Favorite couples

Luke:

L.B. Jeffries & Lisa Carol Fremont (Rear Window)
Perry & Lydia (The Fisher King)
Lee Holloway & Mr. Grey (Secretary)
Jesse & Celina (Before Sunrise/Before Sunset/Before Midnight)
Clarence & Alabama Worley (True Romance)


Charlotte:

Joel & Clementine (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Shoshanna & Marcel (Inglorious Basterds)
Dr. Venkman & Dana (Ghostbusters)
Elizabeth Bennett & Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice)

The New Blood

So I decided to bring this beast back from short term hiatus. Expect new things. More importantly, a new writer will join me- Charlotte Wehmeier.

So without further ado, let the mayhem commence.

24 Hours of Horror

It's fairly simple. Or, maybe not so much depending who you are. Here is the scenario: You are hired by a theater to program a 24 hours of horror film festival. What films would you choose and why? Be creative and have fun with it. Keep in mind the audience when scheduling it though. 

The idea was inspired from the AV Club's feature 24 Hours of Horror where they picked several genre directors (Joe Dante, Eli Roth and recently Edgar Wright) and asked them to program a 24 hour horror marathon. 

You can see an example of how they did it here: http://www.avclub.com/articles/24-hours-of-horror-with-eli-roth,2066/

Here is how I would do mine. 

NOON

Cube 

Dir. Vincenzo Natali

1997

What better way to kick off a 24 hour horror marathon than a movie about a bunch of people trapped in a cube? Well, at first it sounds dull. Cube isn't concerned about the how or why. It just is. Filmed on a small budget in Canada, Cube is a movie that invites you to sit back and become enthralled in its clever puzzle.

2 PM
Maniac
Dir. William Lustig
1980

The New York sleaze movies of the late 70's and early 80's are in a class entirely by themselves. Joe Spinell is absolutely terrifying as the crazed psychopath who hunts down people on the grimy streets of New York City. Oh, did I mention the effects were done by Tom Savini?



4 PM
Frailty
Dir. Bill Paxton
2001

A gothic horror film based around obsession and delusions. Frailty is about taking religion and following it down the rabbit hole to a place far removed from reality. The implications of the characters actions are as terrifying as any monster a writer can dream up.



6 PM
Freaks
Dir. Tod Browning
1932

After getting under the skin of the audience with Frailty, it's good to follow it up with Freaks. This is the kind of movie no studio would have the balls to make today. Released during the pre code era, this film ended up ending Tod Browning's career after the controversy of casting real life freaks for the film. But not before cementing its place among horror classics.



8PM
Don't Go In the House
Dir. Joseph Ellison
1980

Since we are on the topic of controversial movies we should go deeper . This is one of the video nasties that was originally put on the list of British censors in the 80's. Beyond just being a film that makes the viewer uncomfortable with its graphic scenes, it functions as a seriously dark and psychological mindfuck.



10PM
The Monster Squad
Dir. Fred Dekker
1987

Essentially The Goonies for horror fans, Monster Squad is a Universal monsters fan wet dream come true. In the 80's, the kids film had a sense of danger and peril. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Flight of the Navigator, the aforementioned Goonies, and several scenes from Lost Boys. Monster Squad was the film that got everything lined up and knocked it out of the park thanks to Fred Dekker's direction.  




MIDNIGHT
An American Werewolf In London
Dir. John Landis
1981

We are now at the midnight movie so it's good to throw in a classic. There's not much praise I can heap upon this one than there already is. It's hard to find anything wrong in the film. Endlessly quotable dialogue. Scenes that terrify you one minute and make you laugh your ass off the next. It's horror comedy done right. Also, Rick Baker's werewolf transformation is why practical FX will always trump CGI.



2 AM
Inside
Dir. Alexandre Bustillo
2007

We've had back to back horror movies that gleefully dabble in comedy. Now it's time to go for the jugular. Inside's first act is packed to the gills with atmosphere and mood before releasing a relentless bloodbath. Once it starts it never lets up until the haunting final shot of the movie.




4 AM
Cemetery Man
Dir. Michael Soavi
1994

This, in my opinion, was the last great Italian zombie film. People always lose their shit over The Evil Dead series. And for good reason. I mean c'mon it's Bruce Campbell. But I feel that it kind of maligns everything else
in this sub genre. Cemetery Man was the film that finally perfected the formula.



6 AM
Vampyr
Dir. Carl Theodore Dreyer
1932

You can almost draw a straight line from David Lynch's Eraserhead to this movie as far as camera technique and surrealism goes. Watching this movie at this level of sleepiness is perfect.


8 AM
The Innocents
Dir. Jack Clayton
1961
Adapted from Henry James' Turn of the Screw, The Innocents remain the pre eminent 'ghost story' film and one that countless haunted house movie have been borrowing from since. Atmosphere so thick you can cut it with a knife.



10 AM
The Beyond
Dir. Lucio Fulci
1981

This is the way you send the audience out. Lucio Fulci wanted to make a haunted house film and at the time the market wasn't ready to invest in that type of subgenre. They wanted a zombie film. So the zombie footage you see here was thrown in for the hell of it. This only amplifies the dreamlike quality of the picture. More so than any other Fulci film. Fulci's film was intended as an homage to Antonin Artaud who inspired him with the philosophy of entertainment should not have a storyline but should be images assaulting the senses.

