Once Upon A Time in Nazi Occupied Paracinema...

Oh boy! Enzo G. Castellari is really on the mind - first off, the entire month of September has been dedicated to the films of the prolific director over at Assorted Loaf, and there are a ton of great reviews to check out covering a wide variety of Castellari's film work. That would be a perfect segue into my very own review of Castellari's The Inglorious Bastards which can be found over at Paracinema...The Blog! How exciting! I've been dying to watch this film forever and even though there are a slew of reviews for the film written about the movie across the blogosphere recently, I still could not resist tossing in my .10 cents.

Castellari has made some fantastic films, and he is a director that should be a little more championed for his work outside of The Inglorious Bastards and the Tarantino connection. He has covered a slew of genres, genres that we all love, or should love at least! Westerns, Apocalyptic films, Euro Crime, War films...Hell, he even covered the Animals attack genre with his film Great White (L' Ultimo Squalo 1980) which made a bit of a "splash" for being pulled from theaters as it was a blatantly obvious rip off of the Steven Spielberg classic, Jaws!

Castellari is technically a very skilled director, and I would be hard missed to not suggest checking out some of his Euro Crime films, and most notably for me would have to be The Big Racket (Il Grande Racket 1976) staring the sexiest Italian guy named Fabio alive, Fabio Testi! First of all, the movie has some crazy cool music in it, but I don't want to get off track here - there is one scene in particular where Testi's character is attacked in his car by a group of thugs, when they all join forces to flip his car over a ledge. As the car roles over, the camera is in the car focused on Testi's face as he is being rolled down this hill in the car and it makes for one hell of a slow-motion reaction shot with his hair flipping around, and glass flying everywhere. In addition, you have to consider that this is a low budget Italian film, so you know that it is all real and done without the concern for safety found in today's cinema. You can see a portion of the shot starting at the 40-second mark of the trailer I provided below.



What'd I say? Pretty cool right?! So, I would love if you all spent a few moments to head over to Paracinema...The Blog and read my review of Castellari's The Inglorious Bastards. Also make sure to check out Pickleloaf's blog for a dozen or so Castellari film reviews that would make for a great guidance tool for any film fan new to the filmmakers work.

You can read my review at Paracinema by clicking here! So easy!

Vengeance Will Be Mine!!

And in completely fucking awesome news, over at Twitch I found the goods on Palisades Tartan's official release for the super duper 8 disc box set of Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy!! It is set to come out on November 24th which is way sooner than I expected, and it will certainly be on my Christmas list, but chances are I will not be able to wait that long! This is the definitive set of the holy revenge trilogy and will feature everything found on all other releases of the three films plus a slew of added awesomeness! In case you do not know, the trilogy consists of: Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), and the third film Lady Vengeance (aka Sympathy For Lady Vengeance 2005). A trilogy of films in theme only, and that theme is VENGEANCE!

Here are just some of the extras announced for this über set...

Each film is recorded in their original language (Korean) and offer English and Spanish subtitles. Each title is presented in anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS Surround Sound 5.1.Special features include an essay on each film by celebrated filmmakers, actors and writers, including Eli Roth... Additional features include but are not limited to Audio commentary by Park Chan-Wook and actor Ryoo Seung-wan (SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE), Behind the Scenes, The Process of Mr. Vengeance, My Boksu Story, Storyboards, Photo Gallery, Filmographies, Film Notes, Crew Interviews, Three Audio Commentaries (OLDBOY), 5 Behind the Scene featurettes, Le Grand Prix at Cannes, Deleted Scenes with commentary, Regular and Fade-To-White versions (LADY VENGEANCE), Character Interviews - Lee Geum Ja, Prof. Baek, Prisoners, Families, Lady Vengeance at the 62nd Venice Film Festival, Trailer, Film Notes, Making of and Deleted Scenes.

And that is just what they are telling us for now - who knows what surprises we have in store! I cannot wait to see every little extra to be found on this amazing set, and I will happily spend the time to engulf myself in every detail of some of the finest cinema ever put to celluloid, for as long as I can before I start seeing ants of my own! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love these films, and Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance is right there as one of my top two favorite films of all time. Don't front, it is a movie that deserves more than a couple of viewings to truly appreciate the masterpiece that is Mr. Vengeance. At one point, it was even my least favorite of the trilogy, so that says something about the film's strength after multiple sit throughs.

