Trailer Park Tuesdays - Dangerous Men

Welcome to the Trailer Park.  This month, instead of a collection of four or five movie trailers we have just a single preview to share.  When it's a movie like this one though, one trailer is all you need.


Usually I only share trailers for new films, but this month is a little different, as we have a new trailer for an old film that is just now getting released.  This is a movie that took 26 years (!) to complete and, by all accounts, is a crazy piece of low budget action insanity that no true lover of B-movies, cinematic whatthefuckery, and/or outsider art could do without witnessing.




Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, DANGEROUS MEN!

Holy Smokes!  This has WTF written all over it!
This very much looks like something for a specific crowd and that that specific crowd will enjoy it very much!
I bet some tires squeal on dirt in this one!

Dangerous Men is making its way into select and special theaters courtesy of the fine folks at Drafthouse Films!  Check out their website HERE for more info and for showtimes NEAR YOU!

If you live in the Portland, Oregon area (like me!) you can witness Dangerous Men THIS WEEKEND, Nov. 13th and 14th, at the best theater in town, the fantastic Hollywood Theatre.  See you there!

Trailer Park Tuesdays - Bone Tomahawk, The Nightmare, Deathgasm, Tales of Halloween

Hey, welcome to the Trailer Park.  We're gonna go smash pumpkins and throw things off the East St. bridge later, but first let's look at some movie trailers for some scary shit that you could maybe check out this month.  It's October which means it's Halloween time so get into it!

First up we have a big one, very exciting.  Bone Tomahawk is the rare western-horror hybrid, this one getting rave reviews out of its recent showing at Fantastic Fest.  Featuring a great cast, including Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins, this is the story of a sheriff and some cowboys heading out on a rescue mission to save some folks from some cave-dwelling cannibals.  Sounds awesome, right?  Well, yeah, based on description alone my ticket was bought!

Usually I say, here's the trailer, watch it!, but actually from what I've read online this is a spoilery trailer that might give away too much.  So be warned, but do what you like.  I can't control you.

I've seen it and it's a good trailer but yeah, it might give away a thing or two.  I dunno, I haven't seen the movie yet.

The trailer is below, watch it if you still need convincing you want to see a horror-western with Kurt Russell and cave cannibals.

Bone Tomahawk sees release on Oct. 23rd.

A freaky documentary (yes a documentary!) is streaming right now on Netflix Instant (and is also available from plenty of other outlets too) called The Nightmare.  From the director of documentary Room 237 (about the movie The Shining), this film focuses on the real life phenomenon of sleep paralysis.

This terrifying condition involves a sleeping/semi-conscious person being unable to move but experiencing frightening hallucinations.  These waking nightmares that people experience and the stories that they share in the film are dramatized visually, creating something that is, well, like you're looking at a nightmare.

I'm looking forward to checking this one out!  It looks freaky!  I thought Room 237 was really interesting and judging from this trailer below, the director, Rodney Ascher, has a keen eye for visuals.  If you're looking for something different this Halloween, maybe give The Nightmare a try.

Okay, on the goofier, weirder, stranger, gorier side of horror we have Deathgasm.

Yes, Deathgasm.  Hailing from the fine folks in New Zealand this is a splatter horror-comedy about some heavy metal dudes releasing an evil demon after they play some cursed music.  The film is being called "shamelessly lowbrow" and "very high energy."  Sounds like a New Zealand horror film to me.

Combining horror and heavy metal is a no brainer but it seems like it has been awhile since we've seen a good thrashing fright flick.  Will Deathgasm be any good?  I dunno, maybe, but it definitely has a great title so that can't be taken away.

Check out the wacky, gory trailer below and visit the website to see if and when Deathgasm is coming to your town.

Finally this month we have the very holiday appropriate Tales of Halloween.  This is an anthology film featuring 10 segments that all have to do with the best holiday of the year (Halloween).

Participating in the project are directors Neil Marshall, Darren Lynn Bousman, Lucky McKee, Paul Solet, Mike Mendez,  Dave Parker, and others, not to mention a really great cast list (watch the trailer, it's all too many people to name).


