Top 25 Favorite Songs of 2011

This was an incredible hard list to put together.  I had already decided on my top album list for the year before I attempted this list, and that was so much easier on which to decide.  I guess that means that I loved a lot more individual songs this year than I loved albums that I heard.  I had originally only wanted to pick 20 for the list, but after agonizing just to get it down to 25, I couldn't find 5 more songs that I could eliminate.  So, I decided to just say screw it and stick with 25.  Also, other than the top 3, I am not actually ranking the songs - I had a hard enough time just coming up with these songs, let alone ranking them.  Away we go!

1.) Jay-Z and Kanye West - "That's My Bitch"
  The best song from one of the best hip hop albums I have heard in along time (granted I don't listen to a lot of new hip hop, but still) - even better than Kanye's record from last year.  I could have probably put 2/3 of the songs from Watch The Throne on this list if I wanted to.

2.) TV on the Radio - "Repetition"
  TV on the Radio continues to be one of the most unique sounding bands out there.  This song is rocking and funky all at the same time.

3.) PJ Harvey - "The Words That Maketh Murder"
  This CD came out in the early part of 2011 and it remained one of my favorites all year.  This is another disc that could have the majority of its songs on this list.

Here are the rest (in alphabetical order) with occasional thoughts:

Beastie Boys -"Long Burn The Fire"
  While "Make Some Noise" was the song from Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 that got the Beasties the most notice this year (and rightfully so for its epic, 30 minute video), this is the best song from that CD.  It has a great grinding kind of beat and it's amazing that these guys are still doing it like this in 2011.

Beirut - "Vagabond"

Bon Iver - "Towers"
  Yes, "Holocene" from this record earned Bon Iver a Grammy nomination.  And that is a very good song, but I just like this one better.  "Holocene" almost made this list as well, but it was a last minute cut (and will be on my "Honorable Mention" list.


British Sea Power - "Living Is So Easy"

Death Cab For Cutie - "Doors Unlocked & Open"


The Decemberists - "Dear Avery", "January Hymn", "Rox in the Box"
  I said earlier that I could have put multiple selection on this list from Jay-Z & Kanye and PJ Harvey, but I was able to limit myself to 1 song each since the 2 I selected were far and away the top songs on those discs.  That was not the case with The King Is Dead by The Decemberists.  When I got down to these 3 songs, I couldn't see eliminating any of them, so I just kept all 3.  Hell of a comeback year for The Decemberists after how crappy The Crane Wife was.

Destroyer - "Chinatown"

Feist - "Anti-Pioneer"

The Fruit Bats - "You're Too Weird"

Kurt Vile - "Jesus Fever"

Loney, Dear - "What Have I Become?"

Low - "Especially Me"

My Morning Jacket - "Holdin' On To Black Metal"

The Mountain Goats - "Age of Kings", "Beautiful Gas Mask"
  This was another case where I couldn't see picking one song over the other, so I didn't.  Maybe I need to be more decisive next year, but if I did that this year, this post would be coming out in January...

The Raveonettes - "Forget That You're Young"

Vivian Girls - "I Heard You Say"

Wilco - "I Might"

Wye Oak - "Holy Holy"

Yuck- "Get Away"

Since I can post an actual playlist from Spotify to go along with this blog, I decided not to say something about each song in an effort to get this damn post finished.  If you are curious about any of these songs, they'll be on the playlist that I am posting on Facebook.

Coming Soon: I will post an "Honerable Mention" playlist of the songs that just didn't quite make the cut.  Then, more year end blogs, including the top albums of the 2nd half of 2011 and the overall album list.

Thursday Night TV Roundup 12/1/11

After a few weeks off, the return of the Thursday night TV reviews!

Community
Community has really been on a roll the last half of the season, which means it is really hitting it's stride just as it will be going off the air for an indefinite amount of time (expect next week's TV Roundup to be almost entirely about Community).  Since it was announced that it was going on hiatus 2 weeks ago, the show's ratings have been slowly going up, which I hope is a good sign for when it returns.  New (or returning) viewers were treated to a very funny episode last night, and one of the few this year to make really good use of Shirley.  Pairing her with Jeff in the foosball plot made for some hilarious situations, from their frenzied game that transformed into anime to they way they showed up the crazily over the top (ind crazily funny) German foosball fanatics.  The anime sequence showed that Community can still have their bits of pop culture lunacy in the course of a "normal" episode without devoting the whole thing to the subject.

However, I am not sure that any episode that involves Abed, dressed as Batman, using a grappling hook (a Christmas present from Troy, of course) to repel out the window to confront the landlord.  This plot, while silly, was worth it alone just for the return of Abed's "Christian Bale" voice, and the debut of Annie's (which was excellent).  I can't believe there is only one more episode left...
Grade -> A-

Parks & Rec
This was such a fantastic episode, full of so many great little bits, that I didn't even miss that Adam Scott was only in it a little bit (I really like his character a lot on this show, but, honestly I love all of them).  I love the episodes where the whole staff rally together to help Leslie out for whatever reason.  It usually allows to them to do something good, while at the same time being their usual insane selves, and most of the insanity revolved around their testimony at the trial.  Ron was hilarious in his attempts to not have his cabin's location entered into the record.  April of course acted just like Janet Snakehole as she accused the stenographer (Ethel Beavers from the 4th floor!) of being guilty.  And, of course, poor Jerry, who it turns out is really named Gary. 

We finally got closure on the storyline that has been going on since last season - Leslie and Ben can now be together without getting in trouble.  I am looking forward as to what new job opportunities they will come up with for Ben - my vote is for shoeshine partner with Andy...
Grade -> A


The Office
SIGH.  I have resigned myself now to the fact that the best I can hope for in an episode of The Office are a few scenes to make me laugh amidst a mediocre episode.  This episode wasn't the worst, I just expected more than they gave guest star Maura Tierney as Mrs. California.  She proved on NewsRadio that she can do comedy very well, she just wasn't given much to work with.   Thinking back on last night, there were things that I enjoyed - Robert's frantic order not Andy not to hire his wife and his profane outburst when Andy spilled those beans to his wife.  Jim's rolling away exit.  Dwight thinking that Darryl wants to impress Val Kilmer (silly but made me laugh).  On a whole, though, just another bland episode.
Grade -> C

It's Always Sunny
This has been a very up and down season of Sunny.  Any season with both the Chardee MacDennis episode and the episode with Frank's brother can't be described any other way.  Last night's episode was somewhere in the middle.  It wasn't the funniest this season, but there was a lot that I did like.  I especially enjoyed the continuation of the subplot that Dennis is basically a rapist.  I also liked Frank trying to explain the gang's shenanigans to the horrified tourists.  Although, I think my favorite scene involved Mac and the motorcycle.  Anytime a character encounters a motorcycle in an action film, they automatically know how to ride it.  Not poor Mac (I also enjoyed that he continued to wear the helmet long after he had to abandon the bike). 
Grade -> B

Beavis & Butthead
There were 2 episodes last night!  And they were both were very funny.  B&B episodes really don't lend themselves well to analysis, as they are basically made up of the boys wandering around and saying funny things.   Needless, to say, I enjoyed their antics last night.  I especially enjoyed the new segment where they acted like Siskel & Ebert and analyzed The Human Centipede.  I hope that segment comes back, as it was well done. 
Grade -> B+

The Winner of the Night... Parks & Rec!

Winter Beers

Ok, after a nice little break to get over my blog fatigue brought on by my Halloween horror movie insanity, I decided to come back and write about something I don't think I have written about yet: BEER!  Winter beers to be exact.  Much like the Christmas holiday season, winter beers seem to show up on the scene earlier every year.  However, unlike the seething rage I experience whenever I first see the Christmas decorations at Target in the next aisle over from the Halloween decorations, the appearance of the first winter beers in October this year brought me joy.  Here are a couple of my favorite winter beers.  This is by no means an all-inclusive list - they are just the beers that I have already had this year that came to mind when I decided to write this post.

