horror

Planet of the Vampires (1965)

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Planet of the Vampires (1965) – IMDB

Planet of the Vampires had one of the best sets. It is old and dated, but the crystalized rock formations and dehydrated looking tentacle trees with colorful hues of glowing fog and ambient lighting creates a thick atmosphere you’d need to shower your eyeballs after. This planet our fellow travelers land on isn’t what it seems, naturally. There are cool effects that experiment with the idea of landing on a foreign planet. One specific shot which is clearly taken underwater but is cool in it’s execution with plumes of smoke and dust rising around the toy ship that’s meant for a bathtub with a sandy floor. There are unnecessary set pieces that seem extra like the floor space on the bridge with enough room provided for a buffet unless you’re utilizing it for laying corpses on top of each other.

Not going to lie, the first hour or so is all mystery. It may drag a bit possibly due to it’s age of release but the story itself unfolds rather slow. Albeit, when remains of a foreign lifeform is discovered it grabbed my attention and I was in awe. It was cool seeing something like this, someone had the mindset to expand the world a little further creating something original and a sense of wonder. I think Planet of the Vampires, despite the wonderfully realized sets, is a small movie, but a big inspiration to any succeeding sci-fi flare. Alien (1979), for example, takes many notes from this flick and The Thing (1982) as well. This movie is respectable for it’s accomplishments despite it’s age. To be honest, I’d enjoy a reimagining of this story. Full of twists that I wasn’t expecting towards the end, amazing set pieces for the planet Aura, and an eye for wonder of what’s out there!

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994) – IMDB

Licking. Crossdressing. Silliness. Pizza. Welcome to the weird 90’s offering of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There’s nothing painfully worthy to get in to here so I’ll make this quick. I was curious about seeing this one depending on the two leads. Every actor has one horror movie to star in, mostly at the beginning of their career, The Next Generation has two! Is worth your time and curiosity? Bottom line, no. Letting the movie sink in after a couple days, I’m realizing I wasted my time watching it and the overall experience became degraded. In fact I’m not entirely sure why this was made. It didn’t offer anything new, it was simply a rehash of the classic. What it did do was show how weird and wild southern hillybillies can be in their most crazed dysfunctional family fashion.

Leatherface appears small and like a dog complaining for a toy he can’t reach. To be screamed at with mad man wielding a chainsaw sounds terrifying when they’re grunting for action but something about this 90’s flick doesn’t cut it.

The two leads give the best performances. Unfortunately they shouldn’t be given the hillbilly script and oblivious sense of characters. They gotta start somewhere right? Renee Zellweger is the unfiltered heroine with untapped, shining light of courage to her later career highlight for me Cold Mountain. Her chemistry is cut throat and intense with Matthew McConaughey who is raw, menacing, and his on-screen presence full of demand. His crazed persona threatens the very character he lovingly portrays in any rom-com.

The two leads were the best thing about Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Outside of that there really isn’t anything to watch. It’s laughable with a side of eye rolling. Not gory or disturbing as you’d come to expect from this genre/franchise. Zellweger and McConaughey did great in their roles for what was given, I wouldn’t say it’s worth your curiosity though.

Pet Sematary (1989)

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Pet Sematary – IMDB

Not what I expected. Hailing from 1989 this classic crawled out of the burial ground to me. Disclaimer: I find Stephen King adaptations’ goofy, cringy, and weird. However, there have been a few exceptions, most notably (to me) The Mist among other revered classics that remain popular. Other mentions include Secret Window, which is predictable but enjoyable. The other being Dreamcatcher, which has excellent moments, but falls too close to the cheesy/oddball category which is something to say since I enjoy such shortfalls and see them as positives in other flicks. Silver Bullet, for example, has some great effects including a werewolf but the enjoyment value for me is subpar and incredibly stringy cheesy. The kid is better off using rocket boosters in the final race in Little Rascals than fighting the big baddy on a bridge. The Shining is not mentioned due to the film being more of Kubrick’s interpretation. Getting off track here, King has a knack for telling the supernatural. Pet Sematary involves his all; the supernatural, the loving family, Maine, creepy person, mystery, and innocent children. To include what I have mentioned above, Pet Sematary caught me off guard. Not thirty minutes after the movie ended I am still thinking about it…more along the lines of how this movie got under my skin and how will it remain with me in the forth coming days. Let’s just say I got up shortly after the credits rolled to use the restroom, and not closing the door all the way, my dog, my lovely dog, opened the door and stares at me. I thought she rose from the grave.

