SkimbleSHANKS presents "Event Horizon" with Kodiak Thompson

Films Researched for this Podcast: Hellraiser (1987), Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), and Event Horizon (1997)

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 41: SkimbleSHANKS presents "Event Horizon" with Kodiak Thompson.

Kodiak Thompson returns to the podcast to talk up Paul W.S. Anderson's attempt to combine "Alien" and "Hellraiser", "Event Horizon". Cool Movies Darth and his guest go over the most memorable video game features the auteur was behind as they try to figure out how this Lawrence Fishburne lead feature was Anderson's biggest financial bomb despite being his most original and impressive concept. It gets sad when you find out how much CG effects that look bad in 4K cost in 1997.

 

 

We obviously took a trip down memory lane with this feature being 24 years old. This haunted house in space is Anderson's second American directorial effort. He would go on to direct "Soldier" (which we failed to mention despite our swooning over Sean Pertwee) the following year, but otherwise, there is a 16-year gap between him working on projects that are not established IP (17 if you include the "Blade Runner" references in the Kurt Russell feature). It easy to thickly lay on the scrutiny of his talents with that resume.

Computer generated effects do not hold up from these turn of the century features, but that is not his fault. HDR just shows the seams. It may explain why he is an expert when it comes to 3D features. You cannot care to look at every detail if it flying at your face.

 

His talent comes from realizing his vision. When I say vision, it is solely what you see. As for stories, his 500 batting average with his "Resident Evil" franchise gives a warning of where he may come up short.

 

"Event Horizon" features his best ensemble and they are aware of the feature that they are making. It has moments of levity, but the actors do an extraordinary job at maintaining the film's tone. The film also earns bonus points for overlooking standard horror movie tropes and letting Lawrence Fishburne be the lead actor of this ensemble.

 

Despite what Screen Drafts's Co-commissioner Ryan Marker will have you believe, Sam Neill does a great job as the antagonistic scientist going mad. Kodiak and I dive into the concept of whether or not Dr. Weir knew where he was sending the faster-than-light spacecraft the film is named after. Was he no different than Uncle Frank from "Hellraiser"?

With the Clive Barker film serving as inspiration (Kodiak was up on his research.), I took the time to watch the first two films in the "Hellraiser" franchise. Those reviews are featured on this podcast.

Here is one last warning before heading into the last spooky pod of October. We both offer incites on Sean Pertwee, son of the Third Doctor Who. I go on about how Pertwee is not only a comforting face, but a great casualty to add to any feature. This leads me to do my best in selling Neil Marshall's "Doomsday" to his queue.

My Twitter account is @catbusruss. This is where I want your hate to be directed if you disapprove. Otherwise, positive feedback would be best displayed as subscriptions to my podcast and five-star reviews. Lets work that algorithm.

If you think you have a film or franchise that you are an expert on. Send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. Most franchises have at least one feature that will qualify for NinetyForChill. The runtime just needs to be between 74 and 99 minutes. We have four episodes to fill.

 

I have been asking for weeks for assistance in composing an episode dedicated to vampire features like "The Lost Boys" trilogy, "Near Dark", and the "Underworld" movies. Here is to hoping that this bunch of critiques will stir up some inspiration in my audience to step up and hold off on the garlic. If this is a topic you up for discussing, feel free to send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All I need is a half hour on Zoom to get this done.

I hope I am impressing or at the very least amusing you with this podcast and I am open to any and all criticism. My biggest want is more guests and more suggestions on what to chat about (@catbusruss, russthebus07@gmail.com@coolmoviesdarth). If we can get 3 hours out of "Little Nicky", the possibilities are endless. Thanks for visiting.

 

After WrestleMania Backlash, I will tell you that we need to take zombie pro wrestling back. My suggestion is that we finally get my low-budget zombie movie, "Main Event of the Dead" off the ground. The script lacks a lumberjack match, so you know it has got to be better than the "Army of the Dead" advertisement. Ask for a treatment or give me suggestions on how to get it to a crowd-sourcing stage with an email to russthebus07@gmail.com.

