"I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey."
In 1975 a movie was released that would make waves, divide audiences, and ultimately change the world. The film was called The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a unique motion picture that most critics didn't like at the time. Almost immediately upon release, the film gained a cult following through interactive midnight shows and the cult continues to grow and expand to this day. Much controversy and talk has always surrounded this film, from the day it opened to today. What is all the talk about?
In Rocky Horror, we follow young virginal couple, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon in what is arguably her most memorable role). On the night that Brad pops the question, they decide to go visit their old college professor Dr. Everett Scott (Jonathan Adams). On the way there, they get caught with a flat and are forced to seek shelter from an intense storm. They find presumed safety inside a mysterious castle owned by the eccentric and flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter (The always fantastic Tim Curry). During the night, Brad and Janet come face to face with dark temptation that threatens to corrupt them both. Along for the wild ride is Rocky (Peter Hinwood); Frank's creation with the body of a body builder; Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien, who created the Rocky Horror Show which this film is based on.) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn); Frank's servants who are brother and sister; Columbia (Nell Campbell); one of Frank's groupies; and Eddie (Meat Loaf); a rock n roll loving ex-delivery boy. Our guide through the ensuing crazy events is a criminologist-turned-narrator (Charles Gray).
Tim Curry is the star of the show here as the completely insane but still lovable Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist and party host that spends his time as a transvestite. He is a fun character that enjoys continually breaking the fourth wall (he looks directly at the audience, and even acknowledges us at times) and seeing how far he can push Brad and Janet until they finally give. This is without a doubt Curry's best role,and he tackles it with glee, humor, and a complete lack of fear (he even seems to enjoy the effeminate outfits he gets to wear). He throws himself out there and goes-for-broke with his portrayal of Frank, and it works. Even those who don't enjoy the film will have to admit his acting here is some of his best. Frank isn't the only memorable character here though, in fact all the characters here are classics, like Riff Raff, who is my personal favorite character here with his hump, crazy voice, and perfect acting. Riff Raff certainly makes a lasting impression, and he tends to be a fan favorite (also love his character arc).
Why is Rocky Horror so controversial? It's simple, really. The whole controversy can be summed up in one word: sex. Rocky Horror is a film that is all about sex, exploring your own sexuality,and having fun while experimenting with new extreme lifestyles. The film contains heavy themes of cross-dressing, homosexuality, perversion, and incest. I can easily understand why some are turned off by this film, but it can not be denied that watching Rocky Horror either during a midnight show or at your own home is a fun experience that is quite unlike anything else.
I've been to a Rocky Horror midnight show, so I'm not a Rocky Horror virgin anymore (yes, there is an initiation you have to go through in order to get your "cherry popped"). The crowds that go tend to be dressed in different crazed outfits including some inspired by the film. The audience is encouraged to yell at the screen, make comments, sing-along, dance, and even throw stuff and interact with the film. It's basically a big, long party with people that are there to celebrate something they love. It's a great environment to be stuck in for several hours.
Rocky Horror Picture Show is a fun film to watch. The songs are some of the best and are extremely memorable (this is the film that created The Time Warp, just to name one), all the characters are screen classics, the castle/mansion the film takes place in is a great setting with wacky set pieces and rooms inside, and the story itself is great. Rocky Horror may turn quite a few off, but I'm happy to say that I am part of that ever-growing cult that shamelessly loves this film and everything about it. It's not just a send-up of sci-fi B films like it looks like it's going to be for the first 20 minutes, it's also a sexual fable and something else entirely. If you do decide to check out this film (I would highly recommend you do so), tread carefully. This film is extremely sexual and focuses on a lot of deviant themes, but that's not to say you won't like it...at least, let's hope you do. For myself, Rocky Horror Picture Show continues to be a fully satisfying and super fun experience I always enjoy getting to re-watch. It's also an ABSOLUTE MUST during the Halloween season.
5 STARS
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
SMALLS' FRIGHT FEST: MANIAC
In Maniac, Frank (Elijah Wood) is the owner of a mannequin store. During the day, he keeps to himself but at night his true colors are revealed as he goes about town murdering random girls and then collecting their scalps to use as hair for his mannequin collection. One day, he enters into a semi-relationship with the beautiful Anna (Nora Arnezeder) and the wheels of fate begin to slowly turn.
There's not much of a plot to Maniac, most of the film is us following Frank as he murders girls and tries to keep his cover. So, what exactly is the appeal of the film then? Well, for starters Maniac is filmed completely from the POV of Frank, putting the audience right into his shoes as we essentially become him and get to learn what exactly makes him tick. It's a unique gimmick that works surprisingly well and easily helps to carry the film.
Frank is portrayed by Elijah Wood, who takes on a more unusual role than we are accustomed to seeing him play. While we are seeing things directly through his eyes for the whole film, Wood still appears in the film a good deal through mirrors, reflections, and sometimes through out-of-body experiences. This is probably his best role to date. He makes for a believable and sympathetic monster here. Frank is indeed a sick puppy, but he's not just your typical slasher, he himself is a victim. He can not control his behavior, and kills girls mainly due to an extremely messed up childhood that created some severe mental trauma, and his whore of a mother didn't help things either as he was left to watch her have random sex and orgies with unknown males. I really liked Wood here, and I also really dug his character of Frank. I was surprised to find I was actually on his side for most of the film (though I wasn't rooting for him to kill girls), and I was hoping his semi-relationship with Anna would possibly provide him with a shot at redemption and a chance to right his wrongs. Naturally, not everything works out the way you would expect it to, which is part of the thrill of watching this film.
Anna is portrayed by the beautiful and sexy Nora Arnezeder, and she does a pretty great job at her role here (also really loved her french accent, so hot). She is a fashion photographer that stumbles upon Frank one day and almost immediately takes a liking to him. She is in the film a good deal and does leave a lasting impression.
Maniac is a very brutal, bloody and gory film.The deaths witnessed within aren't the easiest things to watch, but they are very well done and are quite memorable and different. Maniac is not an easy viewing experience, it's downright unsettling, uncomfortable, and disturbing to be transported into the shoes of a severely disturbed individual. The film is directed by Franck Khalfoun who also directed Christmas horror film P2, I think it's safe to say Maniac is his best directorial effort thus far and he proves to be more than competent here. One of the producers and screenwriters of this film was Alexandre Aja, who I am a fairly big fan of. He is no stranger to the horror genre and has proven that he understands audience's expectations and what they want to see in a horror film. The script is great, and so is the poppy synth score (think of something similar to Drive's score.....Maniac's also has a very neon city vibe to it that I really dug. I'm actually seriously considering buying it off ITunes).
