Oscar nominees, top grossing, critics' year end lists), I am going to look for the notable films that I haven't seen (and probably a few I have seen that I want to re-watch). I am going to start with 1970, but will probably pick the remaining years at random to mix things up...
Five Easy Pieces
This film brought Jack Nicholson is first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (he would be nominated 7 more times, winning twice), and he definitely turns in a fantastic performance that carries the film. Nicholson plays a California oil worker that, unbeknownst to his lower class waitress girlfriend, actually comes from an upper class family of musicians (Nicholson's character was a child prodigy on the piano). when he finds out his father is sick, he heads back to his family home after a long exile, reluctantly bringing his girlfriend with him. Nicholson finds out that things really haven't changed and he still doesn't fit in, even though he had recently come to the revelation that he didn't fit in with his current life either. That's pretty much it for the plot, but Nicholson turns in one of his bravura performances as a man capable of bubbling over with crazy rage at any moment (the slow burn in the scene with the waitress in the diner was fantastic).
Catch-22
Catch-22 is a movie with a similar intent to MASH (a movie I have already seen, but will be re-watching for this blog series) - use black comedy and an absurdist style (this is more so for Catch Than MASH) to show the horrors of war and use a previous war (WWII for Catch and Korea for MASH) as a standing for Vietnam.
Catch-22 uses a non-linear style, and that makes the film a little hard to follow. There was a point in the movie where, because of how the scenes were transpiring after the opening scene, I was sure that everything that was happening was in the main character's imagination. It turns out I was wrong, but that just demonstrates how disorienting it was to try and follow what was going on. The humor works for the most part, and the film boasts a pretty outstanding cast (Alan Arkin, Jon Voight, Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins and a bunch of other recognizable faces). However, I prefer MASH's attempt at the same subject matter (or at least I think I do - its been about 15 years since I saw MASH, so we'll see when I re-watch it).
(I couldn't find an official trailer for this film - apparently, re-cutting the trailer into your own version, and filming your own trailer are popular school assignments, as that was all I could find on YouTube...)
MASH - Coming Soon
Airport - Coming Soon
Woodstock - Coming Soon
Other notable films that I have already seen - Patton, Gimme Shelter
Notable Films I am skipping - Love Story (I know that this is another milestone movie from 1970, and that it was nominated for, and won, a bunch of awards, but it just does not interest me in the least. So, PASS.)
Five Easy Pieces
This film brought Jack Nicholson is first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (he would be nominated 7 more times, winning twice), and he definitely turns in a fantastic performance that carries the film. Nicholson plays a California oil worker that, unbeknownst to his lower class waitress girlfriend, actually comes from an upper class family of musicians (Nicholson's character was a child prodigy on the piano). when he finds out his father is sick, he heads back to his family home after a long exile, reluctantly bringing his girlfriend with him. Nicholson finds out that things really haven't changed and he still doesn't fit in, even though he had recently come to the revelation that he didn't fit in with his current life either. That's pretty much it for the plot, but Nicholson turns in one of his bravura performances as a man capable of bubbling over with crazy rage at any moment (the slow burn in the scene with the waitress in the diner was fantastic).
Catch-22
Catch-22 is a movie with a similar intent to MASH (a movie I have already seen, but will be re-watching for this blog series) - use black comedy and an absurdist style (this is more so for Catch Than MASH) to show the horrors of war and use a previous war (WWII for Catch and Korea for MASH) as a standing for Vietnam.
Catch-22 uses a non-linear style, and that makes the film a little hard to follow. There was a point in the movie where, because of how the scenes were transpiring after the opening scene, I was sure that everything that was happening was in the main character's imagination. It turns out I was wrong, but that just demonstrates how disorienting it was to try and follow what was going on. The humor works for the most part, and the film boasts a pretty outstanding cast (Alan Arkin, Jon Voight, Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins and a bunch of other recognizable faces). However, I prefer MASH's attempt at the same subject matter (or at least I think I do - its been about 15 years since I saw MASH, so we'll see when I re-watch it).
(I couldn't find an official trailer for this film - apparently, re-cutting the trailer into your own version, and filming your own trailer are popular school assignments, as that was all I could find on YouTube...)
MASH - Coming Soon
Airport - Coming Soon
Woodstock - Coming Soon
Other notable films that I have already seen - Patton, Gimme Shelter
Notable Films I am skipping - Love Story (I know that this is another milestone movie from 1970, and that it was nominated for, and won, a bunch of awards, but it just does not interest me in the least. So, PASS.)
Monday, November 1, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 14
Usually for my marathon, I try and watch a mix of things I haven't seen and some classics that I have. This year, however, since I expanded the festivities to include all of October, and I already watched a ton of movies I haven't seen, I am sticking mostly to classics this year...
Halloween (1978)
I have mentioned several times in other posts that Halloween is my favorite horror film of all time, so I always include it in my end of the month day long marathon. It needs to be watched at night, so I actually watched it as the first film this year (I decided to start my marathon the night before my scheduled day off from work) - Thursday night was our Trick 'r' Treat night, so I felt this was the perfect film for that night.
I love what John Carpenter was able to do in this film with what little he had (it was made for around $300,000), and he did it without a lot of blood. The film is scarier for how it doesn't show things and lets your imagination fill in the rest. My two favorite scenes are near the end. 1.) Right after Laurie discovers that he friends are all dead, she is standing in the hallway, and you slowly notice Michael Myers in a darkened doorway as he comes into focus. 2.) The very end, where Dr. Loomis goes to look at the body of Michael on the ground below and discovers he is gone (the look of terror on the doctor's face is awesome).
April Fools Day (1986)
I had intended to watch this earlier in the week, not during the marathon, but I never got around to it. Since I had the disc already from Netflix, I decided to watch it. However, I was only half paying attention, since I was really trying to get my last blog post done. I don't have much to say about it, other than maybe I'll try to watch it again next year.
Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987)
I decided to lump these 2 films together, since II is less a sequel and more some sort of sequel/re-make hybrid, only turned up 1000%.
Both films involve a cabin in the woods and evil spirits being unwittingly unleashed to possess people and steal their souls. The first film goes more for horror and scares, while the second throws in more gruesome comedy and over the top spectacle. Both are considered horror classics, and I can't decide which one I like more. I really like the crazy gore of the first one. The effects are cheap, but that adds to the overall enjoyment - it makes the possessed seem even more otherworldly. I also LOVE Bruce Campbell's manic performance in II as he quickly loses his mind. Both films deserve their status among the all time greats.
Poltergeist (1982)
I haven't seen this film in years, and I forgot how great it is. So many great scenes: the steak on the counter, the guy who pulls his own face apart, the corpses in the pool, the killer creepy ass clown doll, the tree. Steven Spielberg, while not the credited director, definitely had a lot of influence on the production. It is a very slick looking film that holds up well today (the version I watched was in HD and looked pretty fantastic).
