Bad News

So I tried re-editing my podcast and it still doesn't want to go through and the playback sucks! Which is why I hate iMovie. So... this weekend I'm going to revamp the entire segment and maybe rerecord it and upload it only as an mp3 and not any of this mpg or mp2 or avi bullshit. So.... FOR SURE next week the podcast will be up. 

Drive-In: An American Past Time

Part I

Part II

Part III

I am so excited that I finally got my documentary up on YouTube. I made this film a while ago and it was my first attempt at a documentary. I was always a fan of drive-ins and they always were my favorite kind of theater seating. It was always about the atmosphere. I know this movie is littered with cheesy songs, choppy editing and everything but it was my FIRST attempt.

I also deticated a short little segment on the Cascade Drive-In in Chicago which is my favorite drive-in of all time and I am glad that they are still in business. I never really told them that I created a little documentary about them… maybe I should.

http://www.cascadedrivein.com/

28W741 North Ave, West Chicago, IL 60185

New Goosebumps Theme

This was a video that I made a long time ago and it was actually in respects to the ‘Goosebumps’ series that I grew up with. I was such a huge fan of the books and the TV show that I watched it over and over again when my dad taped the episodes for me. So I got to thinking, what if ‘Goosebumps’ featured real horror movies? So I got my editing system and I spliced some clips and this is what I came up with.

It took me a while to figure out how to matt and how to crop the clips and if you look carefully you’ll see the actual footage popping out from the edges of the matted clips. I also had to sift through several horror movies to see which clip matched with the actual ‘Goosebumps’ clip. 

When I debuted this on YouTube, it was a moderate success among those who viewed it and I thought that I should share this with the rest of the people. It is on my YouTube page.

Soundtracks - Creepshow (1982)

I am really happy because I finally got my “Creepshow” soundtrack in the mail today and I uploaded the tracks to my playlist. I am a huge fan of John Harrison, especially his work on ‘Day of the Dead.’ It is interesting because “Creepshow” is one of my favorite horror movie soundtracks, although on the track listed Until Next Time there are some points where it seemed a bit corny to have la-la-laing.

This soundtrack also had specific feel to it… not so much the main themes but rather the scores to each individual stories. The sound soundtracks sounded as though they were grindhouse/exploitation soundtracks. Funny enough, the track entitled Father’s Day was used for Eli Roth’s faux trailer “Thanksgiving.”

Like I said, the main problem that I had with this soundtrack was the la-la’s and what I mean by that is… for those who have this score… on Until Next Time around 2:24 and again around 3:20. For me, it just kind of breaks the mood but it is still a good track.

Tracklist:

1.     Prologue – Welcome to Creepshow

2.     Father’s Day

3.     The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill

4.     Something To Tide You Over

5.     The Crate

6.     They’re Creeping Up On You

7.     Epilogue

8.     Until The Next Time (End Titles)

Suites from ‘Tales from the Darkside’

9.     Satanic Piano

10. Everybody Needs a Little Love

11. Sorry Right Number

12. Overture (Mansions of the Moon)

From Shoobie Doobie Moon

13. Main Title Song

14. You Make Me Feel Like A Monster

1

New Webcam Video

My Problem with 'I Want to Believe'

I was watching the new “X-Files” movie… “I Want to Believe” again just to see if my feelings have changed but as far as I know, I still think that his movie was terrible. It was nice seeing Mulder and Scully meet up again and it was nice to finally see an ‘X-Files’ movie in the theater but it was a big disappointment.

I grew up watching and loving ‘The X-Files’ and for this movie to be that bad was just unacceptable. The whole movie had no real supernatural element to it at all… it was like that episode ‘Hell Money,’ but even that episode had something that this movie didn’t have: passion.

Although I am willing to look beyond this because I am hoping the Chris Carter will be doing an Mythology themed movie when 2012 moves around. That’s just my gripe about the new “X-Files” movie. Hopefully I am not the only person that feels this way. 

20 Scariest Horror Movie Killers

I found this list online that had the top 20 horror movie villains and I have to say that it is as close to a real list that I can find. Most people just do the top 5 and those that have top 10 lists only have villains that I never even heard of. Hell… one person’s list had Billy Loomis and Stu Machaur as the worst horror movie killers. I enjoyed this list and I have to say there are some things that I disagree with but it was a fun read.

I hope to, one day, make a video as a tribute to this list.

http://geeksofdoom.com/2006/10/17/the-20-scariest-horror-movie-killers/

YouTube Account

I have created another YouTube account after my previous 3 have been deleted. I am hoping to post some video reviews as well as some of my home videos that I made. 

Review - Near Dark (1987)

On this post I would like to focus my topic on one of my favorite vampire movies. When I first saw it I did not know what to think but after watching it a few more times, I finally learned to love it. The movie is of course “Near Dark” and there are a number of things that I enjoyed about this movie. It veers away from your conventional vampire movie and it is a ghoulish blend of western films, road films and the vampire mythology.