The story is simple and easy to follow. Dread follows, however, with every passing scene. Definitely something in the air lingering and it’s not rotting animal corpses. It’s actually hard for me to explain the feeling of dread. Maybe it’s the neighbor across the street. Comfort of an ominous trail disappearing into the thicket. A Native American burial ground which is never meant to be messed with. But really it’s more than that, perhaps the music setting a terror vibe that etched from the tree line in to the safety of the home. Then finally, into our protagonist’s anxious but venturous mind who only wants to keep what they already have obtained, unfortunately wrongfully stolen. Yes, like always, music was key. Especially in the final act. I hear the same sounds in horror today and is still effective. Notable mention to the final walkthrough of the house sequence. To think of the synopsis of Pet Sematary it does not ring any attention bells with the exception of being a King adaptation and a classic. In regard to my already premature expectation of anything King, including my forgetful thrill of seeing this many years ago yet under irresponsible substance usage, I did enjoy Pet Sematary.

And now, without further ado, my qualms. Everything was found forgiven till the final act. Which got messy. I don’t want to spoil anything per usual but I must make it said. Like King, things got a little…cheeky. I do not find children scary, they are more of a nuisance when utilized as a scare tactic. This is a gimmick and I don’t agree with the popular opinion they are scary. Sinister for example, which one day I hope to formulate words about on this site sometime, tried to make them scary. Punch them. This would happen to be my biggest criticism. Not fair? Jud didn’t think so either.

All in all, this is what I took away from it: Pet Sematary made me cringe but in a gross way. It got me spooked and care for the family. It made me pet my dog and want to look out for my future children. And sometimes dead is better, but also look out for the high road.

Annihilation (2018)

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Annihilation (2018) – IMDB

Annihilation Archives - Home of the Alternative Movie Poster -AMP-

I feel Alex Garland, Director and Writer, reached a peak with this one. Something special emerged from the mind behind Ex Machina and Sunshine. He is very underrated in how he handles the content of film. Annihilation is the perfect example. Taken from the works of Jeff VanderMeer, Garland creates a mystical story with dreamlike quality. Collecting images of obscure focus, air full of rainbow hues against a backdrop of lush greens. The book itself is read like a dream, lost, but a dream that demands the reader to stretch their active membranes into a working cluster of incoherent images. That’s where Garland shines in creating a world that is alien but familiar and yet frightening. Adapting only from the first book of a trilogy, Annihilation is a challenge to adapt for viewers and transforming the material into the director’s own, making it the most logical sense and pays off. With an original vision and paying respects to the original material, this is some unique filmmaking.

Long after the credits roll, Annihilation sits with you. Simmers inside your gut. It’s discomforting and beautiful. Mesmerizing and terrifying. In all of my movie watching there is nothing like the images depicted onscreen. It is unique and challenging to witness. Nothing like it has been done before. Not everything is explained which leaves the viewer speechless and bewildered. When I first saw it in theater I had zero idea what to make of what I saw. There was horror and surreal imagery of beyond our comprehension. And that is what makes the film so dreadfully beautiful.

Annihilation relates closely to the book of the same title. Both deserve recognition however, the big screen is what I prefer. For the book was even more hard to grasp. Full of imagery and little dialogue, constantly demanding my attention to form this otherworldly landscape. The writing seemed unsure of what it wanted to say at times. Although there seemed to be hints of transcendence, but I digress. Garland did a fantastic job in streamlining the material with a little more sense of focus. As one remained an unanswered nightmare, Garland’s seemed to be a subtle message of cells.

On a grander scale, a comet collides from the outer walls of our mother Earth into a Lighthouse. Thus springing forth a mysterious Shimmer. A glowing dome of rainbow luminescence becomes a fixation of scientists as it grows beyond it’s initial impact. Within this dome, life seems to copy, refract, and combine itself. This creates some beautiful creatures and some horrendous monstrosities. In a way, it’s a cancer. Manipulating it’s environment to mimic life. The comet sets off an ambiguous force that wants to create and make it’s own life. This could be seen as alien. A foreign lifeform taking control of another planet that deems to be the next suiter. Or perhaps mother Earth is a giant cell. The comet is a plummeting cancer or virus. We are merely smaller working cells for Earth. After collision, one cell begins to mimic another, thus bringing a new form of life. In a way, it’s terrifying, and another, beautiful because the foreign object, the Shimmer, replicates Earth life as one species. This tells me we are one with Earth, the same, and this is how the Alien life form perceives us as it tries to make something new.

