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March 25, 2011

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

If you missed Part One of the Round One, go here.
If you want to know who the selection committee for Round One is, here they are:
Now, let's all move on to.....
THE MYERS REGIONAL
 What The Mike says: This is the highest rated film (or, the number one overall seed) vs. the lowest rated.  And boy, does it show.  The Thing, of course. 
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "THE THING is the greatest remake of all time.  THE FOOD is the San Francisco 49ers vs. a rubber chicken.  It would be great if they remade it with the current real-life coach of the 49ers, Mike Singletary, bringing his terrible team to the island to be devoured by giant gerbils." - B.Stank
  • "The Thing: Aw, Food of the Gods, you’re awfully adorable with those fuzzy rats and fuzzy chest hairs on the late and still handsome Leslie Nielsen, but playing against The Thing is like watching Michael Jordan play against the idea that he’s actually retired." - Emily
  • "John Carpenter’s The Thing: “Man is The Warmest Place to Hide." The Food of the Gods: “Welcome to the Bottom of the Food Chain!”  The Food of the Gods does feature an alluring tagline, but John Carpenter’s The Thing wins because, well, it’s John Carpenter AND Kurt Russell and it’s awesome. Fact." - Liam
The Vote: The Thing 12, The Food of the Gods 0 - THE THING moves on!
What The Mike says: I am shocked and appalled that The House of the Devil's IMDB rating was low enough to "earn" it a NINE seed.  Seriously, I'm shocked.  It's one of the best horrors in YEARS, and I give it a nudge over the fun Crusoe/Mars flick.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Robinson Crusoe on Mars may make for campy (and monkey-filled) fun, but it's no match for Ti West's retro, understated thrills." - Andreas
  • "Ti West can do no wrong in my book. I ranked this as my #1 film of 2009, it get’s the easy nod this round. Despite seeing this at least a half dozen times, that scene in the graveyard where Megan meets a short and brutal end out of nowhere makes me jump every time still." - Mike S.
  • "I’m confused. Are these not the same movie?" - TL Bugg
The Vote: Robinson Crusoe on Mars 2, The House of the Devil 7 - THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL moves on!
What The Mike says: I'm ALL ABOUT CLOWNHOUSE here.  I like Stir of Echoes a bunch, sure.  But Clownhouse, as sick and twisted as the story behind it is, was a family tradition when I was growing up.  It's one of the rare movies that's actually kind of a part of me, and it's a shame the director's a perv and now no one can see it.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Clownhouse: My feelings on Clownhouse are incredibly complicated (see Paracinema (Note from The Mike: PLEASE READ PARACINEMA, y'all!) Issue 10) and my adoration for all things bacon certainly extends to all things Bacon, but I find Stir of Echoes gets stuck in that goo that often slogs ghost tales, i.e., there being a letdown once (SPOILER ALERT) the ghosts turn out to be just rather than vengeful." - Emily
  • "As much as I enjoy The Sixth Sense, I always found it to be very unfortunate that due to the success of that film, Stir of Echoes went almost completely unnoticed. Stir of Echoes is wicked underrated, brah." - Matt
  • "STIR OF ECHOES has six more degrees than CLOWNHOUSE ever will." - Fred [The Wolf]
The Vote: Stir of Echoes 6, Clownhouse 4 - STIR OF ECHOES moves on!
What The Mike says: I never vote against Carpenter or Kurt Russell.  Period.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Scarecrows. What can I say? I live in Iowa." - R.D. Penning
  • "Scarecrows: I LOVE John Carpenter’s insane ‘80s candy, but Scarecrows is one of those low budget ‘80s horrors that could, a film I saw on VHS back when video stores were heaven on earth and one that has lasted through memory and Monsters HD airings alone (until now, where any old North American can experience it on Instant Watch)." - Emily
  • "This is my favorite documentary about Kurt Russell." - Mike S.
  • "You know what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like this? Scarcrows doesn’t stand a chance." - Matt
The Vote: Big Trouble in Little China 8, Scarecrows 2 - BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA moves on!
What The Mike says: I actually paused on this one for a while, but then I realized that it was probably only because I just saw Of Unknown Origin for the first time.  I really liked that flick, but have a feeling that once my proximity infatuation wears off I'll realize it doesn't stand up to my love for De Palma's Sisters.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Mutant rats are cool and all, but De Palma's Sisters is my choice here because they are not of unknown origin, making De Palma's film much more real, and psychologically unnerving." - Emily C.
  • "Sisters: “What the Devil hath joined together let no man cut asunder.” Of Unknown Origin: “Two forces have claimed the house. Only one will survive.”  Of Unknown Origin does sound interesting, but Sisters wins because 1) I’ve actually seen it and it’s good, and 2) It’s Brian De Palma. Plus I quite enjoy the language used in the tagline, it’s all quaint and eloquent and stuff." - Liam
  • "Twice the Margot Kidder, double the win for SISTERS." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "Of Unknown Origin - only because I just got done reading your review" - R.D. Penning (Note from The Mike: DO YOU SEE??? I do have powers after all! MUAHAHAHA!)
The Vote: Sisters 7, Of Unknown Origin 1 - SISTERS moves on!
What The Mike says: Happy Birthday to Me and I are pretty tight, but Karloff means something.  Plus, Lugosi.  Therefore, I'm down with The Body Snatcher.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "I love The Body Snatcher's portrayal of Burke and Hare, and Karloff gives a wonderful performance, but Happy Birthday to Me wins here due to it's creative kills and memorable birthday party finale." - Emily C
  • "I blew out the candles and my wish came true: THE BODY SNATCHER won the round." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "Canada threw some high heat in the early 80’s when it came to slasher films. I love the fact that this is essentially a Scooby Doo whodunit episode right down to the unmasking at the end-except this episode would feature Scrappy getting a metal shish kabob jammed down his gullet. I also love the scene where the college kids are kicking back at the pub and mixing it up with the townies. Yeah, they were hooligans, but they weren’t unlikeable douche nozzles that we typically see nowadays. The only drawback to the film is it stretched out a bit too long." - Mike S.
The Vote: The Body Snatcher 5, Happy Birthday to Me 4 - THE BODY SNATCHER moves on!
What The Mike says: This is where I disagree with most of the horror 'verse.  I'd rather have a middling gothic horror over a F13 movie almost any day of the week.  If we're talking about one of the cheesy F13 sequels I might think a bit harder about picking it, but since it's the first I'm siding with Doc Z.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Jess Franco at his most artistic is no match for Mrs. Voorhees at her most murderous." - TL Bugg
  • "I liked slasher movies more when they played out like a Miss Marple story and the killer looked a little bit like my mom." - Mike S.
  • "While the villainess in The Diabolical Doctor Z kills in a much more unique fashion than Mrs. Voorhees' machete attacks by using her poison tipped fingernails, I'm rooting for simplicity and big knives here.  Plus, Friday the 13th gets points for the ending making me jump every single time."
The Vote: The Diabolical Doctor Z 0, Friday the 13th 9 - FRIDAY THE 13TH moves on!
What The Mike says: YOU GUYS.  I know we're all a lot younger than Horror of Dracula, but COME ON!  This is Hammer's masterpiece!  It's so groundbreaking and cool and luscious, and...well, no there aren't any chainsaws.  But I so heart Hammer's Dracula.  Y'all won't let me down, right?
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "TCM 2 is an above-average sequel buoyed by black humor and a crazier-than-usual Dennis Hopper, but it has nothing on Lee's iconic performance and the garish color of this Hammer classic." - Andreas
  • "Cushing, Lee…so unbelievably classic.  But let’s face it, Dracula has been around for over a century. Chop Top is one of the most original and unforgettable genre characters from the last 30 years.  May “horror purists” condemn me to hell!!" - B.Stank
  • "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is good old sleazy fun, but Horror of Dracula is a beautiful film and possibly by favorite adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, thus I choose Horror of Dracula." - Emily C
  • "I love Christopher Lee. I really do. I love him as Dracula, but... not as much as Bela Lugosi and not as much as Texas Chainsaw Massacre. To paraphrase Chop Top, that dog will NOT hunt!" - TL Bugg
The Vote: Horror of Dracula: 5, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: 6 - THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 moves on!
---------------------------------------------------------------
OK you guys, that last one stung.  But, The Mike plays through pain.  Will the next region hold more shocking upsets?  Can John Carpenter and Kurt Russell defeat all?  We'll find out soon enough!
SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS - The Myers Regional
#1 Seed - The Thing vs. #9 Seed - The House of the Devil
#5 Seed - Stir of Echoes vs. #4 Seed - Big Trouble in Little China
#6 Seed - Sisters vs. #3 Seed - The Body Snatcher
#10 Seed - Friday the 13th vs. #15 Seed - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 7:31 AM 3 Midnight Warriors
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March 24, 2011