Anthologies are always a mixed bag, sort of like what you get trick-r-treating.  Hopefully Tales of Halloween offers up more Snickers and Reese's than it does Black Licorice or Wax Lips.

Tales of Halloween can be seen starting on Oct. 16th.



There you have it.  Thanks for stopping by, have a great horror holiday and be careful around strangers.  A lot of weirdos are here in the Trailer Park. . .

Trailer Park Tuesdays - Goodnight Mommy, Hellions, Cooties, The Keeping Room, and Finders Keepers

Welcome to the September edition of Trailer Park Tuesdays.  Summer is pretty much over and children are going back to school.  Soon it will be full blown autumn and the season for scary movies will be upon us (yay!).

Combining these things and in preparation for October, this month we've got movie trailers for a trio of killer kid flicks, as well as two non-horror films, one a period piece home invasion thriller and the other a strange documentary about a severed leg.  This is a full month and a nice collection of stuff so let's get started:

Goodnight Mommy - In this sure-to-be-disturbing tale, a pair of young brothers turn distrustful of their mother when she returns from surgery and is "different."  Things do not go great.

This one is getting a lot of buzz and looks weird, crazy, and a more than a bit fucked up, which is just how I like 'em!  The creep factor on this one looks high!  God bless the Austrians.

A must-see for genre fans, Goodnight Mommy opened in limited release last weekend on Sept. 11th; it will be in Portland at Cinema 21 starting Oct. 2nd.

Hellions - Also in the "killer kids" vein is Hellions from director Bruce McDonald and I have no idea what the hell is going on with this one.  McDonald made Pontypool which was more. . .subdued and thoughtful, I guess?  Yeah, this doesn't seem to be that...

Hellions looks a little bonkers and a lot bananas.  And honestly, it looks a little cheap.  Add all these things together and I'm sold on watching this just to figure out what it's all about and how Robert Patrick fits into it.

Hellions will be released in theaters/iTunes/VOD starting on September 25th.

Cooties -  Alright, maybe Goodnight Mommy and Hellions both seem a little too bleak and/or extreme for you.  Maybe horror-comedy Cooties is more your speed?  It features zombie school children trying to kill the teachers and staff of their school, played by Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Wannell, Nasim Pedrad, and Jorge Garcia.

This one could be goofy fun, but the quality of horror/comedies can be hard to predict, so we will see.  At the very least, teachers across America will get a kick out of it.

Also, it is hard to deny the greatness of the line "Nap time, motherfuckers!"

Cooties begins to spread in theaters and on demand starting on Sept. 18th.

Let's switch gears here and get out of the horror genre.

I love a good western and The Keeping Room looks to be a winner.  Released by the fine folks at Drafthouse Films this is a feminist western genre tale of three young Southern women defending their home against Union soldier intruders during the end of the Civil War.  Tense home invasion type stuff, the kind with a slow burn and plenty of dread.  I like it!

The Keeping Room opens on Sept. 25th but won't be in my neighborhood until November 6th when it plays at The Living Room Theater.  Check the Drafthouse link above for showtimes near you.

Finally this month we have Finders Keepers, a documentary from some of the people who made The King of Kong and Undefeated.  It's about a severed leg and the battle between two men over the ownership of it.

As ridiculous as that sounds, it appears this story might also be very moving and emotionally affecting as well.  I think it looks great and I can't wait to see it.

Just watch the trailer and keep an eye out for the film (it opens in theaters starting on Sept. 25th and is available VOD on Oct. 2nd).

It looks to be a win win win.



Thanks for visiting the Trailer Park.  See you next month for October movie trailer fun!

Trailer Park Tuesdays - Cop Car, Turbo Kid, The Tribe, and The Look of Silence

Hello everybody.  Trailer Park Tuesdays is back!  All New!  With a slightly New Format!  From here on out this will be a monthly column, instead of an attempt at a weekly one.  Rejoice!


