DVD Picks of the Week: Nov. 24 + Dec. 1

More excuses, Thanksgiving weekend shook me up. But I'm back. I'm gonna start blogging more consistently once school is done with in three weeks.

November 24th

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season 4 [DVD]

Because everybody loves a little Hitch, even if he didn't direct the majority of these thrilling episodes.

Funny People [DVD][Blu-ray]

Funny People is a great film, just not in the way it was advertised. Judd Apatow's name certainly leads to audience members expect one thing, but they received different. Drama comes first in Funny People, but the film isn't without it's comedic moments. Check this one out, just don't expect Superbad or a number of other Apatow flicks.

Gomorrah [Criterion DVD][Criterion Blu-ray]

The amazing 2008 Italian gangster film Gomorrah gets the pristine treatment with this new Criterion release of the film. I loved it. Couldn't say enough good about it in my review. I need to pick this up eventually.

The Monster Squad [Blu-ray]

Already having been released on standard Blu-ray, The Monster Squad comes back to us on Blu. This great film might dig up some nostalgic moments for some. Don't be turned off to the slight "kiddie" vibe the film has, it's really a treat. And a bargain at that.

The Golden Age of Television [Criterion DVD]

The other important release from Criterion this week was The Golden Age of Television, a collection which features the kinescopes of some of the finest television dramas of the 1950s. The set includes Marty, Requiem for a Heavyweight, No Time for Sergeants, Bang the Drum Slowly, Days of Wine and Roses, A Wind from the South, The Comedian, and Patterns. This seems like a neat time capsule.

Mad Dog Morgan [DVD]

The latest out of Troma's vault is an early Dennis Hopper film titled Mad Dog Morgan. This film is entry #5 in the Tromasterpiece Collection, a series I happen to own all of. The releases are consistently thorough and give these classic but sometimes lost films the treatment they deserve.

Three Monkeys [DVD]

Three Monkeys is the terrific neo-noir/crime drama that came out in Turkey in 2008. The film is a dark and poignant tale and is expertly captured. I reviewed this one around the same time as Gomorrah, funny they should see release the same exact day.

What else comes out this week (Nov 24.): Angels & Demons, Shorts, The Maiden Heist, Angel Heart [Blu-ray], Cujo [Blu-ray], Frailty [Blu-ray], The Way of the Gun [Blu-ray], Ink [Blu-ray], My Bloody Valentine (Original) [Blu-ray], Silent Scream.

What to stay away from: Zac Efron - The Ultimate Idol. This doesn't need to be explained, does it?

December 1st

Terminator Salvation [DVD][Blu-ray]

A film that didn't deserve the scorn it yielded, McG's Terminator Salvation was an above average action/sci-fi flick. I really felt the film got the heat mainly because it was the fourth installment in the iconic franchise. But then again, it wasn't as bad as the putrid third film. Yes, it should have been rated R, just for continuity sake, but whatever, deal with it. But as I mentioned in my review, the film was a fun and enjoyable watch. Christian Bale was decent and Sam Worthington was outstanding.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVI [Limited Edition]

Much like the above Zac Efron comment, this doesn't need to be described either. But for good reasons. Cash in on some more MST3K fun.

A Christmas Tale [Criterion DVD][Criterion Blu-ray]

Criterion strikes in back to back weeks. This week sees A Christmas Tale getting the dual DVD and Blu-ray treatment. And much like last week with Gomorrah, A Christmas Tale is also a 2008 film, something that isn't so common with Criterion's releases.

What else comes out this week (Dec 1.): Snatch [Blu-ray], The Green Mile (Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray], Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels [Blu-ray], Saturday Night Live: The Complete Fifth Season, The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray], Paper Heart, Silent Night, Deadly Night III, IV, & V [Box Set], Gremlins [Blu-ray].

What to stay away from: Ben 10: Alien Swarm. I'm not really sure why, it just looks stupid.

That's all. Clearly the week of November 24th was better, possibly to push their products off shelves on Black Friday. So long.