Top 25 shows

1. The Wire (2002-2008)
2. Lost (2004-2010)
3. Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
4. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
5. The Simpsons (1989- )
6. The Sopranos (1999- 2007)
7. The X- Files (1994- 2002)
8. Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
9. Seinfeld (1989- 1998)
10. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988- 1999)
11. The Wonder Years (1988- 1993)
12. Six Feet Under (2001- 2005)
13. Spaced (1999- 2000)
14. Saturday Night Live
  -70's: Akyroyd, Radner, Belushi, Chase, Martin, Murray, Newman, Curtin, Morris
  -90's: Farley, Sandler, Rock, Spade, Myers, Carvey, Hartman, Jackson, Nealon
15. Tales From the Crypt (1989- 1996)
16. Tim & Eric Awesome Show (2007- 2010)
17. Hannibal (2013- )
18. Chappelle's Show (2003- 2006)
19. Louie (2010- )
20. Boardwalk Empire (2010- )
21. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2002- )
22. Arrested Development (2003- )
23. Freaks & Geeks (1998- 1999)
24. Mr. Show (1995- 1998)
25. Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991- 2000)

Honorable Mention (I love ya too):
The Colbert Report, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Outer Limits, Amazing Stories, The Adventures of Pete & Pete

to do list

Shadows (1959, Cassavetes)
Faces (1968, Cassavetes)
A Woman Under the Influence (1974, Cassavetes)
The Killing of A Chinese Bookie (1976, Cassavetes)
Straight Time (1978, Grosbard)
Scarecrow (1973, Schatzberg)
Breathless (1983, James McBride)
Where Eagles Dare (1969, Hutton)
Mona Lisa (1986, Neil Jordan)
The Killers (1964, Siegel)
Pierrot Le Fou (1968, Godard)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950, Huston)
City on Fire (1989, Lam)
Pope of Greenwich Village (1984, Rosenberg)
Night Call Nurses (1972, Corman)
Jules and Jim (1962, Truffaut)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, Jewison)
Hi Mom! (1970, De Palma)
Sisters (1973, DePalma)
The Trip (1967, Corman)
Le Doulos (1962, Melville)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971, Schlesinger)
Bigger Than Life (1959, Ray)
The Long Goodbye (1973, Altman)
California Split (1974, Altman)
Magnificent Obsession (1954, Sirk)
Caged Heat (1974, Demme)
Green For Danger (1949, Gilliat)
Twisted Nerve (1968, Boulting)
The Passenger (1975, Antonioni)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988, Kaufman)
Running Scared (1986, Hyams)
The Naked Kiss (1955, Fuller)
White Dog (1982, Fuller)
True Stories (1986)
Roger & Me (1989, Moore)
King of the Hill (1993, Soderbergh)
Lone Star (1996, Sayles)
Carnal Knowledge (1971, Nichols)
Detour (1945, Ullmer)
The Earrings of Madame de... (1953, Ophuls)
Black Sunday (1976, Frankenheimer)
The Crossing Guard (1995, Penn)
Ms. 45 (1981, Ferrara)
At Close Range (1986, Foley)
Men Don't Leave (1990, Brickman)
Reds (1981, Beatty)
Targets (1968, Bogdonavich)
Foxy Brown (1974, Hill)
Switchblade Sisters (1975, Hill)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950, Huston)
Cross of Iron (1976, Peckinpah)

Double Bills Pt. 1

Quiet Towns with Nasty Secrets: Invasion of the Body Snatchers '78/ Dead & Buried
Robots In Disguise: Westworld/The Terminator
Divine Prophecies: God Told Me To/ Red State
Summer Rage: Do the Right Thing/ Falling Down
Eurocrime: Revolver/ The Hit
Chasing the High Score: The King of Kong/ The Wizard
Nature Gone Berserk: Long Weekend/ Food of the Gods

Back From 'Nam: The Executioner/ Rolling Thunder

You're Next: A review

In a year that brought us V/H/S/2, The Conjuring and World War Z, You're Next finds its way into mix with a crossbow right to the heart of the home invasion thriller.

For years, the argument has always been "Why don't they make any good movies anymore?" The person receiving that question usually says something akin to: "Hollywood has no original ideas". So you decide to sit the year out. Hoping for a Dark Knight to come sweep you off your feet.  It doesn't. You're itching to go to the movies so you decide to see the next remake of a movie that you loved growing up. But don't worry, the ticket
sale to the remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street will tell the studios that you want to continue to see this garbage. It's not like Hollywood doesn't have thousands of original scripts tucked away. They simply see that the audience doesn't want to try anything new. Horror above any other genre is apt to this exact mentality. How many Saws or Paranormal Activities do we need to tell them enough is enough?

Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett have come to answer these troubling dilemmas with a movie that successfully balances horror, dark comedy and crime thriller. Known for his piece in V/H/S/2 (Phase I Clinical Trials), Wingard, while not successful at pulling off the compact 15 minute horror story, unleashes the movie he was carrying around to film festivals like SXSW. His direction and editing here places you inside the house with this family not knowing what to expect next. A feat that really couldn't be pulled off without the collaboration of a genuine script.

Simon Barrett has put together a screenplay that has a unique twist on the home invasion thriller and gives us what so many other movies in the subgenre failed at- subverting our expectations.

Erin, played by Sharni Vinson, is our lead. An Australian pretty girl who’s dating one of the sons at their parent’s anniversary gathering. She’s the only smart one of the group, and the commentary arises from her surroundings. Most characters in horror films have no sense of self-preservation, particularly the leads. They are the innocent, attractive kind that somehow always outwit the killers and escape. Erin on the other hand is an immensely likeable heroine. Barbara Crampton of Re-Animator fame plays the part of the mother. A role that hopefully gives the horror veteran more work. Rounding out the cast are filmmakers themselves- Ti West and Joe Swanberg.

This is the type of movie horror fans have been waiting for. A low budget independent. What Cabin In the Woods did for the slasher film, You're Next does for the home invasion thriller. So when August 23 rolls around, don't hesitate to flop money down for a ticket. You won't regret it.
A-

I cannot stress how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is. DISC REPEAT I cannot stress enough how much fun You're Next is.