Everything I Know about Filmmaking I Learned Watching Seven Samurai [Paperback]

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Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” is one of the most influential, if not the most influential movies ever made. It’s a masterpiece of epic cinema that not only helped usher in foreign cinema, but also displayed a talent for storytelling that went beyond the reaches of ninety minutes. Kurosawa inspired many American directors, as well as his own contemporaries to try for their own cinematic epics, and to this day, the template for “Seven Samurai” has given influence to the creation of many great films like “Galaxy Quest,” and “The Magnificent Seven.” You can feel author Richard D. Pepperman’s love for Kurosawa’s film pulsating in every page of his book.

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Kill Zombie! (2012) (DVD)

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Eventually the way film culture is progressing, every country, continent, and region in the world will have their own zombie film. The problem is that the great zombie movies are so few and far between that we’re left with a lot of really terrible wastes of potential. “Kill Zombie!” is the perfect example of great potential and no pay off. Granted, the concept is creative, and the surprise ending is ridiculously clever, but the movie is much too tedious and uneventful to really consider the aforementioned elements redeeming factors. “Kill Zombie!” is the Belgium set horror comedy about the zombie apocalypse that channels a lot of its favorite zombie movies.

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The PC Thug: Bidding an Exasperated Goodbye to “Warehouse13”

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“Warehouse 13’ was one of the last science fiction oriented scripted series of the Syfy channel in America, and it’s finished its run. Airing on a network that now only cares about making and saving money at the expense of quality by pushing more unscripted fare, “Warehouse 13” was given an unfair eviction notice; one not deserving of a series so entertaining, rich in character and mythos, and filled with a flawless ensemble cast. “Warehouse 13” was a light hearted mix of “X-Files” with “Friday the 13th: The Series” and a touch of “Moonlighting” for good measure.

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Sleepaway Camp: Collector’s Edition (1983) [Blu-Ray]

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One of the interesting aspects of “Sleepaway Camp” that’s managed to keep it legendary is that, despite not being a very good horror movie, it garners a shocking surprise ending that no one saw coming. Even during its initial release. Though it’s mostly common knowledge among horror buffs, if you’ve never been aware of the closer to “Sleepaway Camp,” you’re in store for a pretty haunting final scene that will boggle your mind. Despite the low tech approach, it still warrants a gasp from me to this day and is a worthy turn of the screw that earns the entire film a place on any horror fans’ collection. Scream Factory gives the new Collector’s Edition the absolute best treatment possible, and it’s nothing short of an impressive re-release for horror fans both old and new.

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Sleepaway Camp (1983): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray/DVD]

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One of the interesting aspects of “Sleepaway Camp” that’s managed to keep it legendary is that, despite not being a very good horror movie, it garners a shocking surprise ending that no one saw coming. Even during its initial release. Though it’s mostly common knowledge among horror buffs, if you’ve never been aware of the closer to “Sleepaway Camp,” you’re in store for a pretty haunting final scene that will boggle your mind. Despite the low tech approach, it still warrants a gasp from me to this day and is a worthy turn of the screw that earns the entire film a place on any horror fans’ collection. Scream Factory gives the new Collector’s Edition the absolute best treatment possible, and it’s nothing short of an impressive re-release for horror fans both old and new.

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We’re the Millers (2013)

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One of the main things I really liked about “We’re the Millers” is that there really is no sudden change of tone or heart by the end of the film. While it isn’t a laugh out loud comedy, it certainly makes for a very entertaining one that relies solely on getting us to empathize with the four degenerates that star. Surely, the four characters that head the narrative aren’t upstanding or even that likable, but the writers succeed in at least making them relatable in the sense that they’re all lacking one thing in their lives and never really admit it to themselves or each other what it is. Family.

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Throw Batman At It.

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Warner Bros. has yet to capture the cinematic success of the Marvel movies with any of its properties other than Batman. And that’s because Batman is so close to being a Marvel character that if he killed people he’d be one.

All the WB knows how to do is Batman, which is why they’ve decided to throw him at the already ailing new Superman franchise to forgo the trouble of rebooting yet again, in a shamelessly blatant attempt to repackage the classic Frank Miller penned The Dark Knight Returns (a book which pretty much laid the foundation for the modern portrayal of Batman) and distract detractors of Man of Steel.

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