This will be the place to find all things movies, old and new. We review movies that recently came out in theaters and dvds that have been out for years. We give an alternative review to movies from the perspective of ordinary people,fans of movies. Welcome to The Movie Spot!
I hope all of our viewers and visitors enjoyed the second year of The Horror Spot. I tried to have something, be it a review or article, almost everyday this month having to do with something horror. Almost successful haha.
I had a lot of fun and want to continue Horror Spot for now on. Maybe have a review here and there throughout the year carrying the Horror Spot name. Then go nuts again next October with a month full. So again thank you for being patient with all this and I do hope you liked the Halloween themed month. So enjoy you candies, and horror movies, your costume parties, or what ever you all do to celebrate Halloween.
Horror Spot News: FX Renews American Horror Story For Another Season
In a well-timed announcement — it is Halloween, after all — FX has renewed its haunted-house drama American Horror Story for a 13-episode second season.
The psychosexual thriller, from Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, centers on the Harmons, a family that moves from Boston to a haunted house in Los Angeles in an attempt to reconcile after an affair and a miscarriage. It stars Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Lange, Evan Peters and Denis O’Hare.
The cable network will air a four-episode Halloween marathon tonight beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The fifth episode, the conclusion of the two-part “Halloween,” will air Wednesday.
The Harmons hire interior designers ("fluffers") to make over the house to help it sell. Mistaking the arriving Chad (Zachary Quinto) and his partner Patrick (Teddy Sears) as the fluffers. Unknown to the Harmons, the couple are the former owners who were killed by the Rubberman in the house one year ago. Ben cuts himself and Patrick heads off to help him. Chad tells Vivien that he caught Patrick cheating by checking his phone bill, suggesting she do the same.
Larry pays a visit and harasses Ben, demanding payment for killing Hayden. But Ben tells him off and throws himout. Ben also agrees to continue sessions with Tate, but outside the house only. Addy argues with Constance about wanting to dress as a "pretty girl" for Halloween. Constance laughs at her, saying she will never be a pretty girl. Violet meets with Tate, demanding to know what is in the basement. Tate says it is the still-living abomination created when the insane Dr. Montgomery tried to bring his dismembered child back to life by sewing the pieces together with various animal parts. Violet is unimpressed by his story and demands to go on a real date.
Confronted with his phone bill, Ben tells Vivien that he and Hayden are over and that she will not contact them again. To make up with Addy, Constance buys her a “pretty girl” costume. On Halloween night, when “the dead can walk freely”, Moira visits her comatose mother in a hospice. She disconnects the life support, but is unable to pass on with her pleading mother’s departing spirit. Vivien thinks Ben is not telling her the truth, demanding he leave, but the baby begins kicking, an impossibility at 8 weeks. At the hospital, an ultrasound reveals that the baby is more developed than it should be. The doctor collapses after seeing the baby on-screen.
While trick-or-treating, Addy is fatally hit by a car and Constance attempts to get her to the Harmon’s lawn before she dies. Violet is alone in the house when Larry arrives demanding his money and she does not see the Rubberman behind her. The Harmons return from the hospital to find the house broken into and Violet missing. Ben answers a knock at the door, finding Hayden’s ghost standing there covered in dirt.
Seriously a great episode and the beginning was beyond great and intense. The interactions and verbal barbs that Chad (Quinto) and Patrick (Sears) exchange just grabbed you. Then the reveal of the Rubberman made me think that Patrick was the one in the suit yet look at this he wasn’t. So now the question goes back to who the hell is in the suit. It doesn’t help that Tate wears it to scare Violet.
Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband.
Plot:
Five interwoven stories that occur on the same night. A couple finds what happens when they blow a jack o' lantern out before midnight, a high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer, a college virgin might have met the right guy for her, a group of mean teens play a prank that they take too far, and a hermit is visited by a special trick or treater.
Review:
So finally this damn movie was released. Straight to DVD but at least it was released. I personally have been waiting to see Trick 'r Treat ever since it was announced a year or so ago. But due to studio shenanigans it was delayed and delayed. Given a release date then delayed some more. I guess since it was something new and not a remake or sequel the studio decided it won't make money. Yet you constantly see utter shit being released in theaters. But that is for another day. On to the movie.
It was well worth the wait. Trick 'r Treat is hands down one of the best Halloween inspired movies I have seen. Notice I didn't say best horror or best movie. I know how people get when you say certain things. Back to the movie. When I think of Halloween I think of candy, jack o lanterns, ghosts, witches, zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghouls, freaks, crazy maniacs, and that one neighbor who hates everything. That is Halloween right? Well you get all that and some more with Trick 'r Treat. From the beginning to end it's non stop fun and scares.
Trick ‘r Treat obviously takes place during a Halloween night. With the movie being an anthology. Where we have different stories taking place with different characters that all in someway or another interact with each other. To me it was a great way to showcase many characters and themes in one movie. Just like Tales of the Darkside, Creepshow, and Campfire Tales. I don't want to spoil the movie too much so if you don't want to know certain things then look away.