The Exorcist (1973)
I have said previously that horror movies don't scare me, but I love them any way. This is the only movie that scared me when I first watched it. I was in 8th grade, I was home alone, and for some reason I decided to watch this film with the lights off. This film scared the bejeezus out of me. It took all my effort just to get up and turn the light on when it was done, and the lamp was like 5 feet away from me. the combination of the makeup effects and the gravelly voice Regan uses when fully possessed (not to mention the things that this young girl does and says under the influence of the demon) result in some of the most disturbing scenes ever in a film. Linda Blair does a fantastic job as the possessed little girl. The makeup adds a lot to the portrayal, but she still holds up her end.
The Stepfather (1987)
This film would not be that memorable if not for one thing - the portrayal by Terry O'Quinn of the main character. O'Quinn showed on Lost that he is excellent at playing disturbed individuals that had less than ideal upbringings, and that serves him very well here. The Stepfather is about a man (O'Quinn) who moves from family to family (and identity to identity), killing off the family when they no longer meet his ideal of structure and order. He is striving for the sort of straight-laced, white bread family of the TV shows of his youth (one scene shows him watching and professing his love for Mr. Ed in one scene). When his family is unable to live up to that ideal, he eliminates them and moves on to another. O'Quinn portrays both aspects of his character - the All-American family man and the off the deep end psychopath both with equal creepiness. Its a shame that it took so long after this role for him to get the recognition his acting deserves.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
I was actually able to see this film in the theater on its initial release. I was only 10, and my friend and I convinced his mom to take us, telling her that my dad would be fine with seeing that type of movie since he was the one that too my friend and me to see The Terminator, also rated R (never mind that they were 2 totally different types of films). I managed to avoid any deep psychological damage from watching this type of film at such a young age, bit instead I came away with a love for the character of Freddy Krueger. First, he was unlike almost any other killer in horror films to that point. He had a sense of humor and he wasn't just a mindless killing machine, like Jason Voorhees. he seemed to enjoy what he was doing, which made him that much creepier (Robert Englund always delivered the goods as Freddy, sometimes being the only thing worth watching in the later, lower quality sequels). Also, he had the coolest weapon ever. Every kid who say this film were in love with the finger knives, and Freddy was a very popular Halloween costume for many years.
Halloween (1978)
I have mentioned several times in other posts that Halloween is my favorite horror film of all time, so I always include it in my end of the month day long marathon. It needs to be watched at night, so I actually watched it as the first film this year (I decided to start my marathon the night before my scheduled day off from work) - Thursday night was our Trick 'r' Treat night, so I felt this was the perfect film for that night.
I love what John Carpenter was able to do in this film with what little he had (it was made for around $300,000), and he did it without a lot of blood. The film is scarier for how it doesn't show things and lets your imagination fill in the rest. My two favorite scenes are near the end. 1.) Right after Laurie discovers that he friends are all dead, she is standing in the hallway, and you slowly notice Michael Myers in a darkened doorway as he comes into focus. 2.) The very end, where Dr. Loomis goes to look at the body of Michael on the ground below and discovers he is gone (the look of terror on the doctor's face is awesome).
April Fools Day (1986)
I had intended to watch this earlier in the week, not during the marathon, but I never got around to it. Since I had the disc already from Netflix, I decided to watch it. However, I was only half paying attention, since I was really trying to get my last blog post done. I don't have much to say about it, other than maybe I'll try to watch it again next year.
Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987)
I decided to lump these 2 films together, since II is less a sequel and more some sort of sequel/re-make hybrid, only turned up 1000%.
Both films involve a cabin in the woods and evil spirits being unwittingly unleashed to possess people and steal their souls. The first film goes more for horror and scares, while the second throws in more gruesome comedy and over the top spectacle. Both are considered horror classics, and I can't decide which one I like more. I really like the crazy gore of the first one. The effects are cheap, but that adds to the overall enjoyment - it makes the possessed seem even more otherworldly. I also LOVE Bruce Campbell's manic performance in II as he quickly loses his mind. Both films deserve their status among the all time greats.
Poltergeist (1982)
I haven't seen this film in years, and I forgot how great it is. So many great scenes: the steak on the counter, the guy who pulls his own face apart, the corpses in the pool, the killer creepy ass clown doll, the tree. Steven Spielberg, while not the credited director, definitely had a lot of influence on the production. It is a very slick looking film that holds up well today (the version I watched was in HD and looked pretty fantastic).
The Exorcist (1973)
I have said previously that horror movies don't scare me, but I love them any way. This is the only movie that scared me when I first watched it. I was in 8th grade, I was home alone, and for some reason I decided to watch this film with the lights off. This film scared the bejeezus out of me. It took all my effort just to get up and turn the light on when it was done, and the lamp was like 5 feet away from me. the combination of the makeup effects and the gravelly voice Regan uses when fully possessed (not to mention the things that this young girl does and says under the influence of the demon) result in some of the most disturbing scenes ever in a film. Linda Blair does a fantastic job as the possessed little girl. The makeup adds a lot to the portrayal, but she still holds up her end.
The Stepfather (1987)
This film would not be that memorable if not for one thing - the portrayal by Terry O'Quinn of the main character. O'Quinn showed on Lost that he is excellent at playing disturbed individuals that had less than ideal upbringings, and that serves him very well here. The Stepfather is about a man (O'Quinn) who moves from family to family (and identity to identity), killing off the family when they no longer meet his ideal of structure and order. He is striving for the sort of straight-laced, white bread family of the TV shows of his youth (one scene shows him watching and professing his love for Mr. Ed in one scene). When his family is unable to live up to that ideal, he eliminates them and moves on to another. O'Quinn portrays both aspects of his character - the All-American family man and the off the deep end psychopath both with equal creepiness. Its a shame that it took so long after this role for him to get the recognition his acting deserves.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
I was actually able to see this film in the theater on its initial release. I was only 10, and my friend and I convinced his mom to take us, telling her that my dad would be fine with seeing that type of movie since he was the one that too my friend and me to see The Terminator, also rated R (never mind that they were 2 totally different types of films). I managed to avoid any deep psychological damage from watching this type of film at such a young age, bit instead I came away with a love for the character of Freddy Krueger. First, he was unlike almost any other killer in horror films to that point. He had a sense of humor and he wasn't just a mindless killing machine, like Jason Voorhees. he seemed to enjoy what he was doing, which made him that much creepier (Robert Englund always delivered the goods as Freddy, sometimes being the only thing worth watching in the later, lower quality sequels). Also, he had the coolest weapon ever. Every kid who say this film were in love with the finger knives, and Freddy was a very popular Halloween costume for many years.
Friday, October 29, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 13
Just like last week with the Friday the 13th films, AMC is showing the edited versions of the first 5 Halloween films this week. Also just like Friday the 13th, I have already seen these uncut (except for Halloween III), so I don't mind watching the edited versions. Notice that I don't start with the original Halloween, as I always save that viewing for my all day viewing marathon on (or near) Halloween itself...
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II takes up immediately after the original (which ended with Michael Myers being shot 6 times, but walking away). Michael ("The Shape") is still on the loose and killing his way through the town, looking for Laurie, the survivor of the 1st film. The sequels attempts to give a reason why Michael is after Laurie (other that she survived) - apparently she is Micheal's sister, who was adopted by another family after Michael was committed for his first murder as a child. The remaining sequels (other than III) will continue this thread that Michael is motivated by a desire to wipe out his family.