For those of you new to the Trailer Park, this is a space where I will share movie trailers for new and upcoming releases that might be flying under people's radars.  These are things that I find intriguing and/or things that I consider to be must-sees.  I'm usually a sucker for a good movie trailer.  Let's see what we got this month:

Cop Car - (dir: Jon Watts) -  I like a lot of what I see here.  Two young runaway kids steal a cop car and have a good time, but bad things happen when they get chased by a dangerously mustached Kevin Bacon....

This looks like a lot of fun.  I particularly like when movies put very young children in danger and in adult situations.  We've all been young and done stupid things, but what if those things had dire consequences?

Look at the official website HERE and steal a look at the trailer below.
Cop Car has already opened in some select cities.  It opens August 14th at The Living Room Theater in Portland, OR and will also be available VOD the same day.

The Tribe - (dir: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy) -  I've been dying to see this.  It's been playing the festival circuit and getting rave reviews all over, winning multiple awards at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and just generally sounding like an amazing cinematic experience.  This Ukrainian film takes place at a high school for the deaf and features a story that unfolds through sign language and other forms of non-verbal communication from a cast of deaf non-professional actors.  There are no subtitles nor any voiceover.  The result is an "unprecedented cinematic accomplishment" and something that feels "unmistakably, radically new."*

Not everyone is into Ukrainian art films, but if you're into unique and daring cinematic journeys, this is one to not pass up.

The Tribe is playing nationwide at cool cinemas in select cities.  There will be a single night showing on August 19th at The Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR.  Check the official website for showtimes near you.

* quotes from Indiewire and Variety, respectively.

The Look of Silence - (dir: Joshua Oppenheimer) -  This is Oppenheimer's follow-up film to The Act of Killing, which was my favorite film of 2013.  This is a further exploration of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, this time focusing on a young optometrist who confronts the men who murdered his brother, breaking the silence of decades.

I can't wait to see this.  If you haven't seen The Act of Killing, I urge you to see it.  It is powerful filmmaking.  The Look of Silence looks to be a continuation of that brilliance.

I'm very excited this opens August 21st at The Hollywood Theatre.  Check out the official website for additional showtimes, articles and clips.

Turbo Kid - (dir: Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) -  Of all the movie trailers this month, this is the one movie that I am most unsure of.  Could be amazing, could be crap.  A movie like this could go either way.  It does look crazy, gory, and interestingly weird, not to mention it features Michael Ironside as the villain, so that almost makes it a must-see.

What gives me caution is that this is one of those movies that is an anachronistic homage to the past, which sometimes turn out feeling disingenuous.  If the filmmakers have a story that is engaging (which it appears they might) and characters that we care about and believe in (this is a maybe..I'm not sure about that girl..) then this might be a ridiculously fun film.  Take a look at the trailer, what do you think?

Turbo Kid slides into The Hollywood Theatre on Aug 28th.  For non-Portlanders, it will also be available on VOD the same day.



Thanks for sticking around the Trailer Park.  We'll see you next month.

Trailer Park Tuesdays - Roar

Welcome to Trailer Park Tuesdays.  This week we're looking at the movie trailer for Roar (1981), not a new movie, but an old movie that is now being released for the first time in the U.S.

Roar is quite possible the most irresponsible movie ever made.  Producer Noel Marshall and his wife Tippi Hedren (star of The Birds) set out to make a film that would bring exposure to big cats and their plight in Africa from game hunters, as well as to the inhumane treatment of big cats in captivity...or something.  They would do this by using the hundreds of wild lions, tigers, and other cats and animals that the couple had gathered and used to populate their animal sanctuary located north of Los Angeles.

This (crazy) idea was first (ill)conceived in 1970 and after the success of The Exorcist (which Marshall produced and made a lot of money from) they started filming in 1974.  Things did not go well as the cats proved unpredictable and unable to take direction.  This led to as many as 70 members of the cast and crew getting attacked or harmed while making this movie!

Noel Marshall was bit and clawed multiple times, Tippi fell off an elephant and broke her leg, and their daughter, Melanie Griffith, who was just starting her acting career, suffered facial lacerations and needed reconstructive surgery and 100 stitches.  Not to be outdone, director of photography Jan De Bont (future director of Speed and Twister) was SCALPED by a lion and required over 200 stitches!