Maniac is one of the best slasher films that I have seen in a while, and it's disturbing enough that it will stick with you long after the credits have rolled. It's not what you would expect from the slasher films of today. It dares to do a lot of things differently, and I always love it when a film has the balls to step outside of the norm. The cinematography is superb, the gimmick is an interesting one, the score is tops, the two leads do a fantastic job, the characters/character development is great, and the kills will certainly stay with you (all very memorable). If after the first 7 minutes (an amazing opening) you aren't on board then maybe you should turn it off. Maniac is the rare remake that doesn't just get it right, it also far surpasses the original film it was remaking. I'd say definitely see it!
5 STARS
There's not much of a plot to Maniac, most of the film is us following Frank as he murders girls and tries to keep his cover. So, what exactly is the appeal of the film then? Well, for starters Maniac is filmed completely from the POV of Frank, putting the audience right into his shoes as we essentially become him and get to learn what exactly makes him tick. It's a unique gimmick that works surprisingly well and easily helps to carry the film.
Frank is portrayed by Elijah Wood, who takes on a more unusual role than we are accustomed to seeing him play. While we are seeing things directly through his eyes for the whole film, Wood still appears in the film a good deal through mirrors, reflections, and sometimes through out-of-body experiences. This is probably his best role to date. He makes for a believable and sympathetic monster here. Frank is indeed a sick puppy, but he's not just your typical slasher, he himself is a victim. He can not control his behavior, and kills girls mainly due to an extremely messed up childhood that created some severe mental trauma, and his whore of a mother didn't help things either as he was left to watch her have random sex and orgies with unknown males. I really liked Wood here, and I also really dug his character of Frank. I was surprised to find I was actually on his side for most of the film (though I wasn't rooting for him to kill girls), and I was hoping his semi-relationship with Anna would possibly provide him with a shot at redemption and a chance to right his wrongs. Naturally, not everything works out the way you would expect it to, which is part of the thrill of watching this film.
Anna is portrayed by the beautiful and sexy Nora Arnezeder, and she does a pretty great job at her role here (also really loved her french accent, so hot). She is a fashion photographer that stumbles upon Frank one day and almost immediately takes a liking to him. She is in the film a good deal and does leave a lasting impression.
Maniac is a very brutal, bloody and gory film.The deaths witnessed within aren't the easiest things to watch, but they are very well done and are quite memorable and different. Maniac is not an easy viewing experience, it's downright unsettling, uncomfortable, and disturbing to be transported into the shoes of a severely disturbed individual. The film is directed by Franck Khalfoun who also directed Christmas horror film P2, I think it's safe to say Maniac is his best directorial effort thus far and he proves to be more than competent here. One of the producers and screenwriters of this film was Alexandre Aja, who I am a fairly big fan of. He is no stranger to the horror genre and has proven that he understands audience's expectations and what they want to see in a horror film. The script is great, and so is the poppy synth score (think of something similar to Drive's score.....Maniac's also has a very neon city vibe to it that I really dug. I'm actually seriously considering buying it off ITunes).
Maniac is one of the best slasher films that I have seen in a while, and it's disturbing enough that it will stick with you long after the credits have rolled. It's not what you would expect from the slasher films of today. It dares to do a lot of things differently, and I always love it when a film has the balls to step outside of the norm. The cinematography is superb, the gimmick is an interesting one, the score is tops, the two leads do a fantastic job, the characters/character development is great, and the kills will certainly stay with you (all very memorable). If after the first 7 minutes (an amazing opening) you aren't on board then maybe you should turn it off. Maniac is the rare remake that doesn't just get it right, it also far surpasses the original film it was remaking. I'd say definitely see it!
5 STARS
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
SMALLS' FRIGHT FEST: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
What happens when Christmas and Halloween collide? Is the ensuing product more jolly or scary, or is it a perfect blend of both? In this very special edition of Fright Fest we take a look back at a childhood favorite of mine: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.
First thing's first: it's time to give credit where credit is due. While Tim Burton has his name plastered on the title of this film, he did not direct it. He was the one of the producers and writers (he is creditied with story and characters), so he was definitely involved with this film but the great Henry Selick directed it, so just as much credit for this films success should go to him as well. Selick has gone on to prove that he's got the shine when it comes to stop-motion animation, directing other fantastic films in this category including Coraline, Monkeybone, and James and The Giant Peach all of which share a certain darkness that elevates them beyond your typical kiddie fare (in fact, Monkeybone is a legitimate film for adults. Certainly not meant for kids).
The story of Nightmare Before Christmas is that of Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman), the king of Halloween Town. He excels at making Halloween scary and fun, but has lately grown tired of doing the same old thing over and over and over again. When he inadvertently stumbles into Christmas Land, he immediately falls in love with the jolly holiday and decides that this year he's going to take over Christmas and re-shape it into his own well-meaning but still warped vision. Naturally, things go very wrong and it's up to Jack and rag doll Sally (Catherine O'Hara) to rescue Santa (Edward Ivory) from the evil clutches of Oogie Boogie (Ken Page).
The film is done with stop-motion animation, one of my absolute favorite art forms, and the effects sampled here are still superb and impressive today. The whole film has a beautiful, dark and twisted look to it and the citizens of Halloween Town are creepy creations that are still very much lovable. The settings found within the film are also extremely memorable (such as the pumpkin patch, Oogie's lair, Jack's house, and Christmas Land).
Jack Skellington is the misguided hero of the story, and he is still one of the best screen characters today. He is voiced by the great Chris Sarandon, with Danny Elfman taking over for vocals. Both do a phenomenal job here, and if you didn't know the singing and speaking voices for Jack were done by different people, I'd dare say that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. They both blend together surprisingly well. The other super notable character here is that of Oogie Boogie as voiced and sung by Ken Page. Oogie is one of the great screen villains, although he isn't in the film a whole lot. While he is certainly quite evil, he is still a very fun character. Sally is also pretty memorable and is performed with ease by Catharine O'Hara.
I always used to find The Nightmare Before Christmas a bit weird, but now that I'm older and have re-watched it I find that I love the film even more than I used to. The stop-motion animation and character design are superb, the songs are fantastic, the story is unique, and I LOVE the ideas the filmmakers had for what a combination of the Halloween and Christmas holidays would be like. The film is creepy, jolly fun. I'm surprised to say that this film actually gets better the older you are. Even today, I can still say that I haven't seen another film quite like Nightmare Before Christmas (although Burton has tried to replicate the look and feel of this film many times with only middling results, Corpse Bride anyone?)
In an age where we consistently get the same old thing over and over again, it's not hard to feel like Jack Skellington does at the beginning of this film. Luckily, Nightmare Before Christmas remains as one of the more unique and different films you can sample today which is one of the reasons why it is still such a breath of fresh air today. It's not a Halloween film and it's not a Christmas film, it's actually both. If anything, I would say the best time to watch this little beauty is a few days-weeks after Halloween has ended but before Thanksgiving has begun. It's been 20 years since Nightmare Before Christmas was first released, but even today it hasn't aged one bit. It's just as magical and unique as it ever was, thank God.