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

It's been teased and it's been announced, but now IT IS HERE.  All 64 films that have been listed as Midnight Movie of the Week at FMWL have been entered in to ONE big bracket...and impartial voters (and occasionally me) will decide which ones will move on until one film stands alone as the 2010-2011 MIDNIGHT MOVIE OF THE YEAR!  (If you missed the set-up and the rules, here's where it resides.)
With four regions of sixteen films to get through, the first round has been a bit of an undertaking.  Thus, I will present one region at a time, and posts throughout the week will cover the rest of the round. Big thanks to the following fine folks for joining the selection committee (aka, for being the voters) this round. 
(I will also share what I would have picked, but my vote will only count as a tiebreaker if the committee can't determine a winner.)
By the way, since many have not seen all the films, I told each member of the selection committee to make their choices based on whatever means they saw fit.  Admit it, you do the same thing with your NCAA basketball bracket!

And now...here we go!  The first region is......
THE FRANKENSTEIN REGIONAL
#1 Seed - MMOTW #49: Predator vs. #16 Seed - MMOTW #30: C.H.U.D
What The Mike says: Man, I was soooo crushed when I realized that IMDB ratings would make C.H.U.D. a 16 seed, and was even more bummed when it ended up against Predator.  I love those goofy creatures in that serious movie...but Predator is perhaps the ultimate Dude movie.  I'll pick that one...ANYTIME.
What The Selection Committee says:
  • "As much as I like my Canibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers and the fact that it was filmed in NYC, you can't beat Arnold Schwartzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura hunting down the Predator. PREDATOR rules." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "Arnold is the end all deciding factor in any mach up. Always. Plus, I don’t see anyone voting against him again. No longer being the governor only means he can get to da choppa and come kick-in the teeth of all that oppose him. And rightfully so."  - Matt House
  • "Let's see... Predator has aliens, but C.H.U.D. has C.H.U.D.s.  On this one I'm going with C.H.U.D. for the win as any movie that has such a strong Home Alone pedigree, as it stars both Peter McCallister AND Marv, and also has CHUDs, which is just funner to say, deserves it." - Emily C
  • "The Predator is looking strong matched up against the C.H.U.D, but I still contend that Arnie’s fang faced foes often sound like they’re smoking a bong. I think that’s what going to happen here as the Predators were high as a kite throwing around Smart Disks and playing hacky sack, and C.H.U.D. came out of nowhere (technically underground) to steal this match-up away."- T.L. Bugg
The Vote: Predator 10, C.H.U.D. 2 - PREDATOR moves on!
What The Mike says: Night Creatures is a fun Hammer flick, but it might be one of my least favorite MMOTWs.  Sure, that's like calling something one of Oprah's least favorite canned hams (c'mon, y'all know she loves 'em), but it just doesn't stand up to Richard Franklin's Hitch homage with a healthy dose of STACY FREAKIN' KEACH.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Night Creatures: “Their oath was... TERROR! Their cry... BLOOD!”  Road Games: “One game kills time - The other kills people!”  A brilliant use of capitals, exclamation marks and ellipses means Night Creatures wins this one. Admittedly I haven’t seen either, but Night Creatures sounds fantastic while Road Games sounds pretty standard." - Liam (BTW - Liam, wanting to be as impartial as possible to films he hadn't seen, had the awesome idea of picking winners based on their tagline.  Charlie Sheen and I call that WINNING.)
  • "Road Games - I have a soft spot for Australian films from the 80s." - R.D. Penning
  • "I haven't seen Night Creatures, but it does star Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed, and has pirates!!  Road Games though, while it lacks pirates, takes place in Australia (one of the coolest places ever), has Jamie Lee Curtis, and is an homage to Hitchcock.  I pick Road Games." - Emily C
The Vote: Night Creatures 4, Roadgames 5 - ROADGAMES moves on!
What The Mike says: I gotta go with Carnival of Souls here.  It's simply one of the most beautiful and haunting classic horrors I know of.
What the Selection Committee says: 
  • "Carnival of Souls: This one hurts me, since Cat’s Eye is, in my opinion, a highly underrated anthology that features the scariest portrayal of a child-killing goblin of all time. Even so, that black and white slice of public domain greatness remains a truly haunting, original, and influential film that simply can’t lose." - Emily
  • "CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a classic, but I got a lot of love for Drew Barrymore, that little troll, and CAT'S EYE. Plus, the cat looked exactly like my very first pet, so CAT'S EYE wins this one for me." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "I’m going to go with the film that I’m pretty certain started the whole “twist” ending in supernatural stories and not hold the fact that it probably was the inspiration behind M Knight Shamalamdingdongs career. It’s a tough call but Carnival gets the nod over a prepubescent coked up Drew Barrymore in a Stephen King Anthology. (I still love Quitter’s Inc, though.)" - Mike S.
The Vote: Carnival of Souls 9, Stephen King's Cat's Eye 3 - CARNIVAL OF SOULS moves on!
 
