"The Wolfman" Returns!

The Wolf Man, perhaps Universal’s best character from the classic rogue gallery that is the Universal Monsters, Get’s to hunt again in the remake of the 1941 original, The Wolfman. The movie itself was brilliant, to say the least, but those who go expecting a big picture remake of the original will be surely disappointed.

The Wolfman tells the story of Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), who returns to Blackmoor, England, after receiving the news from that his brother is dead. There, he reunites with his father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) and meets his brother’s girlfriend, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt). After seeing the savage wounds on his brother’s body, he concludes that nothing short of a large beast could have done such a thing. He goes out to hunt the beast (which local peasantry tell is a werewolf), but is infact bitten by the beast himself. The local legends come true- on the night of the full moon, Lawrence Talbot transforms into the Wolf Man, and instantly starts attacking and viciously killing the local population. Scotland Yard inspector Francis Aberline comes to inspect the gruesome deaths, and becomes obsessed with hunting down the Wolf Man.

Benicio Del Toro, who was last seen in the equally brilliant Che, delivers a fantastic performance as Lawrence Talbot and the Wolf Man. He plays the part of Lawrence Talbot rather coldly, so it is hard to gain an emotional connection to him, but this is redeemed when Emily Blunt arrives as the love interest. Anthony Hopkins also gives an equally chilling performance as his father. Art Malik also appears in a smaller part, which is a shame. Joe Johnston should have utilized his part as the Talbot servant a bit more.

One thing to note is that this film is not for the faint hearted. When the Wolf Man attacks his prey, you see everything- and when I say that, I mean their internal organs. The film is horrifically violent. It has everything from disembowelment to beheading, but it is done in a style where it is not distasteful. I think the film is a great retreat from the mindless slashers that populate the horror genre today. However, I would not suggest bringing any children with you, as they’ll probably have nightmares for months.

Overall, The Wolfman does not disappoint. However, those who are fans of the original (including me) will be a little disappointed at how different the film is from the original. Although it utilizes the characters and the very general story of the werewolf, it does nothing in the way of a remake. It is an entirely different movie. Whilst this is refreshing, those who are hardcore fans of the original (and the Universal Monsters brand in general) will be disappointed at the lack of similarity.

Hopefully, the film will open up some more remakes of Universal’s Monster properties. There is word of a Creature From The Black Lagoon remake, as well as a Bride Of Frankenstein remake. Additionally, there is an upcoming project named Dracula: Year Zero, which follow the events that lead to Dracula becoming a vampire. However, this does not mean anything- these projects have been floating around since the rather disappointing Van Helsing, and nothing has come of them. Hopefully, something will, but for now, the future remains uncertain.

"Che", "30 Rock", And More!

I haven't posted in a long time, so this is just a small catch up on what's been happening. I got really excited today because Steven Soderbergh's "Che" has just come out in a 3 disc set in the Criterion Collection. If anybody knows me, they know I'm obsessed with getting Criterion editions of some of my favorite films. As soon as I have the money, I'm going to Barnes And Noble and purchasing a copy. It's 5 hours long (although it was theatrically released in two parts, and that's how it's presented here), and is pure brilliance! Benicio Del Toro, who is set to appear in next-month's "The Wolf Man", acts as Che. He is one of the greatest actors of his generation, and I cannot wait to see his performance in "The Wolf Man"!

I've also started to watch Tina Fey's "30 Rock", a comedy series that follows the daily lives of the crew on the fictional "TGS With Tracy Jordan". Tracy Morgan, Tina Fay, Alec Baldwin, and Jack McBrayer are brilliant in the TV series. Alec Baldwin is hilarious with his all business approach to television, Tracy Morgan's portrayal of true idiocy is brilliant, and Jack McBrayer melts your heart as the simple-minded yet loyal Kenneth. Anybody who wants to watch a great television series should watch "30 Rock"!

Other than that, I have also started watching the television series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". It's very good, but I am not as impressed with it as I was with the 2003 micro series that was on Cartoon Network. The new series has plots that are worthy of the original trilogy, and the visual style is amazing, but the script is sometimes a bit childish. However, I would still recommend it to friends, and I recommend it to you.

Boris Karloff And Bela Lugosi In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" And "The Raven"

Both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi have been in excellent horror films on their own and have also created monster icons in their own right, but some of their best work together lies in the two Edgar Allan Poe films made by Universal in the 1930s: "The Black Cat", and "The Raven".

