The Vanishing on 7th St. – review

   I shall leave this as a short little review as the movie served only to frustrate me terribly. It’s awfully annoying to find a movie with a good idea, talent, and the tools to make a good film only to have them all squandered.

   When a mysterious blackout makes people all over Detroit suddenly disappear the few survivors that remain must find out what happened to the others and what it is that seems to be stalking them from the darkness. What they find though is that something malevolent is watching them in the shadows, watching and waiting until the night that seems longer and longer each day, finally swallows the world whole.

   A perplexing film with decent performances there is just no real resolution here, which ruins the movie. This is a great set up, and the se of the darkness as a character, as a villain, is fantastic. Heck, I wanted to see it when I found out it was shot in Detroit and was shot at the Russell Industrial Center, a place I have both attended and done art shows at. Alas, these locations are utterly wasted as is the suspense because it all leads to nothing. I can appreciate a film that wants to be mysterious and not give all the answers away but there are NO answers here, just too many questions and too little logic. For the director that made Session 9 I am deeply disappointed. What a waste of time and talent. Avoid it. Sit in the dark and whistle instead.

4 out of 10

Dawning–review

   With the smaller indie horror films few things make me happier than a movie that knows its limitations. I have griped about this time and again but it never gets old with me – if you can’t afford to do something in your movie then just don’t do it. Don’t try to do something just to do it really poorly. I can appreciate that filmmakers want to make an impression and want to have people see their film but too often it’s at the cost of the film itself. They try cheap tricks and poor effects and digital work and ruin anything good they had done otherwise, leaving a bad taste in the viewers mouth. Such is not the case with Dawning, a movie that reminded me a lot of Evil Dead and Blair Witch Project in the best of ways, and that is in its understanding of what it was and the power of the unexplained and unseen.

   Dawning is the story of a family trying to reconnect at their cabin in the woods. The tension is obvious from the outset with an adult son and daughter harboring resentment towards a father and his new wife, a father angry at the decisions of his son, and a shadow of alcoholism that hangs over all. When something attacks the family dog in the woods what had been planned as a get away to bond the family again quickly turns to sheer horror. Already on edge, the family is beset by a dangerous stranger who tells them they are all in danger from something in the woods, something that is coming for them. While they first believe the man to be crazy, to be a madman, the longer the night goes on the more they start to watch the woods for the eyes they feel that are watching them.

   An often frustrating film, Dawning is still a pretty solid chiller. High on atmosphere and never trying to outdo its budget I really love that the film plays on the horrors of what we never see. From the opening to the closing the tension runs very high here and all involved did a very good job maintaining that feeling. The biggest knock on the film though is not the vagueness of the plot but the horrible sound here. Too much of the film’s dialogue is lost due to it being too low and that really pulls you out of things. There is a lot of heavy handed acting here but none of it is outright awful. I am sure a lot of people will be upset by how vague the film is but I really like that. We don’t need to see what it is that is stalking the family because it doesn’t matter, it’s that they see it, or sense it is what matters because the reactions are done very effectively, creating a very chilling film.

   A solid little scare fest, it may never blow your socks off but it’s a well done film that really creates a palpable tension and atmosphere. There are flaws here but this is a fun film and one that deserves to be seen. If you like the horror of the unseen then brother, this one is for you.

6.5 out of 10

Ninjas vs. Vampires–movie review

   You know what, there are movies that I get to review that are hard to take seriously. Too often they are poorly made, have little imagination, and are often just space filler at video stores. I offer this though, NvsV is a rare exception that while not a movie I’d go out looking for has far more imagination and heart than a lot of mainstream movies and that counts for a lot.

   Ninjas Vs. Vampires is the story of two friends who become embroiled in a war in their small town between vampires and ninjas just at the turning point. Without knowing how or why they become key players in the war and without their help, the vampires may be able to create a new, deadlier species, one that no one will be able to stop.

   It’s hard to say what it is here that makes the movie work but I think that honestly it’s the imagination on hand. Yeah, there is a lot of the film that plays like a second tier Buffy the Vampire Slayer but it’s the fact that this is a vampire movie that creates its own mythology (borrowed as some of it may be) and runs with it that is so admirable. The acting is good, the film is well made, and the writing isn’t bad. Sure, this doesn’t redefine the genre but it brings back the romance and danger of the Buffy series, as well as the sense of an epic story. That’s what made that series so charming and so enduring to its fans. Not many surprises here but man is it a good beginning of something if the filmmakers wanted to pursue it.

   The movie is very well made and very engaging with lots to keep you watching. Fans of original vampire stories will really want to see this, despite the cheesy name. For people into it, I cannot recommend it enough.

7.5 out of 10

The Anniversary at Shallow Creek–movie review

The Anniversary At Shallow Creek

The problem with trends in horror is that, well, they become trends. It isn’t always a bad thing as it happens with every aspect of the entertainment industry – you produce what sells. The hope you have as a consumer is that the work produced is good. Or at least entertaining. Cycles is what they call it and cycles they are but sometimes these cycles take a while to run themselves out. Anniversary finds itself at the end of a cycle that hit a few years back with The Strangers and that was films about people beset by a stranger/strangers killing them seemingly at random. Thankfully this is one of the better entries into that subgenre but it just seems to be lacking something that keeps it from being really good.

Anniversary follows six friends as they head just outside of LA to the remote home of an uncle of one of the young people for a weekend away from their stressful lives. It was meant to be a romantic get-away but plans change when one of the couple’s friends invites him and some other friends along and suddenly it’s a big getaway, the hope for romance spoiled. Once away from the city though the anniversary couple opens up to the idea of a shared trip and all of the friends begin to enjoy their time together. Things get strange for the friends when a neighbor boy forces himself into the group, telling them how his parents are away and his older sister is not exactly being the most responsible babysitter. The friends have fun hanging out with the boy but things become suddenly dangerous when a masked stranger begins stalking them with a rifle. One by one the friends fall to the stranger, who has them trapped inside the home that was supposed to be their escape, and unless they can find a way to stop him, none of them may make it back to the humdrum drone of their everyday lives.