II is nowhere near as great a film as the original (I would be saying that even if Halloween wasn't my favorite horror film of all time - its pretty evident). What the original accomplished with very little blood and high suspense/tension, the sequel tries to do with a higher body count and moor blood. However, I have always enjoyed II and felt that it got a bad rap. It is better than a lot of the other slasher film immitators that the original spawned.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
This was a film that I have never seen. Because of my love for Halloween, I made it a point to see all the sequels, ending with Halloween 6 (since that one was so bad I lost interest after that). As is well known, this sequel has nothing to do with Michael Myers, so I never got around to seeing it until now.
III revolves around a company that is attempting to market their Halloween masks to kids and, in combination with a certain television program shown on the night of the 31st (a plot that is much more plausible back in the day before everyone had cable and would ever fly today), would lead to a mass sacrifice that would bring about some supernatural event (the film is not very clear on that point).
The only thing this film shares with its predecessors is a name and the fact that at 3 different times in the movies, the original Halloween appears on a TV screen. I know that the producers were attempting to start fresh and have series of movies that would come out every year, revolving around Halloween, but having nothing to do with Michael Myers. However, I think this was a terrible miscalculation. Had this movie been named anything else besides Halloween III, I think it would have had a much better chance at the time and not be nearly so reviled as it is today. Its not a great movie, but it has some good stuff going for it - the basic plot is original, and the ending is fantastic (the main character is ALMOST able to stop the catastrophe, but he can't convince the last station manager to halt the trigger program, before the film abruptly ends (very few major studio films today have the guts to end on anything less than a happy ending). Unfortunately, it bombed and the studio decide it was back to the Michael Myers well...
Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers (1988)
The title of this sequel tells you every thing you need to know about the plot to this sequel. Its been 10 years since the events of Halloween/Halloween II, and despite what happened both Dr. Loomis and Michael have survived the fire (the latter in a coma). Michael comes out of his coma on the day before Halloween when he accidentally overhears that Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis from the first 2 films) has a daughter that is alive in Haddonfield (Laurie has died and her daughter Jamie has been adopted by another family, much like with Laurie). Michael of course proceeds to go on a killing spree on his way to trying to knock off his last remaining relative.
I always remembered liking this movie when I saw it previously, and this viewing (being many years since my last) did nothing to change that. It did a good job with remaining true to what worked with II - attempting to stay true to the spirit of the original, but adding to it with a little more blood and a higher body count (and in this case more outlandish kills, like a shotgun used to impale a victim). It had a lot of the spirit of the first 2 films in the series, so, while not a great film, it was a success in my book (especially since I really liked the ending)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Where the last sequel tried to replicate the high points of the previous films and finds a little success, this one tries the same thing and fails.
Once again, they fail to kill Michael and he, one year later, tries to kill his last remaining relative. The twist they try and throw into this film is of a supernatural nature. During the entire film a mysterious man in black follows Michael around and, at the end, breaks him out of jail (the next sequel tries to flesh this out a little more, but the less said about that film the better). There is really nothing special about this film, and can definitely be skipped.
Next:
I have gotten really backed up in writing about the horror films I have seen this month. This is the most expansive horror movie fest I have undertaken to date. Before last year, I limited it to one date. Last year, I slightly expanded it (I periodically watched horror films in October before my end of month marathon). This year, I have watched nothing but horror movies for an entire month. I still thought I had enough time to write about everything I watched before the "official" marathon was here. However, since that marathon is taking place on Friday, October 29th, and I am writing this post late on Thursday, October 28th (by the time its done it is actually Friday), the only way I am going to get caught up is to blow through the remaining films as quickly as possible (no big deal, since the handful of followers this blog has are taking the month off anyway...). Away we go:
1.) The New York Ripper (1982)
An Italian version of a slasher film before slasher films took off. A nice amount of suspense and gote, but the killer's Donald Duck fake voice was a HUGE distraction.
2.) Magic (1978)
The good - Anthony Hopkins as a crazy man, losing his mind as his show business success rises; a ventriloquist dummy - which are ALWAYS creepy; a sexy Ann-Margret.
The not-so-good - not nearly enough happens in this film. It could have been much creepier.
3.) Cabin Fever (2002)
Eli Roth's (director of the Hostel films) first film as a director. A pretty good change of pace horror film (have you ever seen another horror film about a killer flesh eating virus?) that foreshadowed a lot of what Roth would do in in his later films - a must see for people that were turned off by the gore and violence in Hostel but still like horror, jut to see Roth's skill in the genre.
4.) Dolls (1987)
A completely over the top (in a good way) film about killer dolls. If you like films like Puppet Master, check it out....
5.) Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)
Terrible acting by the main character completely overshadows any chance this film has to be scary.
Coming up:
Sleep (for now) and a marathon (tomorrow)!
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II takes up immediately after the original (which ended with Michael Myers being shot 6 times, but walking away). Michael ("The Shape") is still on the loose and killing his way through the town, looking for Laurie, the survivor of the 1st film. The sequels attempts to give a reason why Michael is after Laurie (other that she survived) - apparently she is Micheal's sister, who was adopted by another family after Michael was committed for his first murder as a child. The remaining sequels (other than III) will continue this thread that Michael is motivated by a desire to wipe out his family.
II is nowhere near as great a film as the original (I would be saying that even if Halloween wasn't my favorite horror film of all time - its pretty evident). What the original accomplished with very little blood and high suspense/tension, the sequel tries to do with a higher body count and moor blood. However, I have always enjoyed II and felt that it got a bad rap. It is better than a lot of the other slasher film immitators that the original spawned.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
This was a film that I have never seen. Because of my love for Halloween, I made it a point to see all the sequels, ending with Halloween 6 (since that one was so bad I lost interest after that). As is well known, this sequel has nothing to do with Michael Myers, so I never got around to seeing it until now.
III revolves around a company that is attempting to market their Halloween masks to kids and, in combination with a certain television program shown on the night of the 31st (a plot that is much more plausible back in the day before everyone had cable and would ever fly today), would lead to a mass sacrifice that would bring about some supernatural event (the film is not very clear on that point).
The only thing this film shares with its predecessors is a name and the fact that at 3 different times in the movies, the original Halloween appears on a TV screen. I know that the producers were attempting to start fresh and have series of movies that would come out every year, revolving around Halloween, but having nothing to do with Michael Myers. However, I think this was a terrible miscalculation. Had this movie been named anything else besides Halloween III, I think it would have had a much better chance at the time and not be nearly so reviled as it is today. Its not a great movie, but it has some good stuff going for it - the basic plot is original, and the ending is fantastic (the main character is ALMOST able to stop the catastrophe, but he can't convince the last station manager to halt the trigger program, before the film abruptly ends (very few major studio films today have the guts to end on anything less than a happy ending). Unfortunately, it bombed and the studio decide it was back to the Michael Myers well...
Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers (1988)
The title of this sequel tells you every thing you need to know about the plot to this sequel. Its been 10 years since the events of Halloween/Halloween II, and despite what happened both Dr. Loomis and Michael have survived the fire (the latter in a coma). Michael comes out of his coma on the day before Halloween when he accidentally overhears that Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis from the first 2 films) has a daughter that is alive in Haddonfield (Laurie has died and her daughter Jamie has been adopted by another family, much like with Laurie). Michael of course proceeds to go on a killing spree on his way to trying to knock off his last remaining relative.
I always remembered liking this movie when I saw it previously, and this viewing (being many years since my last) did nothing to change that. It did a good job with remaining true to what worked with II - attempting to stay true to the spirit of the original, but adding to it with a little more blood and a higher body count (and in this case more outlandish kills, like a shotgun used to impale a victim). It had a lot of the spirit of the first 2 films in the series, so, while not a great film, it was a success in my book (especially since I really liked the ending)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Where the last sequel tried to replicate the high points of the previous films and finds a little success, this one tries the same thing and fails.
Once again, they fail to kill Michael and he, one year later, tries to kill his last remaining relative. The twist they try and throw into this film is of a supernatural nature. During the entire film a mysterious man in black follows Michael around and, at the end, breaks him out of jail (the next sequel tries to flesh this out a little more, but the less said about that film the better). There is really nothing special about this film, and can definitely be skipped.
Next:
I have gotten really backed up in writing about the horror films I have seen this month. This is the most expansive horror movie fest I have undertaken to date. Before last year, I limited it to one date. Last year, I slightly expanded it (I periodically watched horror films in October before my end of month marathon). This year, I have watched nothing but horror movies for an entire month. I still thought I had enough time to write about everything I watched before the "official" marathon was here. However, since that marathon is taking place on Friday, October 29th, and I am writing this post late on Thursday, October 28th (by the time its done it is actually Friday), the only way I am going to get caught up is to blow through the remaining films as quickly as possible (no big deal, since the handful of followers this blog has are taking the month off anyway...). Away we go:
1.) The New York Ripper (1982)
An Italian version of a slasher film before slasher films took off. A nice amount of suspense and gote, but the killer's Donald Duck fake voice was a HUGE distraction.
2.) Magic (1978)
The good - Anthony Hopkins as a crazy man, losing his mind as his show business success rises; a ventriloquist dummy - which are ALWAYS creepy; a sexy Ann-Margret.
The not-so-good - not nearly enough happens in this film. It could have been much creepier.
3.) Cabin Fever (2002)
Eli Roth's (director of the Hostel films) first film as a director. A pretty good change of pace horror film (have you ever seen another horror film about a killer flesh eating virus?) that foreshadowed a lot of what Roth would do in in his later films - a must see for people that were turned off by the gore and violence in Hostel but still like horror, jut to see Roth's skill in the genre.
4.) Dolls (1987)
A completely over the top (in a good way) film about killer dolls. If you like films like Puppet Master, check it out....
5.) Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)
Terrible acting by the main character completely overshadows any chance this film has to be scary.
Coming up:
Sleep (for now) and a marathon (tomorrow)!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 12
Madman (1982)
Since by the end of the Friday the 13th series, the films were pretty far away from their early 80's slasher roots, I decided to pick a film from that era to watch next. I had never heard of this film, but it was showing on IFC this month, so I decided to give it a try.
This is a pretty straight forward entry in the genre - low budget, takes place in the woods at night, silent killer performing his killings on the anniversary of some earlier tragedy/massacre (although, that may have just been part of the story one of the counselors told at the beginning to scare the kids - it may not actually have been the same date as the earlier killings). Madman takes place at a camp, and one of the counselors tells a campfire story about Madman Marz, who killed his family with an ax but escaped the noose and ran into those very woods. Of course, one of the smart ass kids does exactly what you are not supposed to do (say Marz' name above a whisper) and he appears and begins to knock off the adults one by one. Like in most slasher films, there is a final confrontation with the killer and he is seemingly killed. This wasn't a bad entry in the slasher film genre, and at a quick 88 minutes, worth a watch if you are a fan of that type of film (sure, its pretty much a ripoff of Friday the 13th, but pretty much all of the slasher films at the time were...).
Black Sunday (1960)
This is the debut of Italian director Mario Bava (director of previous entry in the fest Shock). This film really shows why he has the reputation as one of the greatest Italian horror directors.
Black Sunday is the story of a 200 year old witch (who is also some type of vampire) who is accidentally resurrected from her tomb. She proceeds to make more vampires and attempts to drain the blood of her lookalike (played by the same actress). Its up to a local priest and a traveling doctor to put a stop to her. The film is a definite call back to the Gothic horror films of the 30s. It is black & white, and looks like it could have been made at the same time as some of the Universal classics of the time. Black is very creepy and atmospheric, and adds a touch of gore that wasn't allowed back in the 30s. This film definitely showed why Mario Bava is considered one of the greatest Italian Horror directors of them all.
Near Dark (1987)
This is a late 80s vampire movie that has a good reputation (and was directed by the same person as The Hurt Locker!) that I was looking forward to, but ultimately was fairly uneven.
The plot: One night, a young guy named Caleb meets a girl who bites him (turning him into a vampire), kidnaps him, and brings him to her "family" - all vampires themselves. They are not pleased and want to kill him, but they decide to give him time to see if he can become a killer and one of them. Caleb refuses to kill, and holds out long enough for his family to rescue him. His father manages to cure him of his vampirism (more on that in a bit), and he manages to cure the woman who turned him after killing off the the rest of the vampire family.
First, the things I liked about the film: Lance Henriksen plays the lead vampire, and he is his usual awesome self - disturbing and menacing. Bill Paxton plays another of the vampire clan, and he is HIS usual awesome self - high-strung and spastic. I like that they attempt a different vibe for a vampire film - it really shies away from a lot of the supernatural elements (other than them being vampires). There are no crosses or holy water. No changing into bats or being able to hypnotize anyone. The sun is really the only thing they fear. Finally, there is a pretty great scene in a bar, where the clan is giving Caleb one last chance to become a killer. The tension really mounts as each member of the family tries to show him how its done.
Now, the things I didn't like: Caleb is cured of his vampirism by a simple blood transfusion from his father. That seems like a giant cop out to allow the film to have a happy ending. I could see it if maybe they gave some sort of explanation, like it worked because he never actually fed on a victim (just on Mae, the vampire who turned him), or it worked because it was from a family member. However, they used the same technique on Mae at the end to turn her back. Another negative is that there was no attempt to have a realistic passage of time at night. It seemed that, just to suit the plot, whenever they needed to ratchet up the tension, it was almost dawn, whether it made sense for it to be or not (this town must have the shortest nights on record - in one scene it was almost dawn after they left a bar that was still open for business, and at the end, it was almost dawn when it really hadn't been all that long since Caleb and his family finished dinner). Lastly, there were way too many stretches with not enough happening.
I might have to give this one another viewing in the future to see if the positives outweigh the negatives the 2nd time....
Since by the end of the Friday the 13th series, the films were pretty far away from their early 80's slasher roots, I decided to pick a film from that era to watch next. I had never heard of this film, but it was showing on IFC this month, so I decided to give it a try.
