25
November
2006
“Nine killed her; nine shall die! Eight have died, soon to be nine. Nine eternities in doom!”
Ah, Vincent Price. Widely known as one of the greatest actors and called a “national treasure” by some, he is truly awesome. In the 1971 schlock cult classic The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Mr. Price gives a performance worthy of such praise; the surprising aspect of this role is that he hardly speaks at all, with his voice filtered through a microphone of sorts. No, he lets the murderous doctor and famous concert organist’s actions “speak” for themselves, and in the process delivers a juicy part that is sinister, creepy, and monstrous while still remaining a bit sympathetic.
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Posted: Articles
20
November
2006
The latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, is proof yet again that Hollywood companies are absolute geniuses at marketing their product. First we had the long, drawn-out “who will play Bond” drama, then the high-profile theft of Tarantino’s smart idea to re-shoot a gritty Casino Royale, and finally, the slow trickling out of some finely tuned trailers that promised a leaner, grittier, fresher Bond movie, based more on Fleming’s novel than the current misogynist, racist, right-wing wet dream of a spy. Having enjoyed some of the books but very few of the movies, I, too, found myself quite excited at the idea of remodeling this old warhorse. After all, casting Daniel Craig–a respected arthouse actor–as Bond seemed a smart idea, Eva Green was a revelation in Bertolucci’s The Dreamers, promising something a little more than a Bond bimbo — and those trailers sure did make it look pretty cool.
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Posted: Reviews, Action
15
November
2006
Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause seems like a reaction to the 50’s sitcom and family television mentality. Those days it seemed as if every show had a kid who would do something morally wrong, yet not illegal, and would end up getting advice from his father about his problem. The father was always the strong central figure who was harsh but fair. While the kids would fear punishment, they were not afraid of their father. Rebel takes that premise and contorts it six ways from Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
7
November
2006
This article will contain spoilers, but the film must be seen to be believed.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s series Da Ali G Show is a masterwork of unscripted guerrilla comedy, featuring Baron Cohen, disguised as one of three stereotyped personalities, interviewing various individuals and exposing their ignorance or prejudices in the process. While the British hip hop/Afro-Caribbean parody Ali G and the flamboyantly homosexual Austrian Bruno are effective in pushing cultural buttons, it is the English-mangling, anti-Semitic Kazakh journalist Bruno Sagdiyev that provides the most cutting, awkward laughs that catch in one’s throat. His infectiously innocent enthusiasm and eagerness to explore American culture make his unstaged interviews with politicians, preachers, and ordinary Americans the show’s constant highlights. In this vein, Baron Cohen has combined unwitting participation by regular citizens and the most tenuous of plotlines to craft a vulgar, illuminating, subversive, audaciously funny mockumentary.
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Posted: Articles, Reviews, Comedy
7
November
2006
While homosexual attraction and homosexual acts have existed as far back as history cares to count (the bible, other historic writings such as Greek literature and myths, and the natives’ traditional culture all have referred to a third sexual category of either a hermaphrodite or a two-spirits person), homosexuality is actually a relatively new term. It was invented in the 1870s (along with its twin word, heterosexuality) in an attempt to classify the behaviour as a medical condition. It was a way to problematize the behaviour in the medical framework, as opposed to the moral framework that existed up until then. Before the 1870s, prohibition was directed at same-sex sexual acts that occured mostly between men. However, no group was considered more likely than others to succumb to this sexual debauchery. Same sex relations were encouraged amongst women prior to 1870s, but it was deemed a mental illness thereafter (’these are sick people, look how they SUFFER’).
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Posted: Articles
2
November
2006
Slither (2006)
Director: James Gunn
What happens when a filmmaker takes a wonderfully absurd, gooey and goofy premise and runs with it without pulling any punches or losing sight of his vision? If you’re James Gunn, you might end up with Slither: a remarkable film that hits every right note imaginable like a blast to the face and gut. Gunn–the writer of the better-than-it-should-have-been Dawn of the Dead (2004), and the director of the whacked out Tromeo and Juliet, a retelling of Shakespeare’s classic tale done Toxic Avenger style–delivers the goods in this monster-mash throw back of a B-flick, albeit, one with a respectable budget. On a personal level I must admit that seeing Slither was like seeing a film made by a director who crawled inside my head and projected on the screen everything I could possibly want to see in an all out zany, sci-fi, monster, gore-fest. Yeah, it’s that good. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
1
November
2006
Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns is the next step, the natural progression and evolution of a character who is nearly 70 years old. He doesn’t reinvent him–no, that would be foolhardy. What Singer does is something so much beyond that; he makes Superman important and relevant. “Why the world doesn’t need Superman” is the headline of the article that won Lois Lane the Pulitzer and it is a fair question posed at the beginning of the film. Why does the world need a hero or savior to protect its peoples? Throughout the film, we’re shown why heroes are important–not just because they have powers, but because of what lies inside their heart.
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Posted: Articles, Reviews, Science Fiction, Drama, Action
1
November
2006
Horror movies are in many ways the most humane of film genres. They show us a world and situations that are heightened for effect to scare us. To shock us into submission in a way. We are these people being chased by a madman or haunted by ghosts for a couple of hours. And when we walk out of the theater we breath a sigh of relief because our lives are pretty great in comparison to what you just witnessed, which is your life at the lowest it could possibly become. I think the makers of the SAW franchise understand this basic truth to the horror genre, it’s just that it’s all they understand.
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Posted: Articles, Reviews, Horror/Thriller
