Terror turns on a woman when the dummy that randomly appears about her apartment comes alive one night. The Dummy is kind of all eighties horror wrapped tightly into one film. It's campy, cliche, full of 'what is she doing?!' moments, but also has a few good solid scares. Most of the comments on youtube are noting seeing this as kids and I can see myself really liking this short as a kid. It'd be one of those films I was obsessed with as I was an odd child and liked to intentionally scare myself. It's not so much scary now as I got over the killer doll thing when I was younger. The film inspired Chucky creator Don Manchini and the influence is present in his film Child's Play, especially in how the dummy just appears out of nowhere.
The Dummy is a student film that was scary enough to get picked up by HBO and USA Network, where it'd often appear before a horror film showing. Director Louis La Volpe does good on what must of been a less than a hundred dollar budget. He manages to get the dummy to move without any apparent human help (i.e. no wires), though it's still a little obvious. Acting is acting and that's all I may say. The score was really quite good though and added a nice layer of chill to the film's suspense. The Dummy is fair little short film that is available for free on youtube. If you saw it as a kid I'd recommend re-watching for nostalgia's sake or if you got seven minutes to spare it's a fun watch.
As you can tell I'm running THIN on shorts. I have a few that I've got saved in case I run completely dead but please if you have a short let me know! I will watch it and review it on my blog. In case you do not know you may contact me at Bleedingdead22@yahoo.com.
Radio jockey David has long been receiving a single phone call with the seductive and soft voice of a woman asking him to 'play misty' for her. David has a reputation of sleeping around a bit and has been trying to change his habits. He makes a slip though when one night he by chance meets the play misty woman at a bar and the two spend the night together. To David it's just another one night stand but to the woman, Evelyn, it becomes her everything. Evelyn begins to make herself persistently present in David's life, simply harmless at first but she becomes much more psychotic and obsessive as he continues to turn her away. When David's old fling, Tobie, appears back into his life Evelyn's insanity is redirected and Tobie is left in danger.
Clint Eastwood's directorial debut features that of a femme fatal in likes to the destructive relationship of that in Fatal Attraction. Where as that film posed as a cautionary tale to cheating husbands Play Misty For Me could be a warning to all men, and women mind you, to be careful who you mess around with. In honesty though the film is a little bit anti-climatic. I would of liked to have seen a longer fight between Evelyn and David instead of the short one we are given. The film mimics similar nature of the song in which it's named after, it reflects that slow instrumental strum to create cool a lightly tinted thriller.
As Eastwood handles the duo role of acting and directing I felt he gave more attention to the latter than the former. Not to attest that he's bad in this film but I believe more of his worries were on how he'd look as a director and less as an actor. From an acting point Eastwood is able to capture that run of the mill douche quality to the earlier part of David's character and tone it down just enough in a subtle yet convincing play for the romantic side that is shown towards the end. Jessica Walter is quite insane as Evelyn, she in general at first appears sweet and only a little bit obsessive and then manages to blow her mind out entirely and lose it. The photography is about average, there's a waterfall lovemaking scene for the romantic horror loves out there that might be of interest but other than that a good but nothing exceptional use of shots. But I loved the retro seventies set design and look for the film, it was diverting for a nostalgic such as myself.
The interesting thing about Play Misty for Me is that unlike Fatal Attraction the two main characters didn't experience this passionate affair in which the man led the woman astray, but rather it consisted of a one night stand a few seductive 'Play Misty for Me' phone calls. Evelyn's obsession towards David was a lot more grounded in her likely not being sane from the start and when she got close it took her past her limitations. Which is why I say it poses as a cautionary tale for men and women, this isn't a 'being faithful to your wives' warning, this is be careful who you bring home. Eastwood's early directorial effort peaks at the later efforts in his career and makes for a good thriller. Not my favorite suspense film but Play Misty for Me is a decent watch for any of those a fan of Eastwood or of the femme fatal films.
Simon, Rich and Eva are on a road trip heading to a friend's wedding. Simon brings along his new camera to document the highly anticipated trip. What starts out hopeful though turns sour quickly when Simon begins to notice that his camera isn't capturing images right as it creates an askewed vision of the persons' face. And when the blurred people become victims of horrible deaths Simon starts to infer that his camera may be more unique than he thought. Not all is at surface value though as the three friends seem to have a heavy strain on their relationship and the camera is only irritating things more.
Skew succeeds in being a genuine mind fuck, for lack of a better phrase. Inexplicably the camera has a draw to it's carrier Simon and chooses it's victims based on his tampering with matters of life and death. At the core though Skew isn't about the odd deaths that occur from the lens of the camera but the secrets that possess each friend. There's quite a bit of baggage that's weight is felt throughout the film, even as details become apparent and the big 'secret' is revealed you still fell that you've only gotten part of the story. Which is an attribute to the screenwriter and director Seve Schelenz who did successfully instill that tension between each friend and create depth in this portion of the script. The film does drag though and be cautious that you'll spend a good portion of it not understanding what the hell is going on. Also Skew just has some genuinely creepy moments, hence my photo choice below.