"The Black Cat" tells the story of the strange and violent relationship between Dr. Vitus Werdegast and Hjalmar Poelzig. For once in his career, Bela Lugosi plays the dashing good guy, but this is to little affect because of his sinister aura. The ending is so shocking and masterfully shot that the film will leave a mark on all viewers! The film features a very modern Bauhaus type furniture, which is strange for a horror story and a pleasant departure from the usual cobwebs and staircases.

"The Raven" is the better of the duo and tells the story of a surgeon, Dr. Richard Vollin, who falls madly in love with a woman soon to be married. He takes in and disfigures murderer-on-the-run Edmund Bateman, who is soon unwillingly drawn into his web of murder. Boris Karloff gives another tragic-but-brilliant performance, and his final heroic act will bring tears to all eyes. Bela Lugosi also gives one of the genre-defining roles as Dr. Vollin, perhaps the greatest mad doctor of all time.

These two films are brilliant examples of Universal Horror. Although they do not feature the blatant German Expressionist photography that "Dracula", and "The Mummy" employed, they do takes us through a newer, more modern type of horror. The films are definitely not supernatural, and focus on psychological horror instead.

The true star of these films, though, is definitely Boris Karloff. His performances in these films are so unnerving (The Black Cat) and tragic (The Raven) that nobody will forget them. The sinister Poelzig will frighten everybody, and the tragic figure of Edward Bateman will definitely make all cry.

Double Double Bills

You know, I've been going to the cinema a lot quite recently. I've discovered an art/rerun cinema right next to me (in Manhattan, it's not possible to not be in a strategic location), and a mainstream cinema opposite me. However, my stays in these cinemas have been... elongated. The reason why is both visits to the cinema have been a blast from the past... First of all, all the films I saw were reruns, and they were double bills!

The first double bill I went to see had "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2", in 3D. It was great seeing these classic films again, particularly the first one. The reason why is I haven't seen the film since I was 4 years old, and seeing it on the big screen was almost like seeing it for the first time. I really enjoyed seeing them. The double bill also announced that a new Wii game is coming out- "Toy Story Mania"- which is based on the classic ride in Disneyland. I've been on the ride in Disneyland, and it was brilliant, so I am excited.

The second bill- which I saw last night- was a little more frightening. As Halloween is coming round- one of the biggest holidays in America- There are a lot of Halloween events around. For example, on the tv channel TCM, there are multiple horror themed marathons going on. For example, there is a Boris Karloff marathon the day before Halloween, and a "Meteor Night" marathon that plays some really old sci fi movies.

Well, do you remember that art cinema I mentioned? They have a string of horror movies playing at the moment, and whilst most of them are very clever, they are also a bit too much to see at the big screen. However, there were a few that I would have seen, but unfortunately missed- "An American Werewolf In London", with a Q&A with John Landis, and Tom Savanni's remake of "Night Of The Living Dead". However, the double bill I went to see was better than any of that. It was (drum roll please)............... "The Horror Of Dracula" and "The Curse Of The Werewolf"! Two classic Hammer Horror films for the price of one (almost)! Anyone who knows me well will know that "The Horror Of Dracula" is one of my all-time favorite movies! Seeing it on the big screen was incredible. I had never seen "The Curse Of The Werewolf" before, and whilst it wasn't the best film I've ever seen, it was amazing to see on the big screen.

And if any of you hammer fans live in London, they have an upcoming Hammer event in London- The Hammer Festival, which includes ghost walks and screenings of classic Hammer films. If you're a Hammer fan, then this is worth checking out.

Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai Trilogy", and "Star Wars, The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance"

Whilst on holiday here in the Catskills, I was fortunate enough to find that the married couple who live in the house have a large collection of classic movies on VHS. Among them were "It's A Wonderful Life", "Best Years Of Our Lives", "Malcolm X", and "Scream", but by far the most unusual movies I found were in a box set and simply titled "The Samurai Trilogy". I've known about these films, but had never seen them. I thought I'd watch them.

The first in the series is named "Musashi Miyamoto", and is about how the brutal peasant Tazeko transforms into a graceful, elegant, and genteel man. He states his dreams about becoming a legendary samurai, and at the end of the film, ventures to complete the rest of his training. After watching the film, I could not help but think and wonder about Toshiro Mifune's heart stopping performances. He delivers such emotion in the role of Tazeko. Others may know him from his collaborations with Akira Kurowsawa, namely "Seven Samurai" and "Throne Of Blood".

The second in the series, "Duel At Ichijoji Temple", is about how Musashi Miyamoto finishes his samurai training, but learns that a samurai must have compassion against his enemies. This film also introduces his life-long nemesis, Hiroji Saseko, another legendary samurai. The film features a brilliant and grueling fight against 80 evil ninjas. Whilst the film slightly failed with character development, the film more than makes up for it with brilliant photography and action packed sword fights. I'd say it was as good as the original.

