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[BD Review] ‘The Lords of Salem’ A Slow Burn Letdown With Striking Imagery

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 11, 2012 @ 10:52am
Category: Movies / Reviews

The most impressive thing about Rob Zombie is that he’s always been able to operate outside of the studio mentality on a low budget. No matter what the film, he makes what he wants to make (sans the Halloween remake). After using Halloween 2 as a way out of his Dimension deal, he’s stripped it down to the bare minimum with his 1970′s inspired The Lords of Salem (his incredibly low budget indie horror that premiered to a sold out crowd at TIFF’s Midnight Madness). Budget appeared to be little bother but, once again, Zombie pens his own screenplay. And that’s littered with problems. The Lords of Salem is definitely cool to watch, and actually pretty entertaining (at times), but let’s be honest here (Rob Zombie fans sat there with a look of shock and disappointment on their faces, displaying the most fake smile you’ve ever seen), it’s not good.

I know Zombie loves his wife and enjoys putting her on screen, but Sheri Moon Zombie cannot carry a film. Again, this shows that Zombie just does whatever he wants, which is totally cool and all, but it does hurt his product. The Lords of Salem could have just been called the Sheri Moon Zombie show. Nearly every shot is of her walking, her in bed, her playing with her dog, and her kind of-sort of naked. The problem is that it doesn’t really propel the story anywhere and makes the film progress at a snail’s pace. But the biggest issue is that, with all of the striking imagery, Rob doesn’t have Sheri react to any of it; nearly everything that happens is either a vision or off in the corner. Yes, a lot of it is extremely cool, but then some of it is shockingly bizarre (like the tiny Devil-God who looked like a cross between Station from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and God in “South Park”).

Some of the best stuff is the flashbacks of the Salem 6 performing rituals and getting burned at the stake. The constant expectation was that these witches would be resurrected and create chaos among the women of Salem, and that would have been dope. Instead, the audience gets slapped in the back of the head (with what feels like a log) with an overly artistic, bizarre and unfulfilling performance by the “Lords of Salem.” This must have been due to one of the following: budgetary constraints, Zombie has surround himself with “yes” men, or he just didn’t give a fuck. I suspect it’s the latter, and for Lords, he didn’t even care about his viewers (I think by now he understands that his fans will like anything he does…they are the supreme “yes” men.)

It would be easy to give Lords a pass. It has genuinely creepy imagery, cool scares, super crazy sound design, and even more mind blowing set designs. But there will be no pass, mainly because of the awkwardly unfulfilling ending and the fact that much of the “cool” doesn’t interact with the characters or plot. Rob Zombie sympathizers are going to eat this up, and will spend their night analyzing the finale as if it were some revelation of brilliance. It’s not. It’s just bad. The Lords of Salem could only be recommended as background visuals while you’re jamming to old school White Zombie.

[TIFF '12] IFC Is Going To Be ‘Breaking The Girls’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 11, 2012 @ 10:19am
Category: Movies / News

The Wrap reports that IFC Films has acquired from Myriad Pictures the U.S. distribution rights to director Jamie Babbit’s thriller, Breaking The Girls starring Madeline Zima (pictured above), Agnes Bruckner, and Shawn Ashmore.

Written by Mark Distefano and Guinevere Turner, the film was produced by Myriad’s Kirk D’Amico and Andrea Sperling. Peter Abrams and Robert Levy of Tapestry Films serve as executive producers. The film will have a limited theatrical in the U.S.

In the film “Sara is an ambitious, beautiful twenty-year old working her way through her sophomore year at Browning College. Alex, her gorgeous and privileged classmate, takes Sara under her wing. As the two girls become closer, they become friends with benefits. Alex and Sara commiserate over their respective enemies and Alex half-jokingly suggests that they should kill off each other’s nemeses. Sara shrugs off the suggestion as a morbid joke, until someone turns up dead.”

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘No One Lives’ Sets The Genre Back 10 Years

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 10, 2012 @ 5:58pm
Category: Movies / News

I can’t say I was looking forward to No One Lives because it was barely on my radar. But Brad (Mr. Disgusting) saw the film at TIFF and hated it with a fiery passion. Apparently Ryuhei Kitamura has failed to live up to Midnight Meat Train and the script is in shambles.

