The Divide
Roger Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American journalist, film critic and screenwriter. The Chicago Sun-Times said he “was without question the nation’s most prominent and influential film critic,” and Forbes described him as “the most powerful pundit in America”. He was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize and to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Wikipedia)
Didn’t always agree with the man but he will be sorely missed. RIP.
The film centers around mysterious events that happen to a group of people attempting to cross the Mexico/Arizona border on the Mexican holiday; Cinco de Mayo. Darren Lynn Bousman director of Mothers Day and 11/11/11 has a new project in the works; Cinco de Mayo. I don’t really have a lot of info on the flick right now other than the trailer and a release date. Check the trailer out, looks alright.
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Release Date: May 5, 2013
Alice fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory and Michelle Rodriguez
Release Date: 14 September 2012 (Canada)
Runtime: 96 min
Resident Evil Retribution begins immediately after its predecessor, Afterlife. Exploding onto the screen in a heavily cgi’d battle scene done in reverse slow motion as is the usual style of Anderson and the Resident Evil Franchise. Heavy on the pleather clad Milla (not so bad), heavy on the bullet time and heavy on the cgi; the films remind me of a video game trailer. Yeah. I liked Resident Evil 1, hated Apocalypse (2), liked Extinction (3) and tolerated Afterlife; so really not a bad series overall (yeah yeah I know, you either like em or hate em). Did I like Retribution? Well I do like zombies, hot tightly clothed women gunfighting, post apocalyptic settings and action flicks; but this whole thing just felt like I was watching someone playing a video game. Really. One dimensional characters fighting one dimensional zombies in front of a green screen. It was just tiring and overplayed. Glossy not gritty. There were a few cool moments (cool Russian commie zombies), but having seen those same stylistic gun fights played out four times previous, it lost its edge. I don’t even know what genre this is? Milla promo shots, Resident Evil game marketing video or a really long action film trailer? Who knows! Resident Evil: Retribution @ IMDb.
Next Up: more horror……
Wrong Turn 5
Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines is a 2012 American horror film and the fifth installment in the Wrong Turn film series that began with Wrong Turn and was followed by Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead and Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings.
Release date: October 18, 2012 (initial release)
Director: Declan O’Brien
DVD release date: October 23, 2012
Running time: 87 minutes
Screenplay: Declan O’Brien
Cast: Doug Bradley, Roxanne McKee, Camilla Arfwedson, Oliver Hoare, Borislav Iliev, Peter Brooke
Wiki
Honestly the last few flicks in the Wrong Turn franchise have been going down hill fast; the lesbians in #4 were pretty much the only saving grace in the last flick. Needless to say I wasn’t to enthusiastic about the release of Wrong Turn 5 having given up hope on the series. I rented it anyway not hoping for much. Wrong Turn 5 was a bit of a reversal in the downward trend of the last 3 films; now it isn’t going to be up for an Oscar anytime soon but the flick does have its decent moments. Wrong Turn 5 starts off in West Virginia where a group of hapless teens (of-course) are on their way to a music festival near a small backwoods town. As is the case in almost every slasher/inbred/cannibal/hillbilly flick, the teens stray off the course and stumble across said maniacs and bloody mayhem ensues. Ya! (more…)
Based on the Jack Ketchum novel of the same name, The Girl Next Door follows the unspeakable torture and abuses committed on a teenage girl in the care of her aunt…and the boys who witness and fail to report the crime.
Director: Gregory Wilson
Writers: Daniel Farrands (screenplay), Philip Nutman (screenplay)
Stars: William Atherton, Blythe Auffarth and Blanche Baker
Country: USA
Also Known As: Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door
Filming Locations: Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA
Runtime: 91 min
Jack Ketchum’s, The Girl Next door is loosely based on the grisly torture and subsequent murder of Silvia Likens by Gertrude Baniszewski during the summer of 1965; one of the most heinous crimes in American history. The plot centers on Meg (Blythe Auffarth) and Susan (Madeline Taylor) two sisters who have been sent from New York to live with their aunt, Ruth Chandler (Blanche Baker) and three cousins Willie (Graham Patrick Martin), Ralphie (Austin Williams) and Donny (Benjamin Ross Kaplan), in the wake of a horrific car wreck that killed both of their parents. The sisters soon find out that aunt Ruth is a sadistic psychopath that harbors a deep resentment of men and who thinks women are just filthy whores. David, a young boy living in 1950’s Indiana, is neighbor to the Chandlers and becomes infatuated with Meg.