5 STARS
First thing's first: it's time to give credit where credit is due. While Tim Burton has his name plastered on the title of this film, he did not direct it. He was the one of the producers and writers (he is creditied with story and characters), so he was definitely involved with this film but the great Henry Selick directed it, so just as much credit for this films success should go to him as well. Selick has gone on to prove that he's got the shine when it comes to stop-motion animation, directing other fantastic films in this category including Coraline, Monkeybone, and James and The Giant Peach all of which share a certain darkness that elevates them beyond your typical kiddie fare (in fact, Monkeybone is a legitimate film for adults. Certainly not meant for kids).
The story of Nightmare Before Christmas is that of Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman), the king of Halloween Town. He excels at making Halloween scary and fun, but has lately grown tired of doing the same old thing over and over and over again. When he inadvertently stumbles into Christmas Land, he immediately falls in love with the jolly holiday and decides that this year he's going to take over Christmas and re-shape it into his own well-meaning but still warped vision. Naturally, things go very wrong and it's up to Jack and rag doll Sally (Catherine O'Hara) to rescue Santa (Edward Ivory) from the evil clutches of Oogie Boogie (Ken Page).
The film is done with stop-motion animation, one of my absolute favorite art forms, and the effects sampled here are still superb and impressive today. The whole film has a beautiful, dark and twisted look to it and the citizens of Halloween Town are creepy creations that are still very much lovable. The settings found within the film are also extremely memorable (such as the pumpkin patch, Oogie's lair, Jack's house, and Christmas Land).
Jack Skellington is the misguided hero of the story, and he is still one of the best screen characters today. He is voiced by the great Chris Sarandon, with Danny Elfman taking over for vocals. Both do a phenomenal job here, and if you didn't know the singing and speaking voices for Jack were done by different people, I'd dare say that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. They both blend together surprisingly well. The other super notable character here is that of Oogie Boogie as voiced and sung by Ken Page. Oogie is one of the great screen villains, although he isn't in the film a whole lot. While he is certainly quite evil, he is still a very fun character. Sally is also pretty memorable and is performed with ease by Catharine O'Hara.
I always used to find The Nightmare Before Christmas a bit weird, but now that I'm older and have re-watched it I find that I love the film even more than I used to. The stop-motion animation and character design are superb, the songs are fantastic, the story is unique, and I LOVE the ideas the filmmakers had for what a combination of the Halloween and Christmas holidays would be like. The film is creepy, jolly fun. I'm surprised to say that this film actually gets better the older you are. Even today, I can still say that I haven't seen another film quite like Nightmare Before Christmas (although Burton has tried to replicate the look and feel of this film many times with only middling results, Corpse Bride anyone?)
In an age where we consistently get the same old thing over and over again, it's not hard to feel like Jack Skellington does at the beginning of this film. Luckily, Nightmare Before Christmas remains as one of the more unique and different films you can sample today which is one of the reasons why it is still such a breath of fresh air today. It's not a Halloween film and it's not a Christmas film, it's actually both. If anything, I would say the best time to watch this little beauty is a few days-weeks after Halloween has ended but before Thanksgiving has begun. It's been 20 years since Nightmare Before Christmas was first released, but even today it hasn't aged one bit. It's just as magical and unique as it ever was, thank God.
5 STARS
Saturday, October 19, 2013
SMALLS' FRIGHT FEST: HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS 23
This is Smalls, your roving reporter with my trip report from scare central: Halloween Horror Nights 23. Last year's event really failed to impress me, so I walked into this year with some hesitation. The marketing machine was in full swing once again, but did that spell doom and gloom for this year's event? Here are my thoughts.
First off, the theme. The theme and icon for this year were zombies, specifically the ones from the hit show The Walking Dead. As you already know, I have already caught up with the third season and while not a big fan of the show the theme and icon/icons actually were pretty good. Once again, I feel that Zombies are quickly becoming stale with how over used they are, but HHN found a good use for them. Once you walk in, you are essentially walking right into the zombie apocalypse. There's not much variety in the costumes or masks, but these zombies were still fun to interact with and did dish out a good deal of scares.
Luckily, this year marked the return of scarezones, though they all shared the theme of scenes from The Walking Dead and all heavily featured zombies. There was a tank, the burning barn from season 2 (that you could walk thru and explore, at the exit was a well-zombie prop. Pretty cool), the camp from season one, and a forest infested with zombies (aka the Central Park zone). All of these were pretty cool and really impressed me, helped that they each had some really impressive props.
Ok, so with the theme, icon, and zones out of the way let's move on to the main course...the houses. Now, I only got to go once this year and I was only able to hit 5 houses, but I believe the houses I hit were most likely the best ones at the event this year. Let's get started shall we?
The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven- This house was based purely on the 3rd season of the Walking Dead. It had a pretty decent facade that was themed to The Shatterdome from Woodbury (I think that's waht it was called.The place where they chain up zombies and hold gladiator matches). In the house you get to explore Woodbury and the prison.There were good scares and theming, I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. It honestly didn't leave much of an impression (except the part where I literally walked right into a wall, my eyes were still adjusting from going from day to the dark inside). With how great the third season was, I was expecting a great house. What I got instead was a decent house, but the one that I would say was the weakest I walked through at the event this year.
Rating: 6/10
La Llorona- This was a pretty ballsy move on Universal's part. This house has been shipped from HHN Hollywood to Florida this year. Apparently it received enough positive reviews from it's stint at Hollywood that the powers that be decided to send it on down to the sunshine state. The house is based around an old Spanish myth/ghost story that was used to scare children...apparently, it was fairly well known up in Cali. The story goes something like this: A woman falls in love with a man, and in an attempt to win his heart she drowns her children in a nearby river. Naturally, the man is horrified and rejects her, leading her to kill herself. Now, her specter wanders the land, looking for children she can take as her own. This house had some good scares, but the real appeal here is the atmosphere created. The facade is an old spanish monastery complete with a ghostly bell, and most of the inside is themed to a creepy but beautiful spanish town that La Llorona haunts . Near the end we are transported into her realm where she lives. The house does contain a neat water/mist effect as we enter her realm, the costumes are quite good, and the sets and atmosphere are gorgeous. It's kind of like the Winter's Night of this year, except maybe not quite as scary. Yes indeed, there is a fond place in my heart for this maze.
