Deadly Friend (1986)

Director: Wes Craven
Cast:
Matthew Laborteaux/Paul
Kristy Swanson/Sam
Michael Sharrett/Tom
Anne Twomey/Paul's Mother

Plot: Intelligent Paul and his robot BB move to town with his sweet mother. He falls for his cute neighbor Sam, but when his robot is shot to death and Sam is accidentally killed he uses BB's data chip to put into Sam's body to revive her body. But now Sam is a lean, mean killing machine. What is a love struck boy to do?

Review:
I'm going to start off by saying I'm a big Wes Craven fan, but I've never heard of Deadly Friend. When I found it on his resume on IMDB, I was intrigued by the plot. I love horror, and I like a good romance as well. I especially love when they are combined (Let the Right One In is my favorite horror/romance yet!). Upon research I heard it is based on a pretty good novel, which I never read, so I'm going into this film with no expectations. All I wanted was a good horror/romance film. Did I get that?
Let's start off with the good first. The cast is what made it happen. Matthew Laborteaux as Paul is actually pretty good. He made his too intelligent for his own good character seem believable and was VERY likable in the role, while Michael Sharret as Tom plays his best friend. Sharret has a very good appeal to him and he added depth to his character and created a very likable friend who I wouldn't mind having as a friend. But the standout is none other than Kristy Swanson as the tragic Sam. Sam is a girl abused by her father but she is too afraid to leave him. Swanson plays her with such vulnerability and class that if I wasn't gay, I would have fallen in love with her. I really wanted to pull her out of the screen and to save her from her asshole of a father. Men like him should be locked up, tortured, and beaten for eternity so they can see if they like it!
These three characters all played off each other wonderfully and I thought Laborteaux and Swanson had a great chemistry with one another. I actually believed in their blossoming relationship. I just wanted to see them fall in love and get away. But this is a horror/romance, so something bad WILL happen. When Sam is accidentally killed by her father, it all goes to hell. I really wanted her to live and to escape from his clutches. Paul takes it upon himself to save her with BB's chip. Oh right! I forgot to mention that Paul is a young genius who has a robot he built. It sounds cheesy, but the robot was pretty cute and funny and brought smiles to my face.
The film had a GREAT build up so when the second half started, I couldn't wait to see where they would take then teenage frankenstein type love story...And this is where all my problems lie. They should've left it as a straight romance film. First of all, how come when Sam has the robot chip in her head...she all of a sudden has super human strength? It doesn't make much sense. She might have a chip in her brain, but her body is STILL human, not robotic. So the added strength brought nothing.
Then there are ALL the scenes where Craven rips off his own Nightmare on Elm Street. (When the father goes down to the basement). It is so obvious that the studio had him add in the dream sequences to bank off the VERY profitable (and perfect) Nightmare film. It's a shame, cause this film could've been great on its own. The death scenes were pretty badly done, and the gore was both unnecessary and badly done. Don't get me wrong! I LOVE gore, but this film just didn't need it! (That basketball scene - UGH!) What started off as a sweet romance film, turns into a bad horror film with a cute girl killing people who wronged her one by one. It's a shame! Becasue I KNOW there was once a good film in this! I can feel it in my bones! I can feel the studio tampering from this film. Even Craven's directing was pretty flat. Then we got the old woman and the abusive father characters who had no dimension what so ever. The father could've been even scarier if he was more realistic, and that old woman just annoyed the shit out of me. Plus what the hell were those dream sequences doing in this film?! This is NOT Nightmare on Elm Street! Stop pretending it is. But whoever lit this film did an amazing job! I will give them that!
Plus there are the dumb mistakes characters make, and some realism issues. (For example, when the doctor talks to Paul and his mother about Sam, can't he NOT do that, because they aren't family? Just saying.)
I DID love the themes of love brought up though - about how love can make people do crazy and bad things. I like how love messed up Paul's head and now he created a monster out of a beautiful person. Too bad they didn't explore these themes MUCH more.
The soundtrack was actually pretty great and reeled me into the film, even when the film was losing me.
And then we have the ending...oh god that ending...The finale was pretty dumb, when it should have been sad and poetic. That final scene was EVEN WORSE. Almost ruined the film for me!
But the film was still half a good film, that needed more development. But I blame the fuckin' studios for this! It's a damn shame cause I KNOW this was once a great film.

Overall Grade: 5/10

Blog - What I Hope for!