Acting is really weak, not awful all around but a good portion of it seems to be trying a bit hard and a little unnatural. Though each character has their moments of seriousness and they are convincing there are a lot of other parts where it's just not strong. It's not all the actors fault though as a good bit of the problem lies in the writing of the character's themselves. Eva's is difficult to like as she comes off rather pissy from the start, not really allowing us to get a good side to her character even if her anger is warranted. Rich felt almost absent from the film, having few lines and not really making a noticeable presence till the end. And lets be honest, no one really likes the person behind the camera, whom which this unfortunate is Rich. It's that unsought out narrator role that requires constant commentary. Found footage films make it hard for me to address the DP of a film as often they are shaky but as far as cuts, editing, and basic lighting go it's all fairly good.
This film came to my attention through Jason at Film Reviews From the Basement who was tweeting while watching the film and expressed much perplexity as the events came to focus. Which in itself is a fair assessment of the film as it really works on a level of disrupting logic to the viewer. I'm not sure if I even liked Skew per-say but it is unique and serves as an interesting take to the found footage genre. It does suffer from a few possessions found in the sub-genre, such as Simon's typical and annoying 'I won't put the camera down' pester that easily pisses off Eva, for good reason. This does, however, have the most feel to the original sub-genre film, The Blair Witch Project, than those that have followed. It picked up a lot of intentional or maybe unintentional homage which I respect, despite not having liked The Blair Witch Project. Based on the rating on IMDB a lot of people didn't like it and as I said I'm not even sure I liked it, but it's interesting and it at the least deserves a watch.
Nearly two decades ago Troll 2 graced the straight to DVD category with the distinction of being the worst movie ever made, but what disguised itself as shame was in truth a cult phenomenon, and as the documentary lets way it is almost as big as Rocky Horror. Now eighteen years later the kid star of the film Michael Stephenson dredges up the film's success and gives us and update on our favorite bad Utah actors. The real face of Best Worst Movie is George Hardy who plays the dad, Michael Waits in the bad film, then and now a dentist he's an outgoing lovable guy with a huge personality. Coming in as a supporting role is Claudio Fragasso, a true Italian director at heart, who's passion for film making is not fazed by the actors confusion or the critics hate. As the film intertwines the where are they now with the cult following that is growing annually, the mission is simple enough, 'What the fuck is Troll 2?'
This documentary is not necessarily horror but it tries to explain how a horror film could go so disarray. The actors commentary is enduring and unique as no two opinions are the same, all have a brief moment of reflection on their careers and life, even Hardy who discusses one night after the high of a showing that his true love was in acting, but for the instability in the field he never pursued further. As a general the teen stars of the film lump it into an embarrassment especially Connie Young who played the daughter, even going as far as removing it from her resume. Others like Jason Steadman know that it's awful but don't mind so much as their careers went in different directions. Then there's the darker side of the film with Margo Prey and Don Packard who both are suffering from a mental illness of some sort (the latter admit-tingly and the former allegedly). But as mentioned Fragasso and Hardy steal the screen, as Hardy embraces his cult icon status and Fragasso stands firm on his work, despite when asked questions like "Why is the film called Troll 2 when there are no trolls in the movie?" Fragasso and his wife who wrote the screenplay claim that Troll 2 is a social commentary, on the American family...and vegetarians.
The other side, the fans who've escalated the film from secretion for fifteen years to a true embodiment of an audience, makes for an glimpse into the world of cult. You see the midnight screenings played out with two hundred people lined up outside, the energetic reenactments by the cast members of the infamous scenes, and then interviews of fans who try to get down to what they love about the film. Collectively most agree that it's Fragasso's vision and passion that make it not a bad movie but rather a movie that just failed on an epic level.
Ultimately I'm eager to see more from the director who captures the spirit of Troll 2 rather well. Best Worst Movie, like the film it focuses on, has a lot of heart. It's amusing in some places and somber in others, particularly when Hardy and other cast members realize that the film doesn't belong at the horror conventions or the Sci-Fi ones, which unfortunately plays out in the later half of the film. However, just as you feel your about to end the movie on a bit of a buzz killer as Hardy seems to have worn on his cult status, Stephenson asks him, "If Claudio asked you to do Troll 3 would you do it?" and without hesitation Hardy replies "Of course, what are you talking about? Of course I would", and it brings you right back up. At the end Stephenson achieves an understanding of the success for Troll 2, it's not a film for the critics, and it's not even a film for the average movie goer, it's for the bad movie addicts and the people who stumble across it. Troll 2 is clearly a cult classic and the documentary accurately portrays that, defiantly worth a watch.