The sack-head kid is great and creepy as this Halloween ghoul that you see everywhere and basically carries the movie. The zombie children at the rock quarry lake are terrifying. The werewolf girls are freaking great. I loved how there transformation was done. Very similar to how werewolves turn in the Hellboy comics. With the skin being cut and ripped off to reveal the werewolf inside. Oh and for your True Blood fans Anna Paquin is a hottie in her Red Riding Hood costume and as one of the she-wolfs.
Final thought:
I highly suggest that every fan of Halloween or a fan of the mentioned classic horror anthologies pick up a copy and enjoy what I believe is a true Halloween movie. Oh if anyone has Halloween movie parties definitely include Trick r' Treat.
Britt Robertson (Cassie Blake), Thomas Dekker (Adam Conant), Phoebe Tankin (Faye Chamberlain), Jessica Parker Kennedy (Melissa), Shelley Hennig (Diana Meade), Gale Harold (Charles Meade), Natasha Henstridge (Dawn, Chamberlain), Chris Zylka as Jake, Nick's brother
Episode 7 Review - “Masked”
Halloween episode! With guest start Richard Harmon.
Deciding the Circle needs to have a little fun, Faye convinces Cassie to throw a big Halloween party. Good lord what was Faye wearing at the beginning of the show. She was so damn hot in it haha. Intent on getting Jake back, Faye goes all out on her Halloween costume. After a fight with Diana, Adam turns to Cassie for advice. Cassie tells him that regardless of what his father says Adam needs to follow his heart and fight for Diana.
Meanwhile, Jake and the other witch hunters (including a high school friend) set their sights on the Circle. Abducting them and stealing a personal item. Jake prepares a spell to kill each of them properly. Cassie sneaks over Nick’s old house, next door. Looking for something to see what Jake is up to. Cassie finds a knife with the hunter symbol and confronts Jake who snuck up behind her. Jake plays it off and deflects it off on dead Nick. Showing Cassie a roll of weapons he has supposedly found. Eventually they are all caught and almost killed. Cassie reveals some dark magic power, which is hinted at through out the episode and it may come from her father. Jake finds out too and rushes over to the hunters. Telling the head guy that they can not kill them off properly due to her dark magic. He brushes it off until Cassie uses just that and kills off their friend-now-witch hunter. Jake tells the guy to run and he injures himself to blend in with the group once again duping them to believe he is a victim too.
Cassie’s grandmother finds herself in the house of one of the elders an d finds him dead. She finds the crystal but someone is there and hits her. Stealing the crystal.
Set in the late 70s, this gritty and twisted film taps the physical and mental underpinnings of the meaning of the word "brother" in a way reminiscent of the best of late 70s grindhouse and early 80s slashers.
Cast:
Rane Jameson (Bobby), Chris Prangley (Sean), Jon Fleming (Mark), Niki Rubin (Diana), Ryan Ross (Drater), Lisa DiCicco (Erica), Adam Simon (Moose), Andrew Giordano (Tim), Bethany Taylor (Wendy), Michael Galante (Michael)
Review:
I like cheesy horror. I also like seeing old horror movies from the 80’s and 70’s. Hell we got some great and iconic movies and characters from those films. But many of them were cheesy and low budget. Still enjoyable and fun though. And that is what is key. Are they enjoyable and fun. With that said, Frat House Massacre was entertaining to me.
A movie from 2008 made to feel like a grindhouse - slasher film from the 70’s and 80’s. With success. I felt like I threw on some long lost movie from that time period. It had gore, blood, good looking victims, cheesy dialogue, nudity, etc. Everything you would expect from a horror movie from back in the day.
So we start out with Sean coming back home for a break from college to visit his step mother and just graduated little brother Bobby. Bobby wants nothing to do with him and heads out with some friends. Later on that night the stepmother tells Sean that there was an accident and Bobby was hurt. Weeks later we see that Bobby is in a coma and Sean is second guessing heading back to college. He goes back but it seems things have changed in his frat house. We see a frat pledge abduction and then soon see a frat initiation. A rather brutal one at that too. Poor guy stripped almost naked and tied up and paddled violently. He is deemed a brother by president of Delta Iota Epsilon Mark. Everyone except Mark, Drater, Tim, and Moose stay behind. The pledge is untied and we see how brutal the frat can be. Mark forces the guy to slice his wrist and then has his neck sliced open.
Later on Sean is second guessing his frat position and soon finds himself being hazed by his own frat brothers. They end up killing him. But not really, you see it seems his spirit woke up his brother Bobby and seems to have given him a second life.
The following year Bobby is off to the same college as his brother Sean, who everyone thinks is missing. He vows to get revenge and eventually ends up joining the same fraternity. After more brutal and violent hazing from the fraternity group, more killings and plenty of drug use, Booby reveals that he is really Sean. Or at least the spirit of Sean who took over his brothers body. Also someone is targeting the frat brothers one by one. Killing them off and causing suspicion and paranoia within the killer frat. We also find out that Bobby’s roommate and brother to Mark, was responsible for the car crash that killed Bobby’s friends and put him in a coma. At the end of the movie, the big disco party, the massacre takes place. Blood left and right, gore here and there, some beatings thrown in, and a bit of torture, and a couple of twists too. Seems that Bobby had some help in Diana, who also wanted revenge on the frat. She helped Bobby to kill off the frat brothers. Then she turns around and kills Bobby. Since he is really Sean and he was once part of the fraternity. Interesting that all this time we were watching Sean/Bobby be the main character when all along it was Diana.
