ERNEST HEMINGWAY'S THE KILLERS (1964)

Earnest Hemingway's THE KILLERS is a 1964 film based on the authors short story of the same name. It was directed by Don Siegel and stars a talented cast of actors including Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Cassavetes, and Ronald Reagan. This would be Reagan's final film before entering a carer in politics.

Originally intended to be a television movie, THE KILLERS was deemed too violent for network broadcast. So the studio went ahead and gave the film a theatrical release. I don't have a clue if the movie had any success at the box office. With it's start studded cast I bet it did alright for 1964. And probably had longevity in the drive-in and grindhouse circuit.

By today's standards the film would be considered not very violent. However, the opening is still pretty dark and brutal in terms of tone. Two hitmen burst into a school for the blind and kill their mark. They get rough with the receptionist (who is blind) to get information. And they kill the target in broad daylight. For the rest of the picture the violence is pretty tame, but THE KILLERS holds up nicely as a tough guy movie .

Murder usually ain't no thing to a hitman, but Charlie (Lee Marvin) can't seem to shake the thought that the target just stood there and died willingly? So Charlie and his partner decide to backtrack and find out why they were hired to kill the man.

It turns out that the contract was once a professional race car driver who got wrapped up with a crime boss because of a woman. The driver Johnny North (John Cassavetes) falls in love with Sheila (Angie Dickinson) but gets double crossed by her fella Jack (Ronald Reagan), the crime boss.

Charlie and his partner Lee put the pieces together by talking/interrogating several friends and business partners of Johnny and Jack respectively. All their information and clues lead to a dramatic conclusion leading them to Sheila and Jack.

I won't spoil the ending but the movies final shot is one of the best death scenes in cinema! It's for sure now one of my favorites anyways!

So the set-up and story in THE KILLERS is nothing new, even for 1964. The original film from 1946 was also mostly told in flashbacks. Both movies play like a detective story. But in that film the main character solving the mystery was a insurance claims investigator.

What I think is so cool about the 64' version is that the hitmen are playing detectives. Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager play these two so cool that there has to be a little inspiration for PULP FICTION hidden somewhere!

If you are a Lee Marvin fan, I highly recommend the movie. It's some of his best work! Other than that, you could probably take a pass on this one.

The film that I ended up liking more was the original from 1946, staring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, and directed by Richard Siodmak. Both versions are available as a double feature on the Criterion Collection. Which if you are a fan of film is the way to go!

RESERVOIR DOGS

This is the second time I've reviewed RESERVOIR DOGS. The reason being I think I've become better at this blog thing since 2008. And I'm going to try and talk about every Tarantino film in honor of his new film THE HATEFUL EIGHT.

My favorite film is KILL BILL. I consider both volumes one film, but if you wanna get specific about it then KILL BILL VOL.2 is my favorite. My love for the film kick started my love for exploitation cinema. And for several years made Quentin Tarantino my favorite director. So for the next several weeks expect to see posts on not only Tarantino's films, but also his influences.

One thing I've noticed about RESERVOIR DOGS over multiple viewings is how well it holds up as a Tarantino film. This is his first directorial effort, but it doesn't look like one. Granted, the film does have some weaknesses which are improved in his second feature, PULP FICTION. But what I'm trying to say is that from the very beginning Tarantino set out to make a distinct oeuvre. The sum of a lifework of an artist, writer, or composer. So far all seven of his films feel like a body of work. With every single one of his films you know you're watching a Quentin Tarantino movie. And it all started with his first feature.

Sure, any artist or writer can have an oeuvre. But when I think of oeuvre I tend to think of people like Mozart, Picasso, Kurosawa, and Bergman. Not an filmmaker for hire like say Brett Ratner.

So much to say about RESERVOIR DOGS. The first time I saw this movie I had no idea who Tarantino was. Back in the day, I rented movies from this local joint called Movies n Video. I rented a lot from that place so they knew me by name. One of the employees knew I liked action movies so he told me to check "Dogs" out. I did and my first impression was originality and violence portrayed like I haven't seen before. In fact, while I thought it was cool and interesting, I probably didn't “get” the movie. It wouldn't be till about 10 years later that I fully loved and appreciated the film.

RESERVOIR DOGS is a heist movie. Most genre movies are reflective appreciations of each other. In other words, if you've seen one heist movie you've seen em all. But with RESERVOIR DOGS, he turns the heist genre on its head. He reinvents the formula. I can't think of any crime/heist movie where the film doesn't even show you the heist? I don't think there are very many crime movies where the bad guys talk about normal everyday things? Quentin Tarantino changed all of that!

He loves his characters and the actors who play them. He gives them cool background music; he gives them wonderful dialogue. All these things happen in the first 10 plus minutes of RESERVOIR DOGS.

The opening scene takes place in a diner. Sitting around a large table is a group of guys all dressed up in suits. One of the men starts talking (in lurid detail) about the "true" meaning of Madonna's "Like A Virgin". What a way to start a movie! The conversation then segue to K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's weekend, then the famous rant of why Mr. Pink doesn't tip his waitresses. They leave the restaurant in slow motion with "Little Green Bag" playing as background music. Mr. Tarantino knows what cool is!

RESERVOIR DOGS is about a heist that has gone terribly wrong. Primarily taking place in one location, the rendezvous, the surviving criminals try to figure out what went wrong. One of the criminals suspects that there is a rat in the group that tipped off the cops. The rest of the film is recounted in flashbacks centering on key characters in the film. But to be fair they really aren't flashbacks. This is just Tarantino's novel approach to storytelling. And what I find most interesting still to this day is that none of the segments show the jewelry store heist!

I can't give away the ending, but it does have to do with probably my favorite part of the film. And that is the Mr. Orange segment. The film is over 20 years old so I can probably go into spoilers. But for that one person that may read this and that hasn't seen the movie? I just can't do it, sorry.