Not surprisingly, the film took a total of 11 years to make and when it was finally released in 1981, it was only done so overseas and not here in America.  Until now. . . .

Drafthouse Films has acquired the film and has been releasing it in various cities the past couple weeks.  Check out HERE for full details on where you can see this amazing motion picture.  If you're like me and you live in or near Portland, Oregon, you can see Roar this weekend, May 2nd and 3rd, at the great Hollywood Theatre.

Here's the amazing and dangerous trailer:

This movie looks INSANE!  I've been looking forward to it greatly.  It looks like a visceral and surreal experience, a real jaw-dropper!

For more info on this crazy story, read THIS from Drafthouse Films founder Tim League, THIS blog post from crew member Randolph Sellars, and watch this piece from CBS This Morning.

Trailer Park Tuesdays - Spring

It's Trailer Park Tuesday and spring has sprung so we're gonna look at the trailer for Spring!











Ah yes!  Springtime!  When a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love...



The classic setup:  boy meets girl.  Attraction and emotions run high, love is fallen into.  Then girl reveals deep dark truths and secrets.  Terrible things happen.  Seem about right?  That's the basic set-up for Spring, although it comes with a bit of monstrousness..


I've been jazzed on seeing this one, it's been getting good reviews and word of mouth is positive.  The film stars Lou Taylor Pucci, who I liked a lot in Thumbsucker (he was also in the Evil Dead remake), and Nadia Hilker, a German actress and relative newcomer.


The  pull quote at the top of the poster describes Spring as a "hybrid of Richard Linklater and H.P. Lovecraft," and it seems as if directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead have crafted a lovely romantic horror film.



I'm going to share two trailers for the film.  This first one from Drafthouse Films (who are distributing the movie) plays up the romantic angle while hiding most of the twists and turns.  Check it:

Not sold?  Want to see more?  This second trailer (the "official" trailer) has a bit more plot details and, while not exactly spoilery, it gives a more revealing look at the genre elements at work within the film.  So keep that in mind:


Spring is playing right now in limited release in select cities and is also available online at iTunes, Googe Play, Amazon Instant, and a whole bunch of other places.  Check HERE for all that info.

Trailer Park Tuesdays - It Follows

After and extended and unplanned absence, I'd like to welcome you back to TRAILER PARK TUESDAYS, a place where I like to share movie trailers for upcoming releases, usually something that might not be well known or is maybe flying under your radar.


This week:  indie horror creeper It Follows!



It Follows has been getting a lot of positive buzz since premiering at Cannes in May of last year and the positive reviews continued at the Toronto International Film Fest and Fantastic Fest in Austin, where it won New Wave Best Film and Screenplay.

-- Read some reviews HERE, HERE, and HERE --

The film is, quite simply, about a sexually transmitted curse.  When someone who is cursed has sex with you, the curse passes to you.  You keep the curse until you have sex with someone else.  What exactly is the curse?  Well, it's being endlessly pursued by a silent, expressionless entity that can take on the appearance of anyone and who can only be seen by the cursed individual.  If it catches you, you're dead.  If it kills you, it will next pursue the previous person who had the curse.

Watch the trailer, get creeped!

I've been sold on this one for awhile.  I'm ready to see it.  I love a good, scary movie that also works as metaphor (in this case the metaphor is for STDs, but maybe also for the angst of adulthood?).  I'm into it!

Star Maika Monroe was in last year's excellent action-horror-thriller The Guest and between the two movies she's positioning herself to be a new Scream Queen, something I'm can't complain about at all (I thought she was great in The Guest).

It Follows opened up in major markets last weekend and is expanding into more cities over the next couple weeks, including my town of Portland, Oregon on March 27th, so if you're in Stumptown, head out to the wonderful Hollywood Theatre or the also really good Cinema21 and check it out.

