Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!!!

Today is Halloween, my favorite day of the year. It involves some of my favorite things: horror, dressing up, and candy, so how could I not love Halloween? This year I am dressed up as a creepy doll. I was going to be a Native zombie, but that would've required me buying a costume, and I was too cheap for that this year... Anyways, I wish everyone a spook-tacular day and a fright-tastic night!!!

Horror-A-Day: Day Thirty-One

Normally, horror remakes are all kinds of shitty. Examples: Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, pretty much everything else.... This one, however, I liked. I really liked the original, and this one didn't disappoint either. What makes both Last House on the Left movies better than I Spit On Your Grave is that when they get revenge, they are actually getting revenge. The rape scene in this movie is terrible, of course, so I was really happy that Mary's parents (played by the magnificent Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter) really gave it to them when they find out that they were the ones who attacked her. When they put that guys hand in the garbage disposal, I was like YES!!! And when they put that guy's head in the microwave I was like GROSS, then YES! I was surprised at how good this was...

Song of the Week: This Is Halloween

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Thirty

I actually kind of liked this movie. Its definitely not my favorite of the Universal horror films, but I still think that its pretty good. It is about a mummy named Imhotep who finds his long lost love reincarnated in a woman's body. He plans on killing her and then bringing her back to life as a living mummy like himself. The story is pretty interesting, and I love when they have the flashback to ancient Egypt, and how they stylized it to look like an old silent film. Plus, it has Boris Karloff, and that is always a plus. His performance of The Mummy is nowhere near as good as his performance of Frankenstein's monster, but Karloff is always fantastic in everything that he's in.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty-Nine

Momma's boys are never to be trusted! We learned this in 1960 with Norman Bates from Psycho, and it 1980 we learned it again with Maniac. Its about a guy who's obsessed with his dead abusive prostitute mother. He deals with this by killing random women, scalping them and putting their hair and clothes on mannequins. What makes this movie different from other slasher movies of its time is that the killer is the main character. In this movie he is both the protagonist and his own antagonist, as opposed to other movies where the killer is some mysterious figure thats rarely seen till the end of the movie. This movie has its ups and downs, and the best part is at the end when all the mannequins turn back into his victims and they cut off his hand and pull his head off. He was obviously hallucinating, but later when these two guys burst into his room he's laying on his bed bleeding, so hmmm... But he wasn't dead of course...

Ryan Kwanten as Charles Manson?

Ok, heres some interesting and very odd news. I just read online that Ryan Kwanten, whose best known for playing Sookie's hot but moronic brother Jason Stackhouse on True Blood, has been cast as notorious killer Charles Manson in the biopic The Family. Hmmm.....isn't he a little too good-looking to play Manson? I mean when I think of Charles Manson I don't think of hansome and muscular guy with really nice abs, which is what I think when I think of Ryan Kwanten. No, when I think of Charles Manson I think of a really tiny, scrawny guy with long hair and crazy eyes. I mean, he's also too young to play him too, because I guess the movies going to focus on the murders and not about Manson's life or anything like that, so they should've gotten someone a little older. So, yeah, this is just a really strange casting choice, but I'm curious to see how he does...

Alien Prequel Casting....

There are two upcoming prequels that I am really skeptical about. The first is a prequel to The Thing, which I am kind of irked about because The Thing is one of my favorite movies, but who am I kidding, I'll probably go see it anyway. The second is a prequel to Alien. This is something that I just don't understand at all. How are you going to have an Alien movie without Ellen Ripley? I mean yeah, Sigourney Weaver wasn't in the Alien Vs. Predator movies, but I haven't seen either of them so they don't count. Of course, it is a prequel, so it wouldn't make sense to have Ripley in it, but I just think that the idea of doing a prequel to Alien is just ludicrous. So, anyways, Ridley Scott and Fox have been looking for a heroine, and here are some of the actresses I have heard that they've been choosing from...

Natalie Portman
Carey Mulligan
Olivia Wilde
Abbie Cornish
Anne Hathaway
Gemma Arterton
Noomi Rapace
Ok, so heres what I think about these potential casting choices for the Ripley-esque character in the Alien Prequel... I love Natalie Portman, but I don't think that this is the right kind of role for her, Carey Mulligan is too cutsie to be an action hero, so no, Olivia Wilde=NO NO NO, Abbie Cornish=maybe, I'm not really digging Anne Hathaway as a potential choice, Gemma Arterton=maybe, but I'm leaning towards no, Noomi Rapace=yes, yes, yes!!! Although I'm not too pleased that an Alien prequel is being made, I would definitely see it if it had Noomi Rapace in the lead! I loved her as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and I think that she would do great kicking some Xenomorph ass! I read online that she was their favorite choice for the role, so I hope that means that she gets it!!! If its not her, then I'd be down for Abbie Cornish, or MAYBE Natalie Portman or Gemma Arterton.
Also, I also read that James Franco might be in this movie as well....and I'm always down for seeing James Franco...

