OK! Let's try this again, shall we?
I won't bore you with the 50-millionth review of Inception. I loved it. We can leave it at that.
On Tuesday, we went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Holy cow, what a fun movie; I don't think I stopped grinning the entire two hours. Everything I could think to critique ended up somehow working for the film. For instance, the acting was a bit wooden and the characters were one-dimensional, but since the filmmakers set it up as a live-action carton, the characterization and acting worked well.
I've also taken up cooking as a hobby. In the past two weeks, I've been going to the local farmer's markets and picking up ingredients. I've made my first risotto (thumbs-up), Thai curry (meh, I needed more paste), and a black bean and rice concoction that I made up while drunk (surprisingly good!). So, in addition to talking about film (and hopefully being more eloquent than I've been in this post) I'll also be chronically my cooking adventures.
That is, if I can manage to post more than three times in the next year.
Eat, Watch, Write,
KMA
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Review: "Fido" (2006)
I don't think I've yet used this blog as a platform to declare my undying love for my Netflix "Watch Instantly" list. I bought a Roku when they became available, but am now able to use my TiVo box to stream movies and television shows straight to my TV. It's lovely.
Anyway...
Last night, I used my instant viewing powers to watch "Fido," a zombie satire set in an alternate 1950s United States. Space rays have started causing zombification in dead folks. Living people have enclosed themselves in a small town surrounded by a protective gate; outside the gate, thar be zombees. Zombies within the city limits are fitted with collars which stop the flesh-lust and allow them to perform menial tasks (delivering newspapers, cleaning, opening doors, etc).
I expected some pretty heavy social commentary on race, sexism, class differences...something like a cross between "Pleasentville" and "Shaun of the Dead." Unfortunately, the movie-makers seemed hesitant to push the concept toward anything that might make viewers think.
On a positive note, "Fido" does do something new with the zombie genre, which has been getting a bit tired lately, is sharply written, well-acted (I LOVE Carrie-Anne Moss), and shot beautifully. Well worth my two hours.
Anyway...
Last night, I used my instant viewing powers to watch "Fido," a zombie satire set in an alternate 1950s United States. Space rays have started causing zombification in dead folks. Living people have enclosed themselves in a small town surrounded by a protective gate; outside the gate, thar be zombees. Zombies within the city limits are fitted with collars which stop the flesh-lust and allow them to perform menial tasks (delivering newspapers, cleaning, opening doors, etc).
I expected some pretty heavy social commentary on race, sexism, class differences...something like a cross between "Pleasentville" and "Shaun of the Dead." Unfortunately, the movie-makers seemed hesitant to push the concept toward anything that might make viewers think.
On a positive note, "Fido" does do something new with the zombie genre, which has been getting a bit tired lately, is sharply written, well-acted (I LOVE Carrie-Anne Moss), and shot beautifully. Well worth my two hours.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Review: "Hell House," Richard Matheson
Well! Has it been 2 months!? Never one to dwell on past failings (at least out loud), I'm just going to jump right in.
Recently, I finished a classic horror novel, "Hell House," by Richard Matheson. First, you should know that Matheson is a bit of a giant in the horror/fantasy/syfy field. He wrote a few books, including "I Am Legend" and "Stir of Echoes" (see the movie if you haven't yet...); wrote approximately 5 million short stories, many of which were adapted for "The Twilight Zone," including "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and "Button, Button" (most recently adapted as Richard Kelly's "The Box"); and a couple of television scripts here and there.
I'll let Wikipedia give you the synopsis of the book I'm discussing today (with links and everything!):
The story concerns four people - Dr. Lionel Barrett, a physicist with an interest in parapsychology, his wife Edith, and two mediums (Florence Tanner, a Spiritualist and mental medium, and Benjamin Franklin Fischer, a physical medium) - who are hired by dying millionaire Rolf Randolph Deutsch to investigate the possibility of life after death. To do so, they must enter the infamous Belasco House in Maine, regarded as the most haunted house in the world. The house got its name from the horrible acts of blasphemy and perversion that occurred under the silent influence and supervision of Emeric Belasco, and Fisher is the only survivor of a previous failed investigation attempt thirty years earlier.
