Todd Levin’s “Static” would work a lot better if it were shorter, better paced, and didn’t give away the surprise ending in the opening seconds. Seriously, if you’ve seen this type of film with this kind of set up before, you’ll catch on to where the entire premise is going. I figured it for a home invasion thriller like “Ils Them,” but then I eventually pinpointed where they were headed once Sara Paxton reared her gorgeous face.
Thankfully, time has been kind to “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” mainly because the short truncates the Charles Dickens classic, but still maintains many of its themes and heart. In the end, it never sugarcoats the potential fate of Scrooge McDuck, nor does it deny that Tiny Tim will die eventually because he couldn’t afford to eat and purchase the medicine needed for him. That said, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” is a classic animated special with your usual Disney Easter Eggs, while also telling the classic story of the Christmas spirit.
One thing about Rob Zombie as a director is that he’s tasked with finishing one of his many nonsensical horror films with Sheri Moon as the lead. Sheri Moon is not an actress by any definition. She’s mostly suited for silent supporting roles with someone else doing the heavy lifting. Hence why she’s so much fun in “The Devil’s Rejects.” Sid Haig and Bill Moseley are such excellent actors, Moon doesn’t have to do much but work off them. With “Lords of Salem,” Zombie seems to realize Moon can’t carry a movie on her own, so he once again gives Moon a great supporting cast to work off of. When that safety net is gone, Moon mostly plays her role without much dialogue or heavy emoting, as Zombie fills in her bad performance with a ton of surrealism.
Marvel Entertainment thought Brian Rosenthal’s fan film was too damn excellent for anyone to see, so they wiped out this fan film from the internet faster than you can say “Necronomicon.” But for the few folks that were able to catch it, director Brian Rosenthal delivers one hell of a kick ass short fan film that previews what could be an amazing film. In an alternate reality where Marvel and Sam Raimi teamed up for a great horror action film.
You would think that “This is the End,” a movie about a group of Hollywood actors that basically play themselves for no reason would be self serving and self indulgent. And you’d be correct. Even in its breaking of the fourth wall and satirizing of its stars (that probably only the stars and their friends really would find laugh out loud funny), “This is the End” isn’t a bad movie. In fact for the first forty five minutes, it’s really funny and works as a goofy apocalyptic horror comedy. The rest is just filler, endless montages, and flat improv (mostly from Rogen).
Also known as “House III: The Horror Show” for—reasons, “The Horror Show” has a significant place in my collective memories. Back in the beginning of the nineties I vividly recall watching “The Horror Show” on late night HBO with my parents. It didn’t scare me like they thought it would, but it sure kept me watching with mouth agape and quite stunned. I don’t care what generation you’re from, Brion James is a terrifying son of a bitch even if “Meat Cleaver Max” isn’t a household name. Continue reading
Director Darren Lynn Bousman’s “The Devil’s Carnival” is a movie that made me think I should probably give “Repo! The Genetic Opera” another chance. Since its release, “Repo!” has apparently become a road show in the vein of “Rocky Horror,” and “The Devil’s Carnival” seeks to carry that success further. I sought out Bousman’s hour long film anxiously on the internet, and after watching it on Netflix, I still can’t stop raving about it. It’s a dark, mature, often brilliant look at the age old tale of lost souls and the devil’s efforts to lure them in to his den of sins and eternal torment. Three souls on the verge of death enter in to hell’s carnival and are put to the test. Lucifer is the ring master of this wicked carnival, and with his trio of minions, tries to test the revolve of these lost individuals.