New DVD Releases: New Hope for Horror Movies
A bumper crop this week, so I'll split into three segment, “New Movie Releases”; “Movie Re-Releases”; and “TV Releases”.
Deadgirl: Unrated Director's Cut (2008) Well received, if controversial, indie horror (Fangoria said "Past any controversy, Deadgirl is a film beautiful in every way… See it and make it the classic it deserves to be."), which premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival. Co-directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel, with a script by writer-actor Trent Haaga, tell the tale of two teens who cut class, and break into an abandoned asylum, only to discover a naked, living-dead girl chained to a cot. The boys quickly realize that here at last, they’ve found a girl who won't say “no”. If you can get beyond the initial premise, this is an intelligent shocker, and just the sort of thing to give the remake-riddled genre a shot in the arm. Not entirely safe for work trailer here. Extras include a commentary track, deleted scenes, a making of featurette and make-up gallery. (DVD)
Grace (2009) Eli Roth protege Paul Solet's feature debut (a Sundance Official Selection), based on a 2006 short of the same name, is another entry that gives literal new life to the horror genre. Following a car crash that kills her husband (Stephen Park, Slither), pregnant Madeline (Jordan Ladd, Cabin Fever) decides to take her unresponsive daughter to full term, only to find that she has to deal with Grace’s unusual cravings, and her grieving, controlling mother-in-law (Gabrielle Rose, Jennifer's Body). Check out the trailer, then buy this baby. Extras include: “Grace at Sundance” showing Solet schlepping his film at the festival; “Conception” focuses on writing the script, “Delivered” on filming; “Family” on casting; “Her Mother's Eyes” on filming; and “Lullaby” on scoring. Best Buy has an excusive that includes the original short. (Blu-ray and DVD)
Zombie Hunter Rika (aka High School Girl Rika: Zombie Hunter/Saikyô heiki joshikôsei: Rika - zonbi hantâ vs saikyô zonbi Gurorian) (2008) Ken’ichi Fujiwara’s cheap and cheerful HD horror-fest has some decent action choreography from Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Gore Police), but not a lot else to recommend it other than nudity and buckets of gore. If that floats your boat, checkout the most-definitely-not-safe-for-work trailer here. This is the third in the Nihombie series, which also contains the equally trashy Zombie Self Defense Force (Zonbi Jieitai), aka Nihombie 1; and Attack Girls' Swim Team vs the Undead (aka Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers/Joshikyôei Hanrangun) aka Nihomie 2. (DVD)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Despite initial talk of this being a flop (thanks to it debuting lower than the previous two X-Men films, and blamed partly on a leaked, pirated workprint), this debuts on DVD with a healthy worldwide total of $363.4M, against a budget of $150M. The choice of director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi), working from a script by David Benioff (The 25th Hour), led to some tension with Fox over their more cerebral take on the franchise (Hood originally wanted an R rating), and the end result suffers from a similar awkward tone to Mark Forster's Quantum of Solace. Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), has been hired to write the sequel. Extras include two commentary tracks: one with director Gavin Hood, one with producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter. "A Conversation with Stan Lee and Len Wein" on the origins of Wolverine. "Wolverine Unleashed: The Complete Origins" a making of featurette; and deleted scenes. (Blu-ray; Blue-ray combo pack with X-Men Trilogy; DVD, and DVD Two Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy)
Better the Devil You Know: Two-Disc Special Edition (2009) Debut fantasy-comedy from Pittsburgh-based director Greg Augustine. Three childhood friends are forced to face their fears when they battle the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. (DVD)
Bionicle: The Legend Reborn (2009) Fourth animated movie based on Lego's sci-fi toy series. Mata Nui help villagers on a scrap-covered desert planet, as they fight their enemies the Skral, and the Bone Hunters. Michael Dorn, James Jonah Cummings and James Jonah Cummings provide voice work. (DVD)
Call Me a Psycho (2008) Weak-looking low-budget serial killer comedy from the UK, bolstered by an appearance from Norman Lovett (Holly in Red Dwarf) (DVD)
Beatific Vision (2008) Directed by Sountro Sountro, and starring Michael Vega, Joe Higuchi, and Norm Muñoz, this is a Gay fantasy-comedy from Ariztical Entertainment, Michael's life takes a new course when his dead lover, Chad returns as an angel, claiming to know Michael's future. Released with both Alternative and Mainstream Art sleeves. (DVD)
Spirits Among Us (2009) Christian horror film from Texas-based DGW Media Productions. A family encounters strange happenings in their new home, and turns to the Bible to help rid themselves of evil. (DVD)
Box Office 9/14/09: Party Over for Horror Remakes?
Tyler Perry regularly takes the #1 spot for a new release, thanks to a focused approach on doing what he does best – warm comedies aimed at an African/American family audience. No surprise, then that Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself ruled this weekend, with a $24M take. What is disappointing is the poor performance of the week's two big genre movies (even if one of them only looks like a horror film).