Columbus Winter Warmer
Lets start things of with a local brew from the Columbus brewing company.  This beer is an English style winter warmer with caramel malts, ginger and cinnamon. The best winter warmers do exactly that - on a cold night the spices help warm you up from the inside out, and this is a pretty good warmer.  The best part is that it is usually only $8.99 a six pack, and you can find it in most stores. 

Goose Island Mild Winter/ Christmas Ale
Goose Island is one of the few breweries that does more than one winter beer each year.  The Mild Winter is, unsurprisingly, an American mild ale.  It's in the lighter side of medium bodied, which helps mellow out the rye spices a little bit.  Mild Winter is a good starter winter ale for people who are not quite sure they can handle the spices that are in most winter beers. 

The Goose Island Christmas Ale follows a tradition used by many brewers with their holiday beers - they change the recipe up every year.  Goose Island always brews a brown ale, but they use different hops and spices each year.  With the 2011 version, you get hints of molasses, brown sugar and gingerbread, but not too overpowering.  I found this year's offering to be pretty tasty.

Bell's Winter White/Christmas Ale
Like Goose Island, Bell's Brewery has 2 winter offerings.  However, unlike Goose Island, whose 2 beers are similar in style, Bell's brews two radically different beer styles.  The Winter White is a Belgian style white ale, very light in color and lower in alcohol (5%).  While they do not use any actual spices, it still has a nice clove flavor that reminds you it is a winter beer.  Incredibly flavorful.

Bell's Christmas Ale also does not have any spices.  They instead opt for a toffee-like flavor and a toasted barley hint that add up to a delicious combination.  Bell's is one of my favorite breweries and I really like the direction they went with their 2 seasonal offerings to set them apart from most other winter beers.

Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale
Anchor is another brewery that changes the formula of their Christmas Ale (also called "Our Special Ale") every year.  However, unlike most breweries that have been playing with their formulas for just a few years, Anchor is on their thirty-seventh different version!  I discovered their Christmas Ale in 2009 I learned that many people cellar this beer to compare the different vintages.  I made sure to set some aside each year since, so this Christmas, I will be able to compare the 2009 and 2010 to the excellent 2011.  This year's version tastes of dark fruit (cherries and raisin I think) and there is also some nice piney flavors from the hops.  Absolutely delicious.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Finally, for this part of the country, we have the Holy Grail of winter beers.  As in, good luck finding much of it.   The demand for it is so high that there is little chance you will find any of this in the stores (although some places will have it on tap longer) much past the beginning of December (unless you are like me and you buy and extra sixer of it as soon as you see it and sit on it until Christmas). Great Lakes' beer is the same formula every year - its a winter warmer style brewed with honey, cinnamon and ginger.  Now, I think this beer is pretty damn good, but the hype for it has gotten out of control: some stores are limiting you to 1 six pack at a time.  Luckily, like I said, I have a sixer in the cellar for Christmas day.

Thursday Night TV Roundup 11/3/11

One day late but better than never...

Community
While not quite as good as the last 2 stellar episodes, this was still very funny.  I always appreciate when they give Chevy Chase the spotlight, and he doesn't disappoint.  His condemning, then embracing, then condemning of the gay popularity of his family's Hawthorne wipes was hilarious.  Probably my favorite Pierce line of the night came when he was asked by the organizers of the Greendale "Gay Bash" what kind of cookies he wanted (chocolate chip or peanut butter) and he responded, "Rainbow, bitches!"

I also really liked the subplot with Troy and John Goodman's air conditioner repair school dean.  I had a feeling that Goodman was going to reappear once Sweeps month started.  The air conditioning initiation ceremony was as ridiculous as you would expect from Greendale.  I hope that Troy and the Vice Dean's cat and mouse game continues the rest of the season.

Overall, my two favorite moments were both Troy and Abed related: when they did impersonations of each other and the credits scene where they were attacking Jeff as Inspector Spacetime characters (I love that they continue to be obsessed with that show).
Grade -> B+

Parks & Rec
I love episodes of Community that showcase how insane most of the town is.  Throw in an off the hook final Tom and Jean Ralphio party and you have a very funny episode.  I will miss Entertainment 720, but I am sure they will find other ways to allow Tom to showcase his ridiculous party sensibility. 

Since the crazy Reasonableist cult (followers of Zorp, who was coming back to melt their faces off) was proclaiming doomsday, the Parks characters spent a lot of time contemplating the end of the world even if they knew the cult was wrong (they make a habit of this every few months).  The best was Andy, who decided to do everything on his bucket list in one night.  The 2 highlights: his chance to be an action hero in his own home (with the expected appearance of Burt Macklin, FBI and Janet Snakehole, and the unexpected appearance of Jerry!) and, upon arriving at the Grand Canyon, Andy remarks "Where all all the faces?  You know, the presidents?"  Classic Andy...
Grade -> B+

The Office
There were things about The Office that I liked, and things that I didn't.  I guess at this point that is about all I can hope for at this point.  The things I liked: once again, pretty much everything involving Robert California, the staff's struggle not too make any mistakes (and the way that Erin marked off each mistake with an "X" on her desk, Jim's futile attempts to play squash.  The things I didn't like: the whole idea of Dwight's "doomsday" device (why would Andy ever agree to that?  why would Dwight want everyone to get fired, including himself? - he loves working at Dunder-Mifflin), how ridiculously stupid they made Kevin seem once again (really? he thinks paper is made by the man trees and their penises?  SIGH).
Grade -> C+

It's Always Sunny
The return of Dr. Mantis Toboggan!  Even if it was only for a second or two, that was a nice call back to the "D.E.N.N.I.S System".  I didn't enjoy this episode as much as last weeks, but I think "Chardee MacDennis" may have been one of the all time classics, so that's no knock against this episode.  Frank's inability to grasp that the Gang wanted to make a viral video and not a virus video was really funny, as was Dennis and Charlie's half of the quest to find the shusher.  Mac and Dee's half of the quest wasn't as funny, but it still had its moments (Mac's attempts to find out the right "Ex-Girlfriend" porn site and the revelation that Dee has sent her hair to  man online who turned out to be a woman were both highlights).
Grade -> B+

Beavis & Butthead
I enjoyed the season premiere more than this episode, as I thought it was more consistently funny.  This was still a good episode though.  I particularly enjoyed B&B's takedowns of "16 and Pregnant" and whatever that other show was involving the "psychic".  I continue to be surprised how MTV allows this show to so savagely mock its other programming.  Maybe the network executives actually have a sense of humor (unlike at the E! Network, where Joel McHale is expressly forbidden to make fun of Kim Kardashian's sex tape on The Soup, although maybe that will change now...).
Grade -> B

New feature - The Winner of the Night (I will pick which show was my overall favorite):

Based on how much I had to say about it compared to the rest, the winner is... Community!

2011 Horrorfest - The Finale

In order to get this wrapped up today, I am just going to list out the remaining movies about which I had not written in order to get to the finale:
Claw of Terror (1973), Madhouse (1974), Don't Torture a Duckling (1972), Unhinged (1982), Dementia 13 (1963), Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971), Mark of the Devil (1970).

As usual, I stuck to classic films for the finale:


The Wolf Man (1941)
I have seen this film a few times - I thought it would be good to start off the day with a classic black and white monster film.  The one thing I can never figure out - why did Lon Chaney, Jr.'s character always change his clothes into the same outfit before he became the werewolf?



Creepshow (1982)
It has been a long time since I have seen this.  The mix of horror and humor still holds up pretty well after all these years, in 3 out of the 5 segments at least.  "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verril" and "They're Creeping Up On You!" both still aren't very good, but I liked the other segments.  The particular highlight is Leslie Nielsen's portrayal as the psychopath in "Something To Tide You Over".



Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
This is the most disturbing film I have ever seen.  I expected that going in, as this is one of the most notorious horror films of all time (the director was arrested after its release, as it was thought this was an actual snuff film).  However, it wasn't any of the human violence depicted that disturbed me so much (I have become pretty desensitized to that in movies).  It was the fact that they actually kill several animals in the film (the giant turtle was the worst) that bothered me so much.  This was a film that I felt I had to see as a film buff, but I will never watch it again.