After The Dream Child didn't live up to its two predecessors they went ahead and decided that introducing new characters would be the best route for the series. In Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Freddy is aspiring to get out of Elm Street as a decade and a half (this film is set in 1999) of killing in Springfield has become tiresome, that and he's killed just about everyone under the age of eighteen. Chasing after the last teen proves to be a fail as John Doe escapes and ends up at a shelter for troubled youth. Dr. Maggie Burroughs is overseeing his case and in attempts to cure his amnesia wants to take him back to the town where he barely got away with his life. Meanwhile three other teens from the shelter escape only to end up in Springfield where they meet up with Dr. Burroughs and John Doe. The child absent town has left adults wandering, looking for meaning, leaving John Doe and Maggie free to uncover the identity of the former and find out who this mysterious Freddy Krueger is. The point of this film is to tie up lose ends, satisfy demanding fans, and make a profit off the now iconic Freddy.
In the documentary they mentioned that because this was the last one they just went ahead and self destructed, and that's a fair summary of the film. The back story of Freddy's child came out of nowhere, like literally nowhere. Not that it's impossible for a child killer to have a child but in context to Freddy's reasoning for existence it makes little sense as to why he loved his daughter but was more intent on killing the Elm Street teens than finding her, especially since she's thirty years old. The film tries far too hard to be comedic, having Roseanne Bar and Tom Arnold in it for cameos. The one liners...I'm sorry but just because you throw 'bitch' at the end of every small phrase (i.e. Kung Fu, bitch), does not make it funny. "Welcome to Prime Time, Bitch" was a classic line from the third film and they've managed to abuse its power in every film since. The deaths in this one are like the others they relate to the individual victim but are not scary, the only one I found upsetting was the kid with the hearing aid. The ending is pretty dismal, the 3D add on not really bringing too much to the series.
Lisa Zane plays the doctor and daughter to Freddy, she was alright having the adult role in the film so her acting shines above the teens. Breckin Mayer is in the film, he's a known face but not a household name (he was an 90's teen actor who never got that big). Robert England flows with the Freddy change, he's not formidable but he's as gleeful and witty as ever. I was excited to see Alice Cooper as Freddy's step-father but it was a brief 10 seconds and I noticed that they also managed to rip off Stephen King's The Shinning by using the phrase "Take Your Medicine", while crushing my dreams. There's more plot in this one than the previous film, which was completely absent of one. Despite that though the film was a lot worse than warranted, especially since Rachel Talalay was the director. She started out as the Assistant Production Manager on the first film and worked her way up to director. She has a fairly lengthy list of films to her directorial career but this is her first film so its really not bad. In all honesty the biggest fault in the film is the writing, it's too silly to be commended as a horror script, it's clearly a comedy. However, unlike nightmare five Rachel went in with intent to be ridiculous, so it's not quite the same fault as in the fifth when it falls on its face.
I'd like to point out that the tagline inaccurately presaged the film, on both accounts. This is not the last nor is it the best. Freddy's makeup has been loosing its quality for a few films now, looking less like a burn victim and more like a makeup school's first prosthetic project. I'm not sure what else to say other than that it seems like little effort was put into this, almost like The Blair Witch Project the publicity was more interesting than the film (Freddy had a funeral). This was the only film out of the franchise that I wanted to turn off. It's not like it was horrendously bad, of course not. Despite an excess of one liners, bad acting, and a ridiculous plot this is not the worst film I've seen, far from actually. My verdict is that if your not out to watch all the nightmare films than this one is an easy miss.
If your like me than your a True Blood fan and the draw to this was Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer's names in the title. Although I hate to spoil anything think Janet Leigh and Drew Barrymore. I'd say five minutes total, and that's together. I'm guessing they were used as a marketing device to lure audience in to what would otherwise be an ignored film.
Aside from that and from not knowing anything about this film I came out liking it, for the most part. The plot lingers at the border of suspenseful thriller but it never truly picks up, yet somehow it remains interesting enough to where you have to watch it to the end. The original concept of it is decent enough, but the kills tend to be unmotivated and random. I also wished we had gotten bit more back story of our killers since they hinted at an interesting and possibly disturbing past but it doesn't get explored any further than a single conversation at the diner table.
The acting is good, especially from Brian Geraghty, whose relationship between his sister/girlfriend/wife (it's never fully explained) and the victim is the focus of the movie. If you're also a Burn Notice fan you'll recognize Tricia Helfer (Carla) who plays Brian's other half. Rachel Blanchard is also good as Alice, the victim and homeowner, but you're not going to see her face on the cover, which is sad considering she's as much of a character as David and Lila.
The gore was iffy since at one part, I swear, it looked like tomato soup. But the kills honestly keep your hold on the movie since it's a bit slow without them.
It's hard to say whether or not I can recommend this. Its not a bad film and not really all that awful for first time director Andrew Paquin (Anna's brother) but if your looking for a good thriller that draws you in this isn't the choice.