“It can’t be expressed enough just how terrible this film is. It’s camp without the laughs, a complete downer that’ll leave the audience feeling empty. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching films like this get made by people who understand nothing about the genre; they should stick to wrestling, at least that’s one form of entertainment they know how to produce.”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Absolutely Hates ‘Berberian Sound Studio’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 10, 2012 @ 11:47am
Category: Movies / News

Bummmer! I was really looking forward to Berberian Sound Studio, but word out of TIFF has not been kind. The Peter Strickland directed, Toby Jones starring film looked like a stylish homage to 70′s giallo films. Apparently I was wrong. At least that’s what Brad (Mr. Disgusting) is telling me.

“Boy, was I excited to see this film. I’d heard great things. I love the world – the concept of a sound designer working with an iconic Italian horror director during the 1970s, a time when all Italian genre films were shot without sound and designed with different spoken languages during post-production, is brilliant. Great cast. Obviously quality production values. So know that if I say I hated this movie, I went into it with more than an open mind. And I HATED this movie..”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

Exclusive

[TIFF '12] BD Talks ‘Dredd’ With Karl Urban And Alex Garland!

Movies
Posted by Mike Pereira on September 10, 2012 @ 11:31am
Category: Movies / Exclusives

My introduction to Judge Dredd dates all the way back to the late eighties through my love of Robocop, which I had read was highly inspired by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s comics. The influence is instantly apparent. The book’s blend of violence, dark humour and social commentary remains ever more relevant today. So much so that audiences are being treated to a second cinematic adaptation releasing by the end of this month starring Karl Urban (The Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek). Like many, I had deep reservations when it came to this project. After seeing it, rest assured; Dredd is a pulse-pounding, thrill-a-minute ultraviolent ass-kicker that’s guaranteed to satisfy audiences in spades.

Head inside for the interview! READ MORE

[News Bites] Acquisitions Edition!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 10, 2012 @ 9:53am
Category: Movies / News

The Toronto International Film Festival has been good to Makinov’s Come Out and Play (pictured above), his remake to the classic Who Can Kill A Child? Celsius has purchased the international sales rights to the film.

Vinessa Shaw, Ebon Moss and Daniel Gimenez Cacho star, “Beth and Francis vacation before the birth of their child. Francis insists on venturing to a more serene island, Beth hesitantly agrees. They set out to a beautiful island, but soon discover it’s mysteriously abandoned, and the only people on the island are children. Beth and Francis are left to uncover the mystery of the disappearances, and a day in paradise quickly turns into a struggle for survival.”

Picked up for US distribution by Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment at Toronto is April Mullen’s Dead Before Dawn 3D. The film follows college kids that accidentally unleash an evil curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons. The horror/comedy starring Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kids series) has been gaining a lot of momentum and has a tone that some are describing as Shaun of the Dead meets The Goonies.

The film is set to release in late fall. It was written by Tim Doiron, who also produces with Mullen. For more information visit the film’s official website, Facebook

[BD Review] Entertaining ‘Here Comes the Devil’ Highly Sexual & Violent, Yet Poorly Made

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 09, 2012 @ 8:12pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Being a critic can be difficult because you have to weigh the artistic integrity of a film alongside the entertainment value. Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil is the complete opposite of Berberian Sound Studio in that it’s incredibly entertaining, yet poorly made. It’s also worth noting that Bogliano appears to be growing as a director, but still can’t figure out how to close out strong.

Here Comes the Devil begins after two kids vanish during a family vacation in Tijuana and return mysteriously the next morning. They clearly are not the same. The parents begin to investigate believing that maybe a local man had sexual abused them in a nearby cave, although it turns out something much more sinister is afoot.

Bogliano tells stories from a very different perspective than most filmmakers, and it feels vaguely that it may relate to a lack of film knowledge and experience (odd for a filmmaker with several films under his belt). Yet, he somehow crafts a unique experience that’s both engaging and shocking. Still, it will be harsh on filmgoers’ eyes as the final product is bizarrely ugly, poorly blocked and is arranged in an odd manor – but chaos in filmmaking can sometimes translate into a unique and captivating final product. Unfortunately, Here Comes the Devil only touches the surface of greatness. Mostly, it’s a sloppy film with some really crazy moments…and a whole lot of sexual tension.

Here Comes the Devil is early 1970s inspired, reminiscent of the classic Dirty Harry films. It also touches on themes of Devil worship and supernatural haunts like the infamous The Entity. There are intense sexual situations, coming-of-age themes, insane supernatural jolts, and quite a few gory moments; it’s got a little bit of everything for the hardcore horror nut.

