Horror in Retrospect

Class of Nuke 'em High (blu-ray review)

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Wed, 2 Jun 2010 14:04:00 -0500

Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1, 1080p
Runtime: 1hr 28min
Discs: 1

The Package: Troma has finally released Class of Nuke 'em High on blu-ray (after a month delay) and the package is a mixed bag. Coming to us in a standard blue blu-ray case, the cover art is very attractive, using the same art as the theatrical art. The back is, however, very plain looking. I'm not one to complain about back art, but it just looks a little to sloppy.

The Picture: Troma has delivered a surprisingly good transfer. Framed at 1.85:1 (I was scared that they were going to use a full frame transfer) and presented in 1080p, this transfer is good considering the source material. Colors are bright and vibrant. The print seems to be untouched, meaning that Troma didn't clean it up. I like that they didn't do this, as it adds a film like quality to the transfer. There is no evidence of DNR and the grain level is high. Troma has done a very good job with this transfer.

The Sound: Troma gives us a lossy 2.0 Dolby Digital track. Like the transfer, this track just adds to the Troma experience. Dialogue is clear and the effects are well done. Even though this is not a lossless track, it still is pretty good.

The Goodies: This is the first release that Troma has put out that doesn't contain a wealth of special features. I was kind of disappointed until I realized that quality of the special features makes up for the lack of quantity.

-Audio Commentary: Troma founder Lloyd Kauffman is on hand to guide us through the behind the scenes of Class of Nuke 'em High. Kauffman is always and engaging commentator and this is no different. Kauffman talks about his co-director and gives many stories about the shooting of this movie.

We also get 5 deleted scenes that are not really worth the time other than a scene in which a character has a meltdown after smoking some weed.

Nest up is an interview with two of the co-stars of the movie who feel in love and got married. This interview runs about five minutes and is only mildly interesting.

Rounding out the special features is a pointless two minute interview with the cameraman, a two minute segment of a girl taking her top off, and the usual assortment of Troma trailers

All in all, the special features are a little lacking (save for the outstanding commentary). I was hoping for a little more, being that this is one of Troma's more famous movies, but I can live with it.

The Film: Troma's output in the eighties was staggering, considering how many movies they are able to make now. Troma put out a lot of movies during the eighties and each one of them a different beast.

They started out the decade releasing comedies, but soon they were releasing horror comedies. Their first one, The Toxic Avenger, was a monster hit (pun intended) and with their next release, Class of Nuke 'em High, they took the concept of the horror comedy to a whole new level.

I was very entertained by this movie. I had not seen it in a while and it is just as good as I remember it being. Troma has a way of making things funny that shouldn't be. There is a kind of love in every one of their movies.

Troma is kind of like Pixar, in a way. Like Pixar, Troma makes movies that they want to make and they don't care if the movie flops, they just know that they made a good movie. But unlike Pixar, Troma has yet to sell out. Troma has been around for almost forty years and they make the movies that they want to, instead of just making movies for the hell of it.

Class of Nuke 'em High was followed by two sequels. While they are not as good as the original, they are better than most of the crap that Hollywood puts out. Troma is a true original and I hope they stay that way.

The Scores

The Picture: ***1/2
The Sound ***
The Goodies ***1/2
The Film ***1/2

Overall Score ***1/2 (not an average)

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:05:00 -0500

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have been away for a while, but within the next few weeks, I will be back.

Seven Coming to Blu-ray This Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:46:00 -0500

John Doe is coming to invade your house this September.

Warner Bros and New Line has announced Se7en for release on blu-ray on September 14th, 2010. The movie will be released as a "digibook", with trivia, photos, and more. Below are the special features.

-Four audio commentary tracks:
    -Stars commentary, with director David Fincher and actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman
   -Story commentary, with Fincher, author Richard Dyer, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, editor
    Richard Francis-Bruce and New Line president of production Michael De Luca
   -Picture commentary, with Fincher, director of photography Darius Khondji, production designer Arthur
    Max, editor Richard Francis-Bruce and author Richard Dyer
   -Sound commentary, with Fincher, sound designer Ren Klyce, composer Howard Shore and author
    Richard Dyer
-Additional/extended scenes
-Alternate endings
-Exploration of the opening title sequence from multiple video angles with various audio mixes and two commentary tracks
-Production design and still photographs with commentaries
-The Notebooks: Full motion video details "John Doe´s" writings
-Theatrical trailer

Dexter: Season Four is Coming This August

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:37:00 -0500

Everyone's favorite serial killer is coming to dvd and blu-ray this August.

The long-running Showtime series, Dexter, is coming to a dvd or blu-ray player near you on August 17th, 2010. Specs and special features have not been announced yet. I will update when I get that information.

Repo Men Announced for DVD and Blu-ray

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:31:00 -0500

Repo Men, the movie that shares way too many similarities with Repo! The Genetic Opera, has been announced for dvd and blu-ray. Read more about this release after the jump.