The actors all did really well playing the part of college age kids from the 70’s, all were pretty believable. And cheesy too haha. You are not going to get Oscar caliber acting here. Nudity. Yes a horror movie that gives us nudity finally. Even if it was a little bit it was most welcome. I am not trying to sound perverted or anything but nudity was a big part of horror in the 80’s and 70’s. Mainly because you knew that the horny teens or college kids were always the first to die, while the virgins lived. So you get naked you ended up dead. We get some titties and even a vag shot. Oh and surprise we get some guy ass too. Even some hints of balls and hand covering cock shots. Barley covering too. I saw some shaft you dirty boys haha. Now one thing that was delivered en masse was gore. We got plenty of blood and kills. Plenty of stabs and cuts. Blood splatters and even some pigs eating humans. Glass in the eye to neck stabs. Even car splitting death. Guts hanging out and some chemical burns.
Final Thoughts:
Frat House Massacre is not a great movie. But is it enjoyable and fun. That is exactly what I want to see in a movie. I want to be entertained and I want to have fun. Be it action, thriller, drama, horror, or otherwise. When the credits rolls I want to put the DVD away without throwing it against the wall or walking out the theater wanting to punch someone or myself. Frat House Massacre did what it was meant to. Be a decent homage to the classic movies while adding in some new things here and there. It also reminded me that horror movies need to get their shit together and return to their roots. Give me nudity and not just from the girls either, I want to see man ass and dick as much as I want to see girl tits and pussy. Give something for guys and for girls to see too. Stop being sexist. Give me gore and blood and crazy deaths and not so crazy deaths. There is nothing wrong with a kitchen knife stabbing or an axe or machete or a chainsaw.
The circle is dealing with Nick's death. Which I still say is such a bitch movie on the shows part. They suddenly realize that magic isn't all just fun and games. Cassie confides in Jane, her grandmother, who thinks the circle should be kept broken. Her grandmother than gives Cassie her magic stone/talisman. Telling her that no one should know she has it. No one.
Cassie finds a fire next to Nick’s house and a young guy standing in front of it putting it out with magic. Suspicions arise when the mysterious young man turns up at Nick's wake, (Jake, Nick's older brother) especially when a few people recognize him as the town's old troublemaker. Faye was his plaything and almost went nuts literally. Adam had his fathers money stolen by him as well.
Diana confronts Adam about his feelings for Cassie, and breaks up with him. A strange woman tries to attack Cassie. But fails when Jake saves her. Later on we find out that Jake and the strange lady are working together as witch hunters. Cassie finds them fighting and helps Jake and he kills that lady.
The town of Mystic Falls is celebrating another special event. Yet things start to get out of hand when the ghosts of the past start to pop up without explanation. When Bonnie's grandmother comes back she tells Bonnie that the spell to send Vicki back has had some serious ramifications. And Bonnie is the only one that can fix it. But in the mean time various ghosts return to Mystic Falls, and grab a foothold on the Earth. Ghosts include Anna (Malese Jow), Mason Lockwood (Taylor Kinney), Bonnie's grandmother Shiela (Jasmine Guy), Lexi (Arielle Kebbel), Pearl (Kelly Hu), Frederick (Stephen Martines) and the tomb vampires.
Lexi goes out and finds Stefan, abducts him and finds Elena to help her attempt to bring the old lovable Stefan back. Mason tells Damon that there is a possible weapon that he heard of that can kill Klaus. He and Damon then set out for the Lockwood tomb to find it. Anna makes Jeremy’s life complicated and it affects his relationship with Bonnie. Also she decides to take the locket that Bonnie needs to send all the ghosts back. The tomb vampires then go after the founding members one by one, killing them.
All these plot threads go back and forth all episode until Anna gives the locket back to Jeremy. He gives it to Bonnie and she along with her grandmother break the spell. Sending all the ghosts back. Anna finds her mother and disappear. Lexi gives Elena one last bit of advice. Mason finds what he is looking for but Damon can’t get to it because of a barrier. Damon calls Alaric and he finds cave paintings, very interesting cave paintings.
Elena is frustrated by her helplessness, so she convinces Alaric to teach her more about protecting herself from vampires. She obviously needs to work out more. Katherine is busy trying to wake up Michael since he might be the only person who can kill Klaus. After trying to feed him blood from various things, human blood finally works. He wakes up and tell her to get it away but Katherine reminds him that he is still weak and that he needs blood to function. He agrees but tells her he only feeds on dead blood. Michael pulls Katherine into the coffin and bites her and feeds.