The end lacks any sort of real punch but still manages to be slightly poetic. It’s hardly the way one would want a movie to end, but it’s hard to knock a film for wrapping it up so cleanly. And while Bogliano is getting better as a filmmaker, it’s highly advised that he attend some sort of filmmaker seminar or class to learn how to add some production value to his gritty, student perspective.

[BD Review] ‘No One Lives’ Sets Horror Back Nearly 10 Years

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 09, 2012 @ 8:00pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

It felt like horror was set back 10 years When Courtney Solomon produced Captivity for After Dark Films. Now, WWE Studios is back in the production game with No One Lives, which feels very much out of the same ill-advised world where suits with tons of money and zero heart get behind genre films (because they think we’re an easy sell). While incredibly gory, No One Lives is soulless garbage whose problems begin and end with an appalling script.

Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura – of Midnight Meat Train and Versus fame – the plot follows a group of petty thieves that cross paths with Luke Evans as an ex-military agent (who has become a serial killer) and his prisoner (Adelaide Clemens).

Penned by David Cohen (presumably in 2005, right after Hostel hit theaters), the screenplay is jam-packed with cheesy dialogue and one-liners that couldn’t even be delivered by Tom Cruise. While most of the dialogue is laughable, the real issue comes with the character development. Everyone in No One Lives is a horrible piece of crap; as a viewer you’ll have to get behind either a group of crummy thieves (who murder people for no reason and talk to each other like dog shit), or a serial killer who kidnaps and tortures women (apparently). Everyone could die and it wouldn’t even matter to the viewer; and because everyone sucks, there’s no emotion behind any of their imminent deaths.

The good news is that there’s an insane amount of gore, and the gags are pretty great, but unfortunately there’s no fun behind it. No One Lives is generic “shock” cinema that was a result of Hostel, which is why it feels like it sets horror back 10 years.

It can’t be expressed enough just how terrible this film is. It’s camp without the laughs, a complete downer that’ll leave the audience feeling empty. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching films like this get made by people who understand nothing about the genre; they should stick to wrestling, at least that’s one form of entertainment they know how to produce.

[TIFF '12] Check Out These Awesome NSFW ‘Hellbenders’ Postcards!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 09, 2012 @ 12:54pm
Category: Movies / Images

The Burrowers director JT Petty‘s Hellbenders 3D certainly looks like one of the more interesting, raw and fun selections from this year’s Midnight Madness programming at TIFF. And now we have six awesome postcards/posters for the film. NSFW fo sho!

“Hellbenders, an R-rated 3D exorcism comedy, follows the Augustine Interfaith Order of Hellbound Saints (Brooklyn Parish), highly secretive and profoundly blasphemous men of God, as they battle demonic forces too terrible to be cast out by traditional Vatican-approved methods. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Clifton Collins Jr., Robyn Rikoon and Andre Royo.”

The film premieres at 11:59 PM on Sunday, September 9th – that’s tonight – at the Ryerson Theater. Subsequent TIFF showtimes here. head inside for the cards – click to make big etc… READ MORE

[TIFF '12] First Clip From Eli Roth Starring ‘Aftershock’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 08, 2012 @ 5:37pm
Category: Movies / Videos

Speaking of Eli Roth (Hostel, Inglourious Basterds), the guys at Collider just got their hands on the first clip from Aftershock. The film is having its world premiere this week as an official selection of the Midnight Madness portion of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

In the film co-written by Roth and director Nicolas Lopez, “In Chile, an American tourist’s vacation goes from good to great when he meets some beautiful women travellers. But when an earthquake ravages the underground nightclub they’re in, a fun night quickly turns to terror. Escaping to the surface is just the beginning as they face nightmarish chaos above ground. Also starring Selena Gomez.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. Head inside for the clip – which features plenty of earthquake carnage. READ MORE

[BD Review] ‘Berberian Sound Studio’ Is Punishing, Self-Indulgent Art

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 08, 2012 @ 12:18pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Boy, was I excited to see this film. I’d heard great things. I love the world – the concept of a sound designer working with an iconic Italian horror director during the 1970s, a time when all Italian genre films were shot without sound and designed with different spoken languages during post-production, is brilliant. Great cast. Obviously quality production values. So know that if I say I hated this movie, I went into it with more than an open mind. And I HATED this movie.

Berberian Sound Studio is self indulgent filmmaking that’s so arrogant, and so self consumed that it completely forgets about the audience. It’s a pretentious art piece solely made for film snobs – I can’t even imagine a single Bloody reader making it through its entirety. Collective sighs and groans littered the theater between each obnoxious transition (where “Silencio” flashes across the screen), and each moment of on screen silence was interrupted by the sounds of people shuffling to rush out of the theater.