However, this is open to interpretation. I do not believe the author of the original material meant for something deep. When you have Alex Garland behind the project, I would expect something that would require me to think. At least challenge my views.

With one selfish opinion to add, I could not help but distinguish Garland’s style for science fiction and horror to fit perfectly with a new installment in the Alien franchise. His approach to artificial life like his work on Ex Machina would leave Ridley Scott out of the director’s chair. Garland’s brand of horror is dark enough for the corners of space thanks to Annihilation and Sunshine. He contains an expansive exploration many filmmakers do not have the courage, not to mention the imagery to capture on screen. I’d like to mention another ideal project to lead is a Bioshock adaption from the videogame (or book). Contains similar genres to tackle like sci fi horror and an incredible story to embark on beneath the ocean.

Annihilation can turn away viewers for it’s ambiguous story and not explaining anything. I like the film for this reason. However, where there are changes to the adaptation some I thought worked while others I thought were down right stupid. Notably a scene which involves our protagonists to take patrol at night in a run down base but ends up disastrous and I simply can’t bear.

When I saw Annihilation in theaters I was mesmerized and horrified. It felt bigger than all of us but on such a small scale. The content is hard to digest and stays with you. I will always remember sitting there feeling low key terrified when an unwelcomed guest ventures into a house in ruin with the scientists tied to their chairs. A feeling of utter hopelessness and fear settles in. The lighthouse is an entire work of art of disturbance and fascination. Annihilation is a unique viewing experience that works as a standalone feature without the other stories in the trilogy being adapted.

Shin Godzilla (2016)

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Shin Godzilla (2016) – IDMB

Shin Godzilla (Film) - TV Tropes

Immediately from the fading Toho logo the action begins. We are introduced directly to a disturbance in the water, a small ripple of what is to come. Quick to short introductions, quick reactions to an abrupt danger, Shin Godzilla has us humans franticly clamoring about when this disturbance in the water causes some industrial damage. Not knowing what to make of it, political officials struggle throwing solutions around trying to control and remedy the situation before it worsens. That is until a creature manifests with ungodly destruction. It is then our politicians must decide the fate of the monster and of Tokyo, nonetheless, any vulnerable city ripe for ruin. And if they don’t decide quick, another foreign power house will and the results will be catastrophic.

Shin Godzilla let’s off heat early on, opening the majority of the movie for us to watch and listen to important figures make important decisions. How exactly would scientists and government officials react to handle a situation involving innocent lives that demand a response? Each individual represents a respective department but not so much a character, so they reflect a whole department serving as their character trait. Like how the chain of command is used or a Biologist worrying about his image before making an accusation or an interpreter speaking on the behalf of the President.

Godzilla is horrific and monstrous. Retaining his iconic screech, the new look offers new terror as he sluggishly stampedes through Tokyo. It is epic and devastating to see Godzilla leave destruction around his massive presence. There is something more costly to his devastation this time than other previous iterations. His effect on the city below his feet has more weight and severe consequences. This is reinforced by the awareness of costs of damage and images of innocent people scrambling about. The military goes to great lengths to rid the behemoth. But Godzilla is an intimidating, indestructible force. In contrast, it shows how humans can be monsters as well. To nature itself and to each other. From dumping waste in the ocean to dropping bombs on cities’ foreheads. Almost as if Godzilla is the waking life form for nature to retaliate.

To continue, Godzilla is a natural disaster in physical form. Japan suffered a massive earthquake in 2011 that also cause radiation leakage. In the midst of chaos, people needed to evacuate. Shin Godzilla focused on those who were in charge of regulating the population on information and what is required to do for safety without causing additional harm. But you can’t control chaos. Nor nature. It is then officials realize let go of the textbook, the regulations, protocols, and barriers and let the populace decide what is best to do to survive in a natural disaster.

