Between editing some videos, and fostering Snoop, a shelter dog, I have had issues sleeping again. Averaging again about an hour a night. I just lay there. So Snoop and I watched more films than I usually do this week. He lays down on his little bed and watches the films with me. Don't worry... I cover his eyes when I need to.
Gross unedited photo as promised when I started this blog.(Exhausted)
I figure it's been a while since I've done reviews on anything and I'm in the middle of looking for a lost SD card... so here we go. There are a lot of older films out there I've just never gotten around to seeing. Some I've known about... and had them on some sort of list. It's funny how you know you want to watch something new, or something you've had on your "list" for a while... and you end up just going with some creature comfort film. I am now just starting to get around to that list... only problem is it's over a mile long.
First... The gang got together and watched a film called "Deathcember." An anthology very similar to "Tales of Halloween". No real wrap around, Just 24 items that all tell a story. These were really well done. Some were beautifully shot and the stories were wild. My favorite was one where a family tried to keep their son alive and learned that live music from a choir was keeping him alive. I don't want to say much but man it is WILD! I also really liked the segment where a woman, played by Tiffany Shepis, tries to return a toy she got for her son but for got the receipt. There was one really... and I mean really disturbing segment that was done in claymation. All in all I enjoyed this anthology and had a lot of fun with it. Some great cameos in it and I highly recommend it.
After that the gang and I watched Abominable, a film that was originally shown on SCI-Fi back in the early 2000's directed by Lalo Schifrin, Ryan. The film stars Matt McCoy as a paraplegic after an accident who comes home to find that there is a yeti like creature running amok and attacking the women partying next door. It's a definite homage to rear window and it works. Some of the stuff they did digitally to make the big foot creature blink was ahead of it's time and looks great. The creature itself is really cool... But does look a little goofy at times. I like how it unhinges it's jaw to really eat folks, plus the dirty, rattiness of how the creature looks really adds to it. Like it looks like you could smell it through the television. Tiffany Shepis is in this one as well but also sports cameo's from Jeffrey Combs, Lance Henriksen, and Paul Gleason. This film should have gotten a sequel. I really want to see more films from Ryan Schifrin. Matt McCoy deserved a much bigger career, he had star potential in my opinion and he always delivers a great performance.
Ok the Black Room. This was a cool little film. It's very adult. Reminded me a lot of Eyes Wide Shut with flares of fatal attraction. I really don't want to say too much about it. Good Ole Joe DiGristine told me about this one. He saw this one as a kid and it really stuck with him. It stuck with me too. The story unfolds very slowly. But I really enjoyed it. The transfer on this looked amazing and was put out through Vinegar Syndrome. The audio was... ehh ok. It was cool see a young Michael Mcdonald. It is kind of interesting seeing a movie like this get made just as the AIDS crisis was kinda becoming more prevalent in america. What I liked about it was how it was such a simple premise that could be done today on a very low to no budget.
Ok, I really hate bad mouthing a film. I just don't like it. I like to believe that no one really sets out to put out a bad film, and there is usually always hopeful one or two things that are a good take away. So... Fog City. Joe DiGristine threw money in the pot for this one to get made via kickstarter. He was really excited for this. He said the kickstarter trailer reminded him of the mist or the fog. Joe also loves promoting indie films. So we sat down and watched it. I did not care for it. There were a few scenes where lighting stands and full lights can be seen. Some of the acting is not very good and the writing... well let's not get into that. It is no where what Joe and I thought it was. It does get better towards the end and has some really cool effects in it. It really does get violent. You can tell this was done on a very low budget. So what did I like about it... the effects, some of them do make you cringe. The lighting is fantastic. The fog is used as a great tool and the twist ending is interesting... but felt rushed. All in all give it a chance, don't let anything I do or say dissuade you. As you know all of this is subjective. I'd hate to steer anyone away from a film when they may actually enjoy it.
The Tagline on the poster pretty much gives away the whole film. But I liked this. Are there issues with it. Absolutely. The yeti looks a little bit like an over grown mogwi. The day for night scenes are very noticeable. Some of the acting makes you want to SHRIEK... sorry. But it is fun, and doesn't really take itself seriously. Some of the gore is cool. There is a monologue in the film that is really cool about how this guy had seen this yeti years before.The ending is bizarre and a really neat twist that I didn't see coming at all. This one was also put out by Vinegar Syndrome and looks and sounds great.
This movie was a unique take on demonic posession. It can really get under your skin and just either creep you out, gross you out... or both. At times this felt like a zombie movie. I liked it. It's really gory, really messed up... and nothing is off limits. See this one, but it's not for the squeamish. Also... this is a foreign film so there are subtitles. It's on Shudder for those that dare want to see it.
Yes I know... I watch a lot of Schlocky b horror films... but man, I love them. Any way thanks for chatting... and until next time!
-Wilby