Posts Tagged ‘dvd’
I remember when I first got a computer with a DVD-ROM drive. What a thrilling thought it was that not only could I play music CD’s, but now I could also watch entire movies right on my PC! Would there ever be an end to the wonders of this inspiring age of technology? Could it get any better in terms of entertainment value? Would the damn thing even PLAY the movie?
It was that last question I hadn’t thought to ask when I signed up for Netflix the very first time, a few years back. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that my sparkly new computer could handle a simple DVD. Besides, if it didn’t work I had my then recently acquired Playstation 2 as back-up. Turns out it didn’t work. Shocker. Neither would the PS2 play the disc. Rage. After instant messaging some death threats to more technically attuned acquaintances of mine I was finally educated in the intricate art of making computers play DVDs. It was a hellish (har) pain in the ass.
The story here involves some bigshot actors who I’m going to assume you’re familiar with the work of because that lessens the amount of typing I have to do. Keanu Reeves plays the protagonist of the film, named Kevin Lomax. Charlize Theron acts as his wifely counterpart, Mary Ann. John Milton is the name of Al Pacino’s character. Basically Kevin is a lawyer with a record that’s all wins and John Milton is a powerful legal type from New York who’s interested in bringing dear Mr. Lomax aboard the firm of Milton, Chadwick & Waters. Come to think of it, it’d make a great song: "The devil went down to Florida to score himself a hotshot attorney…"
Now of course Al Pacino is playing a diabolical force from Hell as he usually does so I won’t be spoiling anything by letting you know that. I’ll omit the cheesey ‘lawyers are evil’ jokes so we can move forward with the review. The general challenge laid out before Lomax is your basic question of how far you’ll go find success. Nothing new in that aspect, and honestly, overall I found the film fairly predictable.
The set design for this movie was top-notch. The luxury of the surroundings that the Lomax couple enjoy makes terrific eyecandy and also helps to make Kevin’s choice a bit more understandable. In the presence of such grandiose extravagance I could see how it might be hard to consider whether defending child molestors and murderers was all that wrong. Wait, no I can’t. I suppose that’s why I’d not make such a terrific defense lawyer. In a stroke of true irony, those who made the movie actually got in trouble for props that too closely resembled the sculpture on the facade of the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. This was changed for the DVD release but not before several without the editing had been produced. I wonder if those are hard to get ahold of?
As the story comes to a close it definitely gets weird. Since it’s supposed to be a bit of a mystery, I don’t want to give out too many details on what all happens in the film. Suffice it to say that you’ll get to meet the devil, but not Mrs. Jones and that you’ll find out whether or not there is a son of Satan and furthermore if there is, would he have sex with his sister? These questions nagged me until The Devil’s Advocate revealed all. I feel better knowing.
In closing, I give this movie a 3 out of 5 because Keanu Reeves is a pain to watch and Al Pacino didn’t do enough killing, nor did he pick up one single machinegun. It’s picky of me, I know but SOMEONE has got to stand up for what’s right!
Until we meet again, this is GlowStormLion cordially inviting you to say hello to his little friend.
Originally published: June 13, 2006 @ 3:06am PST
Pictured: American cover of One Missed Call on DVD
Another movie I purchased from Video Daikaiju was One Missed Call (Japanese version)
, though right after I bought it from there, I also found One Missed Call (American version) at my local Wal-Mart. When I first bought it, I didn’t know anything about it. I’d heard of it, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was about. All I knew was that it had to do with a cellphone curse, similar to the tape in The Ring.
Imagine, you’re out for an evening with friends, having dinner, when your cellphone rings but it rings with a tone that you’ve never heard before – an almost childish tune. Not wanting to be rude, you just look when you get a chance and see the words "One Missed Call" on the display. When you check the caller’s name, you see your own name and the date is the next day. When you check the message itself, you hear your voice, then a scream…
Pictured: Japanese cover of One Missed Call on DVD
That’s the premise for One Missed Call, another in the long, great line of Japanese horror movies. It opens at a restaurant where a group of friends are talking about Yuki’s fear of looking through peepholes. Another friend shows up, dressed formally, because she’d just been to a funeral of another friend who’d drowned. While she’s in the restroom with Yuki, changing into normal clothes, the phone rings with a ringtone that’s not hers. When she checks the message, she hears the sound of a railroad, her own voice and then a scream. A couple days later, she calls Yuki and tells her they need to go shopping. Suddenly a train’s gate starts clanging. Yuki recognizes it from the phone call the day before and tries to remind her friend. As she’s walking across a bridge over the train tracks, she doesn’t notice the chain link fencing start to break open… she stops on the bridge and suddenly gets pulled through the fence onto the top of the train (though we don’t see what pulls her). The last we see of her is her hand dialling a number on the cellphone… her severed hand, that is.