It is unfortunate we will not be getting a sequel to Shin Godzilla. Thanks to a contract signed for Godzilla being part the MonsterVerse in America and not being allowed to work on any new material for that time period. With this movie being a reboot not sure how Toho will continue their Godzilla legacy especially after the mild cliffhanger at the end. Too bad, I would like to have seen it.

Overall, Shin Godzilla can be a bit overwhelming due to the fast paced story which requires you to read subtitles quickly. It’s better not worrying about who is who first time round as it would just aggravate the viewing experience. I think the movie could have been slimmed down a bit from it’s two hour run time. It seemed they were focusing on the government’s procedures in a moment of chaos to an immediate problem and makes Shin Godzilla a bit of satire. As intriguing as it was, I could have used less of it.

Still, Shin Godzilla remains a stand out in the long running kaiju series.

Underworld (2003)

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Underworld (2003) – IMDB

Underworld, attori, regista e riassunto del film

Story. Sexy. Badass. Prosthetics. CGI. Romance. Vampires. Lycans. And Cheese, oh my! Underworld offers it all. When movies were getting good at this thing called computer generated effects this little ticker decided to show real effects in full moon. With an original concept, Underworld still remains fresh twenty years on. Combination of werewolves and vampires having a bloody feud for a number of centuries makes for some amazing stuff and epic storytelling (within the original trilogy).

To put something like this on screen now in 2022 is out of the question. Horror has become artsy and unsettling in atmosphere with no deliberate payoff. Action and adventure have become reliant on older projects from various entertainment mediums like video games and comic books to bring ideas and something new to screen. 2003 was in a prime time of movies containing daring stories that combined what we knew into something new. Like Hellboy (2004) or Reign of Fire (2002) for example were fun innovative movies that made us look forward to the movie experience. With Underworld in mind, effects were used properly and confidently. Currently, movies use CGI over prosthetics more by today’s output and I am hopeful when we see a full werewolf transformation on screen or another satisfying successful effect to see people’s hard work paid off for longevity of a film than a scraper that satisfies a paycheck from a mouse click and drag. This is simply me griping of a standard that I wish was sustained from werewolf greats like The Howling (1981) or An American Werewolf in London (1981). CGI helps, but prosthetics age better.

On to the movie, Kate as Selene is a fire fox. As cute as she is off screen, she delivers a total badass on screen. The world that is built is fascinating and hard to sink in upon first view but satisfying. I can’t help but think Len Wiseman, Director, would have been perfect for a Resident Evil adaptation. With that said, those involved who wrote and starred in the movie really out did themselves. Makes me wonder if they were aware what they were setting up, because the world building is truly unique. Sure we have Twighlight but I see Underworld being the stronger and more satisfying world with a Romeo and Juliet storyline. I suppose i gravitate to the moodiness and bloody action-horror sequences.

Every casted role is perfect. The mood is perfect. The setting is cool. I would like to have had more gothic/dark metal music to fit the tone in the movie but perhaps that could have listed Underworld as an MTV flick.

Onto some other plot points that could be mild spoilers: Amelia is the vampire who is currently living her life and is held responsible for the current reign of the vampires before her next slumber. As far as I know, these vampires who are required to reign are highly experienced. However, when her train is ambushed upon arrival by Lycans she gets a couple deep scratches without a fight and calls it a day. Her reign is over without a fight and she’s stuck with clothing from the Victorian era. Personally I think there should have been a fight squeezed in here at least to prove her authority and power. It could have even remained in the extended unrated cut, which the cut ultimately added almost nothing except for clips that threw off the flow of the movie and a boob tease. A train fight scene involving a single vampire elder and a group of Lycans hellbent on assassination would have been cool and benefitted the cut.

I’ve noticed movies released in this timeline after The Matrix (1999) often seem to require a subway station event. Some 90’s flicks had this occur like Jacob’s Ladder (1990), however, subway’s became the hot spot for tiles to be shot off walls thanks to Mr. Anderson post 90’s. Such movies like mentioned above, became a staple for the early decade of the 21st century. Underworld opens with a subway firefight and sticks with the close hallways and darkly lit rooms. It’s epicness relies on the storytelling and the context of how the story is carried out through the likes of vampires and werewolves.

