I'm taking part in the Reddit October Horror Movie Challenge and as part of that, there is a checklist of various types of movies to watch. I wanted to try something different for the Sasquatch. Thus, I looked on Netflix and found Assault of the Sasquatch. Wow, I was pleasantly surprised by this!
It's a cheap movie, I'm not going to lie. Some of the graphics are cheesy, and the acting isn't stellar. There are a lot of gorey death scenes (Sasquatch rams his fist through someone's head and it's spectacular!). Yet keeping in mind that it's a low-budget movie, I think it did very well for what it was given. They did an interesting thing where they used CGI to manipulate Sasquatch's face so it looks as if it's movie and not just a mask, which I thought was perfect! You look at the body and it looks like rubber, yet the face looks close to real.
They threw in some comedy with Don and Murphy, a duo who are members of the Sasquatch Society and spend most of the movie in the background trying to get film footage of Sasquatch. The dole out fast dialogue between each other with Don, who is obese, claiming he is God's gift to women and wished they would realize it.
One thing that was a neat touch was adding in flashbacks to something completely unrelated to Sasquatch to give reason why two characters should have a lot of tension between each other. It worked and wasn't too annoying a deviation.
The main thing I didn't enjoy was how fuzzy/dark the film quality was. They used color highlights a lot of the time which distracted me from time to time.
Overall, if you go in expecting a cheesy movie, you will be pleasantly surprised with it not being ALL that horrible.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Movie Reviews - Dustin Wayde Mills marathon: Easter Casket, Bath Salt Zombies, and Night of the Tentacles
One of my friends is friends with Dustin Wayde Mills and he introduced me to Mills' movies. Before tonight, I had already watched Puppet Monster Massacre and Zombie A-Hole and thought they were both great and campy. I was in a horror mood tonight and wanted to watch these before watching the movies I got yesterday (bunch of potentially cruddy movies, I made a post about it last night here). So I spent the night watching Easter Casket, Bath Salt Zombies, and Night of the Tentacles. They're no budget/low budget films and for being made on just a couple thousand dollars they're pretty great!
Easter Casket basically is about the Easter Bunny getting pissed the Catholics want to get rid of him so he goes on a mission to destroy a group voting to oust him, while Father Asher is sent to destroy the Easter Bunny.
Bath Salt Zombies is based on the outbreak of "zombies" in the US after a few people consumed the drug bath salts and went a bit crazy and cannibalistic. In the movie, a scientist (portrayed by Dustin Mills himself) creates a new high dose formula to get an edge on other drug dealers in the area and the main character gets addicted. After consuming one dose, obviously you go crazy and become a cannibal for a short period of time with increased strength, then wake up with no memory. As this is going on, a DEA agent is trying to crack down on the distribution of the drugs that culminates in a standoff with the other main character.
Night of the Tentacles is about a guy who has a heart attack while jerking off to the girl in the apartment below him masturbating. Then he sells his soul to the Devil for a new heart, which is now located in a box that he keeps in his room. As long as the heart is treated right, he'll live forever. Thus, he is forced to feed the heart some meat to keep it satisfied. Hijinks ensue as he has to find things to feed it without having to resort to humans all the while creating a relationship with his neighbor downstairs. It's a play on Faust (included his new heart being referenced to as FAUSTHEART 2.0 in the contract the main character doesn't get to read). And I have to say, I love the line "you blasphemy a lot for an atheist."
I like to think of Dustin Wayde Mills as the Kevin Smith of horror. He's chunk and bearded like Smith. He's incredibly vulgar but with very realistic dialogue. He makes sure he has a bit role in each of his movies (in Zombie A-Hole he was a hilarious voodoo doctor). The one area that he differs from Smith is that his movies are filmed on a small percentage of what Smith had originally and whereas Smith talked about nudity, Mills includes loads of nudity.
The nudity isn't even needed half the time but he makes sure to get a dose in each movie. I briefly listened to the commentary on Bath Salt Zombies and in one scene, he specifically said "this scene is here for more nudity" lol! Granted, it was worth it because it's of the incredibly hot actress Erin R. Ryan (who is now a celebrity crush of mine because her involvement in Easter Casket and Bath Salt Zombies). I had a friend check out Zombie A-Hole and he commented how the movie would be at least 10 minutes shorter if the nudity wasn't as gratuitous as it was. Sometimes it is a bit weird and out of place (such as in Bath Salt Zombies where a girl is randomly stripping while the main character is taking the new form of bath salts). I'm not really complaining, just commenting on it. It definitely lives up to a classic horror standard of lots of bloodiness, cussing, and nudity.
