Sunday, November 28, 2010

RIP Leslie Nielsen

I'm sure by now most of you have heard of the passing of Leslie Nielsen. So sad. I am sure we all have our special memories from all of the vast films he has done. You can see his IMDb listing here.


A very underrated actor in many ways. Some people take for granted how hard it is to do comedy. Especially do it so well. Before he broke out doing comedy he was known as a very serious actor. But after knocking the ball out of the park in 'Airplane' he sought it out as comedy not only gave him a great satisfaction personally and professionally but it gave him a second career basically.

He will be truly missed by so many fans who continue to grow. Tonight as I look on Twitter and Facebook I see people of all ages mourn his passing. His legacy of a truly amazing body of work will be remembered forever.

I leave with this little bit from one of my favorite films 'Creepshow'. Much like his breath Leslie Nielsen's films will live for a loooooooooong time.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving


It's that time for another Thanksgiving. That means for some of us it's time for turkey, stuffing, and family. It can also be a time for some movies. If you're alone it's a way to pass the day. If you're with family it's a way to pass the day.

I decided to go through and pick out some films I think might make good Thanksgiving films. Some for specific reasons while others were just ... eh, why not? So for no real reason here are a few picks by me of films to watch this Thanksgiving.

We'll start off with the one that actually works the best.


PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES - One of the few films that actually uses the holiday of Thanksgiving as a backdrop. It's a hilarious and even touching film starring Steve Martin and John Candy from the late great genius John Hughes.


The rest are in alphabetical order.


BACK TO THE FUTURE -Nothing says family more than going back in time and interrupting the meeting of your parents. One of those films where the concept and the execution is just perfect. What can I say that you probably don't already know? A fun film that would be a nice escape this turkey day.



BAD TASTE - Peter Jackson's first film about aliens coming to Earth to turn humans into an international fast food snack. Sounds perfect for a day like this.



BURNT OFFERINGS - We all have our creepy relatives. Well, this one has creepy relatives and a creepy house to boot. It's the day for creepy family so why not check this one out. And I think I need to say creepy relatives one more time ...



THE EXPENDABLES - Maybe it's because it just came out on video but this fun throwback action film seems to fit. Let's face it, on a day like Thanksgiving we might be in the mood to watch some ass kicking.



FEAST - Ugly creatures that like to eat and have sex. No, I don't mean your uncle and his strange new bride. A group of folks trapped in a tavern fighting off some creatures with big teeth is pretty much exactly what most of us will be dealing with anyway. So why not watch it?



SALO - My one out there recommendation. The infamous film about school children who are kidnapped and then turned into slaves to do the most demeaning things imaginable including the most notorious scene from the film - poop eating. Can't be worse than dried turkey though.

I couldn't find the trailer so instead here is a small clip that makes no sense but ... yeah.



THE SEARCHERS - John Ford's tale featuring one of John Wayne's best performances as he tracks down his niece who has been kidnapped by Indians. A powerful western about family and prejudices.



THE STEPFATHER - It's family time so how about a movie about a crazy stepfather who has an extrememe sense of the perfect family. Check out the brilliant performance by Terry O'Quinn.



TETRO - Family are not exactly what we expect or what we hope. Here's a recent Francis Ford Coppola film that deals with that with a brother going to visit his long lost brother discovering the brother he had is not the person he's found. Like all family reunions.



THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE -The ultimate family dinner scene? One of my favorite films so why not post this.



ZOMBIELAND -What is a day about eating massive amounts of food without mentioning zombies? There are so many to choose from but I decided to go with the recent horror comedy Zombieland which might be the perfect match after pigging out all day.



I have my own yearly tradition so I decided to end this post with it.


KING KONG - I think stemming back to when I was a kid and a local station would show King Kong every Thanksgiving it stuck with me and became my own tradition. Not that the film has a connection outside of that with the day of Thanksgiving but it's a personal connection which at the end of it is the key. I will be watching this while digesting my turkey and pumpkin pie thinking back to when I was a kid and that to me will make the day worthwhile.



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Monday, November 8, 2010

A Serbian Film Get US Release

I was wondering whether 'A Serbian Film' (which I wrote about here) would be released here in the US. Not to say I thought it wouldn't because of censorship. Moreso whether a distributor would have the testicular fortitude to release it and be able to handle the heat for it. I was informed by a friend over the weekend that it not only got a US release but will have a theatrical run from Invincible Films. A piece over at Dread Central has some of the details as well.


Apparently it'll get a limited release in an R rated form. Not sure how this film will get an R rating. I'm sure it can but it would have to be severely cut. Part of the power of the film is that it is 100% explicit. There will be a very limited run in its unrated form though. My guess is it'll be extremely limited since I don't know how many theatres will show the original version. Right now this is aimed for February of 2011 with a DVD (and hopefully Blu-ray) release of the uncut version to follow with even a showing of the R rated version on Showtime.


Having seen the film a few weeks ago at the Horror Society Film Festival, in what is I believe the only 35mm showing to date in the US of the film, I can honestly say the film has come up in so many conversations. People are both appalled and fascinated by it. A very powerful and well made film. Just one that goes to the extreme. Pretty soon those of you who can take it will be able to judge for yourself.