Interesting Horror Movie Releases 6/9/09

This week in horror and genre fiction we aren't seeing a lot of new stuff. This is the lowest level of releases I've featured on this site in a long time. Maybe people don't buy new horror films in the summer? I don't know. Here is the list of interesting horror movie releases for 6/9/09.

Aquarion: The Complete Series DVD
Gypsy Blood DVD
The Kiss DVD
The Legend of the Blood Castle DVD
Predator 2 Blu Ray Dvd
The Shield: Season Seven - The Final Act
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 DVD
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 Blu Ray Dvd

Alright those last two weren't horror and the anime pick wasn't horror either, but come on...it's a lax week.

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have my mother in law in town and haven't been watching as much horror.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

The Machinist Review

In 2004 a movie came out that would introduce the world, better yet reintroduce the world, to Christian Bale. His amazing performance in this film elevated him far beyond simply a character actor or "American Psycho" and put him on many radars worldwide. Including Christopher Nolan, who has really done great things for Bale in the way that he is now a household name for good acting and a "batman voice". The Machinist is a slow moving, very still nightmare of identity and depression. The film deals with so much in such a little time that it creates a mood that is not easily replicated.

Here is a trailer for The Machinist:



The Machinist starts like many other identity crisis movies. It starts off with a character that is having trouble sleeping. This insomnia takes a part of Trevor Reznik's life to the point that he is losing his mind. He is living in a dreamworld at times and is in trouble at work, as a machinist, because he is directly involved in a machine accident that costs a man his arm. The scene is dramatic and well shot, but it doesn't force gore down your throat, it is done with a sense of class.

The movie moves forward with character development, and Trevor visits a kind prostitute that falls in love with him. I personally hate this idea, but it happens. Trevor then moves forward and visits a friendly waitress at an airport diner, and the movie really moves forward.

Bale's weight loss is the crux of the praise of the film. I really think that anyone that sees this film will be nearly disgusted with the amount of weight Christian Bale loses. This is not a CG effect he actually loses weight to near skeletal amounts for this film. It is an incredible process that demands attention, even when the plot falls apart in the third act.

The film quality is nice. I loved the visuals in contrast to the deep emotional psychosis that Bale evokes with his character. You really start to feel as though you're there, in first person, witness the deconstruction of the mind. It's an interesting take on identity, until we find out that the whole plot and villain are fabrications of insomnia, and that our protagonist is the antagonist and fails to control the viewer's attention in the closing moments.

Is The Machinist Scary? : No. The movie tries to be scary, however it is not. The movie pushes forward this idea that someone is chasing Trevor, but it's not so. There are scary moments in this film if you really think about how far the mind can fabricate things. The scary moments, if any, are surrounded by paranoia and contrast with how lack of sleep could create deep cisterns that will not allow you to function as a human being.

The Machinist seems way longer than 102 minutes. It has a lot of dry moments and feel that some people will fall asleep during this film. The Machinist should be seen by all Bale fans, but overall lit's not the scariest film, nor is it really that good after a few viewings. It's interesting to see how much weight Christian Bale loses, but it's just a novelty.



Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

The Identity Crisis in Horror Film

I hate the Identity Crisis in Horror film. I have to deal with it so much that I decided to forgo a review and talk about this subject. It seems like the easiest solution is to simply get a lapse of memory or an identity crisis into a film, before the final twist revealing that the killer is not what you think, it's the protagonist.

The duality of playing the role of protagonist and antagonist is quite odd to me, and it is something that I don't know why is pushed so much in regards to horror. We first started seeing identity crisis in the old Scooby Doo television specials. The villains were always people in the show, but were wearing masks.

We also saw this happen in pop culture, most recently in an episode of American Dad where the space alien was living a double life. Sure that was done for comedic value, but it doesn't stop film makers from making terrible movies about duality and fictitious villains.

So today, I wanted to give you guys a quick heads up in regards what movies have stupid cop out endings like that of scooby doo, but packaged in Rated R formats for reason unknown.

If you don't like spoilers, skip this post....cause I'm going to end it all.



My Bloody Valentine 3-D

Oh awesome! The best 3-D movie to come out lately (aside from UP) was a straight forward horror film. However, despite the great pieces of gore and attempts at comedic value with repeating backgrounds, this movie failed to enlighten us all when the twist ending was that the protagonist was disguised as the antagonist! What the hell? Yep. The ending was ridiculous, and really made me hate the genre...for a moment. Sure they aren't the first to do it, but they were the most recent in memory. So that's where we start.