Now one thing you have to keep in mind before watching the films is that they're ultra-low budget so don't expect a masterpiece. You are in for a good ride, that's for sure. Yet the computer graphics are sometimes exaggerated as if it were a comic book/anime movie. Some of the real special effects aren't perfect (Night of the Tentacles had the main character ejaculates on the floor and it looks like they simply spilled milk instead of trying to create something close to jism; Bath Salt Zombies had a character start bludgeoning someone in the face with a rock yet the rock was obviously 6 inches away from the face). I also had a lot of problems with the sound quality on Bath Salt Zombies, where it would constantly fluctuate. I was watching on my computer and had to have the sound go from a 12 to a 100 throughout the movie because some scenes were too soft whereas others were too loud.
Overall though, the movies are very worth it to watch. Mills reuses a lot of his cast again in the movies so it's fun to see the characters have completely different roles. The writing is fantastic, it is very fluid and has a real world feel to it.
Easter Casket basically is about the Easter Bunny getting pissed the Catholics want to get rid of him so he goes on a mission to destroy a group voting to oust him, while Father Asher is sent to destroy the Easter Bunny.
Bath Salt Zombies is based on the outbreak of "zombies" in the US after a few people consumed the drug bath salts and went a bit crazy and cannibalistic. In the movie, a scientist (portrayed by Dustin Mills himself) creates a new high dose formula to get an edge on other drug dealers in the area and the main character gets addicted. After consuming one dose, obviously you go crazy and become a cannibal for a short period of time with increased strength, then wake up with no memory. As this is going on, a DEA agent is trying to crack down on the distribution of the drugs that culminates in a standoff with the other main character.
Night of the Tentacles is about a guy who has a heart attack while jerking off to the girl in the apartment below him masturbating. Then he sells his soul to the Devil for a new heart, which is now located in a box that he keeps in his room. As long as the heart is treated right, he'll live forever. Thus, he is forced to feed the heart some meat to keep it satisfied. Hijinks ensue as he has to find things to feed it without having to resort to humans all the while creating a relationship with his neighbor downstairs. It's a play on Faust (included his new heart being referenced to as FAUSTHEART 2.0 in the contract the main character doesn't get to read). And I have to say, I love the line "you blasphemy a lot for an atheist."
I like to think of Dustin Wayde Mills as the Kevin Smith of horror. He's chunk and bearded like Smith. He's incredibly vulgar but with very realistic dialogue. He makes sure he has a bit role in each of his movies (in Zombie A-Hole he was a hilarious voodoo doctor). The one area that he differs from Smith is that his movies are filmed on a small percentage of what Smith had originally and whereas Smith talked about nudity, Mills includes loads of nudity.
The nudity isn't even needed half the time but he makes sure to get a dose in each movie. I briefly listened to the commentary on Bath Salt Zombies and in one scene, he specifically said "this scene is here for more nudity" lol! Granted, it was worth it because it's of the incredibly hot actress Erin R. Ryan (who is now a celebrity crush of mine because her involvement in Easter Casket and Bath Salt Zombies). I had a friend check out Zombie A-Hole and he commented how the movie would be at least 10 minutes shorter if the nudity wasn't as gratuitous as it was. Sometimes it is a bit weird and out of place (such as in Bath Salt Zombies where a girl is randomly stripping while the main character is taking the new form of bath salts). I'm not really complaining, just commenting on it. It definitely lives up to a classic horror standard of lots of bloodiness, cussing, and nudity.
Now one thing you have to keep in mind before watching the films is that they're ultra-low budget so don't expect a masterpiece. You are in for a good ride, that's for sure. Yet the computer graphics are sometimes exaggerated as if it were a comic book/anime movie. Some of the real special effects aren't perfect (Night of the Tentacles had the main character ejaculates on the floor and it looks like they simply spilled milk instead of trying to create something close to jism; Bath Salt Zombies had a character start bludgeoning someone in the face with a rock yet the rock was obviously 6 inches away from the face). I also had a lot of problems with the sound quality on Bath Salt Zombies, where it would constantly fluctuate. I was watching on my computer and had to have the sound go from a 12 to a 100 throughout the movie because some scenes were too soft whereas others were too loud.