Lets look at the technical aspect of this film. The tone of the films seems to only linger around contrasts of dark blue and orange, which could stand for the cold dark night vs. the hot sun of the day. Here is an example of how lighting heavily influences this movie. Whether this is lighting or not, there is a scene where Paxton’s character gets shredded with bullets and light beams are shining through the holes in his body. That was amazing.

There are numerous tributes to Western flicks: the setting, which is a small farming town; some of the costuming that the character wear; the standoff both in the bar and with the truck. It feels as though ‘Mad Max’ also heavily influenced it and since the whole movie is very dark and gloomy… you could almost think of this movie as a film noir movie. 

The score was brilliantly composed by Tangerine Dream and it retains that 80s techno sound, but at the same time it also sounds ‘epic’ in the sense of strong bass guitars, a synthesized choir, rapid beating drums and sound effects.

This movie will always be a key favorite of mine just for the technical aspect alone. As for the vampires, are they real vampires or are they just a group of mentally and physically ill people? But that is a question that will later be answered. 

Another Remake - Teen Wolf

So I found out that WB is doing a remake of one of my favorite Michael J. Fox flicks as well as one of my favorite movies as a kid. This being… “Teen Wolf,” which does not need to be remade, but given the trend that Hollywood follows; why not?

http://www.moviehole.net/200919534-exclusive-teen-wolf-howls-again

I’ll probably end up seeing it just to see how they went with it but I guarantee it won’t be anything special. 

Review - 2001 Maniacs (2005)

I had the… fun of watching a very campy movie known as “2001 Maniacs,” which I guess was a remake of the ’64 movie “Ten Thousand Maniacs.” It’s really about a group of college kids that travel to a small southern town for spring break only to find out that everybody that inhabits this town are psychopathic cannibals. I don’t know where to begin with this review.

First off, there were a lot of bloody effects and it was pretty gory. I enjoyed this, and some of the strategies used to ‘off’ the characters were pretty gruesome. The main problem that I had with this movie was that the horror and gore aspect of the film is overshadowed by the slapstick comedy, the crude redneck humor the terrible puns. Most people would find some of the puns funny but I found them campy and unnecessary and it was so over the top.

What I found a little displeasing was hw they viewed Southerners: there is a retarded kid that likes to kill cats, a young man who fucks sheep, inbred sisters, a dumbfounded black man and everybody seems talks in stereotypical southern lingo. I am from the south so I am a little iffy on that but I can overlook it.

This movie wants to be a horror comedy but it failed as a horror movie and I can only consider it as a comedy. Sure there is gore, some scares and a lot of deaths and cannibalism but I found myself laughing over ridiculous actions. The movie, of course for sex appeal, it littered with gorgeous girls who serve no purpose but as eye candy. 

I have not seen the original one, I might have to so that I can compare them… but I could still watch this movie again and find it appealing as a dark comedy, but I cannot say that this is everything a horror is. If you like “Dead Alive,” “The Frighteners” or even “Shaun of the Dead” then you might like this movie. 

Try As I Might, It'll Always be a Fright

“Leprechaun” is probably one of my favorite horror movies as a kid and maybe someday I will do a full out review of it but this post is to talk about something that has always freaked me out about this movie… and it still does. I hope that I am not the only one that thinks this way but it always freaked me out when he rhymed. It’s like he always knew what word rhymed with what and he always said it in that scary ass fairy book talk. 

“Try as they will, and try as the might, who steals me gold won’t live through the night.”

“This old Lep, he played one. He played pogo on his lung.”

“Curse this well that me soul shall dwell, till I find me magic that breaks me spell.”

That always freaked me out and I don’t know why. Only Warwick Davis could pull off a role like this but what made the movie bearable for me, back then, and what took my mind off of things was the fact that the leprechaun would stop his killing spree to shine shoes. That scene was always funny.

A review will be coming shortly for this movie. 

IMDb Profile Updates

Today, or should I say tonight, I updated my IMDb movie profile and added all the horror movies I have in my collection as well as all the horror movies that I wish to eventually buy. I have not yet created a list of all the ‘regular’ movies that I own. My main priority right now is my growing horror movie collection… and I would like to make it public just in case anybody has any suggestions to what I should watch or own.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=29608597

Aside from the usual horror movie, I am looking for hole-in-the-wall movies that nobody has heard of. I hope you enjoy it. 

How To Avoid A Killer

You know what I have noticed in most of these slasher movies? Whenever the main character is trying to run away from the killer, the killer always manages to catch up to him or her even though he is walking behind them and not running. It kind of helps the idea that these killers are pretty much super humans. So, how do you effectively get away from a killer in the movies? You walk, not run and you’ll eventually get away from the killer.

On a side note, Tony Moran (the guy who played Myers in the 78’ movie) based his cold, stiff, robotic walk of Mike Myers off of Yul Brynner’s performance as The Gunslinger in Westworld; in which the character was a robot.

Yul Brynner lives on!!!!