Only one word is needed to describe Berberian Sound Studio: “exhausting”.

By the time the end credits roll the audience will be emotionally exhausted – especially after watching countless scenes go nowhere; it’s not just boring, it’s punishing. Toby Jones is incredibly underused (it’s insulting to cast such a talent and then castrate him), being that his character also never evolves by the final frame. If anything, the movie never progresses past the first act as the final hour just continually repeats itself – It’s like fighting in circles with your ex-girl/boyfriend for an hour (remember how much fun that was?).

Berberian Sound Studio is a calling card for Peter Strickland. It’s an incredibly well shot piece of art that puts on display how talented he is as a director – but not as a storyteller. And while beautifully crafted, it’s impossible to recommend this to anyone who hopes to have an entertaining movie-going experience.

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Finds ‘Thale’ Heavy On Bloat And CGI

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 08, 2012 @ 10:21am
Category: Movies / News

Playing at TIFF this year is Thale, Aleksander Nordaas’ Norwegian horror film. In it, “Two crimes scene cleaners discover a mythical tailed, female creature in a concealed cellar. She never utters a word, unable to tell her tale herself, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together; she’s been held captive for decades for reasons soon to surface. Someone is approaching from outside. They want her back.”

Brad (Mr. Disgusting) had a chance to check the film out at TIFF and he wasn’t exactly wowed. “While strong performances and bleak cinematography keep the film afloat, ultimately the bulk of the second act is less than engaging. It takes too long to get to the obvious revelation, which at one point escalates the film into full on terror mode. The audience does get to see some elder creatures, which deliver some violent retribution, but the heavy CGI hinders its impact and full potential.”

Click here for the full review! The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. READ MORE

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘Hotel Transylvania’ Might Work For Kids, But Not For You

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 08, 2012 @ 10:10am
Category: Movies / News

In theaters September 21 from Sony Pictures Animation is Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated horror comedy Hotel Transylvania 3D, which features the voice talents of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and Selena Gomez.

Brad (Mr. Disgusting) had a chance to check the film out at TIFF and thought it could have played smarter. “The biggest disappointment is that it’s obviously a film made for young teens, mostly void of any adult humor. The writing lacks any sort of real punch, but is cutesy enough to warm the hearts of some parents out there. Horror fans? ‘ParaNorman’, while I dislike the film, was more aimed towards the horror audience. Although ‘Hotel Transylvania’ is way more focused, entertaining, and isn’t trying to be something it’s not.”

Click here for the full review! The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. READ MORE

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘Antiviral’ Hits More Than It Misses

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 07, 2012 @ 6:30pm
Category: Movies / News

Included in the Toronto line-up is Brandon (son of David) Cronenberg’s Antiviral, which made its North American Premiere at the fest. Brad (aka Mr. Disgusting) had a chance to check it out and he wound up liking it well enough!

“The expectations may have been unfairly high (being the son of a legend demands some sort of competence), yet he surpasses them by delivering a deep, engaging, and beautifully shot art house horror film.”

Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith, Matt Watts and James Cade all star. Click here to read the review in its entirety, then check back after the film comes out to write your own.

[TIFF '12] Check Out The Exclusive Poster For ‘Hellbenders’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 07, 2012 @ 3:07pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

The Burrowers director JT Petty‘s Hellbenders 3D certainly looks like one of the more interesting, raw and fun selections from this year’s Midnight Madness programming at TIFF. Now we have a really cool poster that totally complements the 70′s vibe that the whole enterprise seems to have.

The film premieres at 11:59 PM on Sunday, September 9th at the Ryerson Theater. Subsequent TIFF showtimes here. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. Head inside for the poster! READ MORE

[BD Review] ‘Hotel Transylvania’ Made For The MTV Generation

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 07, 2012 @ 1:52pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Fans of classic creature features may want to book a trip to Hotel Transylvania, Sony Pictures Animation’s 3-D horror comedy that features the voice acting of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and Selena Gomez. While the film leaves much to be desired, it’s a pretty focused comedy that does carry a few laughs, along with an incredible amount if energy.

In the film Dracula opens a five-stake resort in the hopes of giving monsters a safe place to be themselves. Every year, he opens the hotel alongside his most precious event: the birthday of his young daughter Mavis (her 118th, to be exact!). This year, however, a human stumbles into the party and causes everything to go wrong… for Drac.