So next up is probably PULP FICTION? But before that expect to see at least a couple posts on films that have influenced the early works of Tarantino. Sometime or another I wanna blog about ROLLING THUNDER, BREATHLESS, STRAIGHT TIME, THE KILLERS, and a few others

JACKIE BROWN

The first time I saw JACKIE BROWN I was completely blown away. Blown away at how different it was from PULP FICTION. It was also impressive that I watched the movie in one seating. Unlike his previous two films, JACKIE BROWN is a slow burn. The story takes it's time, you're with these characters for the long haul.

Quentin Tarantino's 4th film KILL BILL VOL.1 was a week or two away from release, so I decided to get reacquainted and watch his movies again. And I even added some Robert Rodriguez to the mix. Night one was EL MARIACHI and RESERVOIR DOGS. The second night was PULP FICTION, DESPERADO, and FROM DUSK TIL DAWN. I skipped JACKIE BROWN because I remembered it being different than the others. But after KILL BILL VOL. 1 blew my mind, the following day I revisited the film post haste.

My mindset was perfect for watching the film again. Weeks leading up to the release of KILL BILL VOL. 1, I was reading interviews and researching everything about Tarantino's new film. I became a super fan of the director's work. And he will forever be one of my favorite filmmakers.

Being sandwiched between PULP FICTION and the KILL BILL films, I could see why JACKIE BROWN might not get the attention it deserves. It's a long movie with a lot of people talking. Which is nothing new in a Tarantino picture, but in JACKIE BROWN it's a little different.

The story is simple. A airline stewardess who is stuck in a dead end job gets caught bringing a large amount of cash over from Mexico. To avoid prison time or worse, death. Jackie Brown works on a plan to prevent either from happening.

And like a crime mystery novel, the characters move around like a game of chess for half million dollars. A story set up like this is as old as time. So that's why I think Tarantino made JACKIE BROWN more to do with the characters then the actual plot.

The character interactions are what I like best in JACKIE BROWN. You really get the feeling that you are hanging out with these characters. I have too many favorite moments to mention but I will at least share a few. This first one isn't a interaction but rather a introduction to the films title character, Jackie Brown. Brown is the first person we see in the movie. And her introduction is magnificent!

70's icon Pam Grier appears on screen powerfully. Tarantino is reminding us how cool the woman is! But then quickly the homage is over and we're now seeing Jackie. And she's doing her best not to be late for work at the airport terminal. It's an awesome scene.

The introduction of Ordell and Lewis is a classic! Talking shop on the selling of black market firearms all while watching the CHICKS WITH GUNS video. You know what scene I'm talking about! It was in all the trailers and might be one of the things most remembered about the film.

I don't think I have a favorite scene in the movie, but if I had to chose one it'd be Jackie getting bailed out of jail. Max the bail bondsman offers her a ride home. They stop at a bar (there are a lot of scenes in bars in this film, but it's okay because they are all so cool) to get a drink. The conversation starts of natural, talking about quitting smoking, how hard it is to quit, and then talking about the daily grind of a j.o.b. Then as smooth as whiskey, Max and Jackie are talking about the plot.

It's cool how hanging with these people move the story forward. At over 2 hours long the film does seem to drag in places but it's worth it.

Highly recommended!

RETURN OF THE JEDI

In 1983, the year that RETURN OF THE JEDI came out, I was in Star Wars heaven. It was the pinnacle of my fandom. But I was also getting into the Masters Of The Universe toys. So I did not get very many Star Wars toys that year. But I made up for it with cool stuff like lunchboxes, T.V. Trays, and bed sheets.

Being 6 years old when RETURN OF THE JEDI was released, the Ewoks never bothered me. Watching the film now as an adult the 'teddy bears' still don't bother me, but man the Endor stuff is just boring nowadays. The end is still cool with the second Death Star battle, and Luke fighting Vader, but everything else on Endor drags. And it's not the Ewoks fault.

After the success of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK you would think Lucas and company had a better idea for EPISODE VI? If memory serves, George Lucas even mentions in the commentary on the DVD that Endor, Luke facing Vader, and the second Death Star battle were the only ideas he had for the third film. Really? That just seems odd to me. Rescuing Han Solo was an afterthought apparently? Which leads me to believe that at one time Lucas was okay with killing off the character, but changed his mind because of action figure sales. I'm sure he never was fine with the idea of killing off Han heroically, but you never know.

I mentioned earlier how now watching the movie as a adult that most of the stuff that takes place on Endor drags RETURN OF THE JEDI to a grinding halt. Of course because of the Ewoks being all cute for the kids. But also because Harrison Ford is phoning-it-in on his performance. Now this is pure speculation on my part but I believe this has something to do with Ford and the film's screenwriter wanting to kill off Han Solo. George Lucas said no, and that's why we've got a half hearten Han Solo in Episode VI.

Once everything is over with on Tatooine, the only interesting character arc for the rest of the film is Luke Skywalker. Which makes sense...I guess?

Just as the seasons change so does my opinion of my favorite Star Wars film. Probably never again, but there have been a few times that RETURN OF THE JEDI was my favorite film in the saga. The last time was during the 1997 re release in theaters. I think it had to do with seeing the film on the big screen mixed with the Rebellion defeating the Empire. And the story arc of Darth Vader. Make fun of Lucas all you want (I do), but the man had a vision for this original trilogy.

The film being my favorite of the trilogy lasted for a couple of years before Episode V took back the title. Then there was a long stretch until just recently that STAR WARS was my favorite. I fell in love with how simple the story was. A fairy tale in space.

While both STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK had lots of classic iconic moments, some of my favorite scenes in RETURN OF THE JEDI were the small ones. Like the confirmation from Yoda that Vader was indeed Luke's father. “Tell you, did he”? Man, I still love that scene! And everything during Luke's surrender to Vader and the Emperor.