It's the first day of school and Elena is having a hard time since it is her one year anniversary with Stefan. Bonnie and Jeremy are having issues since Jeremy keeps seeing Anna. Klaus' sister, Rebecca, has been left behind along with Stefan, and decides to move in with the Salvatores. She joins Stefan and the others at school, and shows an eagerness to replace Caroline's place in the school. Which angers Caroline and what makes matters worse is that Tyler seems to be interested in Rebecca. Matt continues to see the ghost of Vicky, and she convinces him to perform a ritual that allows her to come and go from his world as she pleases. She says a witch from the other side promised her that if she killed Elena she can come back, forever.
The gang attends a back to school bonfire, and Damon goes to keep his eye on Rebecca. There, Elena stabs Stefan and Rebecca stabs Damon. Tyler feels that he is beholden to Klaus since Klaus essentially made him who he is today. Elena then saves Stefan from a fire after Vicki tries to kill Elena in Alaric's van. Vicki is eventually sent back to the other side by Bonnie while Damon goes back home. He hears a vase break, and, thinking it was Stefan, doesn't worry. He is pushed back by a powerful force, and as he falls Mason Lockwood appears in front of him.
Two young intrepid explorers find their way into an abandoned mental hospital. While exploring the place they come across the body of a young girl in restraints naked on a bed. What do you think they are going to do? If you think they are going to call 911 and report it to the police so an investigation can happen, you thought wrong. This is one of the more disturbing morality plays that you can see in a movie. The morality tale here is what do you do with a naked dead girl in restraints?
So these two boys do many things, from beating the girl, to shooting the girl, to raping the girl, and yet the girl cannot die. This is what makes it disturbing, rather than calling the authorities, the girl becomes a play thing, something to be used, abused, and tortured. The movie explores the base level of humanity, the humanity that creates torture, demonizes people, and otherwise reduces human life to less than something to be cherished and protected. The interesting part of all this is not the inhumanity, but what happens when Ricky and JT get infected by whatever is keeping the dead girl alive. We get to see zombies, with overtones of vampirism and being infected by the dead girl comes to mind.
We also get to see JT’s girlfriend get killed and get turned into the next dead girl sex slave, along with a lot of other dead girl issues throughout the entire movie. We also get a brutal if not uncommon high school bullying scene that if you ever went to high school you either saw or participated in depending on where you ended up in the high school food chain.
Overall depending on where you are from and what your particular needs are in a horror movie, this one has a little bit of everything. Power, control, rape, murder, bullying, beating, strangulation, and a ton of other standard horror movie bits and pieces that truly work here. While jumping from the basement of the abandoned mental hospital back to scenes in the school makes the movie feel disjointed and random, the effect works here. You can see the characters struggle and then not struggle with the morality of finding a naked woman zombie in a basement in four point restraints. That is what keeps the movie interesting, and finding out that at times we will degenerate to our baser instincts will make some people cringe.
Final Thoughts:
The gore was superb, the horror was of the queasy, "I can't believe I'm watching this" kind, and all of the technical bits were perfect. Movies like this don't get made by the mainstream, commercial studios. It's movies like this that make me well and truly believe that the indie market will be the savior of horror films in general.
The moral conflict, coupled with great acting and great scripting, make this a must see for true fans of the genre. But at the same time this is not for everyone.
Entertainment Weeklyhas the first look at Frankenweenie, Tim Burton’s 3D black and white stop-motion remake of his own 1984 short film of the same name.
A parody of, and homage to, the 1931 film Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s classic novel, Frankenweenie centers on a boy named Victor who uses his science kit to bring his beloved pet Sparky back to life after the dog is struck by a car.
The new, feature-length Frankenweenie, is finally set to premiere Oct. 5, 2012.
At the end of every summer, the children of a Christian community from a suburb of New Jersey attend Camp Hope. They travel deep into the woods far from any distractions the world provides. Here, the children are taught the ways of the Lord, the perils of the flesh, and the horror of the Devil. A charismatic priest leads them in their training. But, he unknowingly has brought something with him, something evil. What was supposed to be a safe place, a spiritual retreat has now turned into a nightmare that not even faith can end.
Cast:
Will denton (Tommy Leary)m Bruce Davison (Father Phineas McAllister), Connor Paolo (Jack), Valentina de Angelis (Melissa), Spencer Treat Clark (Timothy), Jesse Eisenburg, (Daniel)
Review:
I really don't know what to think of this movie. I had never before heard of it and bought the DVD on impulse, mainly on the cover, which advertised itself as a horror movie, about a Christian youth-camp led by a demonic priest who harbored all kinds of dark and devilish secrets. Well, this cover must have been made up by a PR department who didn't have much confidence in the movie, and hoped to gain some extra audience, because this description doesn't even come close to the real thing.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie at all, on the contrary, for the major part it's great and I liked it very much. It's got a fascinating story and the acting is overall great. And in many ways the movie gives much to think about. But I'm totally in the dark about what the makers meant with it. If they meant to make a charge against the brainwashing of innocent kids by extremely orthodox catholic adults (parents and priests), they succeeded in an impressive way; but why on earth then spoil it with all these horror elements? And if they aimed at making a horror movie, why then so much holding back on the horrific elements? with no monsters, no blood or gore and no major scares
It's about a teenage boy who is sent off to a religious summer-camp. A couple of days latter some strange happenings occur, and when this coincides with our young hero sneaking out one evening to make out and dry hump (with climaxes for both) with a girl, he gets convinced that somehow he's the cause of Satan disrupting him and the whole camp. In this belief he is strengthened by the severe leaders of the camp, especially father Phineas.