Hotel Transylvania caters to the MTV generation’s lack of attention, and blitzes through the gates without a breath. The characters are introduced at lightning speed, and many of the set pieces are injected with the same energy. There’s even a slight Meta vibe (that occasionally goes a bit too far) as Dracula’s party is constantly referenced as “old” and “outdated.” The pace is what keeps this generic fable interesting, moving between characters and set pieces in a way to keep it visual fresh.

And while the main story may be outdated, there’s an injection of life in the way the ideas are presented. One of the cooler aspects is that the characters actually leave the hotel and enter real/modern world. It’s unclear if the writers have any social commentary, or if they’re just going through the motions (I suspect the latter), but there’s an interesting sense of space created throughout. Huge props go out to the digital animation team for creating this world, and pushing the boundaries of animation. The castle is absolutely gorgeous, as are all of the other background drawings. The characters themselves have a modern feel, albeit some of the jokes are focused on Dracula being an old fart.

The biggest disappointment is that it’s obviously a film made for young teens, mostly void of any adult humor. The writing lacks any sort of real punch, but is cutesy enough to warm the hearts of some parents out there. Horror fans? ParaNorman, while I dislike the film, was more aimed towards the horror audience. Although Hotel Transylvania is way more focused, entertaining, and isn’t trying to be something it’s not.

Hotel Transylvania isn’t really for the average Bloody Disgusting reader, but fans of the classic universal monsters will enjoy seeing their favorite creature on screen, and the jokes that accompany them. The 3-D feels a bit unnecessary, so check this one out of home video.

[TIFF '12] With Strong Presales, Filmax To Film ‘The Returned’ Later This Month

Posted by EvanDickson on September 07, 2012 @ 9:51am
Category:

Filmax’s The Returned, the latest genre offering from Exorcismus director Manuel Carballo, will start filming on September 24th in Toronto and North Ontario. This after selling foreign rights to Australia, Latin America, Taiwan, Middle East, and Indonesia at the Toronto International Film Festival (per Screen Daily).

In the film, “Kate works at the hospital in the Return Unit, helping those who have been infected by the virus that turns people into zombies. Kate’s dedication to her work is absolute, but few people realize that for her it is also a personal matter; Kate’s own husband, Jason, has been returned.

After various brutal and prolific attacks at the hands of Anti-Return groups and rumours that the “Protein” stock is running dangerously low, Kate fears for Jason´s safety. Suspicious of the government’s order that all the returned should report to a secure medical facility ‘for their own safety’, the couple decides to flee, taking with them all the doses of “Return Protein” they have. At no point does the couple imagine that the real threat is a lot closer than they think…” READ MORE

[TIFF '12] New Clip From Neil Jordan’s ‘Byzantium’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 07, 2012 @ 9:41am
Category: Movies / News

Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley and Saoirse Ronan plays the Toronto International Film Festival this week. And now we have a new clip from the film which looks pretty creepy to me.

In the film, “Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2012. Head inside for the clip. READ MORE

[BD Review] Brandon Cronenberg Leaves His Mark With ‘Antiviral’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 06, 2012 @ 7:15pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Brandon Cronenberg, son of infamous Canadian filmmaker David, has quietly snuck onto the scene with his horror drama Antiviral, a social commentary on our culture’s obsession with celebrities. The expectations may have been unfairly high (being the son of a legend demands some sort of competence), yet he surpasses them by delivering a deep, engaging, and beautifully shot art house horror film.

Antiviral, acquired by IFC Midnight earlier this year, takes place in the unknown future where celebrity worship has reached epic levels. Besides being able to eat harvested meat from the cells of celebs, bioengineering has evolved into developing a way to infect fans with an infection carried by their favorite icon (yes, you could carry Paris Hilton’s herpes!). Caleb Landry Jones is black marketing the infections he sells, and ends up in the middle of a conspiracy to kill THE superstar of the times by injecting himself with her virus.

While the commentary is something most of us can immediately connect with, the story does lose some steam, and ultimately wears out is welcome. Once the film has clarity, instead of pacing forward, it slows to a dead stop. Jones’ outstanding performance, Karim Hussain’s stunning cinematography, and Cronenberg’s artful eye are what keep the film interesting. Antiviral is simply a stunning piece if Canadian filmmaking that puts all the local talent on display.

