Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Big Hero 6

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Denise

Disney_BigHero6_Poster_Baymax

Hairy baby!  Okay, so I can’t get enough of Baymax, and I haven’t even seen the film yet.  But look at him!  (Yeah, I know; this isn’t an exact copy of the Marvel Universe Big Hero 6 gang.  But I forgive Disney because I want to give all the hugs to their poofy Baymax.)

You know you wanna see him.  And maybe know more?  Voila: synopsis!

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Big Hero 6,” an action comedy adventure about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the CG-animated “Big Hero 6” hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014

Read on for how to score a 4-pack o’ passes!
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31 in 31: My Little Pony – Spooktacular Pony Tales

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Denise

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(Tweaking the 31 in 31 list for this Kiddie Friendly pick!)

Story: Magic. Cockatrices. Nightmare Night. The Olden Pony (Ooooh!) Creepy castles. Vampire fruit bats. Ponyville just 20% spookier y’all!

Scares: Adults? Nope. Kids? Maybe here and there, depending on the age of your li’l sugarcube.

Nightmare Factory?: Again, depends on the age. But even though there are spooky things, there’s plenty of kid-friendly fun to lighten up things.

Based on…?: The My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic TV series. In fact, this compilation is a grouping of the “spookiest” 6 episodes from seasons 1-4.

Trick or Treat?: I like ponies. It is known. But I’m pulling double duty here; adding this to the 31 in 31 roster, and checking out this DVD before I watch it with my 7 year old niece. Luckily for her, these are eps from the original series rather than new, unknown quantities.

Adults may not be so happy about the rehash though, especially if they’ve already bought the season DVDs. But there’s a few tidbits here, like a Nightmare Night (aka Pony Halloween) poster, Jack-o-lantern pony stencils, and a karaoke-esque “Bats” sing along at the end of the DVD. You can skip any eps that your little one may be too spooked by, or just let ’em all play.

I’d love more, but what do you want from a ten-spot? Maybe a Blu-ray next time though?

Score: wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg

4 out of 5 pumpkins. Kid friendly, spooky fun, even though it’s stuff pony fans have probably seen before. But a fun compilation nonetheless. And hey, poster!

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It's on my fridge right now.

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Off the Shelf — Harley Quinn Volume 1: Hot in the City

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Denise

harley quinn hot in the city

Nutshell: Hot in the City is a must for Quinn fans, even though this TPB it isn’t a completist’s dream. Gorgeous drink-it-all-in art, 4th-wall busting at it’s most wack-a-doo, and Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner’s tongue-in-cheek storytelling gets you one highly entertaining read.

Story: Everyone’s favorite fruitcake gets her own New 52 series!  After a rocky start (naturally), our gal with a sledgehammer heart of gold gets down to business when she inherits a building in Coney Island, decides to get a job or two, and gets targeted by every creep in the city.  Will she rule the day?  What do you think?

Thoughts: I’ve always had a soft spot for Harley.  Her nutball-may-care attitude often hides a soft spot for the downtrodden.  Plus, what woman hasn’t fallen for the wrong man over and over again?  At least she looks good doing it.  That’s been thanks to Amanda Conner and the glorious artwork she cooks up.  I could just stare at Conner’s glorious cover art for hours.  Okay fine; I’ve actually stared at her art for hours.  But don’t worry, I’m getting really good at squinting from 300 feet away.  Thank you, officer.  Ahem.

I got sucked into this New 52 series because of the multiple artists promised in #0.  And boy did they deliver.  #0 served as a master-class with some of the best talent in comics today.  Naturally, I wanted more.  So here we are.  Hot in the City collects issues #0-8 of Harley’s New 52 run, and while that’s a lot of fun and mayhem, I was kinda hoping for two more tidbits.  That’d be Harley Quinn Invades Comic-Con International: San Diego #1 (say that five times fast), and the commentary, art and other assorted extra tidbits from Harley Quinn #0: Director’s Cut.  Sure, that’d probably make this TPB around 200 pages, but I’m fine with that.  (Plus, you try finding a copy of Director’s Cut outside of eBay and the Amazon resellers snake pit.)

So, what about this particular trade would make fans want to shell out their hard-earned?  Well, it’s a chance to get all the issues collected in a tidy package, along with all the covers (including my personal favorites, Adam Hughes’ beautiful #1 variant, & the Robot Chicken variant of #4) and sketch pages.  If  you already have all the issues, the sketch pages may not be enough to ring the dinner bell, but the collection of variant covers may do the trick.  If you don’t have ’em yet, this is a great way to catch up and get your hands on Harley, Ivy, Bernie and the gang.  Have I mentioned how much I love Bernie the beaver?  Because I do. Here’s hoping for a Bernie-centric issue in Harley Quinn‘s future.

Subscribe or Shelve?:  While this is a TPB rather than the usual single-issue, I’m definitely in the subscribe column for Miss Quinn.  Not to drop any spoilers for folks who aren’t up to #10 yet, but things are just as chao-tastic after her first arc.  Bless your crazy little heart, fruitcakes.