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty-Eight

I have read a bunch of negative reviews about this movie. They all said that it was nowhere near as good as the first one and that they showed the cave creatures too much, so it wasn't as creepy. While I agree that its not as good as the first one, and they definitely show the creatures a lot more, I actually really liked this movie. It pick up where the theatrical version of the movie ends with Sarah escaping from the cave (on the DVD version she only imagines that she gets away), and she ends up having to go back in to help the police find her friends. She does this because at first she has no memory of anything that happened, but once she enters the cave she starts remembering everything, but of course no one believes her and they start thinking that she killed all of her friends. One of the creepiest parts of this movie is when the find the first dead body of one of her friends. She is laying there all torn to shreds with mouth slightly open, and then we see her jaw movie a little. One of the crew members says that its impossible because she has no body heat, and then we see a giant rat crawl out of her mouth....eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!!!! Anyways, they end up trapped in the cave with all the creepy cave creatures and get picked off one by one trying to find their way out. There are some pretty awesome people vs. creature scenes in this movie, especially the one at the very end, and this movie doesn't disappoint for scares and surprises.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Batman 3 Title!!!

Slowly but surely more news keeps coming out about Christopher Nolan's next Batman movie. Today I learned two very big things about Batman 3. First, it is titled The Dark Night Rises. Not the best title in the world, but hey, at least theres a title. The second thing came as a big surprise to me. Nolan said that the villain in The Dark Knight Rises will NOT be The Riddler! I mean, I thought that it was certain that The Riddler would be the villain, but I guess not... So, that leaves the question of who WILL be the villain? I've said this before, but I personally really hope that it will be Catwoman. Rachel Dawes died in The Dark Knight, so Bruce Wayne needs a new villain AND a new love interest, so why not give him both with the character of Selena Kyle? I've posted before that I thought that Angelina Jolie would make a perfect Catwoman, and while I stand by that statement completely, I have also read rumors that Marion Cotillard might play her, and she wouldn't be too bad of a choice either...
So, to sum up, here is everything that i know for sure about The Dark Night Rises:
  • Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine are returning
  • It will be released July 20, 2012
  • It will be filmed in IMAX, but not in 3D
  • Tom Hardy has a role, but it's not specified as who
  • The villain will not be The Riddler, nor will it be Mr. Freeze or The Penguin
  • It will be Christopher Nolan's last Batman film

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty-Seven/ My Review Paranormal Activity 2

I'm not gonna lie, there were parts of this movie that scared the hell out of me. The part where the main girl is just sitting in her kitchen and all of cabinets pop open...yeesh! The mere fact that there is a baby involved makes this movie a little unnerving. However, it should be no surprise when I say that the first one was better. The first one was a lot more subtle and saved its big scare for the very end. I mean, when Micah was  thrown towards the camera my friends and I were screaming and jumping all over each other. Also I like the first one better because it just had the one camera, while this one has six or seven. So when the girl gets pulled across the floor in this one you see the entire process of her getting pulled out of her room and down the stairs and into the basement, and I think its scarier in the first when you just see Katie just get pulled out of the room and thats it. Also, the ending in this one was kind of blah... The part where the husband is in the basement and the only light with the night vision is scary, but after that the movie keeps going for a while. I don't really understand why they felt the need to connect the story with the first one so much. I mean, I understand that the main girl in this movie is Katie's sister, but they make it so that the events in this movie cause the events in the other movie, and then go on after a while and add what happens after the ending of the first movie when Katie killed Micah. I thought that that was a bit much story-wise. My rating: 6/10

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty-Six

Fail! Yesterday, on the twenty-sixth day of my horror-a-day mission, I failed to watch a horror movie that I had not seen before. My wireless internet is still broken on my laptop, and I had to study for my Intro to Film Studies midterm...So, instead of posting about a horror movie that I have just seen, I'm going to post some pictures from one of my favorite horror films: Bride of Frankenstein