Universal has announced Repo Men for a dvd and blu-ray release on July 20th, 2010. Both the dvd and blu-ray will carry the unrated and rated versions of the movie. Special Features are listed below:

-U-control
-Feature commentary with director Miguel Sapochnik and writers Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner
-Deleted scenes with optional commentary with Sapochnik, Garcia and Lerner
-Union commercials: see the unique Union commercials used in the film in their entirety.
-Inside the visual effects: get an "insider's" look at the unique visual effects used in the film.
-BD-Live
-My Scenes
-pocket BLU
   -Advanced Remote Control
   -Video Timeline
   -Mobile-To-Go
   -Browse Titles
   -Keyboard
   -social BLU

Psycho Hitting Blu-ray in Time for Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:53:00 -0500

Universal has announced Psycho, as a 50th Anniversary Edition, for release on blu-ray on Oct. 19th, 2010. Featuring a 1.85:1 1080p transfer and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack (the original mono is included as well), this release is shaping up to be one hell of a release. The special features include:

-Feature-length audio commentary with Stephen Rebello (Author of Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho)
-The Making of Psycho: A feature-length documentary on Hitchcock's most shocking film
-In the Master's Shadow – Hitchcock's Legacy: Some of Hollywood's top filmmakers discuss Hitchcock's influence and why his movies continue to thrill audiences.
-Hitchcock/Truffaut Interviews: Excerpts from a 1962 audio interview with Alfred Hitchcock.
-Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho: Vintage newsreel on the unique policy Alfred Hitchcock insisted upon for the release of the film.
-The Shower Scene: A look at the impact of music on the infamous "shower scene."
-The Shower Scene: Storyboards by Saul Bass: Original storyboard design.
-Production Notes: Read an essay on the making of the film.
-The Psycho Archives: See the gallery of on-set photo stills from the film's production.
-Posters and Psycho Ads: See a gallery of original posters and ads from the theatrical campaign.
-Lobby Cards: View a gallery of promotional lobby cards from the film's theatrical campaign.
-Behind-The-Scenes Photographs: View rare photos showing the cast and crew at work.
-Psycho Sound: A never-before-seen piece that looks at the re-mastering process required to create a 5.1 mix from the original mono elements using Audionamix technology.
-Theatrical Trailer: Watch the original promotional trailer from the film's theatrical campaign.
-Re-Release Trailers: Watch the promotional trailer created for the re-release of the film.

The only thing missing from this release is the Psycho Legacy documentary. As it stands, I fear that we will never see that documentary. Other than that, I am very excited about this release.

More Corman Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Sat, 8 May 2010 01:58:00 -0500

Our friends over at The Digital Bits have given me word that Shout! Factory has announced two more Roger Corman movies to be released on dvd and blu-ray on 7/20. I am very excited about these releases and expect them to be the usual bang up job that Shout! Factory is known for.

The Forbidden World: 2-Disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray (SRP $19.93 & $26.97) will include a new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film from the original interpositives (1.85:1, full HD on Blu-ray), the never-before-seen unrated Director's Cut version (1.33:1, in SD), audio commentary by director Allan Holzman, a new interview with producer Roger Corman, interviews with the cast and crew (including Holzman, composer Susan Justin and actor Jesse Vint), a look at the film's special effects (with John Carl Buechler, Robert Skotak, Tony Randal and R. Christopher Biggs), a gallery of stills and poster artwork, the original theatrical trailer and additional New World trailers. On the Blu-ray version, everything will be included on the BD disc except the Director's Cut and audio commentary, which will be on the included DVD disc.

The Galaxy of Terror: Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray (SRP $19.93 & $26.97) will include a new audio commentary with the cast and crew, 7 featurettes - New World (producer Roger Corman, screenwriter Marc Siegler and director Bruce D. Clark discuss the origins of the film), The Crew of the Quest (actors Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Taaffe O'Connell and Grace Zabriskie discuss their experiences), Planet of Horrors (a detailed look into the creation of the film's memorable sets and alien landscapes), Future King (the cast and crew recall working with then co-production designer James Cameron), Old School (a journey into the complicated mechanical and makeup effects with artists Allan A. Apone, Douglas J. White, Alec Gillis and others) and Launch Sequence (co-editor R.J. Kizer walks us through postproduction and a profile on composer Barry Schrader), the film's theatrical trailer (with commentary from writer/director Joel Olsen, courtesy of TrailersfromHell.com), additional theatrical trailers, extensive photo galleries including posters, production sketches and designs and the film's original screenplay.

In addition to all that, Shout! Factory has announced that future installments of its Corman line will include Attack of the Crab Monsters, the original Not of This Earth (1957), Piranha (directed by Joe Dante), Humanoids from the Deep (starring Doug McClure and Vic Morrow), Deathsport (starring David Carradine and Claudia Jennings), Battle Truck (released in the U.S. as Warlords of the 21st Century) and more.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) ***

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Sat, 8 May 2010 01:46:00 -0500

Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, changed the rules of slasher movies by adding two things, dreams and a killer with personality. This added much need flavor to a genre that was already running out of steam. Now we get the remake, a movie that really doesn't start until the second half.

Jackie Earle Haley plays Freddy Krueger this time around and his performance is good. In the scenes showing Freddy's past he comes off as a nice, quiet guy. But as progress, it becomes clear that Freddy did do the things that the parents of Springwood accused him of. Even though the flashbacks are quick, these were some of my favorite scenes because we get to see Freddy before he started haunting people's dreams.

I stated earlier that this movie really gets going in the second half. The first 45 minutes or so have no structure. Its just one killing after another. While this is fine, it gets to the movie off to a confusing start. Once everything falls into place, however, the movie is very good.