Pinocchio's Revenge

This low budget horror movie had one of the weirdest, almost homo-erotic sex scenes I've ever scene. However, it really punched me in the face when in the end it wasn't a doll that the people were worried about it was a little girl! Come on! I wanted to seriously knock out my television screen. Thanks guys...you ruined an otherwise lackluster movie....a hard thing to do. (note sarcasm)



Hide and Seek

So after Pinocchio's Revenge, Hide and Seek decided to come out with some major star power. I liked the premise, however when the reveal at the end turned out that it was the protagonist/antagonist mix and match routine, I got really upset. It's like the film makers wanted to out smart the dumb horror fans, and they sure didn't. They had a copout ending and I can't believe that Robert De Niro signed on to this! Then again, he also did Rocky and Bullwinkle!



Identity

One hell of a ride with John Cusack NOT playing a love lorned angst ridden teenager or older adult chasing a woman. This time he was dead on accurate as a detective stuck at a motel in the middle of a thunder storm. As things continue, the popcorn kept going in my mouth and then the reveal! WHAT? It's multiple personalities? What the? I screamed like Hugh Jackman in Wolverine. Identity had some good scares, but when it was all said and done it's just another identity crisis film, but then again with a title like that, I wasn't really expecting anything different.



Primal Fear

While not a horror movie at all, this film was really interesting. A more complex court room drama showed up in this film, creating a nice sense of balance to an otherwise terrible movie. The acting was indeed top notch and Edward Norton's identity transformation was something to believe because it turned on a dime in the end. The clapping to villain, the shyness wearing thin, created one hell of a good moment in movie history. However, this one wasn't the end all, and it was more of a drama than anything horror. There was some nice gore in the beginning sequences, but that's all.



High Tension

My friend in college thought this film was amazing. So he dragged me along for a midnight showing and I thought the ending was a complete fabrication of crap. The movie makes no sense if it was all made up, there is a nice long story and plot and it is eliminated completely at the end when things evaporate into an identity crisis for the main antagonist, which was really the protagonist through out the whole film! What the heck? Yes, it's got a lot of great moments, but the ending really makes for a lackluster finish to an otherwise artsy French horror film.



The Machinist

Everyone talks about how Christian Bale did a tremendous job in this role. I don't disagree, I think the method acting in this role was amazing. His weight loss is considerable and horrific, no cg needed. However, the identity crisis that this film portrays is so stupid that it makes me hate the movie. That and the terrible pacing of this film. It's really not that great, but his dedication to the character is brilliant, so you have to see it for that reason alone.



Secret Window

A lonely writer in a cabin is stalked by a writer who claims he plagiarized his story? I like it. Johnny Depp plays a nice little role here however, the slow plotted story doesn't pick up until the end, upon which we discover the inevitable conclusion that we are watching another identity crisis story unfolded. Thanks...but you can't blame the movie writers as this book was a novella by Stephen King, so it's not all bad is it?



Memento

Memento really plays on the identity crisis. However, many will argue that it plays with memory more than identity. However, I argue that identity and memory are hand in hand players. The film is backwards and you really wonder if the memory loss is induced by the main character or not? It's an odd movie, and it kind of works well.



Tenebre

Tenebre is a cool film about a killer. Done in the Giallo tradition of films from Argento, this film is quite good in a lot of ways. However, at the end we have an identity crisis that was either plotted through or simply manufactured for the sake of the story's ending. I really liked the overall tone, but the ending really was a mash up of ideas that were not 100% introduced in the beginning. When the dust settles though, the whole identity crisis thing is at the helm of this story.



Fight Club

Fight Club should be seen as the ultimate identity crisis story. Is there a Tyler Durden? No. The split personality thing gets played so well, that fans of the movie still herald it as better than the book. The book is a short read and well recommended. This of course is not a horror film, but it sure had some horrific ideas.

So there you go, a breakdown of some of my favorite and not so favorite films that circle around identity. The whole thing is played out in horror and there are so many examples out there to back this claim. Do you know of any? If so, let me know, and I just might review it for another day.

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Interesting Horror Movie Releases 6/2/09

What's up? Apparently no one wanted to buy Horror dvd's online in May, because the May numbers are terrible. In fact there are no numbers they are all 0's. That's ok though, I didn't start this site for money I started it as an outlet for me to write about something that I love; horror movies.

