Month: October 2021

Ladies and gentlemen: Once again, it is Halloween.  Yes, it’s the time of year to dress up as ghouls, ghosts, and goblins.  Normally, I would do a Best/Worst list or review a horror movie.  But this year, I wanted to do something a little bit more…introspective.  People love different kinds of movies for different reasons.  Some people love romantic comedies, while the rest of us think those folks are bonkers.  Others like heavy dramas that really lay on the emotion, while others like to get their adrenaline pumping with explosive action movies.  But what about horror movies?  What is it about that genre that draws people towards it?  Why do people enjoy being scared?  Is it our fear of the unknown and what lies in the dark?  If you ask a 100 different people this question, you’re likely to get 100 different answers.  I can only speak for myself, but to do that, I would like to take a little trip back to when I was a kid in the 80s.  My first experience with horror as a genre was Child’s Play.  To my mom’s regret, my dad let me watch that movie with him.  It was about a serial killer who used voodoo magic to transfer his soul into a doll.  I don’t necessarily think my mom had anything to worry about because 1: It wasn’t a great movie.  And 2: I didn’t remember anything about that movie until I saw it again as an adult a few years back.  It still sucks.  The other movie was Ghostbusters.  It’s about as classic a comedy as you can get with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis.  It’s a great movie.  There were a lot of laughs, but I have to tell you: Those terror dogs gave me nightmares.  They scared the hell out of me.  Even when I watch the movie as an adult, those dogs are creepy.

It wouldn’t be until the mid-90s when I actively sought out my first horror movie.  The movie that I found was Warlock: The Armageddon from 1993.  I found this because the trailers featured magic and a dude flying through the air.  I wasn’t aware at how much of a horror movie it was until Julian Sands’ character started causing mayhem.  Obviously, I liked the Alien movies, but to me those were more science fiction than horror, but it was Warlock that made me a fan of the genre.  As for why?  There are a number of reasons.  For one, I really appreciate the artistic expression that horror can provide.  All you have to is look at artists like the late H.R. Giger to understand why I love this stuff.  When you look at the special effects and creature designs, making those is an art.  Again, look at the terror dogs from Ghostbusters.  Brilliantly designed and terrifying, hence the name.  When it comes to the blood, guts and gore of the slasher and monster movies, building prosthetics and make-up effects requires a unique touch.  Again, it’s an artform.  Most people think it’s as simple using ketchup packets.  Oh, no, no, no.  When it comes to the red stuff, there’s a proper mixture to making it look like real blood.  It usually involves some form of corn syrup and red dye.  If you’re trying to make it look realistic, you have to get it just right.  With the make-up effects, there’s a degree of anatomy you have to deal with to make it believable.  The same applies to set and costume designs, especially if you want to make it a period piece like The Witch.

There’s a common misconception about horror movies that it corrupts children and it’s all about the blood and guts.  On both counts?  Bullshit.  Can horror movies influence people?  Sure, but not necessarily in a negative way.  As I mentioned above, there’s a degree of artistic expression involved with the genre.  Yeah, it’s dark, but it’s as artistic as a painting from Salvatore Dali.  It’s just different.  Blood and guts don’t make the movie.  Those are components of a horror movie, but they don’t define the movie.  To craft a good horror movie, you need the one thing that makes all movies work: Writing.  To me, horror movies are just another way of telling a story.  Granted, those stories are much darker and grimmer than other stories, but they’re no less relevant or intelligent.  In fact, some of my favorite horror movies of all time don’t have any gore in them at all.  Instead, these films rely on atmosphere and character dynamics to get under my skin.  Jump scares don’t work on me.  In fact, those are incredibly cheap and a waste of time.