Another complaint that I have, and I have noticed this from other fans, is that this movie doesn't really live up to its potential. The filmmakers had a chance to really do something with this story, but seem more concerned with giving us cool visuals instead of a coherent storyline. This causes some confusion, as some characters are introduced, only to be killed off in the next scene.

Don't get me wrong. I liked the movie. It's just that I wished that more was done with the movie. The movie plays, for a good amount of the running time, as a series of punchlines without any setup. If the filmmakers had worked on the setups, then the kills would have been that much cooler. As it stands, A Nightmare on Elm Street isn't as bad as Friday the 13th, but isn't nearly as good as Halloween.

Nightmare on Elm Street Tops the Box Office

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 3 May 2010 01:36:00 -0500

This past weekend, the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street topped the box office with $32 million. This is a lot less than the remake of Friday the 13th did a little more than a year ago. I have not seen the movie yet (I plan on seeing it this week), but I can say that I am a little disappointed that more people didn't show up.

I think the reason for this lies in a few places. The first is that a lot of people have been turned off by the constant borage of remakes that have been hitting theaters over the last few years. I believe that people would rather see a sequel than see the original updated.

The second reason is the movie has been getting bad reviews. The reviews are nowhere near as bad as Friday the 13th, but there have been some terrible reviews. But most of the reviews are saying how disappointing the movie is. Whereas Friday the 13th was just plain bad, reviewers are saying that A Nightmare on Elm Street has so much potential but doesn't use it.

The third reason lies in Freddy himself. While Jason and Michael Myers are just as big icon-wise as Freddy, they could be played by almost anybody. You get a big guy and slap a mask on him and you have yourself a Jason or a Michael Myers. Freddy is different. He is a character that has a life to him. In all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Freddy was played by Robert Englund, who brought a lot to the character. He IS Freddy. I'm not trying to bash Jackie Earle Haley, who is a great actor, but I don't think a lot of people are ready for a different Freddy.

That being said, A Nightmare on Elm Street should be able to turn a tidy profit and a sequel is already being planned. Hopefully I'll enjoy the movie and pray that it isn't the trainwreck that Friday the 13th was.

Human Centipede ***

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Sun, 2 May 2010 01:40:00 -0500

Never in my life did I think that I would see a movie like this. Well, I mean, a movie like this that isn't a send-up of 50's sci-fi movies. This is an ugly movie. A movie that you kick yourself for watching, but can't look away from.

The movie centers around American girls who are on a road trip in Germany. Their car breaks down and they find shelter at the only house they can find. Upon waking up they find themselves being taken captive by a man who is a retired surgeon. This man, who has specialized in separating siamese twins, informs that girls that he has kidnapped them so he can perform a twisted experiment. He plans on combining the two girls with a man, who has also been kidnapped, to create the world's first human centipede.

This concept could have gone in a very lightly, jokey direction but this movie is deadly serious. Of course the idea is absurd, but the director, Tom Six, makes sure that the movie can be believable. The thought that a mad doctor would kidnap people only to make them into a human centipede is the kind of idea that gets you thinking, and, for the most part, our questions are answered.

There are only two reasons to watch this movie. The first is the obvious attraction of the title and description of the movie. After viewing the trailer, we know exactly what we are going to get and the movie delivers. The second reason is for the performance of Dieter Laser as the doctor. He is very creepy and plays the determination of getting the procedure done with a sly wink. In terms of horror movie performances, Laser's is the best of the year so far.

Human Centipede is a movie strictly for the geek show crowd. Anybody going into this movie thinking that it is going to be a fun time will be shocked and disturbed. This is one of the most disturbing movies I have seen in a long time and the fact that there is going to be a sequel disturbs me even more.

Random Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:47:00 -0500

-Don't forget that the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street is hitting theaters today. I have to work all weekend so I won't be able get to the theater over the weekend. I do plan on seeing it early next week and I will post my review sometime next week.

-Also, if you live in New York, Human Centipede starts its limited run on today. However, if you live outside of New York, the movie will be available through On Demand, so you will be able to see it there.

-Speaking of On Demand, Magnolia will debuting George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead on. The movie is a decent flick that is worth checking out.

-Looks like Psycho will be hitting blu-ray this year. Amazon has put up a page for it. There is no release date, but this is a step in the right direction. Here's hoping that they match the picture and sound with a good amount of extras. The 2-disc Legacy Series is an outstanding set and if they were to put the Psycho Legacy documentary on there, well, we might just have a perfect package.

Roger Ebert and Horror Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:46:00 -0500

At the beginning of the year I wrote a piece entitled "Roger Ebert and The Lovely Bones", in which I spoke about how I felt that Ebert's review was wrong and incorrect. Today I am writing in response to his negative review to the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

As I have stated before, I am an admirer of Roger Ebert's. Reading his reviews growing up changed the way that I looked at movies. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don't. But, for the most part, he has given us solid reasons for liking or not liking a movie.

Over the past year or so, however, he has reviewed movies that he has disliked, by giving very weird reasons. His dislike for The Lovely Bones has been well documented here so I won't go into those reasons again. My main complaint is his review for A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Ebert's review speaks of many horror cliches and entries in his "move glossary", but his review reads like a cliche of his reviews on most horror movies. It is clear that Ebert does not like horror movie, so my question is: Why review them? Why does Ebert, who can choose any movie he wants to review, take time out of his day to review movies in a genre he hates?