Rating: 8/10
Havoc: Derailed- It's hard to believe we have gone 3 years without the DOW (Dogs of War), but damn if it doesn't feel amazing to have these guys back. In 2010, we were introduced to Shadowcreek, a secret military facility that was testing a new super soldier serum when things got out of control and shit hit the fan in a big way. A gas leak occurred, and the DOW (the code name for the super soldiers) got loose and wreaked havoc on the area. Now, the military and government have intervened and cleaned the mess up, gathering together the remaining DOW and placing them into containment on a train headed for a place where they could stand trial. Naturally, it's all a bunch of BS as the trial story is just a cover to commence testing on the train as Shadowcreek wants to prefect the serum. Of course things go very wrong, the DOW get loose once again, and the train derails freeing the DOW. The facade for this house is the train that we will be boarding. I appreciate how they have some machine gun turrets firing off outside, a clear nod to the original house. In the first few rooms we get to see as the testing begins to go wrong and the DOW begin to lash out. For these rooms it feels like you are in a real train, and they have some cool effects that simulate motion and movement. Then, we get to witness the train derail while we are on it (via a pretty cool effect) and the rest of the house is some woods and a tour of the wrecked train as the DOW wreck havoc once more. This was a very cool house with a fantastic story to it (it also had a fantastic queue video). It looks like Universal has a real winner on their hands, and this may become the next big HHN franchise. The house also had my favorite moment of the night, where one of the DOW who was behind bars reached out for me and said: "Hey...you....I'll remember you." I grinned and shot back with: "I'll remember you too." I'm a huge fan of the DOW and while this sequel house isn't quite as great as the original house was, it still rocked my world (DOW lashing out from above you, yes please!). I can't wait to see what they decide to do with the DOW next!
Rating: 8/10
Cabin In The Woods- One of the greatest horror movies becomes one helluva fantastic haunted house. The theme is that we are new recruits to the shady facility from the film that specializes in the ritualized slaughter of teenagers via monsters and nightmares. We signed up at the exact wrong time, right during the events of the film. We are sent into the cabin to contain the situation, and things quickly spiral out of control. The whole house is extremely well paced and fantastically themed (it's got some of the best theming in a house this year). The cabin and the facility are exactly as they were in the film. Included in the house is the living room (complete with the wolf head), the exterior of the cabin, the elevators (soooooo damn scary), the purge room (I missed the purge effect though), the Buckners, the Merman, and many many more (No Unicorn that I could see though). It really does feel like you are walking thru the movie, and it's a really damn cool effect that most houses don't always pull off. Beautifully themed, perfectly paced, and VERY scary I am happy to say that Cabin In The Woods is one of the best. DO NOT MISS IT!
Rating: 10/10
An American Werewolf In London- Yup,you read that correctly. Those crazy bastards at Universal actually made a haunted house based on the CLASSIC horror film.I had heard only good things about this house, and I walked out grinning from ear to ear. The house is full of photo-realistic and fully realized sets from the actual film including the Slaughtered Lamb (which also serves as the super-cool facade for the house), The Moors, The Hospital, David's Family's Living Room (complete with Nazi Demons), Alex Price's Living Room (complete with transformation scene), Porno Theater, and the London Street from the end of the film. As great and superb as the scenes/sets are (and believe me, they are fucking superb. They got every little detail correct, this isn't an imitation or copy, this shit is for real!), the stars of this house are the full sized and movie accurate werewolf puppets. These things are big, lifelike, and they get up in your face A LOT! A neat effect is that even when they aren't actively attacking they are still breathing and moving a bit, as you pass by you know these things are going to come after you and boy do they. They slash and claw at you, heads turning this way and that, their fangs gnashing wildly...it's heart-stoppingly terrifying and thrilling in all the right ways. Did I mention that each of these puppets is controlled by a scareactor much like the actual puppets in the film were? What else can I say? This house is perfect. It's clear the people that worked on this loved this film and had a passion for it, they got all the details correct and the werewolf puppets are beautiful and terrifying (easily the best creation I have EVER seen in a haunted house). The creative team behind this house knew they had to do the material justice, and they did. If you are a fan of the classic film, then this house will be your wet dream. I know I loved it (damn shame I only got to do it once). This is easily the best house of the event, and the best house I have seen in a very long time. DO NOT MISS IT!
Rating: 10/10
Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure: As you should all know by now, I am a huge fan of Bill and Ted. I always try to see their show at HHN, and I'm glad I didn't miss it this year. The story this time is that BnT travel to Camp Morning Wood (clearly modeled after Camp Crystal Lake) via their time traveling phone booth. Ted wants to introduce Bill to his new girlfriend, Taylor Swift (naturally, Bill is not pleased by this). When Taylor finds a book resembling the Necronomicon from The Evil Dead, she decides to read from it and is quickly possessed. Now evil, Taylor decides to use the book to possess as many pop culture icons as she can, while killing others along the way. Of course, it's up to Bill and Ted to stop her. This is easily the best show of their's I have seen. The show opens with the usual dance number, except this time it's done with the sexy chicks dressed as female versions of famous horror icons (just wait till they shed the villain outfits to change into more traditional sexy outfits, which are some of the hottest I have seen) and the song that plays during this part is Fall Out Boys' The Phoenix (a seriously bad-ass song, it thrilled me to hear it as the opening song and to get to watch as sexy girls danced and gyrated to it). The opening number is the most impressive one I have seen so far. The jokes in the show are also super funny...funnier than usual actually (another 69 reference, HELL YES! Also loved Super-Man, Paula Deen, Django, Avatarland, Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, and Ron Burgandy among many others). The closing dance was fantastic with Suit and Tie (performed by Sheldon surrounded by hot girls who clearly like a man in a suit), Blurred Lines, Power, I Knew You Were Trouble, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Another Fall Out Boy song, this one is the final song and it is the perfect way to end the show. Glad to see that the Bill and Ted show creators clearly are fans of Fall Out Boy), and many more. Once again, this is the best show of theirs I have seen in my 6 years attending this event, you would be wise not to miss it.
Rating: 10/10
Needless to say, I was not at all disappointed with the product Universal churned out this year. HHN went back to it's roots this year, this was classic HHN all the way (I would compare this year to 2008's HHN). It's good to see them really step it up this year after the disappointment that was last year. HHN 23 is easily an out-of-the-park home run, and if you have the chance to attend this year's event you definitely should. Seeing as I may not be able to return next year due to the end of my college experience, I'd have to say HHN 23 was a completely perfect end to 6 straight years of horror-ific fun.
Overall Rating: 5 STARS (or out of 10 stars, 10!)
ALSO: A LOT more fog in the streets, many times where I walked right into a thick screen of fog and couldn't see where I was going.....LOVE IT when that happens. So, that was pretty damn cool too! As you all know I LOVE the fog (it also smells pretty good as well).
First off, the theme. The theme and icon for this year were zombies, specifically the ones from the hit show The Walking Dead. As you already know, I have already caught up with the third season and while not a big fan of the show the theme and icon/icons actually were pretty good. Once again, I feel that Zombies are quickly becoming stale with how over used they are, but HHN found a good use for them. Once you walk in, you are essentially walking right into the zombie apocalypse. There's not much variety in the costumes or masks, but these zombies were still fun to interact with and did dish out a good deal of scares.