The curse continues on to Kenji, another of the friends who was at the party, and so on, until it reaches Yoko, herself. Now she has to find a way to break the curse before she too is visited by death.
This movie was rather well-done, I thought. The deaths were interesting and believable. There were also a few effective jump scenes (nowadays, it takes a lot to make me jump at scary movies). I really enjoyed it, overall. Two of the actresses in the film were also in another one of my favorite films, Battle Royale, which I hope to cover on the site soon. For this movie, I’ll give it 5 out of 5. This was one of the best films I’ve seen recently, so I was glad I took a chance on it. Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!
We’ve achieved a milestone here at Happy Horror today: our second year of operation!
I decided as something of a ‘special feature‘ I’d ask us all four questions that might give you loyal visitors some insight into who we are and what we’re about. Since our re-building of the site you’ve been putting up with alot of material being re-posted and we appreciate that! We’ve been striving to have atleast some new content daily. And if you’re visiting us for the first time, that’s okay, too! Make yourself at home and let’s get to those burning questions.
By the way, each of us answered these questions without talking about them. The idea was to get the most candid responses possible. Here goes!
Question #1: What memories do you have of the very beginning of Happy Horror?
Red Hawk’s response: My earliest memories are of getting everything set up, discussing with GlowStormLion & glittersoul what could qualify for the site and the brainstorming that went on in the beginning. Then I kind of rushed through my initial post with Nightblood (click HERE to read it), but I think I’ve picked up the quality since then.
Glittersoul’s response: The beginning of Happy Horror was an exciting time for us all and gave us something to do with all the movies and entertainment we already submersed ourselves in.
GlowStormLion’s response: I remember those first sweaty days with incredible clarity. The idea for the site struck and we capitalized on it swiftly. Within days we’d gotten it all set up and began to get a trickle of visitors. Used to be we’d get FIFTY people and I’d shriek for joy. All that work was such a rush, just getting the site set up as best we could. I always hoped people would enjoy it and judging by the e-mails, they do!
Question #2: What’s been your favorite article to write and why?
Red Hawk’s response: I have a few articles that stand out in my mind as favorites. One was Gaoranger Versus Super Sentai (click HERE to read it), my first five part article. Another is my review of Crimson Orgy (which we’ll be posting soon.) as it was the first time someone involved with a property approached me to review it (and hopefully not the last)! Finally, my Dark Ride article (click HERE to read) which earned me a thank you from the director himself.
Glittersoul’s response: Wishmaster (click HERE to read it) because I liked researching the backstory of the movie. I would’ve said The Omen (click HERE to read it) but I wasn’t sure that counted since it’s not a solo project. [Editor's note: If only she'd known!]
GlowStormLion’s response: That’s a tough one! I’m going to say The Omen (2006) review because glittersoul and I went through this whole fiasco just to get to see the freakin’ movie. We’d built it up so much, anticipating its opening day. There were no midnight showings in our area for 06/06/06 (click HERE to read about that) so we had to settle for a showing later that day. Then glittersoul had the creative inspiration that instead of us writing a plain ole straight-up review we should do an interview. Way fun hashing the flick out that way and I totally hope to do it again!
Question #3: What’s your favorite article another writer contributed and why?
Red Hawk’s response: Again, no single article stands out as a favorite. I enjoyed GlowStormLion’s review of Hostel (click HERE to read it) because parts of it made me laugh. I also liked his Halloween review (which we’ll be posting soon) due to it being the first one he’d done for the site since he took a leave of absence to moonlight on another site.
Glittersoul’s response: In Defense of Richard Laymon by Red Hawk (click HERE to read it) because proves himself to be a great, sound advocate for the late author’s fiction.
GlowStormLion’s response: Easy one. Red Hawk’s What I Found at Wal-Mart (click HERE to read it). Total randomness, weird toys and plain old-fashioned fun. He wondered if anyone would like it, but I really think it’s an article that’ll be funny forever. I’m hoping by responding this way maybe he’ll want to write a few more crazy toy reviews, too!
Question #4: How do you see the future for Happy Horror?
Red Hawk’s response: In the future I see nothing but growth. I hope to interact with our fans even more some day soon. I hope, also, that the site will expand further than it already has. I’ve always said that Happy Horror is for the fans of both horror AND tokusatsu (a strange combination, I know). I’d like to see the fan element stepping forward more.
Glittersoul’s response: For the future of Happy Horror I see more interactive features, more writers and more content on upcoming events. Also, I hope we’ll be part of a a network of sister sites covering other genres of entertainment.
GlowStormLion’s response: Happy Horror means a lot to me. I started it with my two best friends in the world and though we’ve had dips and bobbles along the way, it’s still here and that’s what counts. I think this fresh era of re-building is going to push us towards higher quality articles and alot more of ‘em!