The part of the movie that shows us this relentless, patronizing and self-righteous way of filling the heads and hearts of young kids with religious fear and guilt, is very convincing and realistic. Not by letting the leaders use force or physical abuse, but much more subtle. By instilling the fear of an unforgiving and ruthless God. For example, the way young Tom is questioned by father Phineas about his morals, like how much he thinks of sex and how many times he masturbates, is cruel. Just because of the way Fr. Phineas does it.
I was very impressed by the script and by the direction, and the acting in the two most important parts, Bruce Davison as father Phineas and Will Denton as young Tommy, is top-notch.
The horror elements maybe would have worked better, if they could have been interpreted as things that happened in Tommy's mind or even in the mind of father Phineas (who certainly deserved some demons). But the script made it all too clear that the horror elements were meant to be real, since they were experienced by many others in the camp. So it is hard to tell if what Tommy was seeing and experiencing was true or not. Especially at the end when the supposed demon attacks father Phineas. The closing credits didn't help either by stating: "based on true events".
Final Thoughts:
Religious movies can easily be treated as horror for obvious reasons. Camp Hell mixed both elements well to a point. But it needed to decide if it was a true horror with demons terrorizing the camp or if it was just mental religious brainwashing. Oh and Jesse Eisenburg cashed his check with this one. Not even ten minutes haha.
American Horror Story - Small Screen/Horror Spot Review
Episode Three - Murder House
The Harmon's finances take a blow, tying their remaining money up in the house, making moving impossible. Moira continues to sexually harass Ben and he attempts to fire her. Moira convinces Vivien that Ben is sexually harassing her and threatens to sue if they fire her. Ben begins blacking out and waking up in the yard with no memory of his actions, including digging a hole in the lawn. While being mocked by Constance, who shot and killed her cheating husband and Moira in the house in 1983, Moira becomes frustrated that she is "stuck" in the house. Hayden surprises Ben by suddenly appearing at his doorstep; she is keeping the baby and moving near him, determined to tell Vivien and continue their affair. While in town, Vivien begins bleeding after hearing of the house's original owners: a crazed surgeon and wife, Nora (Lily Rabe), who provided illegal abortions in their basement, until their bitter marriage ended in murder. At the doctor's office, Vivien explains that the bleeding stopped when she returned to the house and that they plan on moving. The doctor says the baby is fine but advises against moving, because the stress could cause an abortion. Thinking of Hayden, Ben passes out, and the doctor runs his blood work, later informing him that she found traces of an opiate that causes memory loss. Vivien tries to sell the house and unknowingly interacts with the ghost of the surgeon's wife. Later, Ben confronts Moira about poisoning his coffee with the opiate. Hayden appears, unhinged and frantic that Ben has ignored her. As he takes her outside to calm her down, Larry appears and kills her with a shovel, explaining that he did it to help Ben and stop him from becoming a murderer. Ben is distraught, but Larry convinces him that getting rid of the body is the best option. Larry finishes digging the hole, at the bottom of which are Moira's remains and buries Hayden over them. Ben builds a gazebo over the spot. Watching, Constance taunts Moira, telling her that now she is stuck here forever.
The Horror Spot News: Last Spoof Trailer For The Muppets
With less than a month until the movie’s Nov. 23 premiere, Disney has released the final parody trailer for The Muppets, one that gets the remaining send-ups out of the system with quick nods to Paranormal Activity 3, Puss in Boots and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
Cast:
Johnny Depp as Kemp
Aaron Eckhart as Sanderson
Michael Rispoli as Sala
Amber Heard as Chenault
Plot: Kemp, a freelance writer, ends up in Puerto Rico where he works for a dead end newspaper crumbling to the ground. More importantly, the culture that surrounds the isle of Puerto Rico is what consumes him to be better and gets him in tons of trouble along the way.
Review: In what had a lot of potential to be a great movie, with lots of great actors involved all around, The Rum Diary fell short of being something great. I left the theater with a feeling of sub-par to borderline just OK. With actors like Johnny Depp and Aaron Eckhart (one of my favorites) it's hard to imagine a movie like this falling short but it did.
The acting is great, the characters are great. They're lively, they're memorable. Depp, just like in mostly every movie he's in, leaves an impact. Eckhart very much does the same, though I find him to be much more versatile then Depp because Eckhart plays good guys and bad guys almost equally. Amber Heard does a good job selling the kind of loose, undecided kind of woman caught up in a love triangle. One performance that will be getting much recognition is Michael Rispoli as Sala, the photographer of the newspaper that he and Depp work for and essentially Depps sidekick. Some of the best scenes come from when Depp and Rispoli are together. The acting doesn't fall short.