That brings me to one of the main reasons why I love this genre so much: Variety.  Horror is one of the most versatile genres in any form of storytelling.  In movies, it’s even more so.  Sure, you’ve got straight horror movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm Street, but you can combine horror with any other genre and you can end up with some really compelling stories.  Ridley Scott’s Alien is a perfect example.  It’s set in space which makes it a science fiction film, but it turns into a slasher movie when the creature shows up, bringing the film fully within the horror genre while still being science fiction.  Horror comedies are another staple.  Evil Dead 2, Ghostbusters, and The Cabin in the Woods.  Horror has a tendency to follow the same beats as comedy, so the line between the genres isn’t always as clear, and when it’s done right, it’s outstanding.  You have horror movies that can be dramatic without any scares at all like Maggie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It’s not a perfect movie, but the true horror of that movie is finding out that his child has a limited amount of time before she turns into a flesh-eating monster.  It’s as tragic as it is horrific, yet it allows people to connect with a character on a more personal level, which makes it an effective movie.  THAT’S why I love this genre so much.  It can speak to people on different levels and affect people in different ways.  Good storytelling does that.

Horror movies can be used as a mirror of sorts to reflect certain aspects of our personalities or society in general.  It’s also a bit of a mask to help people cope with certain harsh realities of everyday life.  Take Hereditary for example.  That was a movie that dealt with uncontrollable grief and how it can take somebody over.  I had been dealing with personal losses when I saw that movie on Blu-Ray.  While the film is incredibly grim, it was also a form of therapy for me, and it helped me get through one of the hardest moments in my life.  Don’t always believe people when they say that horror movies can have a negative impact.  While that can be true for some people, horror movies can also have an incredibly positive impact.  As with everything film-related, it’s entirely subjective.  Unfortunately, horror movies have a kind of stigma that tends to put general audiences off.  There are horror movies out there that are questionable in terms of content with shocking levels of depravity.  I love this genre.  I don’t think I would be the movie buff that I am without it.  But there are some lines that I won’t cross, and I’ve crossed quite a few over the years.

Horror.  It’s one of the most versatile genres in film and yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood and disrespected.  To me, this is a genre that is as relevant and compelling as any rom-com or drama.  It just has a darker edge it, and it has more of a tendency to speak to those of us that dwell in the dark.   I would imagine that other fans of horror have different perspectives on why THEY are drawn to these kinds of movies and stories and each perspective is unique.  Well, those are my perspectives on horror and why it means so much to me.  Since it IS Halloween, I want to wish everybody a happy Halloween.  Stay safe and have fun.

What I have for you folks today is another 5 movies that I bought on Blu-Ray.  I discuss them a bit more thoroughly in my podcast, so feel free to listen to that.  I’m going to list these movies below and their trailers, so you can see if these movies are for you.  Enjoy!

1. Kull The Conqueror

2. Old

3. The Suicide Squad

4. Don’t Breathe 2

5. Megan Is Missing

This isn’t going to be a particularly large post, but it is a big announcement.  According to Variety, the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic has been greenlit by both Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment.  This is excellent news.  As you may or may not know, I went to see Dune over the weekend.  The movie covered the first half of Frank Herbert’s beloved book.  You can read my review on the film by clicking on the Reviews tab, but what I will say is that Dune was everything I wanted to be.  The sense of scale made the film bigger than life.  This is a movie that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.  There had been some concerns over the past month or so that Dune wouldn’t make enough money to get a follow-up film.  It’s understandable.  Frank Herbert’s book isn’t exactly the most accessible story.  It’s very dense with a lot of details surrounding different Houses, politics, religious ideas, and overall world-building.  But Denis Villeneuve managed to make a movie that was not only faithful to the original story, but he made it accessible for audiences who weren’t familiar with the source material.  One of the issues surrounding the film’s release was in regards to its US release.  Why?  Dune was not only being released to theaters, but it was also released on HBO Max at the same.  HBO Max being Warner Bros. streaming service.

