Housebound – One of the Most Cool & Creepy Flicks of 2014!

Housebound has got to be one of my favorite movies of 2014, easily one of the best “horror” comedies I’ve seen in  quite some time! This splendid little flick from New Zealand is filled with a ton of mystery, some great scares, creepy cool atmosphere and a lot of laughs. This one kinda plays out like a twisted Scooby Doo adventure. It’s a simple premise here, our troubled heroine Kylie gets caught trying to rob an ATM and is soon sentenced to home detention back to the house she grew up with her mother. And what a large creepy house it is!

It doesn’t take long before things get weird as Kylie one evening insists on using the phone, while her chatty mother tells her she’s taking an important phone call. Leading to one of my favorite moments in the movie, as Kylie heads of flustered into her bedroom she turns on the radio to a station that’s got a “Coast to Coast” style paranormal program in progress. She notices they’re taking a live phone call from a woman who sounds oddly just like her mother, claiming that the house she lives in is haunted.

From here the story gets incredibly interesting taking twists and turns galore and to give away anymore of the plot would be a crime! Housebound is a nonstop thrill ride and will have you guessing right up to the very end. It’s a crazy little adventure, with  real heart at it’s core. That’s not to say it’s devoid of scares or even gore, this one has it all tightly wrapped into one helluva humorous yet creepy package. The house where much of it takes place is pretty awesome as well, filled with more than enough odd rooms, long hallways, creaking doors and mysterious closets and cabinets! It’s also got a great sequence with a Teddy Ruxpin type talking bear that’s pretty damn incredible as well as the most genius use of a cheese grater you’re likely to ever see. So I highly recommend checking this one out if you’re looking for a great Saturday night popcorn flick! A ton of fun & one of the best flicks I’ve seen all year…

 

Help Rowdy Roddy Piper Open The ‘Portal to HELL’!!!

The world always needs more of Rowdy Roddy Piper! Duh! Who doesn’t love ‘They Live’ or ‘Hell Comes to Frogtown’ or classic WWF Wrestling?! Well if you don’t then there’s probably something seriously wrong with your brain or you just don’t like having fun. So I’m thrilled to hear that Piper is currently involved with a project via Indiegogo called “Portal to Hell” which is an indie horror film which pits Piper against Cthulhu and his minions!

Here’s what they had to say about it thus far:

“Director Vivieno Caldinelli and writer Matt Watts are embarking on a short film called PORTAL TO HELL, with hopes of expanding it into a feature. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper will star, and the producing team includes Todd Brown of THE ABCs OF DEATH and THE RAID and Andrew Rosen of TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL, with MANBORG’s Steven Kostanski on board to create the FX.

The synopsis: “Jack [Piper] is a simple man with simple needs. Mostly he just needs to be left alone to read his book. It’s a good book and he likes it…or, at least, he would if the tenants of the building he manages weren’t so damn needy. And it’s not just blown fuses and clogged toilets… No, when the building power goes out, the culprit is a pair of Cthulhu-worshiping tenants opening a portal to the demon city of R’lyeh in the basement. Does this count as building maintenance? Is battling the supernatural part of Jack’s job description? Maybe not, but if Jack can’t close the portal, the entire building and—let’s face it—the whole world is screwed.”

Sounds like something to get behind to me! I’ve always hoped Carpenter would get Piper back for a They Live sequel, however that’s a pipe dream I guess (no pun intended). This though sounds just as good and has cult classic written all over it. I think Piper has that same appeal as someone like Bruce Campbell and honestly I’m a bit surprised he hasn’t been called upon sooner for projects like this one. It’s about time we get him back in the spotlight, he a cool guy, with a lot of interesting things to say and hell he even lives in oregon (where I do). So help spread the word and support this project at their Indiegogo page ! It’s a known fact – the world is always a better place with moreRowdy Roddy Piper!

 

Jurassic World’s Special Effects Don’t Look So Special!

I just watched the latest trailer to the heavily anticipated Jurassic World, the fourth film of the franchise. I’m a huge fan of the first movie, it completely blew me away back in 1993. It was the first time I truly felt like I was seeing a real living breathing dinosaur on film.

