Barking At The Vacuum Cleaner 9/1/13 - Bad Milo (2013), Pre'Ween, The Living Dead, A Book Tour, and The Return Of The Monster Cereals

     I just watched Bad Milo (2013) last night thanks to a timely reminder from a recent post at Grimm Reviewz.  There's no need for a critical assessment from me because I believe Grimm's review was right on the money.  Bad Milo has a great cast, great performances, and great execution.  It struck me as a more accessible version of a Frank Henenlotter flick, and that's intended to be a compliment.  Side note:  it does my heart good to see a new movie occasionally that's got the stones to rely entirely upon practical FX.  Just remember that you're sitting down to watch a movie about a cute, homicidal little ass demon and you'll have a blast with it.

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     Pre'Ween is just around the corner, and if you don't know what Pre'Ween is then you'll know soon enough.  The countdown clock at the top of the sideboard will keep you posted as to when Pre'Ween begins down to the very last second.   I foolishly believed Pre'Ween was a notion of my own creation, but a bit of research has proven otherwise.  Myself and Carl at The Info Zombie will be sharing our findings with you, and my new friend Warden at the Warden Stokely Horrorzine will be celebrating with us, as well.  We're hoping a few more of our friends will come along for the ride.  Of course, we'll keep you posted right here.

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     Speaking of our friends in the blogosphere, fellow Incredibly Strange Horror Blogger Jonny Dead is kicking off his second annual Month Of The Living Dead today over at Blood Sucking Geek.  Click here for details. 

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     Jeremy Hawkins at [Being Retro] is hard at work, as well.  His "It's Time" Book Tour continues making visits to sites all over the Internet.  He'll be bringing the tour to the Dog Farm on October 10, right in the middle of Pre'Ween.  In the meantime, follow the tour now by checking here for tour dates.

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     . . . and now for the really important stuff.

     I look forward to my yearly dose of Franken Berry - it's only available seasonally here in Virginia - but I was disappointed when General Mills decided to update the packaging of their Monster Cereals recently with a more contemporary look.  It just wasn't the same.

     Well, this year they've decided to make the classic packaging available again. The retro boxes will be available in early September exclusively at Target stores nationwide.  As an added bonus for us old-timers, General Mills will be reintroducing Frute Brute (formerly spelled correctly and discontinued in 1983) and Yummy Mummy (discontinued in 1993) alongside perennials Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula. 

     Now if only General Mills could be persuaded to use the original recipes for their Monster Cereals again.   The marshmallows are just too big now.  That will probably never happen, though, since we wouldn't want a fresh outbreak of Franken Berry Stool.

Posted by Brandon Early

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Barking At The Vacuum Cleaner - Evil Dead (2013), Age Appropriate Horror, and Orphan Black

Evil Dead (2013)

     I desperately wanted to dislike director Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead (2013) just so I could title a post "Evil Dead Is An Evil Dud".  Alas, my first viewing of it a few days ago won't allow for that.  Since producers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have both expressed interest in having Campbell's Ash from the original trilogy be involved in future iterations of Alvarez's vision, I'm not really sure if the new Evil Dead should be considered a traditional remake.  For the purposes of this discussion, though, I'm going to say it is a remake, and it's one of a very small handful of remakes that isn't an abject failure.

     I actually appreciated the less overtly comedic tone, the practical make-up FX, and the different - but not too different - take on the original movie's narrative.  If I had one minor quibble, it's only that I would've like to have seen a few more truly suspenseful and horrific moments scattered throughout the movie's run time.  Alvarez delivered the gorey goods, but actual scares were few and far between.  Still, Evil Dead was a pleasant surprise.  Recommended.

     On a related note, fans should check out Raimi's remake of his own Army Of Darkness (1992).  It's called Oz The Great And Powerful (2013).  Seriously, Sam, the cribbing from your own work was pretty blatant.  It's one of the better implementations of 3D that I've seen, though, so you get a pass.  If you really want to remake or sequelize Army Of Darkness, just do it.

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     I've posted recently about both my earliest exposure to genre movies as well as my uncertainty about what is and is not appropriate viewing for youngsters, and the topic came up again recently when I was asked to recommend some good scary movies for a couple of nascent horror fans, ages 10 and 14.  The only stipulations were that the recommendations not be exceedingly gorey and that they steer clear of any overt sexual content. Thinking children of this age probably wouldn't take well to the slower pace of older horror movies, I recommended Attack The Block (2011).  I've not recommended anything else thus far because I don't trust my own "appropriate for children" filter, and even here, it occurred to me after the fact that although there's no sex and not that much gore, there is a good bit of recreational drug use.  Hear me out, though.

The at risk youths of Attack The Block (2011)

     One of the things I most enjoyed about Attack The Block was the fact that the teenage hoodlums at the center of the movie's action - particularly gang leader Moses - actually had honest to God character arcs.  These kids start the movie mugging someone, and by the end of the movie they're acting in commendably heroic fashion.  They look out for one another, they become more altruistic in their actions, and I actually cared about them before the shit stopped hitting the fan.  That kind of depth in characterization is a rare commodity these days.  In addition to being a highly entertaining monster movie, Attack The Block shows some seriously at risk youths rising above their circumstance.  I'll even cop to misting up a bit at the movie's conclusion, which I'll refrain from spoiling here.  So how about it?  Is this a good movie to recommend to a youngster developing an interest in genre movies, or did I screw the cinematic pooch?  Does anyone else have some likely candidates - new or old - that they'd make a case for?