Suspiria (1977)
After about 40 minutes, the disc wouldn't play anymore (it was scratched all to hell).  Thankfully I have already seen this great film.  I should probably look into get my own copy.  To fill the whole in  my schedule, I decided to watch 3 episodes of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror: season 2, 3 and 5.  All classics (I needed to make up for how bad this season's episode was).



Alien (1979)
I have of course seen this film many times, but for this viewing I chose the 2003 Director's Cut, which  hadn't watched since I bought the blu ray earlier in the year (by the way,  the blu ray for this and Aliens looks FANTASTIC!).  The main difference with the Director's Cut is the inclusion of a new scene where Ripley stumbles upon two of the characters cocooned by the alien on her way to the escape shuttle (which was something that we originally didn't learn they do until the sequel).  One of the all time great horror films.




Night of the Living Dead (1968)
After watching 2 of Romero's later zombie films, Survival of the Dead and Land of the Dead, I decided it was time to rewatch the original.  I started this one right after Trick r Treating was done.  It was a good choice.



Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The almost silly way Freddy was portrayed in the later Nightmare movies (he even did a rap song with The Fat Boys, for god's sakes) has obscured for a lot of people just how great and creepy he was in his original appearance.  Freddy was truly scary.



Halloween (1978)
The best of them all...





And... we're done.  That was a lot of horror films over the last month.  Time for a break...

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 11

Land of the Dead (2005)
This was so much better than Survival of the Dead. The story was much better, there was much more zombie action, and the use of CGI didn't stand out as badly as it did in Survival.  Plus it had Dennis Hopper!  I still have one more Romero zombie film to check out - the middle film of his second trilogy, Diary of the Dead - and I hope it leans more towards this one than Survival. 



Dead Men Walk (1943)
It wasn't until I was halfway through this movie that I realized I had already seen it. Oh well.  It is a nice little twist on a vampire story - an evil man is murdered by his twin brother, but, because of his involvement in the occult, he finds a way to be resurrected as a vampire-type creature to get his revenge.  The effects at the end when the twins are fighting are kind of bad, but the rest of the film was decent, if not anything outstanding.



Blood and Lace (1971)
Until the very end of this movie, there was nothing about good that even comes close to recommending it, other than the fact that it stars Uncle Leo from Seinfeld!  ("Jerry!  Hello!"). This was supposed to be a slasher-type flick, but honestly not a whole lot was going on.   HOWEVER, the last 5 minutes are so batshit crazy insane that I was laughing out loud at the utter ridiculousness of it.  Totally made the whole movie for me.



Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus (2009)
This is the ultimate bad movie for a "Bad Movie Night".  The acting by the cast, including the "Electric Youth" herself, Deborah Gibson, is terrible.  The sets are cheap.  The special effects are laughable.  Yet, I still enjoyed it.  It contains one of the most ludicrous scenes I have ever seen - the mega shark jumps out of the water and attacks an airliner.  It is fantastically bad.

(Instead of a trailer, I am posting that scene, as it is awesome...)


Hands of the Ripper (1971)
This is a Hammer film, one of the few that I have seen that didn't involve vampires, mummies, Frankenstein or werewolves.  I enjoyed this film a lot.   Its about Jack the Ripper's daughter who is possessed by his spirit after his death.  Whenever someone tries to kiss her, his possession of her is triggered and she kills.  The film was pretty gory for the seventies, and had a nicely tense climax.

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 10 (including the Thursday night shows from 10/27)

Since it is October 28 already, and I way behind on writing up these films (with plenty more films still to watch), I need to pick up the pace.  So, I am probably going to have to limit myself to a quick blurb on each of these films...


Thursday Night Shows
Three of the shows last night did Halloween episodes, so it is alright to save even more time by including my thoughts on them in this post.
Community - Another episode that told 7 different variations of the same type of story (just like last episode).  While not was funny as the multiple timeline craziness, it was pretty damn funny.  Grade: B+

Parks & Rec - I really enjoyed both storylines in this episode.  Tom's efforts to hijack Leslie's meeting were hilarious (I loved that he had his face plastered everywhere).  I will be sad to see "Entertainment 720" goingt away, as Tom and Jean Ralphio's extravagance were always a great source of comedy (like Tom's hot tub Hummer limo this week).  Andy and April's Halloween party was a blast as well.  Grade: B+

The Office - This episode was made by Robert California.  The way he creepily hovered around the whole party, then turned everyone's fears into a cohesive Halloween story was enjoyable.  I also liked Gabe's crazy video that they showed in order to make the party more adult.  Grade: B

Its Always Sunny - Not a Halloween episode unfortunately, but it would have been hard to top last season's (when the gang tried to figure out the father of Sweet Dee's baby).  What we did get last night, though, was HILARIOUS!  The "Chardee MacDennis " game was as ridiculous (and alcohol-fueled) as you would expect from the Gang.  Whenever the Paddy's crew is in a situation where they are in direct competition (as happens quite often because they are terrible people), the results are usually great, and this episode was no exception.  Grade: A-

Beavis & Butthead - OH MY GOD ITS FINALLY BACK!!!!!  After all the teasing, Beavis & Butthead are finally back on the air.  Since I had seen an extended trailer a few months ago and laughed my ass off at it, I was pretty sure that the new episodes would be able to stand up to the original run, but there was still a small part of me that was nervous.  Thankfully, I can say that I was worried for no reason.  The first episode was very funny.  Grade: B+

Ringu (1998)
I had seen the American remake when it was released, but had never seen the original until now.  Its been so long since I saw the remake, so I don't really remember a lot about it other than the fact that I liked it, making it hard to compare the two.  I really enjoyed the Japanese version.  It built the tension nicely all the way up until the incredibly creepy climax. 



The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)
This is a Spanish horror film that had a lot of things that I liked about it, but they didn't add up to a great film, merely a good one.  Its the story of a new bride, taken to her husband's ancestral home to live, where she falls under the sway of a female vampire (ultimately revealed to be an ancestor of the husband).  The setting is fantastic - I am not sure where exactly it was shot but the house and the surrounding area give a really nice atmosphere.  Its the plot, though, where the movie ultimately comes up short (the scene where they find the vampire buried in the sand and everything after that are particularly stupid).

(I couldn't find a trailer showing any of the actual film that I could use, but this trailer is FANTASTIC)



Who Saw Her Die? (1972)
This an Italian film revolving around a subject that even most horror films shy away from - child killing.  After 2 similar looking children are killed, the parents of the second victim begin their own investigation.  Unfortunately, each new suspect they turn up is then eliminated by the real killer.  This was a pretty good film - anyone who is a fan of 70's Italian horror should check it out.

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 9

Splinter (2008)
Splinter was a nice variation on the zombie film.  Instead of a virus, or radiation, or just some unknown cause, the driving force in this film is a living mold or fungus that kills people off by feeding on their blood after infection and reanimates their corpses to search for more blood.  This film has a small cast, and the action is confined to one location for the most part, so that allows the tension to build in a way that overcomes its lower budget.  What money they did have, they wisely spent on the creature effects, which I thought were pretty well done.  All in all, I really enjoyed this inventive twist on a movie type that is getting pretty played out these days.



Horror of Dracula (1958)
I had already seen this film before (and I am making an effort to stay away from Hammer Films this year because I watched so many of them last year), but my brother had never seen it, so I watched it again.  A classic - the best Christopher Lee Dracula performance. I will probably have to add this to the regular yearly rotation.



House on Haunted Hill (1959)
I had never seen this film before, but I had seen the terrible remake in the theater in 1999.  God, that movie stinks.

