THIS MODERN NIGHTMARE

THEY'RE COMING - SOON!

Saw an early press screening of THE DEVIL'S REJECTS tonight (thanks to my buddy Mike Marano). It doesn't come out in regular release until July 22nd, so I don't want to spoil it for anybody. I'll be seeing it again (and again) when it comes out though. So there will be more on this board about it in July. In the meantime, here's three things I wanted to share:

1) It's even better than HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES.

2) I laughed my ass off A LOT during the movie.

3) It might just be the best movie I have seen so far in 2005.

Rob Zombie is getting better and better as a director. And the movie kicks ass.

Remember - July 22nd.

SEE IT.

MYSTERIOUS SKIN

Also saw the new Greg Araki film, MYSTERIOUS SKIN over the weekend. This one's going to be a little harder to find than LAND OF THE DEAD. Araki is an independent filmmaker who first gained prominence with films like 1992's THE LIVING END and the terrific and disturbing DOOM GENERATION in 1995. Araki's films are an acquired taste. They usually involve attractive 20-somethings involved in weird, often violent, storylines. They are quirky and often over the top. I happen to like his movies - they're certainly originals - and always look forward to the next one.

MYSTERIOUS SKIN might just be his most serious film so far. It involves two kids, Neil (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt) and Brian (Brady Corbet). When they were eight, they were both on the same little league team. Something horrible happened that traumatized them. Neil grows up to be a male hustler, and Brian has blocked out whole chunks of his past, and is convinced he was abducted by aliens. The movie is their journey to find out what really happened to them.

Considering the depressing subject matter, MYSTERIOUS SKIN is a pretty powerful movie. I heard that Gordon-Leavitt was actually the kid on the sitcom THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN, but I never watched that show, and I doubt I would have been impressed with his acting there. Here, however, he turns in an amazing performance and is easily the best thing about MYSTERIOUS SKIN. I predict big things for this guy. Corbet has a less flashy role, since Brian is kind of an asexual nerd, but his character is also the heart of the movie. Both actors really shine here.

The solid supporting cast includes Bill Sage (a veteran of Hal Hartley's films including Harltey's new one, THE GIRL FROM MONDAY) as the sinister Coach who looms large in the story. Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn from the show BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) as Neil's best friend. Elizabeth Shue, who plays Neils hot mother (definitely still a MILF). And even God (well, the kid who played the goth kid version of God who appeared to Joan in the show JOAN OF ARCADIA), Jeffrey Licon, as Eric, Neils' friend who later becomes Brian's friend as well.

There are some pretty disturbing scenes in this movie, including the flashbacks to the Coach, and some of Neil's experiences as a male prostitute. One of Neil's johns has a body covered in AIDS lesions in a particularly uncomfortable scene (which is also strangely moving - he only wants a back rub, so he can feel another human being touching him) and another john brutalizes him and leaves him for dead. This movie is going to disturb some people, but it's Araki's biggest achievement so far and, if you can handle the subject matter, it's worth checking out.

LAND OF THE DEAD IS HERE!

I went to see LAND OF THE DEAD again this weekend, so Laura could see it, and I've got to admit I liked it even better the second time! The movie has actually been getting some negative reviews, but I think that people were expecting another movie as great as Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD and that they were disappointed. The thing is, Romero is a great director and even though this one may not be up to the original DAWN's standards, it's still a fun, solid movie, and better than 90% of the stuff coming out of Hollywood - especially horror movies, which have been godawful for the last few years.

The movie starts out in complete chaos, much like the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, and its sequel DAY OF THE DEAD, and you get caught up into the action right away. The first thing we see is a big old sign that reads "EATS" and then we watch a bunch of zombies wandering around, trying to pretend like they're alive again. Into this comes a group of remaining humans, whose job it is is to go into the dead zones where the zombies have taken over and get supplies. To do so, they have tons of guns and military equipment (including a huge tank-like vehicle called Dead Reckoning), and some of them even look like extras from the Mad Max movies.