What kind of does fall short is the story. It's hard to say which aspect of the story was meant to come across more. You had the budding relationship between Depp and Heard that you eventually knew was going to happen, the politics of the time period (being the 1960s), the pending status of the newspaper company, the secret deal between Eckhart and Depp (and many other smaller characters). It almost seemed like too much to really put together, to which I was a bit confused on some parts of the story. The ending didn't do much to help. Terrible ending. I'm not sure if they felt that the movie was dragging on too long that they gave us this half-ass'd ending but they left everything hanging.
The movie itself is witty. The dialogue between Depp and Rispoli, Depp and Eckhart, Depp and Richard Jenkins (The boss of the newspaper company). I mean it's some of the better dialogue i've ever heard this year, especially a lot of what Richard Jenkins was imparting on Depp. One scene with Jenkins and Depp where Jenkins was reading one of Depps articles that eventually lead into a very insightful view of live really, it was gold for me.
The rest of it however rubbed me the wrong way. A lot is left unexplained, and with the movie being about 2 hours along, I can only assume it's because the producers and director thought they were running overtime with their film. Overall, that hurts the film and a lot seems rushed for a 2 hour movie. The Rum Diary may still be worth a watch but I wouldn't go rushing to see it.
Cast:
Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots
Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws
Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Dumpty
Plot: An origin story of sorts, Puss in Boots tale does not lack action, love and leche (milk). Follow the beloved feline as he tries to right his wrongs and find true love along the way.
Review: You know this is going to be an interesting review when i'm about to compare the Shrek series with Family Guy. But I am. Out of all the characters in the Shrek series, it wasn't a clear cut choice to give Puss in Boots his own movie, especially since characters like Donkey and even the Gingerbread man may have a little more character. Cleveland from Family Guy probably didn't deserve his own show over Quagmire or Joe, but it happened.
With that in mind, Puss in Boots is a successful spin off with minor hinges. The movie manages to make you forgot that Puss is a Shrek character all while keeping the charm of the Shrek movies. Personally, I think Shrek 2 was the funniest film of the series and Puss in Boots really mirrors that kind of comedy.
What made it so enjoyable was the idea of that the studio, Dreamworks, was going to stick by the same formula that has been laid down over the years for prior movies. Have the story revolve around a few intermingled folktales that everyone know about, like Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill, throw in a small amount of satire and a large amount of adult inuendos and that's how it goes. Once again, it works. It may get lost on kids but it works in enough comedy to satisfy all age groups. Of course for adults, you will realize you're watching a kids movie and there are definitely some dry spots along the way, but that doesn't mean it won't entertain you.
Story somewhat matters in these animation movies. I think that so long as the plot has a rhythm to it, it's fine. Animated movies rely a lot on imaginative stories and less on logical stories. You essentially follow Puss through flashbacks of his kittenhood and his close friendship with Humpty Dumpty (yes, the egg) as they try to gain magic beans to live in a whole new world that you climbed a beanstalk to get to (yes, Jack and the beanstalk).
The movie is in 3D, which caught me a bit off guard, I heard nothing about it being in 3D. Some shots look decent with the 3D, but i'm sure you're just as tired of 3D as we are.
Of course we go to see the movie for Puss but there are other characters that blend in nicely with Puss. Kitty Softpaws, played Salma Hayek, is the love interest of Puss and they've got a nice little Mr. and Ms. Smith kind of relationship going on, a tit for tat kind of relationship. Humpty Dumpty is the long lost friend who was once very close to Puss but faded with time. Jack and Jill (yes, the very same Jack and Jill) are the villains, only trying to hold on to the magic beans that everyone covets.
Overall, Puss in Boots is a solid animated comedy/action movie. Fans of the Shrek series will love it, new fans jumping on board will pleased. It's a bit fast paced and at times illogical, it truly is a movie for all ages.
The Spot News: First Trailer for Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, director Chris Renaud’s 3D CG-animated adaptation of the beloved 1971 children’s environmental tale.
From the creators of Despicable Me and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the 3D-CG feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which features the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle and Betty White, opens March 2.
The Spot News: First Full Look At the New Three Stooges
The new Three Stooges movie from Bobby and Peter Farrelly, now we get our first look at Curly (Will Sasso), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos)
Not sure how I feel. I mean I love the originals so much and here we are with a new movie and obviously some big shoes to fill. I don't hate the look and characters. They do surprisingly look the part of Moe, Larry, and Curly. Now lets see a trailer.
On the eve of his high school graduation, unremarkable Will Kidman finally bonds with the girl he has long yearned for, reclusive Eliana Wynter. But he also discovers a dark secret from his past... that he is about to become a werewolf. Now, in an effort to fight destiny and save their love as well as their lives, they must battle not only Will\'s growing blood lust but an army of fearsome beasts bent on killing them... and then, us all.
A surprisingly good watch. Yes I said it. Howling: Reborn was a good watch. Being a fan and terrified of the original first Howling movie, I knew I was going to pick this movie apart. As i got into the film, I realized that this was actually a decent stand alone movie. It has it’s faults of course. It is the basic tale of a coming of age teen (Will) who realizes he is different. Not just a loner, nerdy kid but a werewolf as well. Through the course of the film we see how he adapts to his new found strengths, all the while, dealing with his impeding graduation and trying to win the girl of his dreams.