#4 Seed - MMOTW #28: Pretty Poison vs. #13 Seed: MMOTW #55: The Illustrated Man
What The Mike says:  Pretty Poison is so much fun.  The Illustrated Man...well, it's odd.  I always pick the charmer, so I'm going with the #4 seed here.
What The Selection Committee says:
  • "Bradbury has a good outside game with The Illustrated Man, but Tuesday Weld told me that I should pick Pretty Poison so that’s what I’m gonna do."  - TL Bugg
  • "Pretty Poison: “She's such a sweet girl. He's such a nice boy. They'll scare the hell out of you.” The Illustrated Man: “Don't dare stare at the illustrated man.”  I quite like the rhyme used in the tagline for The Illustrated Man, which beats Pretty Poison’s rather lacklustre generic sounding idea. I want to know why I shouldn’t stare at the illustrated man!" - Liam
The Vote: Pretty Poison 5, The Illustrated Man 4 - PRETTY POISON moves on!
#6 Seed - MMOTW #31: They Live vs. #11 Seed - MMOTW #24: Fire in the Sky

What The Mike says: When I first shared the bracket with the selection committee, a few voters' first response was something like "I sure hope no one picks Fire in the Sky over They Live!"  I can't argue with them, as They Live always cheers me up.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Alien abduction with no anal probe or one of the best back alley brawls on film starring “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (also with no anal probe)?  THEY LIVE." - B.Stank
  • "They Live: Both films are primarily known for one scene, and let’s face it: a 20 minute fistfight over accessories beats a creepy abduction in Willy Wonka’s space factory" - Emily
  • "Hmmm, aliens vs. aliens for this battle.  In They Live, they are sneaky and prey on the consumerist nature of human beings, and in Fire in the Sky they just like to abduct humans and perform experiments on them... since Fire in the Sky is reputably based on a true story, and because they are the type of alien that I'd have had nightmares about as a kid, and because the abduction scene is just so darn freaky, I choose Fire in the Sky." - Emily C
  • "Roddy Piper just crushes it in this film. It’s a travesty he never became a bigger action star after this. This film gave us one of the all time best one liners of any movie ever. The OBEY tee shirt was my first Fright Rags purchase. This one is going to go far in The Dance."- Mike S.
The Vote: They Live 10, Fire in the Sky 1 - THEY LIVE moves on!
What The Mike says: I love Raw Meat....but Massacre is the right word for this matchup.  Now let's celebrate both movies over chili!
What the Selection Committee says:
  •    "The #3 seed is my #3 all-time favorite horror film, therefore my pick is a no brainer." - Matt
  • "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: “Who will survive and what will be left of them?”
    Raw Meat: “Beneath Modern London Lives a Tribe of Once Humans. Neither Men Nor Women...They Are the Raw Meat Of The Human Race!”
    Now this one is a close call. The tagline to Raw Meat sounds utterly fascinating, and it’s definitely going on the ‘To Watch’ list. But The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is so iconic, and that tagline is so memorable, it just has to win." - Liam
The Vote: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 12, Raw Meat 0 - TCM moves on!