Here is a short blog - Hello everyone! As many horror fans know Resident Evil 4: Afterlife is upon us in two days. I am a HUGE fan of the video game series. They're the only video games I can play non stop. But I also adore the first film. I know a LOT of people hate it, but I love it anyhow. I thought it was a fun flick with a great heroine in Milla Jovovich and some fun (even if they were TOO underdeveloped) soldier characters. The action and the scares were present and the zombies looked badass.
Then we had the first sequel. The trailer kicked ALL sorts of ass and I honestly couldn't wait for it. I thought it was going to be even BETTER than the first film...and then I saw it. My dreams were crushed and my hopes fell. It was shit! What did they do? The direction was horrible, the soundtrack sucked, and the zombies were barely there. The action scenes were badly shot and even the acting was pretty mediocre. Although the saving grace was Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine. She really was PERFECTION in the role and got EVERYTHING that made Jill in the game. She was the reason I bought the film on dvd.
The I saw the trailer for the Resident Evil: Extinction! Claire Redfield was being introduce, who is my favorite character from the games and was being played by great actress Ali Larter. The trailer rocked; could it possibly be the film to make up for the second film...uhhh...not exactly. First and foremost it WAS an improvement. The direction was better and so were the characters and action scenes. But it still wasn't that great. I just didn't give a damn about anyone, except for Alice. Even with her, that was to an extent.
And now here we are again, with Resident Evil: Afterlife. The trailers rock, but will i be let down again is the question. I was let down big time by 2 and 3. So my wish is for this film to fix the series and to be as good as the first film. PLEASE! I need another good resident evil film.

Martyrs - Xavier Dolan

Here is another sexy man of Horror - Xavier Dolan. He had a very small role in Martyrs as Antoine, the young son of the family who meets the brutal end of a shotgun. Great scene...and great looking! =D
What is he doing now?!

The Sexy Men of Hostel

Here are the sexy men that star in Hostel. The one all the way to the right who plays Josh, now he sure is a cutie =D

Xavier Samuel

Since he has done Road Kill and has The Loved Ones coming out (one day), I can now post a picture of my future ex-husband Xavier Samuel. I mean he is now part of the horror genre after all ;)

Back off, he is mine! =D

Frozen (2010)

Director: Adam Green
Cast:
Emma Bell/Parker
Shawn Ashmore/Lynch
Kevin Zegers/Dan

Plot: Three friends are stuck on a chairlift as a blizzard is supposed to roll on in. No one will be there for the next week. Can they survive?

Review:
I was supposed to see this film back in February when it first came out. I loved the trailer and I'm a big fan of Adam Green and Shawn Ashmore. When no theatre by me was playing this film I was devastated. So this has been a LONG wait to get to see this film. Was it worth it?
YOU BET YOUR ASS! I had really high expectations and this film met them AND then some. I honestly wasn't expecting the film to be THIS good. Adam Green has proved to us with this film, that he isn't a one hit wonder. Hatchet wasn't just a good fluke. Between this, Hatchet, and Spiral, Green really has a lot of talent and might be the savior of the horror genre in America. He really proved to us that he can do any type of horror film given to him - whether it be a fun and gory slasher, a psychological thriller, or a survival thriller that takes place in one place the entire film.
What is amazing is how the film never once gets boring, even though every scene is on the chair lift. That is the beauty about having a great director and an equally great script. The script is smart and gave us three very likable and well developed characters that I found myself rooting for. I honestly wanted them all to make it out alive. I grew attached to them and wanted to hang out with them. My favorite would be Parker (Perfectly played by Emma Bell, more on her later). She was adorable and sweet and cute, and is the type of girl any guy would dream to have. Her boyfriend Dan (Kevin Zegers) is cute and cool and they had some good scenes together, but it is Lynch (Shawn Ashmore) who steals the show. He plays the pothead best friend of Dan and was the cause of a few smiles to my face.
What really worked about this film, is they so easily could've given us cliched melodrama or stock characters, but Green wrote a wonderful script with developed characters and legit drama. Dan and Lynch used to be best friends, but ever since Parker came into their life they don't see much of each other anymore and Lynch feels replaced. But they don't play Parker as a bitch. They play her as a genuine sweetheart who actually feels bad and Lynch does like her, and Dan is torn between the two. It's the relationships between these three that kept invested in the film.
But without the right actors, the film wouldn't have worked. The whole film is basically these three people. Shawn Ashmore is a dreadfully underrated actor and is a favorite of mine so he was great in the role. Kevin Zegers was good as Dan. But it is Emma Bell who blew me away. Color me impressed. She really gave a brilliant performance for a horror film and at one crucial scene even got me to tear up because of her emotion. It seems like Bell really gave it her all in this performance, and I hope to see WAY more of this actress in the future. (I got my wish - She is the female lead in Final Destination 5).
Adam Green's directing is impeccable and he really ties into the claustrophobia and the fear in this film. I was on the edge of my seat and I got genuinely terrified through this film. It was very tense and I honestly had NO idea who would survive or if anyone would for that matter! This was a film where I could see everyone dying, so I was always on the verge of having a heart attack. Green gave a very mature direction and it is very different from the feeling of Hatchet. I also must give him props for no CGI and no soundstage. Everything is shot in the bitter cold on a real chair lift. It really added to the realism and made me shiver down to my bones. The score to the film was beautiful and reeled me in deeper and really complimented the film perfectly. I actually want to own this film.
Plus we get a nifty cameo by Kane Hodder and in the end we have a GREAT horror film, and what may now be my favorite horror film of 2010, if NOT my favorite film of 2010 period. I adored the film!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast:
Gary Oldman/Dracula
Winona Ryder/Mina
Anthony Hopkins/Van Helsing
Keanu Reeves/Jonathan Harker
Sadie Frost/Lucy