[NOTE: I received a copy of this title from DC via NetGalley]

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31 in 31: Bell, Book and Candle

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Denise

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Story: Breathtaking witch Kim Novak falls for sweet muggle neighbor Jimmy Stewart on Christmas. Elsa Lanchester is an adorably kooky auntie witch. Will love conquer all? Um, of course!

Scares: Zero. L’Amour!

Splat factor: See above.

Closing scene “shocker”: If you consider a happy ending a shocker, then yes.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul): Based on the stage play that starred Mrs. Voorhees! Er, Lilli Palmer.

Trick or Treat: Gotta admit I’m dragging on the 31 in 31 right now. So when I saw this on the TV guide, I dug up my DVD and got to watchin’. This is a great film for Paranormal Romance lovers, or people who like to watch beautiful people fall in love (with a dash of witchcraft, of course.)

I only wish I could get my hands on a vid of Lilli Palmer on stage in this role. But I’m happy with watching Elsa Lancaster be adorably kooky. Plus, Kim Novak rocks capri pants like none other, and who doesn’t love Jimmy Stewart? Besides haters. (Watch for Jack Lemmon as Kim/Gilly’s warlock brother playing the bongos. Way out, man.)

Score: wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg
5 out of 5 pumpkins. Fun retro witchy love, and a bonus star for the Christmas crossover possibilities.

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31 in 31: Cabin Fever – Patient Zero

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Denise

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Story: Some guy is getting married to some rich chick. Why not have a bachelor party boat trip? And why not dock on an island not on the map, where a secret biohazard research team is working on the cure for a disgusting, fatal disease? Par-tay – let’s go swimming!

Scares: To quote the title, Zero.

Splat factor: It’s a Cabin Fever story. So yes. Tons.

Closing scene “shocker”: Of course.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul): Third film in the Cabin Fever franchise, though it’s supposed to be a prequel.

Trick or Treat: Patient Zero is one helluva disappointment. Sure, the gore is groovy, but the build-up is nothing more than filler to pad the film til the gore can show up. It’s textbook PWP (“Plot, What Plot”). People do stupid stuff when they should know better, nobody thinks to seek treatment for strange symptoms; rather than a coherent story, it’s Plague, Inc., the Movie. Except it’s a lot less entertaining.

Patient Zero (Sean Astin, slummin’ it) is a complete dick. He watched his son “melt” due to the virus he’s carrying, but does he want to help save others, including his wife? Absolutely not. He just wants out. Meanwhile, researchers that have training in sterile containment? Walk into quarantine without HAZMAT suits, get blood puked onto them, and run out of the unit covered in blood. For once, I’d like to see trained researchers actually act like intelligent…trained researchers. Sigh.

The bachelor party dudes are nothing but walking punchlines that do all the usual wrong things. And the token “cool girl” has the usual unrequited love of the bachelor, and only tells him on his bachelor party boat trip. Yawn. But that’s okay; she won’t be alive for much longer. Neither will any of the others. Spoiler Alert! Except not really, as this is a prequel, so we all know they’re doomed.

I just wish Patient Zero made me give at least half a fuck about any of these characters, or the outcome.

Score: pumpkin_half
.5 out of 5 pumpkins. For the gore.

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31 in 31: Lon Chaney – Behind the Mask

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Denise

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Story: A look at the life and work of horror actor extraordinaire, Lon Chaney.

Scares: If you’re old enough to remember Chaney’s films when they first came out? Maybe. And congratulations on finding the internets!

Splat factor: Zero. It’s a documentary about a silent film star. Even the clips are bloodless.

Closing scene “shocker”: Documentary. So nup, unless you count the short silent Western starring Lon after the end credits.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul): Original, though there are other Chaney retrospectives out there.

Trick or Treat: If you’re a true horror hound, you’ve seen a few of of Chaney’s pictures; Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and London After Midnight (what’s still available after all these years) are horror – and overall cinema – classics. And you definitely know about his expertise with makeup and costuming. So a movie covering his life and work should be catnip. It is.

There’s trivia along with the bio: the pain he endured creating his characters was blown out of proportion most of the time. “Vanity is a personal parasite” – Chaney’s views of the cult of celebrity was a rare public viewpoint from silent film stars (who were usually obligated to spend much of their life in the public eye), but here we get home movies and they show a warm, affable guy. And is that a young Creighton Chaney (aka Lon Chaney Jr.) in the background? A’yup. Kewl!

Also covered is his work with director Tod Browning, and how they “laid the foundation for the American horror film”.

Some may find this film a bit padded – there are tons of scenes showing Chaney’s performances – but they’d be wrong. Seeing these bits sheds light on the actor, and only had me admire his techniques all the more. Especially interesting are his non-horror roles with no FX makeup. It’s wonderful to see his ability to project emotions, and how he classes up the acting joint every time he’s in a scene.

A must view for any cinema buff, but 100% required for horror fans interested in the history of the genre

Score: wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg
5 out of 5 pumpkins, for shedding light on an actor I’ve always admired, and doing a great job.