The movie was released first to international audiences last month before hitting the United States on the 22nd of October.  Looking at the box office numbers, Dune hit with a 41 million dollar opening, which was to expected during a pandemic, but the international take was closer to 180 million by the end of the weekend, bringing the total numbers 223 million on 165 million dollar budget.  In normal theatrical release, the film would have to make back at least 2.5 times its production budget just to break even.  But because of the pandemic, those kinds of numbers just aren’t realistic at the moment.  Yet, because of word-of-mouth, as well as strong reactions from both audiences and critics, Dune is doing pretty well right now.  It’s doing well enough that WB, Legendary, and Denis Villeneuve are comfortable enough with going forward with Part 2.  I think it would’ve happened anyway with Discovery buying Warner Bros.  But the fact that the project is moving forward less than a week after the film’s domestic opening is really good news.  Could you imagine if Warner Bros. had scrapped plans for Part 2?  That would’ve been like The Lord of the Rings having the first two movies, but the third film gets canceled for whatever reason.  It’s unfathomable.  This is only the first half of the story.  The real bulk of the narrative happens in the second half when Paul leads the Fremen against their Harkonnen enemies.  That is where the action is, and I think that’s what most people are looking forward to seeing.

As someone who grew up with David Lynch’s film from 1984, Denis Villeneuve’s interpretation is nothing short of brilliant.  This is epic story-telling unlike anything that I’ve seen since Lord of the Rings.  In fact, I would argue that Dune is the movie that truly cements Mr. VIlleneuve’s stature as a master film-maker.  Everything that he’s made, I’ve loved.  Some are better than others, but they’re all compelling in their own way.  Now that Part 2 is greenlit, Denis says that he can begin shooting next year for a possible 2023 release date.  It’s going to be a bit of a wait, but it’ll be worth it.  While the year isn’t over yet, I’m beginning to think that Dune is going to be my movie of the year.  It’s that good.  It’s not for everybody, but for those who like high-concept science fiction, this is a dream come true.

Released: August 1997

Director: John Nicollela

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 95 Minutes

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Genre: Action/Adventure

Cast:
Kevin Sorbo: Kull
Tia Carrere: Akivasha
Litefoot: Ascalante
Thomas Ian Griffith: General Taligaro
Harvey Fierstein: Juba
Karina Lombard: Zareta
Sven-Ole Thorsen: King Borna

I’ve always been making noise about what year was a banner for great movies.  1977, 1979, 1986, 1991.  These specific years saw some truly outstanding films from every corner of the globe.  But here’s the truth of the matter: EVERY year has one or two great movies.  It’s just that some years have a lot more than others.  On the flip-side, every year has also had its fair share of bad movies.  So, if I declare a banner year for great movies, shouldn’t I also pick one out for truly bad movies?  I was thinking about that while watching today’s movie.  The 1980s had some really bad horror and action movies, for sure, but 1997?  Oh, lordy.  Some of the most notoriously bad movies came out during 1997.  Don’t get me wrong, that year had more great movies than bad, but the bad ones really stood out: Spawn, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Batman and Robin, Alien Resurrection, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Home Alone 3, and Jungle 2 Jungle.  There were quite a few, but a movie that seems to be left out in the ether was Kull The Conqueror.  This sword and sandal adventure flick came and went without much fuss, but was it terrible?

The movie begins as Kull tries to prove himself worthy of joining King Borna’s army.  It’s soon revealed that Borna has begun slaughtering his heirs, and Kull kills the king to stop him.  With Borna’s dying breath, Kull is made king of Valucia.  In the shadows, General Taligaro plots to overthrow Kull by resurrecting Akivasha, an ancient demonic witch who used to rule the ancient kingdom of Acheron.  After marrying Kull, Akivasha poisons him and takes throne.  After rescuing a slave girl from burning alive and a priest, Kull learns of an ancient weapon that can be used to destroy Akivasha.  Honestly, that synopsis is probably more than this movie deserves.  As someone who grew up watching movies like Conan: The Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger, I had no idea that the character was based on books written by Robert E. Howard.  Most people know who Conan is as a character, most have no idea who Kull is.  Kull is a character that is in the same universe as Conan, but predates Conan by at least 2,000 years.  In the hands of better film-makers, Kull could’ve been the next Conan.  In fact, like Red Sonja, Kull was initially intended to be a third Conan film.  The story in the film itself is pretty standard sword-and-sorcery stuff.  It doesn’t really do much to distinguish itself from any other movie like it.