This is a pretty straight forward entry in the genre - low budget, takes place in the woods at night, silent killer performing his killings on the anniversary of some earlier tragedy/massacre (although, that may have just been part of the story one of the counselors told at the beginning to scare the kids - it may not actually have been the same date as the earlier killings). Madman takes place at a camp, and one of the counselors tells a campfire story about Madman Marz, who killed his family with an ax but escaped the noose and ran into those very woods. Of course, one of the smart ass kids does exactly what you are not supposed to do (say Marz' name above a whisper) and he appears and begins to knock off the adults one by one. Like in most slasher films, there is a final confrontation with the killer and he is seemingly killed. This wasn't a bad entry in the slasher film genre, and at a quick 88 minutes, worth a watch if you are a fan of that type of film (sure, its pretty much a ripoff of Friday the 13th, but pretty much all of the slasher films at the time were...).
Black Sunday (1960)
This is the debut of Italian director Mario Bava (director of previous entry in the fest Shock). This film really shows why he has the reputation as one of the greatest Italian horror directors.
Black Sunday is the story of a 200 year old witch (who is also some type of vampire) who is accidentally resurrected from her tomb. She proceeds to make more vampires and attempts to drain the blood of her lookalike (played by the same actress). Its up to a local priest and a traveling doctor to put a stop to her. The film is a definite call back to the Gothic horror films of the 30s. It is black & white, and looks like it could have been made at the same time as some of the Universal classics of the time. Black is very creepy and atmospheric, and adds a touch of gore that wasn't allowed back in the 30s. This film definitely showed why Mario Bava is considered one of the greatest Italian Horror directors of them all.
Near Dark (1987)
This is a late 80s vampire movie that has a good reputation (and was directed by the same person as The Hurt Locker!) that I was looking forward to, but ultimately was fairly uneven.
The plot: One night, a young guy named Caleb meets a girl who bites him (turning him into a vampire), kidnaps him, and brings him to her "family" - all vampires themselves. They are not pleased and want to kill him, but they decide to give him time to see if he can become a killer and one of them. Caleb refuses to kill, and holds out long enough for his family to rescue him. His father manages to cure him of his vampirism (more on that in a bit), and he manages to cure the woman who turned him after killing off the the rest of the vampire family.
First, the things I liked about the film: Lance Henriksen plays the lead vampire, and he is his usual awesome self - disturbing and menacing. Bill Paxton plays another of the vampire clan, and he is HIS usual awesome self - high-strung and spastic. I like that they attempt a different vibe for a vampire film - it really shies away from a lot of the supernatural elements (other than them being vampires). There are no crosses or holy water. No changing into bats or being able to hypnotize anyone. The sun is really the only thing they fear. Finally, there is a pretty great scene in a bar, where the clan is giving Caleb one last chance to become a killer. The tension really mounts as each member of the family tries to show him how its done.
Now, the things I didn't like: Caleb is cured of his vampirism by a simple blood transfusion from his father. That seems like a giant cop out to allow the film to have a happy ending. I could see it if maybe they gave some sort of explanation, like it worked because he never actually fed on a victim (just on Mae, the vampire who turned him), or it worked because it was from a family member. However, they used the same technique on Mae at the end to turn her back. Another negative is that there was no attempt to have a realistic passage of time at night. It seemed that, just to suit the plot, whenever they needed to ratchet up the tension, it was almost dawn, whether it made sense for it to be or not (this town must have the shortest nights on record - in one scene it was almost dawn after they left a bar that was still open for business, and at the end, it was almost dawn when it really hadn't been all that long since Caleb and his family finished dinner). Lastly, there were way too many stretches with not enough happening.
I might have to give this one another viewing in the future to see if the positives outweigh the negatives the 2nd time....
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 11
Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
At least this one gets credit for trying to mix up the formula a little bit. Sure, its still basically Jason stalking and killing a bunch of teens, but this time, its on a BOAT! Then, its in MANHATTAN!
In order to have the plot be a little bit different, though, it requires a massive amount of improbability. A group of high school kids are taking a boat trip to NYC that is apparently school sanctioned since there are 2 teachers on board (what the hell high school is this? Why didn't they just take a bus?). So, instead of stalking kids through the woods, Jason does his work throughout the ship. This allows him to expand on his pattern of continually more outlandish methods of killing that has been established in the last few films (one victim is dispatched with a sauna rock). Eventually, Jason causes a fire on the ship, causing the survivors to abandon it and head for Manhattan (with Jason in hot pursuit). Eventually, the last 2 people alive are stuck in the sewer with Jason, where he is taken down by the most implausible ending to a Friday the 13th film yet (even more implausible than the ending to Part VII, where the psychic girl uses her powers to resurrect her dead father from the bottom of Crystal Lake to drag Jason down to the bottom) - a flood of toxic waste hits Jason, devolving him back to what he looked like as a kid when he initially drowned (????) before he dies.
This is by no means a good movie, but at least they had a little fun with what had become a very tired premise by the time.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
This installment also tries to change up the stale Friday the 13th formula, but in a completely different way than the previous film. Final Friday decided to completely embrace the supernatural side of Jason (which had always been there below the surface, seeing as how he is an un-killable zombie that originally rose from a lake) and run with it full speed ahead.
After a fairly inventive opening (in which an already resurrected Jason is caught in an FBI sting and blown up), only Jason's spirit is revived instead of his body and he begins to inhabit other people in order to continue his killing spree, jumping from body to body. It turns out that Jason will always return from seeming death unless he is killed by someone from his own bloodline. It just so happens that some of his relatives are still around, and eventually one of them doers manage to kill him once in for all, as he is dragged down to hell (and his mask is grabbed by the hand of Freddy Krueger to boot!).
This film scores a few points for originality, but the franchise was definitely in need of ending at this point. However, it took 2 more sequels - one of which tried to mix things up by sending Jason into space(!) (Jason X) and one that paired him up finally with Freddy (Freddy vs. Jason) before it was finally put to rest, only to be resurrected (much like Jason himself) in a reboot (2009's Friday the 13th).
At least this one gets credit for trying to mix up the formula a little bit. Sure, its still basically Jason stalking and killing a bunch of teens, but this time, its on a BOAT! Then, its in MANHATTAN!
In order to have the plot be a little bit different, though, it requires a massive amount of improbability. A group of high school kids are taking a boat trip to NYC that is apparently school sanctioned since there are 2 teachers on board (what the hell high school is this? Why didn't they just take a bus?). So, instead of stalking kids through the woods, Jason does his work throughout the ship. This allows him to expand on his pattern of continually more outlandish methods of killing that has been established in the last few films (one victim is dispatched with a sauna rock). Eventually, Jason causes a fire on the ship, causing the survivors to abandon it and head for Manhattan (with Jason in hot pursuit). Eventually, the last 2 people alive are stuck in the sewer with Jason, where he is taken down by the most implausible ending to a Friday the 13th film yet (even more implausible than the ending to Part VII, where the psychic girl uses her powers to resurrect her dead father from the bottom of Crystal Lake to drag Jason down to the bottom) - a flood of toxic waste hits Jason, devolving him back to what he looked like as a kid when he initially drowned (????) before he dies.