We belong dead!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty Five

I'm posting about this one a day late because my stupid laptop is broken, so my wireless internet doesn't work. So, I couldn't go online to find a movie to watch, but luckily my roommate has one of those horror DVD packs that has a few movies I haven't seen. The one I chose to watch is called Count Dracula and his Vampire Bride. It is certainly not the best Hammer horror film in the world, but with both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing its not exactly the worst either. So, in this movie, Dracula is disguising himself as a businessman and wants to release the Black Plague on the world. Overall, I didn't think that this movie was very good, and I was pretty bored throughout the whole thing. Probably the only thing interesting about this movie was whenever Christopher Lee was on screen. Of course, thats probably just my bias because I love Christopher Lee and I thought that he was a great Dracula in the far superior Hammer film Horror of Dracula.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fifteen Favorite Movie Robots

This list was actually really hard to make. I was originally going to have it be my top ten, but it was way to hard to narrow it down, so I made it 15, and even that was hard. I ended up limiting it to two robots per movie (sorry Star Wars and Wall-E), and excluding TV robots (sorry Sarah Connor Chronicles and Jetsons.) Anyways, here is my list of my top 15 favorite movie robots.

15. THX 1138 Guards (THX 1138)
These silver-faced guards are from George Lucas's pre-Star Wars sci-fi dystopia film THX 1138. You better take your anti-emotion drugs, or you'll end up being shocked by one of their little cattle prod thingies. Its not easy to escape either, these fuckers are everywhere!

14. Gort (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
While he may not be the coolest looking robot in the world, Gort is certainly the most obedient. For the majority of The Day the Earth Stood Still, he is just standing in front of the spaceship, awaiting instuctions from his master, Klaatu. I read online that they had two Gort suits made, one with a zipper in the front for shots from behind, and one with the zipper in the back for shots from the front.

13. T-1000 (Terminator 2: Judgement Day)
Whats scarier than an evil cop? An evil cop that is actually a cyborg from the future who can turn to liquid and turn his arm into a giant knife, thats what...

12. Ash (Alien)
You don't find out that Ash is an android until towards the end of the film, but one of the coolest parts of the movie is when his severed robot head is talking on the table.

11. Fembots (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)
Careful...cross mojonation causes their heads to explode...

10. Optimus Prime (Transformers)
I am not the biggest Transformers fan in the world. I've never watched the cartoon, I thought the first movie was okay, and I thought the second movie was stupid. Optimus Prime, however, makes the list because No.1, hes a badass and the best thing about the movies, and No 2, hes got that amazing deep voice....

9. EVE (Wall-E)
 EVE is an awesome robot because she doesn't let anything get in the way of her mission. Eventually, she does soften up a bit, and how could you not with that adorable robot Wall-E around?

8. Machinenmensch (Metropolis)
Metropolis was one of the very first science fictions films, coming out in 1927. Even by todays standards, the design for the machinenmensch is pretty spectacular, and was reportedly an inspiration for C3PO's design.

 7. Sonny (I, Robot)

 I actually read the story that this movie was based on when I was in high school, and I thought that the Three Laws of Robotics thing was very cool. Can a robot break these rules and harm a human?

6. Marvin the Paranoid Android (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
"What are you supposed to do if you are a manically depressed robot?"
"I'd make a suggestion...but you wouldn't listen. No one ever does."

5. HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)
 HAL is without a doubt the most evil robot on the list. All he is is a red light and a voice that never changes tone, and yet he is terrifying!



4. Wall-E (Wall-E)
Wall-E is my favorite movie that has been made by Pixar. I think that it is such a great story and that Wall-E is a really great character. If you don't think this movie is absolutely adorable, then you must be a robot yourself...



3. T-800 (Terminator)
 "I'll be back." Arguably the governators greatest role, and certainly my favorite of his...



2. R2-D2 (Star Wars)
You can't have a list of the best movie robots without adding this little astro droid. R2D2 is amazing because he only speaks through beeps and electronic sounds, and yet he has a personality. R2 is a bit of a smartass and a troublemaker, and is always giving C3PO a hard time, and thats why everybody loves him...



1. C3PO (Star Wars)
C3PO is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe, and my favorite movie robot of all-time. C3PO is a protocol droid who was made by Anakin Skywalker, and ironically bought by his brother Owen Lars some years later. He then accompanies Luke Skywalker, his maker's son on many adventures throughout the galaxy along with his trusty sidekick and best friend R2D2.