There are many probable answers to these questions, many of which he will probably agree with. One, he wants to be the best critic out there by giving his readers a taste of everything. This is likely the best answer, but he fails on this end. He doesn't seek out horror movies and, by doing so, defeats the reason of being the best critic.

The second answer is that he probably likes horror movie, but refuses to give them a pass because it might ruin his credibility. He has given positive reviews to many horror movies, but only the ones that are smart. It seems that he doesn't like the fun ones.

The third answer, and the one that I am going with, is that he looks down on horror movies. Ebert speaks volumes on what are perceived as "classics". He has a series of essays entitled "Great Movies", but has only put two horror moves into this category, The Bride of Frankenstein and Psycho. And while those two are among the best horror movies ever made, it seems that there is a void.

Whether or not A Nightmare on Elm Street is a good movie is not the point of this rant. The validity of his horror reviews is. Horror fans are just as smart as "normal" movie fans and his dislike for the genre and us fans is something that needs to be examined. I don't take any of his horror reviews seriously and this is why I am writing this. I just hope that other horror fans agree with me.

The Crazies Hitting dvd and blu-ray in June

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:14:00 -0500

Anchor Bay has announced that June 29th, 2010 is the date that they will release The Crazies on dvd and blu-ray. The movie, directed by Breck Eisner, is a remake of the George A. Romero movie of the same name. That movie is available from Blue Underground. The remake made $39 million at the box office.

Special Features:
-Audio Commentary with Director Breck Eisner
-Behind the Scenes with Director Breck Eisner
-Paranormal Pandemics
-The George A. Romero Template
-Make-up Mastermind: Rob Hall in Action
-The Crazies Motion Comic:
-Episode 1
-Episode 2
-Visual Effects in Motion
-Teaser Trailer
-Three theatrical trailers
-Ten TV Spots
-The Crazies Motion Comic Trailer
-Storyboards: Building a Scene
-Behind-the-scenes Photo Gallery
-Easter Egg
-Digital Copy (blu-ray)

You can preorder The Crazies from Amazon by clicking on the pictures above. Remember, everything that you order through this blog helps keep this blog running.

Missing in Action: Grindhouse (theatrical version)

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:47:00 -0500

This week's Missing in Action is about Grindhouse. The movies have been released separately in unrated versions, but we have never seen the entire experience on dvd. Well, not in this country at least.

Japan saw a 6-disc set of Grindhouse that included everything that we saw stateside and included the entire Grindhouse movie that was shown in theaters. This is something that bugs me and I will probably be talking about this further in another Missing in Action segment, but why do other countries get better editions of American movies. You would think that we would get them, but we don't. Anyway, the only release that has the 3-hour version of Grindhouse is Japan and that release is out of print.

So where is our theatrical version? Robert Rodriguez tweeted that he was working on a 15-minute Cooking School for the Grindhouse release, but that was some time ago. The Weinstein Company need to get on the ball with this release.

So what are we missing? As a whole, we are missing the theater experience. Grindhouse tried to recapture a time in American cinema that few people remember and that was the problem with the movie. Few people even knew what the term "grindhouse" meant. But the movie was an experience. It transported us back to when double features were all the rage.

There is another problem with Grindhouseand it is the second half. Death Proof is a terrible movie. It's a horror movie that has no horror in it. Tarantino tried to mix a car movie with a slasher movie and it just doesn't work. Tarantino is a self proclaimed cult movie nut and yet he makes a movie that they wouldn't have made in the 70's. There is a saying that goes: just because you know the notes doesn't mean you can play the music. Death Proof is a perfect example of this. All the notes are there, but the music doesn't sound the same.

For all of Grindhouse's flaws, there are things that are brilliant. Planet Terror is one of Robert Rodriguez's best movie. This movie looks and feels like a 70's movie, minus the girl with a gun for a leg. And the trailers are spot on.

I own the Japanese set and I love it, but this movie screams to be released here in the states. Even if they were to release the movie barebones, fans would still buy it up just to have to Grindhouse experience at home. The movie has aired on Starz as a complete movie and it has been shown in HD as well, so you know that The Weinstein Company already has the tools to release this and yet, they haven't.

Horror at Home: The Descent 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:43:00 -0500

This week's Horror at Home was going to be Troma's Tromeo & Juliet, but Troma has delayed the title for a second time. So my pick this week is Lionsgate's The Descent 2. I reviewed the movie in this week's Killer Minis, so I am going to talk about the dvd.

Lionsgate has given us another winner when it comes to this movie's dvd. The picture, presented in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is enhanced for 16x9 tvs, is really good. Black levels are deep and the sense of claustrophobia, that was so well handled in the first movie, is very well handled her too. The sound, a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, is very good as well. The balance between dialogue and effects is good, and the surrounds capture the errieness of the situation nicely.

Lionsgate has given us some decent extras for the movie as well. We get an amusing commentary by the director and some of the actors. The making of featurette has a little too much EPK feeling to it, but it gets the job done. We also get some forgettable deleted scenes and a storyboard gallery.

If you are a fan of the original movie, there is no reason for you not to pick this up. If you are a horror fan, then give it a rental. The movie is good and the dvd is worth checking out.