I was blown away and much of the reason for that was the film’s special effects, which at the time were groundbreaking as CG was taken to a whole new level. But it really wasn’t all because of the CG, it was the way it was used along with incredible practical effects from Stan Winston. Winston actually built giant animatronic dinosaurs to use for many of the shots, they used CG only when needed and blended it together seamlessly. Check this out, it’s pretty  mind blowing…

This is why the dinos were so damn believable. Then the second and third movies followed, and though  not nearly as excellent as the first, I enjoyed them both. Now it’s 2014 and you might expect that over 20 years after the original we’d be more than amazed by the dinosaurs of Jurassic World, however after watching the trailer this certainly is not the case. Thus far this movie looks like pretty much any glossy blockbuster with the standard lazy CG we’ve grown used to over the years. I’m hoping there’s some magic here in Jurassic Park, I can’t help but wonder if it’s really missing Stan Winston’s genius…what do you think?

 

Comic Book Cover of the Week: She-Hulk’s Racey 80’s Centerfold!

This particular cover for Fantastic Four # 275 has always been a total favorite of mine! In fact when the Thing left the Fantastic Four back in the early 1980’s I was at first super pissed! But then he got his solo book which ended up being one of my favorite titles as a kid and I was totally thrilled when the FF got their replacement for The Thing- The Sensational She-Hulk!! The Hulk was my all time favorite superhero so of course I was always totally crazy (and a bit crushed out on) about She-Hulk! So apparently was John Byrne-as he gave her a shot as a member of the team and eventually gave her a solo comic series and a graphic novel of her own! This Byrne cover shows an enraged She-Hulk as she get ready to confront a sleazy magazine publisher who took candid photos of her sunbathing topless!! Bad bad move my friend!!

Was ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ Dumb Enough?!!

I am a big fan of much of Jim Carrey’s 90’s comedic roles, I love the  Ace Ventura franchise, Liar Liar was brilliant and of course Dumb and Dumber is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I was thrilled to hear that a  real sequel was finally going to happen for Dumb and Dumber, let’s try and forget that there was a low profile prequel back in 2003 called “Dumb and Dumberer” (great title though) which did not star Jim Carrey or Jeff Daniels and it was pretty terrible. So now we’ve got a reunion of sorts nearly 20 years later with the new movie. It’s always a tough call on whether or not they can recreate the magic of previous works, whether it be a band reforming or team of actors and directors targeting our nostalgia.   So did Carrey, Daniels and The Farrelly brothers give us a worthy sequel? I’d have to say they gave it a decent shot, and there were some genuinely funny moments but in the end I think the movie tried a bit too hard with a much too complicated, almost carbon copy of the first, weak ass plot. This like the first in many ways, takes our two favorite aging numbskulls on yet another road trip. It places them in a completely ridiculous story that seems almost as unnecessary and dumb as the leads. I like stupid, but I love it more when Harry and Lloyd are placed in a more believable world and they interact with people who aren’t necessarily in on the joke as well. Just seeing what the two of them are up to these days would have been good enough for me without involving a ridiculous murder plot with characters that are  equally as stupid, but not nearly as funny as and Harry & Lloyd. That being said there’s no shortage of the crude humor of the first and in many ways it goes even further down the truly “dumb” route. Exactly what you might expect from these two  morons who appear to have aged quite a bit but remain the same mentally as they were 20 years ago. Now don’t get me wrong I totally think Carrey & Daniels still have the chemistry and had the plot and writing been more solid the movie would have been a real winner. It’s great seeing Carrey back at what really made him shine, ridiculously stupid characters, because no one can do it quite like him. The two of them are clearly having a great time onscreen together. That being said I feel perhaps the real problem here is maybe the Farrelly Brothers, I mean think about it, what was their last genuinely funny movie? I’d say they have three, Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary- were all excellent and those were also their first three movies. I hope that this spawns a third film for the real Harry and Lloyd, I’d honestly like to see these two get another shot with different directors and writers, because even though this one missed the mark their still two of my favorite movie idiots of all time. I’d say this one is worth a view but don’t expect the riot of the first flick!

Stan Winston Fans Rejoice for ‘A Gnome Named Gnorm’?!

I love Stan Winston, he made soooo many amazing movie monsters come to life with his genius special effects wizardry! From the Predator, to the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to the incredible Pumpkinhead! Yes Pumpkinhead is one of my fave monster movies of the 1980’s hands down, and it was also directed by good ol’ Stan! Now let it be known that he really didn’t direct much, The Terminator 2 mini-film for the Universal Studios theme park and the Michael Jackson movie/video “Ghosts” in 1997 I thought was it for him. But I just found out today that he did indeed direct another full length feature film besides Pumpkinhead, so naturally I was pumped to check out his follow-up he did back in 1990!   Well it just so happens to be a flick titled “A Gnome Named Norm” starring Anthony Michael Hall and a horny ass Gnome who’s lookin’ too impress the ladies!