 

r/MoviePosterPorn

Techi Muyo! In Love - Before Streaming Services Made Sequels

Genre: comedy/sci-fi fantasy Length: 95 minutes (Theatrical Film) 

Audience Age: 13+

Opinion: A great video to view and to introduce those who are unfamiliar with the series.

This is a review of the dubbed VHS version (close captioned).

© 1996 AIC • Tenchi Muyo Committee • Pioneer Entertainment (USA) L.P.

Pinterest @missryokomasaki
 

Tenchi and company are watching an eight-millimeter film of Tenchi's mother, Achika, on her high school field trip to Tokyo (it is 8mm film because that was what they used in the 70's for home movies. The film has nothing that would have anything Nicolas Cage would need to investigate). Suddenly, our protagonist starts to disappear and the entire house starts to fall apart. Luckily, the self-proclaimed, most brilliant mind in the galaxy, Washu, is able to prevent our hero from vanishing and explain what is going on. By looking at each individual frame of the film, the group sees that Achika is slowly disappearing from the reel, so something must have happened in the past to cause this.

At the same time Tenchi and company are learning about this wrinkle in time, the Galaxy Police Headquarters is destroyed. The final transmission:

Class A Criminal Kain...

Who is Kain? Does this have something to do with the time trouble? No matter what this villain's involvement in this dilemma is; Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kione must go back in time to 1970 to prevent anything from happening to Achika. This is the only way to save their future, and to buy some cool souvenirs from the past.

The plot of Tenchi Muyo! In Love seems to put too many responsibilities on the Tenchi cast since they have enough problems handling normal situations in the "Tenchi Muyo! OVA series", but you know some how they will pull it out. I think the only other flaw with the film's screenplay is that like all other anime motion pictures ("Sailor Moon S: The Movie" as an example), it just comes across as overly dark and dreary. 

Beside for that script weaknesses, everything else about this film is great except for the hit and miss soundtrack by "Babylon 5's" Christopher Franke. I figure if you are going to get a Sci-fi, Western Society composer, get one with "Star Trek" experience or John Williams (for any of those nerds who feel I'm insulting Bab 5, e-mail me at bitemeotakus@animeflow.cubs). All of the technical aspects of this film have really been stepped up from the prior series, "Tenchi Muyo!" and "Tenchi Universe", which is a real treat for those established fans of the Tenchi series.

The numerous qualities of Tenchi the Movie make this a great video to view and to introduce those who are unfamiliar with the series since all the characters' quirks overcome the need for exposition about them. Personally, this may be the strongest Tenchi title since I was willing to buy a new copy after a anime tape-viewing marathon/fumbling incident destroyed my first copy. If that is not a great testimonial, I do not know what is.

 

Tenchi Muyo! Wiki

#Anime on @Tubi: "Wicked City" - A Great Prototype for @StarWars Porn

*This blog post was started on October 22, 2021.

An exciting weekend has lead into a stressful work week.

Of course when the manager gets exposed to COVID 19, vaccinated or not, everything goes wrong. A fraudulent check ring has emerged. There is a new person to train. I actually had to figure out how to place holds on check without ever being trained how to. We are frankly all impressed that everything seems hunky dory.

It is fair to complain about the lack of expertise and managerial structure, but for us to come out on the other side in some degree of working order, the team is solid. We may lose the neighbor next to my station, but we know how I feel about them. There is optimism all around, especially when the comic con they went to was in Indianapolis and not Rosemont.

Optimism is a good thing coming off of a fun weekend. I remember placing the staff at OSF's Partial Hospitalization Psych ward on alert when I would return from an AAW weekend. Fun was had when I was in Berwyn. Upon returning to Morton, my mind was in the state that it shall not get better than that.

And, has it? Well, I can say things outside of Captain N cosplay have been better. Today's difficulty will be getting nourishment. There is no reason to complain because I have a podcast recording scheduled. With Fite TV allowing me to watch AEW Rampage anytime I would like, this should not be a problem. The trouble arises because I did not have to go into work today until noon.

Do you think I took an extra hour of preparation to have a meal before a shift without lunch? How much time will I have to eat before the recording when I need to make an alcohol run? On top of all this, I need to open the bank tomorrow. Will I survive the drive to Peoria for the Rivermen's opening weekend?