This is by no means a good movie, but at least they had a little fun with what had become a very tired premise by the time.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
This installment also tries to change up the stale Friday the 13th formula, but in a completely different way than the previous film. Final Friday decided to completely embrace the supernatural side of Jason (which had always been there below the surface, seeing as how he is an un-killable zombie that originally rose from a lake) and run with it full speed ahead.
After a fairly inventive opening (in which an already resurrected Jason is caught in an FBI sting and blown up), only Jason's spirit is revived instead of his body and he begins to inhabit other people in order to continue his killing spree, jumping from body to body. It turns out that Jason will always return from seeming death unless he is killed by someone from his own bloodline. It just so happens that some of his relatives are still around, and eventually one of them doers manage to kill him once in for all, as he is dragged down to hell (and his mask is grabbed by the hand of Freddy Krueger to boot!).
This film scores a few points for originality, but the franchise was definitely in need of ending at this point. However, it took 2 more sequels - one of which tried to mix things up by sending Jason into space(!) (Jason X) and one that paired him up finally with Freddy (Freddy vs. Jason) before it was finally put to rest, only to be resurrected (much like Jason himself) in a reboot (2009's Friday the 13th).
Sunday, October 24, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 10
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968)
(I decided to take a break from the happenings at Crystal Lake to watch the last of the Hammer Dracula films that I'll be watching this month...)
My dog accidentally erased the post I had for this movie (don't ask, he's a lummox), and I don't feel like retyping it. This is the 3rd sequel to Horror of Dracula, and I liked it just as well as the others I have watched (other than Dracula AD 1972), for the same reasons (Lee as Dracula, the settings, etc.). There are still other Hammer Dracula films I need to see, but the month is winding down and I am getting Dracula'ed out, so this will be the last one (I can save the rest until the 2011 Horror Fest).
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
This is the installment of the series where it crosses over from old school, early 80's slasher film to campy horror. In addition to the acting being over the top (a given for this type of film), the characters are now over the top as well (especially the white trash family that lives next door to the halfway house). Also, they do away with the slow build of tension that the earlier films employed. The focus is now on trying to cram as many killings in as they can, and to make them as gruesome and outlandish as possible.
At least New Beginning attempted to shake things up a little, plot-wise. Here, we move away from a summer camp setting to a halfway house for mentally disturbed teens. Tommy, the kid who finally was able to put Jason out of his misery at the end of the last film, is 5 years older and is sent to the halfway house as he has been warped by what he was forced to do to take care of Jason. Of course, killings start again, leading people to think Jason has been brought back to life (he hasn't). This film (as you can tell by the title) was an attempt to take things in a different direction, and eventually have Tommy take over for Jason as the killer. People didn't care for that, so it it wasn't long before Jason was back for good...
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
In fact it was only 1 year later. Jason is ressurrected right at the beginning, and he is front and center the whole film. The makers of this movie knew what the people wanted - no more lurking behind trees and using POV camera shots to show when the killer is around. Its all Jason, all the time.
There really isn't much to say about the film, other than it is my least favorite of the series. There is nothing to distinguish it from the other Friday the 13th films (at least New Beginning had a different killer, and Part VII has a girl with psychic powers - more on that below). Its pretty bland.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
New Blood takes place 10 years after Jason Lives. There has to be these huge jumps in time between the films to explain why ANYONE would want to spend any time at all in the same area where, by this point, 5 different brutal slayings have occured (New Beginning was the only one that took place away from Crystal Lake or, as it was renamed in Jason Lives in an effort by the townspeople to move on from the killings, Forest Green). Unlike the last installment, this film at least tries to add a new twist to the (by now stale) standard plot of getting a bunch of teens together to allow jason to wreck havoc - the main character Tina has psychic powers. Its her powers that inadvertantly ressurect Jason from his watery grave, and also play a part in Jason's final demise. The rest of the film is what you'd expect, but at least some attempt was made to change things up a little.
(I decided to take a break from the happenings at Crystal Lake to watch the last of the Hammer Dracula films that I'll be watching this month...)
My dog accidentally erased the post I had for this movie (don't ask, he's a lummox), and I don't feel like retyping it. This is the 3rd sequel to Horror of Dracula, and I liked it just as well as the others I have watched (other than Dracula AD 1972), for the same reasons (Lee as Dracula, the settings, etc.). There are still other Hammer Dracula films I need to see, but the month is winding down and I am getting Dracula'ed out, so this will be the last one (I can save the rest until the 2011 Horror Fest).
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
This is the installment of the series where it crosses over from old school, early 80's slasher film to campy horror. In addition to the acting being over the top (a given for this type of film), the characters are now over the top as well (especially the white trash family that lives next door to the halfway house). Also, they do away with the slow build of tension that the earlier films employed. The focus is now on trying to cram as many killings in as they can, and to make them as gruesome and outlandish as possible.
At least New Beginning attempted to shake things up a little, plot-wise. Here, we move away from a summer camp setting to a halfway house for mentally disturbed teens. Tommy, the kid who finally was able to put Jason out of his misery at the end of the last film, is 5 years older and is sent to the halfway house as he has been warped by what he was forced to do to take care of Jason. Of course, killings start again, leading people to think Jason has been brought back to life (he hasn't). This film (as you can tell by the title) was an attempt to take things in a different direction, and eventually have Tommy take over for Jason as the killer. People didn't care for that, so it it wasn't long before Jason was back for good...
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
In fact it was only 1 year later. Jason is ressurrected right at the beginning, and he is front and center the whole film. The makers of this movie knew what the people wanted - no more lurking behind trees and using POV camera shots to show when the killer is around. Its all Jason, all the time.
There really isn't much to say about the film, other than it is my least favorite of the series. There is nothing to distinguish it from the other Friday the 13th films (at least New Beginning had a different killer, and Part VII has a girl with psychic powers - more on that below). Its pretty bland.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
New Blood takes place 10 years after Jason Lives. There has to be these huge jumps in time between the films to explain why ANYONE would want to spend any time at all in the same area where, by this point, 5 different brutal slayings have occured (New Beginning was the only one that took place away from Crystal Lake or, as it was renamed in Jason Lives in an effort by the townspeople to move on from the killings, Forest Green). Unlike the last installment, this film at least tries to add a new twist to the (by now stale) standard plot of getting a bunch of teens together to allow jason to wreck havoc - the main character Tina has psychic powers. Its her powers that inadvertantly ressurect Jason from his watery grave, and also play a part in Jason's final demise. The rest of the film is what you'd expect, but at least some attempt was made to change things up a little.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 9
AMC is showing all the Friday the 13th movies this week, and since I haven't seen them in years, I am going to watch them all and the next few posts will be about these films (with the occasional other movie popping up).
(I know that I will be watching the edited versions on TV, but I have seen all of these un-cut often enough that I don't mind)
Friday the 13th (1980)
This film, along with Halloween, is the one that started the early 80s slasher boom. I think it stands right at the top of the all-time slasher film list (keeping in mind that Halloween is on its own list, which is above this list).