The book has a lot of sex in it. A lot. The synopsis above fails to mention the fact that the house is the most haunted in the world because the owner decided to hold sex/drug parties. His guests became addicted to the growing levels of debauchery and were eventually murdered or died of starvation. The four paranormal investigators who visit are forced to come to terms with their inner demons, most of which are sexual in nature.
The story is interesting in that it doesn't necessarily vilify the women who have sexual thoughts and feelings. It does, however, make the fairly strong case that the women can't handle sexuality and need it tempered by the men in their lives. In one instance, the female medium is convinced by one of the ghosts that her love (read: teh sex) will set him free. This (surprise!) turns out not to be the case and she ends up going a bit crazy. It's not that the women-folk shouldn't have sex, they should just have it with a normal, flesh-and-blood dude. Then they'll be fine. :)
Critiques aside, the book is a quick read and fun if you're looking for something a bit titillating to get you through chilly evening.
Thrilling reading to you!
Recently, I finished a classic horror novel, "Hell House," by Richard Matheson. First, you should know that Matheson is a bit of a giant in the horror/fantasy/syfy field. He wrote a few books, including "I Am Legend" and "Stir of Echoes" (see the movie if you haven't yet...); wrote approximately 5 million short stories, many of which were adapted for "The Twilight Zone," including "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and "Button, Button" (most recently adapted as Richard Kelly's "The Box"); and a couple of television scripts here and there.
I'll let Wikipedia give you the synopsis of the book I'm discussing today (with links and everything!):
The story concerns four people - Dr. Lionel Barrett, a physicist with an interest in parapsychology, his wife Edith, and two mediums (Florence Tanner, a Spiritualist and mental medium, and Benjamin Franklin Fischer, a physical medium) - who are hired by dying millionaire Rolf Randolph Deutsch to investigate the possibility of life after death. To do so, they must enter the infamous Belasco House in Maine, regarded as the most haunted house in the world. The house got its name from the horrible acts of blasphemy and perversion that occurred under the silent influence and supervision of Emeric Belasco, and Fisher is the only survivor of a previous failed investigation attempt thirty years earlier.
The book has a lot of sex in it. A lot. The synopsis above fails to mention the fact that the house is the most haunted in the world because the owner decided to hold sex/drug parties. His guests became addicted to the growing levels of debauchery and were eventually murdered or died of starvation. The four paranormal investigators who visit are forced to come to terms with their inner demons, most of which are sexual in nature.
The story is interesting in that it doesn't necessarily vilify the women who have sexual thoughts and feelings. It does, however, make the fairly strong case that the women can't handle sexuality and need it tempered by the men in their lives. In one instance, the female medium is convinced by one of the ghosts that her love (read: teh sex) will set him free. This (surprise!) turns out not to be the case and she ends up going a bit crazy. It's not that the women-folk shouldn't have sex, they should just have it with a normal, flesh-and-blood dude. Then they'll be fine. :)
Critiques aside, the book is a quick read and fun if you're looking for something a bit titillating to get you through chilly evening.
Thrilling reading to you!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Winter Horror Reading List
Howdy! It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, so I thought I'd take a minute and talk about a few books you might like to read.
1. "The Wasp Factory," Iain Banks (1984)
Yes, that Iain Banks. He's well-known for the science fiction he writes under the name "Iain M. Banks," but I have yet to read another of his works that reaches the heights (and depths) of "The Wasp Factory." The book is written in first-person from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old, Scottish sociopath.
I will refrain from discussing the plot in any in-depth way as I think it is one of those pieces you should discover as you travel along with the author. I *will* say that it's the only book I've ever reread immediately upon finishing.
2. "stranger things happen," Kelly Link (2001)
Kelly Link has a way with words. I don't know what else to say about her. She has the ability to paint beautiful, scary, lush, humorous pictures that dazzle me.
(I met her once. I think I freaked her out with my fan-girl gushing, but it's all deserved. I regret nothing.)