Overall though, the movies are very worth it to watch. Mills reuses a lot of his cast again in the movies so it's fun to see the characters have completely different roles. The writing is fantastic, it is very fluid and has a real world feel to it.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Movie Review - About Time
I was able to get a pass to the preview of About Time (thanks to my awesome roommate!). I arrived early since these things always sell out and there was a nice crowd 45 minutes before the movie began. More and more people began streaming in but the house wasn't completely full, I'd say at 75% capacity. Those 25% definitely missed out!
About Time is the best movie I've seen in 2013. And I've seen a lot, about 50+ in theatres! I am so very glad I didn't have to wait another month to see this, it lived and exceeded expectations.
The premise is pretty straight forward: the men in the Lake family are able to travel through time but only to events they personally visited. The main character is Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) and his father (Bill Nighy) introduces him to the concept, saying you couldn't kill Hitler or shag famous people from centuries ago. The relationship between these two is breathtaking, you actually begin to believe they are father and son in real life based on how well they mesh together on screen. Tim's love interest is Mary (Rachel McAdams) and he makes use of his time travel ability copiously to make sure their relationship happens and works. Tim's mother (Lindsay Duncan) and sister Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson) are both fantastic additions as well, with Kit Kat playing an important role later in the film as she finds herself in relationship trouble.
I don't want to give away too many plot points as the whole movie was brilliantly done. It felt like The Time Traveler's Wife done right, with a perfect balance of comedy, drama, and romance. The filmmakers want you to cry while laughing in some scenes, and they definitely accomplish that. I felt the problem with TTTW is that it was too far on the drama side with not enough comedy or "normal" events, which pushes it into a depressing feel at times. About Time did not have any of those problems, the emotional ride was perfect.
Bill Nighy steals every scene he is in. He plays a very aloof and carefree character, perfectly capturing the mannerisms of someone who knows how to enjoy life. Then again, I am a bit biased as there hasn't been a Bill Nighy movie that has disappointed me! Lindsay Duncan was perfect as his wife, even though it wasn't shown as much I think their chemistry was very nice.
Domhnall Gleeson, best known for me as Bill Weasley from Harry Potter, was perfect as a lead actor. Rachel McAdams was able to easily portray her character's insecurities in the beginning of the relationship and you could see how she became more of a comfortable-in-her-skin character as time went on. It is weird that this is the second time travel romantic drama (or dramedy in this case) that Rachel McAdams has starred in (the previous, of course, being The Time Traveler's Wife).
There were a few scenes where the camera was randomly shakey, as if someone just walked off a small ledge and wasn't expecting it. Most people likely wouldn't even notice that so it's nothing major.
Another problem is that some of the time travel rules can be confusing until you really think about it. I have read some people get annoyed or confused by the ending, saying that it logically couldn't be done based on the conversation Tim had with his father about time travel. I honestly am not sure whether it could or couldn't happen (again, difficult to talk about without spoiling the scene). Only reason I can think is that it was something so small, an event that wouldn't have changed anything, that they felt the risk was worth it and it paid off. Time travel movies can definitely be confusing if you think too much about the rules because it can often distract you from the movie.
Yet those were really the only things wrong with the movie. The writing and directing was perfect. Towards the end things got a bit emotional and it was so perfect that I almost burst out crying, I had to bite my lip to stop from sobbing in the middle of the theatre! You get so drawn into the movie by the great blend of everything that it can overload you and make you believe it's real life.
Even small things such as choice of music was perfect. The music chosen to play over the montage of Tim and Mary's budding romance fit perfectly, even synching up to the events on screen. The scenery was beautiful and makes me really wish I had the spare money to travel there.
I absolutely positively loved this movie. I urge everyone to see it when it comes out in November, you won't be sorry!
About Time is the best movie I've seen in 2013. And I've seen a lot, about 50+ in theatres! I am so very glad I didn't have to wait another month to see this, it lived and exceeded expectations.
The premise is pretty straight forward: the men in the Lake family are able to travel through time but only to events they personally visited. The main character is Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) and his father (Bill Nighy) introduces him to the concept, saying you couldn't kill Hitler or shag famous people from centuries ago. The relationship between these two is breathtaking, you actually begin to believe they are father and son in real life based on how well they mesh together on screen. Tim's love interest is Mary (Rachel McAdams) and he makes use of his time travel ability copiously to make sure their relationship happens and works. Tim's mother (Lindsay Duncan) and sister Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson) are both fantastic additions as well, with Kit Kat playing an important role later in the film as she finds herself in relationship trouble.