I guess there being so many questions leaves me with a bit of excitement? Life is not mundane for the moment, and perhaps that is what keeps me going. The moment I know things are going to get dull, I am fucked.

With that said, I am back at the retailer starting November 6.

Until that day, I have the upbeat attitude for a bunch of double features. The podcast I am recording this week with Kodiak Thompson will be about "Event Horizon". To get myself more material, the "Hellraiser" franchise seemed to run parallel to Paul W.S. Anderson's classic from 1997. Shudder allowed me to watch the first two for free.

October 26's episode of "NinetyForChill.com - The #Podcast" has the padding with those two features, but I was still in the mood for "the sights" Pinhead suggested showing me. Signing up for a free trial to AMC+ to see the other eight features in his franchise seemed like a hassle, so I turned to Tubi for Barker-like material. This lead me to revisiting "Wicked City", a feature I did not particularly care for back when I saw it on Starz a decade prior.

I guess giving this feature a second chance comes from my time buying anime on VHS. Renting was rarely an option, so if you dropped $25-30 on a tape, you got to justify the purchase. In other words, desensitizing one self allows for enjoyment of even the most blatant softcore porn that distracts from the narrative. With Yoshiaki Kawajiri film (TV movies in many cases), this is a common practice.

Wicked City (1987)

Taki Renzaburo is a member of the "Black Guard". He serves the interest of all humanity because there is a demon world that exists and needs to be monitored. For millennia there have been peace treaties between the world, but since demons have monstrous powers, a minority of them are not so keen on the idea of live and let live. The Black Guard keeps those radicals in check.

It is time to negotiate another treaty, so both sides are on edge to make sure no one sabotages the proceedings. The most important representative for humanity is the 200+ year old Giuseppe Myart, so the radicals will obviously target him with nearly all the assets at their disposal. With this increased pressure, Taki has been assigned a partner for this guard duty. She is Makie, a Black Guard who not only uses a modeling profession to cover for her real job, but to cover that she is from the Black World.

Myart is obsessed with pointing out Makie's beauty and sexuality to Taki. It may be a challenge for Taki to avoid getting his feeling and passion involved with this mission. Can he keep a clear head to secure the safety of the human race? When Myart is determined to run from his security detail to indulge in the seedier side of Tokyo, there maybe too many variable to succeed.

If your first exposure to a film of Yoshiaki Kawajiri is not an edited for basic cable version, it will be difficult to get past how sexually explicit his features can be. Thanks Syfy for making "Demon City Shinjuku" and "Vampire Hunter D" so accessible. I think they may have shown "Wicked City" a few times on the Saturday morning anime time slot, but I never caught it in that form. Which is probably a good thing because I would imagine the screen would be blurrier than a Barbara Walters's interview.

Needless to say, when I first saw this feature (and when I had rented "Ninja Scroll" from Morton's Movies America) the explicit nature was a turn off. If I wanted hentai, I know where to find that. This took me away from the narrative and just left me being judgmental about the excuses to warrant the director's decision. With this viewing, knowing what to expect allowed me to look past most of this and find an easily accessible narrative.

This feature comes across as knock off fan fiction. "Wicked City" is just pure pulp. Knowing this, Kawajiri plays it up very well. It has the feel of a manga and the action sequences thrive with a minimalist approach. Like Dario Argento's "Suspiria", the color choices make everything pop out at you. Regardless of how you feel about making every moment of this fairy tale revolve around sex, you cannot help but appreciate the art.

As for the dependence on objectifying our heroine, it is far too great. There are some clever scenes with other female beings where you can appreciate the implication of something nonsexual being totally sexual, but these antagonists are not spending 15 minutes being raped. This makes the feature come off as a grindhouse era revenge feature, but only a man can provide it to the victim. Perhaps, this is a cultural issue. I would need to look up the Japanese box office for 1978's "I Spit on Your Grave" to see if that is the case.

The only other way to interpret the story is to think of it as some pervert writing fan fiction where it is about the man showing his dominance while displaying the woman's frailty. You can easily see this as what the Proud Boys (and a lot of downstate men) would have wanted "Rise of Skywalker" to be. It is all about the misunderstood Kylo rescuing an abused Rey. If I was not looking for something with demons it it, I would not have had a reason to give this another chance.