Possibly the one thing I am most excited for is the "Fade-to-White" version of Lady Vengeance...I had heard about this before and it is a mesmerizing idea to say the least. I can only wonder how this technique will effect a film that almost moves in a way like water that is slowly boiling down to the point where there is nothing left. I am so pumped for this to come out on November 24th and my calendar is marked with a wad of excitement! I just hope it is reasonably priced...I would guess between $50-$80 bucks, which would be a great price for all you are getting in the set. It would be great if it weren't too much over than that price range...I would hate to lose out on any other Christmas presents because it's too expensive!

Bronson

Bronson follows the true story of Britain's most dangerous prisoner, Michael Peterson aka Charles Bronson. He was a man who just wanted to become famous, a man who wanted to make a name for himself, but his idea of fame and notoriety was found by being the baddest dude in the cell block. Well, more like the baddest dude in any cell block to be exact and Peterson had no problem achieving that status as he beat the shit out of anyone that he felt like at anytime he felt like. His biggest targets were often police officers and prison guards, but no one was ever really safe from his spontaneous attacks of violence. While doing some street fighting to earn a little cash during a very short-lived stint spent free and outside of prison, Peterson adopted the moniker Charles Bronson as his fighting name. There was very little time spent out of prison for Peterson, as he was in jail for 34 years, 30 of which was spent in solitary confinement. Oh...and he was originally sentenced to only 7 years! So that tells you something about his behavior right there.

Bronson is told in a breaking the fourth wall capacity, as it is Peterson himself that guides us on this violent journey through his life. Often you will be face to face with the man as he is on stage performing for an auditorium of fans with you - the viewer - being one of them. Sometimes with a narrative such as this, it can be considered lazy story telling, but in the case of Bronson, it is very fitting that he be telling his story in this way. "Bronson" is an egomaniac, and in his mind, there would be an auditorium of people cheering his every word and laughing at all of his jokes. It is also fitting, as Bronson would have you hear everything from his perspective and his point of view. Bronson is sort of presented like a stage play in how it is structured, with many of the set pieces almost set up by Bronson himself. He is the glue that ties up all of the scenes; he fills in the gaps if you will.

Each "set piece" is a balls out, visual tour de force of well-crafted shots. An array of camera movements, angles, and a multitude of colors are used to compliment the mood in each scene. These narrative and style choices are a major departure from Bronson's director, Nicolas Winding Refn's previous work, namely the Pusher trilogy. The Pusher trilogy is more akin to documentary film with an intimate and close up look at Denmark's underground crime world, where you feel like you are right there along with the characters in those movies. Though, as with Bronson, you are pretty much only following one singular character throughout the film...it is one person's story. I love how the fight scenes are handled, and they aren't over the top as they are more realistic in how they are handled in a visual sense, but still very well done. There are a few times where some sass is tossed in to make the fighting scenes stand out over the average movie brawl, like one fight in particular, the hitting sounds are replaced by the sounds of lasers. Punches that sound like lasers must really hurt...

Bronson is a film that rarely comes around - not to say that there aren't plenty of amazing independent or foreign films floating the waters of the cult cinema wasteland, it's just Bronson has a bit more...pizzazz than your average cult film. Maybe the perfect way to describe Bronson would be...art house cult film?! I think so, not sure if that would be the general consciences or not though. There is a film that is magnificent in Bronson, but there is also a part of the film that lay in a vat of off beat confusion and over doneness...too much artistic flair maybe? I have heard the word pretentious used to describe Bronson, and it is to a certain extent, however, the movie would probably not reach the highs it does with out a little bit of pretentiousness.