Killer Minis

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:39:00 -0500

Sometimes I don't have time to write full reviews for every movie that I see (I see a lot), so I am introducing Killer Minis. This segment will include short reviews for movies that I see. This way I can give you, my faithful readers a little more bang for your buck.

Mega Piranha zero stars
So why did I even waste my time watching this movie? Well, it was the title. I knew the movie was going to be bad, but I hoped that there would be a few laughs, but there aren't. With so much bad acting, terrible writing, and some of the worst special effects I have ever seen there isn't one laugh to be had. I was so disappointed.

The Descent 2 ***
The original The Descent was a pretty good horror movie, so how do you follow it? Well, you take the only survivor of the first movie and make her go back into the cave. I don't know if a reasonable person would make someone, who is on the brink of being catatonic from the events of the first movie, relive them in this way, but it does make for a pretty good movie. And, while the movie doesn't come close to being as good as the original, it still is pretty entertaining, with enough scares to get you through the night.

Dread (Afterdark Horrorfest 4) ***
This year's Horrorfest isn't as bad as last year's and the standout movie is Dread, based on the Clive Barker short story of the same name. This movie deals with fears and does so very well. The story is a little slow out the gate, but once it gains speed it doesn't stop. It's nice to see that Barker's stories are finally getting the screen treatment they deserve.

Kill Theory (After Dark Horrorfest 4) *
If Dread was the best movie to come out of this year's Horrorfest, then Kill Theory has to be the worst. This movie is a terrible rip off of the Saw movies, but it also takes a lot of cues from the Japanese movie Battle Royale. Since the idea for this movie is not original, you would think that, at the very least, they would do something original with it, but they don't. The characters are standard, the writing and directed subpar, and the kills, while gory, don't really seem all that exciting. What you are left with is a movie that so badly wants to reinvent the Saw mold, but fails at every turn. This is one of the worst movies of the year.

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever *
I was not a fan of the first Cabin Fever. In fact, I hated the movie. So why did I watch the sequel? Because I liked House of the Devil and I wanted to see if Ti West really had talent. From watching this movie, I have come to the conclusion that, no matter how talented the director is, this material is not good. I know that West was kicked off the movie or left, but he directed the movie, so he has some blame in this. I think that this movie is actually better than the original, but that isn't saying much. There isn't much in the way of character development. For once I can say that it isn't a shame because this material is trash.

Thoughts About: The Lack of Love For DVD Buyers

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:18:00 -0500

In the past year, there has been a growing trend of shifting special features from dvd releases to their blu-ray counterparts. The studios seem to be rewarding people for having a blu-ray player by giving them exclusive special features that are not available on the dvd version of the movie. But what about the loyal dvd owners?

I have no problem with giving blu-ray owners something extra. I am a blu-ray owner and I like getting something extra, but a lot of times these special features are not possible on dvd. Maximum Movie Mode, which is a Warner Bros idea, is not something that is possible on dvd. But there plenty of special features that the studios could give to dvd owners, but choose not to.

Take, for instance, The Lovely Bones. The dvd has no special features whatsoever, while the blu-ray comes with a three hour documentary. And the upcoming release of Shutter Island is the same way too. The studios are forgetting about their loyal dvd customers. When dvds were introduced, one of the main selling points were the special features. I guess the studios are looking at blu-ray the same way now.

And its not just the studios. It seems like every article I read talks about how blu-ray is great and the special features are outstanding, but not everyone can afford a blu-ray player. Sure, you can get them semi-cheap now, you also need an HD tv to enjoy blu-ray to its fullest potential.

I love blu-ray, I'm not going to deny it, but I feel bad for all the people who can't afford it or don't feel the need to upgrade at this time. Studios should give the loyal dvd customers their due. Evantually they will turn to blu-ray, but don't fuck them now.

Guilty Pleasures: Q: The Winged Serpent

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:15:00 -0500

I am proud to introduce a new segment here at Horror in Retrospect: Guilty Pleasures. These are my favorite types of horror movies because they are so fun to watch. The movie may be bad, but you have a great time watching it. Today's focus is going to on Q: The Winged Serpent, a movie that I had heard about for a long time, but up until a few years ago, had never seen.

Monster movies are one of my favorite sub-genres. Many of them are the most ridiculous movies you have ever seen, but they hold a special place for many, including myself. I remember when I was a kid, there was a channel that would show monster movies on saturday nights. So every saturday, I would be home by 10:30 to enjoy the current movie. I saw everything from the original King Kong to many of the Godzilla movies.

As I got older, the station stopped showing monster movies and, for a long time, I stopped watching them all together. It wasn't until I started working at a local video, that my interest in monster movies came back. They had all of the old movies that I had watched as a kid, plus new ones that I had only heard about. One of those movies was Q: The Winged Serpent, a movie that would start my love affair with monster movies all over again.

The movie centers around a monster that invades New York City and lays its egg at the top of the Chrysler building. One day a con artist, played by the always great Michael Moriarity, finds the egg while running from the cops. The city, meanwhile, is in a state of panic because the monster has been flying around and killing people. The only person who can really stop what is going on is Moriarity, who, in exchange for immunity and money, will tell the mayor where the egg is.