"Wicked City" has moments of looking beautiful, but the immediate need for the story to make that beauty its bitch makes it too insulting to recommend. I will say the other Kawajiri works I have seen get away from being insulting, but the sexualization of elements is something that still gets in the way of appreciating his art. There is a way to tell its story without being so sexualized, and you watch this wishing for that feature.

This time around, "Wicked City's" narrative got old fast. Even if you love the character design and direction, his repetitive nature of wanting to let us know it is hot results in near immediate burn out. A feature should not leave the male audience wondering if they need Blue Chew to get into it.

The Behemoth Post Evangelion 3.0 Pixiv Prime: CrunchyRoll

safebooru.org
 

 

76-Minutes DVD - "When Evil Calls", It Is Misleading.

Lionsgate cannot appropriately promote a Winstone Sister DVD. Ray should have a word with them.

Jaime's "Cravings" is not about vampires and Lois's "When Evil Calls" is not a Japanese, paranormal horror knock off. It is definitely not a full-length feature. Was this distributor trying to come off as trashy as the lesser Family Video DVD providers? Trash is what was rented when "The Dark Knight" was checked out. That is a sideways move.

Samantha is the headmaster's daughter at her high school, and she just wants to be popular. After the wicked popular girl Kirsty stomps on her cell phone, Sam cannot stand the torment any longer. Fortunately, a demonic clown arrives to repair her phone and make her an offer. She will be granted one wish as long as she texts the same offer to two friends.

Her desperation leads her to wish to become the most popular girl in school, cost be damned. And all goes well for her. But for those who continue to pass the text messages along to their friends, they soon find out that one must be careful for what they wish for.

Twitter @AJRimmerLog

I rented "When Evil Call" because of its ensemble cast. Sean Pertwee ("Dog Soldiers", "Event Horizon", "Formula 51"), Chris Barrie (Rimmer from "Red Dwarf"), and Dominique Pinon ("The City of Lost Children", "Alien Resurrection") being billed lead me to believe it would overcome any Asian horror influence. Thankfully, "When Evil Calls" is a British comedy. This may clash with the horror elements because dry humor and gore are not something you would immediately associate with slapstick.

This series of stories was conceived as the first horror series for mobile phones. I suppose Jeffrey Katzenberg failed to research this series when coming up with Quibi. Obviously this was not going to translate well to DVD in terms of effects and direction quality. The director Johannes Robert wisely uses an over-the-top Pertwee to hold the stories together. Barrie and Pinon make sure the audience is supposed to laugh and not expect to be scared.

"When Evil Calls" maybe a let down for a fan of mass produced horror, but if you are into "Monty Python Lite" humor, it serves as a nice retreat to celebrate the ridiculous nature of the genre. Gore of "Holy Grail's" levels with the appropriately silly violence, this series is not meant to be taken too seriously. Too bad the story about how one arrives at this title is more memorable than the series itself.

Sean Pertwee - 2014 New York Comic Con - Day 4

See No Evil: Not Kane the Movie.

At least I could wait till 8:00 pm to start writing this blog. Too bad it took a sprinkler leak over the front desk to cause this. I suppose that's just a metaphor for my life or just the ultimate case of the Mondays (6/8/15, I imagine this blog may not be released till "Money in the Bank," so the hotel will be in tip top shape by then).

If you want a case for there being a God(s). The United Methodist Great Rivers Conference will sell the hotel out in just a few days, so he/she must be trying to wash the sin away from the atheist (and catholic) staff to make it the ideal location for the final group mentioned on the "Blazing Saddles: Vicious Criminal and Gunmen" list.

I could go into my sense of being lost, but the previous paragraph left me with a transition, dare I say direction, to get right into this week's movie review from Netflix DVD, "See No Evil" featuring WWE Superstar Kane.

Four years ago, Officer Frank Williams and his partner were called to investigate a noise disturbance at a church that was blaring the hymns too loudly. What they found was a girl who had her eyes removed and an ax wielding giant.