What The Mike says: I'm pretty torn on this matchup.  Mr. Bronson and his melons (HEY!  Eyes up, ladies!) are always a blast, but Ginger's pubescent snap (HEY! Eyes up, fellas!) is quite enticing.  I think I'm leaning toward the '70s cool of Majestyk, particularly because it reminds me of former Packers quarterback Don Majikowski.  Yup.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "As Fred [The Wolf], I can't go against my werewolf sisters. GINGER SNAPS it is." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "Watermelon farmer vs. werewolves... interesting matchup here.  I have not had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Majestyk as of yet, but Ginger Snaps is one of my favorite werewolf films, and is an awesome coming-into-the-curse-of-womanhood story as well which I'm pretty sure no amount of watermelons could beat in my book, so it's Ginger Snaps for the win." - Emily C
  • "A young girl discovering womanhood or Charles “motherfucking” Bronson?  As original an idea as GINGER SNAPS is, what kind of a man would I be?!" Winner: Mr. Majestyk - B.Stank
The Vote: Ginger Snaps 8, Mr. Majestyk 2 - GINGER SNAPS moves on!
#2 Seed - MMOTW #8: Dead of Night vs. #15 Seed - MMOTW #50: Blue Steel What The Mike says: I'm gonna tell y'all this right now....Dead of Night is the most underrated movie in this whole tournament.  It's pretty much the king of all horror anthologies.  Yes, ahead of Creepshow.  I just love it.  I love Ron Silver and JLC as well, but not like I love Dead of Night.
What the Selection Committee says:
  • "Dead of Night - Just because Blue Steel is just plain bad." - R.D. Penning
  • "BLUE STEEL, only because I feel Jamie Lee Curtis needs to go a second round in a film that's a whole lot better than ROAD GAMES." - Fred [The Wolf]
  • "While it lacks the rawness that came with Le Tigre and Ferrari, Blue Steel is a pose that is quite simply unforgettable." - Matt
The Vote: Dead of Night 5, Blue Steel 4 - DEAD OF NIGHT moves on!
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With the number two seed surviving a scare thanks to some silent voters (Thank you, Misters Sol, Monster, and Geof!) we're left with only one minor upset in the Frankenstein Regional!  Will the rest of the bracket follow suit, or are we all doomed???  Come back next time for the results of our next region!

SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS - The Frankenstein Regional
#1 Seed -Predator vs. #9 Seed -Roadgames
#5 Seed - Carnival of Souls vs. #4 Seed - Pretty Poison
#6 Seed - They Live vs. #3 Seed - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
#7 Seed - Ginger Snaps vs. #2 Seed - Dead of Night
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 10:51 PM 4 Midnight Warriors
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March 23, 2011

Links and FMWL News! - Hitchcock, Flickchart, and FMWL's March Midnight Madness BEGINS!

Aloha, Midnight Warriors!  Nothing too big to post today, but I wanted to let you in on some fantastic stuff going on right about now.  Let's get to it!
  • Also, don't forget to vote for the Rondo Awards!  Yes, FMWL is nominated for Best Blog, but the point is that you should vote for WHATVER YOU LIKE!  If you like classic horror, and you should, this is where you vote!  Click the link on the side, click this link right here, click something.  Just vote.  (And don't feel bad, I didn't vote for me either.)
  • Speaking of great blogs, I'm honored to have had a chance to participate in the Hitch on the Hump series over at The Lightning Bug's Lair.  If the cards had shook differently, y'all might not have ever gotten a FMWL, because I may have started an all Hitchcock blog.  So, go over there to see what I have to say about my favorite director, as I discuss the legacy of Hitch's early masterpiece The 39 Steps.  And make sure to check out the rest of Mr. Bugg's stuff, because he should be talking Rondo Awards right now in my place.
And now, let's talk about what's coming to FMWL soon.  As you should know by now, the 64th Midnight Movie of the Week is now posted at FMWL, and it is March.  To many, March is synonymous with a certain collegiate basketball tournament which traditionally offered 64 teams.  If you thought The Mike wasn't gonna take advantage of that correlation...you're crazier than those who get Madness every March.

So, I present FMWL's MARCH MIDNIGHT MADNESS tournament.  Here's what's up:
  • All 64 Midnight Movies of the Week, from #1 The Devil Rides Out to #64 Evil Dead II have been broken up into four brackets of 16 films.  
  • To create an impartial set of seedings, the IMDB rating of each film was used to determine its seed in the tournament.  Thus, the four highest rated films earned the #1 seeds, the next four earned the #2 seeds, and so on. (Ties were broken by the number of voters giving the film its rating, with a higher vote total equaling a higher seed.)
  • Once the bracket was set, I had to figure out how to get results.  Though it would be fun for me to go ahead and pick my favorites, I wanted to do something else.  So, I went out and found myself a selection committee.  About 20 of FMWL's favorite bloggers and genre fans have kindly volunteered to offer opinions on the brackets, which will allow me to simply count the votes (and use my tiebreaking hammer, as is needed) while they decide which films will move on while providing their own unique insights.
There're probably some kinks to be worked out that I haven't thought of yet, but in a week or two or three we'll have one grand champion standing tall as a grand champion.   And that excites me.
So, keep your eyes open for the MARCH MIDNIGHT MADNESS tournament, which will begin Thursday night with the first bracket and an introduction to the kind folks who'll be turning in their votes regarding the winners.

Until then, enjoy this video.  And be well.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 12:50 PM 4 Midnight Warriors
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Paul

(2011, Dir. by Greg Mottola.)

Oh, Paul.  You're a movie that I immediately want to be BFFs with.  It didn't take much, with your stellar cast and tried and true buddy-comedy/road trip formula, but somehow you managed to sneak up on me and exceed the level of silly wonder that I wanted from you.  Well done.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in their third major feature together, and while Paul doesn't quite seem to be on the same level as their collaborations with Edgar Wright - there's something human about those films that feels a tiny bit forced here - it still manages to allow the duo perfect opportunities to ham it up using their trademarks.  The duo seem to be riding the audience's expectations at this point in their partnership - which is flat out mistaken for homosexuality often in this film - but they still know how to play off each other well.  Pegg still bites his knuckle and gets wide eyed while Frost still gets to be the more volatile, yet harmless part of the duo.  Their interactions with others, like Kristin Wiig's bible-thumper turned captive and Jason Bateman's straight-faced Man in Black, seem to amplify our expectations of the actors, but it works out well because they're likeable as everyman characters when considered against Hollywood's more polished stars.

The biggest third wheel to enter their lives this time is Paul, the extraterrestrial who sends them on their journey across the Western US.  Paul is voiced by Seth Rogen, and I must admit I didn't know how well Rogen would fit with the British funny men.  Thus, I found myself extremely pleased as Rogen's turn as the foul-mouthed Paul progressed.  The character of the alien, who's blessed with far more knowledge than the bumbling "nerds", matches up well with Rogen's direct delivery of the lines, yet he's still able to slip down an octave and portray a natural companion to the duo.  By the end of the film, I found myself respecting Rogen's comedic style as much as I did in the misunderstood Observe and Report from a couple of years ago.  His ability to balance humanity and insanity in that film was certainly on an opposite end of the spectrum from Paul, but both films show that he can play both sides of a character with ease.