     One final note concerning Attack The Block:  see it if you haven't already.  I've been surprised by how many radars it's flown under.  In addition to well delineated characters, it boasts one of my favorite creature designs of the last decade or so.  I purposely refrained from showing a pic, but suffice to say, it's a highly effective design that's absolutely brilliant in its simplicity.

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Tatiana Maslany as the lead(s) in the BBC series Orphan Black

     Finally, I've been completely sucked in by the first season of the BBC series Orphan Black.  It's a Canadian science fiction television series that aired on BBC America starring Tatiana Maslany - who played Ghost in Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) - who discovers she's one of several clones, all of whom seem to be marked for death.  Maslany plays all of the clones herself, and she does a fine job of convincingly pulling off all of the different characters.  She's often playing scenes with two or three versions of herself at a time, and she does so well enough that you won't feel as though you're watching The Patty Duke Show.  Pour yourself an Ovaltine if you got that reference. . .




Posted by Brandon Early

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Barking At The Vacuum Cleaner - Bates Motel, Hemlock Grove, The LAMB, And More . . .

We'll leave the light on . . .

     I loved Bates Motel, and I'm already eagerly anticipating Season 2.  Season 1 was a little bit of a train wreck, but it was an entertaining train wreck.  The soapy narrative twists kept me anxious each week for the next episode.  I think it's great that Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates isn't afraid to "go large" with her characterization.

     Did Norman kill Miss Watson?  I think not, but we'll find out when Season 2 hits in 2014.         

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    On the other hand, I was surprised by how underwhelmed I was by the Eli Roth produced Netflix series Hemlock Grove.  Full disclosure:  I've only watched the first episode, and I'm just not real tore up about watching the second one.  Shelley the mute deformed giant is the only character introduced that piqued my interest at all.  Am I missing out?  Was I too inpatient for greatness to reveal itself?

What happened, Eli?

     Maybe Roth will redeem himself with his producing/writing/acting efforts in the newly released Aftershock (2013).  I'm also looking forward to The Green Inferno (2013), his forthcoming directorial effort born of his love for Mondo movies.

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     I'm pleased to announce that Movies At Dog Farm is now officially LAMB #1565 in The Large Association Of Movie Blogs (The LAMB).     Thanks for having me, folks!
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     I've gotten two new books, and I have a third on the way.  I've only gotten about a hundred pages into Reel Terror by David Konow, and so far, so good.  So many authors have tackled the Universal horror classics, EC Comics, Psycho, and other horror movie signposts that it's difficult to dig up fresh material.  Konow frequently makes use of quotes from pertinent individuals to illustrate his points, and it's always a hoot reading Christopher Lee explain once more why Hammer's Dracula ceased to speak in the latter movies.

      Book number two is Horror! 333 Films To Scare You To Death by James Marriott and Kim Newman.  Newman frequently appears as a "talking head" in my beloved horror movie documentaries.  I read Newman's Nightmare Movies last year, so I decided to give this one a shot, too.  I've yet to crack this one, so I'll have to get back to you . . .

     Book number three, as yet undelivered, is 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die by Steven Jay Schneider.
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     Finally, Don Coscarelli's John Dies At The End (2012) is currently available on Netflix streaming.  Watch it now if you haven't already.  Watch it again if you have.  Highly recommended.



Posted by Brandon Early
 

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Barking At The Vacuum Cleaner - November 21st, 2012

                           

      How 'bout them Walking Dead this season?  An already exceptional show has really begun to hit its stride.  Let's hope it doesn't start going all to hell like True Blood has.  For you gamers out there, the Special Buy at right is a Walmart exclusive on Black Friday, so. . . ask someone else to pick one up for you while they're there.  You don't really want to face the lumbering hordes of zombified Walmart shoppers armed with just a green and orange plastic shotgun, do you?




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    Now that you're armed, though, you'll want to make sure you're mowing down the undead properly licensed.  This zombie hunting permit is produced by Big Cat Sticker Shack, and there's one available for whatever state you're hunting in. There are U.S. and international licenses, as well, for the traveling bands of survivors trying to stay one step ahead of the zombie apocalypse.  They're only $3.99 each plus shipping.  Get yours at www.amazon.com


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     I may well live to rue the day that I said this in a public forum, but I'm cautiously optimistic that the forthcoming Texas Chainsaw 3D isn't going to blow massive monkey nuts. The pre-release stills and one sheets look promising, and I think it took some nerve to put Leatherface on this retro looking poster at right not brandishing his trademark chainsaw.  Elegantly understated, no?
     Also encouraging: this film will ignore all of the sequels, prequels, and remakes since Tobe Hooper's 1974 original and serve as a direct continuation of that original story.  Even better:  "Chainsaw" franchise veterans Bill Moseley, Marilyn Burns, and Gunnar "I'm the real Leatherface, dammit" Hansen will all make appearances.  Only Hansen will be returning to the same role, but who doesn't get chills imagining the original Leatherface on the big screen again, and in 3D?  In what I think was an inspired bit of casting, Bill Moseley (Choptop in TCM 2) will be assuming the role of Drayton "The Cook" Sawyer.  I'm actually going to leave the Cave for this one, so I really hope I'm not disappointed.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was the first midnight movie I ever saw, and meeting Gunnar Hansen at DragonCon was one of the happiest moments of my life.  The trailer is a little iffy (check it out here), but I'm staying optimistic.  Texas Chainsaw 3D opens January 4, 2013.



Posted by Brandon Early
 

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