To me, Underworld was an important movie. It introduced a world of dark gothic horror and drama. A story that told romance and adventure. It’s effect has a better impact than we would like to admit since it’s initial release. Nothing has been like it ever since but on the contrary it has inspired and opened a world that was unforeseen before. With a combination of two nasty monsters having a legendary feud in a classic bout in special bold effects and a story that binds them. I grew up watching this since release and loved it ever since. Nothing has replaced the cheesey dialogue or the acting delivery. Underworld is influential and a highly overlooked piece of movie making by today’s standards.

One Cut of the Dead (2017)

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One Cut of the Dead (2017) – IMDB

One Cut of the Dead - PosterSpy

A very fresh take on a tried and heavily explored genre. One Cut of the Dead doesn’t just impress but enlightens us there is more to offer in this addition to the ever-hungry zombie filmography.

The plot is a simple one: a director wants to shoot a low budget zombie movie when real zombies appear on the scene. All fashionably done in one cheesy cut. I’m a modest man who begs you to stay past the thirty minute mark and endure the shabby introduction. One Cut of the Dead is one of the most rewarding movie experiences I’ve had. Sitting there with a slight grin on my face as the absurdity unfolded. The movie is funny, self aware, heartwarming, and creative. You can tell it was handled with care and from people who loves not only the genre, but movies in general. I can only imagine the crew having an enjoyable time off screen.

One-Cut-of-the-Dead | The Kim Newman Web Site

This one took me by surprise. Not at all what I was expecting and very glad I watched it. One of those movies you’d be hard pressed to search for. The last act is so humorous it gives a whole new meaning on a second viewing. I’m saying this with the little knowledge I had before going in, knowing only the straight forward synopsis. Take what you will from my words but have your own expectations. It’s a good time. One Cut of the Dead is a fresh and original take away from the mouth watering limpers that crowd our screen. POM!

Special note: It took 2 days and 6 takes to get the perfect cut and the film took $25,000 to be made!

Overlord (2018)

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Overlord (2018) – IMDB

Overlord is an interesting hybrid of war and horror genres. It’s nothing entirely new, the idea of Nazi experiments being hellishly realized. Call of Duty Zombies and Frankenstein’s Army have toyed with this idea among others. Can’t say any are classics with possibly Dead Snow being close candidate. (COD Zombie could be great if transitioned from video game to the moving pictures screen. Even better, Wolfenstein. Yes, please.)

The first 10-15 minutes when the troops had to jump from the burning, airborne plane soaked my attention. It was intense and had a great start for our heroes’ journey to destroy a tower. I forgot I was watching a zombie horror until an unnatural discovery in the woods reminded me it was not just a WWII film. I’m not going to say it was a problem, the tonal shifts, movies have accomplished this before, thanks From Dusk Till Dawn. Overlord feels more grounded and has a sense of a realistic approach to war. Not what I was expecting, thinking I was in for something that had some camp/less seriousness or a more self aware identity; a more traditional B-movie. Meaning they played more with the topic of the movie, experimented more with the “Thousand Year Reich” idea. Like don’t just show me how nasty Nazis were, show how nasty their creations were; guess I’m saying I was looking for various types of monstrosities on screen. But what is on screen is fun, that is, once we clock in enough time to see it. It does feel like it took awhile to get to why we all pressed play in the first place. Even then I’m not sure if the payload was satisfactory. With that said, and without spoiling, there is a moment when a neck is dislocated and thrust backyards. Very unexpected and satisfyingly grotesque!

The french madame who befriends our fellow soldiers is a real BADASS. She is confronted by a pesky annoyance late in the movie and she handles it like an exterminator fed up with eradicating vermin.

Some moments like the one above impressed me, others left me bored or wondered the characters’ decisions if they actually had to go that route.

To sum up, I had mixed feelings about the latest trek down Hitler’s dream of his invincible army of darkness. Don’t expect this to be anything like Kung Fury or any of the above mentioned titles, this outing is a little more serious in tone. Perhaps I will enjoy the movie more a second time viewing sometime in the future knowing now what happens. Maybe Overlord will gain a cult following, time will tell.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

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Alien: Covenant – IMDB

 

alien Covenant

 