Paul's comedic formula is nothing too groundbreaking - the characters face recurring obstacles as they try to reach an objective - but the energy the actors bring to the material helps immensely.  Frost & Pegg wrote the script themselves, so it's easy to see why they're so comfortable as the leads, but their supporting cast never seems to miss a beat either.  Wiig and Bateman both fill their roles with ease, and neither is stretching too much from the kind of roles we expect from them.  Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader add a lot of laughs as the bumbling rookie MiBs, and veteran character actor John Carroll Lynch is a fun presence as the militant Christian father of Wiig's character.  There are a few gags that fall flat with some side characters - a late film drug joke with Blythe Danner falls flat and the couple appearances of former SNL funnyman David Koechner seem to be reused Dumb & Dumber gags - but the comedy works in general because the primary characters are so fun to hang out around.

Paul also hits a nerd home run by featuring more references to other movies and pop culture into each minute than I thought was possible.  Almost all of one famous director's films are mentioned, and the man himself even makes a brief vocal cameo.  Sigourney Weaver, who gained fame through Alien encounters, has had her presence in the film spoiled by advertising, but the reveal when she does show up is quite good.  In the meantime, almost every scene features some kind of nerdy reference to everything from Back to the Future to Capturing the Friedmans.  Pegg and Frost were born from geek culture, and they have it down to an art form here.

I know Paul is a bit lacking cinematically due to its paint by numbers plot and stereotypical characters.  But when it's painted this well and the characters are this fun, I don't mind one bit.  This is an R-rated comedy that stays lighthearted, and it reminds me of the kind of comedies we'd expect from the 1980s.  The fact that much of the film seems to be on cruise control doesn't distract me from how much fun I had with Paul, because it's a film that should do for sci-fi what Zombieland did for horror.  I highly recommend it to any of my fellow nerds out there.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 1:03 AM 5 Midnight Warriors
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March 21, 2011

Midnight Movie of the Week #64 - Evil Dead II

(Note from The Mike: The MMOTW is coming at you a little early this week.  I assure you, there's a very good and very awesome reason for this.  Prepare yourselves, because MARCH MIDNIGHT MADNESS at FMWL starts very, very soon.....)
I do not believe that it is possible for me to choose Evil Dead II as Midnight Movie of the Week and only talk about Evil Dead II.  It simply can not be.  To me, the three Evil Dead films are about as closely intertwined as any trilogy out there.  Sure, the likes of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings shine as linear narratives, but the Evil Dead films represent one of the most unique triads out there due to their overlapping narrative and the shift in tone throughout the series.
Raimi's trilogy not only fascinates me due to its content - because they're certainly three of the most unique films in the horror 'verse - but due to the impact they've had on me at different times of my life.  When I started digging into horror films in my early high school years, I knew of Bruce Campbell's Ash only through my friends.  So when I did finally find a copy of Raimi's original The Evil Dead, I'm not quite sure I was ready for it.  The Ash I'd heard of was funny, but this was a dark, demonic tale that was full of splatter and tree rape.  I knew what I was seeing was something different and special, but it wasn't at all what I expected.  When I told my friends that I had seen it, they shrugged and said something like "Nah, man, you need to see Army of Darkness!"
It didn't take much prodding to convince me to check out that film, which is 100% my kind of movie.  I wasn't even sure what my kind of movie was at this point, but that didn't matter.  It was my kind of comedy, mixing a slew of sight gags and practical effects with Campbell's over the top hero and that ridiculously fist-pump inducing finale.  (Note from The Mike: Sam Raimi, I love you...but the theatrical ending is about one million times better than your drops of potion ending.  Sorry, it's true.)  But it also kept me involved with its bit of horror, which is admittedly a Grand Canyon's width goofier than Raimi's first film yet not far from the likes of some of my faves like Tremors and Gremlins.  I'm not saying it was instant love, but lets just say I geeked out hardcore when I saw the Evil Ash dummy at Planet Hollywood in Orlando and made the theatrical poster one of the first things to adorn my first dorm room's walls.
It wasn't long after I experienced Army of Darkness that I, now acting on my own accord, hunted down a copy of Evil Dead II, and not just because of that fantastic VHS box cover that it had back then, which came complete with a three-star endorsement from no less than Roger Ebert.  Some may find it odd that I watched the series completely out of order, but in retrospect I think it may have amplified everything I would come to love about Evil Dead II.  Raimi's sequel isn't exactly in line with the films that would bookend it - both the prologue and epilogue only loosely match the other films - but it somehow manages to feature most of what I had already come to love about these films.  There's the ridiculous violence and extra splatter of the first film, but there's also a ton of the comedy of the latter.  And when Bruce Campbell finally truly becomes Ash in the final act...well, it's nothing short of GROOVY.
Throughout the years, my relationship with the trio of Evil Dead films has undergone some dramatic change.  After seeing part two, it instantly became my favorite of the trio due to its ability to balance the horror and comedy.  Later, my love of Army of Darkness pushed it back up the ladder, thanks to a thrilling midnight showing at the theater I once haunted.  Then, as college passed and the real world set in, I suddenly felt myself developing a connection to the grittier original film.  No, I don't know why I a) care about which is my favorite when I love them all dearly or b) have such a hard time sticking to my opinions on these films.  They're just all too special to me, and I can't settle on one of them.
Of course, now that I've said that....I'm settling on Evil Dead II as this week's Midnight Movie of the Week.  I've already mentioned my main reason for loving it as part of the series, but as I look at the film now I also think there's a bit more poetic artistry at work here than in the other two films.  There are plenty of shots of blowing fog and other scenery that just seem to match up perfectly with the sound effects that permeate the film.  The demonic howling and blowing winds set the scene for untold horrors, which might be why the slapstick comedy gets to me so easily.  All three of these films are about untold horrors being released upon the Earth, but Evil Dead II seems more intent on creating the feel of a nightmare on screen.  There are few films - Suspiria and The Shining come to mind - that do a better job of imitating what a great night terror might look like.  And then it adds in a scene where Bruce Campbell laughs with a lamp. 
I guess this means that Evil Dead II sits atop my heart at the moment, though I'm not sure where the trio will rank tomorrow.  And as long as I can keep watching any of them whenever I like, I don't really care.  Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, if you're out there, you've adequately rocked my socks.  Well done.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 11:10 PM 2 Midnight Warriors
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March 20, 2011

