Trick 'r Treat

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Michael Dougherty

Starring: Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb

From: Warner Brothers

Here is a film that is quite appropriate for the night, given its title and how it's all set in a Halloween night in the strange little town of Warren Valley, Ohio, where little kids say that Charlie Brown is an A-hole and supernatural things are going on all over the place. Sad to say, for whatever reason (it's never been made clear) Warner Brothers treated this film like crap-possibly because they were mad at the people who created this for stupid reasons-and while you might remember it being advertised on the DVD for 300, its planned 2007 wide release never happened and after keeping it on the shelf for far too long, it was dumped on DVD in '09 with little fanfare and that's a bunch of crap, as this never deserved the treatment. It deserved to become popular and be better known amongst people who would want to watch it on this day every year for years to come.

I don't want to give too much away but there are several stories which occasionally briefly intersect with each other and they deal with such things as a mysterious masked man going after Anna Paquin-dressed as Little Red Riding Hood-a principal who isn't what he seems, little kids going to a spooky abandoned quarry, and cranky old Brian Cox dealing with something quite weird. And often you get to see a short mysterious cloth sacked/masked figure who is simply known as Sam.

Overall, this is a horror anthology that is a lot of fun. Sure, you see gore but it isn't too extreme at all. It goes dark places for sure, but there's also a decent amount of humor. It's been compared to Creepshow and that isn't the worst comparison at all. The opening credits even invite such a comparison. It's not really too scary or terrifying. It's more about reminding you of being a kid and going out to Trick 'r Treat, where you hear creepy stories and your imagination goes wild. It captures that essence quite well and if you dig the holiday you should also dig this. On first viewing you should enjoy the ride especially as not everything is as it fist appears to be.

I'll be back Friday night.

Paranormal Activity 4

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

25% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 91 reviews)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Starring: Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, Stephen Dunham, Alexondra Lee, Katie Featherston

From: Paramount

Before I get to talking about this, I saw the movie in the afternoon and it wasn't until I got back home that I heard the big news about Disney and Star Wars. I don't quite know what to think about it yet. It just came as a major shock to me, needless to say. Hopefully Episodes 7 through whatever are better than the prequels.

Now, onto PA4. The fact that I just saw it now rather than as early as I could as with the other three... not a good sign right there. Before going on, I'll provide links to the previous reviews I've done of the series.

PA

PA2

PA3

Now, onto the film. I did not pay much attention to the advertising this time around. Turns out it's a good thing. Once I got back I heard that once again, much of the footage you saw in the advertising wasn't in the actual movie. Up yours to the people responsible for having such an audience-insulting thing happen two years in a row.

You probably know the story already: this time the movie is set in 2011 in Nevada; a normal family discovers that there is a new family which lives across the street... rather, it's a young mom (who you don't see at first but you can probably guess who it is) and a little boy. As they get to know the boy better, the family (mainly a 15 year old girl and her boyfriend) get creeped out. They have a young boy of their own and the two types become pals... but I won't reveal too much more.

I've enjoyed the previous three entries in this franchise to varying degrees; overall, though, I liked all of them despite any warts they may have. This one, though, left a bad taste in my mouth. It's a shame as the girl and her boyfriend were rather likeable characters. I was never really annoyed with them, which are legit complaints about some of the people you see in the franchise. Plus, there's the creepy unsettling moments you expect from the franchise.

Yet this story is full of plotholes. For example, for no reason at all the boyfriend seemingly vanishes for a large stretch of the movie only to return. Another seemingly important character vanishes, never to return. You'd think you would want to know the whereabouts of that person at all times, but I guess not. Then, it's stressed early on that the two leads always look at the footage that gets shot (via laptop camera; hey, things are modern now; you also see a Kinect used); that stops as more serious things happen. That's right, they stressed how they looked at the footage but suddenly they don't? Why, that don't make no sense! Sure, if that was done the story would be much shorter as the doubting parents would have proof, but it's problems like that which plague the story. I know you can nitpick the story with the series in general if you really wanted to; this was really blatant, though. And the ending... the film stops more than anything else. Even more so than usual. Let's just say this movie raises many more questions than answers anything that was asked before.

So overall I was real let down and disappointed with this. That seems to be a common opinion. And oh yeah, there seems to be a blatant “”homage” to something in The Exorcist, and also something ripped off from The Changeling. No, not the Angelina Jolie movie. The 1980 one with George C. Scott that is a lot better than this motion picture.