Williams was able to get a round off into the monster's skull, but it cost him his partner's life and his flashlight holding hand. Needles to say, this type of heroism will allow you to pick your own path in law enforcement, so he has since decided to help arrange juvenile delinquent community service programs. His latest assigns a group of coeds time to turn the dilapidated Blackwell Hotel into a shelter for the homeless.

Of course the Blackwell has quite a morbid history. The owner built the hotel as his own personal playground, so it may have been the will of God to see the penthouse floors destroyed in a fire, with him staying there, 35 years prior. Still, the privacy those floors can provide the teenagers from their supervisors and the chance of finding a lost safe presents too much temptation for the kids to stay in their bunks.

With so much sin that will return to this hotel, it is only poetic to see Williams's past return with them as he has just made reservations for his eight junior felons at Jacob Goodnights's new abode.

"See No Evil" gets it wrong from the get go. There are some Lucio Fulci films that I call total cow excrement on, but I do not feel like his pictures were ever fresh manure since I can make it to the end before sensing a whiff. You notice the stench at the beginning of the second act, and director Gregory Dark's infrequent frantic camera motions do not remedy the smell.

Sometimes, you do not know how much you despised something until you write the first paragraph about it. Sometimes, you got look back to get angry I suppose. Maybe we should never look back at all.

The film has two characters that we might care about, but in an attempt to make you more interested in the third rate story with third rate gore, one of them will not make it that far. I do not think that's a spoiler because it is still tough to care for either of them.

In my opinion, there is only one satisfactory kill which is what we watch these films for. It is a nice throwback to Fulci and Argento's better works, but the director was too afraid (or the producers to cheap) to make up for all the lackluster violence. They could have at least provided some nudity or cliches to make up for it. Emphasis on the phrase "could have."

The biggest miss is that it under utilizes Kane. Perhaps if it was made in 1997, it would have worked...better...to have the monster with a handler. Sadly, this film was made in 2006. Pardon if I lack wrestling knowledge, but I believe that was at least two years into the unmasked demon that was not afraid to speak his mind. All "See No Evil" delivers is a weak version of Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees. At least those guys were creative in their craft. Facial expressions of pain and torment are not as powerful.

Fortunately, the "See No Evil" sequel has promise with the Soska Sisters at the helm. The Twisted Twins spoke of how they would like to make a Wyatt Family origins feature, so they know that you cannot reinvent a WWE Superstar, but answer the questions behind the characters. Of course, Jacob Goodnight might be a challenge since Dan Madigan already made him lame.

Lamer than corporate Kane.

If you watch this flick, hopefully you'll acknowledge my eye for what is needed for a good horror flick. And maybe, you'll give me a chance to convince you to give my B-movie zombie/wrestling project "Main Event of the Dead" support.

The "Main Event of the Dead" Test Reel Needs:

• Someone with some makeup or special effects experience.
• The true antagonist of the feature is a woman, so an actress to set up the premise of "Main Event of the Dead."
• Three or four wrestlers to take the finishing moves.
• One or two wrestlers to deliver the moves.
• A wrestling ring with a canvas that can afford to be left a little messy. If we can get extra from the crowd-funding campaign, we'll make replacing it a priority.

Since this is an effort to try and make this feature a reality, I can really only afford to compensate what ever is spent to make this video. I am willing to negotiate terms on what compensation will be for performances before the reel goes online. If whatever raised can cover the compensation agreed to, even if I do not reach the goal to produce the film, compensation will be had.

If you need a treatment of the script for "Main Event of the Dead" please e-mail me at russthebus07@gmail.com.

 

Pinterest @sagitbadger

NinetyForChill -The #Podcast: SkimbleSHANKS presents Wise Draculas and Dim Harkers

Films Researched for this Podcast: Dracula a.k.a Horror of Dracula (1958), Dracula (1979), and Bit (2020)

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 40: SkimbleSHANKS presents Wise Draculas and Dim Harkers.

Fresh off of an endorsement from "The ID10T Podcast", Cool Movies Darth (yours truly) and ThePoeticCritic continue the spooky season with a couple of "Dracula" movies. We compare, contrast, and celebrate Christopher Lee from "Dracula" 1958 and Frank Langella from "Dracula" 1979. It is Hammer Films vs Universal Studios and a John Williams score. Which is better?