While I feel some viewers may find the experience tedious or exhausting, it does carry quite a few twists and turns, not to mention the much-desired “Cronenberg” imagery that will delight the hardcore horror nuts. Antiviral is quite an entrance by the young filmmaker who has one hell of a bright future.

[TIFF '12] Six Clips From ‘Hotel Transylvania’ To Sink Your Teeth Into!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 06, 2012 @ 10:48am
Category: Movies / Trailers

“Welcome to Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of his best friends – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family, and more – to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but everything could change for the overprotective dad when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.”

We’ve got six clips for you today, four of which are new (the other two were previously embed only). Head inside to check ‘em out! READ MORE

[TIFF '12] Full Trailer And Poster For ‘The Bay’ Wash Ashore!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 05, 2012 @ 10:46am
Category: Movies / Trailers

We finally have a trailer for Roadside Attractions release of Barry Levinson’s eco-horror The Bay. The pic, announced among 9 other films, will World Premiere in Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section next week. It is said to be a brutal and harrowing film about a deadly parasite that chronicles the descent of a small Maryland town into absolute terror. The found footage horror was originally to be released via Lionsgate.

Starring Will Rogers, Steven Kunken, Kether Donohue, Frank Deal, Christopher Denham and Kristin Connelly, “On the 4th of July in 2011, an unprecedented biological disaster is unleashed from the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. An isopod parasite, carrying untreatable, mutated diseases, jumps from fish to human host and replaces them with itself. Seven years later, the true horror and scope of the event, captured mainly on home videos by the town’s now long-dead victims, is revealed to the public for the first time…”

Head inside for the trailer and poster! READ MORE

[TIFF '12] A Trio Of Clips Come ‘West of Memphis’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 04, 2012 @ 3:43pm
Category: Movies / Videos

Screening at this week’s Toronto International Film Festival is a new documentary written and directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Amy Berg (Deliver us From Evil) and produced by first time filmmakers Damien Echols and Lorri Davis, in collaboration with the multiple Academy Award winning team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. West Of Memphis tells the untold story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Check out the first three clips from the film inside and watch for a review out of the fest.

“Starting with a searing examination of the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three, eight year old boys Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, the film reveals the story from the inside. West of Memphis uncovers new evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of the other three victims of this shocking crime – Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley; all three of whom were teenagers at the time of their arrests and all three of whom were imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.” READ MORE

[TIFF '12] ‘The Bay’ Infection Spreads Into New Imagery

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 04, 2012 @ 9:40am
Category: Movies / Images

Two new deathly images of Roadside Attractions release of Barry Levinson’s eco-horror The Bay have been disocvered by reader “Avery”. The pic, announced among 9 other films, will World Premiere in the September Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section next week. It is said to be a brutal and harrowing film about a deadly parasite that chronicles the descent of a small Maryland town into absolute terror. The found footage horror was originally to be released via Lionsgate.

[BD Review] ‘Sightseers’ Shocking, But Still Falls Flat

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 03, 2012 @ 12:14pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Director Ben Wheatley slammed into my world last year. His Kill List topped my list of the best horror of 2011, and quickly became “the” filmmaker to watch. Keeping his festival run afloat, Wheatley’s black comedy Sightseers screened with much anticipation at the Toronto International Film Festival. Unfortunately, what works so well in Kill List is what ultimately tanks this genre film.

Sightseers follows a relatively young couple – Chris (Steve Oram) and Tina (Alice Lowe) – who take a journey through the British Isles in Abbey Oxford Caravan. Chris is quickly pushed over the edge and the vacation becomes littered with dead bodies.

Sightseers is Wheatley’s version of Natural Born Killers or God Bless America, only instead of taking on the media and pop culture, he focuses on the elitist and self-absorbed attitudes of today’s youth. After beating someone’s head in with a stick, Chris is quick to point out that people get away with being pieces of sh*t and nobody does anything to stop them (basically they get away with “murder”, so to speak).

Wheatley’s message is clear and focused, only his decision to keep it snail-paced is what gums up the entertainment. While Kill List‘s pace is all about the impact finale, Sightseers is supposed to be a comedy with some energy. If anything, there’s no energy here, albeit, plenty of shocking moments fierce with impact. And it’s not very funny.

While Sightseers is beautifully made, and features rock solid performances by the entire cast, it just sort of falls a bit flat. The joke gets a bit old, quickly, and while there’s some juxtaposing between Tina and Chris, the message doesn’t have much impact post the initial kill. Sightseers may be worth a glance, but it’s not a place you’d visit again.