A year from now I’d like to see us with a full crew of writers providing daily scoops and becoming a real mecca for fans of horror. I want our articles to be fresh and fun. I want people to come in droves and I want to keep that same spark of inspiration we had and light a bonfire of fun. I’ll stop with the analogies.
Mainly, I hope we’ll become a real magazine some day that goes along with the site. A true community of fun loving horror fans who get to absolutely wallow in our favorite genre!
So there you have it, straight from the mouths of each of our stable’s horses! We want to extend a huge thank you to all of you who’ve taken the time to read our articles. You guys are why we do this and your visits each mean SO much to us.
Happy Anniversary to you Merry Readers, too!
Originally posted: June 9, 2006 @ 4:32am PST
I own a Playstation 2. It’s quite dusty because I rarely play it. I’ll rent or buy video games, blister my thumbs for a week or so and then gradually forget about them. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them, it’s just that I can rarely stay interested in them long enough to beat them. One such game that I rented a while back was Blood Rayne 2. I’d not even heard of it, but that was what glittersoul picked up when I asked her to get me a game. I wanted something action laden and Blood Rayne the game certainly delivered!
Blood Rayne the movie was certainly full of action, as well. Before I set out to write up my review I skimmed through some reviews on various other sites. They hated the movie. They hate Uwe Boll (the movie’s director). I mean, we’re talking absolutely DESPISE the man. They’re equating Bloodrayne, the movie, with all sorts of products of generally distasteful-to-mention-in-polite-company bodily functions. Frankly, I was appalled at the viscious attacks I read. I strongly disagree with these jerks and I’ll tell you why…
For starters, the movie is gorgeous. It’s set in Romania and from what my research shows, it was actually shot there (atleast partially) as well. The time period of the movie seems to be medieval and I believe it’s a pre-cursor to the games. There’s great shots of picturesque places with horses thundering across the land, there are villages teeming with peasants and magnificent castles. Costume design for the film was quite good and some of the hairstyles were particularly inventive, particularly for Domastir (Will Sanderson, also of House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark).
Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3 and many roles in TV shows such as Boy Meets World, Sliders and Just Shoot Me) plays Bloodrayne and does a damned fine job at it. Man is that chick tall! She’s pretty good in her fight scenes and the sex scene she shares with Sebastian (Matthew Davis) is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Bloodrayne is a dhamphir, which is a half-human/half-vampire. Since the both the game and movie are more action-based than dramatic, we don’t see hours of character development, but considering the film’s genre I find that perfectly acceptable.
Despite the protests of countless reviewers, I found the acting quite good. It’s not serious and sometimes it can be a bit melodramatic but it gets the job done and it’s FUN. I’m not quite sure why so many people don’t grasp that a movie based on a VIDEO GAME, of all things, should be entertaining above all else. Meatloaf (the vocalist who would do nearly anything for love) makes an appearance and we get to see him die. I found that alone worth the rental. Really, though, he did an excellent job playing a rotting dilettante. I particularly enjoyed Elrich (Billy Zane) and his contemptuous, bored character who gives the most honest portrayal of political figure I’ve ever seen.
The gore in this movie was obviously high, being a vampire movie and everything. There are buckets of blood, dismemberments, decapitations and all manner of death. Just like in the game, the violence is way over the top. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of bloody special effects but these were okay, very cheesy but generally okay. I did have one tiny little issue, though. In the sword combat scenes I noticed that the swords (and other blade weapons – even the one Bloodrayne uses) don’t look all that sharp. I found this disappointing as I like to think the cast (or atleast the stunt people) are taking lethal risks to entertain me. Selfish, I know.
Bloodrayne isn’t a masterpiece of storytelling or a profound statement on morality or anything like that, but it is a damned fine way to spend an hour and a half in front of a television set. The DVD has lots of special features but I don’t see the point in reviewing those. Isn’t that a clever way to excuse myself from not watching them? So, for an end score I’ll give Bloodrayne 5 out of 5 because I enjoyed the hell out of it and I spit on those who can’t relax long enough to appreciate a freakin’ film about vampires that doesn’t brood forever like a PMSing emo girl.
Until next time, this is GlowStormLion daring you to watch something everyone else apparently hates and applauding Uwe Boll for being such a maverick.
Originally published: June 6, 2006 at 3:13am PST
Pictured: While visions of mankind’s enslavement danced in his head….
(The Omen 2006)
Ever since Prometheus brought us fire we’ve been sitting around its glowing warmth, telling tales. From campfire to written word to the big screen, whichever medium you prefer, some of those stories never die. During the reign of the Roman Empire, such a story about an apocalypse, was written by a man named Paul. Apocalypse is the Greek word for revelation, which is the title for his story found within one of the most published books, worldwide – the Bible.