DVD Picks of the Week: Nov. 10 + Nov. 17

Sorry folks. November is the time when college classes practically control your energy. But some great titles have come out in the past two weeks and I wanted to make sure I got the chance to speak briefly about them. Let's go!

November 10th

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut [DVD][Blu-ray]


This is the current grand daddy of Watchmen releases right now. I can't imagine something more comprehensive being released anytime soon. For those who waited, your patience has been reward. But even still, this might be too much Watchmen for most to handle. This contains the longer but much superior extended cut of the film interlaced with the extra content that was released on standalone DVD months back. This is for the serious fan.

Heat [Blu-ray]

Who wouldn't want to see Michael Mann's classic in high-def? Especially that killer shootout. This crime classic is a must for Blu-ray owners.

Up [DVD][Blu-ray]

The acclaimed Pixar film saw its released by way of a 4-disc Blu-ray set and the standard DVD release. I haven't seen this film yet, but I have it queued up and ready to go as far as my must watch list is concerned. Expect some comments on this and whether I think it's Oscar worthy shortly. As a precursor I'll let you know I wasn't exactly blown away by Wall-E last year.

The General [Blu-ray]

The General is one of those films I should have seen already. Hell, Buster Keaton is an artist I need to watch more of. Anyways, I picked this because anytime a film from 1926 is remastered and released on Blu-ray it's worth mentioning, especially one as well-regarded as this one. I just hope I get to make a post about Metropolis and its Blu-ray release sometime soon.

What else came out this week : Monsters, Inc. (4-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray], The Ugly Truth, The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 7: 1952-1954, Godzilla [Blu-ray], Near Dark [Blu-ray].

What to stay away from: Make the Yuletide Gay. Just taking a wild guess on this one!

November 17th

Star Trek [DVD][Blu-ray]


One of the best science fiction films of 2009 hit shelves earlier this week. I saw this beauty twice in theaters and would love to see it again. It's a visually astonishing movie and easy to swallow space opera all in one clean and fun package. A lot was accomplished with this flick.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Its A Very Sunny Christmas [DVD][Blu-ray]

Gaining access to the Fox Press website has its perks. I was able to watch this special episode of Always Sunny more than a month ago. It's a funny episode, much more crude than the beyond funny television episodes that we've all come to love over the years. You can do more with the free reign of a DVD release than you can with cable TV, and it shows. Recommended as a must for any fan of the show.

Fight Club [Blu-ray]

A week after one significant 1990's film (Heat) saw release on Blu-ray comes another. This time it's the wildly beloved Fight Club. I was this film for the first time about a year ago. Yes, much later than the rest of you cool folks out there, but whatever. I still enjoyed it.

Bruno [DVD][Blu-ray]

The gayest film of the year! All joking aside, Bruno is more of the strange social satire/commentary from Sacha Baron Cohen that's had him riding to the top of the charts in comedy. He did it with Da Ali G show and still doing it now as he completes his trifecta of characters. If you're a homophobe, you won't like this film. If you have any sense of humor and don't want to shoot every homosexual you see with a shotgun or send them to hell by the power of God, you'll get a huge kick out of Cohen's absurd and outrageous brand of humor.

Thirst [DVD]

One of my most anticipated films of the year is Thirst, Chan-wook Park's vampire film. Park is best known for directing the "Revenge Trilogy", a series consisting of Oldboy, Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance, three films connected only in mood and the factor of revenge. Park struck gold in all three of those films and I thought he carried that hot streak very well into his offbeat romantic comedy I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, an impressive and genuine film. One can only hope Park keeps his pace up with Thirst, a film I'm dying to see.

The Limits of Control [DVD]


In a most Lynch-ian effort, Jim Jarmusch returns to the big screen with The Limits of Control, his most minimalistic and perhaps most strange work yet. The film follows a cool and quiet assassin (common Jarmusch actor Isaach De Bankolé) country to country on his assigned mission, something the audience rarely learns about. The film is aided by the characters he meets, played by some great accomplished actors such as John Hurt and Bill Murray. For fans only, The Limits of Control is a whole lot of slow-paced action that ultimately doesn't give a huge payoff. But still, I found it to be an impressive film, just not overly satisfying.