I don't want to give away too many plot points as the whole movie was brilliantly done. It felt like The Time Traveler's Wife done right, with a perfect balance of comedy, drama, and romance. The filmmakers want you to cry while laughing in some scenes, and they definitely accomplish that. I felt the problem with TTTW is that it was too far on the drama side with not enough comedy or "normal" events, which pushes it into a depressing feel at times. About Time did not have any of those problems, the emotional ride was perfect.
Bill Nighy steals every scene he is in. He plays a very aloof and carefree character, perfectly capturing the mannerisms of someone who knows how to enjoy life. Then again, I am a bit biased as there hasn't been a Bill Nighy movie that has disappointed me! Lindsay Duncan was perfect as his wife, even though it wasn't shown as much I think their chemistry was very nice.
Domhnall Gleeson, best known for me as Bill Weasley from Harry Potter, was perfect as a lead actor. Rachel McAdams was able to easily portray her character's insecurities in the beginning of the relationship and you could see how she became more of a comfortable-in-her-skin character as time went on. It is weird that this is the second time travel romantic drama (or dramedy in this case) that Rachel McAdams has starred in (the previous, of course, being The Time Traveler's Wife).
There were a few scenes where the camera was randomly shakey, as if someone just walked off a small ledge and wasn't expecting it. Most people likely wouldn't even notice that so it's nothing major.
Another problem is that some of the time travel rules can be confusing until you really think about it. I have read some people get annoyed or confused by the ending, saying that it logically couldn't be done based on the conversation Tim had with his father about time travel. I honestly am not sure whether it could or couldn't happen (again, difficult to talk about without spoiling the scene). Only reason I can think is that it was something so small, an event that wouldn't have changed anything, that they felt the risk was worth it and it paid off. Time travel movies can definitely be confusing if you think too much about the rules because it can often distract you from the movie.
Yet those were really the only things wrong with the movie. The writing and directing was perfect. Towards the end things got a bit emotional and it was so perfect that I almost burst out crying, I had to bite my lip to stop from sobbing in the middle of the theatre! You get so drawn into the movie by the great blend of everything that it can overload you and make you believe it's real life.
Even small things such as choice of music was perfect. The music chosen to play over the montage of Tim and Mary's budding romance fit perfectly, even synching up to the events on screen. The scenery was beautiful and makes me really wish I had the spare money to travel there.
I absolutely positively loved this movie. I urge everyone to see it when it comes out in November, you won't be sorry!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Quick Tasty Food: Pumped Up Mac & Cheese
I don't always cook normal food, sometimes I create a tasty dish while I'm cooking one main item. Weird, I know. And a lot of the time the dish looks downright disgusting! Yet I know it's going to be good, I just know it. A very small percentage of the time does the dish end up nasty and most of the time that's when I'm eating it as leftovers.
Tonight I made something that looked bad but tasted fantastic. The ingredients:
Tonight I made something that looked bad but tasted fantastic. The ingredients:
- Kraft Garlic & Herb Alfredo Mac & Cheese
- can of French Style Green Beans, drained
- Sriracha Chili Sauce
- bullion powder (I used low-salt chicken flavor)
- 1 egg
- Blue Cheese Dressing (I used light but you can use regular blue cheese chunks as well)
- Milk
- Use the Kraft recommended amount of water and put in a bit of the bullion powder.
- While the water is beginning to boil, I squirted in some Sriracha. You can be the judge of the amount you use based on how spicy you like your dishes. I like it nice and spicy so I did 2 big squirts.
- After the water has boiled, dump in the macaroni and green beans. Let boil again.
- After it has come to a boil, crack the egg and drop it straight in the water. No need to cook it ahead of time as the boiling water cooks it for you.
- After it has cooked for the normal amount of time, strain and put the mixture back in the pot but do not put it on the stove again.
- Put in the Kraft powder, the milk (follow the directions if you want, I just guestimated the amount), and a tablespoon of blue cheese dressing (or regular blue cheese crumble).
- Return to the stove and heat on low, if possible you can let it boil again for a little bit. Make sure to continue stirring so everything is mixed together.