Never having read the original novel by Ketchum, I was aware of this twisted tale by a wiki article I’d read a few years back concerning the 1965 Likens murder; and was thrilled to see The Girl Next Door appear on Netflix a short while ago. The film starts off with an older wealthy man reflecting on a past tragedy, things that could have been different, things he could have changed. We learn that the older man is in-fact David, the protagonist of the film, who as a young boy, befriends Meg and Susan, the tragic victims of the story. The Film is told mainly through David’s perspective as a flashback to his childhood during the summer of 1958. The setting was spot on; retro clothing, classic cars and malt shops depicted a simpler time in The Girl Next Door. One scene in particular involves David and Meg getting a few cheeseburgers and fries which he pays for with fifty cents (I wish). From the chauvinistic macho attitudes to the smoking is healthy mentality, the film really nailed down small town 1950’s USA.
Next Up: teaching my children well…..
Baise-moi. 2000
Two young women, marginalised by society, go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. Breaking norms and killing men – and shattering the complacency of polite cinema audiences. Baise-moi is a French film co-directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi, released in 2000. It is based on the novel by Despentes, first published in 1999.
Release date: June 28, 2000 (initial release)
Directors: Virginie Despentes, Coralie Trinh Thi
DVD release date: December 18, 2001
Running time: 77 minutes
Cast: Lisa Marshall, Marc Rioufol, Ouassini Embarek, Delphine MacCarty, Estelle Isaac
Screenplay: Coralie Trinh Thi, Virginie Despentes
(Wiki)
This was an unusual flick by our friends across the pond and while I am a big fan of French horror and the new French extremity, I had a hard time with this one. Baise-Moi isn’t quite horror, it’s more of a violent crime/spree killing oddity mixed with generous amounts of hardcore porn (full penetration scenes, plenty of bj’s, masturbation, rape, and tons of male and female full frontal explicit nudity). I was quite surprised to see this one pop up on crackflix! I like my horror and I like my porn (who the hell doesn’t right?) but I don’t think they go well together. One minute I’m watching a couple of women getting nasty and the next I’m watching a guy get his head blown off, it was all really disconcerting. The plot involves a relatively good looking prostitue meeting a jaded rape victim with a background in questionable pornography and embarking on a country wide killing spree; involving numerous random victims. They drink, get high and explicitly screw their way through France with no remorse and no pity. Ya ya I know it sounds pretty cool but it just really isn’t that effective; honestly if the sex and nudity were absent from Baise-Moi I probably wouldn’t have made it through the 77 minute running time. I felt no attachment to any of the characters in the film whatsoever and didn’t seem to care one way or another what happened to either of the leads; add a weirdly awkward score into the mix and you get an inexplicably disjointed amateur-ish porn flick. If I want hardcore sex scenes I think the last census put the amount of porn sites listed worldwide at roughly 800 trillion……….. A rare miss by the french. Baise-Moi @ IMDb.
Next Up: google………
The Gerber Syndrome. 2011.
“The Gerber’s Syndrome is an contagious viral disease that was discovered in Germany in 2008 and spread all over the world. It is extremely contagious, fast spreading, and deadly. This syndrome is very difficult to spot, because it’s like a normal dose of the flu, with all the subsequent symptoms that most of us are familiar with; but later, the virus affects the brain cells causing serious damage to the central nervous system. A TV crew is making a documentary about the disease and the way society is coping with it by documenting the stories of three people who are dealing with Gerber’s Syndrome: Melissa is a young girl that has been infected, Doctor Ricardi is the doctor who is following her and Luigi is a member of the CS, the security organization that has to deal with infected people. The TV crew follow the lives of this characters, becoming characters themselves since they are constantly in the action. We see how the syndrome progress in Melissa and the way her family and Doctor.” Indastria Film.
Directors: Maxi Dejoie, Maxì Dejoie
Writers: Maxi Dejoie, Maxì Dejoie
Stars: Valentina Bartolo, Elisabetta Fischer, Pia Lanciotti
Runtime: 88 min
Rec pretty much started my love of foreign found footage horror flicks. Most of them are pretty bad, but you get the odd decent entry (nothing is coming to mind at the moment). I actually ended up posting this after surfing Youtube in search of obscure horror trailers. There really isn’t much info on this film other than what can be gleaned from the trailer. A camera crew is following some type of disease (CDC type) control unit around some foreign country investigating the spread of a wierdly named virus, The Gerber Syndrome. The Gerber Syndrome @ IMDb.
Next Up: actually find and watch this thing…..
Nine Dead. 2010.