This is a great movie, but only in guilty pleasure terms. If you were to look at it from the outside, you would find a movie that makes little to no sense, has no flow to it, and has some of the worst special effects out there. But to someone like myself, these are qualities. These are what makes the movie so memorable. You don't go into a movie like this and expect it to be taken seriously. Of course the filmmakers have to take it seriously, to a degree, or else they would be calling attention to themselves.

I'll give you an example. The movie opens with a girl talking on the phone in her office. There is a window washer outside the window. The girl makes a comment about how she thinks the guy is a creep. She ignores him. But as soon as she turns around she notices that he doesn't have a head. The filmmakers know that this scene will incite laughter, so why keep it in? Because if they didn't them the movie wouldn't have the tone set right. This scene tells us that this is going to be a fun movie to watch.

The director, Larry Cohen, is known for making schlocky horror movies. He previously made It's Alive and followed this movie with The Stuff, another movie that might grace Guilty Pleasures in the future. Cohen knows how to take, even the most ridiculous idea, and make it fun.

I don't believe that Q: The Winged Serpent was a box office hit, but it could have been. I could not find any info about how well it did, but I can see a movie like this making money. Everybody, at some point in their life, has enjoyed a monster movie. They are the ultimate guilty pleasure and that is why I have included Q: The Winged Serpent as my first guilty pleasure.

Random Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:26:00 -0500

-Since Machete has gotten a release date (Sept. 3rd) and Hobo With a Shotgun is going into production, do you think that we will see the other Grindhouse trailers get turned into movies? I would like to see Thanksgiving, but I don't think the other two will work.

-So the screening of the Nightbreed workprint recently has gotten almost no coverage other than Fangoria talking about it. Why is there no reaction? I have searched and the only thing I found was the Fangoria piece. I want to know what people thought about it.

-Shutter Island has been announced for dvd and blu-ray release on 6/8. Like what Paramount did with the recently released The Lovely Bones, the dvd will have no special features, while the blu-ray will have two documentaries. This seems like the studios are giving dvd buyers the shaft when it comes to special features.

-Speaking of The Lovely Bones, if you have a blu-ray player you should pick this title up. The picture is flawless and the documentary on disc 2 is one of the best I have seen.

-So there are been scenes put up on the net for Human Centipede and I just have to say that I am more curious with every story that comes along about this movie.

-Troma has quietly pushed back the blu-ray releases of Tromeo & Juliet and Dark Nature. This is the second time that Tromeo & Juliet has been pushed back. Now Troma has four blu-ray releases set for May 25th: Tromeo & Juliet, Surf Nazis Must Die, Class of Nuke 'em High, and Dark Nature. Hopefully Troma has pushed these titles back to ensure that the quality is excellent, but they seem to be having a hard time getting their second blu-ray release out. Only time will tell.

Freddy vs Jason ***

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:28:00 -0500

By the mid-90's the Nightmare on Elm Street series was dead. They had killed off Freddy in the horrible Freddy's Dead and then tried to bring him back in Wes Craven's New Nightmare. With New Nightmare failing at the box office, it seemed that New Line was giving up on their staple franchise. Then in 2003, they gave us Freddy vs Jason, a showdown that had been eagerly anticipated ever since Freddy snatched Jason's mask and took it to hell in Jason Goes to Hell.

The story here is actually a pretty decent story. The kids of Springwood have forgotten Freddy and this makes him mad. Without the kids remembering him he has no power, therefore he can not haunt their dreams and kill them. Freddy's idea is to resurrect Jason and trick him into killing people so that the people of Springwood will think that it is Freddy, thus giving him the power to haunt dreams and kill again. But Jason doesn't want to go along with the plan and starts stealing kills from Freddy. Freddy is evantualy brought into the real world, where he faces Jason face to face.

The writers of this movie really know their stuff when it comes to the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street. They reference the previous NoES movies a lot, but when it comes to the Friday movies, they only know the basics. This hampers the movie a little, making it more of a Nightmare movie than a Friday movie. I'm sure that some of this is intentional, being that New Line is "the house that Freddy built", but it also shows that the writers don't know very much about Jason. But this is a petty complaint, seeing as Jason gets all the really good kills.

But the story really doesn't matter, afterall the movie is called Freddy vs Jason, and people came to see the horror icons face off. They do come to blows a few times in the movie, but it is the final fight that people are craving and boy is it a good one. Freddy and Jason face off at Crystal Lake and it is literally a fight to the death.

My only real complaint with the final showdown is that it plays like a kung fu movie. Jason throws Freddy all around Crystal Lake, which is to be expected. What I didn't expect was for Freddy to bust out some martial arts skills. It is kind of a funny sight seeing Freddy kick, jump, and spin around like he was studying martial arts in his down time. I guess this is to be expected, since the movie was directed by Ronny Yu, who has directed a lot Hong Kong movies.

In the end, Freddy vs Jason is a very good movie, blending scares, comedy, and gore into a nice overall package. Robert Englund hs said that he has hung up the glove and will not play Freddy again. I wish he would so we can have a sequel to this movie. I guess its a pipe dream now, but one can hope.

Worst Movie Ever: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:23:00 -0500

Worst Movie Ever is a new feature here at Horror in Retrospect, where I take a movie that I consider to be horrible, and put it to shame. Some of these movies are widely considered some of the worst horror movies ever and some of them are considered the best. My tastes differ from a lot of people's, so for the first installment of this series I have decided to play it safe and take on a movie that many people: Friday the 13th Part VIII; Jason Takes Mahattan.