The third film in the series, "Duel At Ganryu Island", is about Miyamoto's final showdown with Saseko, and is the most emotional and violent of the series. This last film has it all: tragedy, romance, gory sword fights, and, of course, another legendary performance from Toshiro Mifune.

The entire series makes up a brilliant whole, and is a rare experience that nobody should miss. Even if you don't expect character development, there is plenty here. Although I am not familiar with Japanese films, and did not have any previous expectations, all these films will be in your top 10 if you ever watch them.

Other than that, I've been reading and harbouring a love for Star Wars. I've just bought a Nintendo DS exclusive video game named "Star Wars, The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance". It is a brilliant video game, and another experience that should not be missed. All the action takes place with the stylus, so there's no more button mashing in this video game. You can play as Anakin Skywalker, Ashoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto. For me, the highlight of the video game are the spectacular "Jedi Action Sequences". I won't tell you anything about them, you'll have to play it. And, surprisingly for a video game, there is plenty of video to advance the story. If you will, it makes it's own movie with these videos, and they are all fun to watch.

So, what have you been doing? I bet you couldn't write an entry as long as this!

"The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls and Dracula

Last Tuesday, school ended. Even though the school year was incredibly stressful and full of work, I found that it has been one of the best school years of my life. Part of the reason for this is my English and Social Studies teacher, Mr. Theisen, who, unfortunately, won't teach me again.

When we are on our summer holiday, we have to read three novels for school. This year, we have to read "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls, "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, and "When Asia Was the World" by Stewart Gordon. Although I was not particularly looking forward to reading any of these books (all of them are filled to the brim with disturbing and graphic images), I must admit that I am enjoying "The Glass Castle".

I won't tell you anything about the book, other than it is a memoir. I have only gotten up to page 19, but already I am in it's infamous grip! The writer's style is very open, and you really get the feeling that you are on to something when reading it.

Other than that, all I plan to do this holiday is make my own documentary. I chose to do one about Dracula, and his influence on modern culture. I am currently downloading the film "Bram Stoker's Dracula", and I have already downloaded "Nosferatu", "Horror of Dracula", and "Dracula", starring Béla Lugosi. I am using the films for footage which will be included in the documentary. For example, the title sequence is primarily composed of sequences from "Dracula".

"Star Trek", My Birthday, And More!

First of all, I'd like to thank everybody for my presents. Listed below are the presents and who they are from:

1. "Seven Samurai" DVD- Grandad
2. "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" DVD- Amanda
3. "The Blair Witch Project" DVD- Amanda
4. "Rear Window" DVD- Isabella
5. "To Kill A Mockingbird" DVD- Nana Betty
6. "Beauty and the Beast" DVD*- Nana Carole
7. "Stanley Kubrick: A Biography" by John Baxter- The Williams
8. "The Shining" by Stephen King- The Williams
9. "'Salem's Lot" by Stephen King- The Williams
10. "Skulduggery Pleasant 3: The Faceless Ones" by Derek Landy- Sue & Guy
11. "Mad Max" DVD- Sue & Guy
12. "Blow Up" DVD- Sue & Guy

*I am talking about the 1940's black and white one, not the disney one. This one is a lot more artistic, and very frightening, and very true to the original short story.

I also saw "Star Trek" this weekend, and I must say, I loved it. One of the best science fiction movies I've seen in a long time. And I'm kinda ashamed to say, but I watched a few of the original series... and I loved it! I started writing a few short stories, which you can read at this link:

www.startrekadventures.blogspot.com

Happy reading! And thanks for my presents!

New Photo From "Iron Man 2"!

Anyone see the original Iron Man movie from last year? Well, die hard fans like me will be pleased to hear a photo from the sequel has just been released online! AAAAAAHH! SUGAR CRAZY!!!

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine", "Doctor Strange: The Animated Series" and "On the Waterfront"

So... I saw the new Wolverine movie, and I have to say that it is the best marvel movie made as of yet. The only one, in my opinion, that has matched up to it in originality and... sheer art, was the animated movie of "Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme". I urge any and all to go and see it, but don't take any children who are less than 12 years old- there is a particularly nasty scene (or should I say, scenes) that features a beheading, and a character that looks like the Mummy, just without a mouth.

When you look at the title of "Doctor Strange: The Animated Series", you probably think that I was talking about the movie I just mentioned. Well, I can tell you this- you are wrong. I've begun a short, web-based television series adapting the original Doctor Strange comics. I have made two episodes as of yet, both of which are on youtube. However, a note- the first episode had the audio taken away, So i will upload both of the episodes some time in the near future. If you want them straight away, we can chat via MSN and transfer the files then. They are in .wmv format.