Luckily, this year marked the return of scarezones, though they all shared the theme of scenes from The Walking Dead and all heavily featured zombies. There was a tank, the burning barn from season 2 (that you could walk thru and explore, at the exit was a well-zombie prop. Pretty cool), the camp from season one, and a forest infested with zombies (aka the Central Park zone). All of these were pretty cool and really impressed me, helped that they each had some really impressive props.
Ok, so with the theme, icon, and zones out of the way let's move on to the main course...the houses. Now, I only got to go once this year and I was only able to hit 5 houses, but I believe the houses I hit were most likely the best ones at the event this year. Let's get started shall we?
The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven- This house was based purely on the 3rd season of the Walking Dead. It had a pretty decent facade that was themed to The Shatterdome from Woodbury (I think that's waht it was called.The place where they chain up zombies and hold gladiator matches). In the house you get to explore Woodbury and the prison.There were good scares and theming, I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. It honestly didn't leave much of an impression (except the part where I literally walked right into a wall, my eyes were still adjusting from going from day to the dark inside). With how great the third season was, I was expecting a great house. What I got instead was a decent house, but the one that I would say was the weakest I walked through at the event this year.
Rating: 6/10
La Llorona- This was a pretty ballsy move on Universal's part. This house has been shipped from HHN Hollywood to Florida this year. Apparently it received enough positive reviews from it's stint at Hollywood that the powers that be decided to send it on down to the sunshine state. The house is based around an old Spanish myth/ghost story that was used to scare children...apparently, it was fairly well known up in Cali. The story goes something like this: A woman falls in love with a man, and in an attempt to win his heart she drowns her children in a nearby river. Naturally, the man is horrified and rejects her, leading her to kill herself. Now, her specter wanders the land, looking for children she can take as her own. This house had some good scares, but the real appeal here is the atmosphere created. The facade is an old spanish monastery complete with a ghostly bell, and most of the inside is themed to a creepy but beautiful spanish town that La Llorona haunts . Near the end we are transported into her realm where she lives. The house does contain a neat water/mist effect as we enter her realm, the costumes are quite good, and the sets and atmosphere are gorgeous. It's kind of like the Winter's Night of this year, except maybe not quite as scary. Yes indeed, there is a fond place in my heart for this maze.
Rating: 8/10
Havoc: Derailed- It's hard to believe we have gone 3 years without the DOW (Dogs of War), but damn if it doesn't feel amazing to have these guys back. In 2010, we were introduced to Shadowcreek, a secret military facility that was testing a new super soldier serum when things got out of control and shit hit the fan in a big way. A gas leak occurred, and the DOW (the code name for the super soldiers) got loose and wreaked havoc on the area. Now, the military and government have intervened and cleaned the mess up, gathering together the remaining DOW and placing them into containment on a train headed for a place where they could stand trial. Naturally, it's all a bunch of BS as the trial story is just a cover to commence testing on the train as Shadowcreek wants to prefect the serum. Of course things go very wrong, the DOW get loose once again, and the train derails freeing the DOW. The facade for this house is the train that we will be boarding. I appreciate how they have some machine gun turrets firing off outside, a clear nod to the original house. In the first few rooms we get to see as the testing begins to go wrong and the DOW begin to lash out. For these rooms it feels like you are in a real train, and they have some cool effects that simulate motion and movement. Then, we get to witness the train derail while we are on it (via a pretty cool effect) and the rest of the house is some woods and a tour of the wrecked train as the DOW wreck havoc once more. This was a very cool house with a fantastic story to it (it also had a fantastic queue video). It looks like Universal has a real winner on their hands, and this may become the next big HHN franchise. The house also had my favorite moment of the night, where one of the DOW who was behind bars reached out for me and said: "Hey...you....I'll remember you." I grinned and shot back with: "I'll remember you too." I'm a huge fan of the DOW and while this sequel house isn't quite as great as the original house was, it still rocked my world (DOW lashing out from above you, yes please!). I can't wait to see what they decide to do with the DOW next!
Rating: 8/10
Cabin In The Woods- One of the greatest horror movies becomes one helluva fantastic haunted house. The theme is that we are new recruits to the shady facility from the film that specializes in the ritualized slaughter of teenagers via monsters and nightmares. We signed up at the exact wrong time, right during the events of the film. We are sent into the cabin to contain the situation, and things quickly spiral out of control. The whole house is extremely well paced and fantastically themed (it's got some of the best theming in a house this year). The cabin and the facility are exactly as they were in the film. Included in the house is the living room (complete with the wolf head), the exterior of the cabin, the elevators (soooooo damn scary), the purge room (I missed the purge effect though), the Buckners, the Merman, and many many more (No Unicorn that I could see though). It really does feel like you are walking thru the movie, and it's a really damn cool effect that most houses don't always pull off. Beautifully themed, perfectly paced, and VERY scary I am happy to say that Cabin In The Woods is one of the best. DO NOT MISS IT!
Rating: 10/10
An American Werewolf In London- Yup,you read that correctly. Those crazy bastards at Universal actually made a haunted house based on the CLASSIC horror film.I had heard only good things about this house, and I walked out grinning from ear to ear. The house is full of photo-realistic and fully realized sets from the actual film including the Slaughtered Lamb (which also serves as the super-cool facade for the house), The Moors, The Hospital, David's Family's Living Room (complete with Nazi Demons), Alex Price's Living Room (complete with transformation scene), Porno Theater, and the London Street from the end of the film. As great and superb as the scenes/sets are (and believe me, they are fucking superb. They got every little detail correct, this isn't an imitation or copy, this shit is for real!), the stars of this house are the full sized and movie accurate werewolf puppets. These things are big, lifelike, and they get up in your face A LOT! A neat effect is that even when they aren't actively attacking they are still breathing and moving a bit, as you pass by you know these things are going to come after you and boy do they. They slash and claw at you, heads turning this way and that, their fangs gnashing wildly...it's heart-stoppingly terrifying and thrilling in all the right ways. Did I mention that each of these puppets is controlled by a scareactor much like the actual puppets in the film were? What else can I say? This house is perfect. It's clear the people that worked on this loved this film and had a passion for it, they got all the details correct and the werewolf puppets are beautiful and terrifying (easily the best creation I have EVER seen in a haunted house). The creative team behind this house knew they had to do the material justice, and they did. If you are a fan of the classic film, then this house will be your wet dream. I know I loved it (damn shame I only got to do it once). This is easily the best house of the event, and the best house I have seen in a very long time. DO NOT MISS IT!