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. At #2, Shane Acker's 9, his 79-minute expansion of an 11-minute Oscar-nominated short from 2005, did reasonable business for an animation skewed toward an older audience. Having opened on 09/09/09, the film's five day gross netts out at $15.26M, good for a film with a $24M budget, and — despite mixed reviews (great visuals, weak, hole-filled script) — we can only praise Focus Features for bringing a more off-beat view to the animation field, following this, and their release earlier this year of Coraline.
Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds keeps its grimy mitts on the #3 spot, with a weekend take of $6.5M, for a total of $104.3M ($203M worldwide) — no doubt leading to audible sighs of relief at Weinstein headquarters (budget is $70M), after their recent round of layoffs.
At #5 (following the dismal All About Steve at #4), The Final Destination shows that 3-D is here to stay, with a weekend take of $5.5M, and a three week gross of $58.26MUS/$90.76M worldwide on a $40M budget. All the more disappointing then, that the two new releases, Sorority Row (a remake of 1983's House on Sorority Row) and Whiteout (from Greg Rucka's 1998 comic book) could only make number six and seven respectively. Summit Entertainment will be concerned, but not overly gloomy, as Row’s take of $5.27M is an okay start on a $12.5M budget, however Dark Castle's Whiteout cost $35M, and seems unlikely to recoup that with a first weekend take of $5.1M. Distributor Warner Bros., marketed this murder mystery as a horror film, but if they were hoping for a similar result to 2007’s snowbound graphic novel adaptation, 30 Days of Night, they will be doubly disappointed to recall that it took $15.95M on an October 19th opening, for a final global take of $75.3M from a $30M budget.
Having safely crossed the $100M barrier over a week ago, District 9 sits at #8 as one of the biggest hits of the years, with a weekend gross of $3.6M and a running US total of $108.5M. Following Julie & Julia at #9, Gamer slumps a shocking 65% to #10, in its second week, with $3.15M, and a total of $16.1M (budget unknown).
With GI Joe still raking it in at #11, with $2.52M (total $144.42M US/$288.49M worldwide — still a ways to go to justify that $175M budget, given that the production company usually ends up with around half the box office take), and The Time Traveler's Wife at #12 with $2.32M ($59M US total, on a $39M budget), Rob Zombie's Halloween II sits suitably at #13, with a weekend take of $2.3M, and a total of $30.3M – given that this has yet to open abroad, and the budget was a mere $15M, this is far from being the flop most Zombie-haters would like us to believe.
New Red Cliff Poster, and the 300 Controversy
Not a genre movie, but who can resist John Woo’s return to Asia – and, if reviews and Chinese box office are to be believed, to form. New US poster art was released today for Red Cliff, Woo’s Han Dynasty epic, and it’s gorgeous – befitting the most expensive film ever made in China (at US$80M), and the most successful film ever released there, beating the record set by Titanic (the world take so far is in the region of US$240M).
It’s worth noting however, that the original Chinese poster was not so well received, thanks to some eagle eyed blogger spotting a distinctive similarity between a portion of it, and a scene from Zack Snyder's film 300. That story is told in full at observers.france24.com.
Red Cliff is released here in November, and the UK trailer can be viewed here, as ever, click on the images to see them in all their glory.
New US poster
The US “Coming Soon” poster
An alternate Chinese poster, with the offending tree now on the left hand side.
The Week's New DVD Releases (8/09/09)
MOVIES - NEW RELEASES
Battle of the Warriors aka Battle of Wits/Muk gong (2006) Serious-minded period war epic from Hong Kong, starring Andy Lau, based on a Japanese Manga. Solid, rather than spectacular, but indicates a direction away from the more fairy tale approach of the films that followed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Wo hu cang long (2000). A comprehensive review can be read at kunfucinema.com. (DVD)
Bleach The Movie 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion/Gekijōban Burīchi Za Daiyamondo Dasuto Reberion Mō Hitotsu no Hyōrinmaru (2007). Directed by Noriyuki Abe (Ninku: The Movie), this English language version of the modest Japanese box-office anime hit from Studio Pierrot (released by San Francisco's Viz Media), tells of the search for the missing Ouin seal. Extras include production video, art gallery, and trailers. (DVD)
Blood Rain/Hyeol-ui nu (2005). Director Kim Dae-seung almost pulls off this period serial killer movie, set in 1808, but the supernatural overtones lead to an uncertain atmsophere. (DVD)
Crank 2: High Voltage (2009) Neveldine and Taylor can console themselves over Gamer's dismal weekend box office, with the week’s big Blu-ray release of their frenetic sequel. Corey Haim, Geri Halliwell (aka Ginger Spice) David Carradine, Maynard James Keenan and Ron Jeremy show up to lend a hand. (Blu-ray and two-disc Special Edition DVD)
Exit Speed (2008) Desmond Harrington (Dexter), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), and Fred Ward (Tremors) star in this "bus full of strangers vs. meth-addicted bikers in a scrap yard" epic from director Scott Ziehl (Earth vs the Spider) and writer Michael Stokes (The Marsh). (Blu-Ray and DVD)
