Sometimes fame and fortune doesn’t have the end results we expect. While some filmmakers might think a lot of awards and recognition might bring them more freedom, I think it has the opposite effect sometimes. Now, Peter Jackson is an Oscar-winning filmmaker and respected documentary producer. But about 40 years ago, he was a youngContinue reading “‘Dead Alive’ Isn’t Your Typical ‘Braindead’ Zombie Flick”
Category Archives: Flashback Friday Frights
Willem Dafoe Sinks His Teeth Into Role In ‘Shadow Of The Vampire’
Dracula has been in the entertainment world lately. There was the disappointment that was “Renfield” where Nicolas Cage played the character followed by equally disappointing “The Last Voyage of the Demeter.” Then there was “Nosferatu” where Bill Skasgard played him with a Sam Elliott mustache. And now Caleb Landry Jones is playing him. Other actorsContinue reading “Willem Dafoe Sinks His Teeth Into Role In ‘Shadow Of The Vampire’”
‘Android’ Is The 1980s Low-Budget Sci-Fi Thriller You’re Looking For
The Artemis crew came back to Earth about a week ago and already the cynics think we never went to the Moon. It never surprises me why people think this. A lot of people live under the delusions they are right all the time. Maybe it’s because people saw the Apollo 13 incident as a made-upContinue reading “‘Android’ Is The 1980s Low-Budget Sci-Fi Thriller You’re Looking For”
‘Outbreak’ Horrifying Fiction That Became A Horrifying Reality
Six years have passed since Covid-19 sparked a global pandemic the likes no one had seen in a long time. It’s no surprise movies like “Outbreak” and “Contagion” became so popular while people were having to shelter-in-place. “Outbreak” had been released in March 1995 mostly in an attempt to get ahead of the based onContinue reading “‘Outbreak’ Horrifying Fiction That Became A Horrifying Reality”
‘Jason X’ Does Suck On So Many Levels But It’s So Bad, It’s Good
It seems like a clichéd trope that once a film franchise resorts to being set in space, it’s gone off the rails. “Leprechaun,” James Bond, “The Fast and the Furious” all resorted to sending characters into space. Even “Critters 4” is set mostly in space but it was actually a sci-fi movie to begin with.Continue reading “‘Jason X’ Does Suck On So Many Levels But It’s So Bad, It’s Good”
‘Urban Legend’ Was Late Filmmakers’ Great Debut
Jamie Blank died recently. He was in his mid-20s when he helmed Urban Legend during the slasher craze resurgence of the late 1990s.I’ll admit I had no idea what an urban legend meant when I saw the movie posters. Yet I had heard a lot of them. There was Bloody Mary, huge alligators in theContinue reading “‘Urban Legend’ Was Late Filmmakers’ Great Debut”
‘Code Of Silence’ Was Chuck Norris’ Best Movie As It Feels Different
I remember back around 1990 comic/actor Robert Wuhl said during a stand-up routine that if you counted all the good Burt Reynolds movies on one hand, you’d still have some fingers left over. This was around the time he had appeared in the crime comedy Breaking In directed by Bill Forsyth. But it still wasn’t enough as he had to turn to TV toContinue reading “‘Code Of Silence’ Was Chuck Norris’ Best Movie As It Feels Different”
Old Hat For ‘Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood’
The following post contains spoilers! After the fan backlash over Friday the 13th : A New Beginning which attempted to take the franchise in a different direction where Tommy Jarvis turns into a killer following too much trauma, Jason Vorhees was brought back from the dead in the sixth movie. Incidentally, the fifth movie made more money compared to its meager budget asContinue reading “Old Hat For ‘Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood’”
‘Storm Of The Century’ Still Hits Hard Many Years Later
When New England recovering from the huge snowstorm that hit less than two weeks ago, I’d thought I’d look at Storm of the Century which Stephen King wrote specifically for TV. Set in February 1989, it aired as a three-part miniseries in the middle of February 1999. Now, Stephen King adaptations are mostly hit or miss. But his work on TV has been less than stellar. There wasContinue reading “‘Storm Of The Century’ Still Hits Hard Many Years Later”
‘Scream 4’ Brought Franchise Back To Life, For Better And For Worse
The Scream franchise has divided horror fans for the past 30 years. I think it’s mainly because horror movies exist on the fringes of entertainment, a step up from porno flicks and raunchy sex comedies. They’re really never supposed to be big-budget high concept movies. But if done right, it can still be a critical and commercial success. The first Scream movie was released during the ChristmasContinue reading “‘Scream 4’ Brought Franchise Back To Life, For Better And For Worse”
Zane Says 