Plot: This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker's classic novel of the same name. A young lawyer (Jonathan Harker) is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker's betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina's closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy's friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away. (IMDB)

Review:
Let me start with saying that this is one of my all time favorite vampire movies. And before you ask, yes I prefer this over the 1931 Dracula film as well. I will have to re watch the original and then review that one as well one day. But this review isn't about that film, it's about the 1992 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and what a film that is.
Lately I've been finding my self drawn to Gothic horror films that take place in older times (Interview with a Vampire is another film I've had a knack for lately). This film is beautifully shot and has a morbid gothic feel to it. I'm watching this film again right now, and I'm especially wooed by the weirdness factor that this film has going on. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Harker is in the castle alone with Dracula and he cuts himself shaving and the title character takes the razor licks the blood. This scene along with many others enticed me.
I also loved the way they dealt with sexuality. It was both gratuitous but classy at the same time. I don't know how to describe it, but it really worked for the film. (Straight men will love the scene with Monica Bellucci as a naked bride). The violence was also on display. It wasn't overdone but it helped the film along. I loved the way Coppola handled all of these aspects. He added a certain grace to it.
The soundtrack was loud and gothic and worked for me and complimented the film perfectly and drew me more into this somber and creepy film.
But the most important is the character of Dracula himself. The film could've either been made or broken with a bad casting decision. Thankfully they casted a brilliant Gary Oldman in the role. I'm a BIG fan of this man's work and he is a favorite of mine, so it's nice to see him in a starring role. He blew the role out of the water. He humanized the character of Dracula without taking away his creepiness. The man is sympathetic but is still scary as fuck. He is enticing (my new favorite word) and deadly. He is sad and lonely and heartbroken but has a thirst for blood. Oldman really blew each facet of his character out of the park.
Which brings me to the other characters. This was one of my bigger flaws with the original film. Other than Dracula I didn't care much for the other characters. In this film, they casted a great Winona Ryder as Mina. She was beautiful and innocent as the lovely creature that Dracula has his eyes set on. I ADORED the subplot between Dracula and Mina. It was the heart of the film for me. She was drawn to him and scared of him at the same time. The other actor that stole the show was Anthony Hopkins. He has limited screen time as the legendary Van Helsing, but with what he got he really worked. Sadie Frost as Lucy also worked very well. At first I thought I was going to find her annoying, but she grew on me, and by the end I actually was feeling for her character. I also loved her three suitors.
Then we have Keanu Reeves...Honestly I'm not a fan. Sometimes he's good, sometimes he's not. He was OKAY in this film. He was definitely the weak link of the cast in my eyes. He just didn't have any charisma and didn't pull me into the part. I feel they could've casted someone better suited for the role. He didn't have much chemistry with Ryder and their love story (in general) didn't pull me in very much. But that one is more of a fault of the script. I actually felt MORE for the love between Dracula and Mina. They had more chemistry and I actually cared more for them then I did for Mina and Jonathan. My final nitpick is just that; it actually annoyed me how the vampires in this film can walk in the sunlight. It's no biggie, because they're still scary blood-thirsty monsters, but I prefer my vampires to burst into flames in sunlight. At least they don't sparkle...
But overall, I adore this film and almost everything about it. It's a brilliant film in my opinion and one of the best vampire films out there.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10