VACANCY
Luke's my favorite Wilson. I want to marry Kate Beckinsale. Frank Whaley rocks, and I've been a fan of Ethan Embry since Dutch. But boy are they miscast cast in VACANCY.
The film has a simple and effective concept and only requires a handful of actors; a husband and wife get stranded on the road and check into an isolated motel where they quickly discover their room is bugged with video cameras set up to capture them be brutally murdered. I'll take that. But the bad casting and nosedive into cliche'ville 3/4 of the way in just killed it for me. When the victims and the murderers make one bone head decision after another, suspense quickly turns to aggravation.
People seem to complain the most about the abrupt ending, but considering the film is 80 minutes and takes place entirely at a motel I welcomed it.
BEST SCENE: Before prepping for bed, Luke Wilson's character puts on some VHS tapes sitting on the motel room TV. They're snuff films, one after another, of various people being attacked and brutally murdered in a room. He begins to look around then he and his wife realize, it's the room they're in. Suddenly, the lights go out...
Saturday, October 20, 2007
31 DAYS OF HORROR: DAY 20
Friday, October 19, 2007
31 DAYS OF HORROR: DAY 19
1408: DIRECTOR'S CUT
A man who specializes in debunking the paranormal checks in to room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel, a supposed haunted room where no one has lasted more than an hour before dying a grizzly death.
The DVD age has been a Godsend for film fans, but it can also be aggravating when situations like this arise. It's simple, 1408 was released in two versions, the theatrical cut, and the directors cut. Both are edited differently, have different scenes, and have different endings. One version of 1408 is a better ride, but the other has a better ending. So which one do you recommend? Which version is definitive? When a potentially great movie is directed my a studio hand who films a number of alternate scenes/sequences for the purpose of test screenings (cough HACK DIRECTOR cough), this is what happens.
Regardless, 1408 is very much a Stephen King story (a psychological thriller about a writer), and at times a very scary/beautiful one. With more thought (balls), this could have been classic, but it's worth a hearty recommendation.
*Ending the film with the Carpenters "We've Only Just Begun" was such an painfully obvious decision which also made sense within the story context, I still wonder why they didn't think of it.
BEST SCENE: After entering the room, Cusack's character is almost daring the room to do something creepy. After inspecting everything he opens the window and confidentially leans out when the window slams shut on his hand and the alarm clock radio begins playing "We've Only Just Begun" and begins counting down from 59:59. Oh yes.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
31 DAYS OF HORROR: DAY 18
28 WEEKS LATER
A live action video game.
Level One: Control the initial outbreak.
Level 2: Snipe the infected among the crowd.
Level 3: Get to the open field.
Level 4: While going to the field, avoid enemy snipers.
Level 5: Hold off the infected until the helicopter can land.
Level 6: Get to the stadium.
Level 7: (Using Night Vision!) Protect the children in the dark subway.
Final Level: Kill the Super Zombie.
Despite what anyone tells you, 28 Weeks Later is better than the original. Danny Boyle came up with a great concept with great ideas, but this had more money, was better directed, was a lot more scarier, and had a great final act. Rose Byrne and Jeremy Renner (practically playing the same character from S.W.A.T.) didn't hurt either.
BEST SCENE: Pick a level.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
31 DAYS OF HORROR: DAY 3
CHILDS PLAY
Definitely not the first "evil toy comes to life" movie, but by far the most popular and the standard. It also helps that the evil toy at hand, Good Guy doll "Chucky," quickly became a horror icon as popular as Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kreuger after the films release.
BEST SCENE: After about 50 minutes of build up, Karen's son Andy has been sent away to Child Services when the cops think it was him who pushed his babysitter out a window, killing her. When alone in her apartment, she notices that both Andy and his Good Guy doll Chucky wear the same shoes, and begins to suspect foul play as the footprints at the crime scene might not have been her son's. Karen slowly grabs the doll, stands near the fireplace, checks his batteries....and there aren't any inside....
Karen Barclay: I said talk to me, damn it. Or else I'll throw you in the fire.In 1988, when you've never seen not only a doll come to life, but a doll come to life, get REALLY pissed and threaten to kill you, this can give you a heart attack.
[Chucky comes alive]
Chucky: You stupid bitch! You filthy slut! I'll teach you to fuck with me!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
31 DAYS OF HORROR: DAY 2
What Lies Beneath
directed by Robert Zemekis
I wonder if people would talk about this one more if it were directed by Hitchcock himself?
BEST SCENE: The bathtub scene. Michelle Pfeiffer is wide awake, but lay helplessly paralyzed in the bathtub, while the water slowly rises.
31 DAYS OF HORROR: DAY 1
#31 - The Thing
directed by John Carpenter
A group of scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by an alien that can take on the form of whatever it kills. Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Alien.
The Thing is becoming more and more of a classic with every passing year. Made in 1982 and it hasn't aged a bit. The amazing special effects hold up beautifully and are as chilling today as they were 25 years ago. Alien might have been more visual, influential, and successfull, but for the money, this is a better time at the movies. It's rare when the suspense out weighs the actual horror in a scary movie (don't forget to breathe during the blood test scene), and the gross factor whenever the alien is in mid transformation between victims still packs a punch.
If one was to make a list of the 10 greatest movie remakes ever, this would definitely be on it.
If one was to make a list of the top 5 horror movies of all time, this should be on it.
If one was to make a list of the top 3 Kurt Russell films of all time, this would be on it.
If one needed 1 truly bad ass film to jump start 31 DAYS OF HORROR, this would be it.