Trailer - Orphan (2009)

I went to go see a movie called “The Hangover” today and while I was viewing the upcoming attractions I saw a trailer for a new thriller/horror movies called “Orphan.” This is a movie about a sweet little orphan girl who turns out to be a serial killer or a psychotic or something… but the trailer made it look like it was good. I don’t know about this movie, it looks like its going to be a rip off of “Bad Seed” or “The Good Son” or even “Joshua,” and although the trailer looks appealing, I think it’s going to be awful.

My first impression on this trailer was: wow, I can’t believe they are going to make another child killer movie, because we don’t have enough as it is.  But, by the looks of it, the little girl who plays Esther seems like she will be having a great performance, which usually is the case. The movie may suck but her acting won’t.

Those are my first impressions. 

Review - Virus (1999)

I had the extreme pleasure of watching the movie “Virus” for the second time and after watching it this time, I really liked this movie. The story is based off of a Dark Horse comic of the same name and it’s essentially about an electronic alien life form that inhabits a ship and controls the robots in it. It was my surprise that Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland and William Baldwin were in this movie but then again, it was a good movie.

What I liked about it was the whole premise of a life form that lives within computers and attack using robots and fusing machines with real people. I don’t know why but it reminded me of “TerrorVision” because the idea is the same… and alien that tries to invade Earth via satellite.

I think what I really enjoyed about this movie was the unexpected amount of gore. Throughout the movie, and especially near the end, there are graphic scenes of robots fusing robotic ars and legs on disemboweled torsos and heads. There are scenes where there are spilled intestines and skin peeling when the crew captures one of the cyborgs and decides to pick it apart.

Not much else can be said about the movie, the acting was good and the visual effects were astonishing for 1999 and it should be… it was directed by special effects guru John Bruno and you can definitely see his influence.

Soundtracks - My Bloody Valentine (1981)

I figure since I am on the topic of “My Bloody Valentine” I might as well talk about the song that was in the original movie. The song is entitled The Ballad of Harry Warden, which was composed by Paul Zaza and it was song by popular Canadian singer/songwriter John McDermott. This was a song that I actually enjoyed and it was very different from most theme songs for horror movies; this one is a lot more mellow and calm. But why is this? We have to take a look into the movie’s setting.

The movie takes place in a small mining town of Valentine Bluffs (Harmony in the 2009 remake), in which everybody knows everybody, where everything is rural and rustic looking and where true American and Main Street USA can be found. This is a town that is average and very homey until the Henniger murders. This song reflects this. Every town has it’s folklore and legends and that’s what this song’s lyrics are about… the legend and curse of Harry Warden.  Like a ballad, the song is sung soft and its played in acoustics. It sounds just like a folk song and in a way it sounds just like the kind of song sung while visiting the Heartland.

This is something that I think that the remake lacked, this feeling of having a small quiet innocent town become sour after a horrific tragedy. Hell, the lyrics can be considered as a stand-alone poem about a legendary killer.

That’s what I love about the original movie. 

Soundtracks - Re-Animator (1985)

After re-watching “Re-Animator” I finally realized why the beginning theme to the movie sounds so familiar. The entire piece, which was composed by Richard Band, is identical to that of the ‘Psycho Suite’ by Bernard Herrmann. Although the only things that are identical in the “Re-Animator” theme is the beginning notes and the beginning notes of the bridge of the theme, the rest is very original but still sounds like it was taken from something else. I don’t want to say that it is a rip-off, because I don’t know what the history behind the theme but I will say that it should have been revised.

Even though the theme is similar I still enjoyed the movie and the theme really worked with the movie. It’s very tedious and a bit nerve racking, which compliments the movie. The theme is played over the opening credits in which several multicolored diagrams of the human mind are layered over each other.

Perhaps, in some way, “Re-Animator” was inspired by “Psycho” but I can’t see how. 

Update - June 10, 2009

So, I updated my blog back to the way that I like it and I added some new features that might be easier to navigate my blog once I start using it a lot. I have started advertising on it as well and I hope to make some money, even if it's a little. I also started a list of my favorite horror movies that will continue to grow but for now its just basic, more movies will come once I think of them. 

I have been linking my blogs all over the place including Facebook and MySpace and IMDb. 

Here is the link to my other blog: http://tropicalrepublics.blogspot.com/

This is an alternative blog where all I do is just ramble on about my daily life and post some of my rants. Hopefully I'll get some followers. 

Technorati Profile

DVD Hunting

 Today was a bust, I was looking around for the VHS copy of a movie called “The Video Dead” so I decided to go to Goodwill to see if they have it… they should have since most of the tapes they have there are terrible. Instead I found “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Army of Darkness” and “Fright Night.” Alas, no “Video Dead.” I also wanted to check to see if they had ‘World War Z,’ but again they had nothing. I left in shame and in defeat.

Although, today I did manage to pick up “The Terminator” and “My Bloody Valentine 3D” so I am excited to watch them. I also had the extreme pleasure of picking up a copy of ‘Zombie Survival Guide,’ so I am even more excited. Although I wanted to also buy a book that analyzed ‘Videodrom’ and how zombies became a part of pop culture around the world but stupid Borders wants me to buy $150 worth of stuff so that I can get $5 off my next purchase.

I think that is kind of a rip off.