You would be well-advised to pick up any of her collections, but I have a particular love for "stranger things happen" because it includes two of my favorite stories, "Travels with the Snow Queen," and "Louise's Ghost." The former transforms you into a fairy-tale princess in search of your prince...sort of. The latter is a meditation on friendship and love and loss and transformation and music.
Do yourself a favor and take a look at her short fiction. If you don't want to invest in a book of her work, then pick up "The Years Best Fantasy and Horror," which she edits with her husband and Ellen Datlow.
Speaking of Ellen Datlow...
3. "inferno", Ellen Datlow, ed. (2007)
One of the scariest collection of short horror fiction ever. Period. The stories include bees, motorcycles, angels, forests, and iron suits. In the introduction, Datlow says of the stories she collected,
"all of them had to succeed on [her] terms: to provide the reader with a frisson of shock, or a moment of dread so powerful it might cause the reader outright physical discomfort; or a sensation of fear so palpable that the reader feels impelled to turn up the lights [...] to dispel the fear; or to linger in the reader's consciousness for a long, long time."
She succeeded. This is one of the most intense collection of short horror fiction I've ever read. Datlow has a keen sense of what will scare people, and she doesn't disappoint here.
Until next time, happy reading!
1. "The Wasp Factory," Iain Banks (1984)
Yes, that Iain Banks. He's well-known for the science fiction he writes under the name "Iain M. Banks," but I have yet to read another of his works that reaches the heights (and depths) of "The Wasp Factory." The book is written in first-person from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old, Scottish sociopath.
I will refrain from discussing the plot in any in-depth way as I think it is one of those pieces you should discover as you travel along with the author. I *will* say that it's the only book I've ever reread immediately upon finishing.
2. "stranger things happen," Kelly Link (2001)
Kelly Link has a way with words. I don't know what else to say about her. She has the ability to paint beautiful, scary, lush, humorous pictures that dazzle me.
(I met her once. I think I freaked her out with my fan-girl gushing, but it's all deserved. I regret nothing.)
You would be well-advised to pick up any of her collections, but I have a particular love for "stranger things happen" because it includes two of my favorite stories, "Travels with the Snow Queen," and "Louise's Ghost." The former transforms you into a fairy-tale princess in search of your prince...sort of. The latter is a meditation on friendship and love and loss and transformation and music.
Do yourself a favor and take a look at her short fiction. If you don't want to invest in a book of her work, then pick up "The Years Best Fantasy and Horror," which she edits with her husband and Ellen Datlow.
Speaking of Ellen Datlow...
3. "inferno", Ellen Datlow, ed. (2007)
One of the scariest collection of short horror fiction ever. Period. The stories include bees, motorcycles, angels, forests, and iron suits. In the introduction, Datlow says of the stories she collected,
"all of them had to succeed on [her] terms: to provide the reader with a frisson of shock, or a moment of dread so powerful it might cause the reader outright physical discomfort; or a sensation of fear so palpable that the reader feels impelled to turn up the lights [...] to dispel the fear; or to linger in the reader's consciousness for a long, long time."
She succeeded. This is one of the most intense collection of short horror fiction I've ever read. Datlow has a keen sense of what will scare people, and she doesn't disappoint here.
Until next time, happy reading!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!
It's Halloween! There was a time when I looked forward to this holiday for months. Now, it just seems to be an excuse to dress as a "slutty (cartoon character, fuzzy animal, etc.)" and get drunk. Halloween seems to have simply lost its luster. However, upon further reflection, this might have less to do with society careening down the path to never-ending debauchery than this simple fact: I have no small children in my life. The youngest person I see on a regular basis is getting ready to receive a learner's driving permit.
Maybe the magic of Halloween comes from kids allowing themselves to be scared. As adults, we're expected to be removed from fright. True fear means that we're not understanding something ironically, nor can we be coolly aloof or postmodern about it. We would have to be fully engaged for a length of time and I just don't know if adults are willing to drop their guards anymore.