 

 

This pairing made for an interesting drunken double feature. It also taught me how to arrange a double feature. You want to end on a positive note, so follow the Tomatometer. In this case, "Horror of Dracula" should have closed out my viewings for the night.

So I came into this podcast with the impression that Christopher Lee was the end all and be all of vampiric kings. The director of "Short Circuit" and "WarGames" did not offer Langella the opportunity to make a run at the crown. Who had the most inept Jonathan Harker is the only competition between the two. Sounds like Keanu Reeves was perfectly cast for Coppola's take on the tale.

 

Aside from finally adding some sexuality to English language bloodsuckers, 1979's take on Bram Stoker does not capture the charm of "Horror of Dracula". Hit and miss special effects do not help.

 

Do not even get me started on the 1992 revisions of it. I will no longer (not that I have as a member of the Church of Lucas) complain about George Lucas's special editions.

I would say the two of us were pretty much on the same page when it came to these feature. So this was a pretty easy rundown of the questions that I found to be important. It may have been so copacetic because we did not have to pull from the current cinema scene to make conversation. You best appreciate that we did not go all Team Scorsese on you.

But, if you feel that we spend too much time in the past, I treat you to a brisk review about 2020's "Bit", a vampire comedy that earned a lot of accolades at queer film festivals. The story is a lot like "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" but throws in a feminist take of the mythology and I cannot help but love the nihilism that comes with bloodsuckers.

My Twitter account is @catbusruss. This is where I want your hate to be directed if you disapprove. Otherwise, positive feedback would be best displayed as subscriptions to my podcast and five-star reviews. Lets work that algorithm.

As for this month, I am looking for people who want to chat about horror movies for October. If you think you have a film or franchise that you are an expert on. Send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. Most franchises have at least on feature that will qualify for NinetyForChill. The runtime just needs to be between 74 and 99 minutes. We have four episodes to fill.

 

I have been asking for weeks for assistance in composing an episode dedicated to vampire features like "The Lost Boys" trilogy, "Near Dark", and the "Underworld" movies. Here is to hoping that this bunch of critiques will stir up some inspiration in my audience to step up and hold off on the garlic. If this is a topic you up for discussing, feel free to send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All I need is a half hour on Zoom to get this done.

I hope I am impressing or at the very least amusing you with this podcast and I am open to any and all criticism. My biggest want is more guests and more suggestions on what to chat about (@catbusruss, russthebus07@gmail.com@coolmoviesdarth). If we can get 3 hours out of "Little Nicky", the possibilities are endless. Thanks for visiting.

 

After WrestleMania Backlash, I will tell you that we need to take zombie pro wrestling back. My suggestion is that we finally get my low-budget zombie movie, "Main Event of the Dead" off the ground. The script lacks a lumberjack match, so you know it has got to be better than the "Army of the Dead" advertisement. Ask for a treatment or give me suggestions on how to get it to a crowd-sourcing stage with an email to russthebus07@gmail.com.

 

NinetyForChill -The #Podcast: SkimbleSHANKS presents The Nightmare Before Christmas and Ally

Films Researched for this Podcast: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Uncaged (2016)

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 39: SkimbleSHANKS presents The Nightmare Before Christmas and Ally.

Ally from Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy comes back to NinetyForChill to determine if Cool Movie Darth's vibe of "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" being overrated has any validity. Fans of this feature seem to buy anything Disney puts on Freeform. CM Darth must know. Is Henry Selick's film the reason for spayed and neutered millennial monsters?

 

 

Ally sensed some desperation in my quest to line up a guest (We were a couple for the better part of four years, so its good that she is catching on to that...nearly two years removed), but she is not a big horror fan. After what Disney has done to the holiday in the name of profit, I offered her a chance to provide something spooky. Since I have purchased her two Sally Funko Pops!, little are twisting was needed for her to jump at the chance to talk about the Chris Sarandon and Katherine O'Hara romance flick.

Actually, Ally may have jumped at this title because she just wanted to add it to her collection. Here is to hoping she purchased the Blu-ray. It was not a part of the break up, but her settling on standard definition drove me nuts.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" has been a feature that I have been meaning to rewatch for at least 10 years. I think the commercialization of the feature has left a bad taste in my mouth. Hot Topic was my place to find pleather and faux barbwire jewelry. Making space for cheap Sally dresses felt like a slap in the face.

