Yeah, it’s real (with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and official movie site pages up and running) and yes, I couldn’t stop laughing despite the dead serious action vibe in the trailer posted above. Yikes. Is Hollywood REALLY that short on ideas that they’re going BACK to making movies based on board games? Can I get a Clue, anyone? OK, Clue was kind of amusing in a way, but still… yeesh. If this film makes money, well then dear reader, Milton Bradley/Hasbro has a ton of dusty old games on the top shelf of the hall closer to pick through for “new” film projects. Personally, I’d love to see Operation or Hungry Hungry Hippos turned into modern horror flicks a laSAW or some other icky torture porn, if we’re going to go all the way with the baffling ideas taken to illogical extremes.
Feh, I guess anyone under 25 was all psyched that this slick new action flick is shooting into theaters this May. As for yours truly and probably anyone else of a certain vintage that remembers the game and those goofy commercials (“You sunk my battleship!” )… we’ll pass on spending money for a ticket, but we WILL be sure to get a little drunk one night and catch this when it hits cable sometime early next year (if not sooner)…
OK, I went over my usual one title by a few as you’ll soon read, but I actually started this as a very different article revolving around Konami’s Silent Hill HD Collection (before it slipped into delay mode). Still, what with Valentine’s Day coming up along with my usual visceral reaction to the holiday (Yuck!), I may as well be nice for a change and share some really strange candy with you.
Don’t say you weren’t warned, though…
Konami’s hugely popular horror game franchise, Silent Hill, has been a personal favorite of mine ever since I got a demo from their PR department not too long after E3 1998. At that time, I was working in an independent game shop that also was expanding into publishing reviews, articles and features on the site (and later in a magazine published by the store). When the game was finally released in January 1999, I had to review it overnight for the web site. After about 11 or so hours of playing and taking copious notes on everything from the major differences from the demo to pointing out the assorted cinematic and literary influences I saw, I wrote an exceedingly lengthy (and a wee bit too cerebral) review. All of that hard word ended up being brutally chopped down to a mere three or four paragraphs, but a few years later after leaving the shop (and in between jobs), I reworked my original draft and posted it on GameFaqs.
While horror-themed games have been around for a while, pure psychological horror as a thematic element was somewhat new to console games at that time while movies have been using it for decades prior. As I’ve gone back to the Silent Hill series numerous times, I’ve seen a number of parallels between imagery in the series and the films on this list. Below the jump, I’m going to introduce (or reintroduce) you to some of these unsettling films with the hope that you seek them out and experience a bit of sheer fright for yourselves before or after you play (or replay) any of the games in the series…
I’m a little late on commenting about this deal, but I don’t waste a lot of time trolling the Internet for this sort of thing and when I come across it, I usually hope it’s a really bad joke. Unfortunately, it’s not. Paul Verhoeven’s near-perfect blend of sci-fi, action and satire is soon to join the ranks of many other classics that got the remake treatment. Now, I could be completely wrong here, but I’m old and have a very long memory, so I doubt it. Given the pile of changes made since the idea of the remake gained traction over the past two years and the recent rumor about Russell Crowe being attached as the lead, the project seems to me it’s going to be a very expensive failure even if it goes in a completely new direction (and makes a pile of money in the process). On the other hand, after watching the original yesterday just to see what what was wrong that a remake HAD to be green-lit, here’s what I found… Continue reading →
That’s a compliment by the way. No matter if they’re good, bad or somewhere in between, Besson’s films are always interesting to watch thanks to some excellent action scenes and fun casting choices. The plot to this upcoming sci-fi action film 9Which Besson wrote and produced) reminds me of a cross between John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, Besson’s own District B13 and Sega’s arcade hit, Dynamite Deka. That said, I don’t expect any sort of licensed video game tie-in at all. Granted, if this flick was made a decade or so ago, I’d bet we’d be seeing a game version pop up on the Dreamcast or PS2, Xbox and GameCube as a story-based beat ’em up/action game with the usual collection elements added for good measure. As the film is set for an April 20, 2012 release, don’t expect anything playable to pop up unless it’s some social or mobile/tablet game cobbled together quickly as a cash-in.
Still one of the most intense films I’ve seen, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 masterpiece will have you glued to the screen and peeling the fabric off whatever you’re sitting on as the movie puts its characters through sheer hell. Set somewhere in South America, the plot has four desperate men take on the challenge of driving two trucks packed with nitroglycerine through some hellish territory in order to help put out a massive oil well fire.
The film touches on a few political points in its (deservedly) negative portrayal of the American oil company that hires the drivers, some not so safe workplace practices and general employee exploitation. However, none of the major characters in the film are what you’d call “good” in terms of morality and motivation. They’re in it for the money and a way back to a better life they left that pushed them to this wretched corner of the globe. The film builds up so much tension that each perilous section of the long drive is practically the most terrifying as the danger increases thanks to all sorts of environmental and human created trouble. It’s practically guaranteed that you’ll forget to breathe at least three times during the more insane sections of the journey where the slightest mistake could send these men to their doom long before they reach their goal.