The characters were a big part of the movie's appeal to me. Romero always has solid characters. This is the first time in a DEAD movie that he is using well-known actors (Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento), though. In the past he usually used unknowns who worked just fine because their characters were so good.

The main group of characters here are Riley (Simon Baker), the smart, sensitive leader of the strike team that get supplies for everyone else. His right hand man Charlie (Robert Joy) who might be a little slow but he always watches Riley's back and is a sharpshooter. Half of Charlie's face is burned from a fire that Riley pulled him out of, and he's loyal to the end. And Cholo (John Leguizamo, in probably the best role I've seen him in), Riley's second in command who has plans of his own for the future.

The strike team works for Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), the bigwig who runs Fiddler's Green, a skyscraper for the very rich where they are completley cut off from the outside world. They have their own condos, indoor mall, and every luxury they might need, and they never have to leave the safety of their building. The strike team takes all the risks and provides them with what they need from the outside world. Kaufman is the one who thought to provide them with a military of sorts so they would never have to deal with what was going on outside, where the zombies have taken over the the world.

Outside of the skyscraper, though, the poor live in slums surrounded on three sides by water and on the fourth side by a huge electrical fence to keep the zombies out. They live in safety from the living dead, but not from Kaufman who pretty much runs everything within and outside of his skyscraper home, and who pretty much decides who lives and who dies. Riley decides he wants to retire from the strike team and go to Canada ("There's nothing up there" someone tells him. "That's the idea" he replies), but the car he bought for the trip has been conveniently stolen to keep him around. In his effort to find out what happened to the vehicle, he comes across Slack (Asia Argento) a tough prostitute who crossed Kaufman and was therefore shoved into a cage with two zombies as part of a sport for gamblers. Riley saves her and she becomes part of the team with him and Charlie.

Cholo figures he's done enough dirty work for Kaufman (and earned enough cash) to buy his way into Fiddler's Green. But it's quite clear that he doesn't fit in with the rich (and white) clientelle. When Kaufman turns him down, Cholo hijacks the tank Dead Reckoning and threatens to destroy Fiddler's Green unless Kaufman pays him 5 million dollars (the thought I had, though, was what value does money have anymore in a world overrun by zombies? It's like they are holding on to a monetary system out of desperation for the old ways). Kaufman then hires Riley and his ragtag group to go and stop Cholo.

And then there are the zombies. Romero is the only director of these kinds of movies (aside from being the guy who started it all) who gives his monsters personalities. We have the butcher, the woman with her cheeks eaten away to reveal her skeletal jawbone, and of course Big Daddy (Eugene Clark) a former gas station attendent when he was alive, who can actually think and reason and who becomes the leader of the zombies in their attack on Kaufman's enclave. Big Daddy is a terrific character even though he doesn't speak one word in the movie (he does growl and howl a lot) and shows us the direction the zombies are going in. They are learning to use tools now (even how to shoot a gun) and how to reason to some degree. This means they are just going to get more and more dangerous as time goes on. Big Daddy's storyline, as he leads his zombie army toward the city of humans, is shown parallel to the human storyline, and is just as compelling.

For those who love gore, there's plenty of it. As zombies continue to feast on human flesh. Some very cool moments include a headless zombie who isn't as helpless as he appears, a clown zombie, and Tom Savini returning as the biker from DAWN OF THE DEAD, now zombified. However, there is sure to be lots of gore footage that had to be cut to make the R rating. So expect some deleted scenes when the DVD version comes out.

The movie has a lot of humor in it too, including one hilarious scene where Dennis Hopper shoots a rich guy after shouting "Look! What's that over there!" which might be one of the funniest scenes that I've ever seen in a horror movie. I actually laughed out loud at that one, especially because of Hopper's reaction to what he's done. His face looks like a child who knows he's been bad.