It might not be those who were also in junior high that made me question this feature's credibility. I think it was the younger millenials and members of generation Z. Generation X parents thought this flick would be better for them than your atypical Disney fair, and just put it on to distract them. But after "Hocus Pocus", I ponder how they missed the signs that our favorite monsters would have their fangs removed? With that said, if you are up for a "Monster Squad" podcast, send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com

What Ally and my conversation comes down to is, whose does the feature belong to? Henry Sellick would go on to direct well-regarded stop motion features like "Coraline". Danny Elfman's score and vocal performance steals the show. O'Hara's sedated performance has to be appreciated. Ally might go to bat for Ken Page as Oogie Boogie.

To make this episode totally about Ally, we return to her Trash Feature Reviews with "Uncaged". This was 2016's attempt to update "An American Werewolf in London" with "Superbad". Obviously Rogen and Goldberg did not pen this low budget flick, so it is not worth a rewatch, but the effects and premise can make it a 1.75-movie. On Letterboxd, I will round it up to a two.

My Twitter account is @catbusruss. This is where I want your hate to be directed if you disapprove. Otherwise, positive feedback would be best displayed as subscriptions to my podcast and five-star reviews. Lets work that algorithm.

As for this month, I am looking for people who want to chat about horror movies for October. If you think you have a film or franchise that you are an expert on. Send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. Most franchises have at least on feature that will qualify for NinetyForChill. The runtime just needs to be between 74 and 99 minutes. We have four episodes to fill.

 

I have been asking for weeks for assistance in composing an episode dedicated to vampire features like "The Lost Boys" trilogy, "Near Dark", and the "Underworld" movies. Here is to hoping that this bunch of critiques will stir up some inspiration in my audience to step up and hold off on the garlic. If this is a topic you up for discussing, feel free to send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All I need is a half hour on Zoom to get this done.

I hope I am impressing or at the very least amusing you with this podcast and I am open to any and all criticism. My biggest want is more guests and more suggestions on what to chat about (@catbusruss, russthebus07@gmail.com@coolmoviesdarth). If we can get 3 hours out of "Little Nicky", the possibilities are endless. Thanks for visiting.

 

After WrestleMania Backlash, I will tell you that we need to take zombie pro wrestling back. My suggestion is that we finally get my low-budget zombie movie, "Main Event of the Dead" off the ground. The script lacks a lumberjack match, so you know it has got to be better than the "Army of the Dead" advertisement. Ask for a treatment or give me suggestions on how to get it to a crowd-sourcing stage with an email to russthebus07@gmail.com.

 

Uncaged 2016 - IMDb

Night of the Living Dead: Film Analysis for MCOMM 224

Current mood: lazy

Dialogue from George A. Romero's 1968 horror classic, "Night of the Living Dead":
"We'd all be better off us three working together."
"We may not enjoy living together, but dying together won't solve anything."
"Beat em', burn em', they go up pretty easy."

These lines could all be associated with the Civil Rights movement, the last being a description of a lynching. From interviews with the co-writer/director, he considered the film to be a message about racism (the film's first sequel was about consumerism and its third sequel about corporate greed). His message was delivered to an unprepared audience with a black protagonist by the means of zombies. With the support of critics and horror film enthusiasts, this maybe one of the longest lasting messages about the subject.

The critics:

• "George Romero's remarkably assured debut, made on a shoestring, about a group of people barricaded inside a farmhouse while an army of flesh-eating zombies roams the countryside, deflates all genre clichés," Elliot Stein of the Village Voice.


• "Over its short, furious course, the picture violates so many strong taboos -- cannibalism, incest, necrophilia -- that it leaves audiences giddy and hysterical," Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader.

The horror enthusiast:

• "One of the best films ever made, and possibly the most influential horror movie of all time," Alex Sandell of Juicy Cerebellum.


• "Arguably the greatest horror film ever made - and one of the greatest in any genre - 'Night' is also the ultimate B-movie," Lucius Gore of ESplatter.