Jason Takes Mahattan starts out well enough with the resurrection. In the films beginning with Jason Lives, Jason was resurrected from whatever grave he was put into in the previous movie. In Jason Lives he was reurrected from the grave that he was put into between the fourth and sixth film. Here is resurrected from his watery grave that Tina, in part seven, put him into. Not only is he resurrected, but it is always done accidentally. For instance, in Jason X Jason is resurrected because he was being thawed out for research. No one on the ship could have predicted that, by letting Jason's seemly lifeless, and therefore, dead body, would allow Jason to rise to kill again.

Here Jason is resurrected by a ship that is passing by. To me, this is the first of many mistakes that the filmmakers have made. It shows how lazy they were when it came to finding a way to bring Jason back into the fold. So now that Jason is back to business the rest of the movie is going to be good, right? Not by a long shot.

The movie moves the main action to a cruise ship, where it will spend the majority of the movie. This is the second mistake the filmmakers make. They put Jason into an extremely limited enviorment, where he doesn't have any room to breath. This takes all the suspense away from the movie and just makes it a series of meaningless kills.

I know what you are thing: Jason is a killer and most of his kills are meaningless. My answer to this is: the best Friday movies have characters that you can relate to. In the first four movies in the series, there are characters that are just like you and me. They are regular people trapped in a situation that they have never been in before and they do things, while some of them dumb, that we might do to get out of said situation. Here the characters are cliches, going through the motions. None of these character think for themselves and therefore we cheer when Jason gets them.

That is one of the problems with the latter slasher movies. The filmmakers don't take the time to give us real characters and the movies suffer because of that. If they would just give us characters with a shred of a brain that would build suspense and therefore giving us a reason to cheer for them instead of the killer. In the original Friday, we cheer for the characters and when Mrs. Voorhees is decapitated at the end, we cheer because evil has been vainquished. We want the good good, or girl, to live and the bad guy to die.

As the series progressed it became thew opposite. We went to a Friday movie or a Nightmare movie and rooted for the bad guy. We wanted Jason or Freddy to win and to do it in the most inventive way possible. And that leads me to the most important part of the this movie: the kills.

The Friday movies have always been known for their inventive kills. Whether it be two lovers killed together with a spear or a camper being stuffed into their sleeping bag and continually beat against a tree, the Friday movies had some of the most inventive kills of all the slasher movies. The problem with Jason Takes Manhattan is that the kills are not memorable. Other that Jason punching a guy's head clean off, the kills are pretty standard. We go into this movie expecting to see some really cool kills and we are let down.

The ending of the movie is probably the most boggling aspect of the movie. The final confrontation takes place in the sewers and when all is said and done, Jason is turned back into a kid. I can take the bullshit that is part five, but this is just stupid. Did the filmmakers really think that this idea would fly? Was there another ending that they could have used? I have no idea what they were thinking, but this ending is one of the worst endings I have ever seen.

Jason Takes Manhattan is not the worst movie is the series (that honor goes to part five), but it comes close. It seems that the filmmakers weren't even trying to make a good Friday movie. It goes to show that this movie was not that big of a hit and, Paramount decided to sell the rights to the series after this movie didn't make a lot of money. It has been twenty-one years since Jason Takes Manhattan and we still have yet to see a good Friday movie, not counting Freddy vs Jason. This is a real shame. Here's hoping that we see a good one come soon.

Repo! The Genetic Opera ****

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:29:00 -0500

Has there ever been a time where you see a movie preview and say that you will never, ever see that movie? This happened to me with Repo. When I first saw the preview for this movie, I thought it looked terrible. Then I heard that the movie is an opera, which means that all the dialogue is sung, and I was sure that it was going to be a bad movie. But something happened. I watched the movie. And you what? I loved it.

The movie stars Alexa Vega as Shiloh, a girl who has a terrible heart condition and has to stay indoors all the time. While visiting her mother's tomb (she has to wear a gas mask to go there), she walks out of the tomb and gets locked out. She discovers that there is an entire world outside of her house that she never knew. During the course of the movie she will find out a lot of things, especially about her past, that she did not know.

Repo! takes place in the future. Organ failure is on the rise and there are not enough people to be donors. A company called Geneco develops synthetic organs and leases them to the people in need. If these people can not pay their debt then a repo man is sent out to get the organ back. This makes murder legal, but only for Geneco.

Like I said before, this is an opera, and I feel that many people will be turned off by this. But if they give the movie a chance, they will find that the movie is filled with ideas. This movie is especially topical given everything that has been going on with our health care system. Are we close to having our own Geneco and thus, our own repo men? The idea doesn't seem to be that far fetched.

I loved Repo! I think, and this has been said a lot, that it is this generation's Rocky Horror Picture Show. But where that movie was about being who you are and not letting people judge you, this movie is a cautionary tale about greed and personal appearance. We live in an age where plastic surgery is more important to some than being healthy and Repo! tears that idea to shreds.

The songs in Repo! are pretty good. Since most of the dialogue is sung, I thought that the songs would suffer, and for the most part they don't. Director Darren Lynn Bousman shows that he has something more to offer than just another Saw movie. There is a small scene in the movie where Shiloh takes to her dad over "phone" while he is extracting someone's spine. It's little touches like this that make the movie rewatchable.