Freaky Farley (2007). The film-makers would like you to believe that this is a fun, cheesy retro horror movie ("a shocking, new independent movie in the tradition of Silent Night Deadly Night 2"), reports are that the reality is disappointing. Proceed with caution, and read the reviews at horror-movie-a-day blog and fatally-yours.com before committing. (DVD)
Greetings (2007) Low-budget (£100,000) Brit horror, the first full-length feature from veteran actor Kenneth Colley (The Blood Beast Terror, Star Wars, and 1990’s under-rated The Last Island) who used his own home for the location shoot. An innocent party turns to terror when a ouija board summons a new guest, Kenneth Colley (who also appears) is always interesting to watch, but the trailer doesn’t hold much promise. (DVD)
Hell House: The Book of Samiel (2008) Low Budget auteur Jason D Morris helmed the 2006 webisode drama Millennium Apocalypse, and if some reviewers are to be believed, he's not yet ready even for the straight-to-DVD market. Mike Varrati at fatally-yours.com calls the film a "scary good time", but Bill Gobron at DVDtalk.com lets the director have it with both barrels: "While Morris does show some minor … directorial flare, the resulting entertainment is stifled and stupefyingly lame". Trailer here. (DVD)
Hot Rod Horror (2008) Filmed at Turner's Auto Wrecking in Fresno, CA, actor Darrell Mapson's first time behind the camera, aims to be an old-school B horror film, and a tribute to 1950s California hot rods. Both are laudable, but judging by the trailer, the end result is another low budget poorly acted snooze-fest. (DVD)
Lady Ninja Kaede (2007) and Lady Ninja Kaede Volume 2 (2007) Exploitation Digital release these two erotic martial arts extravaganzas, featuring over-sexed ninja nuns. (DVD)
Live Animals (2008) Memphis-based film maker Jeremy Benson wrote Live Animals before seeing Hostel, based on a love of 70s horror movies his dad shared with him as a kid. The words "Hostel" and "70s influence" usually indicate a depressing, dank evening's viewing, with wince-inducing torture replacing character and story development, but judging by the trailer this is worth the rental (thanks, by the way, for creating a decent trailer, makers of Hot Rod Horror take note), with John Still leaving a particular impression as the business man dealing in human traffic. (DVD)
Murder, Take One aka The Big Scene/Baksu-chiltae deonara (2005) South Korean director Jang Jin (Guns and Talks) has a reputation for genre-bending, and he goes a little too far in this crime drama with supernatural overtones. Stars Seung-won Cha and Gyu-su Jeong can also be seen in this week's Blood Rain release, and Yeong-Nam Jang starred in Pil-Sung Yim's highly recommended Hansel and Gretel (2007). (DVD)
Nature of the Beast (2007) An ABC Family TV movie from a couple of Halloweens ago – Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie) plays Rich who, as his wedding approaches, reveals that he is, in fact, a werewolf. Autumn Reeser (The OC) plays his future spouse and Eric Mabius (The Crow: Salvation) provides the villainy, under the direction of TV Stalwart and occasional horror helmer Rodman Flender (Leprechaun 2, Idle Hands). (DVD)
Night of the Dribbler (1995) Pitched as a lost classic by distributors Code Red, this Canadian basketball slasher comedy stars the late impressionist Fred Travalena (who provides a commentary with Scott Spiegel, writer of the Evil Dead). From director Jack Bravman (Zombie Nightmare, and producer of Snuff). Discovered in a vault in Montreal, apparently and never before seen. (DVD)
Night Stalker (2009) Director Ulli Lommel’s latest serial killer “biopic”, this time on Richard Ramírez, who was convicted in 1989 of 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He still sits on death row awaiting execution, and it's doubtful if anyone familiar with the facts of the case will recognize anything in this release. (DVD)
Rise of the Gargoyles (2009) Predictable Sci-Fi (sorry SyFy) Channel nonsense, directed by Bill Corcoran (Left Behind II: Tribulation Force), and starring Eric Balfour (The Spirit), and Nick Mancuso (Under Siege). Filmed in Paris and Bucharest. (DVD)
Sleep Dealer (2009) Winner of two Sundance awards, first time feature director Alex Rivera uses a science fiction framework to explore the US-Mexico border issue. Heavily influenced by Blade Runner and eXistenZ (not to mention The Matrix), the film has received mixed reviews, from Kenneth Turan on the LA Times: “…a welcome surprise … visually interesting science fiction done on a budget…”, and Kirk Honeycutt in The Hollywood Reporter: “…should spark a cult following among sci-fi fans at the very least…”; to Aaron Hills in the Village Voice: “…while … Rivera's feature debut focuses, admirably, on how globalization affects the third world, his ideas are as subtle as a light saber to the face.”, and Justin Chang in Variety: “…lacks the vision, or the budget, to pull off its fusion of sci-fi and aspirational saga.” Shot by Lisa Rinzler (Menace II Society, The Dead Presidents), and starring Luis Fernando Peña, Leonor Varela (Blade II), and Jacob Varga (The Hills Have Eyes II). (Blu-ray and DVD)
Uncharted (2009) Obscure wobbly-cam horror, supposedly pieced together from the recovered tapes of a missing documentary crew. Directed by reformed gang member Frank Nunez, it looks like the Blair Witch/[Rec]/Cloverfield "found footage" sub-genre has finally come full circle, back to Cannibal Holocaust (1980). (DVD)
MOVIES - RE-RELEASES
Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Enchanted Musical Edition (1971) Difficult to wholeheartedly recommend this disc, as the content is essentially the same as the 30th Anniversary reissue from 2001. The sole difference (barring a special effects doc to plug the TV show "The Wizards of Waverly Place"), is the lost song, "A Step in the Right Direction", with production stills replacing the lost footage. Directed by Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins) and starring Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall, and David Tomlinson. The film won the Academy Award for Eustace Lycett's special effects, beating Jim Danforth and Roger Dicken's work on Hammer's When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970). (DVD)
The Black Hole (2006)/The Last Sentinel (2007). Dire Sci-Fi (oops, SyFy) Channel double bill. The Black Hole has the saving grace of being directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate, Mansquito), and starring Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), so it’s at least fun, and borderline prescient after the issues with the Large Hadron Collider in 2008. The Last Sentinel, however is directed by Brit stuntman Jesse V Johnson, who went on to direct the dreadful Green Street 2/Green Street Hooligans 2 (2009) and the much better gangster movie Charlie Valentine (2009), and stars Don Wilson (without 'The Dragon' moniker), a what-was-she-thinking Katee Sackoff, on a break from Battlestar Gallactica, and some talking guns. (DVD)
Catwoman (2004) Dir: Pitof, with: Halle Berry, Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone. Beware the curse of the single-name director. (Blu-ray)
Creepshow (1982) In the UK, there is a well-loved two-disc special edition from 2007, with a 5.1 surround mix, deleted scenes, a 90 minute documentary entitled “Just Desserts: The Making of Creepshow”, a commentary track with George Romero and Tom Savini, as well as Savini's video diary of the effects work. So it is with great excitement that I can announce that the US Blu-ray release features the film, in stereo, with a trailer. Screw Warner Home Video with a voodoo doll. Seriously. (Blu-ray and DVD)
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2006)/Merlin's Apprentice (2006) Russell Mulcahy's second attempt to make a decent mummy movie, after Tale of the Mummy/Talos the Mummy (1998) – third time lucky, perhaps – and the disappointing sequel to Hallmark's Merlin miniseries, directed by David Wu and starring Sam Neill, together on one disc. (DVD)
Dead Calm (1989) Hi-res release for Philip Noyce's excellent Hollywood calling card. Stars: Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, and Billy Zane. (Blu-ray)
From Dusk Till Dawn Triple Pack: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)/From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)/From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000) All three movies for $10.99 from amazon.com. Bargain. (DVD)
Halloween Triple Pack: Halloween - The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)/Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)/Halloween Resurrection (2002) Donald Pleasence's final bow (aka Halloween 6), with Paul Rudd, Steve Miner's partial return to form, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett and Michelle Williams, and Rick Rosenthal's disappointing follow-up with Curtis, Busta Rhymes and, er, Tyra Banks. (DVD)
The Postman (1997) Director/star Kevin Costner's $80M movie version of David Brin's post apocalyptic fable could only raise $18M at the US box office, but – the occasional laughable pretension aside – is nowhere near as bad as those figures indicate. (Blu-ray)
Mad Monster Party (1967) Special Edition of Rankin/Bass's perennial Halloween stop motion favorite with three featurettes: “Mad Monster Party: Making a Cult Classic”; “It‘s Sheer Animagic! Secrets of Stop Motion Animation”; and “Groovy Ghouls: The Music of Mad Monster Party”; along with a couple of sing-a-long numbers and a trailer. (Dear Lionsgate, please give Warner Bros a call and tell them how it’s done.) (DVD)
The Quick and the Dead (1995) Sam Raimi's excellent revenge western on Blu-ray, with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio (Blu-ray)
Scary Movie Triple Pack: Scary Movie (2000)/Scary Movie 2 (2001)/Scary Movie 3 (2003) First three of the Wayans brothers spoofs. Now with added lack of relevance. (DVD)
Scream Triple Pack: Scream (1996)/Scream 2 (1997)/Scream 3 (2000) Wes Craven's colossal franchise, well worth the $10.99 asking price. (DVD)
Slit-Mouthed Woman (aka Kaiki toshi-densetsu: Kuchisake-onna, 2007)/Zombie Dead (aka Zonbi deddo, 2008) Double bill of Tôru Kikkawa's well reviewed urban legend, and Kanzô Matsuura's zombies-in-a-hospital direct to video release. (DVD)
Sphere (1998) Barry Levinson's disappointing adaptation of Michael Crichton's underwater aliens saga, with Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L Jackson, and Liev Schreiber. (Blu-ray)
TV RELEASES
Fringe: The Complete First Season (2008) Fringe moved beyond its initial "X-Files lite" feel with a combination of a smart choice in directors, like Brad Anderson (Session 9, The Machinist), and writers such as Akiva Goldsman (I, Robot), as well as a well balanced (or unbalanced in certain cases) lead triumvirate of Anna Torv (all icy Estonian intensity), John Noble (a long way from Denethor), and (biggest surprise of all) Joshua Jackson (Dawson's Creek, Shutter), whose bad boy warmth acts as a bridge between the two extremes. Add the always reliable Jared Harris (son of Richard), and Oz alumni Lance Reddick and Kirk Acevedo (whose continuing role is very publicly in doubt), and Season 2's premiere in September 17th is highly anticipated. (Blu-ray and DVD)