As a fan of this beloved series, I read articles, watched interviews, and looked out for the anticipated teaser trailer released last Christmas. My hopes couldn’t have been higher. A return to the dark and dangerous universe of Alien. Prometheus opened a whole new world for us to explore and upon initial viewing I loved it, then hated it, then as time passed it grew on me and I have accepted it for being a stand alone film and an unique entry in to the franchise. With that being said, there was a lot to be expected from Ridley Scott taking yet another lead in the xenomorph franchise. And then finally, FINALLY. A full red band trailer was released. I watched. As the trailer for Alien: Covenant burst from its organic egg shell, revealing it’s gooey innards. I couldn’t help but be exposed to the spoilers on screen as one colonist after another were dying showcasing their deaths to entice and scare viewers demanding it’s attention. AND THEN, my questioning began, “Is this really going to be good, it looks like Alien? Should I lower my bar of expectations? Is this the sequel we deserve?”

alien--covenant-crew-174699.jpg.pagespeed.ce.SKSFLaAjdE

I see nothing but death.

I believe Ridley Scott listened to those shouting and screaming Alien fans and their hatred for Prometheus without consideration of those who spoke softly for their love of a film that took a risk in a new direction. Scott himself wanted to create something new that centered around creation and a story that provoked the thought of origins for life. And not just any life, but birth of the hissing xenomorph. I understood Prometheus was set in the same universe but placed far before the original. And it was this movie that many were apparently down right upset about. Movies age like wine, many show their true colors and morph into something flavorful later on down the road. The tick with this film is Scott took a chunk of Alien and a spice of Prometheus. When instead it should have been vice versa. It felt like he wanted to please the audience and new comers with an over cooked monster and playing it safe. When, in fact, I would have chosen the risky route. Continue Prometheus mission.

This is the biggest fault of the film. Alien: Covenant wanted to spring into an Alien movie so badly it left many ingredients that made it’s predecessor stand alone. There’s reviews that could go on about what Prometheus did wrong and what not. Yea, yea, we know. A great sequel would add to the first’s mystery, answer questions and then some. Frankly, the sequel does not. You want to know if Shaw gets any of her questions answered? Who cares. Want to know any more about the Engineers? Nah, irrelevant, they’re just a plot device. Alien: Covenant moves forward in a storm abandoning almost everything behind. Leaving a mess of a film.

There are good points in the movie and I will say it definitely is not a waste of time. By far my favorite is watching the androids, Walter and David, both played by the magnificent Michael Fassbender, interact with one another. Their conversations and differences make some compelling dialogue. They are by far the best part of the film. David is becoming more of a solid character in the franchise as Ripley. It’s exciting to think about. **Spoiler** Seeing as David’s relationship with Weyland is submissive in the the shadow of his creator, David holds the ability to create, and to create he does. The perfect being. And this is justified (if not hard to swallow) in the beginning  when Weyland talks to David on his initial creation. This bit I loved. Discussion of art, creation, and Gods. It is what is expected of a Prometheus sequel.

Androids were not the only ones who were good, those looking for a more serious role for Danny Mcbride actually has a good standing here. It was a pleasure to see him on screen and provide a drop of comical relief and play a driven husband to the end. A part I was looking forward to. And Katherine Waterston who played the down beat Daniels. She did good but nothing to stand out or even complain. She is in grief of losing her husband so her character hardly has an uplifting moment. With that to say the movie as a whole is quite atmospheric and despairing.

In relation to the other characters I really wish they were more fleshed out. Especially Oram and Karine. This couple could of had some deep conversations. Oram (Billy Crudup) could have used a lot more text and background on why and how he is religious. I think personally he is the most interesting character besides David. With Shaw out of the picture, Oram could have real conversations with David. If not him, Daniels or Tennessee about the future humankind’s path is set on or the Engineers’ purpose. Potential once again lost. Oram is just another guy with faith providing no meaning or value to his own asset to the story of origins. Like the trailer,  Alien: Covenant provided  meaningless scares and predictable deaths. There’s no exaggeration. The deaths are predictable, good acting, but predictable, signing on a new cast dying for a paycheck.

alien-covenant-slice

Some effects I enjoyed but couldn’t help but feel it was a slight downgrade from Prometheus. Times I felt practical effects could have been used but weren’t. i.e. animatronics. The aliens themselves are creepy. Mainly the new one, the neomorph. The original isn’t welcomed like an old friend coming home. Not that it should as it’s history in terrorizing the screen for the past 30 years. We all know what you’re capable of alien, step aside. The neomorph is here and shows it’s origins but where is it on the scale of the Engineers’ existence? Where does it stand? We still know little about the goo from the previous movie. Why couldn’t we just get proper sequel instead of an Alien prequel? You are draining this series dry, Ridley Scott.

