Entertainment Earth

8/31/2015

A Tribute to Wes Craven: Master of Horror Pt. 1: From the Last House to the Serpent


Last night, I was looking at my Twitter feed, when I saw a tweet mentioning that Wes Craven, one of horror's true master directors, had passed away. I didn't wanna believe it. At first, I found no articles, just an increasing amount of tweets, then it was confirmed. Craven had died of brain cancer on Aug. 30, 2015, at 76 years of age (he had been born Aug. 2, 1939). I was devastated and deeply heartbroken.

Craven was one of my heroes growing up. He, along with other horror masters, influenced my love of film and made me want to make films of my own. His movies shaped me and became a huge part of my life. I struggled with what would be a suitable way for me pay tribute to him. After all, this one hurt, a lot. I was crying reading about his passing and seeing the outpouring of love from friends and fans. I thought what could I write here? Then it hit me, I will talk about certain and somewhat select batch of his movies and how or why they influenced/ affected me and/ or my thoughts on them. But, basically, if I don't mention the movie, I either never saw it, or I think it flat out sucked.

He has made definitive classics, and gave birth to two genuine franchises and villains: A Nightmare on Elm Street and Freddy Krueger and Scream and Ghostface. Not everything he made was great, in fact he made some genuine crap. But, like I already stated, I won't focus on the shit,  and why should I? So without any further wasted adieu, here are few words on some of his movies, in the order they were released:

The Last House on the Left (1972)- Along with future Friday the 13th director Sean Cunningham (here as producer) they gave us one of the very best rape-revenge films ever made, in this one. A brutal and shocking film, it is near perfect, sans the uneven acting from the parents, but most of all the unneeded humor provided by the dumb cops.
Regardless, I recall watching this classick with my grandpa, when as a young teen, I rented it on VHS. We both loved it, but I was definitely numb by the level of viciousness and uncompromising violence contained in the movie. Both Craven and Cunningham were, themselves, shocked by this movie. Combine it with his next film, and they stand for a side of Craven he would never fully indulge again. I admit, I always kind of wished he would have. The remake, by the way, is just meh.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)- Streamlined and with none of the faults that Last House had this brutal and badass movie, stands as one of the seminal horror movies of the 70s. I recall watching this movie with one of my then best friends, and being floored by it. The vicious violence and exhilarating climax ranks as some of the most in your face quality and rousing horror film making around. Plus, like his previous film, and later films, he gave us great villains (Pluto!). Only now the heroes were equally compelling. Plus, the dog kicks fucking ass!
Craven would later make an awful sequel to this classic. And, this movie, itself, was later remade into a good film, which inspired it's own shit eating sequel.


Swamp Thing (1982)- I remember when this came out, I wanted to see it sooo badly! I mean I loved horror, monsters, and superheroes, by this point in my life and this had all of that! It got me to read the comic, which became my all time favorite horror superhero. The movie itself is just OK, but it's memorable due to the acting and Adrienne Barbeau, and her breasts (even in the PG cut they look great!). And, of course, Craven's considerable talents.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)- This is his crowning masterpiece. If he only made this, then that would've been enough for him to live in horror history forever. Whatever, one thinks of the sequels, like Friday the 13th and Halloween, it stands head and bloody shoulders above them (though the finest entries in the Nightmare series are great films in their own rights). Far darker and scarier than the following installments, what this movie did with it's budget memorized me as a child. The gore, the babes, the classic lines and  classic imagery, and of course, Freddy, all captivated me and still do to this day. This movie is not only my favorite of his, but my third favorite film of all time. I believe it to be the single greatest slasher film ever made. OK, OK, I'll stop professing my love for this one and move on.

Deadly Friend (1986)- Wait, I thought he said we were not gonna talk about his sucky movies! That's what you're thinking right? Well, yeah, but as bad as this one is, and it's pretty fucking bad, I did like it, at least a kid. Maybe, I liked it cause it so bad and so stupid. I mean dude falls in love with beautiful girl next door (Kristy Swanson), then puts a robot brain in her after she is killed. She then comes back to life, but is no longer a good girl. She acts like a robot and the ending is horribly, and I do mean HORRIBLY ridiculous and awful. But, I do think that that is what makes it so much fun. Or maybe it's the gore that I like, in particular the mean old lady whose head gets crushed by a basketball and explodes. Even, if you understandably hate the movie, you gotta agree that scene fucking rules. Or maybe, in the end, I liked this one just cause I had a HUGE crush on Swanson. Actually, yeah, that's the main reason I enjoyed this one. Judge me then, if you must!