One thing that makes me think Bronson will be in my long-term movie rotation, is one great scene in particular that for some reason stuck with me. It happens when Peterson/Bronson is trapped in an insane asylum that was meant to keep him from feeding his hunger for prison notoriety through the use of violence. The scene itself is set to the awesome Pet Shop Boys song, It's A Sin (which is the tune found in the trailer) and there is a sort of dance party (like those Freddy ones?!) going on. With all of the mental patients grooving and moving, a drugged up Bronson is trying to figure out a way out of the asylum, but it isn’t gonna happen. I love the way it's shot, and I find it so telling of the character that even while being subdued by medications, he still has the thought in his mind to try get out of the asylum. He stumbles around almost like an infant, trying to get what he wants, and even his reactions to the orderlies are that of an infantile mind. The song itself just adds to what is an oddly haunting and entertaining scene, with some of the best dance moves by mental patients I have ever witnessed.

If one thing about Bronson is true, it's that I was completely captivated and gripped by the character of Michael Peterson/Charlie Bronson, with a performance by Tom Hardy that is simply mesmerizing, and proving the lack of credibility the Academy has. Hardy is perfect as Peterson/Bronson, and that is what makes Bronson fantastic. It's a make or break role and Hardy makes that shit all the way. I am most recently familiar with Hardy as Handsome Bob in the wonderful Guy Ritchie film, RocknRolla. Hardy was pretty good in that film too, but his role in Bronson could not be any more different, and he is almost unrecognizable as the films titular character. One of his more stand out moments is when he reenacts a conversation between himself and a nurse while on stage in front of the before mentioned audience...I won't go into detail, but he is phenomenal in what is a strange, yet interesting way to handle a portion of the film's story.

This character transforms from Peterson to Bronson, where by the end of the film there is almost no sign of the slightly more sensible Peterson left to be seen. This is all pulled off with Hardy's stellar performance, this transformation is also captured in a visual way with an array of stylistic, and artistic choices with the look of the character via things like nudity and paint used to cover his face and body. It really works well at the end of the film, where all of this comes together with the obvious choice Peterson makes in how he shall live the rest of his life...as Michael Peterson, or Charles Bronson.

Of course there have been the comparisons to the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange, in which Bronson is referred to as that film for the 21st century. I'm sure many would argue that Bronson is nowhere near Kubrick's milestone film, but there are very few films that could be quite as comparable. I have sat with the images and characters of A Clockwork Orange for over 16 years and seen the film at least a couple dozen times, so we'll see where Bronson stands in another 10 or so years, before I can discredit it as not being a masterpiece along the lines of Clockwork. It's just way to soon. As I said, it is comparable in the intense stylistic imagery and the way the story is told right down to the great musical choices that are found throughout Bronson. Personally, I would call it A Clockwork Orange meets Hard Times, which incidentally stared Charles Bronson...the filmmakers of Bronson may use that blurb if necessary!

When watching the film a few days ago, I felt slightly disappointed in it at times, but really only during the second act of the movie where things get a bit confused and feel over thought. However, after having Bronson sit in my cranium for a few days, and even writing about it now, I know this film is more than worthy of multiple looks. There is so much intelligence and talent that is laid out before the viewer, and there will be a lot to appreciate and take out of this film over multiple viewings throughout my movie watching lifetime. In addition, I should add that my "copy" of Bronson kicked the bucket, and much to my anger, I could not watch the last 5 minutes of the film. I get the gist of what was going to happen, and I understand the point of the ending, but it is a finale that I am not happy to have missed as the film and character of Bronson are truly completed by this eruption of an ending. Therefore, I am reviewing this movie incomplete, but it does give me another excuse to watch it again.

The Halloween Countdown Tree Takes Over Chuck Norris Ate My Baby!

Thanks to one of my friends, I found this nifty little thingamabobber aka the Halloween Countdown Tree on Face book and I just had to have it for the blog! It is a bit intrusive, but still very cool, and I love knowing exactly...to the very second, how long before it is time to celebrate Halloween! So, unless you all hate the sight of this thing (and I would take that into consideration), it will be right here at the top of the page reminding you that the time dress up and get down is almost near!

This Baby Ate Chuck Norris!

Somewhere, Chuck Norris is salivating...



...I might need a to go container.

Wish I Could Experience Some Paranormal Activity...