Repo! got shit on by Lionsgate when it came to the release of this movie. The only reason that it played in theaters at all is because Bousman and the writers went from city to city showing the movie, and as word of mouth spread so did the reputation of the movie. This is a movie that any horror fans needs to see, but I think that any musical fan needs to see this movie too. The gore in the movie is comical and over the top. Repo! is a very entertaining movie that you are not likely to forget.

Horror at Home: A Nightmare on Elm Street

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:27:00 -0500

Horror at Home is a new segment here at Horror in Retrospect, where I pick a movie that has had a dvd/blu-ray release and I talk about it. The dvd/blu-ray may have been recently released or it may be a dvd/blu-ray that I have found that I think deserves a second look. It all depends on the week.

This week's focus is Nightmare on Elm Street on blu-ray. Let me tell you folks, this is one quality release. Warner Bros./New Line has always been known for giving us the best picture and sound and with this release, they have given NoES a proper blu-ray debut. I have never seen NoES look so good and unlike some other horror movies released to blu-ray, this release doesn't suffer from excessive DNR. The color palette looks natural and there is a great amount of detail in each scene.

The sound doesn't suffer either. I wouldn't go as far to say that the sound is robust, but the surrounds are used nicely and the dialogue is clear and crisp.

And for any Nightmare fan, all of the extras from the outstanding 2-disc, released a few years back, are present and accounted for, except for the trailer. This is my only gripe with this release. WB/NL always gave us the trailer for the movie, even if it was the only special feature, but it seems like lately they have been slumming when it comes to the trailer.

Overall, though, this release is top notch. My only hope is that the studio seems fit to give the rest of the series the hi-def treatment, even if they are released in the double features that Warners seems to like so much. You owe it to yourself to get this release.

3-D or 2-D? Which is it?

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:17:00 -0500

I am getting tired of 3-D. Yeah I said it. 3-D is all the rage now, with studios going back to movies that are already in the can, ready to be released, and retrofitting them for 3-D. Why? What is the point? I know that everybody loves 3-D now, but these movies were not shot for 3-D, so I ask again: What is the point?

I recently had a chance to sit down and test out the new 3-D tvs that are being released and I will have to say that I was not impressed. Having 3-D in your house is a burden. You have to have a special tv and a special blu-ray player. On top of that, you have to have special glasses in order to watch the movies in 3-D. The glasses themselves cost $150. I can buy 10 or more blu-rays with that money. Also, you have to be in a somewhat darkened room to get the full effect. This seems like entirely too much work to watch a fucking movie.

Now, sports channels are going to start offering 3-D channels so you can watch sports in 3-D. I don't know about you, but no amount of added dimensions could make golf any better.

Seeing a movie in 3-D in the theater is mostly a joke as well. As much as I liked My Bloody Valentine, the 3-D seemed to hinder the movie. Having this kinda fly at you does not justify my extra $3. There were two movies released last year that used 3-D to the movie's benefit. The first was A Christmas Carol, dreadful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic. As much as I hated the movie, the 3-D added depth to the picture. The second movie was Avatar, which gave us a world that we had never seen before. The 3-D was again utilized well here. We actually believed that we were on Pandora.

So far, this year, a handful of movies are either in release, or about to be released, that were retrofitted for 3-D. Alice in Wonderland suffered by being in 3-D (the movie did, not it's box office. But the worst offender so far is Clash of the Titans. There was no difference between the 3-D version and its 2-D counterpart. I feel bad for the people that paid the extra money, only to find out that they had been suckered.

3-D does not work. It takes away from a movie more than it gives. With all of these studios scrambling to get as many 3-D movies into the theaters before the fad dies out, I applaud the companies that are not retrofitting some of their movies for 3-D. The remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street may turn out to be a turd, but at least it won't be a 3-D turd.

Random Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy P) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:50:00 -0500

-With the release of the Nightmare on Elm Street documentary, Never Sleep Again on May 4th (my 30th birthday), do you think that we will ever see the long-awaited Psycho Legacy documentary? In for one, have been waiting for it to be released forever.

-With the remake of Toxic Avenger announced, I hope that Troma will see fit to release the Toxic Avenger movies on blu-ray.

-Where are the rest of the Friday the 13th movies on blu-ray? They tease us with the first three and keep us dangling. I hope that Warners doesn't follow suit with the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

-I have to say I am really impressed by the Nightmare on Elm Street blu-ray. Not only did they port over all the special features from the excellent 2-disc set released a few years ago, but the picture and the sound are top notch. Way to go Warner Bros/New Line.

-Now that MGM has entered the burn on demand business, maybe they can release all of those movies from their Midnight Movies series. I'm lookin' at you Town That Dreaded Sundown.

-I am going to be changing things up a little in the next couple of weeks. The Five Favorites and Worst Five are going to be by-weekly, with one week being a Five Favorites week and the next being a Worst Five week. They will still come on Weds and Fri, but just not in the same week.

-I will, however be able adding features to the site. Dvd of the Week, Guilty Pleasures, Worst Movie Ever will be coming shortly as well as new installments of Missing in Action and Thoughts About. So stay tuned for those changes in the next few weeks.