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)- Unlike Romero's zombie films, this one tries to stay within the confines of real life, more or less. And, for that reason it sets itself apart. The trailer to this was pretty captivating and scary for me as a kid. The whole voodoo aspect and it's basis really make this one a fascinating watch. Bill Pullman is great in the lead role, and even my family, whom I saw it with, liked this one. Actually, this might be the best movie to deal with voodoo (yes, I like it even more than Angel Heart). It loses itself a bit in the ridiculous climax, which goes too Freddy and over-the-top, but this remains a nice addition to Craven's filmogrpahy.

To be continued...

8/30/2015

VENDETTA (2015)

 
Title: Vendetta
Directors: Jen and Sylvia Soska
Writer: Justin Shady
Cast: Dean Cain, Paul "Big Show" White, Micheal Eklund, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Adrain Holmes, Matthew MacCaull
Year: 2015
Min: 90

Detective Mason (Dean Cain) has arrested crime boss Victor Abbott (Paul "Big Show" White), but when Abbott is released on a technicality he heads to Mason's house. There he beats Mason's pretty wife (Kyra Zagorsky) to death. Abbott soon ends up back in the slammer. Afterwards, Mason guns down Abbott's brother and crew in hopes of getting arrested and going to jail, himself. With them both being locked up at the same prison, Mason's plan for vengeance is set in motion. But, he learns that there is a criminal enterprise being run from the prison, itself, with someone being above Abbott, himself.

The fourth full length feature film from the Soska sisters continues to show that they can do wrong. Vendetta is a solid and entertaining revenge/ prison film. While, this is the first time they have moved away from the horror genre; they manage to keep their horror influences clearly on their sleeves.

While, the script by Justin Shady breaks no new ground and is fairly unoriginal, the movie is raised above being a throw away film, thanks to the talent behind and in front of the camera. The Soska's prove that they are very good at directing hard hitting (literally in many cases action). This is a movie where the red stuff flows freely and might just be their most brutal and gruesome movie, yet. And, unlike the ultra-violent Dead Hooker in a Trunk  (the movie that they made that comes closest to the gore quanta on this), this one is played straight up and serious. It moves at a breakneck pace, rarely stopping or slowing down. And, the aforementioned brutality includes stabbings, gory squibs, broken necks, bloody beat-downs, and lots more graphic and bloody mayhem all of which help it rank among the bloodiest movie of this kind, around.

The acting is surprisingly strong. And, while everyone involved is good, it's the two leads that really shine. Dean Cain is a legitimate badass. I am really not fan of Lois and Clark, but he leaves Superman far behind delivering something much closer to the Punisher. Those expecting a goody two shoes Cain should look elsewhere. Then, there is Paul White, better known as the Big Show in WWE (and the Giant before that in WCW), who simply kills it (pun intended). I did not at all expect him to be this damn good. He plays a truly evil and intimating villain. And, while his huge size certainly comes into this equation, it wouldn't mean shit unless he has the talent to back it up. And, thank God he does.

In all Vendetta is a kick ass, bad motherfucker of a movie. Thanks to the huge talent of everyone involved, what could have been pedestrian is raised far and above it's content. Action packed, tough as nails, and bloody as hell this is an action movie that will please those who like their action movies with a definite edge and far away removed from Hollywood's typically bloodless PG13 action tripe. Another notch in the Soska twins film making belt, this might be the best movie WWE Studios has yet to put out.

*** out of ****



8/28/2015

8/27/2015

Garbage Pail Kids Mystery Vinyl Unboxing- Hot Scott & Forbidden Planet NYC Shopping

 
The series of firsts for my site continues! This time I do my first ever on video unboxing. This being of the first Garbage Pail Kids mystery vinyl figure by Funko, which ends up being Hot Scott.

I also show the other stuff that I picked up at Forbidden Planet NYC, yesterday. They include the latest issues of Godzilla in Hell and He-Man and the Eternity War, as well as Rue Morgue's Horrorwood North. That is their latest book and it is all about Canadian horror flicks.

8/24/2015

Review and Contest for CS Moore Grimm Fairy Tales Snow White Ruby Edition Statue

 
I present to you two firsts for my site.
The first is my first ever review for a statue: the CS Moore Studio Presents Zenescope Entertainment's Snow White Ruby Edition Statute. It's limited edition and hand painted, as well as being sculpted by Clayburn Moore.

You can see my review below:
The second is a big one! If you listened to the review above or simply read the title for this post, you'll see that this is a contest! Yup, this is my site's first ever contest, and it comes courtesy of the awesome folk at Entertainment Earth. The rules are simple. Leave a comment below with your email address and tell me who you think is the sexiest fairy tale character and why.

The contest will run between today, Mon (Aug. 24, 2015), and ends at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Mon (Aug. 31, 2015). I will email the winner to let them know that they have won this statue.
NOTE: Contest open to USA only. Thank you.

And, be sure to subscribe to this site and follow me on Twitter and my Facebook Page to know when I run a future contest, as well as to keep up to date on all the posts that I have up.