Here are the latest and not so great Horror Movie releases that came out today. It's not comprehensive so don't get mad. I personally like the Anaconda blu ray!

Anaconda Blu Ray Dvd
Anacondas: Trail of Blood Dvd
Elsewhere Dvd
Elsewhere Blu Ray Dvd
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Blu Ray DVD
Highlander The Complete Animated Series Dvd
The Hunger: The Complete First Season Dvd
The Legend of Blood Castle Dvd
Maison Plaisir Dvd
Morbito: Guardian of the Spirit Volume 4 Dvd
Retardead Dvd
Razortooth Dvd
The Secret of the Black Widow Dvd
Silent Venom Dvd

Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

My Bloody Valentine 3D Review

We're into an all new summer, and we've gone through some movies left and right. So to kick things off right I decided to get back to something even more modern than my traditional reviews, and I got a hold of My Bloody Valentine 3-D on dvd. I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of this film, but it surprised me in a lot of ways, and then ruined it all with a flick of the wrist. Overall, this piece of horror film history is not going to erase the past, it will only make people more nostalgic of the latter slasher era from the 1980's. Join me today, for a classy review of My Bloody Valentine 3-D!

The story is simple, a mine shaft massacre leaves a small town ravaged and in fear. However, ten years later a mysterious prodigal son comes back to warn of a return of the killer. Our main character comes to find out that his old love is now married with a child with the town Sheriff. You will immediately notice that the gay friend of Jen from Dawson's Creek is the psuedo-villain and protagonist through three acts of this film.

Here is a trailer for the film My Bloody Valentine 3-D:



First and foremost the story is convoluted. However, you can pass that by because there's plenty of blood and spills. There's a lot of gore in this film, some of which is purposely flying at the screen for the 3-d effect on your television. These gore scenes rival "The Midnight Meat Train" gore effects and at some points the CG gets in the way of the gore. I didn't like how it was turning out towards the end, but the body count is great for a horror movie.

This film is not rated pg-13 it's rated R and a strong R at that. To prove the points there is an extended sex scene that looks spot on with some 90's porno films, or Spice Network fare. There is even a scene where you see full frontal top and bottom nudity, which is quite odd for me. If you're smart, you might notice that the same girl that had the whipped cream bikini in "Varsity Blues" is the same girl in this raucous sex scene and fully nude in the first half of the film. No cream needed, wow....that's all I'm saying.

The film really tries to make you care about the characters by way of interaction between the prodigal and his former love. She, being married, really starts to fall for him after all these years and her husband can't control his jealousy at times. You really start to hate the sheriff, and you start to side with this stranger and then the train derails and you realize what's going on.

The sound design of this film can get annoying. Too many times the film relies on jump scares with new people showing up to a window, or a door or showing up off screen with a loud noise as if you startle you after a main character is searching in the dark. This happens in ALL pg-13 and J-Horror movies, and I personally hate that.

The CG really complicates things in a lot of scenes. In the driving scenes it's painfully obvious that they are not really driving on a highway. I also found it distracting that most dialogue had camera changes and edits every 4 to 8 seconds! It was hard to really get into this film with the edits being so fast, and the CG backgrounds looking like they were from the 1960's Hammer Horror horse riding, repeating background piece of crap.

This film gives you a nice twist and some nice turns right into the third act, however, things really start to buckle under the weight and you realize that you've been had, and that you've just seen another infamous movie that features a cop out ending of IDENTITY CRISIS!

Is My Bloody Valentine 3D Scary ? : No. This movie is not scary. There are some scary moments, the but the illusion really unravels towards the end. You also have to really wonder about the relationship that is set up in the film between the Sheriff and his wife. They have been married 10 years and have a son, and yet he's really jealous? That is a really weird motif, and I didn't really buy it. There was also some elaborate slasher moments, that just don't seem likely with the way this movie is unfolded. The all knowing killer stereotype works in the 80's because of franchises, but in this film it almost seems to tired and ridiculous.

What really made me not like this film was the ending. The film turns into an identity crisis film, much like many other films that I've reviewed before, and I really can't stand that about horror as a genre. The villain is having a duality issue yet can be all knowing and powerful in his slashing of people? Even smarter than a veteran detective, now retired? This just doesn't make sense to me.