Rating: 10/10
Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure: As you should all know by now, I am a huge fan of Bill and Ted. I always try to see their show at HHN, and I'm glad I didn't miss it this year. The story this time is that BnT travel to Camp Morning Wood (clearly modeled after Camp Crystal Lake) via their time traveling phone booth. Ted wants to introduce Bill to his new girlfriend, Taylor Swift (naturally, Bill is not pleased by this). When Taylor finds a book resembling the Necronomicon from The Evil Dead, she decides to read from it and is quickly possessed. Now evil, Taylor decides to use the book to possess as many pop culture icons as she can, while killing others along the way. Of course, it's up to Bill and Ted to stop her. This is easily the best show of their's I have seen. The show opens with the usual dance number, except this time it's done with the sexy chicks dressed as female versions of famous horror icons (just wait till they shed the villain outfits to change into more traditional sexy outfits, which are some of the hottest I have seen) and the song that plays during this part is Fall Out Boys' The Phoenix (a seriously bad-ass song, it thrilled me to hear it as the opening song and to get to watch as sexy girls danced and gyrated to it). The opening number is the most impressive one I have seen so far. The jokes in the show are also super funny...funnier than usual actually (another 69 reference, HELL YES! Also loved Super-Man, Paula Deen, Django, Avatarland, Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, and Ron Burgandy among many others). The closing dance was fantastic with Suit and Tie (performed by Sheldon surrounded by hot girls who clearly like a man in a suit), Blurred Lines, Power, I Knew You Were Trouble, My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Another Fall Out Boy song, this one is the final song and it is the perfect way to end the show. Glad to see that the Bill and Ted show creators clearly are fans of Fall Out Boy), and many more. Once again, this is the best show of theirs I have seen in my 6 years attending this event, you would be wise not to miss it.
Rating: 10/10
Needless to say, I was not at all disappointed with the product Universal churned out this year. HHN went back to it's roots this year, this was classic HHN all the way (I would compare this year to 2008's HHN). It's good to see them really step it up this year after the disappointment that was last year. HHN 23 is easily an out-of-the-park home run, and if you have the chance to attend this year's event you definitely should. Seeing as I may not be able to return next year due to the end of my college experience, I'd have to say HHN 23 was a completely perfect end to 6 straight years of horror-ific fun.
Overall Rating: 5 STARS (or out of 10 stars, 10!)
ALSO: A LOT more fog in the streets, many times where I walked right into a thick screen of fog and couldn't see where I was going.....LOVE IT when that happens. So, that was pretty damn cool too! As you all know I LOVE the fog (it also smells pretty good as well).
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
SMALLS' BUG JUICE: TOM HANKS WANTS TO PLAY A SUPER-VILLAIN...OR MAYBE THE FLASH
I haven't done a Bug Juice in a very long time, and it actually feels kind of good to dip my toe back into movie news for a change. Here goes:
Ok Hollywood, you officially have your next project.
Apparently, Tom Hanks, the man who is pure win and a god-damned national treasure, says he really wants to play a super-villain....or maybe even The Flash. When answering a fan's question about why he had never been in a super-hero movie, the man-of-win had this to say: "They don't ask me man. I keep trying....Come on, I can do it. I can do it. Even let me play a bad guy, let me play the bad guy against Batman. I'll do anything, call me. They've never asked. What do I gotta do? God, I want to throw a shield at somebody. I want that. And I don't want to play the guy in the suit who tells the superheroes what's going on, I don't want to be that guy. 'Well, you know Batman, Captain America, Iron Man, here's what we've discovered,' I don't want to be that guy. I want to get in there, I want to play the Flash or something like that. They'll never give me the chance."
Now that he mentions it, I could actually see Tom Hanks playing Lex Luthor. I think he could pull it off. I'm going to throw my chips in and say give the guy a chance. He's already more than proven his worth as an actor, why not give him the chance to play a role he's always wanted. Sure, it may be going out on a limb a bit, but I believe in Hanks. I believe he can do it. Besides, does anyone here really want to crush Tom Hank's dreams? Didn't think so.
So, Batman Vs. Superman starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman and Tom Hanks as Lex Luthor. It's gonna happen.
Till next time I'm Beetlejuice and you've just been bugged
Thanks to Slashfilm for the heads up. Original article here:http://www.slashfilm.com/tom-hanks-would-love-to-play-a-batman-villain-or-the-flash/
Sidenote: I could also see him possibly being a good Ant-Man, or maybe a good villain for Ant-Man. Heck, I'd be happy if he popped up in Spidey 3! Bottom Line: MAKE IT HAPPEN HOLLYWOOD!
Ok Hollywood, you officially have your next project.
Apparently, Tom Hanks, the man who is pure win and a god-damned national treasure, says he really wants to play a super-villain....or maybe even The Flash. When answering a fan's question about why he had never been in a super-hero movie, the man-of-win had this to say: "They don't ask me man. I keep trying....Come on, I can do it. I can do it. Even let me play a bad guy, let me play the bad guy against Batman. I'll do anything, call me. They've never asked. What do I gotta do? God, I want to throw a shield at somebody. I want that. And I don't want to play the guy in the suit who tells the superheroes what's going on, I don't want to be that guy. 'Well, you know Batman, Captain America, Iron Man, here's what we've discovered,' I don't want to be that guy. I want to get in there, I want to play the Flash or something like that. They'll never give me the chance."
Now that he mentions it, I could actually see Tom Hanks playing Lex Luthor. I think he could pull it off. I'm going to throw my chips in and say give the guy a chance. He's already more than proven his worth as an actor, why not give him the chance to play a role he's always wanted. Sure, it may be going out on a limb a bit, but I believe in Hanks. I believe he can do it. Besides, does anyone here really want to crush Tom Hank's dreams? Didn't think so.
So, Batman Vs. Superman starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman and Tom Hanks as Lex Luthor. It's gonna happen.
Till next time I'm Beetlejuice and you've just been bugged
Thanks to Slashfilm for the heads up. Original article here:http://www.slashfilm.com/tom-hanks-would-love-to-play-a-batman-villain-or-the-flash/
Sidenote: I could also see him possibly being a good Ant-Man, or maybe a good villain for Ant-Man. Heck, I'd be happy if he popped up in Spidey 3! Bottom Line: MAKE IT HAPPEN HOLLYWOOD!
SMALLS' FRIGHT FEST: JOHN CARPENTER'S THE FOG
Antonio Bay is a sleepy, quiet coastal town that harbors a dark secret. On it's 100th anniversary night, a thick green fog rolls into town as the ghostly specters hidden within the fog take their deadly vengeance against the town citizens.
Right from the opening scene, the mood is set. We are going to be watching a classic ghost story that could be told around a campfire late at night and personally I LOVE this aspect to The Fog. I'm a huge fan of John Carpenter, and as usual (at least for his films made in the 70's and 80's) he doesn't disappoint. Finally, we get a film that celebrates Fog and imagines some really creepy ways to use this mysterious weather phenomenon to the films advantage. We get to see thick,rolling blankets of fog completely devour buildings, and eventually the whole town. The Fog seen in this film with it's ghostly flashing green lights helps to create the usual thick and tense atmosphere we have come to expect from a John Carpenter film.
