March 29, 2011

FMWL's March Midnight Madness Tournament - Round Two (Part One of Two)

Where there once were 64, there are now 32.  And as we enter round two of FMWL's March Midnight Madness Tournament, the matchups suddenly start to look a little tougher.  Some of the films I thought would go a long way are already gone, and some films I assumed no one else had seen are still standing.  The initial bracket I filled out based on my preferences - more on that someday - has already lost two of its final four flicks.  And now...the Selection Committee is back (with one new member, the fabulous Christine of Paracinema!) and ready to pare the field down to the SINISTER SIXTEEN!

If you missed Round One, go HERE to check out all the tourney action!
If you want to know who the selection committee for Round Two is, here they are:
Are you ready?  Let's see what we've got!

The Frankenstein Regional
What The Mike says: Roadgames is one of my favorite underdogs in the tournament.  It's got Stacy Keach rockin' a mean 'stache, Jamie Lee being her, and a great Hitchcockian vibe.  It's a ton of fun.  BUT...Predator is Predator.  I could watch it every day and never get tired of it.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "While the Predator is quite a formidable foe, and Stacy Keach would probably be easily beaten up by Arnold and Co., my love for anything Hitchcock-esque is giving Roadgames the psychological edge in this match-up, over the superior physical force in Predator." - Emily C
  • "The PREDATOR pushes his self-destruct button to destroy these ROAD GAMES." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "When you get right down to it, a film can only reach the true heights of beauty if it has a beefcake commando who is more incomprehensible than the crab-faced alien man-slaughterer that is hunting his hunky white ass down." - Joe Monster
  • "Once again, not much competition for the film with more baby oil and testosterone than a Mr. Universe competition. One of the best action films ever made, one of the best creatures ever created and one of the toughest casts to ever be cast, Predator makes it through another round without any sort of resistance from the opposition." - Matt
The Vote: Predator 9, Roadgames 2 - PREDATOR moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
What The Mike says: Differing styles battle here, with the black and white horror tale taking on the colorful noir tale.  Pretty Poison carries a couple of game changing performers in Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld, but I like Herk Harvey's low budget flick to stay strong and hold off the young and dangerous lovers in my heart.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Pretty Poison's deranged duo are fun to watch, but nothing can beat the existential dread of Herk Harvey's no-budget masterpiece." - Andreas
  • "Carnival of Souls has to win, purely based on the fact that Pretty Poison sounds like it could be a Twilight sequel. Harsh, but true." - Liam
  • "Tell me one thing: what is it that you’re gonna be thinking of while you’re lying in your bed late at night? Is it gonna be the handsome Anthony Perkins being corrupted by the lust to kill and influencing pretty cheerleaders? Or will it be the demon-ghoul with the wide, black-rimmed eyes staring you down as he reaches out to you, smiling all the while? Terrified yet? Carnival wins." - Joe Monster
  • "Tuesday Weld relied on her feminine wiles to get her film though rough round one, but facing off against Candice Hilligoss and Carnival of Souls' late game offense, Pretty Poison lacks potency. In a match up between Carnies and Cheerleaders, Carnies always win." - TL Bugg
    The Vote: Carnival of Souls 11, Pretty Poison 1 - CARNIVAL OF SOULS moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
    What The Mike says: I know TCM is certainly a more terrifying flick, and it holds a big place in horror history.  But They Live is a personal fave to me, and I can't avoid picking it.  Plus, I think my MMOTW post about it (linked above) is about the only thing I've ever written that's worth a damn.
    What the Selection Committee says:
    • "This is like making me pick a favorite child. Both films helped shape my genre love and each have a special place in my cinematic heart. TCM. But don’t tell They Live…" - Christine
    • "I'm here to pick They Live, and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of bubble gum! Yeah I know that was lame, but I had to do it!" - R.D. Penning
    • "At one point in my life I had a TCM “Who will Survive and What Will Become Of Them” poster hanging over my bed. A woman I’d previously dated/turned gay took it down and put a Say anything poster in its place, promising me it would improve my results with the ladies. Sure enough, soon afterwards the two of us had a brief but torrid fling While John Cusack, boombox in two, kept silent watch." - Mike S.
    • "They Live ...by a buzzer-beater bucket in the 2nd OT." - Geof
    The Vote: They Live 2, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 12 - THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
    What The Mike says: I do love Ginger Snaps greatly, but Dead of Night wins another vote from me.  The goofy golf ghost tale, the wrap-around story, and - most of all - Hugo, cement it in my heart as the king og the anthologies.
    What the Selection Committee says:
    • "Werewolves and sexual politics make for good horror, but the brilliant anthology film Dead of Night leaves Ginger Snaps in the dust for one reason: Hugo." - Andreas
    • "Feminism! Werewolves! Katharine Isabelle! *swoon*" - Christine
    • "Those who know me realize that my love for werewolves is nothing short of rabid. But when you pair the story of an angsty teenage lycanthrope with one of, if not the, greatest terror anthologies to ever be committed to the screen, there’s just no denying my decision. Dead of Night also claims an edge for helping to solidify my traumatizing fear of little wooden men who sit on laps." - Joe Monster