Probably not (because of the Endor stuff), but there is a chance RETURN OF THE JEDI could again become my favorite. And that is if the theatrical release was ever made available. It is my dream to have an unaltered HD home video release of RETURN OF THE JEDI. As a kid I remember Jabba's Palace being a strange and somewhat scary place? Not anymore, thanks to the Special Edition. Instead, now the vile gangster's home has been child proofed. The “new and improved” dance number is the worst added sequence in the history of Special Edition additions.

Despite all the flaws I have with the movie, it's still part of the original trilogy, it's still Star Wars, and it's still a part of my childhood. Therefore, I am still always going to love it.

At the time of this post we are practically a month away from STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS. How crazy is that! This is the moment that fans have waited 32 years for! A new Star Wars film!

CRIMSON PEAK

The timing of the release of crimson CRIMSON PEAK could not have been more prefect. This October I've been watching a lot of Mario Bava. A good chuck of his films are available to stream right now on Netflix and Amazon. It's interesting to see the roots of Italian horror.

CRIMSON PEAK is not a Italian horror film. It's just that Guillermo Del Toro's use of color reminded me a lot of Bava's work. Funny, when I discovered Italian horror I hated it. Back then I just didn't "get it" and sometimes I still don't, but lately I have developed a strong appreciation for it. Thanks in large part to a friend of mine who is going through a similar revival.

CRIMSON PEAK is also not a horror movie. Which is surprisingly turning off a lot of theater goers. Which I can understand the frustration. Apparently the trailers for the film we're misleading. Audiences were wanting horror when instead they got Gothic romance.

So what's the deal? Were there not enough jump scares? A character opens up the film by saying this isn't a ghost story but rather a story with ghosts in it. But that was at the very beginning of the movie, you don't need to pay attention to that. You were probably on your smartphone ordering your McDonald's Double Cheeseburger. Because you like the same old crap every single time!

Okay, rant over.

While not scary, the Gothic romance genre is atmospheric and can be a lot of the times spooky. Appropriate for certain horror movie marathons/movie nights. CRIMSON PEAK is a film where you let the atmosphere wash over you. For me, following the plot was secondary and my viewing experience was more visual.

The plot of CRIMSON PEAK does seem pretty basic. In the aftermath of a family tragedy, a young woman's heart is is stolen by a seductive stranger. Edith Cushing is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood red clay, a place that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. Beware of Crimson Peak!

Mia Wasikowska plays Edith, an aspiring author who falls in love with Thomas Sharpe, the seductive aristocrat and inventor. The two of them fall in love but Edith's father disapproves. After his untimely death they get married and shack up Allerdale Hall where Thomas and his sister Lucille live.

Strange things begin to happen and Edith starts seeing ghosts. And the mystery of the Sharpe's and Crimson Peak start to unravel.

I truly believe CRIMSON PEAK is Guillermo Del Toro's homage to Hammer films, Mario Bava, and Alfred Hitchcock. With ghosts being part of the story, it's hard not to think about the film Rebecca. But the Hitchcock film I kept thinking of during some key suspensful moments was NOTORIOUS.

All of the cast did a great job. Jessica Chastain who played Lucille was my favorite performance in the film. From the get go you know this lady is up to no good, and Chastain did a wonderful job of letting her madness come to a rolling boil.

As I was watching the film on IMAX I knew the film was performing poorly at the box office. There were less than 10 people in the showing I attended. So this thing may only be in theaters another week? So as I was watching the film thinking it was getting judged unfairly, I began thinking of Grindhouse's and exploitation movies.

If this was the 70's, CRIMSON PEAK would be pulled from the theater and repackaged for later. The studio or distribution would make some edits making it more scary and give the film a new title, something like BARONESS OF BLOOD. With the changes and new title it'd probably make a killing at a Drive-In or Grindhouse. Of course nothing about CRIMSON PEAK needs to be changed. It's just another crazy idea that my movie geek mind came up with.

I highly recommend CRIMSON PEAK. It's one of the year's best!

GHOSTHOUSE

LA CASA III (a.k.a. GHOSTHOUSE) is a 1988 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi. Oops sorry, I mean Humphrey Humbert? Yep, that's a fake. I've never been sure on the reason for American aliases in Italian horror. Maybe it was a distribution thing to trick American audiences? Or it might be similar to an Alan Smithee sort of deal? Whatever the case, LA CASA III is pretty bad with hints of awesomeness.

You're probably wondering what the heck is a La Casa? Well from what I have gathered, EVIL DEAD and it's sequel EVIL DEAD II were released in Italy as LA CASA I & II. So in Italian exploitation fashion, they make a horror movie and advertise it as a LA CASA sequel to assure asses in seats. But here in the States you couldn't get away with something like that, so in America the film is titled GHOSTHOUSE. There, now you've learned something useless today!

Doing some minor research before watching the movie, I found out that Riff Tracks did an edit of the movie. So that at least gave me a heads up of what I was getting myself into.

The film starts off pretty good. We have a somewhat spooky house, which reminded me of the one from HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY. Oddly enough according to IMDB's trivia page, both films used the same set. Which if true is kinda cool.

The master of the house hears what sounds like cat dying. So he goes down to the basement to investigate. Sure enough, what he finds is the family cat with it's throat cut. Ewe! We then hear this creepy music and find his daughter holding the murder weapon, a pair of scissors. Her punishment is to sit alone in the dark and think about what she has done.

Henrietta and her favorite clown doll don't like the sound of that so the house goes all haunted and her dad gets an ax to the head and a shattered mirror blows up in the face of the mother. The story then cuts to New York City, where we meet our main characters Martha and Paul. Martha loves chili and Paul loves his computer. And by computer he means his high-tech ham radio.

One afternoon Paul picks up some strange sounds. Someone asking for help followed by some creepy music/song. Similar to what we heard when Henrietta and her clown doll was on screen earlier. Paul finds out where the radio signal is coming from, and the two of them drive to the house and investigate.

When Paul and Martha show up there is already a group of teenagers at the house. And one of them has a ham radio as well.