Downhill Racer [Criterion DVD]

I don't know much about this film, other than the fact that Robert Redford and Gene Hackmen star in it and it has to do with a U.S. downhill ski team. But hey, Criterion put it out, and I'm sort of a slave to them. If they say it's good enough to release, it must be good enough to watch.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape [Blu-ray]

Oh my god!! I really need to get a PS3. Steven Soderbergh's ultra-successful independent film that helped change the landscape of the American indie film is now on Blu-ray. Words can't really describe this strange film. See it for yourself.

What else came out this week: Gone with the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray], The Professional [Blu-ray], Galaxy Quest [Blu-ray], Working Men (Rush),
Is Anybody There?, Clerks [Blu-ray], Chasing Amy [Blu-ray], Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954.

What to stay away from: Easy choice. NHL: Montreal Canadiens - 100th Anniversary Collector's Set. Haha, why would you want to watch a complete DVD box set about the 100 years this franchise has been in existence?

Anyways, that's all for this week. Don't get mad that I didn't include photos for all those titles. Cya sometime soon, I hope!

'Pirate Radio' An Ultimate Ode to Rock & Roll

Once director and writer Richard Curtis sets the sails of Pirate Radio and turns its rocking volume to 11, he never looks back, making sure that this is the undeniable film that rocked.

Pirate Radio tells the fictitious tale of the infamous people aboard Radio Rock, a pirate radio rock and roll station floating in the North Sea, much to the chagrin of the British government.

A film that is carried as much by its terrific ensemble cast as it is by its undying love for rock and roll, renowned writer Curtis’ second directorial film is one of the most uplifting and spirited films of the year. A production that will leave fans of 1960’s rock and roll feeling as good as they hopefully came walking in.

There is almost way too much to love about Pirate Radio. But the best thing about the film is its cast. Each actor does his or her part to add to the melting pot of funny Curtis has created. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh and Rhys Ifans are only a few of the talents associated to this rather international cast.

It’s hard to pick a few out of the bunch that do it best, but a special nod must be given to Hoffman, who not only turns in a funny performance, but also a genuinely good one, the kind he is expected to be able to give. As superstar disc jockey The Count, Hoffman plays up the ego as he goes head-to-head with the even more egotistical disc jockey Gavin (Ifans), the returning “king of the airwaves.”

And then you have the incomparable Kenneth Branagh back on land trying to shut them down. Best remembered for his many Shakespearean performances, Branagh plays a rigid but coldly funny minister in the British government attempting to get the pirate radio off the air in whatever way possible. He’s opposed on ship by the terrific Bill Nighy, whose character Quentin plays father and leader to the entire team of radio hosts.

But all these absolutely spirited performances and well-written characters pay reminder to the changed landscape of both rock and roll and radio. A system that is now so corrupted by corporation and money that some might yearn for the simpler days of similar broadcasts. Good luck turning on the radio these days to find a disc jockey with not only as much personality as these guys but also an undying love and knowledge of the records they’re spinning.

And a constant mainstay for the film is its toe-tapping soundtrack. Aided by the likes of The Turtles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and The Beach Boys. The film is practically a who’s who of 1960’s rock and roll and its result will leave any music lover feeling absolutely fine.

Now yes, the film revels in it history of drugs, sex and rock and roll and maybe so in a too glamorous light. And really, the plot is saturated with impossible and magical occurrences. But I think at the honest heart of this lovable and heartfelt film, there is really nothing more than a love letter to rock and roll. With all the doom and negativity in the world so often focused on in film, an endearing story like the one of Pirate Radio is something absolutely welcomed by me.

The true value of Pirate Radio is in its incredible ability to make you smile. You’re just about guaranteed to love and grow attached to at least one character in Curtis’ deep cast of radio superstars, much like the folks of England were as the team’s broadcasts continued. There’s just so much love, happiness and relentless groovin’ happening on this boat that you won’t want it to ever end.