This is a good old-fashioned cheesy haunted haunted house movie.  The plot has been copied and parodied to death since this film was released - a disparate group of strangers are all invited to spend the night in a haunted house in order to earn a large sum of money.  Of course, at various points the characters are separated and subjected to various scares.  It goes without saying that the ghosts and spooks are all pretty fake looking, but that just adds to the fun of the film.  House is one of William Castle's famous films that had a gimmick in the theater - at a crucial scene near the end, a skeleton on a wire would fly around.  This film made so much money from its cheap thrills that Alfred Hitchcock was inspired to make his own low budget scarefest - Psycho. 



976-Evil (1989)
This film was only made 22 years ago, but how many young people that would watch this today would have no idea what a "976" number is?  SIGH - I am old.

I only somewhat remember this film from back in the late 80s, and what I do remember revolves around the fact that it stars the hyper kid from the original Fright Night (it is a shame that I had to make that qualifier, but that is a rant that I am tired of giving).  It turns out that it was directed by Freddy Krueger, himself, Robert England! And, not surprisingly, other than a few episodes of "Freddy's Nightmares" the following year, he didn't direct another film for 20 years.  This is not a very good movie - it has pretty low budget effects and the acting is awful.  However, add that with how campy it is, and you have a pretty good formula for a good "bad" movie.  It at least has an interesting plot - the phone number in the title is a "horror-scope" line that will eventually possess you as it makes your fortunes come true. I'd rather watch a movie with an original idea that at least appears to be trying than a boring film any day.

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 8

May (2002)
Other than the main character having a weird fixation with a doll, the first 3/4 of this film don't quite seem like a horror film.  You might think its just the story of a very awkward woman who is having trouble forming and keeping relationships with the people around her because of how weird she is.  THEN, that last 15-20 minutes of the movie kick in, and you realize that the entire film was just a slow build to the craziness at the end.  Taken as a whole, I thought this was a very well done film (one scene near the very end actually creeped me out, which doesn't happen very often in horror films, as I am usually impervious to that type of stuff). Angela Bettis gives a fantastic performance as the main character - she is so strange and unnerving. 



The Walking Dead
Last week was the season 2 premiere of the AMC show.  Most of the critics I read were high on the beginning and end of the 1st season, and not so happy with the middle episodes.  I, on the other hand, was pretty happy with the entire season.  I am not going to say much about the premiere, as I will probably write a post on the season as a whole at the end (much like I still plan on doing with Breaking Bad at some point).  However, since it is a zombie show, I felt I should include it.  The first episode was very well done, with the opening sequence being incredibly tense.  A good start to a show that had a lot of turmoil behind the scenes between the seasons.

Castle of the Walking Dead (1967)
After watching the premiere of The Walking Dead, I was looking for one more horror movie to watch before bed, and I thought that the title of this one was fitting.  I should have been a little more discerning in my choice.  It stars the fantastic Christopher Lee, so I thought I was in for a treat.  However, this film was fairly boring.  Lee plays a vampire type character who returns decades after being drawn and quartered (which I will admit was a way of killing villains you don't normally see in a horror film) to get his revenge.  In fact, I thought the entire opening sequence was pretty cool.  Too bad it was such a snoozer from there on out.
(The trailer is in German, and was the only one I could find...)



Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
I have stated many times that the original Halloween is not only my favorite horror film, it is also one of my favorite movies of all time.  I have seen sequels 4, 5, and 6 many times - not because they are good movies, but because it seems AMC shows them nonstop every year during their Fear Fest (and prior to that, USA Network used to show them all the time I think).  Somehow, though, I had never seen either of the later sequels that finally brought back Jamie Lee Curtis.  This is the 1st of those 2 sequels, and I thought it was a much better film than any of the previous sequels other than Halloween II.  The plot completely ignores the non-Curtis films (probably a good idea as, by the time they got to 6, the story was completely bogged down with elements of devil worship and cults and evil spirits that a clean slate was needed).

We pick things up 20 years after the events of the first 2 films.  Michael Myers hasn't been seen in all that time, but he eventually tracks his sister down in her new life (with a new identity) and the killings begin anew.  The film is a taut, exciting thrill ride (it only clocks in at 86 minutes, so there is not a lot of filler), packed with lots of little nods to the original (bits of dialog, repeated scenarios, etc.).  Its also helped along by having a few actors in early supporting roles that are really good at what they do - like Michelle Williams and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (unfortunately, Josh Hartnett in his first role is as wooden as ever).  This film even features an ending that would have been a great capper to the Halloween films and should have ended things on a high note.



Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Unfortunately, they didn't end things with H2O.  UGH.  This film is terrible.  First, they knock-off Jamie Lee Curtis in the first 10 minutes of the film in order to shift focus to a whole new set of characters. As for the new characters: Busta Rhymes - YAY! Katie Sackhoff (from Battlestar Galactica) - SUPER YAY! That boring guy in American Pie who was Tara Reid's boyfriend - meh. Tyra Banks - BOOOOOOO!  The plot revolves around an Internet reality show based in the Myers house on Halloween night, which of course attracts Michael Myers, but who cares.  This film is not good and the less said about it the better.

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 7

Session 9 (2001)
I am not sure where I came across this movie, whether I read about it on Ain't It Cool or if I just stumbled upon it on Netflix.  At any rate, I am glad I did - I really enjoyed this film.  It is a nice psychological horror film about 5 men (including David Caruso just prior to taking on his starring role in CSI: Miami) working on removing the asbestos from an incredibly creepy old insane asylum.  The place begins to affect the workers in different ways leading to a very bloody and creepy finale.  The setting goes along way towards building the atmosphere of the film.  My advice is - no matter how good the money, maybe its not a good idea to work in an old asylum.



Subspecies (1991)
This is an incredibly bland vampire film that has nothing to recommend it other than that it was shot on location on Romania.  The sets are incredibly cool looking and give the film an authentic look and adds some creepiness to the film that might otherwise be lacking.  Unfortunately, the plot is pedestrian, the acting is not very good, and i found the voice of the main vampire, Radu, to be incredibly annoying.  There is nothing to really recommend this film. 



It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
This is just a good old fashioned 50's rubber suit monster movie.  Its a pretty basic story - a mission to space accidentally picks up an alien creature that proceeds to pick off the crew 1 by 1 as all attempts to kill the creature prove futile.  Wikipedia says that this film was a big influence on Ridley Scott's Alien.  While you have to take any thing you read on Wikipedia with a grain of salt, I can definitely see a lot of similarities, right down to the way they actually dispatch with the alien at the end.  While definitely no where near being in Alien's class when it comes to terror, its still an enjoyable movie for fans of those old, slightly cheesy, creature films. 



Demonic Toys (1992)
This film is pretty much a ripoff of Puppet Master - it was even made by the same producer, so there isn't a whole lot to say about it.  The main difference is that in this film, the possessed toys are accidentally brought to life, rather than being controlled by someone else.  It's pretty bad.  It was enjoyable to watch in "OMG, this is SUCH a bad movie" fun kind of way, but it wasn't scary or suspenseful at all.  A good choice to check out if you are ever having a Bad Movie Night. 



The Uninvited (1944)
The Uninvited is a good old-fashioned tale of a ghost that won't leave the earthly plane that I liked, but didn't necessarily love.   I think I would have liked it a lot more if they didn't play up the romance part between Ray Milland and Gail Russell so much, as it wasn't very believable (there was WAY too much of an age difference between them).  Milland and his sister purchase a house possessed by spirits that have a terrible effect on Russell (the granddaughter of the man who previously owned the house).  The film does a nice job setting up a creepy atmosphere at the haunted beach house and there is a real sense of dread whenever Russell is being menaced. 

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 6

Time for another theme post.  This time I decided to go with all zombie films.  I picked a selection from many different eras to show the different ways zombies have been depicted  through the years.

White Zombie (1935)
This was the first full length zombie film.   The zombies in this film are created the way most zombies were in films before Night of the Living Dead - voodoo.  Bela Lugosi actually plays a roll other than a vampire this time.  Instead, he plays an evil plantation owner who is also the zombie master.  However, other than his mustache, he pretty much looks and acts like Dracula throughout.  He spends the entire film staring menacingly (especially on the scenes where they focus on his eyes to show he us controlling the zombies), but since he is so good at it, I enjoyed it.  The rest of the acting in the film was pretty bad, but the film is nice and creepy looking (its very atmospheric, and the use of sets from other Universal horror films give it a nice gothic look).



Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961)
Here the zombies are the result of medical experiments involving a South American poison.  However, the zombies don't do much of anything in this movie as most of the plot revolves around the doctor in the title trying to keep his experiments from being discovered.   Its actually kind of boring, and not scary or gross or suspenseful at all.  Definitely one that can be avoided. 




Sugar Hill (1974)
This is one of the few zombies released after Night of the Living Dead that still relied on voodoo for the zombies.  Fortunately, this film also has something that very few zombie films (or other horror films for that matter) have - BLAXPLOITATION!  That's right - this film is pretty much zombies + Shaft, which means a lot of use of "honky" and all the bad guys are racist. The main character, Sugar Hill, uses zombies raised by Baron Samedi himself to avenge the death of her boyfriend, which was ordered by the standard blaxploitation type white gangster/ ruthless businessman.  Its ridiculously over the top, and I enjoyed every crazy second of it. 



The Video Dead (1987)
This a low budget, direct to video stinker from the 80's.  Its trying for more of a horror-comedy vibe, but doesn't really pull it off.  Comedy bits really just come off as cheesy, and not really in an enjoyable way, either.  The zombies in this film are of the Romero type - slow, shambling, crawled out of their grave, mindless creatures.  The twist in this one is that they are unleashed from a haunted TV (yes, really).  Once unleashed, they go on their killing spree, but it is combined to an area around the houses of the main characters (most likely due to budget), so that takes some of the scare out of the zombie threat (one of the main things that is so terrifying about zombies is that they spread and are almost impossible to contain).  Extra points to this film for the novel idea on how the zombies are unleashed, but that's about it.



Survival of the Dead (2009)
This the third of George Romero's newer slate of zombie films.  I had yet to see any of them, but I had read very mixed reviews of them, and especially no good ones for this film.  The reviews were on.  This film isn't very good.  Like the other Romero films, there really is no explanation for the zombie outbreak - it just happens and the film deals with the fallout.  This time around, the action settles around an island of the coast of Delaware where the inhabitants have closed themselves off and have decided to try and rehabilitate the zombies by trying to teach them to not eat humans.  Its about as exciting as it sounds.  There isn't nearly enough zombie action in this film.  Also, there is way too much CGI used for the blood effects.  A big disappointment.  I also currently have Land of the Dead, Romero's 1st zombie film (as director) after his original trilogy.  Hopefully it is better than this one. 

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 5

As I mentioned in a previous post, I may decide to group some movies together with a common theme.  This group contains all "classic" horror films:

Freaks (1932)
If you boil this film down to the basic elements of its plot, it doesn't really sound like a horror film at all - a woman is attempting to marry a man that she doesn't love just to get his inheritance and his friends are the only ones that can see her plan.  It sounds more like a crime thriller or film noir.  However, if you make the setting a circus, the woman a trapeze artist, the man a dwarf, and most of their friends real life circus side show performers, the creepiness factor goes through the roof.

I know its not very nice to say this, because these were real people, but GOOD LORD were the sideshow people unnerving to look at.  Just having them as characters in the film sets up an uncomfortable atmosphere while you are watching the movie that really pays off in the climax.  After Hans (the dwarf) goes through with the marriage to Cleopatra (the trapeze artist), he eventually comes to realize that she is planning to kill him for his money.  Eventually, there is a confrontation involving the 2 of them, her real boyfriend (the circus strongman) and the rest of the freaks in a rain storm that is truly full of tension that builds fantastically to the end.  It is one of the great finales in horror history, and I don't think it would have been nearly as effective if regular actors had been used.    Apparently, the film was too much for people at the time and it bombed, effectively killing off the career of director Tod Browning, who had also directed Dracula.  A shame, as both of these films are about as good as it gets in classic horror.



Mark of the Vampire (1935)
This is another film directed by Tod Browning, but I did not like it as much as I liked Freaks or Dracula.  Once again, Bela Lugosi is playing a vampire, this time named Count Mora.  Lugosi spends the majority of his screen time standing around looking silently menacing, which he excels at.  However, the plot of this film is just way too outlandish to swallow.  The entire movie is spent making you believe that Count Mora and his daughter (a vampire too) have come back to claim the daughter of a man that was killed at the beginning of the film by having hos blood mysteriously drained.  However, it turns out the whole vampire thing is an elaborate hoax put on to flush out the real killer and to get him to confess how he committed the murder.  That plan is just way too ridiculous and involves way too many people to ever have been successful (I realize that I am saying that if Count Mora and his daughter actually were vampires that it would have been MORE believable than what actually happened - horror films get a suspension of belief from me that normal films don't get).  The film had a good look to it, but in the end, the big reveal was just too much for me. 




Werewolf of London (1935)
It goes without saying that the whole time I was watching this film, I had Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" stuck in my head (I kept waiting for the werewolf to get a  big dish of beef chow mein, but it never happened).

Apparently, this was the first mainstream Hollywood werewolf film, preceding Lon Chaney's The Wolf Man by 6 years.  It has the plot template that is pretty much the basis for every werewolf film next.  The main character is attacked at night by a strange, fur covered creature, and upon the next full moon, people are mysteriously attacked before the main guy realizes that he is the cause.  Eventually, his crimes are discovered, and the werewolf is killed, but he is grateful for the release of his curse.  I enjoyed this film, but it is not nearly as good as The Wolf Man.  Most of that is due to the fact that Lon Chaney, Jr. owns as the werewolf, where Henry Hull (this film's werewolf) is only passable.  I was glad that I watched this for its historical significance, but in the future, when I want to see a classic werewolf film, its Chaney all the way.



The Thing From Another World (1951)
I have seen John Carpenter's remake many times, but I have never seen the original before now (the only bits of it I have seen at all are the clips that Carpenter has playing on the TV in the background in a few scenes in Halloween.  While I definitely prefer the remake, it is very different type of film.  The Thing has a different type of tension as you don't have any idea in which character the monster is hiding.  Also, there is a much better use of the overbearing isolation of the surroundings (having less characters helps).  In The Thing From Another World, the main sense of tension for the characters (and the viewer) is driven by the fear that they won't be able to find some way to kill the monster before he kills them.  The remake has that too, but when added to the other driving forces of tension I just mentioned, it is a far scarier film than the original. 

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 4

Basket Case (1982)
This is another cult classic from the 80s, similar to The Re-Animator, well regarded for the sheer over-the-top insanity of it.  Although, this film is decidedly much lower budget than The Re-Animator.  Its the story of a naive-looking young man who comes to the city with a giant basket with a lock on it.  The basket contains Bilal - his half-formed, deranged separated conjoined twin.  The two have arrived to have their revenge on the doctors who separated them by tracking them all down and killing them.  Bilal also gets rid of anyone who gets in their way or gets too close to his brother.  Usually in fairly gruesome ways.  The effects are really cheap (most of the shots of Bilal doing anything are just arms reaching in from offscreen.  However, this movie is fantastic if you like that kind of slightly campy, goofy low budget horror.  Its just sheer insanity for most of the film.




Pumpkinhead (1988)
I am pretty sure I had seen this movie back in the late 80s or early 90s when I was renting horror films every weekend, but I didn't remember a whole lot about it going in.  Turns out there isn't much to the plot to remember; its pretty straight forward:a grieving father unleashes a killer demon to get revenge on a bunch of teens who accidentally killed his son.  The majority of the movie consists of Pumpkinhead stalking its victims through the woods at night.  Thats not to say that I didn't enjoy it.   A film doesn't have to be more complex than that for me to like it.  I liked the effects on the Pumpkinhead creature, and the setting in the misty woods at night is nicely creepy.  Add in the fact that the father is played by Lance Henrikson, who rules in every part he plays, and the result is an enjoyable monster flick



Night of the Demons (1988)
This is the original version of the remake I watched in Pt. 1. I had definitely seen this film a few times back in the early 90s, but after watching the remake, I decided to give the original another go. 