The cast is great, especially hottie Asia Argento who continues to do a great job playing tough chicks with hearts of gold. She stole XXX from Vin Diesel and she pretty much steals this movie too when she's onscreen. I also really dug the little touches Romero had in the movie - the use of fireworks to distract the zombies, the gas station attendent who reverts to his old ways when he comes across a gas pump - little details that separate the great directors from the shallow ones. Romero gives us a full-fleshed world to play in, even as that flesh is being ripped off and eaten.

I dug this movie a lot, even though it may be the weakest entry in the DEAD series thus far. That's only because the original trilogy is so great. It's still head and shoulders above the horror movie dreck we've had to sit through for the past few years. I hope the movie is a huge hit and leads to Romero making more DEAD movies. Who knows, there may even be another DAWN in him yet.

LAND OF THE DEAD IS COMING!

I saw LAND OF THE DEAD at a press screening on Tuesday night, thanks to my buddy Mike Marano (who actually reviews films for a living! Imagine that). I'll have a more in-depth review coming soon, but I'll say that it's a solid little movie. Not in the same league as Romero's classic DAWN OF THE DEAD, but really good. I dug the characters (especially Asia Argento!) and Romero is still the one director who gives his monsters (in this case zombies) a personality all their own. We actually sympathize with the flesh-eating creatures. So if you're a Romero fan, a zombie fan, or a horror movie fan, then check this one out. More to come...

BATMAN BEGINS….AGAIN!

Well, I saw BATMAN BEGINS on Friday night (adding my cash to its $71 Million box office take this weekend). I thought it was easily the best Batman movie ever. Director Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO) really pegged it, and I think he's done the best job of capturing the Dark Knight on the big screen so far.

Y’know, I can remember back to before Tim Burton’s first Batman film when it was first announced that Michael Keaton would be playing Batman and all the comics fans were up in arms. After the movie came out all the Bat-fans were practically having orgasms over Burton’s vision, and all was forgiven concerning his casting of Keaton. Well, you know what? I still think Keaton was a stiff, uncharismatic, cipher in the role. Forget the original BATMAN. BATMAN BEGINS is exactly what it says - a fresh start and a chance to pump new blood into a franchise that was, frankly, on its death bed after the Schumacher fiascos.

Which takes us to the actor playing Bruce Wayne this time. Christian (AMERICAN PSYCHO)Bale is easily the best Bruce Wayne yet. Finally - someone who can really act in this role instead of just pose for two hours. Of course, this was the first time a movie actually delved into Bruce Wayne's past and his psyche and tried to flesh the character out at all. So maybe George Clooney and Val Kilmer aren't totally to blame for coming off so awful in the role in the previous films (Joel Schumacher's fuckin LOATHESOME directing didn't help. either).

I really liked the way that Batman was shown as an almost horrific figure this time around - using fear and stealth to scare the hell out of the bad guys. This is the way Batman should be, and it rocked!

I had high hopes for Nolan, though, and he delivered. He also had a solid cast (Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Rutger Hauer, Tom Wilkinson). I hate to keep saying Morgan Freeman is great in everything he does - but in his case, it's just damn true. Even in minor roles he shines.

And Liam Neeson - man can this guy act! He practically steals the movie in every scene he's in.

As for the villains, I thought the Scarecrow became kind of joke by the end (he sure is pretty useless in a fight), but he had some really effective scenes before then (the hallucinogen-induced scare scenes were GREAT!). I don't remember seeing Cillian Murphy in anything before (until someone reminded me he was actually in 28 DAYS LATER – shows how memorable I found that movie – haha), but he was really quirky and interesting as Dr. Crane/The Scarecrow. Reminded me of Crispin Glover a little bit. And he had the most piercing blue eyes. I actually hope we see more of him. Really interesting actor. I won't forget him this time.

As for main bad guy Ra's Al Ghul - here was a cool, formidable villain for once who was much more interesting than the usual bad guy with a funny costume and a wild personality. This guy was actually well thought-out and a real threat to Batman and Gotham City.