An adequately made film with passable acting, the big issue here is that there is a lack of logic at the heart of the movie. Saying that there’s a lack of logic is not to say that horror films are known for their logic but that there are just a lot of things here that stand out and cause issues when watching. Too often in horror films things are set up for the protagonists to be sheep for the slaughter and while this often true in life, it is too often true in movies. I am sure most of us would fall pre y to our fear and do stupid things but Anniversary has this happen far, far too often. There just isn’t a point where people fight back until it’s too late. There are some genuine surprises, some good twists, and the direction the film takes is interesting but there is just nothing new here to recommend it. If you are a fan of these films, of the subgenre, whatever you call it, then you will probably enjoy it, but there is nothing new to see. I give it that the story takes a very interesting turn, and for that it gets credit, but it’s still nothing we haven’t seen.

A capable film that, while not astounding is certainly watchable. Shot on vid, the movie looks pretty good and has a decent pace it’s just too familiar and lacks any spark of originality past the ember of the ending so it’s another mid-week rental if you are curious.

6 out of 10

Zombie Girl–The Movie –movie review

It is interesting that in the many, many years I have been blogging I have never really gotten into the days of my youth when my friends and I would make movies. We were late in our teens, bored, and loved movies. Ours were impromptu, ad-lib things that were high on ideas passion and low on everything else. Sure, I still love our movies, and they are fun as heck but really, they are exactly what they seemed to be, fun movies by some weird kids. Such is not the case with Emily Hagins a young filmmaker living in Austin, Texas who at thirteen decides she wants make her first feature film, a zombie movie. Zombie Girl chronicles the young director’s first feature and the trials and tribulations therein.

I found this one streaming online after reading some things about the young director and the movie is absolutely charming. There is very little filmmaker interference here outside of the editing of the film so you get to see how Emily and her mother work together as they bond and fight during the making of Pathogen, Ms. Hagins’ film. Unlike a lot of those horrible exploitation films out there that show the horrors of being a teen and how drugs, and killers, and rapists, and monsters are all around them this is a film that every artistic kid should see. This shows how passion alone won’t get things done but that with perseverance, help, luck, and the help of a lot of people you can do anything. In the end, as much help as she has though this is Emily’s show and it’s truly a credit to her that she sees her film through.

Not only is this a good film for students though, this is another great film for filmmakers, showing that you truly cannot do a project this size alone. Everyone needs help and it’s only by asking for that help that you can get this sort of thing done. From curfews to parental intervention to needing to find extras to be zombies in the movie’s big finale you see it all here, the good, bad, and ugly.

Zombie Girl is a very fun, well made film and sees the project from beginning to end, never letting the talking heads or pundits onboard overshadow the story of a young woman struggling to see her vision through. There are a lot of ‘feel good’ films out there that pander, that pretend, and that give you a world that doesn’t much exist outside of Hollywood but this is a movie that tells a true story, a heartwarming story, and one that anyone who loves movies should see.

8 out of 10

I write books.

www.meepsheep.com

Your Taste’s Funny

   Ya know, one of those things in life that people just can’t take from you, as much as they may try, is your taste. It’s all you baby and the world is better for it. The thing about life, about humans, is that it’s the things that make us different that make us so magnificent. These are the things that make life so interesting. Whether it is politics, religion, or whether you like the taste of apricots or not it is what makes us different that makes us all so similar.

Wha?

You ask.

It is because we are so different that it makes us question who we are and what we love and this is what makes us stronger, wiser people. If we don’t understand why we love the things we love and don’t like other things, if we don’t question ourselves then we lose who we are. But in the end it’s what we like and don’t like, it’s these core decisions that form the people we are.

   So, saying all that we come back around to the matter of taste. Something I always sorta have on my mind. As opinionated as I am I really do love people’s tastes. I mean, I don’t always appreciate it but I love it just the same. I really just wish that everyone else had the same appreciation. Somewhere in growing up we decide that the more people differ from us the more we should distance ourselves from them. We get older and we start to narrow our views, stop questioning why we like the things we do, and start judging everyone else that shows any distinction as weird.

   I always get a laugh when I hear that someone that collects something needs to grow up. I laugh because it usually comes from someone who, if you look just a little, is usually the last person to start casting stones. Me, I love movies, and toys, and horror stuff, and that’s just some of the stuff I dig on and my apartment reflects my tastes. Does it look like the apartment of a man that’s 37?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

But who really cares?

What does it matter?

If being a bit dorky and showing that off makes me happy then what problem is it?

   The issue is that for some reason we’re all so darn stuck on this silly notion of what an adult is, of what growing up means and in the process of playing dress up we lose sight of who we are, and who we were. We lose sight of the things that make us unique. We fall in love with the color tan, with paintings of beaches, and with condensed books. We portray the things we believe makes up adulthood. I can get behind having nice furniture, being responsible, and evolving your taste but outright losing that taste because you feel you have to to be adult is ridiculous. It’s childish. Growing up and adulthood means something different to every person out there but what it really means is to take ownership of your life. It means that you are responsible for yourself and what you do. The rest of it is window dressing. And when someone deems themselves the person that gets to tell you how mature or immature you are odds are they are also a person prime for dumping from your life.

Now, as for me, I am gonna revel in my movie posters, collectibles, and nerdery and be happy that I have some things that reflect my personality and not the status I want to project.

Boom.

c