Just like the remake, the story involves a party on Halloween that inadvertently releases a demon (or demons - this one isn't as clear as to if it is one demon or several like in the sequel) to predictable deadly results.   The acting is pretty terrible, and there is an attempt to make a few of the characters "punk" without coming close to pulling it off (movies almost always fail at this).  BUT, I enjoyed the demon effects and the the film is nicely gory, so that made up for the film's shortcomings. 

Envelope, Blueprint, Icebird & RJD2 @ Skully's 10/8/2011

My brother and I took in a fantastic locally flavored hip hop show at Skully's last night.There was a decent sized crowd and everyone was really into the show - it was a great atmosphere.

Up first was Envelope.  He is a Columbus rapper, who I have seen a few times, most recently this summer at Comfest.  I really like him for a few reasons - he has an unorthodox rapping style, which is a nice change from most rap acts; his between song banter is usually pretty amusing; and he really knows how to get the crowd involved in his show (last night, he unleashed a ton of balloons with glow sticks in them for the crowd to either toss the balloons around, or pop the balloons and wave the glow sticks around).  As usual, his set was a lot of fun - including an appearance by a dude dressed up as a cat (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of).

The second act was Blueprint.  He is another Columbus rapper, but he has more of a national presence than Envelope, as he is signed to the Rhymesayers label.  I like Blueprint, and I have a few of his CDs, but he was SO MUCH better live last night that I anticipated (I saw him and RJD2 together a few years ago, and that was a great show, but last night he was amazing).  In addition to his DJ working the beats, Blueprint also had a guy playing bass guitar.  He also occasionally pulled out the keytar(!) to mix things up.  This combination of instruments allowed them to deliver some amazing beats to go with Blueprint's stellar raps.  GREAT set.

Next up was Icebird.  They are RJD2's side project that involves him playing keyboard for a full band.  This was the only low point of the night for me. Its not that these guys were bad, it's just that they really didn't do anything for me.  Their songs are all over the place.  Some songs sound like they are trying for an old school R&B sound, others like they are a 70s prog rock act (including one sound where RJ came out from behind the keyboard to play guitar, giving them 3 guitars and a bass).  Whichever sound they were going for, none of it clicked for me.

Then came the finale - RJD2 doing his set.  His equipment set up was amazing - 4 turntables, 2 drum machines, a laptop and also a live drummer.  As you can guess from having that amount of stuff to manage, RJ doesn't sit still for 1 second - I had a hard time getting any pics of him that were not blurry as he was flying back and forth between the turntables and his record crate.  His whole set was amazing - from starting off with the Mad Men theme (that's his song), to eventually inviting Blueprint on stage to do a few of their Soul Position songs, he had the crowd into it from start to finish.  A great end to a fantastic night of music.

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 3

The Awakening (2010)
This film is so low budget and unknown, I couldn't even find it on  Wikipedia or on IMDB.  Where does Netflix find these films?  This was another one that was fairly boring.  The plot involves a group of friends driving from LA to find a rave in the middle of nowhere.  Unbeknownst to them, the rave is taking place in an area that contains the spirit of an imprisoned Aztec demon (or something like that) that has been freed and is on the rampage.  The problem is that it takes like what seems to be 3/4 of the film for the main characters to get to the rave.  By that point, the demon has killed all the party-goers (in a scene which took approximately 3 minutes - the film's low budget really showed through here) and is looking for more victims. The inevitable scenes of the characters being separated and picked off one by one offer no real excitement - there is no tension or terror or even any really good bloody scenes to make up for the lackluster plot.  The only thing that redeemed this film is that they elected not to go for the happy ending, so that was a nice change.

(Not surprisingly, I couldn't find a trailer on Youtube.  Here is the cover art from Netflix at least...)

Nightmare Alley (2010)
Here is another low budget offering from Netflix - at least I could find this film on IMDB. This film is a series of short films tied together with a "Crypt Keeper" type host.  However, I only made it to the second short.  It involved a possessed toy rat and was so stupid I turned this film off...




Puppet Master (1989)
This is another 80s cult classic.  I am not sure if I have ever seen this whole film, unedited, from start to finish before.  I know I have seen parts of it, most likely on the USA Network back in the 80s or early 90s (back then, USA used to show horror films all the time on the weekends - not just on Up All Night either, I mean during the day).

The plot revolves around a group of psychics  summoned to a hotel owned by the wife of a former friend who recently committed suicide.  While they are there, the psychics are picked off one by one by murderous living puppets (it turns out that back in the 30s, a man figured out how to give life to inanimate objects and after his death at the same hotel, the puppets remained).  The puppets are really creepy and I love the puppet-eye view shot in some scenes to show how close they are to the characters without their knowing.  I really enjoyed this one.



Poltergeist (1982)
I watched this film last year on Halloween, so I am not going to add anything to what I already said about it then.  The only reason I watched it again this year was because i had a chance to see it on the big screen and it was pretty cool.  One of the theaters by my house is showing classic films on the big screen all month, and I am going to try and hit as many of them as I can.

Thursday Night TV Roundup 10/6/11

Just some quick thoughts on last night's shows, as it is way too nice outside to sit inside blogging...

Community
The best episode so far this season.  I love episodes that have all of the study group members at each others throats, and the lab partner scenario (and Abed's ranking system) led to some great exchanges.  I also really liked Chang's psychotic detective noir b-story that existed only in his deranged mind (and at the end, the Dean's as well).

Grade - B+ -> A nice return to form for the series

Parks & Rec
Another really funny episode.  Once again we got a pairing of Tom and Ben and it did not disappoint.  Also, the collection of Leslie, Chis and Andy allowed for the return of Bert Macklin, FBI!  He's back from the dead!  Good to have him around again, because I love Andy's attempts to be super serious as he portrays his alter ego (the scene where he escorted Leslie from the hostile bookstore was good stuff).  Lastly, I would really love to be able to pull off Ron's "wrong name" move in real life sometime....

Grade - A -> Good lord I love this show.  I need to get my hands on a copy of that Pawnee book...

The Office
A MAJOR improvement over last week.  I really like the dynamic between Andy and Darryl, so that helped this week.  Also, while some of it was silly, I enjoyed a lot of the hi-jinx in the warehouse.  I didn't realize how much I missed the warehouse on the show until this week. 

Grade - B -> Let's hope next week does NOT follow this roller-coaster pattern of quality that has been established so far.

It's Always Sunny
"This may be the darkest thing we have ever done" - Dennis Reynolds.  On a show that has set that BAR pretty high, a fake baby funeral, necessitated by Dee needing to get out of a tax audit caused by her claiming said baby, which she no longer has, may be at the top.  While this episode was not as funny as the others this seas have been, it was still pretty good.  So far this season, we have had episodes with a dead hooker, pedophiles and a fake baby funeral - what a great season!

Grade - B+

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 2

Blood Creek (2009)
This is a film that I had never heard of before and I stumbled upon when looking for horror movies to put in my Netflix Instant queue.  The premise sounded interesting, and it starred Henry Cavill.  Since he is now going to be Superman, and I had never seen anything he was in, I decided to give it a shot.  For an unknown horror film, it had the look of a bigger budget picture, which surprised me.  Somehow (probably because I was doing other things while watching and only discovered it when I looked the movie up on Wikipedia just now), I missed that this flick was directed by Joel Schumacher.  That explains that.  I know that he is not as big of a name as he used to be, but I am really surprised that I never heard he directed a horror film.

As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it.  The plot was a little hard to follow (most likely due to, as I just mentioned, the film didn't have my full attention - the one part that I still didn't understand was just cleared up for me by reading the synopsis on Wikipedia, so that's probably just me), but the story idea was fairly interesting.  It involved a supernatural Nazi-vampire type creature, still "alive" in modern times, that can turn people into his zombie slaves when they die (see why I decided to watch it just from reading the quick synopsis?).  The slick direction, out-there story, and lack of any really unnecessary scenes, made for an enjoyable viewing.  Although, this type of movie really didn't give me any insight on how Cavill will be as Superman.  I guess I will just have to wait and see...