Starring in The Fog are Tom Atkins (FUCK YEAH) as cop Nick Castle, Janet Leigh as Mayor's wife Kathy Williams, Jaime Lee Curtis as hitchhiker Elizabeth Solley, Adrienne Barbeau as radio DJ Stevie Wayne (who is relegated to screaming over the radio to BEWARE OF THE FOG while stuck at her lighthouse radio station), and Hal Holbrook as priest Father Malone. Every actor does a stand-up job here, with my personal favorite being Hal Holbrook as Father Malone who is suffering from feelings of guilt concerning the towns dark secret he recently unearthed. He manages to actually out bad-ass Tom Atkins here, a real treat. Surprisingly, Tom Atkins does not kick as much ass as he usually does, but his role is still memorable enough. Another interesting thing to note is that, as I stated above, Janet Leigh and Jaime Lee Curtis both have sizable roles here which is cool because in real life they are mother/daughter.Mind you, they don't get to interact much with each other but it's still pretty cool too have two of horror's most recognizable icons in the same film together.
John Carpenter has been known as a man who likes to write his own scripts for his films and compose his own music. He did these for Halloween , Halloween 2, Escape From New York and other films of his. He continued this tradition with The Fog, which features a fairly strong script (with some silliness here and there), and another superb score perfect for listening to during the Halloween season (try listening to the main theme during a dark October night and don't tell me it doesn't immediately get you into the mood).
The Fog is yet another superb film from master director John Carpenter. Surprisingly, the film is rated R although there is no blood, no gore, no real onscreen violence, and no swearing. It is this reason that I consider The Fog, despite it's R rating, to be the perfect film with which to introduce your kids to the works of John Carpenter (I am BY NO MEANS saying that The Fog is a kids film, I'm just saying it's the least likely of Carpenter's horror films to scar your kids for life). Personally, I LOVE The Fog. Is it a bit silly? Yeah! However, the atmosphere is rich and thick, the ghostly sailors are a fantastic, creepy creation and the shots of the fog are gorgeous to look at and are impressive. It's a perfect, fun film to watch and enjoy during the Halloween season.
4 STARS
Right from the opening scene, the mood is set. We are going to be watching a classic ghost story that could be told around a campfire late at night and personally I LOVE this aspect to The Fog. I'm a huge fan of John Carpenter, and as usual (at least for his films made in the 70's and 80's) he doesn't disappoint. Finally, we get a film that celebrates Fog and imagines some really creepy ways to use this mysterious weather phenomenon to the films advantage. We get to see thick,rolling blankets of fog completely devour buildings, and eventually the whole town. The Fog seen in this film with it's ghostly flashing green lights helps to create the usual thick and tense atmosphere we have come to expect from a John Carpenter film.
Starring in The Fog are Tom Atkins (FUCK YEAH) as cop Nick Castle, Janet Leigh as Mayor's wife Kathy Williams, Jaime Lee Curtis as hitchhiker Elizabeth Solley, Adrienne Barbeau as radio DJ Stevie Wayne (who is relegated to screaming over the radio to BEWARE OF THE FOG while stuck at her lighthouse radio station), and Hal Holbrook as priest Father Malone. Every actor does a stand-up job here, with my personal favorite being Hal Holbrook as Father Malone who is suffering from feelings of guilt concerning the towns dark secret he recently unearthed. He manages to actually out bad-ass Tom Atkins here, a real treat. Surprisingly, Tom Atkins does not kick as much ass as he usually does, but his role is still memorable enough. Another interesting thing to note is that, as I stated above, Janet Leigh and Jaime Lee Curtis both have sizable roles here which is cool because in real life they are mother/daughter.Mind you, they don't get to interact much with each other but it's still pretty cool too have two of horror's most recognizable icons in the same film together.
John Carpenter has been known as a man who likes to write his own scripts for his films and compose his own music. He did these for Halloween , Halloween 2, Escape From New York and other films of his. He continued this tradition with The Fog, which features a fairly strong script (with some silliness here and there), and another superb score perfect for listening to during the Halloween season (try listening to the main theme during a dark October night and don't tell me it doesn't immediately get you into the mood).
The Fog is yet another superb film from master director John Carpenter. Surprisingly, the film is rated R although there is no blood, no gore, no real onscreen violence, and no swearing. It is this reason that I consider The Fog, despite it's R rating, to be the perfect film with which to introduce your kids to the works of John Carpenter (I am BY NO MEANS saying that The Fog is a kids film, I'm just saying it's the least likely of Carpenter's horror films to scar your kids for life). Personally, I LOVE The Fog. Is it a bit silly? Yeah! However, the atmosphere is rich and thick, the ghostly sailors are a fantastic, creepy creation and the shots of the fog are gorgeous to look at and are impressive. It's a perfect, fun film to watch and enjoy during the Halloween season.
4 STARS
Sunday, October 13, 2013
SMALLS CAN'T ESCAPE FROM TOMORROW
HAPPY HAPPY, ALL THE TIME.
Escape From Tomorrow is undoubtedly the most talked about film of 2013, in which a small crew decided to film a whole movie at Walt Disney World and Disneyland (without permission) and see what they could get away with.....and then release the final product to the public. I have been looking forward to seeing this film for a while now, but did it live up to my somewhat lofty expectations (the trailer promises a bizarre thrill ride, but does it deliver?)?
The story here is of Jim (Roy Abramsohn), an unhappy family man who takes his family consisting of "princess" daughter Sara (Katelynn Rodriguez), A-hole son Elliot (Jack Dalton), and ball-busting wife Emily (Elena Schuber) on vacation to Disney hoping for fun. Unfortunately, Jim gets something decidedly different as he loses his job, his family starts to crumble at the seams, and he continually stalks two hot underage french girls (Danielle Safady and Annet Mahendru) all while slowly uncovering a dark conspiracy (or, is it that he's losing his grasp on reality as he further explores the Fantasy Land?). Doesn't sound like your typical Disney film, huh?
First off, I have to commend the film for it's aggressive style of film making, it's one of the most impressive things about the film. Escape From Tomorrow uses several cool film making tricks that actually wowed me a good deal (some impressive green screens that had me questioning if it was actually a green screen being used, the film is shot in black and white but I actually didn't notice this somehow, the substitution of original music for actual park music so no legal troubles would ensue, hired actors portray the Disney princesses at one point....and maybe even a bell man for the Contemporary Resort at another point)., and for the most part the picture quality is pretty great (especially for a film that was shot on the cheap). The film makers had to be quick and stealthy while shooting, and they make up for this (or cover this up) with the above mentioned tricks.