The Story progresses at a decent pace, feeding you enough plot points and mythology along the way. The first part of the movie up until we get Will’s mother coming back in the library was a fine and decent movie. After that the film goes downhill. Seems like they got lazy and threw whatever they felt like together at the last moment. It felt rushed and the story even started to make no sense. Up until that point we had a decent teen drama with werewolves thrown in. A is Lindsey a werewolf herself plot, who are the three guys following Will plot, is Will going to turn plot, who killed his mother before Will was born plot. Then it was all scrapped for this “oh look your mom is alive and she wants you to join her in creating more werewolves so she can kill everyone and take over the country” or some nonsense like that. Really? Where did all that come from? The filmmakers should have stayed along the lines of the first half of the film and kept it a teen drama werewolf story.
I am a big fan of the classic werewolf transformation scenes. Made famous by American Werewolf in London. So whenever I see a werewolf movie I look forward to how they address that transformation scene. I felt cheated by this movie. Not only do we get bad looking wolfs out of the minions but the transformations are not done well at all. Some fast CGI morph from human to beast. Although they did redeem themselves with Will’s mother, Will, and Lindsey. Werewolf look wise. The three of them had a somewhat traditional look to them, still cheesy though. Plus side is that they gave them tails!
Final Thoughts:
The Howling: Reborn was a decent attempt in mixing a teen drama with werewolves. And it would have been a job well done if not for the horrible twist halfway through the film that turned the movie upside down and ruined the rest of the film. I still have not seen a werewolf movie that can be held up to American Werewolf in London, Ginger Snaps Trilogy, Dog Soldiers, original Howling, or Silver Bullet. Film makers need to stop pandering to the Twilight vampires and found footage ghost movies and make a badass werewolf movie.
American Horror Story - Small Screen/Horror Spot Review
Episode Two - Home Invasion
The opening scene takes place in the past. A college student is murdered by a psycho who forces her to dress up as a nurse.
After meeting with a new patient, Bianca (Mageina Tovah), Ben receives a call from his ex-mistress, Hayden (Kate Mara), who tells him she's pregnant and needs his support to have an abortion. Ben lies to Vivien to resolve his past. Constance brings ipecac syrup-laced cupcakes insisting that they be given to Violet, using them as an apology gift for Adelaide's intrusions into the Harmon's home. She senses that Vivien is pregnant, and Vivien confesses her fears that something about the child is not right. Constance assures her that her baby is fine, but also reveals that Adelaide is one of four children she gave birth to, all deformed in some way with the exception of one, who died.
When Vivien brings the cupcake to Violet, they both get into an argument. Suddenly, a trio of serial killer enthusiasts led by Bianca, break into the house in order to re-enact the brutal murders of a sorority sister, Maria, and the sorority house nurse, Gladys, that happened there on that same night in the 1960s. Violet manages to run into Tate, who tells her that she needs to lure the three into the basement. Violet is recaptured, but convinces the accuracy-obsessed Fiona (Azura Skye) that the original bathtub used in Gladys's drowning was moved to the basement.
The third intruder watches over Vivien while Bianca eats an ipecac cupcake. Tate kills a vomiting Bianca with an axe. In the basement, Fiona loses sight of Violet and encounters Tate standing next to the bathtub with Gladys. Meanwhile, Vivien fights off the third intruder, and manages to flee the house with Violet. The third intruder looks for Fiona in the basement, only to have his throat slashed right next to Fiona. Constance enters the basement alongside Tate and Moira and Tate explains that Gladys and Maria killed the two. The three agree to get rid of the bodies, revealing that they want Ben to continue treating Tate. Upon hearing of what happened, Ben leaves Hayden at the clinic and rushes home. He is shocked that Tate was in the house during the attack with no explanation, only for Violet to tell him that at least he was there. Vivien wants to sell the house.
Plot: Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the improbable secret agent who doesn't know fear or danger in the comedy spy-thriller Johnny English Reborn. In his latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty's Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos.
In the years since MI-7's top spy vanished off the grid, he has been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia. But when his agency superiors learn of an attempt against the Chinese premier's life, they must hunt down the highly unorthodox agent. Now that the world needs him once again, Johnny English is back in action.
With one shot at redemption, he must employ the latest in hi-tech gadgets to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout the KGB, CIA and even MI-7. With mere days until a heads of state conference, one man must use every trick in his playbook to protect us all. For Johnny English, disaster may be an option, but failure never is.
With the success of Paranormal Activity 3, don’t be too surprised to see a lot more horror-movie announcements in the near future. And the best part? They won’t all be remakes!
Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has picked up a spec script called The End. Written by Aron Eli Coleite, a writer-producer for NBC’s Heroes, the story follows three people from different parts of the globe (London, Michigan and Shanghai) as they all deal with the end of the world.
Meanwhile, Universal’s getting in on the action, too, with a script called Grim Night by Brandon Bestenheider and Allen Bey. While relatively new to writing, The Hollywood Reporter says the duo has been in the business a while working in post-production, and released an online teaser (below) just as Paranormal Activity 3 hit theaters to help build buzz. The premise is that, one night every year mysterious beings attack a city and kill loads of people. As you can see, these attacks aren’t secret, but are still terrifying.