Check out the trailer:

Well, now isn’t that something?! It looks like perhaps Winston was the inspiration behind flicks like “Munchie”?

Not quite what I was expecting after motherfuckin’ Pumpkinhead, but hey I gotta say that ‘A Gnome Named Gnorm’ looks like a damn good time!! So this one will go on my list of must watch movies-however this one I may need to view with a gang of friends and a few too many drinks!

You can watch the full feature on youtube too! This movie also went by the name ‘Upworld’, it’s crazy to find movies like this that somehow slipped under the radar!

‘Late Phases’ Promises Old School Werewolves!!!

Great werewolf movies are pretty damn hard to come by these days but it looks like we finally have a winner coming our way soon! ‘Late Phases’ looks like a full on no BS old school werewolf movie just the way they were meant to be. The last truly great werewolf flick I saw was the incredible Dog Soldiers, which I can say without a doubt is one of the best werewolf movies of all time. The wait may be over though as Late Phases already looks like it’s got the genre by the horns, boasting incredible practical effects with a downright freaky ass looking werewolf!

Late-Phases

The movie was written by Eric Stolz who also penned the impressive monster flick “Under the Bed” a couple years ago and directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano who directed the creepy ass “Here Comes the Devil”. I am excited to see if this one can bring back the genre to the classic feel of movies like The Howling & An American Werewolf in London. The synopsis goes something like this:

“Crescent Bay is not the ideal place to spend one’s golden years, especially since the once-idyllic retirement community has been beset by a series of deadly animal attacks from the ominous forest surrounding it. When grizzled war veteran Ambrose McKinley (Nick Damici) is forced into moving there by his yuppie son Will (Ethan Embry), the residents immediately take offense to Ambrose’s abrasive personality. But that take-no-prisoners attitude may be just what Ambrose needs to survive as it becomes clear that the attacks are being caused by creatures that are neither animal nor man, and that the tight-knit community of Crescent Bay is hiding something truly sinister in its midst…”

Count me in! It’s been too long, I can’t stand anymore handsome CG werewolves!! Look for this one in limited theaters November 21st!

 

Captain Kirk Gets His Groove On!! “The Enemy Within” Video Drops!

Finally!  We drop the new video by nerdcore dancehall superheroes Mister Saturday & Ensly Mogul! This one takes the duo on board the USS Enterprise where they sing the intergalactic anthem “The Enemy Within”!

Check it as they literally beam aboard to observe the mayhem that ensues on this classic adventure! Evil Captain Kirk just can’t seem to get enough of that damn brandy!! Download the song for free right HERE!

Comic Book Cover of the Week: Brian Bolland’s Cyborg Superman!

It’s a fact, Brian Bolland is probably one of the BEST comic book artists of all time-his most famous work on The Killing Joke proves that, giving us arguably the most awesome representation of The Joker ever. He was also very popular for his comic covers, his work on the Flash are easily some of the best covers of all time. This particular issue # 571 of Action Comics from 1985 remains one of my favorites! Super simplistic but totally awesome as we get malfunctioning robotic version of Clark Kent on the cover, Bolland’s eye for detail always shows and this one is a classic!

Punktendo: Play Nintendo as Classic Punk Icons?

So it looks like someone decided that it’d be cool to recreate some of the classic Nintendo games with punk icons in the roles of your favorite video game characters. I guess this is kinda neat, a bit random & pointless maybe but still an interesting twist. You can play these games for free on Punktendo.com.

You can play as Milo of  The Descendents in “Milo-fu”, you can play as the fan punching Fat Mike in a game of Golf, You can be Danzig in Mega Man or you can be Mikey Erg (not quite a punk icon, but maybe the creator’s friend?) in Super Mario Bros. as well as a few other non punk games like “Gay Popeye” etc.

I’d have been a bit more pumped if these games had more original concepts behind them, like a nerd revenge game with “Milo in Milo in College” taking on jock bullies would be a fun one. If anything though these are worth a play or two just for kicks- check it out! Oh yeah and this happened a day or so ago, Fat Mike kicked the shit out of one of his fans at a NOFX show who jumped on stage to sing along to one of his fave tunes! now this could be a great video game concept- Fat Mike’s ‘Fan Attack’! In the video game happy NOFX fans could storm the stage in joy and you could control Fat Mike as he beats their asses to a pulp!! I’m thinking kinda like Robotron: 2084 maybe? Damn I should be making these games-they’d be a helluva lot more interesting!!