Also, I saw "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando for the first time ever. I must say it was a brilliant film, but I need to watch it again as I saw it immediately after "Wolverine" and it seemed pretty tame. Anything will after that film!

"Radioactive Man Comics" and "The Simpsons"

Hey all.

I could go on and on about how bad I feel right now, but... yah. Whatever. Anyway, being at home today, I had some time on my hands. I did a multitude of things- watched "Solaris", read comics, and er... read comics. Attempted to watch Alien 3, but I found it too disturbing and had to stop watching it.

So, to take my mind off of child murders and exploding dogs, I downloaded some comics of "Radioactive Man Comics". For those who aren't fans of "The Simpsons", "Radioactive Man Comics" is Bart Simpson's favorite comic book. It's about this guy who's like Superman, but he's braindead and way more stupid than Superman is.

The concept of the series was that "Radioactive Man Comics" had been around since the 50's, and that Bongo Comics (the publisher) is presenting six highlights of the series. Almost every issue is a rip off of a famous storyline- my favorite being issue 679- "Who Washes the Washmen's Infinite Secrets Crossover Knight Wars?"- a combination of cult classics "Watchmen", "Batman: the Dark Knight Returns" and DC Megaseries "Crisis on Infinite Earths". A hiliarious issue filled with stupid pranks.

For anyone who's interested in a painful, side-splitting laugh, read these comics. If you request, I can post some links later on in the month of the whole series.

"Solaris", Strep and More!

Hey all.

As you can tell from my lack of positive sentence structure, I'm not feeling well. I think I might have strep. What the heck, just one out of a million bad days, right? And today's been OK, so it's not like I feel suicidal or anything.

Anyway, some positive news: first two pages of my comic strip are finished. It won't be up on the website for some time though, as there needs to be actual text to read it. Quite happy so far- very visual. Maybe I'll get an Oscar for this- Oh, wait, that's for movies. Never mind.

A movie I've been dying to see called "Solaris" arrived in the post for me (courtesy of Amazon.com), and I am so looking forward to sitting down and watching it. It's in the "1001 Movies" book, and in the Criterion Collection, both of which I adore, so this is a double whammy for me. I'll post a review on my other blog when I've seen it.

So... how're you?

Aliens?

I know that most of you are probably familiar with the Alien Merchandise- started by Ridley Scott and killed off in the recent "AVP" movies. Well, I always thought of it as... somewhat stupid. I mean, I sort of saw it as one of those really violent video games, like "Halo", where there is not really any objective apart from follow the road and kill people.

I never liked those games. Too violent for me. And Aliens... where do I begin. I always thought it was some stupid movie that was all about seeing marines killing- or vica versa- Aliens. It always looked like it had the bones there, but where's the meat?

About a week ago, my view of the merchandise changed. First of all, we have to state that the creatures are what they look like- skeletal, bug-like and drooling. And yes, I admit that they look like they're out of a game like "Halo". However, The first film is supposedly very clever. I've heard many of my suposedly "clever" friends say it's somewhat like watching a haunted house movie in space. Similar in style to "The Shining"- which I saw the other day, and, frankly, loved.

Now that I know that the Alien Merchandise is somewhat clever and exciting, I've started dipping my toe in the water. I bought the "Alien Triple Pack" which contains the first three movies- and, if I like what I see, will go on from there. I won't bother with "Alien: Ressurection", however, as loads of people say it's a bad movie. So, if I like it, I may check out some of the comics and novels (depending on the violence- I don't want people being ripped apart in front of my eyes). But, I am going to say this- I'm not going to bother with "Predator", unless someone convinces me likewise.

The Criterion Collection

Hello!
You know how I put that other blog up? Well, I decided to take it down. Reasons are, that I don't think I'll ever keep up and post a review on every single film in that collection. Instead, I am going to focus on the films in the same book, but in the series of "The Criterion Collection". This way, it limits the number of posts I have to put up to a pace I can keep up with. Look for the link under "My Other Blogs.

World War II: In Requiem

I watched "Saving Private Ryan" today. A brilliant film. Let's just say, this is what I created afterwards.

"1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die"

One of the things I wanted to do when I started this blog was post reviews of my progress with the book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". However, I did not want the website to run slowly, so I have created a seperate blog where you can view my progress. No posts at the moment, but still, the link is:

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Enjoy!

...

I don't really know what to talk about. I am going through quite a rough patch at the moment. Every night I've been going to bed way too late, and I thought that "Watchmen" was really disturbing. It was by all means brilliant, But incredibly violent and upsetting. Don't see it if you are under 18 (or feel under 18 mentally).