Clooney, Bridges Brilliant in Bizarre Goat-Staring Experiment

At a certain point in The Men Who Stare at Goats, the entire ensemble cast of George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and yes, Goat, comes together to form a troupe of actors that makes everything about the offbeat film feel right.

And the absurd and ridiculously beyond belief yet still more true than you would want to believe story that leads up to and culminates in the uniting of these mega actors is a fine tale of journalism, politics and army experimentation of a different kind, best served with a hint of dark satire and a dash of farcical screwball comedy.

The Men Who Stare at Goats, based on Jon Ronson’s book of the same name, is a look inside the attempts of US military forces to adapt and use psychic powers such as remote viewing and invisibility. More specifically, the film follows reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) as he stumbles across an ambitious story when he meets special forces operator Lyn Cassady (Clooney) who agrees to take Wilton along on his bizarre mission.

As attractive as Goats is, it’s a film that takes a little brain muscle from its viewers to be liked. The film develops slowly, following Wilton and Cassady around parts of the Middle East while interjecting flashbacks featuring the characters of Bridges and Spacey to help tell how exactly Cassady ended up where he is. Because of the intermittent disruptions the film doesn’t find its absolute bearings until a little more than halfway through the film. But once the film does develop and retain its lovable satirical style the eventual payoff is huge and redeeming.

And as much as any film of its kind, Goats is a film that absolutely relies on its ensemble cast. Similar to how Joel and Ethan Coen’s spy farce Burn After Reading used its cast of actors to gain an advantage, so does Goats. Even with a witty and smart screenplay from Peter Straughan, the right actors are needed to help turn that subtle, strange and offbeat humor into something that works. And can you think of a better actor to play a hippie-like army lieutenant versed in the studies of New Age army techniques than Jeff Bridges?

This perfect casting is what gives Goats its absolute strength during its bouts of laughter and moments of idiocy. Clooney, much like with Burn After Reading, gives an outstanding comedic performance of the paranoid kind. And the usually more serious Spacey turns in another one of his brilliant comedic performances. Tied together by McGregor and small roles from the likes of Stephen Root, Stephen Lang and Robert Patrick and you really have a cast that is absolutely perfect for the goofy screwball type of humor that Goats truly is.

The Men Who Stare at Goats has all the makings of being a cult movie. There’s really a market of people out there that’ll love this film. Conversely there’s a market that won’t really want to have anything to do with it after seeing it. It isn’t the flashiest of films, it isn’t the funniest and it isn’t the most remarkable, but it makes up for all of that by being a well-acted and strangely satisfying comedy carried by its bizarre moments and strong comedic cast.

With inspirational lines of dialogue relating to one’s destined path such as “So Anne Frank wants to grow up and be a high school teacher? Tough titties!” and the supposed origin of the creation of the Army’s slogan “Be All You Can Be”, The Men Who Stare at Goats is one of those special films that will strike numerous chords with its intended crowd. It was evident from the beginning with its silly trailer and mocking poster art where it displayed the goat as one of the film’s stars that this film didn’t care about being taken seriously. And that’s a good thing, as it continues and succeeds at the ever-increasing style of odd, partly dry and satirical humor seen in films such as Burn After Reading and The Informant!, a type of humor I hope sticks around.

DVD Picks of the Week: Oct 27 + Nov 3

My trip to Austin got me a little behind as far as updating my weekly picks DVD and Blu-ray is concerned. So I decided to turn the two past missed weeks into one. I'll only be touching on the really super cool stuff here.

October 27th

Night of the Creeps [DVD][Blu-ray]


I already made comment on this terrific 1980's campy b-movie that blends horror with satire and spoof. Night of the Creeps finally gets its long-awaited DVD and Blu-ray release, and is really an essential edition to anyone's collection. Even if you haven't seen this film, just go buy it. If you love the genre you'll love this too.

Orphan [DVD][Blu-ray]


I missed seeing this in theaters because my friends collectively thought it was stupid. Ever since its theatrical release, I've only heard good things from fans of horror about this title. I meant to watch it during the month of October, but time didn't allow for it. It's on the top of my list.

