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.         

______________________________________

    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.

____________________________________

     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!
 ____________________________________________________________________________
                                                                              

     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.
____________________________________________________________________________

     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
 

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The Dog Farm Doesn't Quite Review "John Dies At The End"

Currently Available on VOD

     I had no intention of posting again until I reviewed Texas Chainsaw 3D this weekend, but then I got gobsmacked by John Dies At The End last night.  This was one of those increasingly rare instances in which I knew virtually nothing about the movie before sitting down to watch it.  I knew it was directed by Don (Phantasm) Coscarelli, I knew Paul Giamatti was in it, and I knew it was based on a cultish novel I hadn't read.  That's pretty much all I knew.

     It seems that viewer response to John Dies At The End has been mixed.  Those familiar with the book grouse that the movie adaptation takes too many liberties with the source material and omits too many key narrative points.  Those unfamiliar with the book seem (mostly) to love the movie.  I'm glad - for now, at least - that I'm unfamiliar with the book, because John Dies At The End was the most fun I've had watching a movie in a long while.

     Now before I go on I must, in the interest of full disclosure, mention that my friend Adrienne - also unfamiliar with the book - watched it with me and loathed it.  She characterized her viewing experience as "an hour and a half of my life that I'll never get back" and demanded to know why I hadn't warned her of what we were about to watch.  Clearly, then, John Dies At The End will not be everyone's cup of tea, regardless of one's level of familiarity with the source material.  Luckily, I was able to get back in her good graces tonight with a viewing of William Friedkin's Killer Joe, which we both enjoyed.

     As indicated in the title of the post, this isn't really going to be a proper review of John Dies At The End because I wouldn't want to be the jackass who ruins the movie for you by giving away all of the "good stuff".  In a nutshell:  college dropouts John and David are introduced to a drug called Soy Sauce that transports its users across dimensions and time, and that sauce just might leave its users a few clicks shy of human in the process.  Obviously, this is all part of an invasion originating from another dimension.  The fate of all humanity hangs in the balance.   

     Though crafted on a modest budget, the cheesy effects suit the movie's tone perfectly.  The CGI is a little dodgy, but the practical effects - supervised by Robert Kurtzman and Robert Hall - give up the 80's style latex and slime in glorious fashion.  The "apocalypse on a budget" vibe invites favorable comparisons to Coscarelli's own Phantasm series, still my favorite genre franchise.  Did I mention Angus "The Tall Man" Scrimm's cameo?  Please, guys, give us just one more Phantasm installment while The Tall Man still lives.

     Director Don Coscarelli and his cast are clearly having a blast telling this twisted tale, and the freewheeling absurdity of pretty much everything that happens is a delight.  I was grinning from ear to ear throughout, and laughed out loud on more than one occasion.  I don't often say this, but I can't wait for the sequel.  Remember, though - Adrienne was not amused.

     I'm debating whether or not I should read the book now . . .



Posted by Brandon Early

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•