As for the title... uh.

Ok. Now I am going to try and write about something...

And I failed.

Again.

"Watchmen" Tomorrow!

I got my tickets for "Watchmen"! Me and my father will be going for a 6:00 PM screening of it across the street from us. I've been scribbling like crazy, drawing picture after picture after picture of all the Watchmen characters... I've been looking at all of my copies of "Watchmen" (three copies of the actual comic and the book "Watching the Watchmen" and "The Art of the Film"), and I'm about to go nuts with all of the fanart of Watchmen located at DeviantART!!!!

How many of you are going to see the film? I've been seeing some reviews that say the film is ridiculous... I hope it isn't. I really, really hope it isn't. "Watchmen", from what we've seen so far looks brilliant- and amazingly, "Watchmen" is the only film that I've seen every sing TV-Spot for. Also, there are a series of "Watchmen Video Journals", and you can view them here:

Watchmen Video Journals

And here is a picture I illustrated of "Watchmen", a long, long time ago:

Watchmen Sketch by ~comicprints on deviantART

See you soon!

Children's Post Apocalyptic Cartoons

Did any of you see "Wall-E"? I did. I was quite ill at the time, and when I watched it I found it really depressing. I mean, this is the plot: Earth has been destroyed by rubbish, and so they have robots called Wall-Es clearing everything up. Whilst that's happening, humans are living on a luxury cruise, and they are all fat. I mean, isn't that a depressing story line? I was suprised that children like to watch that sort of stuff.

So, I wanted to see if there were any other post apocalyptic cartoons that could mildly depress children. I found one called "9", which I've mentioned before, but I didn't really consider it a children's cartoon. I did, however, find two others. They are called "Peace On Earth" and "Good Will To Men". I must say that they were not as depressing as "Wall-E", but still, I think some children would end up with a post-traumatic-distress disorder. But what am I saying? Judge for yourself.

Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho", "North by Northwest" and the Precode Era

Hey, folks! I saw Psycho for the first time today. I must admit that it was quite a scary movie, but what the heck? I loved it. I felt that it was very different from other movies that Hitchcock has directed. All of his other films were clearly part of the time; for example, "North by Northwest" was very reminiscent of "Dr. No". "The Birds" was clearly inspired by the Cold War, what with the nuclear energy and everything. However, "Psycho" really was not part of any genre. It was very modern, and very, very terrifying. I can see clearly that the slasher genre had it's roots in films like Psycho- and then it went off in a different direction with films like "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

One thing that really striked me in the film was the very vague themes of necrophilia. I mean, Norman Bates actually loves the people he kills, so it is quite strange, as this is a sort of necrophilia. In reality, Hitchcock was a very adult director- he delt with very adult issues, but uses them subtly in the film. For example, when Northhill meets Kendel on the train in "North by Northwest", and they start making out, Kendel says some really, really rude stuff. She starts flirting with him- and saying some very innapropriate things for that time. I kept wondering if these films were pre-code films, but then I researched it and found out that the Hays Code came about in the 30's due to some sexual films being released because of the Great Deppresion. I think films like "Psycho" and "North by Northwest" were not targeted for general audiences; just adult ones. My reasons? Well, those before and the fact that when "Psycho" was released in director's cut format, it garnered an R-18 rating.

That reminds me- Bela Lugosi was in quite a few precode horror films as well- his most famous was that of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". That sort of had to be done at that time to avert the law, as it had things like ape blood being pumped into the victims bodies (Don't look at me, look at the original novel by Edgar Allan Poe). Have you seen any precode films?

ClassicM and "1001 Movies"

Hi all! Just wanted to let you know, I've started a periodical called "ClassicM", which focuses on classic film. It basically just disects the form of film and there are lots of new articles going to be published. I'm going to get school friends involved and family involved, so if you want to get involved with it and get something published, please email me at my usual address (my gmail). Other than that, I've started a life-long quest to watch all of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". I've seen quite a few already before actually getting the list, but those I've seen since I got the list are:

1. Spartacus
2. The Great Escape
3. Notorious

And tonight, I'm going to watch "North by Northwest" and, if I get time, "Psycho". I just bought Psycho in the Universal Legacy Series, and it is a 2 Disc Special Edition. If you see it, get it, cause the packaging is brilliant, and there are tons of special features. With my pocket money, I am going to save up to get the two other Hitchcock films in the series: "Rear Window" and "Vertigo". And also, just because it doesn't hurt, I will also get "To Kill A Mockingbird". All three are in the "1001 Movies" book. If you want a copy of the checklist I made, just email me.