Midnight Monologue - Reverend Jackson P. Sayer from Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

A recent post by the marvelous Andre over at The Horror Digest - which was dedicated to one of FMWL's favorite dudes, George "Buck" Flower - reminded me of another renowned bum actor, Carmen Filpi.  Like Andre, you probably remember Filpi as the "Jimmy Cracked Corn" bum from Pee Wee's Big Adventure (as you should), but his image always reminds me of another moment from the oft overlooked Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. 
In The Mike's world, Halloween 4 is renowned as one of the better horror sequels of the '80s, and he'd certainly pick it over any Friday the 13th film on most days of the week.  One of the highlights of the film - if not of all the Halloween sequels - is the dialogue that occurs between Donald Pleasence's Dr. Loomis and the Reverend Jackson P. Sayer, played by Filpi, who offers a hitchhiking Loomis a ride early in the film.  With his beat up truck with the custom license plate that reads 'AMEN', we get the feeling the Reverend might be here for a reason.
After a couple of pleasantries, it's quickly established that the Reverend Sayer a) might be a bit kooky, b) is drinking while driving, and c) carries an opinion on fate and evil that is similar to Loomis' ideas about Michael Myers.  But when Filpi's Reverend looks at Loomis and sees the concern in the Doctor's eyes, he surprises us all by starting the following conversation.
Rev. Sayer: You're huntin' it, ain't ya?  Yeah, you're huntin' it all right. Just like me.
Dr. Loomis: What are you hunting, Mr. Sayer?
Rev. Sayer: Apocalypse, end of the world, Armageddon.  It's always got a face and a name. 
*pause for a swig*
Rev. Sayer: I've been huntin' the bastard for 30 years, give or take.  Come close a time or two...too damn close.
*pause for self-reflection, with slight head shake*
Rev. Sayer: You can't kill damnation, mister.  It don't die like a man dies.
Oh man, I love this stuff.  Filpi delivers this over-the-top bit of fervor with a surprising intensity, making it one of the rare moments when a character in one of these films outshines Loomis in the passion department.  In doing so, he hammers home the one thing I've always loved about Michael Myers - that this boogeyman is a force of nature that exists beyond human reasoning.  Heck, his passion - and his alcohol - is enough to even make Dr. Loomis crack a rare smile.
So here's the part where I raise my bottle - which is actually a can of Vanilla Coke - to Carmen Filpi as Reverend Jackson Sayer.  It's a shame we never got a spin off film with him huntin' the bastard.  And it's a shame that Dr. Loomis never got a chance to follow the advice of the Reverend's over-decorated truck: Keep Smiling.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 3:05 PM 1 Midnight Warriors
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March 17, 2011

RIP Michael Gough (1917-2011)

It's with a heavy heart that I remember the life and films of Michael Gough, who has passed away at 94 years young.  He's been a favorite of mine for years - and has been featured at FMWL before.  Like most young people, I was introduced to Gough when he played Alfred Pennyworth in the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films, and he quickly became my favorite part of those films.  He portrayed Alfred as a wonderfully supportive grandfather figure to Bruce Wayne, and it's safe to say he became my own personal cinematic grandfather.
When I grew older and learned of Gough's early history in horror films from Horror of Dracula to Horrors of the Black Museum, along with later appearances in The Legend of Hell House, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and Sleepy Hollow, I found the actor in a new light.  His ability to play both mad doctor and concerned lover, among other roles, made him one of the few British actors to stand alongside the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in my mind during the Hammer and Amicus era.  He often lifted lesser material, like Black Museum or the cheesy Konga, due to his intense presence and trademark voice.

At 94, I'm sure Mr. Gough lived a full and worthwhile life, but it still stings a bit to see the road end for a personal favorite.  So here's to you, Michael Gough.  The Mike and his copy of Konga shall remember you fondly.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 12:55 PM 2 Midnight Warriors
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March 16, 2011

Midnight Movie of the Week #63 - Of Unknown Origin

I don't know about you, but I had principles installed upon me when I was a child.  Some of them - like "show up and work hard, even if you don't want to" - came from my parents; others - like "don't whiz on the electric fence" - came from cartoons.  One of the most important of these is most certainly "sometimes it's best to ignore a pest" - a message that was most certainly hammered home by one of the power duos in the history of 'toonhood, Tom & Jerry.