I'll be back tomorrow night with what should be an appropriate review.

Another Change In Plans

Unfortunately things have really piled up for me at the end of the month. So, I won't be back until Tuesday night. But... when I do return on that night, I am pretty sure it'll be a review of Paranormal Activity 4. It'd be about time for me to see it. I'll also post something on Halloween night.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Brian Clemens

Starring: Horst Janson, John Carson, Shane Briant, Caroline Munro

From: Hammer

I have returned to Hammer and this time it's one of their later films. They would shut down a few years after this came out. I had heard of this for a long while and last year I picked up the DVD for only a few bucks. I figured this would be the appropriate time to watch it. And it's just a coincidence this is the same week as the DVD/Blu-Ray release of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

The plot: in a remote town in England, several bodies are discovered and they look to be unnaturally aged far beyond what they're supposed to look like. A swashbuckling (but not a pirate; a vampire-fighting pirate would be awesome, though; he was an Army captain) guy known as Captain Kronos (Janson) is called in to investigate. He discovers it's the work of a special sect of vampires that drain victims of its youth; interesting twist.

Overall, I see why this has a cult following. There is your share of wackiness; after all, Captain Kronos has a sidekick who is a professor and just so happens to be a hunchback. He early on rescues the beautiful Caroline Munro from the stockades; she was put in there for dancing on the Sabbath. No, really. They team up with the doctor who brought them into town to try and find that creature.

The movie does take its time. It's not wall to wall horror or action or any of that. Yet it's never boring. Talk about atmosphere and mood, this has it in spades, along with many memorable shots. I mean, when you see that creature out in the woods (and in the daytime, by the way) it's always in a black robe where you can't see its face, adding a whole lot of mystery. Also, there's a shot of the black-hooded figure walking by some flowers and immediatey they turn black and die. Awesome. You see hints of Kronos' skills as a master swordsman, but it's not until near the end that you see it in full force. Oh, and he smokes specal cigars from an unnamed herb. I'll just presume it's marijuana based on his enjoyment of them and for comedy's sake.

Because of the story, the great atmosphere, the memorable characters, Caroline Munro and her beauty (along with seeing her nude body with certain parts being strategically covered at some points), the beauty of the other ladies you see in the film, and how the Captain often uses his intellect to try and trap his quarry rather than just using brawn... that is why I enjoyed this movie and it's a shame this did not do well at the box office, as otherwise there would have been a series of these movies. Poor Hammer. No surprise with that kind of luck they soon went belly-up.

I'll be back Friday afternoon.

So...

My plans changed but I'll be back Wednesday afternoon, where I may be doing another double-shot.

Tangled (No, Not The Disney Movie)

Tangled (2001)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Jay Lowi

Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Shawn Hatosy, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Lorraine Bracco

From: Myriad Pictures

Yep, another Rachael film. This time, I watched one because this was on a Showtime channel in HD and to be perfectly honest, I knew there was at least one scene where you got to see Ms. Cook in her underwear; turns out, you get to see her a few times in her underwear; I was fine with this! By the way, she was an uncredited producer on this film, one of the many this had. That nor her scantily clad nature will affect what I say about this, I swear.

The plot is that a pair of cops (including Bracco) find a guy (Hatosy) wandering on a rural road and bring him into the hospital. They talk to him to find out what happened, and he tells a tale... turns out, this fellow, David, was in a total friendzone relationship with Jenny (Cook). I mean, that's really what it was. And she was a cocktease too! Poor bastard David. He's average and sort of dorky-looking and of course, he would like to hook up with someone who looks like Jenny. It gets even worse for him as he old pal Alan (Meyers) shows up and he's more than a little crazy... which unfortunately describes Meyers in real life. He and Jenny develop a romantic relationship as hey, he's dangerous and good looking and all that and you can figure out how David feels about the whole thing. They all still try to be pals with each other, believe it or not, but things go awry... and Estella Warren gets involved too. Remember when she was going to be the next big thing? That was so long ago.