    • "Ginger Snaps gets my vote here because I don't want to vote against a hormonal crazed teenage werewolf- I have a feeling that she'd be a much harder foe than anything that Dead of Night could throw my way." - Emily C
    The Vote: Ginger Snaps 9, Dead of Night 3 - GINGER SNAPS moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
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    With two rounds in the books, The Frankenstein Regional is left with aliens, spectres, chainsaws, and werewolves.  If that quartet doesn't make your blood boil, check your pulse!
    SINISTER SIXTEEN MATCHUPS - The Frankenstein Regional
    #1 Seed - Predator vs. #5 Seed - Carnival of Souls
    #3 Seed - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre vs. #7 Seed - Ginger Snaps
    The Myers Regional
    #1 Seed - MMOTW #25: The Thing vs. #9 Seed - MMOTW #15: The House of the Devil
    What The Mike says: I still don't get how IMDB users fave The House of the Devil a NINE seed.  Heck, I see it no lower than a 4.  BUT...The Thing is all kinds of a one seed.  Its' so good.  Really good.  Can anything stop Carpenter and Russell?
    What the Selection Committee says:
    • "A valiant effort, but really...it's The Thing" - Emily
    • "No contest really, The Thing has to win because it's Kurt Russell and John Carpenter. You can't argue with that logic I'm afraid." - Liam
    • "Ti West is one of my favorite new horror directors because he has shown that he can handle an over-the-top gore fest as well as the “slow burn” tension builder.  If this was Micheal Chiklis’ version of The Thing, I’d say Ti would have it no problem…but it’s not, it’s Carpenter’s." - B.Stank
    The Vote:  The Thing 14, The House of the Devil 0 - THE THING moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
    What The Mike says: This is a big no contest in my eyes.  Stir of Echoes is good, but Big Trouble in Little China is a one of a kind flick that I love dearly.  Carpenter and Russell reign again!
    What the Selection Commitee says:
    • "I love me a creepy ghost story even more than absurdist humor." - Mike S.
    • "No contest really, Big Trouble in Little China has to win because it's Kurt Russell and John Carpenter. You can't argue with that logic I'm afraid." - Liam
    • "An insanely odd and endlessly entertaining film that is 100% powered by Kurt Russell's mullet." - Emily
    • "Carpenter and Russell are the Pippen and Jordon of this series, but they're not going to be content til they clear this round and face off against themselves and The Thing in the semis." - TL Bugg
    The Vote: Stir of Echoes 3, Big Trouble in Little China 9 - BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA moves on the Sinister Sixteen!
    #6 Seed - MMOTW #59: Sisters vs. #3 Seed - MMOTW #13: The Body Snatcher
    What The Mike says: Man, this is a tough one. These are certainly polar opposite films, but I think I give Karloff's diabolical turn in The Body Snatcher the edge by a Hare.
    The Selection Committee says:
    • "This was a very difficult one for me, but I think Sisters pulls it out by just a hair." - R.D. Penning
    • "The dark streets of Scotland? The corpse stealing? The murder, the mayhem? The KARLOFF? You know where's it at." - Joe Monster
    • "I have a sick De Palma obsession. If Sisters was a person, I’d marry it." - Christine
    The Vote: Sisters 8, The Body Snatcher 2 - SISTERS moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
    What The Mike says: The combination of Caroline Williams and Dennis Hopper, when mixed with the clan from the original TCM, makes for great fun.  I certainly admire Friday the 13th for what it did for slashers...but I prefer most of its sequels to it.  TCM 2 gets my blessing.
    What the Selection Committee says:
    • "While The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was an entertainingly odd follow-up to the masterpiece of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it's no match for Mrs. Voorhees' revenge motivated massacre and Kevin Bacon's short shorts." - Emily C.
    • "Dog will hunt...and drown on FRIDAY THE 13TH." - Fred [The Wolf]
    • "This is one of the tougher match-ups for me, mostly because I like the films almost equally. However, I think the edge goes to Friday simply for the fact that it spawned a creature way more massive than anyone could have ever imagined, not only with its own long-lasting franchise, but the influence it had on the Slasher genre." - Matt
    • "This is the film that introduced me to the joys of Bill Moseley. I still get the giggles watching him cook up little bits of his scalp on his metal plate." - Mike S.
    The Vote: Friday the 13th 7, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Two 6 - FRIDAY THE 13TH moves on to the Sinister Sixteen!
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    Something...just a gut feeling, I guess...tells me that we're gonna see a Kurt Russell/John Carpenter film move on next round.  And on the other side of the region, the artistry of De Palma will face off with the mother of cheap slashers.  As a wise man once said, I'd buy that for a dollar!
    SINISTER SIXTEEN MATCHUPS - The Myers Regional
    #1 Seed - The Thing vs. #4 Seed - Big Trouble in Little China
    #6 Seed - Sisters vs. #10 Seed - Friday the 13th
    at

    3 comments:

    1. R.D. Penning8:23 AM, March 30, 2011

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. R.D. Penning8:24 AM, March 30, 2011

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. R.D. Penning8:25 AM, March 30, 2011

      Third times a charm, haha. Great Job Mike! It is getting interesting!

      ReplyDelete