You can see almost all of the features we commonly find in slasher films on display here (although some of them had their start in Halloween and are just being copied here). Unknown killer not revealed until near the end of the film. Splitting up the large group into smaller couples (and then into individuals) and then picking them off. Couples that have sex are killed (including a feathery-haired Kevin Bacon!). The killings take place on the anniversary of a former tragedy or other milestone.
The story is pretty well known - teens are working on getting Camp Crystal Lake ready for the summer and a crazed killer decides to do away with them as revenge (in her mind) for counselors allowing her son, Jason, to drown at the camp 22 years earlier. It also happens to be Jason's birthday, so that is bad luck for the teens.
The movie manages to do a good job of building up the tension as each character is picked off 1 by 1 by not showing too much - some of the kills even happen off screen - and leaving a lot up to your imagination (the edited version I watched didn't even have to remove too much. Topping off the movie is the weirdly creepy portrayal of Mrs. Voorhees, the killer. She is only in the movie at the very end, but man is that lady freaky. Friday the 13th also has one of the most iconic soundtracks in horror - almost everyone recognizes its signature "ki ki ki, ma ma ma".
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
While this sequel is not as well regarded as the original, i think I like it almost as much. Its certainly my favorite of the films where Jason Voorhees is the killer, probably because in this one (despite the fact that he had been living in a lake for 22 years) he comes off as just a normal person, rather than the supernatural unkillable zombie he becomes in every film after this.
Part 2 takes place 5 years after the original (other than the opening scene, in which Jason tracks down the only survivor of the first film to take care of some unfinished business), which is long enough for everyone to forget the original killings and make their way out to Crystal Lake again. The plot is pretty similar to the first one - a bunch of teens are together in the woods (this time for counselor training), they all get separated and then get picked off one by one. Even the ending is similar - the survivors think they are out of danger before one last unexpected scare. Since this is a sequel, things are turned up a notch - more nudity, more blood (although not to much, as once again not a lot had to be edited out of the AMC version as far as the killings are concerned), more inventive kills. Its not quite as good as the original, but still pretty decent.
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
And here is where things start to go downhill, quality-wise...
First of all, this movie was released in 3D, and they tack on so many superfluous shots just to have more 3D scenes that it makes a lot of the film very cheesy. Some examples of the crappy 3D - someone tosses a wallet across a store; as one of the characters lays on the round, another plays with a yo-yo right over her head; someone makes popcorn on the stove. UGH. Another mark against this movie are too many scenes similar to the first Friday the 13th (there is one kill similar to the way Kevin Bacon's character was killed in, and the survivor winds up in a canoe on the lake for one last scare at the end). I am sure they are suppose to be homages, but they just come off as inferior imitations.
This is the first Friday film that has the version of Jason Voorhees with which most people are familiar - big, hulking, relentless, hockey mask-wearing unstoppable killer (seriously, Jason is like twice as big as he was in Part 2). Also, the style of kills employed by Jason are more outlandish than in either of the first 2 films (ex. Jason uses a spear gun on one victim, and crushes the head of another with his bare hands) that will continue through the rest of the series.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
I always enjoyed this sequel better than Part 3, mostly because of the ending (there is no point in talking about what comes before the ending, since its the same as what happened in the first 3 movies). Even though the ending is a takeoff of the ending to Part 2 (someone puts on a disguise to confuse Jason - in Part 2 it was as his mother, and here its as Jason himself - Jason isn't very bright), I thought it was very effective, mostly due to the performance of Corey Feldman (I know, surprising, right?). Corey's character shaves his head to appear more like Jason as a child, which looks creepy enough on its own. Then, Corey viciously attacks Jason with a machete when it is apparent that Jason is not yet dead. The look on Feldman's face as he performs the attack was always very disturbing.
(I know that I will be watching the edited versions on TV, but I have seen all of these un-cut often enough that I don't mind)
Friday the 13th (1980)
This film, along with Halloween, is the one that started the early 80s slasher boom. I think it stands right at the top of the all-time slasher film list (keeping in mind that Halloween is on its own list, which is above this list).
You can see almost all of the features we commonly find in slasher films on display here (although some of them had their start in Halloween and are just being copied here). Unknown killer not revealed until near the end of the film. Splitting up the large group into smaller couples (and then into individuals) and then picking them off. Couples that have sex are killed (including a feathery-haired Kevin Bacon!). The killings take place on the anniversary of a former tragedy or other milestone.
The story is pretty well known - teens are working on getting Camp Crystal Lake ready for the summer and a crazed killer decides to do away with them as revenge (in her mind) for counselors allowing her son, Jason, to drown at the camp 22 years earlier. It also happens to be Jason's birthday, so that is bad luck for the teens.
The movie manages to do a good job of building up the tension as each character is picked off 1 by 1 by not showing too much - some of the kills even happen off screen - and leaving a lot up to your imagination (the edited version I watched didn't even have to remove too much. Topping off the movie is the weirdly creepy portrayal of Mrs. Voorhees, the killer. She is only in the movie at the very end, but man is that lady freaky. Friday the 13th also has one of the most iconic soundtracks in horror - almost everyone recognizes its signature "ki ki ki, ma ma ma".
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
While this sequel is not as well regarded as the original, i think I like it almost as much. Its certainly my favorite of the films where Jason Voorhees is the killer, probably because in this one (despite the fact that he had been living in a lake for 22 years) he comes off as just a normal person, rather than the supernatural unkillable zombie he becomes in every film after this.
Part 2 takes place 5 years after the original (other than the opening scene, in which Jason tracks down the only survivor of the first film to take care of some unfinished business), which is long enough for everyone to forget the original killings and make their way out to Crystal Lake again. The plot is pretty similar to the first one - a bunch of teens are together in the woods (this time for counselor training), they all get separated and then get picked off one by one. Even the ending is similar - the survivors think they are out of danger before one last unexpected scare. Since this is a sequel, things are turned up a notch - more nudity, more blood (although not to much, as once again not a lot had to be edited out of the AMC version as far as the killings are concerned), more inventive kills. Its not quite as good as the original, but still pretty decent.
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
And here is where things start to go downhill, quality-wise...
First of all, this movie was released in 3D, and they tack on so many superfluous shots just to have more 3D scenes that it makes a lot of the film very cheesy. Some examples of the crappy 3D - someone tosses a wallet across a store; as one of the characters lays on the round, another plays with a yo-yo right over her head; someone makes popcorn on the stove. UGH. Another mark against this movie are too many scenes similar to the first Friday the 13th (there is one kill similar to the way Kevin Bacon's character was killed in, and the survivor winds up in a canoe on the lake for one last scare at the end). I am sure they are suppose to be homages, but they just come off as inferior imitations.