By the way, it was hilarious to see Bale dressed up in his business best as Bruce Wayne at the Wayne Corporation’s board meetings. Seeing him in his suit, I kept flashing back to him in AMERICAN PSYCHO.

I thought the movie was terrific for what it was. But it was still a Batman movie. Which means way too much time spent on car chases (that demolish half the city with no repercussions) and acrobatic fights. The movie was at least a half hour too long. And there were way too many scenes with bats. It was cool at first, but got kinda silly by the end. Enough with the bats already!

Personally, I grew up reading Marvel Comics. Back when I was a kid, they had more interesting (and flawed) characters and better writing (we’re talking the 60’s and 70’s here – way before people like Alan Moore, Garth Ennis and Grant Morrison started writing for DC), so I guess I just prefer the Marvel characters and movies. (Spider-Man, the Hulk and especially the X-Men). But Batman is at least way cooler than Superman, who just seems like a big muscular goody two-shoes to me. At least Batman has a dark side.

Oh, and I didn't think Katie Holmes was as bad as everyone is saying. Sure, she wasn't totally convincing as a tough Assistant DA with that baby face and baby voice of hers. But she wasn't any worse than previous actresses stuck in that thankless role of “Batman’s Girlfriend.” I don't remember Kim Basinger or Nicole Kidman being any better in their Bat films.

So I’d say for a Batman movie, BATMAN BEGINS a big A+, but for a superhero flick it’s a B+, bordering on an A-.

I still say that SIN CITY is the best comic-book related movie ever made (so far). And that Marv could kick Batman's ass any day of the week. But BATMAN BEGINS was pretty good, and definitely worth checking out.

Next up: George A. Romero's LAND OF THE DEAD. This is a HUGE event for us horror fans. Romero is one of my idols and I cannot wait to see this one. Just saw a half-hour documentary on it called DREAM OF THE DEAD on the Independent Film Channel, and it looks great. The documentary focused mainly on Romero and Tom Savini - who returns in LAND as the biker character he played in the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, this time as a zombie! The documentary was way too short, but it did give me a taste of what's to come.

So, until next time....INFERNALLY YOURS,

LLS

HAL HARTLEY AND HIGH TENSION!

Haven't had much time to update the blog lately. So here's the latest:

On Friday, June 6th, Laura and I went to a premiere of Hal Hartley's new movie THE GIRL FROM MONDAY. Not only was Hartley there to introduce the film and do the Q&A thing afterwards; the Brattle Theater, which sponsored the event, even had a reception beforehand so fans could meet Mr. Hartley. It was great to meet him and he was very nice. (I'll be posting a photo of me and Hal H shortly on my website). For those who don't know his work, Hal Hartley is an independent director out of New York (seems to me he's a contemporary of fellow NY filmmaker Jim Jarmusch), who's made such great films as THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH, TRUST, SIMPLE MEN, AMATEUR, and BOOK OF DAYS. His most famous film so far is probably HENRY FOOL. Hartley has a quirky sensibility that makes all of his movies unusual and fascinating.

His new film THE GIRL FROM MONDAY takes place in a future America where the country has been taken over by corporations and everything is market-driven. The lead character, Jack (Bill Sage) is a guy who works for the corporation as a publicist, and who is having second thoughts about the new world he has helped usher in. In a secret second life, he's been hiring delinquents to perform acts of sabotage on the corporation. When a girl from another world (Tatiana Abracos) comes out of the water while Jack is at the beach, contemplating suicide, Jack finds a new reason to change the direction of his life.

Hartley has always been an experimental filmmaker, and this time is no different. MONDAY is filmed on digital video, which gives it an alien, other-wordly quality that works well with the subject matter. This is a science-fiction film in the spirit of "art" films like Nicolas Roeg's THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, which it reminded me of. In the Q&A section, I asked him where he had found actress Abracos, and he said that she was a Brazilian model who had just recently started acting. While her role as an alien does not necessitate great acting ability - she is a very striking presence and fits the role well. Other standouts, aside from her and Bill Sage (who is a great leading man here), include Sabrian Lloyd as Jack's co-worker Cecile, who joins the rebellion and is sentenced to hard time as a school teacher (!). And Leo Fitzpatrick (Telly from Larry Clarke's KIDS!!) as the delinquent Jack instructs to commit acts of sabotage.