Harper's Island: The DVD Edition (2009) CBS’s serial killer series will probably be remembered for proving that no amount of Web marketing can save declining ratings — albeit a decline caused by a "dump it and forget it" move from Thursday to Saturday after just three episodes. Extras include four featurettes (a "Making of", a piece on casting; a guess-the-killer survey of the cast and crew; and an interview with co-executive produce Karim Zeik on the process of informing the cast who was to die each week), as well as commentary tracks for four episodes, deleted scenes for six episodes, and all 16 of the “Harper's Globe” webisodes. (DVD)
Classic TV Sherlock Holmes Collection, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (1954–5) All 39 episodes of the US TV series, starring Ronald Howard as Holmes, and H. Marion Crawford as Watson, from public domain specialists Pop Flix. Made in Paris and shot at a rate of one episode every four days, the series is not well regarded in the Holmes pantheon. But at $6.98 a disc, it’s perhaps time for a re-evaluation. (DVD)
Red Garden: The Complete Series Box Set & OVA (2006–07) 22 episodes of the New York-set Japanese anime TV series, and its direct to video sequel. Four girls at an NY private school are recruited to fight monsters by a mysterious figure. (DVD)
Smallville: The Complete Seasons 1-8 (2001–09) All your Superboy needs for a mere $335.99. Should tide you over until Season 9 starts on September 25th. (DVD)
Goosebumps: Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns and Goosebumps: The Headless Ghost. Three episodes per disc from the TV series based on RL Stine's best selling book series from Scholastic. (DVD)
Festival Round-up: Infestation at Film 4 Frightfest
Infestation (2009) Director: Kyle Rankin. Starring: Chris Marquette, Brooke Nevin, Kinsey Packard, Ray Wise and Bru Muller. USA, 93 minutes. UK Cert.: 18. World Premiere (Note: This premiered on US TV on the SyFy channel on August 8th, 2009.) Trailer
The closing film of Day 1, and widely regarded as the best of the day, was Kyle Rankin's giant bug comedy Infestation. Rankin's previous work includes Alias: The Lost Episode and he was co-director of the Project Greenlight movie The Battle of Shaker Heights. The film stars Chris Marquette (Fanboys), Brooke Nevin (I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer), and Ray Wise (Twins Peaks, RoboCop). US DVD/Blu-ray release is on October 13th, UK DVD/Blu-ray release is September 7th. The film airs tonight (9/03/09) on SyFy at 7pm, (4pm Pacific on Comcast HD).
Synopsis "Slacker Cooper (Fanboys’ Chris Marquette) returns to his office to clear out his desk after being fired when a strange phenomenon causes him to black out. Awakening he’s nauseous, weak, covered in webbing and hanging from the ceiling! Struggling out of his slimy prison, he comes face to face with what was responsible – a Giant Bug. Oversize insects have suddenly taken over the world and those humans the swarm isn’t using for food are being turned into hideous half-spider monsters. Taking charge of a rag-tag group of survivors Cooper heads for the nest to destroy the colossal pests breeding within. But will they make it safely before being picked off one by one by the flying, jumping, scuttling and lethal eight-legged freaks? Writer/director Kyle Rankin’s top-ranking comedy horror is an enormously entertaining and fun creature feature with ace special effects continually propelling the inventively shudder-some creepy-crawly action." Program Notes, www.frightfest.co.uk
Reviews and Comments
"…really dumb and really fun, with some wittier, intelligent stuff chucked in for good measure. Without doubt, the best movie of the day." Jamie Carruthers, www.gorepress.com
"The clear winner of day one’s Best Film honour … with a smartly structured screenplay, some gorgeous dialogue… bang-on casting and a number of well executed bug-fight sequences. With a bit more focus and control, this could have been a genuine masterpiece of the monster movie genre but [it] still counts as a rollicking good entertainment." Brendon Connelly, www.slashfilm.com
A huge part of Infestation's charm comes from its gleeful pairing of PG-13 creature comedies like Tremors and Eight Legged Freaks!, with the awkward-guy indie comedy. I heartily recommend setting your TiVo, DVR, VCR or what-have-you or just tuning in and enjoying some post-apocalyptic bug-brained fun. Agent Orange, www.quietearth.us. From a review of the first SyFy braodcast.
The surprise of the first day … the reaction to that's been really positive … one of those really enjoyable, fun films you want to watch late at night … we recommend tracking that one down. Chris and Phil Present: Film4 Frightfest Fright Bite One! www.twitchfilm.net
Your ability to enjoy Infestation is going to be directly linked with how much you can channel that VHS loving horror hound of your youth… For the most part there’s a lightness to the movie that pervades even the somewhat less successful dark moments that the film occasionally springs on the audience. Evil Andy, dreadcentral.com
…a B-movie horror-com that’s shonky-looking, badly paced and schlocky as hell… with the odd gleefully grotesque moment, likeable leads and a Ray Wise cameo. A crap movie with good bits. Rosie Fletcher, totalfilm.com
Festival Round-up: Triangle at Film4 Frightfest
The following is an aggregate of the buzz from the opening night movie from Film4 Frightfest in London, which kicked off on August 27th.