Overall, this is quite the wacky indie movie, which is a drama/thriller. It was filmed in Canada but set in Ohio. I noticed the Canadian roots after seeing a 60 kilometers per hour sign briefly in one scene. I remember those from being in Ontario a few years ago. This film isn't perfect by any means but I thought it was entertaining-enough to say you should give this a watch if the plot description sounds good to you. The performances are all at least fine and Jonathan was the best thing; it isn't too surprising he became well-known after this movie, only to have those personal problems with alcohol that has had a negative impact on his career. You can question if you like any of these characters for the way that all of them end up acting; that wasn't really a bother to me, personally. It's an indie movie so they're not afraid to do that sort of thing.

The random things you'll see and hear here include a song done for the soundtrack that samples the great drum opening from Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks, characters singing a Bell Viv Devoe song, and you see full frontal nudity from Meyers... twice. That was something I was not expecting.

I'll be back Monday night.

A Double Shot Of Hammer Horror

The Mummy (1959)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Terence Fisher

Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, George Pastell

From: Hammer

The Gorgon (1964)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Terence Fisher

Starring: Peter Cushing, Richard Pasco, Barbara Shelley, Christopher Lee

From: Hammer

Way back when (i.e. two Octobers ago) I watched the Hammer classic Horror of Dracula. That was a quality film and Lee in the title role was great, playing a real mean vindictive bastard. I hadn't seen any since then and in fact, before last night the only two I had seen were that and the horror/mystery Hound of the Baskervills back when I was a kid. Thankfully, Turner Classic Movies had a night of films from the legendary studio that was around from the 30's until folding in the 70's, only to return a few years ago and becoming mainly a horror studio when even in their heyday they had a varied output.

I'll note that I hadn't seen the classic Universal film The Mummy nor any of its sequels. The Stephen Sommers Mummy movies don't even count. The plot is that in Egypt some archaelogists find an ancient tomb containing a princess. An Egyptian (Pastell; yep, he was brown-facing it up) is quite upset that the tomb got desecrated. A few years later, he is able to bring the mummy of a priest (Lee) back to England to get revenge on those that discovered the tomb and took away the princess.

Sure, this movie is wacky in general (you get to see a mummy walk around rural England, after all) but it definitely is well-filmed with nice performances overall. Even wrapped up in bandages Lee delivers a nice performance. His character certainly is menacing, busting through windows and doors and being unstoppable. But it is Cushing as the lead who happens to walk with a limp that gives the best performance. Sure, the story doesn't have too many surprises but it is definitely filmed well. The score fits the movie and it just looks great visually, from the scenes in Egypt (yep, an obvious set... it still looks fine, even if I am not sure about Egypt having that many palm trees) to rural England. There is a slow spot in the middle where you get a long flashback of the relationship between the princess and the priest; it does at least give you the chance to see Lee brown-face it up himself as an Egyptian, which was a sight. Not as odd as him wearing new wave sunglasses, but still... if you dig old-school horror movies then this is worth a watch.

I then watched The Gorgon, which has a unique plot if nothing else. It is set in a small town in Germany in the early 20^th century and in a castle lives a mysterious creature... a Gorgon; you know, what Medusa was, a terrifying creature with snakes in her hair and if a mortal man looks at her, he turns to stone. Of course, the name this particular Gorgon has (Megara) wasn't actually a Gorgon in Greek mythology, but hey, you didn't have Google nor Wikipedia back in 1964 so a lot of people likely did not notice. Anyhow, the town's doctor (Cushing) and the other authorities cover it up, as you don't want a panic on your hands if the public knew something was turning people to stone. The father of the latest victim won't take no for an answer so he sticks around and with the assistance of Lee (who only appears in the second half and sports a giant mustache) tries to solve things. Meanwhile, Cushing experiences drama of his own with his assistant (Shelley).

You talk about wacky plots, this has one. A mythological creature hiding out in a castle in rural Germany? But hey, it works. Sure, there are some slow stretches and at times this is a murder mystery sort of thing... overall, this is another fun watch. The movie certainly is great at atmosphere and mood. You get both in spades. You certainly feel like you're in the setting, with all the scenes taking place at night and even in a day scene set in the woods, there's a whole lot of fog and it fits the movie like a glove... speaking of that, the same applies to the excellent musical score, which works oh so well with what you see on screen. That helps out when you look at various deficiencies this movie may have.

Unfortunately, my own cable guide spoiled the movie for me right before it began. I looked at it and they gave away the ending! I wasn't too happy about that. Although, once I saw the film, the ending was what you'd call “telegraphed”.

I'll be back Saturday night.