Spooky stuff starts to happen. Exploding lamps, exploding bulbs, ghost dogs, and a bunch of other crazy stuff. And people get gruesomely killed. They eventually learn about Henrietta and learn that her tomb must be destroyed.

By this point the films plot kinda goes out the window, and like I said crazy stuff happens. The atmosphere and look of the film is cool, but the acting is bad. Laughably bad. Watching the film became highly entertaining at how bad it was but at the same time how surprisingly good the gore turned out to be.

I'm glad I watched it, but for as obscure as the film is, GHOSTHOUSE is nothing special. And like I suspected, LA CASA (a.k.a. GHOSTHOUSE) had nothing to do with the Evil Dead films.

I only recommend GHOSTHOUSE if you're a connoisseur of Italian horror. Or enjoy the occasional pizza and beer movie night. Perfect for friends to come over and have a good laugh. Other than that, don't waste your time.

KNOCK KNOCK

Before I begin there is some issues I have to get off my chest. I like going to the movies. Nay. I love going to the movies! If there is a movie that I really really want to see, going to the theater is my preferred choice. Last week two films came out that I've been dying to see, KNOCK KNOCK and THE FINAL GIRLS. Neither movie is playing in town. Why? Because studios don't take risks anymore. Smaller films are going straight to On Demand and it sucks.

A big movie buff like myself was all excited to have a double feature at the local multiplex. Both movies even have some of the same actors. Take Aaron Burns for instance who appears in both. He's the student activist that get's it the worst in THE GREEN INFERNO. So when you see him show up in KNOCK KNOCK you kinda feel sorry for him and glad he is alive! Long story short, these two films would play great back to back.

When it comes to the films of Eli Roth you pretty much know what to expect. Gore, torture, sheer terror, and laughs. And his new move KNOCK KNOCK is no exception. Except maybe the gore? Yes, for what the film lacks in blood and guts Roth makes up for it with terror and suspense. I have thought Eli has always been a talented filmmaker but since his films are known for their gore, the rest of his talents don't get the proper attention (HOSTEL: PART II is an amazing film).

In the film Keanu Reeves plays Evan, a loving husband and father of two. He's an architect and his wife does sculptures. It's Fathers Day but Evan is really busy on a project, so the wife and kids go away for the weekend without him. During a rainy evening he gets a knock on the door and it's two lovely girls that are soaking wet and lost. Turns out they got bad directions to a party they are supposed to be at.

The girls ask if they can come inside from the pouring rain. From this point on you can see Evan's reluctance, and Keanu really sells it. So he let's the girls in and they get warm and dry off. Small talk ensues and Evan is always smart and keeps his distance. But no matter how hard he tries Genesis and Bel persistently stay close to him. A Uber driver is called to pick them up, but when it arrives it's too late. Evan has been overtaken by the girls.

In the morning Evan wakes up thinking it was all a nightmare and that the girls have left. But no, turns out this wasn't just a night of casual sex. These bitches be crazy! He wakes up to find them having breakfast in the kitchen raising all sorts of hell. What has Evan gotten into! He asks them repeatedly to leave. Finally the waking nightmare seems to end when Evan drives them to anywhere but his home.

So far this has been a weekend that Evan would like to forget. After cleaning up the mess he goes back to his project. But is interrupted by a noise and gets knocked out. Genesis and Bel have returned and proceed to rape, torture, and terrorize Evan.

I love KNOCK KNOCK! With this being a Eli Roth film I was worried the movie was just going to be torture leftovers from his 'Hostel' films. Thankfully that is not the case. Here Roth trades in his knack for gore with surprisingly good suspense. Watching the girls' get closer and closer to Evan was a delight, and probably the best scenes in the film.

It's during the third act of KNOCK KNOCK that I noticed the film loosing a lot of it's steam. The motives of the girls' start to be unclear. Clearly they are crazy! There is no doubt, but why they are doing this to Evan (and apparently other married men) never seemed clear to me. I may have missed that part? It's probably just some of the juvenile hysterics that Roth is known for getting in the way. And I don't have a problem with that at all!

I highly recommend KNOCK KNOCK to horror fans, especially those on the fence about director Eli Roth. This is something different from him with the exception of his sense of humor. That hasn't changed. So if you're not a fan of that then you should probably pass.

And if you watch this movie with your wife or girlfriend expect to have a pretty big conversation when the movie is over!

SCREAM

Next year SCREAM will be 20 years old. Has it really been that long? Gosh, I'm getting old. It's been a few years since I've watched director Wes Craven's second most popular horror film. Watching it last night felt fresh, the movie I am happy to say still holds up! Some of the dialogue feels dated and forced, the pop culture references don't sound naturally to me now like they used to? The horror genre was having a hard time in the 90's. They killed off Freddy, everybody thought JASON GOES TO HELL sucked, and Hollywood tried to make us scared of Leprechauns. Thankfully there was some good ones like CANDYMAN and ARMY OF DARKNESS. But the slasher flick was pretty much dead.

With the death of Freddy and Jason being sent to hell, audiences for the most part we're fine with it. But for me, I was just getting started. I loved horror and couldn't get enough. The year that I started college was when I rented and watched all the mainstream (Freddy, Jason, and Michael) horror slashers. I had now seen every film in the Elm Street series and HALLOWEEN had become my favorite horror movie.

The first time I saw SCREAM was on a Friday afternoon after class. I still remember that it was me and about ten other people. Which back then was odd, even for a matinee? The movie floored me! Leaving the theater I thought I'd just witnessed the greatest horror movie ever made.

The next day at work I was telling all my co workers about it. When I got home I called my friends and dragged some of them to see it. For the rest of the 90's SCREAM and SCREAM 2 were probably my favorite films.

It was a slow start but word of mouth made SCREAM a box office smash. The slasher genre was popular once again. The 'Dead Teenager' horror film dominated the late 90's. And while I did in fact enjoy the return, one of these things wasn't quite like the other? These slasher flicks were lacking in the gore department.