The music itself is terrific. With moments calling back to Alien and Prometheus scores gives a hybrid vibe of the universe that’s currently existing and was happy to hear. The additional music was also good, emanating a dark ominous howl. Creating a subtle hint of intense terror that’s not exploding in your face.

It’s interesting to see where the franchise is going.  Not to be sexist but I was hoping not another heroine in this picture. But it’s not all we got. And I hope she isn’t the only one. We’ve had a Ripley. Please, present something new. And try not to kill everyone in the opening credits, so learn from the mistakes. If by chance Scott listens and isn’t a crazed old man looking for a come back and says “F***  it this is how the story is gonna be” we can fix this average film into what the franchise needs: back to answering and asking questions Prometheus introduced. We’ve had our Alien films, bring us something else. Tease us with Alien, give us Engineers and a space to explore with new findings. Our minds are bigger than this. What is life without expanding our boundaries? It’ll be hard to trek back around this film and find our footing once again. Maybe in time this will grow but who knows. We still have stupid characters and a lazy, messy plot that wants to entertain with the occasional questionable dialogue.

I saw a lot of promise when John Logan was attached (creator/writer of Penny Dreadful, writer of Gladiator). We’ll see where this takes us. Scott proclaims at this moment that the series is pinned for an additional three movies that lead up to the original Alien. Anything could happen. Am I worried? At this point, yea, I am. A Prometheus like sequel will be welcomed. Scott needs to figure out his vision for the future of the franchise. Do I still look forward to the next entry? Hell yea, I do. However, we need innovative ideas. It’s time for the reigns to be passed on Ridley Scott. If you need attention, get a dog.

In the end, I liked the movie. Since Aliens no Alien movie has been perfect. Close calls but no perfect specimen. If Scott plans to release these next few additions then he needs to find that vision and stick to it. Pleasing the audience with a cooked monster will do nothing. Possibly the goriest entry along with Alien Resurrection, we need more than shock and fright. Story much? Missing the chemistry David and Shaw had we can only look forward now after a grim experimentation. One can hope for the director’s cut. As I and fans alike look for the missing parts not already integrated into a film we anticipated for.

neomorph1-700x300

 

The Thing (1982)

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The Thing (1982) – IMDb

The thing

Briefly I would like to explain my absence and apologize for it. For the past three months I have been in Basic Military Training for the Air Force (hua!) and have been missing my currently small but meaningful followers. To pay tribute to my return I have decided to review an all time favorite of mine: John Carpenter’s The Thing. Recently, I purchased this movie for my third time off of Amazon. A long awaited Mondo’s Steelbook Collector’s edition that I have fallen in love with. With a haunting bleak cover of snow and blackness, and a ghostly mutated figure screeching upwards on the left side of the case – the words THE THING etched across it’s chest. And subtle, hidden words lie beneath this beautiful box: Man is the warmest place to hide. I gladly unwrap the movie and recall my favorite moments, and times I introduced this bad boy to fresh eyes. Much like when I told my friend he HAD to watch this movie upon it’s arrival a week after basic, hence, he does not like horror. And I told him if there were ever a horror to watch before you die it must be The Thing  (and given, a few others). He was quite hesitant until this day, today, I had the pleasure of finally showing him after weeks of anticipation. He’s a hard nut to crack, my friend, but has said it contained a good, enjoyable plot and good characters. Seeing 25 years is around the corner of it’s release, that it has stood the test of time and is a worthy addition for your shelf. However, he said, it seemed drawn out and some of the characters were not well developed. Is he right? Meh, to my degree of thinking HE IS WRONG. But I will explain later, ladies and gentlemen.