If you have been following the hot horror stories recently or more specifically today, you may have heard about the limited release of Paranormal Activity in theaters this weekend. If you are not aware of the movie, it is about a couple that decide to do a little of their own investigating (with the use of home video equipment) when they are experiencing some intense "Paranormal Activity" in their new home. The film is directed by Oren Peli and has gotten insanely positive reviews - the news over at Bloody Disgusting is 4,500 waited in one line alone to see their screening of the latest in independent vérité styled fright cinema. That is just crazy! And it gets me excited for the film as all of this will hopefully get some gears moving, and get it into more theaters! Paranormal Activity is a film I have been dying to see for what feels like forever and I hope it does make its way to a theater near me, though there isn't many cinemas down my end, there still could be a chance. One of the big marketing things has been the Demand It! strategy, where all you have to do is a little clicky click and enter your zip code and crap, hopefully resulting in the movie generating enough interest to play in your hood. Even if you do not want to see the film, it would be cool as ice if you did the Demand It! thing anyways, just to show some support for an independent horror film - remember...it's up to YOU to take back horror in theaters!

Here is a link to the films website, along with a link to the Demand It! thing...this movie deserves more than a limited release, and if we learned one thing from The Blair Witch Project, there is plenty of room for low-budget creatively made horror in our cinemas. Lets make room for Paranormal Activity!

Freddy's Friday Night Dance Party!: Bring Your Daughter to the "Slaughter" Edition!

What up daaawg?! First off, I would hate to lead you astray with the title of this post, as the song Bring Your Daughter to the Slaaaaaaaugh-ter! is in fact a song written for a Nightmare film. In fact, it was originally recorded and released by a solo Bruce Dickinson for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, but there was never a Nightmare themed video made for the song (bummer!), and as you will find out, the title of this post is more than fitting for our jammity jammy jam this fine Friday evening! And oh boy, this is the Friday to check out the hottest club in a 2 mile radius - Freddy's Friday Night Dance Party!!! Whoop whoooo! Tonight's Dance Part-tay marks the big comeback of the one - the only - the always bony...dj SKELE-TOOOOOONE! Ladies, ladies...please, keep your shirts on! I understand your excitement about Skele-tone's return, but save it for later! *cough*preferably when we're alone*cough* You know when dj Skele-tone is here, you will be shaking that tight little rear, and it looks to be no different dear, as he has brought with him a copy of Love Kills performed by glam gods, Vinnie Vincent Invasion!! Let's get this party started!

Oh great...who invited Ricky Rachtman?! There goes all our street cred!


Love Kills was released in 1988 by the Vinnie Vincent Invasion for their second album, All Systems Go, but more notably appeared on the soundtrack for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Vinnie Vincent Invasion consisted of band founder and former Kiss guitarist, Vinnie Vincent with Dana Strum on bass, Bobby Rock on drums, and after a changing of the metal god guard, Mark Slaughter (get it now?!) belting the vocals. I am very familiar with almost every video presented here at Freddy's Friday Night Dance Party, but Love Kills has for whatever reason, completely escaped my knowledge - though, that could partially be due to the video never being featured on any of the DVD releases.

I do dig this solid little rock ballad and the video is great too, being filled with some clips from the film intertwined with the rock! Also, it appears that the band is performing in the same church where Alice and Freddy have there face off at the end of Dream Master, or more famously, the place where Freddy screamed "It's a boy!" in Dream Child. Outside of the Nightmare clips, I was extremely pumped when I saw the Headbangers Ball logo...but the star is truly the band. I love how the video starts, with Mark (that's what I call him) walking around slowly, elegantly even, with the wind flowing through his gorgeous hair…wind caused by the power of his magical voice! I really do hope you stuck it out to the end of the video - it would be a shame for you to miss the guitarist as he decides to shred whilst wearing a Freddy glove, where he then proceeds to do an "Oh stop it!" motion at the camera. It is truly menacing, yet sexy! Moreover, I did see a windmill guitar move that was not relevant to the music playing...at all, and that is exactly why it rules.

Okay, I have more than exceeded my time here tonight, so let's get back to the dancin' and romancin'! Ladies...now's the time to remove your shirts, cause I'm feeling a little frisky! And hopefully your feeling a little risky, as I am a breeding ground for STDs!! Hey...we're all about giving here at Freddy's Friday Night Dance Party!