The big draw for this movie at the time, was its lead actor, Kevin Sorbo.  Kevin Sorbo was in between seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in which he played…well…Hercules.  Hercules was a breakout role for Kevin that put him on the map, at least temporarily.  Regardless of what you think about the man’s personal political and religious beliefs, you had to admit that there was something magnetic about this guy.  He was a lot of fun to watch, and he had some pretty decent comedic timing.  But he also handled physical roles pretty well, and it’s really no different in this movie.  This was his first lead role in a feature film and it could’ve been worse.  Tia Carrere is the film’s main villain, Akivasha.  I really hate to point this out, but it’s been a huge problem in movies for decades:  It was clear that they didn’t hire Ms. Carrere for her acting chops.  They needed a female villain who was alluring and attractive, but not much else.  As a result, the main villain is incredibly shallow and not very threatening.  I think Tia Carrere is a decent actress.  She was great in True Lies and Wayne’s World, but like most of the actors in this movie, she’s totally wasted.  Harvey Fierstein plays the flamboyant pirate, Juba, and he’s one of the best parts of the movie.  You might recognize Harvey from Independence Day, because he played Jeff Goldblum’s boss in that movie.  He knows he’s in a bad movie, and he’s just having fun with it.  Thomas Ian Griffith plays Taligaro and I have to admit, I’m disappointed with Griffith here.  The guy is a martial artist, so he can handle the physical stuff like a pro, but we don’t get to see him use any of that in this movie, which would’ve made it a little more exciting.

As far as the action in the movie goes, it’s serviceable.  There’s nothing terrible about what we see on screen.  It’s mostly bloodless, but this was also before the whole “shaky-cam” business that come a decade later.  The fight choreography and stunt-work here is STILL better than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.  To be fair, that’s not really a high bar to beat.  Some of the swordplay is pretty decent, but it’s nothing that you haven’t seen before in movies like Dragonheart, which came out the previous year.  The biggest issue with this movie is that it feels completely generic.  Everything from the dialogue to the effects just feel generic.  The music makes this movie feel dated, though.  It’s a combination of orchestra and hard rock.  It’s a bizarre combination that it feels both appropriate and inappropriate at the same time.  As far as the dialogue goes, Kevin Sorbo does pretty well with what he’s got.  One of the lines that Akivasha delivers however, is lifted directly from The Empire Strikes Back.  I’m not kidding.  Griffith’s character say, “That was not our pact!” She says, “I’m altering the pact.  Pray I don’t alter it any further.”  That’s word for word.

I suppose I could come down on Kull like a ton of bricks, but there’s a strange earnestness about the film that kind of saves it from being totally banal.  It’s not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination.  Even Kevin Sorbo has since come out saying it’s a bit of a disaster.  Kevin is really the only thing that actually holds this movie together, believe it or not.  For a movie that was supposed to be a third Conan movie, it’s a decent time-waster at 95 minutes.  It moves pretty quick and doesn’t overstay its welcome.  Honestly, I would rather watch Kull The Conqueror than Conan The Destroyer or Red Sonja any day of the week.  Is this movie the worst that 1997 could offer?  Oh, no.  It’s not high art, but it’s a hell of a lot better than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation or Batman and Robin.  Also, there’s one other thing I would like to mention:  The slip cover for the Blu-ray Release.  This is one of those Retro VHS slip-covers that you see on certain releases from Mill Creek Entertainment:

Looks pretty cool, right?  The film’s tagline is “Courage Conquers All.”  So, when you flip over the package, conquers is misspelled:  So, the back of the slip-cover reads: Courage Conqueors All.  For a disc that’s bare-bones, the least you could do with slip cover is check your goddamned spelling.  Thankfully, you can just toss the slip-cover, because on the backside of the actual Blu-ray case, the tagline is spelled correctly.  Still, how the hell did a simple but obvious mistake like that get past Q&A?  Unfortunately, this is Mill Creek Entertainment we’re talking about, as they don’t put a lot of effort into their releases.  Ultimately, I don’t blame people for not even hearing about this movie, let alone seeing it.  Kull isn’t exactly a household name when it comes to fictional characters.  The connection to the Conan universe, though, is really interesting, and I would actually like to see what really good film-makers would be able to do with a character like Kull.  Honestly, I would say check it out if you like these kinds of movies.  That wig that Kevin Sorbo wears, though.  Yikes.