SCREAM did good delivering the goods, but the copycats kept becoming more and more blood less. Thanks a lot MPAA and focus groups!

Besides the issues with gore and violence, it turns out that the movies themselves were just not that good. Every character spewing hip self referential dialogue and being to smart to be in a horror movie situation got old really fast. Thank goodness for the J-horror (Japanese) remake craze. But that too got stale.

I'm glad to say that SCREAM holds up! It holds up extremely well. Unlike, say I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. I loved that movie when it came out! But I kinda cringe thinking about it now. Heck, I was worried SCREAM was going to suffer the same fate!

I will consider A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET to always be Wes Craven's most notable and popular film. Fans forever will be split between it and SCREAM. But as much as I love SCREAM, it is not my favorite of the series. That my friends, is SCREAM 2!

THE HILLS HAVE EYES (2006)

Remakes these days seem like a dime a dozen. And if you're a fan of my blog you should know that I typically hate remakes. I am not the biggest fan of the shot for shot remake. I think a remake should try something different. A movie like John Carpenter's THE THING can make you think that Howard Hawks' original film doesn't exist.

Once in awhile a remake that is shot for shot will come along and be better than the original. The 2006 remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES directed by Alexandre Aja is a perfect example. Talk about a remake that improves on almost aspect of the 1977 original. Watching the original nowadays the only thing going for it I'd say is the look of it. Shot on 16mm like every good horror movie should be.

I do not particularly care for the original movie. Hearing about the movie and reading the back of the VHS box makes the film sound a lot better than it really is. A lot of it has to do with the killers. These guys are supposed to be mutant cannibals but instead they come across as backwoods hippies. And the acting wasn't very good. The cheep budget and bad acting seemed to work for me with LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, but here I just found it really distracting.

Maybe I am so tough on horror remakes is because THE HILLS HAVE EYES set the standard. This film is easily one of the best horror movies of the aughts! Alexandre Aja is one of the best horror directors and producers working today. I love how he has turned exploitation into high art!

So if you didn't know, THE HILLS HAVE EYES is about the Carter's who are taking a trip through the great American southwest. But a detour on the trip takes a turn for the worse when the family car breaks down. What looks like car trouble turns out to possibly be a trap! A trap set up by some mutant cannibals living near an abandoned nuclear test site. The Carter family are in the fight of their lives when the strange inhabitants start the gruesome massacre.

For fans of the original, yeah there is nothing new here. The rape scene in the original is still shocking, but nothing can compare or prepare you for how Aja cranks up the tension in the remake. Spoiler alert! I remember people walking out of the theater, and you know a horror film is doing something right whenever this happens. I almost did the same thing! The scene I am referring to involves a loaded gun to a baby's head. The baby lives (you think the film is going 'there' but thankfully does not); but still, that is some deep dark territory.

But the real improvement for me is when the mutant family takes center stage. Notice how I said mutant family and not hippie commune. I'm sure if I saw the original at the time of release I would have thought Pluto and the rest of the gang were scary. But by today's standards the look silly.

In the new film some of the mutants are just painful to look at. I remember one guy who was confined to a chair and his neck could not support the weight of his head. It was creepy and I felt sorry for the guy and thought his brothers or sons should do him a favor and put the guy out of his misery.

I haven't seen the remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES for almost 10 years and wonder if it still holds up? I bet it does. So if you're like me and wanting to honor the memory of Wes Craven by watching a lot of his films this October, give this remake he produced a try.

Happy October!

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)

This year for the month of October I am going to blog about the films of Wes Craven. Not all them, but as many as I can.* Let's start things off with his “first” film LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. It wasn't until the late eighties that I knew who Wes Craven was. And I only knew him as the guy who made A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. By the time I got to Jr. High, he was already considered the master of horror. And you were considered an amateur if you had only seen his Freddy Kruger movie. According to the heavy metal kids the Wes Craven film THE HILLS HAVE EYES was where it's at.

I had seen A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS on television and liked it enough that I wanted to see more. But I was still too much of a wuss to rent the horror recommendations at the video store. Especially THE HILLS HAVE EYES. Still to this day Michael Berryman still creeps me out on that box cover. But there was one movie at the video store that I hadn't heard about. And that movie was LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. I knew it was a Wes Craven film because the box cover mentioned something like “Before the nightmare on elm street there was the last house on the left”. Or some crap like that?

I ended up not renting LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT that night, nor any other night for that matter. It wouldn't be until several years later that I'd finally watch the grindhouse exploitation “classic”. And LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT really didn't do anything for me. I understand the films significance in the history of modern horror with it's rape and brutal violence. But there is an element to LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT that hurts the film greatly in my opinion. And that element is the bumbling sheriff and his deputy. I get what the director was trying to accomplish but it just does not work.

Two teenage girls go to the city for a rock concert. While trying to score some weed, Mari and Phyllis get kidnapped by a gang of psychotic convicts. The gang, lead by the nasty Krug takes the girls out to the middle of nowhere and rapes and murders them.

The psycho killers find a place to stay in the rural area. The homeowners welcome them but soon find out their guests are the ones who murdered their daughter. Enraged, the parents take on the gang and get bloody satisfaction doing it!

If you can get past the silly cops I think the film is great. For a exploitation film to stick with you well after you've seen it is saying a lot for most grindhouse pictures.

The highlight of the film for me is the character Krug, played to perfection by David Hess. When you turn your own son into a junkie just to control him, that's some twisted stuff let me tell you!

If you are a fan of Wes Craven but have never seen his early work, then LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT might be worth checking out.

If you're a fan of horror exploitation, then I'd say the film is highly recommended. But whatever you do, please don't watch the 2009 remake. The last thing the original needs is a sleek looking update. Age (besides the awful soundtrack...and idiotic cops) is the best thing going for LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT.