- After a minute or two, you're done. Remove from heat and put in your dish of choice.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Movie Review - You're Next
It's, uh, been awhile since I made a post. Even though I've seen a hundred or two movies since my last update, I felt that when I was regularly reviewing them the actual watching session of the movie changed. I began looking for something to criticize the movie over, which is not something I enjoy doing. I'm more of a "sit back and enjoy the movie" kind of person. And as for recipes...I haven't done any new versions and didn't want to just post copies of other recipes and say "it turned out great!" which would have been obvious. I'm not a creative person, more of a near-expert copycat.
As for why I'm posting about the movie You're Next? Simply put, I really enjoyed it and wanted to share what I liked about it with others. Since I went into the movie not thinking about doing a review, I was able to sit back and enjoy what I saw.
The movie, if you don't know, is the latest home-invasion-horror-thriller movie with a slight twist, this time someone fights back with expertise. Most of the cast are unknowns but I felt they all did a great job. I will admit there were a few scenes which showed acting that was a bit shoddy, yet that's expected from time to time. It's nothing like what Justin Timberlake's acting in Runner Runner looks like, which is pure crud (which is a shame because Ben "newly announced Batman" Affleck looks superb in that movie!).
Obviously it couldn't be a horror movie without blood, and you get lots of it. There is a very unique killing of one of the villains towards the end of the movie that is quite simply Troma-esque. It reminds me of when I was a kid, yelling in excitement as the Toxic Avenger killed someone with a VHS player. In the same format I cheered in the scene in question. The blood itself in the movie did appear to be slightly faking at times, looking very watered down with a strange hue of red. Yet that wasn't distracting unless you specifically looked at it. Only reason I paid attention was because I know a lot of movies don't get it right and it looks really out of place. Not the case here, even with it looking a tad wrong it didn't look out of place or distracting.
One thing that surprised me a lot was the fact that there are a few twists. 2 major twists, in fact. I won't go into any spoilers on it but I am happy to see twists that I don't expect. One they laid the building pieces for with a random comment that you don't even think about. The other, I didn't really catch much of a hint and it did appear to come out of left field.
The big problem I had with the movie, which itself is slight, is the soundtrack. It was too overpowering at times and the music felt out of place. I kept having flashbacks (soundbacks?) of music from the last 80s/early 90s where it too electronic, almost verging on that of 8 bit video game themes. Definitely didn't fit here, but it did remind me how the movie had a bit of an 80s feel at times. Not sure if it was intentional or not.
Another small problem is after a death, the phrase "You're Next" is written in blood on the wall. Yet the size of the text doesn't exactly compute with the time given based on how fast the rest of the people ran to the room in question. Especially if you take into consideration the person writing on the wall would have to reach back for more blood to write everything. Even with 2 people I don't think it would have been possible. Then in another scene it is mentioned that the owner's of the house had been staying there for several days, yet that wasn't properly displayed as it felt like everything occurred in a single day with everyone getting to the house that day.
Overall it was a great movie. Most of the wrong things could easily be dismissed by all the good things. The high content of blood and slashes definitely appeals to horror-fans.
As for why I'm posting about the movie You're Next? Simply put, I really enjoyed it and wanted to share what I liked about it with others. Since I went into the movie not thinking about doing a review, I was able to sit back and enjoy what I saw.
The movie, if you don't know, is the latest home-invasion-horror-thriller movie with a slight twist, this time someone fights back with expertise. Most of the cast are unknowns but I felt they all did a great job. I will admit there were a few scenes which showed acting that was a bit shoddy, yet that's expected from time to time. It's nothing like what Justin Timberlake's acting in Runner Runner looks like, which is pure crud (which is a shame because Ben "newly announced Batman" Affleck looks superb in that movie!).
Obviously it couldn't be a horror movie without blood, and you get lots of it. There is a very unique killing of one of the villains towards the end of the movie that is quite simply Troma-esque. It reminds me of when I was a kid, yelling in excitement as the Toxic Avenger killed someone with a VHS player. In the same format I cheered in the scene in question. The blood itself in the movie did appear to be slightly faking at times, looking very watered down with a strange hue of red. Yet that wasn't distracting unless you specifically looked at it. Only reason I paid attention was because I know a lot of movies don't get it right and it looks really out of place. Not the case here, even with it looking a tad wrong it didn't look out of place or distracting.
