In the decade that has passed since the previous entry, the landscape has changed greatly for horror films. Gone are the sly, self-aware semi-parodies that the original “Scream” birthed; in vogue is the so-called “torture porn” of the “Saw” series. In its opening scenes, “Scream 4” uses this to its advantage, poking fun at the […]
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The Others
Nicole Kidman, an actress I usually find unappealing, greatly impresses as a single mother living with her two photosensitive children in an old, dark house at the close of World War II. Soon after the arrival of a new house staff, her kids begin to speak of ghostly “others” in the abode (where shadows are […]
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Scary Movie 2 / Scary Movie 3
Of its four entries to date, the first half were directed first by Keenen Ivory Wayans, and the second by David Zucker, and both did better on their second turn at bat. You can revisit the best of one man and the worst of another now that second and third chapters make their hi-def debut. […]
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Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore
It’s also about much more than the trilogy, following Lewis’ entire career, from his start in nudie cuties (ripping off Russ Meyer with “The Adventures of Lucky Pierre”) to those no-budget horror gross-outs that made him both a fortune and a reputation as a beloved trailblazer — an indie spirit whose influence can be felt […]
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The Blood Trilogy
Together, “Blood Feast,” “Two Thousand Maniacs!” and “Color Me Blood Red” comprise the quasi-inept but highly influential “Blood Trilogy,” among the first gore films ever made. Prepare yourself for some shots being too dark, some not even in focus, some so long that they include mistakes, and many, of course, containing some of the bloodiest […]
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Torso
First of all, once the disc loaded, it offered the choice between the uncensored English version or the Italian-language director’s cut, both making their home-vid debut. I chose the latter. Then it offered the choice of watching it introduced by Eli Roth. “Hell, yes,” I said to absolutely no one, and was greeted with a […]
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True Legend
To HK aficionados, this will come as no shock, as the film bears the directorial credit of Yuen Woo Ping. Although known to American audiences as the guy behind the wire-fu choreography of “The Matrix,” “Kill Bill” and “Charlie’s Angels,” he’s responsible for the whole of some kick-ass projects in his homeland, including Chan in […]
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Hesher / Just Peck
In the infancy of “Saturday Night Live,” John Belushi starred in a sketch about an obnoxious party guest, “The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave.” That’s the character of Hesher in a nutshell, minus the cultural impact. As played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Inception”), he’s an aimless, homeless, near-worthless stoner metalhead who essentially enters the house of grieving […]
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A Horrible Way to Die
And yet, this one has something most mumblecore does not: an actual story. The loose structure of mumblecore feels like on-the-fly moviemaking: continual bobbing of the handheld camera, zooming without worrying about pulling focus, unobstructed views of Swanberg’s penis. Here, director Adam Wingard (“Pop Skull”) sacrifices shots of full-frontal Swanberg. In its place: in-your-face Swanberg […]
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Meet Monica Velour
A self-described dork at age 17, Tobe (Dustin Ingram) escapes his friendless existence by obsessing over his favorite porn star of the 1970s, Monica Velour, whose work include such hardcore skin flicks as “Saturday Night Beaver,” “M*U*F*F” and “Pork’n Mindy.” When Tobe notices the now-middle-aged Velour (Kim Cattrall) will be making an appearance at a […]