If that doesn't really do it for you, if you still think this movie holds some serious weight, consider the fact that at the end of the film there is a scene where the camera's zoom in on a bullet that has been fired from a chamber, and slowly moves around it in 360 degrees, much like the movie "Wanted" and then follows it right to it's access point and outside of a body! That's some BS and you know it!

Bad CG, terrible pacing, lackluster performances, and terrible relationship circumstances really screw up this film. The beginning and first half was pretty cool, especially when considering that nude scene bringing me full circle from the days when "Varsity Blues" was almost taboo. I would recommend seeing this film, but don't hold your breath, it's not the best of the best at all. I give this movie a lot of credit for being rated R, using the 3-d in several spots, and really not pretending to be anything more than a classic throwback to the slasher genre. It just isn't as good as the original slasher era, it's just not.



Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

Horror Movies that came out May 2009

SO here you go! All the Horror Movies that came out in May 2009 alongside some anime, scifi and a couple of recommendations from me. If you have some extra cash here you go, an easy list. This is the end of the month obligatory lists post, and I'll return June 1st (monday) with a review of My Bloody Valentine 3-D to kick off summer horror month. Once again, if you have any suggestions, let me know and I'll watch and review them. If you want a shot at writing on this site, email me at sir jorge AT gmail dot com and you can get a shot...maybe.


The Devil's Tomb Dvd
Freezer Burn dvd
Hindsight dvd
Ikki Tousen: The Complete Series Box Set
Killshot Dvd
Lady Ninja Kasumi Volume 4 dvd
The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk Dvd
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus Dvd
Bane 2008 Dvd
Batman 1989 Blu Ray Dvd
Battle Star Galactica: Season 2.0 and 2.5 Dvd Set
Circle of Iron Blu Ray Dvd
Claymore: Volume Five, Sisters in Arms Dvd
Detective Story Dvd
The Devil's Ground Dvd
Eden Log Dvd
Eden Log Blu Ray Dvd
Fist of the North Star The Movie Dvd
Gundam Seed Destiny Anime Legends, Vol. 2 Dvd
The Last Horror Film (Uncut Special Edition) 1982 Dvd
The Machinist Blu Ray Dvd
Nightmare Castle Dvd
My Bloody Valentine 3D Dvd
My Bloody Valentine 3d Blu Ray
Outlander Dvd
Princess Resurrection: Collection 2 Dvd
Saiyuki: Requiem/Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness Dvd
Skull & Bones (2007)
Limited Edition T2 Complete Collector's Set Endoskull [Blu-ray] (1991)
True Blood Season 1 Dvd
True Blood Season 1 Blu Ray Dvd
B.T.K Dvd
The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation Dvd
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series Dvd
Bleach 16 Dvd
Case Closed: Season Five Dvd
Fargo Blu Ray Dvd
The Grudge 3 Dvd
Murder Princess: The Complete Series Dvd
Nighthead Genesis Vol. 5 Dvd
Passengers Dvd
Passengers Blu Ray Dvd
Plague Town Dvd
Plague Town Blu Ray Dvd
S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale Dvd
S. Dark: A Donnie Dark Tale Blu Ray Dvd
Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy Dvd
Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy Blu Ray Dvd
Taken Dvd
Taken Blu Ray Dvd
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Dvd
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Blu Ray Dvd
Underworld Trilogy Blu Ray Dvd
Attack of the Giant Leeches Dvd
Baccano: Volume Three Dvd
Darker Than Black Volume Four Dvd
Dexter The Complete Second Season Blu Ray Dvd
Doctor Who: Battlefield Dvd
Doctor WHo: The E-Space Trilogy Dvd
Dog Soldiers Blu Ray Dvd
Geisha Assassin (aka Geisha vs Ninja) Dvd
Earth Final Conflict Season 1 Dvd
Ghost Slayers Ayashi, Pt. 2 Dvd
Gurren Lagann Pt. 3 Dvd
Scarce Dvd
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Dvd
Twilight Blu Ray Dvd
Winter of Frozen Dreams Dvd


Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.

The Monthly Death Toll May 2009 Edition

So another month is basically over. We have another update on Friday that will be all the horror movies that came out in May 2009. Then we'll start our June reviews with My Bloody Valentine 3-D and then some more random crap that I can throw together. I hope you guys are still enjoying these posts, as I am enjoying writing them. I haven't been seeing too many very good movies, but that's my fault.