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty Four

I have no idea what the people are supposed to be in this movie. They act like zombies, and are infected with some disease that makes them act the way they do, but they are also like vampires who can only come out at night and are allergic to garlic. This movie was pre-Night of the Living Dead, so this was before zombies were really popularized, but there are some definite zombie characteristics there. So I guess they are zombie vampire hybrids. Anyways, Vincent Price is great, as always, as the last normal man on earth living with a world full of zombie vampires. This may seem like it could get boring, with just one main character, but there are some flashbacks, and even by himself, Mr. Price could never be boring.

Song of the Week: Violet

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty Three

What a marvelous gorefest...Overall this movie is quite horrifying, but there are two sequences in particular that freaked me out the most. The first is when the second girl is turned into a demon. You see blood come out of her fingertips as her fingernails grow and then there is a closeup of her mouth, and you see her human teeth fall out and get replaced by sharp demon teeth. You then see her rip open a guy's neck with her sharp nails. The second scene that freaked me out is when the main girl's friend turns into a demon. At first she starts acting sort of strange, but you don't think much of it because she just fainted. Then she turns her head and you see that her eyes are all red, and she turns away. Then she turns her head again, and you see that she has been turned into a demon. Later, when she is on all fours, you see something moving inside of her back. Her friends are freaking out and yelling, then the best thing ever happens: a little demon with tiny horns bursts out of her back and walks away. Brilliant!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Random Video

I randomly thought about his video today and just busted out laughing...tiptoeing vampires...

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty Two

No movie has awed me more than May. I was literally sitting with my mouth wide open for most of this movie. I wasn't really sure what to expect with this movie since the synopsis on netflix didn't tell me much, so everything was completely unexpected for me, which was fantastic. This movie is just weird, strange, awkward, completely fucked, and also amazing! It is about a lonely girl named May, who is the most awkward individual I have ever seen on film, whos only friend is a doll that lives in a glass case. All she does is go to work at the animal hospital and sew. She falls for this hot guy named Adam who is at first intriqued by her weirdness, but then it becomes too much for him, so he stops seeing her. You can't really blame him either. If I were him, I would not want to be anywhere near her. Anyways, she is completely obsessed with his hands, and after being rejected by him, goes insane and starts a murder spree starting with her cat, then a random stranger. Then, she starts collecting parts from her victims, the last being Adam and his hands, and sews them together along with cloth parts to make a half human-half doll friend for her. The creepiest, and best part of this movie is the very last shot where May is laying next to the doll, and its hand reaches up and touches her face. Fantastic.


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty One

They need sharper axes up there in Alaska. I mean jeez, it takes like 3 or 4 chops to get someones head off in this movie. 30 Days of Night has a pretty unique storyline. It is about a small town in Alaska that has no sunlight for an entire month of the year. This would be no big deal, except that a group of vampires decides to use this time to eat the whole town. The vampires in this movie are sort of odd. I mean, they're vampires, but they also kind of remind me of zombies. They are vampire zombies that screech, have weird alien-looking faces, black eyes, and Conehead teeth. They discover that the only ways to kill them are with sunlight, in which case they are SOL, and cutting off their heads (sort of like a zombie, hmm....) While this definitely isn't the best horror movie in the world, I did find it quite entertaining. I do have to say that when Josh Hartnett's character punched the head vampire in the mouth and it went through the back of his head, it was bad ass!

Happy Birthday Carrie Fisher!

Today is Carrie Fischer's 54th birthday. The daughter of famous actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, she is best known for playing Princess Leia in the three original Star Wars films. She has also appeared in movies like When Harry Met Sally...and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. I really love both Carrie Fischer and Princess Leia, so when I saw that it was her birthday, I had to post something.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Horror-A-Day: Day Twenty

While I prefer David Cronenberg's remake, I really liked this one as well. A major reason was, of course, that its stars the fantastic Vincent Price, but the movie itself was also really good. I'm a sucker for sci fi horror. When Andre first reveals his fly hand it reminds me of that scene from District 9 when they take the bandages off of Wikus's arm and the alien hand is revealed. The look of the half man/ half fly is definitely a lot less grotesque as the remakes' version, but for being made in the 50s I think that they did a great job. The ending was absolutely terrifying to me, when the fly with the human head was being approached by the spider. I hate spiders and there are all these gross closeups. People watching this in a theater in the 50s must have been freaking out during this part.