Very few situations over the years in reality closely echo the game of cat-and-mouse played by T & J (Can you imagine how painful life would be if they did?), but one such battle plays out in Of Unknown Origin, a 1983 film by George P. Cosmatos - who would go on to direct Rambo Part II, Tombstone, and Cobra.  That's right, he directed COBRA.  So, I will admit that I expected something pretty cheesy from Of Unknown Origin from a film by the man who cured crime.  But I got something entirely different, which turned out to be something I kind of loved a lot.
Peter Robocop Weller stars as a successful business man who's married to a beautiful blonde (Shannon Tweed) and has a sparkplug of a young son; the kind of guy who remodeled his New York City home with his own hands, probably while still wearing a tie and sipping brandy from fine drinkware.  But when things start to go wrong around the home - while said family is conveniently away on a trip while he stays back to work on that big project for work - he realizes that he's got a bit of a rat problem.
Being a well-educated man, Weller's Bart Hughes takes a different approach than most movie males would take.  He enlists the help of an expert, he reads books and magazine articles, he stares out his office windows....because he wants to get inside the mind of this vicious rat.  Anyone who remembers Tom & Jerry might assume that a director would take a comical turn with this kind of film, but Cosmatos & Weller go the opposite direction and take the threat very seriously.  Maybe not as seriously as the cheesy theatrical trailer below takes it, but pretty seriously.
Weller does a fantastic job carrying the film.  We can see his obsession with catching and killing the demon rat, but he doesn't go over the top and become a caricature of his businessman character.  As we watch Bart deal with his pest in varying ways - while also trying to keep in touch with his family and impress his boss (Happy Birthday to Me's Lawrence Dane) - he never comes off as a man who's entirely gone mad, he's just stretched to his limits.  The decision to stay serious, to not have Bart going totally Nic-Cage-over-the-top, is a brave one, but it makes Of Unknown Origin a far more interesting film than it would have been otherwise.
 The rat itself is rarely seen, mostly shown through flashes of its gnawing teeth or fleshy paws, but I completely loved how it was presented to the viewer.  We see its tunnels, we hear the frantic pitter-patter of its feet and plenty of other cool sound effects, but we - like Bart - usually really don't know what we're looking at.  Like Weller's character, there were plenty of chances to take the rat over the top and have it wink at the camera and such, but the film stays its course.  The film finds unique ways to show how dangerous the rat can be - ranging from the stories told by the handyman who assists Bart to its effect on the poor cat Bart brings home to help - and this resulted in me feeling like the rat was certainly a dangerous presence in Bart's home.
Of Unknown Origin reminds me of a couple of other '80s favorites - C.H.U.D. and Prince of Darkness come to mind - because it is the kind of horror film whose filmmakers must know that most viewers won't think to take its premise seriously.  Like the people behind those films, Cosmatos, Weller, and crew don't back down from the challenge.  They do everything they can to convince us that this rat, which is of unknown origin, IS a serious threat, and their willingness to commit to the story won me over completely.  This is a surprising hidden gem in the '80s horror pantheon, and I urge anyone who is looking for a fun thriller that doesn't resort to comedy gags to seek it out immediately.  It's the best Tom & Jerry movie EVER.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 11:08 PM 1 Midnight Warriors
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March 15, 2011

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Fatal Secrets

(2009, Dir. by Meir Sharony.)

When I look at the cast list involved with Fatal Secrets, it's easy to see that the film falls far from what I usually cover in FMWL's Indie Spotlight.  You've got Starship Troopers babe Dina Meyer (Note from The Mike: Hey Dina Meyer, I love you!).  You've got Marty McFly's frakin mom, Lea Thompson.  You've got recognizable faces in Lela Rochon, Ed Begley Jr., and Tess Harper, AND you've got a bonafide GHOSTBUSTER in Ernie Hudson.  It's an odd collection of actors who have shown up in A-list films, which is sad when you consider what Fatal Secrets turns out to be.

Meyer stars in the film - whose bland title is at least better than the original title, Balancing the Books (I mean, who doesn't want to see a movie that sounds like it's about an accountant?) - as a woman traumatized by an encounter with a successful male suitor (Vincent Spano), who is shown forcing himself on her just before she's shown crying in the shower and waking up from a bad dream.  Is the film trying to be ambiguous, or does it just not feel like going through with a brutal scene due to lazy filmmaking?  Unfortunately, that might be the best question to ponder about the film.

While I'm certainly 110% plus infinity against rape, it's kind of important to know what's going on in the lead's mind if we're going to have a rape and revenge film, and Fatal Secrets doesn't even make us sure a rape happens.  It follows up by showing Mr. Potential Rapist denying anything happened, which leads Meyer's character to alternate between being upset and having normal book club dates with Rochon and Thompson's characters.  These lead to a bit of home invasion, some implications of fraud, and the final confrontation which is foreshadowed on the DVD art above.

With a likable cast and the ambiguous opening, I had early hopes for Fatal Secrets.  Unfortunately, it dropped the ball quickly and meandered through its 88 minute length.  Meyer still looks great - the film has me longing for a big dose of Starship Troopers and a side of cheesy Bats action - and the film is better for having her in it, but the final product needed more action or more sleaze to achieve any dramatic weight.  Instead it's a dull, lifeless film that makes me sad to see so many actors who made an impact toiling in mediocrity.

It's a lazy film that doesn't throw any punches, and I'm thus rewarding it with a lazy review.  The film is out on DVD today, but I recommend you go ahead and skip this one.

Midnight Musings by The Mike at 3:00 PM 1 Midnight Warriors
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March 14, 2011

Midnight Top Five - The "I Love You, John Carpenter. But...." Edition

It's been like a month since my last Midnight Top Five.  And by "like a month", I mean ACTUALLY A MONTH.  I'm not sure why this turn of events turned up at FMWL, but it came to my attention recently and made me a bit sick.  At first I figured I had to come up with a good excuse to explain its absence, like "But...I was writing a bunch of reviews!" or "But...I got hit in the head with a hammer and now I can't count to five!", BUT...none of them really worked.  It's like Pee Wee Herman said...everyone, including me, has a big BUT.

If there's one thing I hope you've learned about The Mike from reading FMWL...well, it's probably that I watch a lot of movies and totally love them.  If you've learned two things, it's probably that, plus the fact that I love me some BLOB.  But if you've learned three things....and if you have, god bless you...you've learned that I love lots of movies, that I love Blobs, and that I turn to John Carpenter whenever I'm in need of inspiration.
I'll trade my left eye for that Snake Plissken standee!
At this point in FMWL's history, one of the longest posts I've ever written was about John Carpenter's Dark Star.  The longest Midnight Top Five is probably the one discussing Carpenter's original plan to cast Christopher Lee in Halloween.  And a whopping FOUR of Carpenter's films - The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13, Big Trouble in Little China, and They Live (BTW, this is still my favorite post EVER!) - have been named Midnight Movie of the Week.  One of my first reviews at FMWL was a Carpenter fave, one of the first inductees into FMWL's Hall of Fame was Carpenter, and there's even a whole category of posts mentioning John Carpenter here at FMWL.