This is the first Friday film that has the version of Jason Voorhees with which most people are familiar - big, hulking, relentless, hockey mask-wearing unstoppable killer (seriously, Jason is like twice as big as he was in Part 2). Also, the style of kills employed by Jason are more outlandish than in either of the first 2 films (ex. Jason uses a spear gun on one victim, and crushes the head of another with his bare hands) that will continue through the rest of the series.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
I always enjoyed this sequel better than Part 3, mostly because of the ending (there is no point in talking about what comes before the ending, since its the same as what happened in the first 3 movies). Even though the ending is a takeoff of the ending to Part 2 (someone puts on a disguise to confuse Jason - in Part 2 it was as his mother, and here its as Jason himself - Jason isn't very bright), I thought it was very effective, mostly due to the performance of Corey Feldman (I know, surprising, right?). Corey's character shaves his head to appear more like Jason as a child, which looks creepy enough on its own. Then, Corey viciously attacks Jason with a machete when it is apparent that Jason is not yet dead. The look on Feldman's face as he performs the attack was always very disturbing.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 8
The Mummy (1959)
This version of The Mummy is from Hammer Studios' trifecta of films (along with 1958's Horror of Dracula and 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein) re-introducing the classic Universal horror icons to a new generation. Unlike with Horror of Dracula, which was a very good film, yet not as good as the original (mostly due to Lugosi's portrayal of the Count), I enjoyed Hammer's version more than the original (the verdict is still out on the Frankenstein battle, since I have not seen Hammer's entry).
This version of the story (which has more in common with Universal's Mummy sequels The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb than with the plot of the original) finds the Mummy being summoned by a modern day Egyptian man to take vengeance on a bunch of British archeologists for disturbing the tomb of a princess. The Mummy was cursed with eternal living death as punishment for his love for the princess and he was entombed along with her. The Egyptian and the Mummy follow the archeologists back to England and start their murderous spree.
While the 1932 version had the great Boris Karloff as the title character, he really only appears as an actual mummy for a few minutes in the film (the rest of the time he tries to pass himself off as a normal person). In the 1959 version, an unrecognizable Christopher Lee is the Mummy throughout the whole film (other than a flashback to ancient Egyptian times to give his back story) and he is fantastic. The Mummy is very menacing and Lee portrays him in the relentless, shambling manner that was copied for every mummy in movies and TV for decades.
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
This film is the first of three sequels (although they were unrelated, story-wise) from Hammer Studios to their original Mummy film. The basic plot is pretty much identical identical to the first film - a tomb is disturbed by foreigners, and a mummy is summoned to pick of the tomb's violators one by one once they return to England. The sequel suffers from a vastly inferior Mummy, as this actor can't hold a candle to Lee's portrayal. However, while this is a lessor movie, if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one.
(I also started watching the next film in the series, The Mummy's Shroud, the same night - as TCM was having a marathon, but the plot seemed to be the same once again, so, since it was late and I was Mummy-ed out, I turned it off and went to bed)
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)
The Mephisto Waltz is a classic 70s horror film that has been on my "need to see" list for a long time (considering how many movies I watch, that list never seems to get any smaller...).
In the film, Alan Alda is a music journalist who becomes friends with a world renowned piano player named Duncan Ely, and his daughter. His wife doesn't like all the attention they (especially the daughter) are lavishing on her husband, but she relents when she finds out Duncan is dying. After he passes on, Alda inherits a sum of money from Ely and undergoes a complete attitude transformation. This is because Ely and his daughter are Satanists, and they have switched Ely's soul into Alda's body at the moment of Ely's death.
Until this film, my exposure to Alan Alda was related to mostly comedy roles - M*A*S*H* (which I watched a lot in re-runs as a kid), which did allow him the occasional dramatic turn, and guest appearances in other comedies like 30 Rock. I wasn't sure how he would do in this type of movie. He really nailed it. His transformation from the laid-back journalist to the egotistical, sinister pianist is quite well done.
This is another very good version of the type of atmospheric movies that came out of the 60s and 70s. A lot of the action takes place at Duncan Ely's old mansion, which is creepy on its own, but is especially creepy during the New Year's Eve masquerade party (the scene where they put the human mask on the family dog is one of the most disturbing sights I have seen in a long while) and during the occult ritual. Also, the use of a fuzzy, fish eye view for dreams and visions adds a nice surreal quality to those scenes and makes you as disoriented as the character experiencing them in the film.
This version of The Mummy is from Hammer Studios' trifecta of films (along with 1958's Horror of Dracula and 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein) re-introducing the classic Universal horror icons to a new generation. Unlike with Horror of Dracula, which was a very good film, yet not as good as the original (mostly due to Lugosi's portrayal of the Count), I enjoyed Hammer's version more than the original (the verdict is still out on the Frankenstein battle, since I have not seen Hammer's entry).
This version of the story (which has more in common with Universal's Mummy sequels The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb than with the plot of the original) finds the Mummy being summoned by a modern day Egyptian man to take vengeance on a bunch of British archeologists for disturbing the tomb of a princess. The Mummy was cursed with eternal living death as punishment for his love for the princess and he was entombed along with her. The Egyptian and the Mummy follow the archeologists back to England and start their murderous spree.
While the 1932 version had the great Boris Karloff as the title character, he really only appears as an actual mummy for a few minutes in the film (the rest of the time he tries to pass himself off as a normal person). In the 1959 version, an unrecognizable Christopher Lee is the Mummy throughout the whole film (other than a flashback to ancient Egyptian times to give his back story) and he is fantastic. The Mummy is very menacing and Lee portrays him in the relentless, shambling manner that was copied for every mummy in movies and TV for decades.
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
This film is the first of three sequels (although they were unrelated, story-wise) from Hammer Studios to their original Mummy film. The basic plot is pretty much identical identical to the first film - a tomb is disturbed by foreigners, and a mummy is summoned to pick of the tomb's violators one by one once they return to England. The sequel suffers from a vastly inferior Mummy, as this actor can't hold a candle to Lee's portrayal. However, while this is a lessor movie, if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one.
(I also started watching the next film in the series, The Mummy's Shroud, the same night - as TCM was having a marathon, but the plot seemed to be the same once again, so, since it was late and I was Mummy-ed out, I turned it off and went to bed)
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)
The Mephisto Waltz is a classic 70s horror film that has been on my "need to see" list for a long time (considering how many movies I watch, that list never seems to get any smaller...).
In the film, Alan Alda is a music journalist who becomes friends with a world renowned piano player named Duncan Ely, and his daughter. His wife doesn't like all the attention they (especially the daughter) are lavishing on her husband, but she relents when she finds out Duncan is dying. After he passes on, Alda inherits a sum of money from Ely and undergoes a complete attitude transformation. This is because Ely and his daughter are Satanists, and they have switched Ely's soul into Alda's body at the moment of Ely's death.
Until this film, my exposure to Alan Alda was related to mostly comedy roles - M*A*S*H* (which I watched a lot in re-runs as a kid), which did allow him the occasional dramatic turn, and guest appearances in other comedies like 30 Rock. I wasn't sure how he would do in this type of movie. He really nailed it. His transformation from the laid-back journalist to the egotistical, sinister pianist is quite well done.
This is another very good version of the type of atmospheric movies that came out of the 60s and 70s. A lot of the action takes place at Duncan Ely's old mansion, which is creepy on its own, but is especially creepy during the New Year's Eve masquerade party (the scene where they put the human mask on the family dog is one of the most disturbing sights I have seen in a long while) and during the occult ritual. Also, the use of a fuzzy, fish eye view for dreams and visions adds a nice surreal quality to those scenes and makes you as disoriented as the character experiencing them in the film.
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