Whatever Works [DVD][Blu-ray]


Been waiting on this one for awhile. Whatever Works is the collaboration between Larry David and Woody Allen. What perfect timing as I watched this today. It's a different style of humor. David is able to successfully separate his character from the one seen on Curb Your Enthusiasm all the while staying true to a similar form of social comedy that everyone loves out of him. Well worth watching.

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue [Blu-ray]


I could have sworn this film had already been released on Blu-ray. First known to me by its alternate title of Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, this is one of the unheralded zombie classics. Of all time. It has a slow-moving pace like most other European zombie titles, but the complete package is totally worth it. Increase your zombie experience with this title.

Z [Criterion DVD]


Z gets a reissue by Criterion. Add this to the list of films I've meant to watch. That is all.

The Sam Fuller Film Collection [DVD]


Boy did I pick a busy week to skip. A new collection featuring the films of the great Sam Fuller has been released. Gotta love Sony and what they've been doing lately. This collection includes: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD, ADVENTURE IN SAHARA, POWER OF THE PRESS, SHOCKPROOF, SCANDAL SHEET, UNDERWORLD USA. Sorry about the caps. Blame Amazon!

What else came out this week (Oct. 27): Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Monty Python: Almost The Truth, Nothing Like the Holidays, Tales from the Darkside: The Second Season, Luis Bunuel's Death in the Garden, Black Devil Doll, 42nd Street Forever 5: Alamo Drafthouse Edition, Sauna, Messiah of Evil: The Second Coming, Il Divo, Tinto Brass Collection, Vol. III

Stan Helsing, Fear(s) of the Dark, The Asphyx, Night of Death!.

What to stay away from (Oct. 27): Two things. One for quality. Stan Helsing because it's one of those stupid spoofs from one of the seven writers of Scary Movie. The other for stupidity in packaging. Adult Swim in a Box, while containing quality television programming, is a baffling collection. You get random seasons of some of the best shows. Season 2 of Sealab 2021, Season 3 of Space Ghost and so on. So unless the stars align and you need those exact seasons, this would be a strange way to begin an Adult Swim collection.

November 3rd

North by Northwest [DVD][Blu-ray]


The real treat with this new release is the Blu-ray. North by Northwest is probably the film that made me fall in love with Alfred Hitchcock. I've only seen one film of his that left a bad taste in my mouth (Topaz). Hitchcock had one of the most remarkably consistent careers of any filmmaker. His worst is best than some director's best. North by Northwest is an especially alluring film for its epic sweeping of the country. It's a grandiose adventure unlike anything else the master of suspense created. Fans should look to eat up this beautiful new release and Blu-ray transfer. And to save space I'll mention this here. Also released this week is a collection of four Hitchcock classics. In TCM's continuing series of budget releases, Suspicion, Strangers on a Train, The Wrong Man and I Confess are packaged together in one affordable collection of Hitchcock goodness. Strangers on a Train is probably the best film here, but all four are some of his best work.

Wings of Desire [DVD][Blu-ray]


One important service of these blog posts are to remind me that there are artists out there that I personally haven't checked out yet. I probably would have seen Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire had it not been out of print back when I searched for it on Netflix. Now Criterion has pulled another miracle and given the film its supposed due with a DVD and Blu-ray release. I gotta check this one out.

Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics, Vol 1. [DVD]


I'll own this set one day. I'm only familiar with Fritz Lang's The Big Heat out of the collection of five films. Included are (The Big Heat / 5 Against the House / The Lineup / Murder by Contract / The Sniper). What this set does great is bring some hidden gems out of the woodwork and gives them great transfers. The Sniper is an especially appealing film from Edward Dmytryk, one of the more unheralded film noir directors of his generation. Look into this set, noir fans.

What else came out this week (Nov. 3): Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro - The Complete First Season, Food, Inc., Love Actually [Blu-ray], The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection [Blu-ray], A Christmas Carol [Blu-ray], It's a Wonderful Life [Blu-ray], Howards End (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray], Forrest Gump [Blu-ray], The Claudette Colbert Collection, Nirvana Live at Reading.