If you live anywhere that is showing It Follows, go see it.  Smart, cool, good horror films need to be supported in theaters.  If you live somewhere lame that doesn't have good theaters that show cool movies, keep an eye out for it when it hits VOD or whatever streaming services you use later this year.

Trailer Park Tuesdays: Special Edition: 12 Days of Alternative Christmas Movies Watch List

Merry Christmas, folks.  Instead of watching A Christmas Story or It's a Wonderful Life or (god forbid) Elf again this year, why not take a look at this list of alternative holiday viewing options that I've compiled here.

I have trouble with counting and with numbers, so I'm pretty sure I have more than 12 films and things here.  It's a lot, sure, but I think you'll enjoy it.  If not, keep the receipt and return it after the holidays.
Thanks and you're welcome.

1.  Die Hard, the quintessential alternative-Christmas film.

Die Hard (1988) is a lot of things.  It's an action classic, one of the iconic movies of the 1980s, and is something of a pop-culture touchstone.  I probably don't need to sell you on it.  It's great and you know it.  Ho-Ho-Ho, here's the trailer:

2.  Tired of Die Hard every year (gasp!)?  Here's some other Christmas action films.

The Silent Partner (1978), from our friends up in Canada, is a great little thriller starring Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer.  It's a great cat and mouse crime story with some humor and violence; I wrote a full review of it HERE.  I highly recommend it (my review and the movie).

In addition to that, nobody loves Christmas more than Shane Black, apparently, as no less than four of the movies he's written take place during the holidays: the Gibson/Glover classic Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), which stars Damon Wayans and Mr. Die Hard himself, Bruce Willis, The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) with Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), which Black also directed.  Also, it seems that Iron Man Three (2013) takes place during Christmas, so it's official: Shane Black is totally into Christmas.
Mr. Joshua. . . not so much...

3.  Gremlins, a personal tradition.

Every year for the last dozen years or so I've watched Gremlins (1984) either on or near Christmas Day.  It's a seasonal holiday tradition, which is funny as when I first saw the film at the age of 5, it scared the bejeezus out of me.  There's so many great things in the movie, from Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" over the opening credits to Phoebe Cates's infamous "why I hate Christmas" speech to Mrs. Deagle's flight!, but my favorite is the "mom vs. gremlins" scene in the house, which is one of the best scenes in any movie ever, inmyopinion.  I can't find a clip of the whole thing, so here's the teaser trailer for the film's re-release:

4.  A Very Tim Burton Christmas.

Despite it's bizarre aesthetic, I think The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is a perfect holiday film, playing well anytime between October and December.  I always make it a Christmas film.  This year we watched it while assembling and decorating our tree.  The music in the film is wonderful and near composer Danny Elfman's very best.  I mean, seriously, how great is "What's This?"??

For Advanced Studies in Tim Burton and the Holiday Season, check out his charming Edward Scissorhands (1990) or his second Batman movie, Batman Returns (1992), which is holiday themed and has it's own bizarre aesthetic.

5.  A Muppet Family Christmas:  Watch out for the icy patch!

One of my favorite things growing up was the Muppet Family Christmas TV special from 1987.  Thanks to a VHS dub, I used to watch it all the time and it was a big part of my childhood.  Seeing all the Muppets, the Sesame Street gang, and the Fraggles all come together to celebrate Christmas at Fozzie's mother's house is just wonderful stuff.  I still dig it.  Big thanks to YouTube for providing a clip of the full, unedited show:

While on the subject of the Muppets, you can't go wrong with The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) either.  It's some good, family friendly material, with plenty of good jokes and the requisite big freaky Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come.

6.  Christmas comedies.  Ho-Ho-Ha.

In addition to the Muppets version, my favorite telling of Charles Dicken's holiday classic A Christmas Carol is the 1988 Bill Murray movie Scrooged.  It's sort of a mean Christmas movie, but I think it has a great heart at the center of its story, perfectly mixing the sweet with the bitter.  It straddles that line of alternate and regular Christmas movie (for me at least).  Also, it's really funny and there's some killer special effects, especially the terrifying Ghost of Christmas Future.