Perhaps this is the cause of the problem I wrote about last week; filmmakers, like the rest of us, are unwilling to take the subject seriously. Why would I want to force artists into a way of thinking that has become outdated? Well, primarily because I don't think it's become outdated. We yearn for true connections and sincerity. We just don't know how to get back to that point and still speak today's language.
If I made a sign saying "STOP THE IRONY" and paraded around downtown, do you think people would take me seriously for once?
Maybe the magic of Halloween comes from kids allowing themselves to be scared. As adults, we're expected to be removed from fright. True fear means that we're not understanding something ironically, nor can we be coolly aloof or postmodern about it. We would have to be fully engaged for a length of time and I just don't know if adults are willing to drop their guards anymore.
Perhaps this is the cause of the problem I wrote about last week; filmmakers, like the rest of us, are unwilling to take the subject seriously. Why would I want to force artists into a way of thinking that has become outdated? Well, primarily because I don't think it's become outdated. We yearn for true connections and sincerity. We just don't know how to get back to that point and still speak today's language.
If I made a sign saying "STOP THE IRONY" and paraded around downtown, do you think people would take me seriously for once?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Feminist Horror Movies: Fact or Fiction?
Well, I've been giving a great deal of thought to my choices in entertainment lately. The thing is, I like horrific fiction (film and literature). I *really* like it. It's been my favorite type of storytelling since I was in grade school.
I'm also a proud feminist. These two facts don't necessarily coexist happily.
I was thinking about this recently when I only made it halfway through a detestable little romp called "Deadgirl". Here's the plot: two teenagers are underage-drinking in an abandoned mental hospital (schizophrenia is scawy!) and find a naked lady-zombie in the basement. She's tied to a gurney (natch) and unable to do much more than gnash her teeth, roll her eyes, and act, you know, zombie-like. Did I mention she's naked? There's even a merkin. Seriously.
Anyway, the teenagers realize that they can do whatever they want to her. In the portion of the movie I saw, the boys rape, beat, rape, choke, rape, and rape the woman on the table. She's unable to speak AND comes back to life if they take it too far. She's, like, the ultimate girlfriend. I turned off the movie at the point where two of their friends perform a double penetration rape, end up getting a penis bitten off (orally raping a zombie? when is that EVER a good idea?), then proceed to beat her while screaming, "YOU BITCH!"
I know that it's less than ideal to write a review for a movie that I didn't sit all the way through. Here are some reviews from Netflix users who saw the whole thing ...and liked it.
Its easy to tell which reviews were written by women, and which by men. For horror lovers, this is an instant classic. Great ideas, fully involved acting, characters you can actually care about, some truly shocking moments, and a few surprises in the clever writing. Gratuitous? Absolutely. But only in service to the story. Im gonna buy a copy of this.
It may be sick and perverse, but Deadgirl is one hell of a compelling film. You've read the synopsis: best buddies Rickie and J.T. discover a "deadgirl" in the secluded basement of an abandoned mental hospital. J.T. wants to get all necro on her, but Rickie doesn't want any part of that dead-humping nonsense. He bails on the situation only to find out later that J.T. has recruited other high-school males into his crazy deadgirl rape club. Although not for the squeamish, it should still be noted that Deadgirl is rarely, if ever, offensive. It's a serious movie with comedic undertones, but the comedy never seems cruel or out-of-line. Considering the subject matter, it's certainly a hard movie to defend. But despite its independent B-movie trappings, taboo subject matter, and bleak storyline, Deadgirl remains one of the most creative and original horror films that I've seen this year.
Ah! The rapes were in service to the story. Oh, and it's not offensive. Case closed! We can all go home!
I've had enough. I'm so sick of torture porn (is anyone really excited about the umpteenth SAW that's opening this week?). I'm so tired of seeing women raped in horror flicks. And I'm done dismissing this as a personal problem on my part. I realize I'm not the traditional horror audience member, but must I suffer through "rape clubs" that somehow serve a story? And, more to the point, do men find this palatable? Must we experience vicarious rapes in order to stop ourselves from rampaging through discotheques?