It's an odd, quirky film (as all of Hartley's films are), and I found it very entertaining and worth checking out. As a big fan of Hartley's work, it's always great to see a new movie by him, and it was cool to finally meet him.

This weekend, I got some new ink (a red scorpion on my shoulder - tat # 5) and saw the new horror movie HIGH TENSION, by French filmmaker Alexandre Aja. I had really mixed feelings about HIGH TENSION. I thought the pacing and the atmosphere were great, and lead actress Cecile de France does a great job as Marie, as does Phillipe Nahon (from Gaspar Noe's I STAND ALONE) as the brutish murderer. But the first half of the movie is practically a direct ripoff of the TV movie/miniseries INTENSITY (based on Dean Koontz's book). I can see a movie paying tribute to films that came before it, but I felt this movie crossed the line. Also, the ending is also a total letdown - and a bad ripoff of FIGHT CLUB. All in all, an annoying experience considering how well made it was. I wish director Aja had at least invested in a script that wasn't such a ripoff of other sources. But since his next film is a (completely unnecessary) remake of Wes Craven's THE HILLS HAVE EYES, I guess Aja has proven that he's adept at remaking other people's work. Unfortunately, despite the skill Aja shows in HIGH TENSION, I really can't recommend the film, due to its lame ultra-derivative script.

Also finally saw THE PHANTOM MENACE on video (got it for 99 cents off Ebay - which might be all it's worth), just so I could say I've seen all of the Star Wars movies (now I wonder why I bothered). I have to admit, PHANTOM MENACE is another instance where the backlash against the film seems a bit exaggerated. Sure, Jar Jar Binks sucks, and Jake Lloyd is easily the worst thing in the film as a cutsey, annoying Anakin Skywalker as a kid. But the story itself was okay, and I thought Liam Neeson was just fine as Qui-Gon Jinn. The bad aspects might have outweighed the good (Anakin is the main thrust of the movie and if the kid playing him is awful then it does hurt the movie), but just barely, and it certainly didn't deserve the pure bile that was directed at it. It wasn't great, but I've certainly seen a LOT worse movies. Then again, I'm no Star Wars fan and so I guess I can judge this film objectively - I didn't have any expectations, as opposed to hardcore fans who expected a masterpiece. Also - Yoda looks awful in this movie - he looks like a little bug-eyed rubber monster! The way he moves and talks is awkward as hell. I think I could create a more believable puppet! I'm no fan of CGI, but I have to admit the CGI version of Yoda in ATTACK OF THE CLONES and REVENGE OF THE SITH is a big step forward from this rubber monstrosity, even if the CGI version leaves a lot to be desired too.

Speaking of REVENGE OF THE SITH, I ended up going to see it a second time with some friends, and I have to admit, it just doesn't stand up to repeated viewings. The second time around, SITH was pretty tedious. And when you know all the "surprises" beforehand, there just isn't much reason to sit through it again. There are a lot of great movies that you can watch over and over again. SITH isn't one of them.

Coming soon: BATMAN BEGINS with Christian (AMERICAN PSYCHO) Bale as Bruce Wayne and directed by Christopher (MEMENTO) Nolan! That's this coming Friday. And the week after is LAND OF THE DEAD - the new George A. Romero DEAD movie (this movie is to horror fans what STAR WARS is to sci-fi fans and is NOT to be missed!) LAND OF THE DEAD is easily the one movie I am looking forward to most this year. With THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (coming out the following week) - Rob Zombie's sequel to his amazing HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES - running a very close second. Talk about a summer of love! Heh heh.

So lots of great flicks coming our way.

Until next time....INFERNALLY YOURS...

LLS