Another interesting aspect of Escape From Tomorrow is just how dirty and perverted it can get and it's got a wicked dark humor streak. The film clearly finds a naughty joy in seeing how many fucked up things it can fit into Disney including but not limited to nudity, sex, pedophilia, a semen joke, and prostitution of the Disney Princesses (in one scene only, and then it's implied). Let's face it, who doesn't enjoy seeing increasingly naughty, dirty, and maybe even sinister things going on at the Happiest Place on Earth? It's fun because it's the very last place we would expect these things to occur. In fact, that's one of the themes of the film: That bad things happen everywhere, including "The Happiest Place On Earth".
While there are plenty of supporting characters here, Escape From Tomorrow is basically a one man show, and that one man is Roy Abramsohn. Roy Abramsohn plays Jim, a seemingly unhinged family man that is either uncovering a conspiracy at Disney or is slowly losing his grasp on reality. Roy does a fairly impressive acting job, believably portraying his role. He does over-act here or there, but for the most part his acting is fairly consistent. This film really does fall on his shoulders, and he carries the weight surprisingly well. I'm not sure if he will ever break big, but if enough people see this film I'd hope we could expect to see him in more things (besides television, which he appears to have dabbled quite a bit in according to his IMDB page).
Escape From Tomorrow does indeed follow through on it's promise of a bizarre thrill ride. For the duration of it's run time the film continually ups the bizarre-o-ness of it all until at the end it's unclear what was reality and what was fantasy (by the end it's clear that something was indeed going on under neath the polished,good-clean-fun surface of Disney, but as to what is left unclear) . The numerous "fantasy" sequences are balanced by sequences of family drama (I do appreciate the irony of the fracturing of a family unit while on vacation at the biggest family destination spot on Earth), and the film does a pretty decent juggling act concerning what the film is really about in the end...unfortunately, the film never fully decides what the point of it all was.
Escape From Tomorrow is part bizarre nightmare, part family drama, part experimental film, and part dirty exploitation. It's an interesting mish-mash of elements, but it never really adds up to anything in the end. I did enjoy how naughty the film could be and the idea that maybe "The Happiest Place On Earth" is really the most sinister place on Earth. It's a fun film filled with half-ideas and fascinating film making tricks. While it's nowhere near as good as I would have hoped...it's still good enough (it's certainly fun enough) and is sure to keep you watching and scratching your head. I'm going to say go ahead and give it a watch. I can honestly say it's unlike anything you have ever seen before (and I never get the chance to say this,so that makes me happy).
3 STARS
The film also riffs on Siemens (the sponsor of Spaceship Earth), in a wicked way near the end (it's also where the semen joke comes in....which is kind of clever because.....Siemens, semen....get it?)
Escape From Tomorrow is undoubtedly the most talked about film of 2013, in which a small crew decided to film a whole movie at Walt Disney World and Disneyland (without permission) and see what they could get away with.....and then release the final product to the public. I have been looking forward to seeing this film for a while now, but did it live up to my somewhat lofty expectations (the trailer promises a bizarre thrill ride, but does it deliver?)?
The story here is of Jim (Roy Abramsohn), an unhappy family man who takes his family consisting of "princess" daughter Sara (Katelynn Rodriguez), A-hole son Elliot (Jack Dalton), and ball-busting wife Emily (Elena Schuber) on vacation to Disney hoping for fun. Unfortunately, Jim gets something decidedly different as he loses his job, his family starts to crumble at the seams, and he continually stalks two hot underage french girls (Danielle Safady and Annet Mahendru) all while slowly uncovering a dark conspiracy (or, is it that he's losing his grasp on reality as he further explores the Fantasy Land?). Doesn't sound like your typical Disney film, huh?
First off, I have to commend the film for it's aggressive style of film making, it's one of the most impressive things about the film. Escape From Tomorrow uses several cool film making tricks that actually wowed me a good deal (some impressive green screens that had me questioning if it was actually a green screen being used, the film is shot in black and white but I actually didn't notice this somehow, the substitution of original music for actual park music so no legal troubles would ensue, hired actors portray the Disney princesses at one point....and maybe even a bell man for the Contemporary Resort at another point)., and for the most part the picture quality is pretty great (especially for a film that was shot on the cheap). The film makers had to be quick and stealthy while shooting, and they make up for this (or cover this up) with the above mentioned tricks.
Another interesting aspect of Escape From Tomorrow is just how dirty and perverted it can get and it's got a wicked dark humor streak. The film clearly finds a naughty joy in seeing how many fucked up things it can fit into Disney including but not limited to nudity, sex, pedophilia, a semen joke, and prostitution of the Disney Princesses (in one scene only, and then it's implied). Let's face it, who doesn't enjoy seeing increasingly naughty, dirty, and maybe even sinister things going on at the Happiest Place on Earth? It's fun because it's the very last place we would expect these things to occur. In fact, that's one of the themes of the film: That bad things happen everywhere, including "The Happiest Place On Earth".
While there are plenty of supporting characters here, Escape From Tomorrow is basically a one man show, and that one man is Roy Abramsohn. Roy Abramsohn plays Jim, a seemingly unhinged family man that is either uncovering a conspiracy at Disney or is slowly losing his grasp on reality. Roy does a fairly impressive acting job, believably portraying his role. He does over-act here or there, but for the most part his acting is fairly consistent. This film really does fall on his shoulders, and he carries the weight surprisingly well. I'm not sure if he will ever break big, but if enough people see this film I'd hope we could expect to see him in more things (besides television, which he appears to have dabbled quite a bit in according to his IMDB page).
Escape From Tomorrow does indeed follow through on it's promise of a bizarre thrill ride. For the duration of it's run time the film continually ups the bizarre-o-ness of it all until at the end it's unclear what was reality and what was fantasy (by the end it's clear that something was indeed going on under neath the polished,good-clean-fun surface of Disney, but as to what is left unclear) . The numerous "fantasy" sequences are balanced by sequences of family drama (I do appreciate the irony of the fracturing of a family unit while on vacation at the biggest family destination spot on Earth), and the film does a pretty decent juggling act concerning what the film is really about in the end...unfortunately, the film never fully decides what the point of it all was.
Escape From Tomorrow is part bizarre nightmare, part family drama, part experimental film, and part dirty exploitation. It's an interesting mish-mash of elements, but it never really adds up to anything in the end. I did enjoy how naughty the film could be and the idea that maybe "The Happiest Place On Earth" is really the most sinister place on Earth. It's a fun film filled with half-ideas and fascinating film making tricks. While it's nowhere near as good as I would have hoped...it's still good enough (it's certainly fun enough) and is sure to keep you watching and scratching your head. I'm going to say go ahead and give it a watch. I can honestly say it's unlike anything you have ever seen before (and I never get the chance to say this,so that makes me happy).
3 STARS
The film also riffs on Siemens (the sponsor of Spaceship Earth), in a wicked way near the end (it's also where the semen joke comes in....which is kind of clever because.....Siemens, semen....get it?)
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