BUT....This Midnight Top Five is not here to praise the man.  Let's face it, I've done that.  Instead, here's The Five John Carpenter Films You Probably Won't See as Midnight Movie of the Week at FMWL!
Someone's Watching Me! (1978)
Someone's Watching Me is certainly not a bad film by any measure, especially considering its made-for-TV background.  The home invasion chiller starring Lauren Hutton is kind of a reverse Rear Window, is quite atmospheric and features solid performances (including the first appearance of Carpenter's future first wife Adrienne Barbeau in one of his films).  The bigger problem with Someone's Watching Me is that it hit screens less than a month after Halloween premiered. 

I don't mean to dismiss the film for not being Halloween, but my love of that film makes it easy to point out the things Halloween is that Someone's Watching Me is not.  While Halloween makes the most of Carpenter's trademark 2.35:1 camerawork, Someone's Watching Me is hampered by a full frame 1.33:1 ratio that a) fits it to a 1978 television screen and b) gives Carpenter nearly half as much frame to work with.  Like I said, the results aren't bad....but there's something about it that doesn't feel like a Carpenter film in comparison to my favorite horror film.
Also of note, this movie features what might be a Bigfoot sighting....you decide if that's him, I can't figure it out.

Elvis (1979)
I don't have much to say about John Carpenter's Elvis - try pondering that ten times fast! - because...well, I haven't seen it yet.  I KNOW.  I spent like a decade plus craving it, I tried to buy the VHS when a local store was closing (only to shockingly find they were competent and knew it was worth more than I was offering), I preordered it like months before it came out on DVD.  And then it arrived and I was like "YES! MY CARPENTER COLLECTION IS COMPLETE!!!" (even though I don't have Body Bags on DVD yet).....and then I never watched it.  Yet.
That said, I doubt a two and a half hour TV biopic - even if it does star my boy Kurt Russell and is directed by Carpenter - is a prime Midnight Movie of the Week candidate.  Maybe someday - hopefully soon - I'll watch it and find out for myself.  Until then, it's on this list.
Village of the Damned (1995)
If you were to ask me - and thankfully, you don't have to - I'd say that every theatrical feature Carpenter directed between 1974 and 1988 was awesome.  But in 1995, when I was a teenage farmboy Mike who had not yet acquired his The, I thought Village of the Damned looked like basically the best "scary" movie ever.  I think someone tried to tell me it was a remake - though I don't even remember knowing that word existed back then - but I was undeterred in repeating "Whoa, that looks awesome!"  What they say is true - teenage farmboys without a The say the darndest things.
In fact, Village of the Damned is really quite bad.  Carpenter's attempt to remake one of his favorites - a fine 1960 film starring the fantastic George Sanders - is a muddled, Americanized film that brings together bad acting from a lot of folks who had seen better days like Kirstie Alley, Michael Pare, and even...yes...Mark Hamill.  Heck, the film's best performance probably comes from Carpenter regular George "Buck" Flower as a janitor who meets a grizzly demise.  I can't confirm rumors that studio interference caused some of the film's problems, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.  Whatever, happened, this film that looked so "awesome" and "scary" lives on as Carpenter's least memorable film.
Escape from L.A. (1996)
I so badly want to sit here and defend Escape from L.A.  To me, it's the closest Carpenter's films of the 1990s came to matching his early success, and its cast of colorful characters - which puts Russell on screen with no less than Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Cliff Robertson, Peter Fonda, Pam Grier, AND Bruce Freakin' Campbell! - certainly makes for a bit of fun.  I can see what Carpenter was doing with his sequel to Escape from New York, which amps up the cheese of the first film and basically seems to say that even anarchist societies take some work to destroy.  But there's something about Escape from L.A. that's just not right.
I don't want to blame Snake Plissken, though I certainly feel the 15 years between New York and L.A. were bad to him.  The bigger problem seems to be how political Carpenter makes the film, as he seems to put the face of Che Guevara onto his villain who wants a revolution.  In contrast with Isaac Hayes' The Duke of New York, who wants to rule for the sake of ruling, there's a huge difference between the two films.  In my eyes, L.A.'s Cuervo Jones (played by Georges Corraface) is the Jar-Jar Binks to The Duke of New York's Chewbacca.  (In the meantime, Snake Plissken is Yoda, Han Solo, and Darth Vader all rolled into one....only cooler.)
Ghosts of Mars (2001)
I also kind of like Ghosts of Mars, too.  But here's the thing that bugs me about it...it's basically a remake of Assault on Precinct 13 that's set on Mars...and why would I need it when Assault on Precinct 13 is so cool?
 I know what you're saying.  But...The Mike...Ghosts of Mars is about a virus that makes people mindless demons that kill.  And you know what I say? SO ARE GANGS.  Seriously, I know far too many people who think they're in gangs....and every one of them is mindless and stupid.  (Yeah, The Warriors were cool, they're the exception, I agree with you there.)  Point is, both Assault on Precinct 13 and Ghosts of Mars have an interracial team of cop and criminal leading an interracial team of cops and criminals against a mindless killing force while separated from any help and having to use the sparse resources around them to survive.  IT'S THE SAME MOVIE, only it wastes Jason Statham.  I can't promote that.
Fear not, Mr. Carpenter.  I still love ya.  You're the best living filmmaker I know, and there's no way I'm putting you in Midnight jail over these films.  Just remember one thing - your villains used to be awesome and heartless and unique, and now they're ripoffs of Marilyn Manson and  Che Guevara and a bunch of pale kids from the '60s.  You can get that back.  I believe in you.
Midnight Musings by The Mike at 11:21 PM 2 Midnight Warriors
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