If you are reading and have witnessed this bloody awesome movie then I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. If not, then you’re on the wrong ship. Those of you who still need to pop that cherry, I suggest, as a movie lover, watch it. Experience it. Take in the cold and bleak wasteland that is of Antarctica. Where everywhere you go is isolation. Where you thought the below 40 degree weather was the worst of your fears. Until you find out there’s a 100,000 year old UFO beneath the ice. A neighboring outpost is left burned and destroyed, inhabiting nothing but ice and dead bodies. What do you do? The radios are down. You have acquired a stray dog who appears to be normal. Then things happen. Abnormal things. Things you can’t explain. One thing leads to another thing. The characters begin to question each other. Without noticing, you start questioning them. Soon enough you question yourself, Are You Crazy? The thing creeps up on you, slithering it’s way to your brain, becoming absorbed, clouding your judgement. You start building a shanty spaceship out of scraps thinking escape is the answer, I’m telling you that’s not it. You’re infected. Take your last shot of J&B Scotch and burn yourself.

The thing about The Thing is that you begin asking questions from the start. Who are the Norwegians and what are they saying? What is the dog doing? Then more questions begin to form. I think what makes a good movie, specifically this one, is to keep the audience engaged. Have a setting that they become familiar with so they  have the feeling of isolation. Introduce characters we can relate to who can also represent the daily human being. Keep them diversified. Make their personalities stand out and make it seem they have been working with each other for months to the point they appear close. Now throw them in a situation that they need to survive within a stationary location. Where they are faced with unknown, terrifying threat and need to survive with little resources. Where their wits are their best weapon by a foe who takes over it’s host. But they become challenged, divided – their trust tested. This alone, is my favorite part of the movie. The psychological fear can be witnessed on each characters faces. Like the scene when the blood is tested to see who is really who. This scene is what sold director John Carpenter to be a part of it. It was really well done. I feel for the guy because his movies are great but at the time, if any of you know, critics and audience alike did not swarm to his movies let alone Halloween. This made most of his movies a box office flop, only to be picked up by fans in the later years. Carpenter was hit hard by the critics as well. Saying “He’s better suited to direct traffic accidents, train wrecks and public floggings.” Ouch. If it’s any compensation, Mr. Carpenter, we love your movies now. the growing popularity even grew another limb in 2011 entitled by the same name The Thing. Which was a prequel and was to say the least OK. It tried to explain some questions from the first but left out the amazing special effects from the original (1982, not 1951).

I’d like to go out on a separate limb here and comment on the simple but haunting score. Done by Ennio Morricone, using a deep three note bass cord. I thought what was more impressive is that it sounded like John Carpenter did it himself since he has scored for many of his own movies. It fit perfectly, giving Antarctica that lonely, ominous feeling.

Let’s not forget the hard working special makeup effects creator Rob Bottin, who worked himself to exhaustion. Stan Winston (Aliens special effects) stepped in to lend a hand for the dog kennel scene. What’s cool about the effects is it’s actually made and not computer generated like modern movies (i.e. The Thing (2011)). This is where most of the terror, I believe, s produced. The imagery is grotesque. Like pulling guts out from two deformed bodies entangled together creating this twisted freak of a monstrosity. Or when a body’s chest opens up and clamps down on the victim’s arms and tears. And the head dislocates itself from it’s body and forms into it’s own nightmarish creation. You truly believe every part of this thing wants to survive.

Now, to comment on something my friend said earlier. The Thing can feel slow but something is happening and it adds to the storyline if not the characters. It’s a quiet progression, like the cold environment it is set in. The slowness, like other films I have reviewed and said, draws you in and makes the shock value increase. And these moments here are bloody, holding nothing back. As for the characters, you get to know how each individual reacts under pressure and in the face of peril. You see who stands out as the leader, the follower, the strong and the weak. I found myself questioning who to trust and having to change my belief, as did my friend.

The Thing and Alien are among my most beloved films in cinema. They both follow similar criteria; isolation and a small crew against an impossible foe. The Thing is even watched annually June 21 in Antarctica by researchers and the like. Its becoming a forgotten film by the younger generation but I will spread it like an infection. Without it we wouldn’t have the many imitators it has today. It even spawned a chilling videogame in 2002 that elaborated on the ending with a rescue team arriving to the outpost to search for survivors. I played it many years ago and due to it being difficult and being frightened I never finished it. If there were ever going to another installment, I feel this would do justice. (Even though I think sequels/prequels have potential to lessen the value of it’s predecessor.) Since the ending leaves you in the cold to ponder did something survive? It’s the ending that completes this masterpiece. Whether or not a direct sequel will be touched upon only time will tell. Would it be worth the admission?

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