The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971)
This is another Dario Argento Italian film (with which I have had varying opinions in the past).  While he is supposed to be the master of Italian horror, this film was more of a crime thriller than a straight horror film (albeit one with a little more viloence than your average crime film), in my opinion.  So, in that respect, I was a little disappointed (I was looking for horror).  On its own, it was a decent thriller (starring Karl Malden!) involving theft and murder at a genetics lab.  But, since it turned out to not really be a horror film, I am just going to move on.



House of 1,000 Corpses (2003)
This was the last of Rob Zombie's films that I had yet to see.  They had been a mixed bag for me.  I really liked House's sequel, The Devil's Rejects.  I didn't care for his remake of Halloween - mostly because, as I have stated before, the original is one of my favorite movies (not just horror) of all time.  Had he made the same movie, but changed the character to someone other than Michael Myers, I probably would have liked it more.  I enjoyed his sequel much more than the original (other than the ending), since other than having the same characters, it really was its own movie.

I wasn't too big a fan of this movie.  You could definitely tell that this is the work of a first time director.  I see what he was trying to accomplish, but he threw WAY too many elements into the film.  He obviously was trying to do an homage to the gritty, raw horror films of the 70s, right up to the occasional grainy look to the film.  However, he even undermines himself on that aspect by throwing in cut away shots that are REALLY grainy.  All that manages to accomplish is making the non-cutaway shots look too slick.  Also, while the film starts out as a 70s-ish "clueless strangers run afoul of demented, sadistic hillbillies" movie, by the end, Zombie has included elements from zombie films, Hellraiser, and Saw/Hostel-type "torture porn" films (before those two films even existed).  By the end, its just a mess.




The Re-Animator (1985)
This is another all-time horror classic that somehow escaped my viewing prior to now. With as many movies as I have seen, I don't know how that happened.  This film is in the category of tongue-in-cheek, over the top, schlocky horror.  And it is incredibly well done.  The scenes with the re-animated headless corpse were great and had me laughing more than once (in a good way, not in a "oh my god this is so laughably bad" way).  Both scenes with the rampaging corpses (the one when they first attempt to re-animate a dead human and the climax) were nicely gory.  This film definitely deserves its cult favorite status.

2011 Horrorfest Pt. 1

AAAANNNNDDD... we're off!  Once again, it's time for my annual October horror movie extravaganza.  Just like last year, I am stretching the movie viewing out to the whole month of October.  In addition to my normal at home viewing, I will be mixing it up a little by checking out a few horror classics on the big screen - the theater close to my apartment is showing horror movies all month (the first of which should appear in Pt. 2).  I may try something a little different this year and devote an entire post to a certain type of film (all Vampire, or all Italian, etc.), but that is still up in the air.

To kick things off, we have a nice mix: monster, supernatural, 70s vampire and 80s slasher:

Cloverfield (2008)
I have already seen this film before, but my brother hadn't, and since I had not seen the Blu Ray version, I decided to give it a second viewing.  I enjoyed it as much the second time as I did the first.  I did not remember it being so short - it clocks in at around 80 minutes (which I only found out after this second viewing was intentional, as that is the estimated running time of a tape used in the type of camera that is used to film the goings on in the movie) - but I think that is actually a positive for this film.  It makes for a very lean, action-packed film.  Once the action starts, it does not let you catch your breath for more than a minute or 2 all the way to the end.  While its true that the short running time doesn't allow for much character development among the leads, you don't really need it.  You don't need to know the characters more in order to care what happens.  The 2 real leads in this film are the monster and New York City itself.  Watching each recognizable NY landmark get destroyed by the monster, either up close or off in the distance, as the hope for escape is lessened with each disaster, keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The "American Godzilla" definitely delivers the thrills and the terror.



Night of the Demons (2009)
I did not realize when I started watching this that it is a remake of a movie from the late 80's that I had actually seen before.  Like most of the horror movie remakes that have popped up repeatedly in the last decade, this one keeps a few parts from the original, and then builds its own story from there.  Both films involve a Halloween party thrown by a character named Angela that results in demons being unleashed and possessing unsuspecting party-goers.  The main difference in the 2 versions is how the demons are freed.  In the original, the kids have a seance in a supposedly haunted house, so they were pretty much asking for it in my opinion.  In the remake, an accidental bit of bleeding starts the whole thing off.

The premise itself didn't blow me away when I read it on Netflix, but the main reason I decided to check it out was that it starred Monica Keena, who played Rachel on the great but too short-lived show Undeclared.  I really hadn't seen her in anything since that show, so it was good to see her in something (and she did a good job).  What I DIDN'T see when I was reading the description was that it also starred EDWARD FURLONG (speaking of people that have disappeared since their breakout role).  And, boy does he look like shit.  I know he has had some problems with drugs and alcohol, and his face and body are showing the signs.  As for the movie itself, it was ok.  There was some decent action, but the film relied too heavily on cranking the hard rock during the big scenes to build excitement instead of building it through what was actually happening.  I thought the film was totally redeemed by a super dark ending (the type of ending that you used to see in horror films all the time, but you never see anymore because movie studios have no guts), but I was ultimately let down. 



Vampire Circus (1972)
This is a a non-Dracula  offering from England's Hammer Studios (several of whose films I watched and wrote about last year, and will surely turn up again as the month goes on). While it doesn't feature Christopher Lee's Dracula, the plot is based on the same type of story that seems to pop up a lot in the Dracula pictures - a master vampire has been killed and it is up to his followers to try and resurrect him.  Wile the Dracula films
tend to go through this plot fairly early in the film (because, let's be honest, more Christopher Lee in the film is always a good thing), this one stretches this plot out through the entire film.  The evil Count Mitterhaus (cool name, BTW) is killed by angry villagers for his latest evil deeds - seducing one of the villager's wife and killing the young kid of another (a pretty shocking event and one that even most horror films steer away from).  Many years later the town is ravaged by a plague and living in a forced quarantine.  However, one day a mysterious circus manages to get through the blockade.  And, as you can tell by the title of the film, the circus has vampires and they are there to secretly bring the Count back to life (and also punish the towns people).

I thought that this film was actually pretty well done.  If its one thing that Hammer is known for, its great looking 19th century gothic horror films, and this one is no different.  The atmospheric settings in and around the village always make it seem like something sinister is about to happen (and it usually is).   Add in the added creep factor of a circus (featuring a strong man played by Darth Vader himself, David Prowse!), and you have a nice, little-known, vampire flick. 



Maniac! (1980)
I am pretty sure that I had seen this movie many times in the video store as a kid (the cover art looked really familiar) without actually pulling the trigger on renting it for some reason.  While the film has a couple of interesting things going for it, ultimately it was only ok.

First the good stuff.  I went into this thinking it was going to be one of your standard late 70s, early 80s slasher films where little is known about the mysterious killer until the very end.  However, this film has one thing that sets it apart from almost every other film in its genre - not only are you are introduced to the killer right away, the entire film is told from his perspective so you know all about his personality and what is driving him.  And, the killer is played by someone I recognized - the guy who was both Willi Cicci in the Godfather films, he was also Rocky's loan shark boss in those films.  The other good thing about this film is that the special effects were done by the legendary Tom Savini.  So, the gore is nicely done (especially a scene involving a guy getting his head blown off that was so realistic looking and graphic, it cause Gene Siskel to walk out of the theater).

Now, the bad.  There were way too many stretches of nothing going on, which left me bored.  Had those long stretches been different, I might have had a different opinion of the film.  I believe I mentioned this last year, if there is one thing I should never be during a horror film, its bored. 



Pt.2 coming soon!