For an additional Christmas comedy recommendation, I'd say check out Trading Places (1983) with Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy.  It's waaaay funnier than Elf.

7.  Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

MST3k is one of my favorite television shows ever and it's not Christmas until I've heard "A Patrick Swayze Christmas," an original song featured within the 3rd season episode Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, which is a great bad movie, perfect for riffing by Joel and the Bots.  It's a classic, inmyopinion.  Here it is:

The other holiday MST episode, season five's Santa Claus, is also pretty good, with a delightfully daffy Mexican movie featuring Santa vs. a devil named Pitch.  It's weird stuff.

For advanced holiday movie riffing fun times, might I wholeheartedly suggest the slice of cinematic madness that is Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny from the guys at Rifftrax (former members of team MST3k).  It is beyond bizarre and the only thing that is guaranteed to keep you from going insane while watching it is the funny commentary and jokes from the Rifftrax guys.  Here's a best-of:

8.  Let's take a Hip Hop Break!

Run DMC kicking it old school!

Keep it running with Run The Jewels!  Maybe not a Christmas song per se, but these two are near the top of the game and dig those bells!

And why not, here's DMX!  What?!

9.  Christmas Horrors:  Silent Night, Deadly Night.

One of the most controversial holiday horror films of all time is without a doubt Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), a crude slasher film that is both incredibly fun and incredibly rough around the edges.  The film was condemned by PTAs across the country and screenings were picketed by protesters, leading to the film getting yanked from theaters after a brief theatrical run.  Later, due to home video, it would become a cult classic.  If you're a horror fan and you somehow haven't seen it, consider yourself "naughty!"

Of course the film produced sequels (4 in total), the second one which is infamous for both padding out over half its running time by recycling footage from Part 1 and also for GARBAGE DAY!

10-11.  Further Studies in Christmas Horrors.

Black Christmas (1974) is one of the first holiday horror films and was also a forebear of the slasher films of the '80s, which might make it the granddaddy of Silent Night, Deadly Night.  Comparably it's a much better film, with a tighter story, better actors, and stronger filmmaking from director Bob Clark, who would go on to do another Christmas classic, A Christmas Story (1983).  I think he got it right with his first stab at the holidays.

A little more obscure, but nonetheless wholeheartedly recommended is Don't Open Till Christmas (1984), a sleazy British slasher featuring a psycho who kills people dressed as Santa.  It's a much meaner and nastier film than Silent Night, Deadly Night and very much worth checking out if you like that sort of (naughty) thing.

Also, no holiday horror film festival would be complete without Tales from the Crypt (1972), specifically the first segment "...And All Through the House" with Joan Collins and a killer Santa.  It's great:

12.  It's Christmas, kinda.

And finally, here's two great movies that take place during the holiday season but aren't necessarily Christmas movies at all.

Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985) is a Orwellian nightmare of bureaucracy and a tale of the desperate need to break out of the norm to find love and yourself.  It's a great, great movie, one of my favorites, but even I forget that it takes place during the holiday season (gift giving is a recurring theme in the film), but somehow it's perfect, as the commercialism of Christmas makes for good backdrop.

Also, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999), which has to do with the disintegration of a marriage between Tom Cruise and Nichole Kidman and, also, orgies, is not a movie I remember for its Christmas time setting.  I mostly remember the orgies.  But hey, it's a great (underrated) movie, and if you're looking for an American art film to screen at your holiday orgy, well, I think you've found a winner here:


Yup.  I end on an orgy joke.

Well, there you go.  That's the list.  Hope you liked it.
Happy Holidays and all that stuff.

Trailer Park Tuesdays - The Babadook

Welcome to Trailer Park Tuesdays, where I like to share a movie trailer for a new and upcoming release, usually something that is flying low on the radar.


This week, we got The Babadook!

Have you heard about The Babadook?  It's been making the festival rounds and has been released in limited markets and, seemingly, everywhere it goes it has been garnering really positive reviews and great word of mouth.  William Friedkin called the film "an intense experience" and that he "has never seen a more terrifying film."  High praise from the guy who made The Exorcist!