What works from start to finish are the oppressive atmosphere and fantastic performances by all the principals. Yves Montand and Charles Vanel absolutely steal the show as two of the drivers chosen to transport the volatile cargo to its destination. The deliberate pacing at the beginning is simply Clouzot slowly winding you up to a tight coiled spring that’s going to snap once things get rolling. There’s not a dull moment to be had here, although I’ll admit that Clouzot’s only error was the casting of his too-gorgeous wife, Vera as the local gal that falls for Montand’s character. Granted, she’s the best-looking person in the film, but she’s not portrayed all that well if you’re looking for a likable female character in a flick full of brutes. William Friedkin’s excellent (but not quite as spectacular) 1977 remake, Sorcerer, takes care of this with some more realistic casting for her part, but Clouzot’s cinematographer, Armand Thirard does some truly incredible work that’s still impressive in terms of lending a natural (and very deadly) feel to the environments.
There are some white-knuckle, nail-biting moments (if you can grip an armrest and bite your nails simultaneously, that is) that include a trip across a rotting wooden bridge, the truckers dealing with a huge boulder in their path and the sudden loss of part of their cargo and the aftermath. Oh yeah, that ending? It’s a total corker that may catch you off guard. OK, I’ll stop here as I don’t want to spoil anything more and heck, you need to go watch this as soon as you can. Don’t forget to grab a friend who hasn’t seen this and prepare for a wild ride you’ll want to recommend to as many people as possible. Back next week with another recommendation – watch this space (well, after you go watch the film)…
I meant to post this one a few days back when it was initially released, but I got busy tackling the pile of old posts I still need to reformat. plus a few other things Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of the RE films, but the trailer for Retribution is clever enough to pique my interest somewhat. For starters, Sony getting a PlayStation Vita in the first few seconds of the trailer before the US launch is priceless (and makes me want one even more) and the excellent segue combining MORE shameless product advertising for other products then turning into Alice’s next adventure is excellently done. Granted, I’ll most likely NOT pay for a ticket and wait to catch this one on cable like I have with all the other RE films, but at least this trailer grabbed my interest enough to make me want to watch it multiple times.
Yes. Lovely. Just lovely. I was actually mildly skeptical for a little while that Ridley Scott could return and do something stellar with the franchise after the years of terrible Alien-related films that sunk the series deep. But I’m gladly wrong (and how!) now that I see the circle being completed with elements left out of the final film (but seen in storyboards and production art). I feel like sitting outside a theater and waiting, but I’m too old (and too smart) to be that crazy. Nevertheless, this looks like one I’ll line up for with a huge grin on my face when it’s released. Me and this franchise go way back, even before the original hit the screen… Continue reading →
Here’s that Avengers trailer people are buzzing about. Expect some big news at NYCC this weekend and possibly a sneak peek at a few minutes of the upcoming film. Maybe I’ll drop by the packed to the gills panel, maybe not. I’m still deciding exactly what to attend thanks to so many other meetings/screenings/diversions happening around the same time. There’s SO much going on at this year’s show that the convention is competing with itself in many areas. Anyway, May 4, 2012 isn’t THAT far away if you think about it. Just don’t start waiting in line in front of some random multiplex… that would REALLY be crazy.
…remake of the 1970 horror flick Equinox, which can indeed be seen as a prequel of sorts to the Evil Dead films? Hell, it definitely inspired Sam Raimi and I’m crazy enough to see an influence or two in a few other horror films such as Phantasm and The Gate (but I could be wrong). Not to second guess anyone involved in the project, but I’d personally prefer Bruce Campbell to play something er, closer to his age range and not attempt to prance around like Harrison Ford in that last Indiana Jones flick (aided by stuntmen and CG work where necessary). OK, maybe I was a wee bit too influenced by Bubba Ho-Tep (see it if you haven’t – it’s weird and insanely funny) in judging Mr. Campbell’s current state (that Old Spice ad campaign from a few years back shows he still has it going on). Nevertheless, I just don’t want any of the crazier fans to get their hopes up and think there’s going to be a NEW trilogy of Evil Dead films with the new one kicking things off. After all, the movies DID inspire quite a few Duke Nukem quotes and we all know what happened when HE came back recently (and a few too many years late for some folks)…
Advertising isn't new to entertainment at all, folks. In fact, in the last century, both radio and TV broadcasts were sponsored by major companies pushing everything from cigarettes to cars to cereal and dishwashers. Soap operas were in fact, heavily reliant on pushing laundry detergent to a mostly female audience (though that selling point was phased out over time, the name stuck). However, these days, it's gotten to an over-saturation point where too many films,TV and even news shows are non-stop advertisements for nearly everything held, eaten or otherwise remotely handled by their casts.
Director Morgan Spurlock is no stranger to throwing himself head first into his documentary projects as a more than eager human guinea pig and in POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, he dives into the rather shifty world of product placement and manages to pop up smelling like roses and shilling to the masses simultaneously. The film is a hilarious peel back the curtains “Doc-buster” on how advertising agencies along with Hollywood film and TV studios have turned nearly every form of entertainment or information source into stationary or moving ads for thousands of popular products. If you've ever wondered about why you're seeing all those familiar foods, cars, clothes and tech toys called out by name or lovingly displayed in your favorite shows, films and news, you'll want to drop that remote and go buy a ticket to this instant classic.Read more »
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 