*It won't just all be Wes Craven films this month. Amazon Prime has a lot of stuff I want to talk about so some of the horror blogs may spill over into November.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

This is the Star Wars film that started it all for me. My earliest memory of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is watching the movie with my parents in a standing room only auditorium. And everyone was glued to the screen.

What makes THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK so great? Why is it the favorite among the majority of Star Wars fans? It can't just be because of Boba Fett can it? I mean come on, how bad ass can the guy really be? He fell into a pit and died at the beginning of RETURN OF THE JEDI.

I'm just kidding. Boba Fett is cool, don't worry. But seriously, what makes Episode VI so great? The simple answer is that the film delivered on fan expectation. Everything about the sequel is bigger and better. It has a bigger budget, better special effects, excellent script, and good direction. All these elements distract the audience that the film itself has a weak plot. The plot of the film is simply Darth Vader hunting down Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion.

The film opens with a bang. The Hoth sequence rivals the Battle of Yavin from the first film. And what's really cool about the Hoth ground assault scene is that it happens at the beginning of the film. 99% of the time a sequence like this is always at the end of the film. I believe there are two reasons for this; Lucas wanted to give audiences something to rival the climax of STAR WARS right off the bat, and the second reason is Lucas is again playing with conventions and audience expectations.

The film doesn't slow down because next our heroes split up. A first for a Star Wars movie. Luke takes a detour from the Rebellion rendezvous to visit Yoda, the Jedi master. And Han and Leia would like to meet up at the rendezvous but are having a hard time shaking off the relentless Empire.

Watching the movie for the first time I loved Yoda. For the longest time he was my favorite character. As a teenager the scenes on Dagobah bored me because of a whinny Luke Skywalker. With the exception of one scene. And that's Yoda lifting the X-Wing from the swamp. That scene will always be an all time favorite of mine in the Saga.

I always wanted to get back to the relentless pursuit of Millennium Falcon. The tension still holds up today! Darth Vader killing officers left and right, the asteroid field, and the bounty hunters. What a movie!

The bounty hunters must have left a huge impression on me because I believe I had pretty much every toy related to those iconic characters. Boba Fett's ship, Slave-1 was my favorite toy second to the Millennium Falcon. And I'll never forget my oldest cousin giving me his mail away action figure of Boba Fett. My cousins are some of the nicest people I know.

It wasn't until RETURN OF THE JEDI that the big twist at the end of Episode VI had any real impact on me. The only thing I remember is being scared and I thought Luke was going to die. Pretty dark and deep material for someone who hasn't even started kindergarten yet.

But for the past 15 – 20 years that lightsaber duel at the end of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is my second favorite duel in the series!

From start to finish the film is just a masterpiece of genre cinema. While the first film is art out of adversity, it's clear that the money is on the screen for the sequel. While still having a budget, it's obvious Lucas spared no expense.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is the best Star Wars movie. And THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is the greatest film ever made!

THE GREEN INFERNO

THE GREEN INFERNO is director Eli Roth's love letter to cannibal exploitation horror films. This Italian horror sub-genre became popular in the late seventies and early eighties. The genre never quite caught on like the Spaghetti Westerns or Zombie films did. That's why you don't see a ton of them, unlike your typical DAWN OF THE DEAD rip off or umpteenth Django western.

Stuck in limbo for almost two years it was unclear if moviegoers were going to see THE GREEN INFERNO at the theater, or at all for that matter? Months if not weeks before the film was to hit theaters the studio releasing the picture hit a financial snag and couldn't/wouldn't show the movie. Given the opportunity I always try to watch a film on the big screen. Especially one that I want to see! Thanks to movie producer Jason Blum (the current David O. Selznick of horror) audiences now were able to see the cannibal horror adventure on a mainstream level.

Will a theatrical release help THE GREEN INFERNO in terms of box office? Probably not. I don't see a cannibal resurgence happening anytime soon. It's just cool that a film like this is getting a major release.

Much like Roth's two previous films, THE GREEN INFERNO has a group of college aged kids finding themselves in a heap of trouble. This time around it's a college activist group heading to the jungles of Peru to stop the deforestation of the Amazon. From the start you get the feeling that something isn't quite right. These students are quick to blindly follow activist Alejandro. At first our films lead Justine (played by the beautiful Lorenza Izzo) isn't buying into the cause, but cannot get over how hot she thinks Alejandro is. So she joins the group despite her skepticism.

When they arrive their plan is to chain themselves to trees and broadcast it live over the internet. The protest is a success but the college kids are immediately taken back to the plane and asked to leave. With no time to change they are back on the plane still wearing construction worker uniforms. The victory is cut short when the plane crashes into the jungle.

After one of the most intense plane crashes in cinema history, the survivors are captured by a indigenous tribe. But instead of being welcomed as guests to the village, the group becomes dinner. The plane crash was intense but this is when the film becomes no holds barred.

Up to this point the movie is pretty bad. Flat looking cinematography (thanks to digital) and clunky dialogue plague the first half of THE GREEN INFERNO. The stiff acting and bad dialogue might be on purpose due to the film being a exploitation movie? But once we get to the jungle everything looks beautiful and performances are great. The fist victim of cannibalism is the most gruesome scene in the film. I mean this guy gets it the worse. I won't go into to detail, but we're talkin' 5 piece barbecue chicken dinner. Everything after is pretty standard (not a bad thing), but that first kill belongs in the horror hall of fame.

While waiting for their fate the rest of the group learn that Alejandro hasn't been completely honest with them. The protest was all a ruse so that another construction team could come in and clean house. So now that it has been revealed that he's a asshole, the group plan to escape without him. They get caught again and now Justine is victim to an ancient ritual. But thanks to a young boy from the tribe she escapes. But will the green inferno of the Amazon engulf her? While THE GREEN INFERNO is one of the most brutal films you'll see this year, it's got some dark humor to relieve the tension. This is where Eli Roth reminds the audience that what you are seeing isn't real. And that you can have fun while being scared or grossed out. In other words THE GREEN INFERNO isn't just complete total nihilism.