So what is The Babadook?  From the official website:

"The film tells of a single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, who battles her son's night time fear of a shadowy monster.  But soon, she discovers a sinister presence is lurking in the house."

I'm sold.  The premise is solid, and from what I've read, the cast is fantastic, especially Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman as the mother-son duo, with their fractured relationship making up the backbone of the picture.  Here, check out the official trailer and see what you think:

I love that the monster has its roots in a children's pop-up book, a book that you can now buy a copy of!

Check out these reviews HERE HERE and HERE in case you're not quite sold or if you want to know more.

The Babadook is playing in NY and LA right now and will be spreading out into other markets during December.  Want to see it in a theater?  Head over the their Facebook page and see if it's playing in your town (it plays in my town, Portland, OR, at the Living Room Theaters starting Dec 19!).  Otherwise I think it might be available on VOD and things like that, so check it out.

The Babadook.  Silly name, scary movie.

Trailer Park Tuesdays - Cub

Happy Halloween from the Trailer Park.  Razorblades in apples are the least of your worries around here...






Being the week of Halloween, let's look at an upcoming horror film, specifically a new one out of Belgium, a country known less for its horror movies (even though it has produced its share of fright flicks over the years) and more for its main cinematic export, Jean-Claude Van Damme. That however might change, if this upcoming film is as good as it might seem.

Cub is the film in question and it involves a group of Flemish boy scouts and their scout leaders, off in the woods on a camping trip, being stalked by a psycho killer.  Sounds and looks like something right up my alley.
I was a boy scout growing up so the mere concept of this one hits me just right.  I'm totally intrigued.  Then I read some early reviews (mostly good) and saw this trailer and I knew I had to see this one.  Check it out:

That tagline, "Be Prepared," just hooks me.  It's SO perfect!

Here's the official synopsis from the website:

"CUB is a horror adventure in which a young imaginative twelve-year-old boy named Sam heads off to camp with his Cub Scouts pack, leaders Peter and Chris and quartermaster Yasmin. Once they enter the woods, Sam quickly feels something is not quite right. He soon stumbles upon a mysterious tree house and meets a shifty, masked feral-looking child. When Sam tries to warn his leaders, they ignore him: the boy often tells tall tales and Sam’s mysterious past which he refuses to talk about makes his leader Peter mistrust him. As Sam gets more and more isolated from the other scouts, he becomes convinced a terrible fate awaits them: the Feral Child, it turns out, is the helper of the Poacher, an evil psychopath, who has riddled the forest with ingenious traps and is intent on slaughtering the scouts… one by one…"

---------------------

Cub (originally titled Welp) was partially funded through crowd sourcing, which is something that usually gives me pause, but I'm into the concept, and the trailer looks good, so I'm going to give it a shot when it finally secures an American release.

Cub sees release in its native Belgium tomorrow, on October 29th.  After that, keep an eye out for it, probably next year, here in The States.

Trailer Park Tuesdays - The Town That Dreaded Sundown

Trailer Park Tuesdays.

Now 87% ebola free.







This week at TPT we got the trailer for the remake of the 1976 true-story horror flick The Town That Dreaded Sundown.  The original film (I reviewed it HERE) has some effective scare sequences (and a great looking villain), but it suffers from wild tonal swings and some bad comedy.  So a remake is not something I am opposed to.  From the looks of this first trailer, it is even something I am going to be supportive of.

From some early reviews, it seems this new version is going in an interesting direction, more of a slasher-type thing, maybe?  Also, very stylish.  And the trombone kill is in there!  YAY!  But there's no Andrew Prine.  Booo!  Guess you can't have everything.

The film is being released by Blumhouse Productions though the long-dormant MGM subsidiary Orion Pictures, and I won't lie, seeing that Orion logo made me smile and put me on this movie's side early.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) is getting a limited release on October 16th, probably nowhere near where you live, so you'll have to seek it out on VOD.  Do it, or The Phantom Killer will get you.