Finally, StudioCanal will bring the horror of the French film Them (originally Ils) to English-speaking audiences by way of commercial director David Alcalde, Variety reports. The original film, which dropped in 2006, follows Clementine and her lover Lucas as a group of hooded figures attacks and terrorizes them one night. This will be Alcalde’s first feature film, but not his first foray into horror, as he won a prize at the 2006 SlamDance Film Festival for his short Happy Birthday To You.
A pair of brothers stumble upon a mysterious hole in their basement that leads to the darkest corridors of their fears and nightmares.
Cast:
Chris Massoglia (Dane), Haley Bennett (Julie), Nathan Gamble (Lucas), Terri Polo (Susan), Bruce Dern (Creepy Carl), Chord Overstreet (Adam)
Review:
Susan and her sons Dane and Lucas Thompson move from Brooklyn to Bensonville, in the countryside. Dane is upset with the constant moving. Lucas and Dane befriend their next door neighbor, the gorgeous Julie, and the brothers find a bottomless hole in the basement of their house locked with several padlocks. They take the locks off and soon they are haunted by their darkest fears. Further, they believe that the hole might be a gateway to hell.
The Hole is a good old-fashioned horror movie for the whole family. No gore, no nudity, just good scares! A grumpy teenager and his little brother move with their single mother to a small town. They soon befriend the beautiful girl next door and they happen across a giant, ominous hole in their basement. The hole is seemingly infinite as the boys conduct a series of experiments including lowering a night-vision camcorder down and throwing a handful of nails in. Although the camera catches a creepy eye looking at them. What they don't discover over the course of these experiments is that the hole, once opened, lets loose your greatest fear which then proceeds to stalk and haunt you. A simple setup, but it is used very well, not only for thrills but as a sometimes thought-provoking look at the fears that you don't realize you have.
The very effective creepy and evil clown doll is great for scares and a nice nod to old-school horror of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. The other fears are somewhat more cerebral and more along adult lines. Sisters death and almost suicide of Julie at an old roller coaster. And as the film progresses some of the fun tends to get lost in the family issues storyline. However, it is a well-written script and well done film.
The young cast do very well in roles that could have been very annoying and there is an element of class that they give off. Which is odd considering youner talents these days rely on looks and abs instead of actually performing. It is great to see films aimed at kids that refuses to condescend to them. The Hole plays it for scares, and isn't afraid to do just that. Children will be terrified and delighted in equal measure. The 80's gave us kids' adventures that dripped with real danger like The Goonies or Labyrinth, and of course Joe Dante's Gremlins movies. These films were quite nasty, and unlike most of the rubbish kids are dealt these days, they are quite menacing. The Hole is a worthy successor to these films and isn't afraid to push your nerves just that little bit further than you might expect.
From the poster and trailer I expected a tween adventure with a supernatural twist. To my surprise, this was far more enjoyable than just a silly kids film. It is certainly directed towards young teenagers but the great thing about The Hole is that it is actually scary! This film is full of menace but keeps the tone light enough to maintain the element of fun. Dante keeps you on the edge of your seat with constantly mounting tension and silly jumps that make the audience giggle as much as scream.
Final Thoughts:
The 80's gave us kids' adventures that dripped with real danger like The Goonies or Labyrinth, and of course Joe Dante's Gremlins movies. These films were quite nasty, and unlike most of the rubbish kids are dealt these days, they are quite menacing. The Hole is a worthy successor to these films and isn't afraid to push your nerves just that little bit further than you might expect.
The Walking Dead - Small Screen/Horror Spot Review
Episode Two - Bloodletting
Carl has been accidentally shot by a man named Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince). Shane and Otis follow Rick, who carries Carl to a house where a doctor, Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson), treats Carl's injury. After an emotional scene between Shane and Rick, Rick gives blood to Carl. After attempting to remove the shattered bullet from Carl, it is decided that medical supplies are needed in order to save his life. So Shane and Otis volunteer to find them. While Otis and Shane go to the former FEMA aid station at the high school to gather medical supplies; Lori, Carol, Daryl, Andrea and Glenn continue to search for Sophia in the woods. With no luck and another day coming to an end.
Dale and T-Dog wait at the RV, searching the surrounding cars for supplies. Dale tells T Dog that he takes his time repairing and lies about how difficult it is to fix the RV to keep everyone calm. Because if they knew it was already fixed that the group would fight and try to hurt each other for power. Dale feels that T-Dog has a blood infection and is upset that he cannot find antibiotics. Once the search party return, Daryl reveals that he has had medical supplies and drugs all along and why no one said anything earlier. They also reveal to Dale and T Dog that Lori was taken by Maggie back to the farm because Carl was shot. Also telling them that they need to split up. Glenn heads to the farm with some pain meds, while the others wait with the RV to continue the search for Sophie.
Shane and Otis find the necessary supplies from the FEMA aid station, however they are forced to lock themselves inside the school after becoming surrounded by walkers. With only a flimsy and what looks like a terrible metal gate.
Lots of talking and drama in this episode. Light on the action. Although that ending has me wanting to see what happens next episode.