The fact that the film isn't a full on exercise of nihilism depravity is a good thing. The horror review gurus that criticize THE GREEN INFERNO for not going all the way are wrong. The only things missing from Roth's film are rape, genital mutilation, and animal killings. Who wants to see those things? The themes are implied well enough that we don't need to see it. Less is more anyways.

So I should mention the political sub text of the film. Eli Roth hates the idea of social justice warriors. And I don't blame him. Making change in the world isn't about how many “likes” your Facebook page gets, or how many times you've been re-tweeted. If you're on social media then you know what I am talking about. It's gotten so bad these past couple of years that I always consider deleting my Facebook account.

The thing that surprised me the most about THE GREEN INFERNO was how Eli Roth didn't go full on homage. Instead, we feel the spirit of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and CANNIBAL FEROX.

If you're a fan of horror and have never seen a cannibal movie, then I recommend THE GREEN INFERNO. And if you see the film and love it, and by love it I mean it's now your favorite horror movie, then and only then do I recommend you see CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST.

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST

My curiosity for horror movies probably started 30 years ago with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE for rent on VHS. Or maybe it was HBO? I think back then, stuff came out on cable before it hit video? Whatever the case, I was frightened/intrigued by the 'Freddy' cardboard standee at my neighborhood video rental store. They had it in the corner so that it would stare at you no matter where you stood. I've told this story before but it's left an impression on me and think that it's the catalyst for why I like horror movies.

The reason why I think horror films are so popular is because of the thrill viewers get by watching them. Much like the love of riding a roller coaster. Along with that is the notion that the movie might be something forbidden, something you're not allowed to see. The threat of nightmares kept me away for awhile.

In my formative years I just stuck with the standard horror classics like the Elm Street, Jason, and Evil Dead films. All the heavy metal kids in High School talked about the Faces of Death movies, but I stuck with the fake stuff, thank you very much. Turns out those were fake anyways, and apparently sucked. So jokes on them!

By the late 90's and early 2000's I heard about a sub genre of horror called Italian horror. And in my discovery learned about a film called CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. This film was the holy grail of exploitation horror. In a nutshell, the film had a reputation that if you watched it you'd go to hell. At the time of discovery the film was only available by bootleg. So my friend and I just stuck with the safe stuff like THE BEYOND or DEMONS.

When KILL BILL came out, that's when my obsession with exploitation films started. And I made it my mission to find and watch the mother of all exploitation films. At the time I didn't know what that was, but I'd soon find out.

I had forgotten about CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST until about a year ago when it made it's debut on blu-ray. I quickly remembered that the movie was considered one of the best, if not the best horror exploitation films ever made. It certainly sounded like the most controversial because of all the real life killing of animals.

After giving it some serious thought, I finally decided to watch the film. After all, it's only a movie. How nasty can it be? Pretty nasty as it turns out.

A New York University professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon rain forest with the footage shot by a lost team of documentarians who were making a film about the area's local cannibal tribe.

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is basically two films. The second act is a found footage film sandwiched between the film. The first part is finding out what happened to the missing crew. The second part is us getting to see the footage and piecing together the mystery. And lastly we get a social commentary on what is considered 'entertainment' these days.

The film is a gore fest and on several occasions I wanted to shut it off. But every time I thought about doing that, something brilliant always happened. And when it got to the ending I came to the conclusion that the film is a masterpiece. Who would've thought that a horror exploitation film can have a message? So yeah, I guess you could say I like gore. Gore in movies. Why? I don't know because the funny thing is, I cannot stand sick stuff in real life. Unless it's my own, the sight of blood freaks me out. Heck, I don't even like to hunt. And that includes fishing.

But when it comes to blood & guts make-up effects, the gore doesn't bother me. Okay, it does but I can handle it, Most of the time. I guess because I know it's fake and I can't help but think the movie making process is fun.

In fact, I know from experience that it's fun because I had the honor of playing a dead guy in a popular web series. The make-up effects guy gave me a bullet hole in the head. That was a fun couple of hours!

With all that being said, the gore effects in CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is pretty extreme. But it is fake, so just keep telling yourself that. What's not fake is the animal killings. And yes it's disturbing and uncomfortable to watch. Forget the cannibalism, it's the innocent slaughter of jungle rats, monkeys, sea turtles, and pigs that's repulsive.

In good conscious I cannot recommend CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. But I'm not your mother, so watch at your own risk. Just remember, curiosity killed the cat.

CANNIBAL FEROX

For the past decade or so I've had a real guilty pleasure of seeking out classic exploitation films. Most of them are crap that haven't aged well, some are good, but there are a few that become gems. While it's not my favorite, CANNIBAL FEROX is a grindhouse gem!

CANNIBAL FEROX, or as it's known in the States, MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY was part of the short lived Italian horror cannibalism sub-genre. It's a good thing the genre was short lived because most of the films suck. But there are two masterpieces, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and CANNIBAL FEROX. Not only are these films great cannibal movies, they are excellent pieces of Italian genre cinema.

Now I wanna make something perfectly clear, I like gore, but not in the way you might think. For me it's more of an effects thing. I'm curious how they pulled off the illusion . But let's be honest, with the cannibalism films it is all about the shock and gore that make them popular. So why do I like them? If horror films are akin to roller coaster rides, then I'd say the Italian cannibal movies are the carnivals.

There are several reasons but the main reason for my guilty pleasure is the sleaziness. The fact that KILL BILL is my favorite film(s) has a lot to do with that. I also like how CANNIBAL FEROX actually went deep into the Amazon jungle to film. And lastly I just think exploitation films are cool.

Two New York City low life's rip off a drug dealer and head off to South America. We know this because the film starts off with a murder investigation in the Big Apple. Man, I love 80's New York City! Anyway, the very next scene is in Rio (I think) and we follow three friends taking a trip into the Amazon jungle to disprove cannibalism. The two groups eventually meet and become hunted by a indigenous tribe seeking revenge.