After a string of kidnappings, these nine people are locked inside a room and handcuffed to pipes. Then a masked man enters and explains each of them are there for a reason, and to survive, they must figure it out. Every ten minutes they don’t the shooter will enter and kill one of them. (Wiki)
Well I wonder where that idea came from……I’m looking at you SAW. Similarities aside, I was mildly disinterested in Nine Dead throughout. I didn’t care much for any of the characters save for my pure loathing of the lead female; she really shouldn’t be an actress, really! Poor execution, a weak plot and mediocre acting made the film a bore to watch; there weren’t even any creative kills, bloody scenes or nudity to save this flick. I did like the villains mask though. Anywho watch if ya want or don’t……Nine Dead @ IMDB
Next Up: checking into rehab for my Iphone 5 addiciton….
The Amittyville Haunting. 2011.
The film was produced by The Asylum and Taut Productions. The film was directed by Geoff Meed, and stars Tyler Shamy, Devin Clark and Jon Kondelik. The tagline is “The family did not survive. But the recordings did.” It claims to be based on “actual found footage that documents the horrifying experiences of a family that moved into the infamous haunted house.”
What an absolute waste of time this was. I tend to take alot of chances on unheard of or micro/no budget movies and it’s really hit and miss. More misses than hits really, but that’s part of the fun. So when my brother called me up for some Netflix action (the wifey’s were gone) I took him up on the offer and we decided on Amittyville Haunting.
If I had $100 I could write, direct, act in, produce, edit, cast, mix audio, program the cgi, cater, grip, 2nd direct, 2nd assistant direct, market, drive, scout locations, conduct still photography, score and distribute The Amittyville Haunting without a doubt, and I’m not exaggerating here, at least a billion times better than they did.
In my humble opinion I think it is a travesty that the name Amittyville is even attached to this piece of garbage, let alone having a picture of that iconic house on the cover; needless to say it is never even shown at any point throughout the movie. The acting if that’s what it’s called was atrocious, constant stumbling, stuttering and over emphasizing . Which brings me to the father; what a trainwreck. I actually despise him, as far as movie dads go this guy gets the award for the biggest prick of the year. If you see this pop up on crackflix please do yourself a big favour and run……run as fast as you can….
Next Up: A real horror movie….
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 2003.
Just finished hour 10 of chainsaw buzzing craziness and my brain is turning to a bleeding pulp. I had to use some visine to keep my eyes from lighting on fire, which brings me to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003. I know there are alot of remake haters out there but I for one like them, especially TCM2003. The film is a dark, violent and brutal reimagining of the classsic Hooper film. R.Lee. Ermey stands out in the film as does the stunning Jessica Biel. Im gonna go sharpen my chainsaw now………The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003 at IMDB.
Next Up: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. 1994.
My eyes are now officially bleeding and I am debating if I should be purchasing a chainsaw…..weird. Anyway after having just finished the 4th film in my TCM marathon, the much loathed Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation starring the illustrious Matthew McConaughey and hmmmmmmmm uh Renée Zellweger, I have to say WTF! Pure chaos is really the only way to describe it. Or maybe absolute insanity.
I confess that I did enjoy it, Matt gave a pretty cool psycho performance, the soundtrack was pretty good and Toni Perensky as Darla had a nice boob scene. I did notice that Leatherface keeps getting fatter every movie; it must make it hard to run and carry a huge frikkin chainsaw around. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation on IMDB
Next Up: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3. 1990.
The film is both a sequel and a reboot to the previous movies, as the original Sawyer family and apparently the Leatherface character died in the previous film. (Wikipedia).
The third movie into my TCM marathon; my eyes are starting to burn and my ears are buzzing with the incessant hum of a chainsaw! I thoroughly enjoyed Leatherface: TCM 3. It was a fun blood soaked ride through the backwater of Texas. Viggo “Aragorn” Mortensen played a decent role as Eddie Sawyer and Ken Foree was solid as usual. Good flick overall. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 at IMDB
Next Up: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. 1986.
“After a decade of silence… The buzzz is back!”
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (also known as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2) is a 1986 American horror dark comedy slasher film, directed by Tobe Hooper. It is a sequel to the 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, also directed and co-written by Hooper.
Just finished number 2 and I’ve got to say it’s probably my least favourite of the series, ya ya I know everyone hates The Next Generation; but I just found that TCM2 is a bit on the comical side and I wasn’t really a fan of Hopper’s character Lefty. Bill Moseley portrayed the maniacal Vietnam vet “Chop Top” superbly making me laugh and cringe at the same time. There were a few decent gore scenes notably the death and skinning of LG. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 IMDB
Next Up : Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3
Evil Dead (2013)
Killer trailer for the upcoming Evil Dead remake, I am pretty stoked for it….I think I’ve watched it about 20 times. Anyway if you haven’t caught it yet hit play, if you have seen it, hit play. Cheers and welcome to the first post of puremassacre!
pure massacre 