Not only that, but is this type of storytelling scary to anyone? It had shock value and certainly reveled in the grotesque, but it didn't make me shrink into my seat. There was no suspense. Just a sad excuse for playing out an immature rape fantasy. So, was this just a failure of storytelling? In another director's hands, would I have stayed?
I have no answers, but hopefully this blog will serve as a way to start asking questions. I'm hoping to catch von Trier's new movie in the next week or two (I'm a glutton for punishment, eh?).
'till then, please don't tie me up if I die. I want the opportunity to stalk like a proper zombie.
I'm also a proud feminist. These two facts don't necessarily coexist happily.
I was thinking about this recently when I only made it halfway through a detestable little romp called "Deadgirl". Here's the plot: two teenagers are underage-drinking in an abandoned mental hospital (schizophrenia is scawy!) and find a naked lady-zombie in the basement. She's tied to a gurney (natch) and unable to do much more than gnash her teeth, roll her eyes, and act, you know, zombie-like. Did I mention she's naked? There's even a merkin. Seriously.
Anyway, the teenagers realize that they can do whatever they want to her. In the portion of the movie I saw, the boys rape, beat, rape, choke, rape, and rape the woman on the table. She's unable to speak AND comes back to life if they take it too far. She's, like, the ultimate girlfriend. I turned off the movie at the point where two of their friends perform a double penetration rape, end up getting a penis bitten off (orally raping a zombie? when is that EVER a good idea?), then proceed to beat her while screaming, "YOU BITCH!"
I know that it's less than ideal to write a review for a movie that I didn't sit all the way through. Here are some reviews from Netflix users who saw the whole thing ...and liked it.
Its easy to tell which reviews were written by women, and which by men. For horror lovers, this is an instant classic. Great ideas, fully involved acting, characters you can actually care about, some truly shocking moments, and a few surprises in the clever writing. Gratuitous? Absolutely. But only in service to the story. Im gonna buy a copy of this.
It may be sick and perverse, but Deadgirl is one hell of a compelling film. You've read the synopsis: best buddies Rickie and J.T. discover a "deadgirl" in the secluded basement of an abandoned mental hospital. J.T. wants to get all necro on her, but Rickie doesn't want any part of that dead-humping nonsense. He bails on the situation only to find out later that J.T. has recruited other high-school males into his crazy deadgirl rape club. Although not for the squeamish, it should still be noted that Deadgirl is rarely, if ever, offensive. It's a serious movie with comedic undertones, but the comedy never seems cruel or out-of-line. Considering the subject matter, it's certainly a hard movie to defend. But despite its independent B-movie trappings, taboo subject matter, and bleak storyline, Deadgirl remains one of the most creative and original horror films that I've seen this year.
Ah! The rapes were in service to the story. Oh, and it's not offensive. Case closed! We can all go home!
I've had enough. I'm so sick of torture porn (is anyone really excited about the umpteenth SAW that's opening this week?). I'm so tired of seeing women raped in horror flicks. And I'm done dismissing this as a personal problem on my part. I realize I'm not the traditional horror audience member, but must I suffer through "rape clubs" that somehow serve a story? And, more to the point, do men find this palatable? Must we experience vicarious rapes in order to stop ourselves from rampaging through discotheques?
Not only that, but is this type of storytelling scary to anyone? It had shock value and certainly reveled in the grotesque, but it didn't make me shrink into my seat. There was no suspense. Just a sad excuse for playing out an immature rape fantasy. So, was this just a failure of storytelling? In another director's hands, would I have stayed?
I have no answers, but hopefully this blog will serve as a way to start asking questions. I'm hoping to catch von Trier's new movie in the next week or two (I'm a glutton for punishment, eh?).
'till then, please don't tie me up if I die. I want the opportunity to stalk like a proper zombie.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Blog-ginnings
Beginnings.
I've often thought them overrated, truth be told. However, I've been missing writing lately and figured this would be the best way to jump on the doing-things train and ride it all the way to progress-ville.
We'll see.
I've often thought them overrated, truth be told. However, I've been missing writing lately and figured this would be the best way to jump on the doing-things train and ride it all the way to progress-ville.
We'll see.
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