Thursday, August 27, 2009

Rob Zombie should be slashed for making 'Halloween II'



I was all excited for the advance screening of Rob Zombie's 'Halloween II' tonight but walked out of the theatre wanting to slash Mr. Zombie for creating such a meaningless, pointless mess. Did a real zombie partially devour Rob's brain since he made the last one?
Featuring plot holes you could bury corpses in, incoherent story points and central characters you hope will get murdered, the film isn't bad- it is a disaster. I am a huge fan of his remake of the original 'Halloween' which makes this even more of a let down.
Side note: In no way is this film "the final chapter" as proclaimed in versions of the poster and trailer. The ending leaves the door wide open for the continuation of the franchise and that is a truly scary thought.



The only good thing about the movie is the remixed version of the original John Carpenter theme (featured in the trailer)- and it isn't even used in the movie!

The End

Monday, August 17, 2009

T.S. Eliot's 'The Hollow Men'

A friend of mine lent me a book of T.S. Eliot's poetry last week. He said it would be up my alley and he was right. Of everything I have read so far, I like the beautifully worded and evocative poem about death, 'The Hollow Men,' the most.

I thought the famous last stanza would be deserving enough of a blog post (and very well fitting for this blog)

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.


The End

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Snippets of Me

Just came across this. Check me out around the 3:00 min mark getting yelled at by Kim Cattrall in the Disney movie 'Ice Princess.' It was a fun experience. I also got to push the lead actress, Michelle Trachtenberg, into a bucket of ice during a party scene but you can't really see my face clearly.



And check me out rocking out at the beginning (until about 10 secs) of this music video for "candy coated' by Dearly Beloved:



The End

Friday, August 14, 2009

Gaspar Noe in Purple Fashion Magazine #11



While keeping an eye out for issue #8 of Purple Fashion Magazine for my very good friend Nicolas (check out his blog: http://imgettingloudwithyou.blogspot.com/) I came across a revealing interview with Gaspar Noe in issue #11.
While the article features various stills from his films, it opens with a striking photo of Gaspar standing naked in the shower, cropped just above his dick. Taken by Terry Richardson, this photo sets the tone for the rest of the article and interview.

Here are the highlights:

- Noe lists Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' as one of his major influences but states he could never make a film that requires as much meticulousness and hard work because he likes to party too much. Apparently while shooting the upcoming 'Enter the Void' in Tokyo, Noe didn't get more than 3 hours of sleep a night due to partying and says, "if I don't party a little bit I'll get ovarian cancer." Hmmm...maybe all my stressing and work ethic while making a film is a little skewed.
- Noe says that when he was 16, he fucked a blow up doll so much and so hard it exploded and since then has sworn off masturbation. Interviewer Olympia Le-Tan finds this hard to believe and Noe retracts this statement. Instead, he says he only jerks off a little bit in the morning to help himself get up (pun intended I guess) but never allows himself to cum.
- When asked why the female characters in all of his films are either ugly and mean or miserable victims Noe weirdly and vaguely responds that they always wear a ponytail. Ha!
- Noe clears up the ambiguity of the conclusion of 'I Stand Alone.' According to him, the father and daughter proceed to have sex.
- Noe confesses to having dreamt about fucking Diane Keaton!


The End

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Eden Lake



It has been a while but I'm back.

Sometimes, 'straight to dvd' doesn't mean a film is a piece of shit waste of time. Sometimes 'straight to dvd' means a film is too extreme or out there for mainstream audiences. This is the case with 2008's 'Eden Lake.'
I picked it up at the local Blockbuster of all places and watched it late one night with my brother. By the time the credits rolled, my brother and I were sweating and had to pick our jaws up off the living room floor- not because the film is too gory (though it has plenty of gore), but because it is incredibly disturbing and drives home a brutally bleak, dark message about humanity, what we are capable of, and the current state of the world.
Violent and unrelenting, 'Eden Lake' follows a sweet couple played by Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender as they travel to an idyllic lake for a romantic weekend. Unfortunately they cross paths with a small gang of youths and a confrontation that could have been avoided turns fatal as the couple ends up hunted and tortured in the woods. Part 'Lord of the Flies' and part 'Deliverance,' the film depicts how peer pressure and gang mentality can push even children to the point of acting like terrified animals. 'Eden Lake' isn't just a survivalist horror movie, it is a tense, thought provoking and shocking film that makes you question just how far we have actually evolved from acting like savages. It is also a brave film that refuses to sugar coat or ease tension. Just when you hope things are going to go all 'I Spit on Your Grave,' the story veers in another direction that is heartbreaking.
"An unforgettable weekend" indeed- and an unforgettable film with a powerful ending.

The End