What to stay away from (Nov. 3): I don't know, I heard G.I. Joe was pretty piss poor, and that comes out this week.

So long!

Album review: Pelican - What We All Come to Need

I find it somewhat difficult to express how I really feel about Pelican. Instead, the four-piece instrumental band from Chicago prefers to constantly make its post-rock sound laced with metal collide with my senses, leaving me with no room to function.

What I really love about Pelican and their sludgy, sometimes droning, but always engaging music, is how it absolutely always cuts to the chase. There is no fooling around here, no need for an unnecessary and sometimes anti-climatic buildup technique other prominent bands inside the post-whatever genres make use of. And the band’s fourth album What We All Come to Need is one of the best examples of this yet.

“Glimmer” opens the album, grabs you, and makes a point that it isn’t going to let go of you. All four members of this band are simply incredibly competent in letting their instruments do the heavy speaking. Sibling rhythm section of Bryan Herweg on bass and Larry Herweg on drums keeps the music flowing consistently while the band’s dual guitarists Trevor de Brauw and Larent Schroeder-Lebec place biting and harsh riffs on top of it all.

“The Creeper” and “Ephemeral” stand out as two favorites of mine. They both have this uncanny hooking ability thanks to the quartet’s ability to work and feed off of each other. The rest of the album is simply more of the same.

Before all is said and done with the pulsating eight track album, diehard Pelican fans will be hearing something different on the eighth and final track. Fans might be surprised to hear vocals on “Final Breath”. It’s true, you aren’t hearing things. Ben Verellen of Harkonen provided vocals for what is the first Pelican song to ever feature vocals, and the experiment avoids disaster.

Not much more can be said for a band like Pelican. You’ll either love it or hate it. There’s no catch to their straightforward sound, but at the same time it ends up being satisfying and addicting. They might just be the most accessible band inside the many post-rock genres, and What We All Come to Need is more proof of that claim.

Wrap Up of Films Watched in October 2009

Well here it is. I'm reaching the end stretch. 255 total films have been watched. I viewed 23 in October, with only one not being a horror film. Here's the recap. * denotes first time viewing.

233. 10/1 – Summer School*
234. 10/1 – Drag Me to Hell
235. 10/1 – Laid to Rest*
236. 10/1 – The Sentinel*
237. 10/2 – Zombieland*
238. 10/6 – The Hills Run Red*
239. 10/6 – Jungle Holocaust*
240. 10/7 – Fright Night*
241. 10/8 – MST3K: Zombie Nightmare*
242. 10/10 – Trick ‘r Treat
243. 10/10 – Splinter*
244. 10/13 – Where the Wild Things Are*
245. 10/15 – Children of the Corn*
246. 10/16 – The Ruins*
247. 10/16 – Cat People (1942)*
248. 10/18 – The Poughkeepsie Tapes*
249. 10/21 – Paranormal Activity*
250. 10/22 – Night of the Creeps*
251. 10/22 – Ghostwatch*
252. 10/23 – Shock*
253. 10/23 – From a Whisper to a Scream*
254. 10/23 – Theater of Blood*
255. 10/24 – Basket Case*

Best Film (New Viewing): Zombieland
I really do believe that Zombieland was the champion of October. The film is so much fun and simply gets it right. Read my review for more.
Runners-up: Where the Wild Things Are, Paranormal Activity, Night of the Creeps.

Best Film (Repeated Viewing): Drag Me to Hell
There weren't too many repeated viewings. In fact, both repeated viewings from the month of October were two of my favorite horror films of the year. Drag Me to Hell edges out Trick 'r Treat here though. Sam Raimi's return to horror is one of the absolute top highlights of film in 2009.
Runner-up: Trick 'r Treat.

Worst Film (Any Viewing): Zombie Nightmare
Hands down. An absolutely terrible film. The MST3K riffing of it was brilliant, but this Adam West film is a laughable attempt at the zombie voodoo genre.
Runner-up: None.