Thursday Night TV Round-up 9/30/11

Community
This was an improvement over last weeks episode.  As a big Fringe fan, I really enjoyed the nod to that show with the Blue vs. red, Earth 1 and Earth 2 Model UN debate. I really enjoyed the whole plot with Annie's arch enemy, Annie Kim.  I hope that she becomes a regular member of the cast of zanies that attend Greendale and makes future appearances.  Martin Starr (of Freaks and Geeks and Party Down), as always, did a nice job as the professor of the week, and its always good to see him show up in something.  I wasn't as big of a fan as the Britta-Chang sub-plot - there were a few humerus bits, such as Britta trying to kick over the trash can, but I felt it really didn't seem to be going anywhere - until the very end of it.  Britta spitting at Chang as he carried her out of the room (one last feeble attempt at being a rebel when she knows she is washed up) made me laugh out loud and redeemed that whole story line.

Grade - B -> better than last week, but still a touch down from as good as it was last year (I have faith it will get there).



Park & Rec
I have been looking forward to this episode ever since they dropped the bombshell in the season finale that Ron's first wife, Tammy 1, was going to be making an appearance.  It did not disappoint either.   Patricia Clarkson did a fantastic job playing Tammy 1 as a cold, controlling ice queen who doesn't let anything shake her - even the first swig of Swanson family corn whiskey could only illicit a slight facial twitch from her.  The episode also gave a little insight into the past history of Ron Swanson, not only by detailing all of the roles Tammy 1 has played in his life (candy striper at his birth, and math teacher among them), but also by having Ron's mom, Tammy 0, show up.  A quick glimpse at her home life shows exactly where Ron learned everything he knows.  I can't wait until the inevitable appearance of Ron's father.

In addition to the main plot, which was extremely funny - Ron devolving into a sissfied, moustache-free version of himself was hysterical, as was Leslie's drunken state after she stupidly tried to out drink the Tammys in order to save Ron - the 2 subplots were well done.  Our first glimpse at the offices of Entertainment 720 showed that Jean Ralphio and Tom are being as hilariously lavish in their spending as I had hoped (the whole sequence where JR tried to come up with a new name for Ben before settling on Jello Shot was fantastic, as was Ben pushing the Party Button).  The 3rd plot with Ann and Chris filming the health video was Rob Lowe at his high energy, perfectionist best.

Grade -A -> Parks continues to be the funniest show on TV.



The Office
SIGH.. As I said on Facebook at the end of this episode, I think this was the worst episode of The Office to date.  Every bit of good will that the show built up last week with a surprisingly funny premiere was used up in the first 2 minutes with an incredibly stupid Kevin opening.  I did not laugh once during that opening and there were not many more laughs to be had in the rest of the episode.  Also, what was up with the subplot involving the appearance of Daryl's ex?  They completely ignored it in the last part of the episode.  I am assuming that it will pop up again in a future episode, but it would have been nice had they acknowledged it even a little.

Grade - D -> I am not going to waste any more time on this episode.  Hopefully, last week's episode will turn out to be the norm for this season, and not an aberration.

(I am not going to even bother posting a clip...)

It's Always Sunny
I don't think there has ever been a show that can take so many creepy and uncomfortable subjects and turn them into comedy gold as well as this one does.  In this episode alone they touched on kiddie pageants, pedophilia and necrophilia and the results were fantastic.  Add in Frank being made up by his creepy-ass mortician to look like Dean Stockwell in Blue Velvet, and the creep factor was off the charts.  And it was hilarious.  Any time the Gang is involved in some caper that winds up with them singing or acting, you can't go wrong.

Grade - A -> Season 7 continues to be incredibly strong.



Archer
There is only one bad thing I have to say about this episode of Archer - its the last one until next year.  These first 3 episodes have been great and, while they make me very optimistic about the rest of season 3, I wish that it was happening right now.  Archer's brief detour to become a pirate king led to some hilarious situations and gave him new characters to interact with - David Cross' and Patrick Warburton's characters were well done and I hope they stick around. 

Grade - A

Thursday Night TV Round-up 9/2/11

Community
Community had a lot to take care of in the season premiere - figure out what to do Pierce's fractured relationship with the group, find a reason to keep Chang around, introduce a new teacher (OMAR from The Wire!), and introduce a new foil for the Dean (John Goodman is a welcome addition).  It managed to do all of these things, but it made for a very cluttered episode.  It was funny, but not as funny as Community usually is.  I am hoping that now that all of the set-up is out of the way, moving forward they can get back to the comedy heights of which the show is capable.

There were some pretty funny moments.  Everything involving Abed and Cougar Town and Cougarton Abbey was well done (I especially loved his shrieking).  Plus, its always funny when Troy tells Britta how awful she is ("You are the opposite of Batman!").  The opening shot at Glee was was nice (screw that show).  The "2001: A Space Odyssey" homage had me cracking up too.

Grade: B - not a bad start to the season, but my least favorite of the shows last night.




Parks & Rec
Parks & Rec picked up right where they left off last season, quality-wise.  There was a lot to love in this episode.  Ron's hidden emergency supplies and flight to his cabin ("I keep a large amount of ground chick in my desk) were outstanding, as was pretty much the entire interaction between him and Leslie once she found him at the cabin (Ron's "Unabomber" beard from just a few days away was pretty epic).  The escalation of the Ann/penis pictures story was well done (with a nice payoff at the end with Jerry's examination).  It was also good to see that Tom and Jean Ralphio's company is wasting massive amounts of money without actually doing anything (that bikini top with their faces on each cup was top notch).  I am really looking forward to Leslie's run for City Council (with Andy as her assistant, too!).

A+ - Fantastic start to the season and best show of the night.  Next week - TAMMY 1!



The Office
With no Michael Scott (and the writing staff's failed attempts to make the show funny without him at the end of the last season other than the episode where Dwight was boss), I was very apprehensive about this new season.  Luckily, last night's premiere was much funnier than I thought it was going to be.  James Spader was really well used (they toned down his character's creepiness from the season finale, but his arrogance was still there).  While I thought the planking stuff was pretty dumb, the way Dwight dealt with it had me in stitches. I don't know if they can keep this up all season.  The quality the last 2 seasons has been spotty, James Spader won't be there every week (I think he is only signed for like 10 or 12 episodes), and I am not sure if having Andy as the boss will eventually wear thin.  However, I am more optimistic about the show than I was at the end of last season, so that is something at least. 

Grade: B+ - Lets see if they can keep it up



It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Sunny follows up last weeks hilarious premiere with an even funnier episode.  This was a strong episode for all the characters. Dennis and Dee's story about the crazed, drugged up criminals was the least funny, and it still made me laugh quite a bit (the scene where they made fun of the Jersey girl in the ER right in front of her face was great). I also loved the call back to the fact that Charlie had never been out of Philly.  His crazed enjoyment at the crappy beach ( and his slight disbelief that he couldn't swim to Europe) was fun to watch.  The topper, though, was Mac and Frank and their adventure with the rum ham.  The way Sunny comes up with new ways for the gang to get drunk in public (see also Dennis and Dee hiding tequila in suntan lotion bottles) always amuses me.   Not very many shows can still be this consistently funny in their 7th season, yet Sunny manages to keep bringing the funny stuff.

Grade: A.  RUM HAM!
(No videos for this or Archer as FX doesn't allow their clips to be imbedded.  Assholes...)

Archer
The only bad thing I can say about Archer so far this season is that it really sucks that there are only 3 of them.  Such a tease, as this storyline about Archer and the pirates has been extremely funny.  Archer as a character is always at his best when he thinks he is in control of a situation while he really isn't.  The montage of the activities that he thought should be keeping the pirates in high spirits, but in actuality all revolved around Archer being a dick, were great.  I loved the call back to those scenes later in the episode when Archer nonchalantly picked up the net and used his lacrosse skills to send the grenades back to the pirates.  Both David Cross and Patrick Warburton have been great additions to the cast and I wish they would stick around when the season picks up again next year.  Now that Lana and Archer are in the same place, I expect the finale to be top notch as their banter in the midst of high action always delivers. 

Grade - A.  Only one episode left...