For two thousand years we’ve been hearing and telling the same story. In 1976 we saw it in the theaters. (Read our review by clicking HERE) Today we see it again, one man rising to world domination and the eventual ruin of civilization. What could possibly be so different that we would need to see it again? Let’s find out…
Pictured: The Omen (1976) on DVD
John Moore, director of The Omen (2006), found out that the Twentieth Century Fox Corporation was going to produce a re-make of the 1976 movie. Fox knew he was interested. John had always liked The Omen since he saw it in the 70’s. Once his position was entrenched, he had a goal: to reach a younger audience with the same story he too enjoyed thirty years ago.
In this film you’ll see Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby), Liev Schreiber (Scream 1, 2 & 3 ), Julia Stiles (Wicked) who was recommended by Mia Farrow, David Thewlis (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick (the little guy who was in Flinstones’ vitamin commercials), and finally, the original Damien – Harvey Stephens (who you’ll see in the role of a reporter in the re-make).
The Omen started filming on October 12, 2005 with an estimated budget of $60,000,000. In 30 years it had leapt nearly 20 times the amount of the original film ($2.8 million)…. Maybe that’s an omen. With this new version of the film they journeyed to Croatia; Dublin, Ireland; Prague, Czech Republic; Matera and Rome, Italy.
Pictured: Banner flown over certain areas to advertise The Omen (2006) A marketing campaign was planned and executed. Banners were flown over spring break cities reading "You have been warned 6-6-06" (which reminds me of the seemingly legit website used to promote Godsend), Myspace.com was utilized, billboards in major metropolitan areas and you can find ads on just about every site on the interweb, almost all capitalizing on todays date, as well.
"My intention was to get people’s attention, and to posit the notion that the time is ripe for a great evil to get the world in its grasp," John Moore has been quoted as saying.
The Omen has gone through its share of struggles to be made. The filmmakers were forced out of Croatia by the church and John Moore was yelled at by an angry New Yorker during a Question and Answer session with theologian Michael White (for controversial footage which you’ll see during the movie). Who knows how many more post-release hurdles the filmmakers, cast and copyright holders of The Omen will have to jump over in the coming days.
What’s different? The cast, music, time, audience and experience. If you haven’t seen it yet, I hope you will. I know I’m going to and you can read about my viewing as soon as I’m back!
Happy 6-6-6 for those of you who celebrate! 
Originally published: June 7, 2006 @ 2:13am PST
When I went down to Hollywood Video about a month or so ago, I saw this movie sitting in the new releases, with Robert Englund staring out amongst other characters. I thought to myself, "This looks interesting." As soon as I got a chance, I added it to Netflix and bumped it up to the top of my queue. I just got it last Saturday, and enjoyed it alot. The movie has alot of humor and alot of unique kills in it. Let’s take a look…
The movie opens on a college class, where a professor is giving a lecture on the Civil War (you might recognize him as Peter Stormare who played Cavaldi in The Brothers Grimm and Andropov, the Russian cosmonaut from Armageddon). One of the students keeps flashing scenes from a frat party up on the slide show when the professor’s not looking. A glitch in his computer program, though, freezes the pictures and as a result, the student and his two friends are required to stay after class. The professor scolds them, telling them they need to shape up or their grades will suffer, then giving them an assignment that is due at the end of Spring Break. The friends (Anderson, Nelson, and Cory) are on their way to Daytona Beach when they spot a crudely-made detour sign. They follow it to a small, cozy town called Pleasant Valley, which at first appears to be a ghost town. Suddenly, all the residents run out and the Mayor, played by Robert Englund, welcomes them. Another car soon follows them in. It’s driven by Ricky, Kat and Joey, a trio they met at a gas station the day before. Finally, a motorcycle follows them in, driven by Malcolm and Leah. They’re all welcomed to the town’s Jubilee and everyone’s shown to their rooms.
Soon, the townsfolk start to set their plans in motion. First, Harper, one of the sons of the mayor, starts charming Kat, who seems to enjoy the attention. Things quickly sour for her, however, when he shows a "little bit of kink" by blindfolding her… when he takes the blindfold off, she finds that her limbs are tied to four horses. With a few cracks of Harper’s whip, she’s drawn and quartered. Soon, the others start dropping like flies as the townspeople begin showing their true colors.
This movie was great and it has a ton of cameos in it. Eli Roth, one of the producers of this film (the director and writer of Cabin Fever who also directed Hostel) cameos as the same character he played in Cabin Fever. If you blink, you might miss Kane Hodder playing a Pleasant Valley resident named Jason (no hockey mask here). As I said earlier, the kills are really creative, also. The extras on the DVD are great, as well, including a TON of deleted scenes and a whole documentary on how they made the movie. I’m a big fan of Robert Englund’s work so it’s great to see that he really seemed to enjoy his role as the mayor. All in all, I give this movie a big 5 out of 5. Until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!
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