One thing that surprised me a lot was the fact that there are a few twists. 2 major twists, in fact. I won't go into any spoilers on it but I am happy to see twists that I don't expect. One they laid the building pieces for with a random comment that you don't even think about. The other, I didn't really catch much of a hint and it did appear to come out of left field.
The big problem I had with the movie, which itself is slight, is the soundtrack. It was too overpowering at times and the music felt out of place. I kept having flashbacks (soundbacks?) of music from the last 80s/early 90s where it too electronic, almost verging on that of 8 bit video game themes. Definitely didn't fit here, but it did remind me how the movie had a bit of an 80s feel at times. Not sure if it was intentional or not.
Another small problem is after a death, the phrase "You're Next" is written in blood on the wall. Yet the size of the text doesn't exactly compute with the time given based on how fast the rest of the people ran to the room in question. Especially if you take into consideration the person writing on the wall would have to reach back for more blood to write everything. Even with 2 people I don't think it would have been possible. Then in another scene it is mentioned that the owner's of the house had been staying there for several days, yet that wasn't properly displayed as it felt like everything occurred in a single day with everyone getting to the house that day.
Overall it was a great movie. Most of the wrong things could easily be dismissed by all the good things. The high content of blood and slashes definitely appeals to horror-fans.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Book Review - Horns
I'm current on vacation in Maine, staying near Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I just finished a book that was simply amazing, a beautiful piece of fiction. I had planned to wait until I got home next week to write a review of it but felt I needed to do it before it left my mind completely. Since I'm doing this from my phone, please excuse any weird spelling mistakes as I have been hit by autocorrect many times.
Joe Hill is a writer I specifically got into due to my huge enjoyment of Stephen King. I read Hill's Heart-Shaped Box a few years ago and automatically loved it, noticing the similarities but still extreme differences than King's work. I later got into Hill's comic series, Locke & Key, which is also pretty amazing as it's not like any other comic out there. His short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts, was great from the stories I read (I tend to read short story collections piecemeal, bit by bit). It was inevitable that I'd enjoy his latest novel, Horns, but I didn't expect it this much.
The story of Horns is really intriguing. Ignatius "Iggy/Ig" Perrish wakes up one day to find horns growing out of his head. it has been a year since his girlfriend, Merrin, was mysteriously murdered, a crime Iggy was blamed for but was never declared guilty due to a fire destroying all key evidence. After waking up with the horns, he finds out that anyone he talks to doesn't pay much attention to the fact that he has horns, but instead com into a type of trance and want to declare their deepest desire to sin, asking Iggy if it would be ok to do it. Examples are his current girlfriend waning to literally pig out on a box of donuts, a reception wanting to tell off a mother with a rowdy daughter, and a cop wanting to cause Iggy pain just be size he doesn't like him. If Ig somehow touches someone, he experiences parts of their life, mainly sins they have done. Talking to his family shows him just how much they do not like him. His powers eventually lead to him finding out who murdered his girlfriend, and the rest of the novel follows Ig as he tries to bring about revenge.
I found the style of exposition to be incredibly unique. After the first part of the book, we have a section that is a flashback to the summer 11 years before where Ig's life changed when he met Merrin and his best friend Lee. The reader is torn at this point, wanting to know more of present Ig's powers and quest for revenge yet also intrigued to see more of younger Ig's adventures. Hill does a great job of keeping the reader interested in the younger Ig, making you almost forget about the present Ig.
Several times throughout the novel, the narrator also changes, during Ig's power of touch where we experience the sin of Others first hand. A real interesting section of the book, right after a very climatic scene that leaves us wondering about Ig's fate, switches gears and tells us the life story of Merrin's murderer, about how they got to be the way they are and all the bad things they had done. Included is the exac point everything changed, which was never explicitly blamed but the reader just knows that's where it all went wrong. Once again, Hill gets you emotionally invested in someone, where you don't mind not reading about Ig and wondering what had just happened to him.
The final narrative direction that cemented my love for the book was towards the end, in a beautifully written scene that con currently tells a life-or-death scene and a flashback to the night before Ig started growing horns, showing the reader exactly what occured that unknown night. The style of writing throws you straight into the scene, you fall even more in love with the Ig and his well-being. I'm not going to lie, at that scene in the book my eyes began to get misty. Then, during the last 3 chapters of the book, the tears began uncontrollably streaming down my face.