Triangle (2009) Director: Christopher Smith. Starring: Melissa George, Liam Hemsworth, Rachael Carpani, Emma Lung and Michael Dorman. UK/Australia, 2009, 95 minutes, UK Cert. 18. World Premiere. Trailer
Christopher Smith follows the disappointing Creep (2004), and the much-more-like-it Severance (2006) with an ocean-bound horror movie, equally inspired by Dead of Night (1945) and Memento (2000). Filmed in Australia, with mostly Aussie talent, including Melissa George (Turistas, 30 Days of Night), Liam Hemsworth (Knowing), and Emma Lung (The Gates of Evil). The film gets a full UK release in October, no US release date as yet. Smith's is currently in post-production on The Black Death, a mediaeval horror with Sean Bean (The Hitcher) and Carice van Houten (Valkyrie), from a script by Dario Poloni (Wilderness)
Synopsis "When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong. Her suspicions are realised when the yacht hits a storm and the group is forced to board a passing ocean liner to get to safety, a ship Jess is convinced she's been on before. The ship appears deserted, the clock on board has stopped, but they are not alone... Someone is intent on hunting them down, one by one. And Jess unknowingly holds the key to end the terror." Icon Film Distribution press release.
Reviews and Comments
"From epic ocean vistas to poignantly shocking finale, Triangle is Smith’s best, polished and most mature work. His sophisticated and intricate script is always kept on an intriguing angle, the sudden violence is jolting, the atmosphere remains continually creepy and Melissa George gives an exceptionally haunting and moving performance." Program Notes, www.frightfest.co.uk
Christopher Smith’s … third feature, Triangle, is a fantastical, psychological horror that follows Creep and Severance as another alternate slant on familiar genre conventions. Triangle is a big step forward and whereas fellow Brit genre director Neil Marshall has stumbled recently, Smith is clearly on the up…" James Dennis, twitchfilm.net
"…a mindf*ck movie in the tradition of Memento, Donnie Darko and Timecrimes. If you’re a fan of such flicks, this will be one to watch, watch again and add to your collection. Christopher Smith has made an imaginative leap forward." Emma Rowley, indiemoviesonline.com
"Triangle was a pretty strong flick marred only by the fact that I saw an incredibly similar film at last years’ fest by the name of Timecrimes." Jamie Carruthers, www.gorepress.com
"…sadly, I don’t think Triangle plays fair. There seems to be a good bit of fudging going on as regards the ‘rules’ of how the film’s particular plot engine ‘quirk’ is taking place. There’s also a baffling piece of deus ex machina towards the end that feels like a tremendous act of disrespect to the audience." Brendon Connelly, www.slashfilm.com
The lengths it goes to to confound and confuse make this a very exciting film and a big step forward for Christopher Smith, despite an empty feel familiar in films that rely solely on plot mechanics. Ben Austwick, www.quietearth.us
"While it starts strongly, Triangle really starts to wear thin and test the patience as the story continues… while I really did want to like it I ultimately became bored and disinterested." Gareth Jones, www.dreadcentral.com
The Week's New DVD Releases (09/01/09)
MOVIE RELEASES
Methodic (2008) Writer/Director Chris R Notarile wanted to remake Halloween, but after nine years of hawking his screenplay, Rob Zombie beat him to it. Instead he made this well-received indie slasher (or "basher" as he prefers – the killer uses a hammer), which suffers in comparison to its influences and lack of budget, but pays off in the third act. The Horror Review says: "…hits you hard up until the very end". Stars Brandon Slagle, Niki Notarile, Rachael Robbins, and Charles Cyphers.
Earth Day (2009) Written and directed by Eugene, Oregon film-maker Mister Ooh-la-la (not the wrestler of the same name) and starring twin sisters Daphne Danger, and Koi O'Eltressiah, this has received some positive reviews, but the trailer isn't promising. Expect a Troma-style horror comedy, or an 80s slasher directed by John Waters.
Humanity's End (2009) Ambitious-looking low-budget ($2 million) science fiction from Brit Neil Johnson (Battlespace), judging by the impressive trailer. Could be worthwhile if the script and acting are up to the FX.
Fire and Ice (1983) Blu-ray release for Ralph Bakshi's collaboration with Frank Frazetta (Conan the Barbarian) disappoints because it was then impossible to bring Frazetta's stunning illustration style to life using hand-drawn, rotoscoped animation. Worth checking out for Bakshi's commentary (nothing from the 81 years old Frazetta, unfortunately). Restored and remastered, with 7.1 DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD and silly D-Box Motion Control, for those with compatible furniture.
TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Science Fiction, 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)/Soylent Green (1973)/Forbidden Planet (1956)/The Time Machine (1960). No extras, but a great deal at $20.99 from amazon.com. But somewhere I hear Kubrick spinning in his grave, over the fact that 2001 is in a four-pack.
TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Horror, House of Wax (1953)/The Haunting (1962)/Freaks (1932)/Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) Not as successful a selection as the Science Fiction disk, the Spencer Tracy Jekyll and Hyde is best purchased for $5.79 on the double feature disk with the vastly superior 1932 version, and ditto House of Wax, which for $5.79 also contains the 1933 Mystery of the Wax Museum.
Gaumont Treasures: 1897-1913 A chance to see 60 films by Alice Guy, though sadly not Esmerelda, her 1905 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (the first to be filmed), as well as early works by Louis Feuillade (before he hit it big with Les Vampires in 1915) and forgotten auteur Leonce Perret. Kino Video always do a marvelous job, so this should be a treat – albeit one with a $79.95 price tag.
Holy Flame of the Martial World/Wu lin sheng huo jin (1983) Barking mad mystical martial arts epic from the Shaw Brothers, available for years only at ludicrous prices, this is big, brash fun. from director Chin-Ku Lu (Black Dragon's Revenge/The Black Dragon Revenges the Death of Bruce Lee/Long zheng hu dou jing wu hun, 1975) and actors Siu Chung Mok (from the Once Upon a Time in China… series), Jason Pai Piao (Death Mask of the Ninja/Iron Fingers of Death/Shaolin chuan ren, 1982), and actor/stunt coordinator Philip Kwok (Hard Boiled/Lat sau san taam, 1992; Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997, and Brotherhood of the Wolf/Le pacte des loups, 2001).
School for Unclaimed Girls; aka The Smashing Bird I Used to Know (1969) Directed by Robert Hartford-Davis (Incense for the Damned), and starring Madeline Hinde, Patrick Mower (both in Incense) and Dennis Waterman (Scars of Dracula, The Sweeney). Fourth of five movies made by Hartford-Davis under the Titan International banner, with Producer/Cinematographer Peter Newbrook (2nd Unit photographer on Lawrence of Arabia and later, director of The Asphyx, who died in June), this is a forgettable reform school girls movie, nowhere near as enjoyable as the other Titan films – Gonks Go Beat (1965) and Corruption (1968), are much more fun. The partnership ended after a troubled production in Greece for Incense for the Damned (1970), which led to Hartford-Davis having his name removed from the titles, he directed one more horror film in the UK — The Fiend/Beware My Brethren (1972) — before heading to Hollywood, and dying of a heart attack in 1977. Look for a 15 year-old Leslie-Anne Down ("The Bold and the Beautiful"), and Joanna David (the BBC's 1995 "Pride and Prejudice") in her first film.
To Dance with Death (2000) Jay Lind's micro-budget sex/horror film starring Brinke Stevens.
Blacula/Scream Blacula Scream / Coffy/Friday Foster / Slaughter/Slaughter's Big Ripoff Together at last, each disc contains two blaxploitation classics for $12.99
Cornbread, Earl and Me/Cooley High Two black cinema must-haves from 1975, the first a coming of age tale with Laurence Fishburne, the latter Eric Monte's story of High School life in Chicago, directed by Michael Schultz (Car Wash, 1976).
Gladiator (2000), Braveheart (1995), M*A*S*H (1972) This week's mainstream Blu-ray releases.
TV RELEASES
Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin (1976) Tom Baker four-parter, influenced by The Manchurian Candidate, and causing mighty upset to the self-appointed moral watchdog, Mary Whitehouse — mainly thanks to the graphic depiction of The Master's decay, and a brutal fist fight at the end of Episode 3, which ended in a freeze frame of the Doctor's head being held underwater (removed by the BBC after her complaint, but since restored). The Deadly Assassin has long been a fan favorite, partially because it shows Gallifrey in detail for the first time, partially because of an alternate reality named The Matrix, but mainly because it stars my dear old uncle Hugh Walters as Commentator Runcible, his second of three appearances (he played William Shakespeare in 1965’s The Executioners, and Vogel in 1985’s Revelation of the Daleks), in a distinguished career that began (following a period in the Cambridge Footlights) with John Boorman’s debut Catch Us If You Can/Having a Wild Weekend (1965).
Doctor Who: Image of the Fendahl (1977) Tom Baker four-parter, written by Chris Boucher (Blake's 7, Star Cops), who fueled many a teenager's fantasies by creating Leela, the scantily clad girl savage, who accompanied the Doctor from 1977–78.
Doctor Who: Delta and the Bannermen (1987)
Sylvester McCoy three parter, with Bonnie Langford as assistant Melanie Bush. Just awful.
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Set 1 (1971)
Series one of the British Thames TV series. Kudos to Acorn Media for releasing both the great and the obscure from British TV history (I was 10 when this was shown and it doesn't ring any bells). Based on a book anthology series by Hugh Green (brother of Graham Greene and Director General of the BBC from 1960 to 1969). Stars include Donald Pleasence (Halloween), John Neville (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), Peter Vaughan (Straw Dogs), in crime stories by contemporaries of Conan-Doyle, such as Robert Barr, William Hope Hodgson, and Baroness Orczy.
Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD and Blu-ray) Box Set of Season 1-4 also available.
Heroes - Season Three (DVD and Blu-ray) Aka, the one where we lost interest. Also available in a Box Set of Seasons 1–3.
Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors Six episodes of the Aardman Animation TV show for Halloween.
Impact (2008) Dreadful ABC miniseries, with Natasha Henstridge (Species) and David James Elliott (JAG), directed by Mike Rohl ("Smallville").
C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete Ninth Season (2009) Laurence Fishburn's season started powerfully, but got silly fast.
Horror Clash Leads to Record Weekend
The head-to-head between The Final Destination and Halloween II, led to a record weekend at the box office, even if one of the combatants came off worse in the fight. Bringing back former stuntman David R Ellis, director of the best of the series, Final Destination 2 (as well as Snakes on a Plane), paid off, as The Final Destination pulled in a creditable $28.3 million, giving it the largest opening weekend of the franchise so far (number three pulled in $19.2 million). 70% of the take came from cinemas presenting the film in 3D, with the usual extra cost for the glasses – a shame this practice continues to pay off for studios.
Trailing behind Tarantin’s Inglourious Basterds (down 47% to $20 million), Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, took $17.4 million (down from Halloween’s $26.4 million), not surprising, given the slight regard among fans for Zombie's remake and, it seems, a dwindling puddle of love for Zombie as a film maker in general. Neill Blomkamp’s $30 million District 9 held its own at number four, with $10.7 million (for a total of $90.8 million in 17 days), and Stephen Sommer’s GI Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, continues to mystify with a weekend take of $8 million, giving it a total of $132.4 million in 24 days.
At number seven (behind Julie & Julia), Robert Schwentke’s The Time Traveler’s Wife dropped 31%, with $6.75 million (total: $48.2 million), and at eight, Robert Rodriguez’s poorly received fantasy Shorts beat out Ang Lee's new release Taking Woodstock, with $4.87 million, for a two week total of $13.5 million – Rodriguez has refused to reveal the budget, but this is likely not a bad result given his lean working methods.
At number 10, visual effects man Hoyt Yeatman’s G-Force took $2.84 million ($111.8 million total after six weeks), and at 11, David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince took $2.6 million, making it the second-highest grossing of the Potter movies, with $294.4 million in 47 days (though the fact that it's only fifth in terms of bums on seats, indicates that the controversial ending – changed significantly from the book – may have taken a toll).
Miyazaki's Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) sits at number 13 this weekend, with $1.95 million, having taken $11.1 million in three weeks. Meanwhile Sophie Barthes’ glowingly reviewed Cold Souls, starring Paul Giamatti, seems unlikely to cross over from the art house, dropping 10 screens to 40, and taking only $100,000, down 16.9%, for a four week total of $479,000.
Overall, box office was up 32% from last year (when Tropic Thunder, in its third week, was the number one movie, and Babylon AD, Traitor, and Disaster Movie, were the disappointing new releases), and is the highest ever for the last weekend in August.
Info from boxofficemojo.com and IMdB.com
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures/The Zanuck Company
Producer: Tim Burton, Richard D. Zanuck, Joe Roth, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Linda Woolverton from the novel by Lewis Carroll
Director of Photography: Dariusz Wolski
Editor: Chris Lebenzon
Production Design: Robert Stromberg
Art Direction: Stefan Dechant
Special Effects Supervisor: Michael Lantieri
Visual Effects Supervisors: Ken Ralston, Sean Phillips, Carey Villegas
Special Effects Makeup: Kevin McTurk
Wig and Makeup Designer: Paul Gooch
Locations: Cornwall, Devon, UK
Release Date: 5 March 2010
Cast: Mia Wasikowska (Alice Kingsley), Johnny Depp (The Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (The White Queen), Michael Sheen (The White Rabbit), Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen), Alan Rickman (The Caterpillar), Christopher Lee (The Jabberwock), Stephen Fry (The Cheshire Cat), Crispin Glover (The Knave of Hearts), Timothy Spall (The Bloodhound), Marton Csokas (Charles Kingsley), Noah Taylor (The March Hare), Matt Lucas (Tweedledee/Tweedledum), Eleanor Tomlinson (Fiona Chataway), Lindsay Duncan (Helen Kingsley), Frances de la Tour (Aunt Imogene), Tim Pigott-Smith (Lord Ascot), Barbara Windsor (The Dormouse), Geraldine James (Lady Ascot)
Comment: Some things just seem right the moment you hear them, and the words Tim Burton and Alice in Wonderland being used in the same sentence qualifies. The movie, written by Linda Woolverton (The Lion King), will mix actors and CGI (in 3-D, naturally), and is not due for release until next March, but Disney have released a few images to whet our appetites. The cast seem perfect for their roles (Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/Tweedledum, and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat are particularly inspired), and we're glad to see a relative unknown, Australian Mia Wasikowska (from Greg Mclean’s Rogue [2007], which starred Sam Worthington), cast as Alice, instead of the early-rumoured Lindsay Lohan. [Click images for a larger view]
