Archive for October, 2008
October 31st, 2008
…. Here’s a list of the Top 25 scariest films of all time, courtesy of the fine folks at Screengrab. The Internet is full of these sort of lists this week, but this one is especially solid, with a combination of the usual suspects (THE SHINING, THE EVIL DEAD ) and some unusual suspects (NEAR DARK, the original MUMMY). Plus there’s a well-written piece to go with each movie and a choice You Tube clip, too.
It’s in seven parts, but well worth a look. Be sure to check out the honorable mentions, if only to relive Robert Shaw’s famous USS Indianapolis speech from JAWS. (I also appreciate the inclusion of INVASION OF MARS, a great science fiction film that’s a personal favorite for the way it conveys the terror of being a kid that no one will believe.)
October 31st, 2008
Arguably the highlight of the entire GRINDHOUSE double-feature experience was this trailer for the nonexistent movie DON’T by Edgar Wright, director of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ. It’s funny, it’s creepy and it sure feels like the genuine article.
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Happy Halloween!
October 30th, 2008
Roger Ebert, Pulitzer Prize winner and BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS co-writer, has set out a great list of rules for movie critics to follow. As he says, it’s a profession in peril and probably in need of some guidance. And he’s just the guy to do it, too…
“We can’t be too careful. Employers are eager to replace us with Celeb Info-Nuggets that will pimp to the mouth-breathers, who underline the words with their index fingers whilst they watch television. Any editor who thinks drugged insta-stars and the tragic Amy Winehouse are headline news ought to be editing the graffiti on playground walls. As the senior newspaper guy still hanging onto a job, I think the task of outlining enduring ethical ground rules falls upon me.”
Among the rules: Provide a sense of the experience, keep track of what you’ve said before, don’t ask celebs to pose for pictures (this seems aimed square at young goofball Ben Lyons, who now sits in Roger’s seat on his former TV show), don’t sell the review copies of DVDs you get (where do you think the discs in the weekly GO Contest come from?) and most importantly, when you’re watching a movie, “sit down, shut up and pay attention!”
Actually, that last one goes for everyone in a movie theater. And that includes you.
October 30th, 2008
Over at the always interesting Onion AV Club, writer Sam Adams (apparently no relation to the beer) watched all five SAW movies in one sitting and, more importantly, had the energy to write about it.
I’ve only seen the first SAW, but I never felt like I was missing much. I thought it was merely a so-so horror movie, with a few clever death traps and a nice twist at the end, but there was nothing in it that made me want to rush out and see the sequels. I’ve always preferred my horror movies more in the classic mode (i.e. the Universal gems of the early 1930s and the Val Lewton movies of the 1940s) or off the beaten path (the original TEXAS CHAINSAW, the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, Cronenberg’s SHIVERS). But then again, the SAW franchise is the biggest moneymaker in horror history, so what the heck do I know?
How about you? Seen SAW? Seen ‘em all? What do you think? Am I missing something?
October 29th, 2008
It’s a little late this week, but here’s the latest Movie Man video review…
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And here’s the written version, which also includes my take on the just-released Ray Harryhausen boxed set.
October 29th, 2008
It’s a sad day for moviegoers in Rockford, with the announcement that two of our local movie houses will be closing.
Though I don’t make it to the theater nearly as often as I used to (a toddler will tend to curb your moviegoing habits), I have fond memories of seeing of movies at Colonial Village and North Towne (way back when it was a first-run theater). I’m especially bummed by the loss of Colonial Village. Rockford should be a big enough city to support at least one theater that screens independent and “art” films, and I’m not sure those kind of smaller films will find a home at the ShowPlace theaters, where SAW V and BEVERLY HILLS CHUHUAHUA rule the screens.
October 24th, 2008
Here’s a chunk of the 1955 film NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. All you need to know is that Robert Mitchum is playing a psychotic minister (with “LOVE” and “HATE” tattooed across his hands) who is chasing two innocent kids because he knows their late father hid money in the girl’s doll. Directed by Charles Laughton (and this is the only movie he ever directed!) it features some of the most beautiful, most poetic black-and-white cinematography in this history of movies.
October 24th, 2008
I’ve been hearing about this 1962 cult movie for years, but never managed to actually see it — mostly because, as far as I can tell, it’s never been released (legally at least) in videotape or DVD. But tonight (OK, technically speaking, Saturday morning) at 1 a.m., Turner Classic Movies is going to air this rare bit of early ’60s insanity as part of its wonderful, weekly TCM Underground series.
I have no idea if SINNER is any good. it could be brilliant or terrible. But it’s bound to be interesting.
 THE WORLD’S GREATEST SINNER is the creation of Timothy Carey, a character actor best known for small roles in two early Stanley Kubrick classics, THE KILLING and PATHS OF GLORY. Carey was a character in real life, too, and singlehandedly brought this story of an ex-insurance salesman turned rock star turned cult leader to cinema life. He wrote it, he directed it, and he stars in it.
Like I said, I can’t really recommend this one way or another, but you can bet I’ll have my DVR set to capture every oddball frame of this forgotten film. If you like offbeat cinema, I’d suggest you do the same.
Here’s a clip to give you just a taste of the film’s crazed energy…
October 23rd, 2008
With the release of a few new seconds of footage, it’s inevitable that the folks behind WATCHMEN would be releasing a new teaser poster — and here it is:
If you’ve read the comic, you know exactly what this scene is showing — who the guy is, who tossed him out the window and who finds that blood-spattered smiley face badge.
October 23rd, 2008
This week, the Onion’s New Cult Canon series looks at a true modern classic, Mike Judge’s OFFICE SPACE. And what’s more, writer Scott Tobias manages to nail why so many of us office drones would eagerly watch — over and over — a Hollywood recreation of our daily drudgery:
“In actuality, it’s as much a fantasy as Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, but more relatable, because Peter puts the daydreams of many into action. Few people can imagine themselves embarking on a globetrotting adventure, but there are legions of workaday types who dream of unshackling themselves from their desks, sleeping until 3:30 in the afternoon, and doing absolutely nothing with their oceans of free time.”
Read the whole article here.
By the way, OFFICE SPACE hit theaters in 1999, the same year as FIGHT CLUB, THE MATRIX and AMERICAN BEAUTY — three other movies where shirt-and-tie office drones finally broke out of their cubicles.
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