Now, I don't normally cry with books. I do with great movies and tv shows (most recent was during the Doctor Who episode that took place on Devil's Run). The last time I remember crying this hard over the ending to a book? Stephen King's Insomnia. You can get so emotionally invested in these characters and the writer just knows the exact way to put you emotionally over the edge. Those are the times when I know what I just read was a great piece of literature. Horns fits that bill beautifully!
Now, Horns is not for everyone. I tried to describe the book to my mom yet when I started talking about how a central plot point was when Ig realises that the Devil was actually a hero and not a villain, she just did not want to hear anymore. She's very religious (she doesn't think so, but this just proves my point) so putting the Devil in a good light means she could be never be emotionally invested in a character that has turned into s literal Devil. You get to the point where you're rooting for Ig as he begins his baptism of fire and ascension to revenge.
If you are not extremely religious, or are at least open minded enough to be able to read a book about a literal Devil, then I highly suggest this book. I had been in a rut with books recently and glad I picked Horns up. This book has definitely climbed into my Top 10 favorite books.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Movie Review - The Puffy Chair
This movie seems to be his first full-length movie he (and his brother, Jay Duplass) worked on. There were short movies before, but nothing like this. The first thing you can automatically tell is that it is indeed an Indie film. Yet that's not a bad thing, it's just something you need to acknowledge to better enjoy the film.
The basic plot is Josh (Mark Duplass) plans a trip to get a puffy chair for his dad's birthday. Originally planned to only be himself, yet soon his girlfriend Emily (Katie Aselton) and brother Rhett (Rhett Wilkins) join in on the road trip. Obviously they run into several problems and have difficulty over coming them in a real world way (none of the usual Hollywood "I'm going to snap my fingers and everything is right in the world again" BS). Cheating the system, lust at first sight, broken expectations, etc. It's not a movie where everything works out in the end, it had a surprise ending that fit perfectly.
It has some of the usual problems with an Indie film: not the best lighting, sound could occasionally be muffled, and very limited equipment so there is likely only 1 camera. And as with most Indie films, the plot is that of human fault that isn't tainted by a usual "my life is somehow better than everyone else's and just enjoy all the crazy coincidences that occur." Nah, this movie is all real world type stuff, things anyone can easily get into themselves.
For a bunch of amateur actors, everyone did a great job! Mark Duplass seems to have not changed his style of acting at all in the 6 years since this movie came out, I guess he found his niche and knows what the audience wants him to do. I didn't recognize Katie Aselton at all, just had a hint of "she looks familiar" going on and was incredibly surprised to see she's also on The League (and is married to Mark Duplass in real life). Rhett Wilkins played his character as a free spirit, quick to lust and will tell it like it is, no avoiding the subject even when it's in his best interest.
The dialogue has a feeling that everything is said exactly as it should, nothing forced and nothing sounding out of character. It's everyday speech, so sometimes it calls for stumbling as they arrange their thoughts. The cussing that makes this an R-rated movie fits when used, no feeling of the writers inserting it just to insert it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, but then again I absolutely LOVE Indie movies so it fit in my taste. This won't be a movie for everyone, that's for sure. There are many scenes with little dialogue, just the cameraman running around and catching the movement of the actors with just enough talking to get by. Some may find it boring (as shown in the IMDb forums), so if you want a movie to be top quality with no perspective moments then you likely won't enjoy this. If you're open to Indie comedies, or like Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton, check it out!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Movie Review - House at the End of the Street
The midnight showing this week as House at the End of the Street. It was...ok. Overall good but with a lot of plot-holes. I felt the movie left you with more questions than answers, and not in a good way. It's not a bad movie, just a movie that has some problems here and there.
House at the End of the Street is about Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother (Elizabeth Shue) who just moved from Chicago to a small town somewhere in or near Penn State, not sure if they specified besides that it was 2 days worth of driving from Chicago. They got their house for dirt cheap because their empty house next door was the scene of a double homicide, where a young girl killed her parents and fled. The young girl evidently drowned in a nearby lake yet no body was ever found, and 4 years late that's still the hugest thing the town can talk about. We soon find out that the house actually isn't empty, instead the son of the murdered family, Ryan (Max Thieriot), lives there by himself. Elissa, finding herself at a distance from the "popular" kids, has a chance meeting with Ryan and develops a liking to him, soon hanging out with him any chance she got; even after her mother declares she doesn't like Elissa hanging out with Ryan (at an awkward dinner between the three of them), Elissa still won't give up. The big secret is that Max's sister actually isn't dead, instead he is keeping her in his basement locked away due to her mental instability. I can't really tell you much more at this point without going into spoilers, which I'll do in a separate section.