Trailer Park Tuesdays: YEAR ONE

A little over a year ago I started my semi-regular column Trailer Park Tuesdays, where I share new movie trailers for upcoming releases, usually stuff that is flying low on the general public's radar.  I started doing it because A) I wanted more content on the site and B) because I'm a sucker for a good movie trailer.

But were the movies themselves any good?


I've shared 26 movie trailers over the past year; out of those, I've seen 12 of the movies.  That's almost 50%!  Were the trailers being honest?  Were the movies good?  Let's see how things turned out:

-(click the titles for links to the trailers):

Escape from Tomorrow - 

This was okay-ish.  I appreciate what they did, the clandestine shooting at DisneyWorld/Land, some of it comes off spectacularly, but it does fail to come together as a satisfying whole.  Still, worth a look if you like experimental, low budget fantasy narratives.

Cheap Thrills - 

I liked this a lot, it's fun stuff.  Brutal, though.  Parts might make you squirm.  Both Ethan Embry and Pat Healy are great.  The escalation of events is nice, the payoff in the end is good too.

A Field in England -

Whoa shit, was this trippy.  I loved it.  The stunning black-and-white photography.  The theatricality of the drama.  It's artful and badass, a great combo.  Ben Wheatley is one of the best and most underrated filmmakers working today.

Almost Human - 

This Carpenter-homage-heavy film is just-above-average stuff.  It's enjoyable, despite being predictable (and featuring some so-so acting).  The special effects are the highlight.

Zero Charisma -

Eh.  I won't talk shit about this, but it really didn't light me on fire.  If someone told me they loved it, I'd say "good for you, I totally know why, but it didn't connect with me in that way."  Maybe if I played more D&D. . .

Here Comes the Devil - 

This was a true stinker.  Not good at all, boring and dumb in equal measures, there were a couple noteworthy scenes, but overall not worth anyone's time.  Watch THIS CLIP instead.

Man of Tai Chi* - 

Very solid.  Keanu's directorial debut rips it up; one of my fave movie from last year!  *I double trailered this with the Keanu-starring 47 Ronin, which looked like it might be stupid fun, but from what I've since read, it is just stupid.  So I might end up skipping that one, forever.

The Raid 2 - 

Aw, yeah!  Man, this film is epic in both plot dynamics (honestly, I got lost a little bit) and in action scenarios.  The prison yard rumble!  Prakoso's subplot!  Baseball Bat Man!  Hammer Girl!!  I need to see this again.  Oh, yeah.

Godzilla - 

Ok, so while I did like a lot of the elements within this film, I did not really like it overall.  The human characters were no good and boring.  The pace of the movie felt off too, probably due to the boring humans.  Not the worst Godzilla movie, not by a long shot, but I feel they could and can do better.  I'm not sold on Gareth Edwards as a director.

Blue Ruin - 

Loved it.  One of my favorites of the year so far.  This revenge thriller hits all my buttons.  It's tense, bleak, and brutal, but finds time for quiet moments.  Very much RECOMMENDED! SEE IT!

Under the Skin -

I liked this very much, although I can totally understand why somebody would not.  It is narratively sparse and visually rich.  I've seen it twice now and find it to be mesmerizing, and not just when Scarlett Johansson is nude.

Coherence -

I liked this low budget, sci-fi head trip.  General unease and tension ramps up during the film's brisk running time and the cast is totally game. Not essential viewing or a masterpiece or anything, but a satisfactory watch for me.  I dug it.


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As for those I've yet to see:
-Detective Downs and Kid's Police have yet to find US distribution.
-Witching and Bitching comes out on home video in October; The Strange Colour of Your Tears in December.
-Whiplash and Automatá hit theaters soon.  Mad Max roars into theaters next May.
-I haven't seen The Zero Theorem or The Guest yet (can't wait!).
-Nor have I seen Borgman, The Final Member, The Dance of Reality, or New Year's Evil.

-As mentioned above, 47 Ronin is something I will most likely not watch.

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So there you have it.  Trailer Park Tuesdays: YEAR ONE.
Here's to another great year.
See ya at the trailers.