While on the run from the tribe, one of low life's spills the beans. He tells the group of friends the true story of why him and his partner Mike Logan, are in the Amazon. They stole money from a heroin dealer back in the States and fled here to hide. In Rio they met someone who had uncut emeralds and knew where to get more. Things didn't pan out and Mike, high on cocaine, went nuts. He killed a few members of the tribe, and the rest is history.

The tribe is out for revenge and everyone is guilty. And rest assured, they are gonna make them die slowly.

The first time I watched CANNIBAL FEROX it made me sick. Sick that I'd watch a movie like that. It didn't have quite the moral impact that CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST did. But at least it's part of exploitation history and I have seen it, and I can move on. But I watched it a second time so that I could blog about it and get the movie out of my system. Then the strangest thing happened? I liked the film the second time around. The gore still makes me uncomfortable, but it has what I love about exploitation films. Or in this case, Italian exploitation films.

Let's talk about the gore for a moment because let's face it, blood and guts are what make these films popular. From a special effect stand point the gore is amazing. Unfortunately what isn't a special effect is the killing of animals (the main controversy of these films). And let me tell you, seeing a defenseless animal getting killed is far worse and super uncomfortable compared to fake gore. No matter how realistic looking it is.

The conversation on gore will continue when I blog about CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. Because in that film, I almost shut if off on several occasions. But much like the trooper that I am, I stuck through it. Which I'm glad I did because while the movie is what it is, there is a good message in the film. But like I said, more on that latter.

In all honesty I cannot recommend a film like CANNIBAL FEROX. Due in large part to the extreme nature of it. For me even the mere mentioning the film feels like dealing with contraband sometimes. This blog is more or less about me getting the film out of my system and acknowledging the sub genres place in horror history.

STAR WARS

My earliest memory of STAR WARS was seeing it at a Drive-In theater. We were in the old family van, not a mini-van, but a van. I was in the back with all my Star Wars toys having an adventure. I cannot remember for sure if this was my first time seeing the film? I'm thinking no, because of the toys. But they were Empire Strikes Back toys. So maybe THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was my introduction to the Trilogy? Age wise this makes the most sense.

While THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is my favorite film of the saga, I owe my love of cinema to STAR WARS. Let me rephrase that. I owe my formative years of loving movies to STAR WARS. Harrison Ford was my first favorite actor. I went crazy seeing Carrie Fisher play a scorned girlfriend in THE BLUES BROTHERS. And Darth Vader was my favorite fictional character.

From ages 3 – 8 it's probably easy to say that my fandom was primarily due to toys. I know I loved the movies, but I liked the toys more. It wasn't until the late eighties and early nineties that I started to forget Star Wars. Me and my best friend at the time were getting into Nintendo and horror movies. He was really into the film ALIENS and I followed suit. By the nineties we thought Star Wars was kids stuff. Fast forward a couple of years and it's all Nirvana, video games, Ninja Turtles, and EVIL DEAD II. It was also around this time that I thought TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY was the biggest best film around.

90's modern rock was real big with me (and the world) at the time. And there was this independent film called CLERKS that had a cool soundtrack, or at least that's what the ads in my comic books were telling me. One afternoon at the video store I stumbled across CLERKS and decided to rent it because of that cool soundtrack. I invited my friend over and we laughed our asses off! At the time I thought it was the funniest film I had ever seen.

Some of the jokes were referencing STAR WARS. It was so awesome! Now for any millennials reading this and thinking “so what”? Believe it or not, but there was an actual time where Star Wars was nostalgic. Man, that's depressing. Star Wars will never ever be nostalgic again.

It was an awesome time to be a fan. And in 1997 the coolest thing happened, STAR WARS was re-released on the big screen. But this wasn't your typical re-release, no we were getting a special edition of our beloved trilogy! Never underestimate the power of the dark side. We were all duped on this because of nostalgia clouded our judgment.

To this day I don't have a problem with the minor changes of the special edition. I think a lot of the improvements are valid. What I do have a problem with is all the unnecessary additions of CGI creatures, buildings, Boba Fett, Han shooting first, and other alterations to Mos Eisley cantina.

Maybe one day we'll get a non special edition of STAR WARS! There are rumors that such a release is on the way? To mark the 40th anniversary of the film, 20th Century Fox will release a 4k remaster of STAR WARS. I'm not holding my breath, but this may be happening folks! How cool it that!

Watching the film as an adult I find myself enjoying more with every viewing! Now that my knowledge of film is more vast, I pick up more on the influences. The easiest being Kurosawa. But more that that I get a kick out of how unconventional it was for it's time. Who begins a movie with two robots in the desert? And it's east meets west. The eastern influence you have Darth Vader, a fallen warrior, who uses a laser sword. Then there is the west, characters like Han Solo, the smuggler gunslinger.

Depending on what mood I'm in will always decided what film I like more, STAR WARS or THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. They are both masterpieces in my opinion! I love how simple and imaginative STAR WARS is. It's a fairy tale in space. And while being serialized, it can still certainly be a stand alone film.

Imagine if the movie would have flopped? You'd have this cult classic space opera film that movie buffs would still be talking about today.

I try and watch STAR WARS at least once a year. Heck, I've already watched THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK five times this year already! I swear it's not because I'm crazy, I'm just excited about the new Star Wars film coming out this December. My only complaint is that I wish I was 23 years old and not 38! Fans that grew up with the original trilogy got screwed over in 1999 with STAR WARS: EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE.

We were all duped back then, but I honestly believe this time is different. I haven't been this excited for Star Wars in a long long time. In fact, before it was announced that Lucas sold the rights to Disney, I was seriously thinking of setting childish things aside. I had talked about Star Wars enough. Thankfully, filmmaker J.J Abrams has so far proven to change that.

The second teaser trailer for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS makes be believe that there is hope once again in that galaxy far, far away.