There really isn't any problems with the acting. Elizabeth Shue does a good job, but at times she appears distant and it leads me to wonder if they're trying to make her character a hidden layer that is never explained. Jennifer Lawrence does a great job as a quasi-outsider, her only friends being another group of quasi-outsiders that form a band (which we definitely do not see enough of!). Max Thieriot was creepy creepy creepy, which perfectly fit his character. He exudes the dark and stormy personality that his character needs, a sense of mystery surrounding him.
I did have a problem with the directing and cinematography. It felt like the movie was directed by two different people with the first half being filled with a lot experimental shots whereas the second half is more of a horror feel. The first half features a lot of random scenes where the camera is at a strange angle yet the same scene just a different shot has it level. One time in particular we had Elizabeth Shue at at a 25 degree angle yet when we switched back to Jennifer Lawrence she was level. And they were each standing in the same room, facing each other. No need for that at all. There were also many shots that were intentionally blurry yet for no reason at all.
Now in the second half, I didn't have any problems. In fact, they had a perfect first-person shot scene where someone is using a faulty flashlight. It has a feel like the game Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, where you only see through a flashlight in first person mode. Very similar feel, and with it flickering on and off it brought on a great sense of suspense.
I did enjoy the plot of the movie, despite the plot holes. Usually I can tell when a twist is about to come up, yet this time around they did a great job of not really dropping any major hints. They did a great thing with the big reveal and left the pieces for you to assemble instead of telling the ABCs of everything.
I would suggest this a matinee showing. With so many other movies out this weekend that all appear better, save this for a cheaper time. It is a fun movie with just some hiccups here and there.
SPOILERS
Ok, here are some of the things that lowered the quality of the film. A couple are plot holes, others are just things that make no sense. I won't spoil everything as there are still plenty of surprised that I don't touch on.Throughout the whole movie, almost everyone in town trash talks Ryan for no reason. According to the story, he wasn't even living at the house when his sister went crazy and killed their parents. Yet he instead moved home a year before the start of the movie and refused to sell his house, and suddenly now he's the villain to everyone. One scene we have him going to hear Elissa's band play, and all the popular kids randomly decide to trash his car! No warning, just BANG with the bat breaking a window. When Ryan runs out to stop them, 6 of the kids gang up on and him start giving him a serious beat down. And again, for no real reason! He wasn't living in the area when his parents were murdered so he should not be turned into the town villain, instead he should be the town sob-story.
As for the twist I mentioned earlier, it is revealed that Ryan's sister that he kept in the basement was actually not related to him. Instead he captures girls, forces blue-colored contact lenses on them, and chains them in the basement. There are a few things that don't fully make sense. Earlier in the movie, his "sister" escaped and tried grab a knife to seemingly kill Elissa yet Ryan luckily thwarted her without revealing to Elissa anyone was there. Why would Ryan's sister want to kill Elissa when she doesn't even know who she is? Only explanation I can think of is that she was actually wanting to kill Ryan instead, yet they definitely made it appear she was planning to go after Elissa instead.
Another plot hole with her being locked in the basement is that Ryan constantly drugs her with something that makes her lucid and put to sleep. Where is he getting these kinds of drugs? This type of stuff is not over the counter type of things, it's an injection of some sort.
One of the biggest plot holes, in my opinion, is when the cop Weaver (Gil Bellows) goes to Ryan's house in search of the missing Elissa. He begins searching the house, knowing that Elissa must be there. Ryan kills him, and soon afterwards we have Elissa's mother coming to search for Elissa. The big problem is, what about Weaver's cop car? Ryan didn't have any time to move it as he didn't even have time to move the body of Weaver, instead having to take care of an escaping Elissa. Weaver's car was in the front driveway and Elissa's mom should have seen it and known something was up, yet we see her drive her car to the same spot the cop car was only it's not there anymore.
One goof that annoyed me was that there were several Mason jars in the tunnel to his "sister's" room that kept disappearing and reappearing, sometimes in the same scene at different angles. That's just poor continuity which I always get annoyed at.
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