Most Surprising Film: Splinter
I expected solid things from Splinter, but I got so much more. The film was an intense portrait of four people trapped inside a gas station while an unheard of parasite-like creature stalks them from the outside. The film grips viewers and doesn't let go.
Runners-up: From a Whisper to a Scream, The Sentinel.

Most Underrated Film: Theater of Blood
Among all of Vincent Price's classic, I think this one gets the least admiration. I'm not sure why either. Price turns in a signature performance as a Shakespearean actor set on killing all critics who did him wrong. One by one by way of deaths seen in Shakespeare's own plays. Terrific fun.
Runners-up: Cat People.

And so my dedication to horror films is done. I won't stop watching them, but it feels nice to not have to feel compelled to watch one every night. I have two months left to hit the 300 mark. That means 45 films must be watched between now and January 1st. Stay tuned.

October Horror Movie Challenge: The Final Results

Okay, so I had a pretty bad showing this past month compared to the past couple of years. But I have my excuses. Lots of hockey was to be seen, the Yankees are having a great playoff run and I took four days out of October to head to Austin, TX for a college journalism and media conference. All pretty worthy reasons for not watching horror films. I finished with only 21, a total that ranks as fourth in the five years I've taken part in the contest. Here's the last stretch of films watched and a mini review to go along with.

October 21st
15. Paranormal Activity (2007)*
October 22nd
16. Night of the Creeps (1986)*
17. Ghostwatch (1992)*
October 23rd
18. Shock (1977)*
19. From a Whisper to a Scream (1987)*
20. Theater of Blood (1973)*
October 24th
21. Basket Case (1982)*

Paranormal Activity: If you already read my review on this film, you'll know I absolutely loved it. If you haven't, maybe you should, because I said more about it there than I can say here. Highly recommended.

Night of the Creeps: This is the ultimate 1980's campy horror film. I was lucky enough to have DVD Pacific get me my copy of the film's long-awaited DVD release early. It was a blind buy, so in turn my first viewing. And WOW, was I blown away. What a classic. Highly recommended.

Ghostwatch: BBC put this fake ghost hunter broadcast on back in the 90's and scared the crap out of some viewers. Played like a real ghost hunting newscast, the faux documentary used some of the same tactics Paranormal Activity used. It's a very effective piece of entertainment. Recommended.

Shock: The great artist Mario Bava's last film. This isn't the best results from the master, but it's still much better than some artist's best. It's a neat and chilling story, with a memorable child performance. Recommended to fans of Bava.

From a Whisper to a Scream: Vincent Price acted as the mood setter in this horror anthology film. The stories here are all so different, all so grim and all so entertaining. One of the good ignored horror films of the last 25 years. Recommended.

Theater of Blood: Staying with Vincent Price, I went straight for this film. Price plays a Shakespearean actor who exacts revenge on critics who gave him negative reviews over the years. The catch is, Price's character does so by killing them based on Shakespeare's plays. A dark but humorous film with a classic performance from Price. Highly recommended as I found it to be such an enjoyable and unique film.

Basket Case: Inside that brown basket is not a picnic lunch. It's a fucking malformed monster-like creature that'll fucking kill you. And it's so fun to watch. This is one of the essential b-movies of the 1980's. Check it out. Recommended.

So 21 films, and mostly all of them were new viewings. I had no time for my favorite horror classics this month. Sorry Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Bay of Blood.

Paranormal Activity vs. Saw VI: An Update

My last blog post before leaving for Austin (which was a great deal of fun) had to do with the importance of Paranormal Activity beating Saw VI at the box office. And now I'm sold.

This past Halloween weekend, the $15,000 budget Paranormal Activity grossed $16,387,32716 in an expanded role, leaving the film with a $84,627,372 total gross. Saw VI floundered, dropping four spots and only ending up with $5,270,794 in its pocket. Still, the film has made $22,534,749, good enough to double the film's budget of roughly $11 million. And even though Saw VI got beat hard, it's still considered a profitable success. The film will likely yield more money come DVD/Blu-ray release.

But to end this quick update on a positive, I'll announce victory on behalf of horror films across the world! Saw VI was defeated.