Once again, if you have suggestions, let met know!

Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/26/09
Second Look Cabin Fever Review
Brainscan Review
RSVP Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/19/09
Tenebre Review
1959 Funny Horror Movie Cards
From the Mail Bag May 13th Edition
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/12/09
The Mist Review
Suspiria Review
Ravenous Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/5/2009
More on Horror Literature
Demonic Toys Comic Book

Just in case you missed out, here are the past reviews and posts that I've done. Catch up and join me for more reviews...of the horror persuasion.

Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/26/09
Second Look Cabin Fever Review
Brainscan Review
RSVP Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/19/09
Tenebre Review
1959 Funny Horror Movie Cards
From the Mail Bag May 13th Edition
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/12/09
The Mist Review
Suspiria Review
Ravenous Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 5/5/2009
More on Horror Literature
Demonic Toys Comic Book
Horror Movies That Came Out April 2009
Nightmare City Review
Crank 2 Review
The Jacket Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 4/21/09
Retro Horror Double Feature Review
Pinocchio's Revenge Review
From the Mail Bag Mid April 09 Edition
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 4/14/09
The Curse of the Werewolf Review
Surviving The Game Review
Cemetery Man Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 4/7/09
Big Foot Review
Out of Print Triple Threat Horror Review
The Midnight Meat Train Review
Sleepaway Camp Review
From The Mail Bag End of March Blues
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 3/24/09
Twins of Evil Review
Satanis: The Devil's Mass Review
Panels From The Puppet Master Comic Book
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 3/17/09
The Strangers Review
Technical Difficulties Sorry
Stuck Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 3/10/09
Against the Dark Review
The Slumber Party Massacre Review
H2 Set Photographs
Irreversible Review
Interesting Horror Movie Releases 3/3/09
My Name is Bruce Review
Tales From the Crypt Review
Cache Review
Zombie Strippers Review
Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday Review
Halloween III: Season of the Witch Review
The Vampire Lovers Review
Tokyo Gore Police Review
Death Proof Review
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3: Leatherface Review
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Review
Troll 2 Review
American Gothic Review
Chopping Mall Review
Jack Frost Review
Santa's Slay Review
Silent Night Bloody Night Review
Holiday Horror News
Return to Sleepaway Camp Review
Christmas Evil Review
The Search for Christmas Horror
Silent Night Deadly Night 2 Review
Second Look: Silent Night Deadly Night
Silver Bullet Review
Identity Review
The Last House on the Left Review
Constantine Review
Audition Review
The Fly Review
Primer Review
The Dead Zone Review
Ted Bundy Review
Rest Stop 2: Don't Look Back Review
Saw V Review
The Blair Witch Project Review
Drive Thru Review
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge Review
Chaos (2005) Review
Saw IV Review
Joy Ride Review
Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Review
The Prestige Review
Captivity Review
Ice Spiders Review
The Dead Next Door Review
Pumpkinhead Review
Child's Play Review
Silent Night, Deadly Night Review
Monkey Shines Review
The Devils Rejects Review
Wes Craven's Shocker Review
The Changeling Review
Vacancy Review
House of 1,000 Corpses Review
The Tattooist Review
Feast (1992) Review
Death Race Review
Lost Boys: The Tribe Review
Hard Candy Review
Mirrors Review
28 Days Later
Feast
28 Weeks Later
Night of the Demons Review
Midnight Skater Review
The Howling Review
Dee Snider's Strangeland Review
Vampires: Los Muertos Review
High Tension Review
Blood: The Last Vampire Review
The Relic Review
The Wizard of Gore Review
Wrong Turn 2
Hatchet
The Ruins
Blood Car
Videodrome
Masters of Horror: We All Scream For Ice Cream
Believers
Cabin Fever
Dolls
They Call Her One Eye
Inseminoid
The House on Sorority Row
Planet Terror
Rob Zombie's Halloween
Funny Games
Friday the 13th
Sleepaway Camp
Camp Slaughter
Feed
Wrestlemaniac
Population 436
The Faculty
The Omen IV: The Awakening
Otis
Ax' Em
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter
The Curve
Lifeforce
P2
The Machine Girl


Looking for grindhouse, horror, or sci-fi films? Please check out our amazon astore featuring all things horror. Don't trust astore? Check out amazon.com, surprisingly they have more grindhouse,horror,and rare sci-fi than you may not have thought possible.