Romero released a great horror film, and when one includes how radiation leads to the "Night of the Flesh Eaters" (one of the films working titles), it seems to be a great time capsule of all the things that would scare someone growing up in the 1960s. Also, Gore's claim that it is the "ultimate B-movie," led to its original success. The film was not rated, so anyone could see it.

Teenagers accustomed to a monster flicks like the cheap, British, relatively bloodless battles between Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were in for a surprise. What they saw were zombies eating the charred remains of a couple from a truck explosion, and a head shot as the solution to all undead concerns. Some were shocked and some enthralled either way word of mouth spread about this B-movie.

It was shot on a shoestring budget, and most of the techniques used to shoot the film were of little sophistication like most B-movies. The opening sequence of a car driving to a graveyard as the credits rolled was almost painful to watch because the viewer immediately knew that every shot only had one angle. Also, the time of day of when events take place is hard to figure out. The sun shines for the zombie hunters all the time while the farm our characters hide at is always pitch black. Fortunately, once the zombie threat is established, the poorly lit shots and closed-in sets created the suspense that the film thrived on, and this allows almost all directing flaws to be forgiven.

There were no A-list actors, and the characters are one dimensional. The lack of dimensions let the B…C…D-listers give the performances of their careers. I was especially impressed by Judith O'Dea as the traumatized female lead. It was what one should expect to see from Janet Leigh, if her character survived the shower attack in "Psycho".

The acting and directing were good enough to let the brilliantly written script shine. Zombies were not needed for most of the film's second third because the viewer is stuck trying to figure out how to survive a zombie holocaust. Do you side with Ben who wants to fight the threat or Mr. Cooper, who wants to hide from it? Divisions about strategy and the need to be right are constant, and the audience can almost forget about the zombie hordes preparing to take the farm house. Romero's drama away from the zombies is what keeps the viewer interested in the film, and he delivers with the violence as a reward for the patience.

Romero's story and message were the only things he wanted the audience to enjoy, so he was willing to just go out and make a cheap film, and hope the audience gets it. If anything, this was his way of being considered as a director for larger projects. He was just extremely fortunate that "Night of the Living Dead" is perhaps the greatest horror film of all time.

 

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Night Junkies: What "Twilight" should be with no increase in quality.

There is no such thing as a dramatic B-Movie. So nothing that naturally happens due to the low budget can take away from lousy actors giving their heart (and most likely their digestive track) to their role.

Even if a movie is dramatic with an edgy idea and shot on one handheld camera, it may not be classified as Indie. This is especially true when the score and action sequences are reminiscent of every B-Movie made this millennium.

In this state of limbo, one can find "Night Junkies", a movie that is the vampiric attempt to address the concept of addiction.

Vincent is a typical addict whose only concern is to get his next hit. Since his addiction is to blood, he has to stay indoors during the day, so developing relationships ends at his clamping down on his victim’s throat, but when he meets the defiant stripper Ruby, he thinks he found the girl of his dreams. Too bad he had to complicate their attraction by taking a nibble out of her.

Now Ruby is a reluctant vampire, but since this is merely an addiction, she sets out to conquer it. Vincent is reluctant of going cold turkey, and when the strip club owner and a wannabe Jack the Ripper are on her tail, having those undead powers may come in handy. It may be more important for Vincent and Ruby to accept what they are at least until no one wants to take vengeance upon them.

There are a lot of great concept introduced in Night Junkies and even the occasionally well written scene, but otherwise the film makes one want to take up an opiate to sit through it. By no means is this a great vampire movie, and since it cannot be that, the addiction storyline fails. Wretched editing and transitional effects that seem to be poor knock offs of those from Highlander: The Series makes it a total mess of a picture. It is honestly a rare thing for me to admit, but Night Junkies is a movie that fails on every level.

If there is anything that can be taken away from Night Junkies, it is what it is like putting up with addiction in the third person. This comes from personal experience, and after a bankruptcy caused by the unappreciative, it is an experience that no one should be a part of. Perhaps if you are considering saving a down and out whore from herself, you should watch Night Junkies. Sitting through movies that no one can appreciate is part of the ordeal, and if you do not have the simple sense to avoid putting up with that, Night Junkies is your Naloxone.

Cinefiles - Colorado Springs Independent