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31 in 31: Ouija

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Denise

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I decided to kill two birds with one horror movie this go-round; cross-posted at Geek for e, clicky the hyperlink for that post!

Movie review: Ouija

Keep thinking its just your friends pushing the game marker around...

It’s Hallow-Month!  So horror movies are naturally the way to go. Want to get to the nitty-gritty?  Here’s a little list I’ve borrowed from another source  that’ll help you get to what you’re looking for in a Halloween horror show.  Does Ouija measure up as Boo-tastic, or is it just a bomb?  Read on….

Story: Two little girls play around with an Ouija board.  Fast forward to high school, and one of those little girls hangs herself “under mysterious circumstances”.  Wanna guess how the other girl handles it?  If you said “by using the same Ouija board”, you should be a scriptwriter!

Scares: Even though this is cliché-central, there are a few Gotchas here, of the “jumped from the shadows” variety.

Splat factor: Not much blood, though there’s desiccated bodies, stitches where you wouldn’t want ‘em, and top-notch visual effects to signify possession.

Closing scene “shocker”?: Not if you know anything about horror movies.  But for the noobs, they could be shocked.  With this film, I expected a “leave room for a sequel” twist.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Though the usual tropes can be found in just about every single horror movie since 1979, this movie’s an original. And by original I mean the first in an inevitable series.

Trick or Treat?: Ouija is more of a drinking-game film than a serious horror film.  Why else would the characters be so incredibly stupid?  “Hey, my BFF just died after strange stuff was happening to her.  Let’s whip out the Ouija board just lying on her bed to see if we can talk to her!  What could happen?”  What really made my eyes roll were the lack of grown-ups.  (Y’know, beyond the twenty-somethings playing high school students.)  A group of kids start dying, and nobody’s parents are around?  Anywhere?  C’mon.

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31 in 31: Burke and Hare (2010)

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Denise

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I missed a ’31 yesterday, so why not continue with grave robbing today?  Here goes, with Burke and Hare!

Story: Back in the early 1800s, medical colleges in Scotland had a shortage of bodies.  When there’s a market, there are…enrepreneurs!

Scares: A comedy that happens to have it’s basis in a creepy point in history, so no real scares.  Well, unless you’re squicked by dead bodies.

Splat factor: Dead bodies.  Murder.  Medical dissection.  You do the math.

Closing scene “shocker”?: Nup.  Though there’s a “what happened to ’em” epilogue.  Who doesn’t love that?

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Burke and Hare came out in 1971, so the 2010 film is a remake/homage.

Trick or Treat?: Like I Sell the Dead, Burke and Hare is a hilarious look at an ooky true history tidbit.  Grave robbing was indeed a thing, and Burke and Hare were indeed fellas that sold dead bodies to medical colleges…killing people when they ran out of “product”.

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31 in 31: I Sell the Dead

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Denise

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i sell the deadStory: Arthur Blake is jailed for grave robbing and murder.  Before he’s beheaded, a monk comes in and asks him to confess.  Roll the backstory of how he came to do what he did, and all the strange and scary things he’s seen!

Scares: Though this is a horror comedy with an emphasis on black humor, there are a few groovy ghouls and just enough gore to keep horror hounds happy.

Splat Factor: See above.  There’s some blood, but mostly it’s dead bodies and ghouls that rule the day.  Or night.  For a low-budget flick, the FX are surprisingly good.

Closing scene “shocker”?: Yep.  But it’s fun rather than the usual drag.

Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul): Original.  Burke and Hare came along two years later, but though that’s also about grave robbers, it takes a different tack.

Trick or Treat?: Like old-time horror?  Body-snatchers?  Black humor?  Who doesn’t?  I Sell the Dead is a hoot; one of those films that I figured would be a crapfest that tries too hard, but ultimately is a delightfully dark horror comedy that throws in a few good scares for good measure.

I especially love the spin on Jolly Olde England.  No sepia, no grainy cinematography.  It’s all shiny, though the props, set design and costuming aren’t given short shrift.  Dominic Monaghan and Larry Fessenden as the dead sellers, along with Ron Perlman as Father Duffy all seem to enjoy the hell out of their roles, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for Phantasm’s own Angus Scrimm as the not-so-good Dr. Quint.  A modern day horror film that feels like a goofy homage to Hammer films.  No wonder it was a hit at Slamdance in 2009.  Seek it out.

Score: wpid-pumpkin9.jpg wpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpgwpid-pumpkin9.jpg

4 out of 5 pumpkins.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Birdman

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Denise

birdman

Actually, the title is Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, just so you know.  But Michael Keaton as an actor who played a superhero!  Meta much?  Yeah, this sounds cool.

 BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

TRAILER:
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/birdman/

BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.

Directed by:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Cast:
Michael Keaton, Zach Galafinakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Lindsey Duncan, Merritt Wever, Jeremy Shamos, Bill Camp and Damian Young.

Want passes to the Baltimore screening?  Read on….

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