Sunday, December 21, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut (2014)
I grew up with make believe. I can relate most of my earliest memories to comic books, movies, gateways to fantasy and imagination. My father, a Peter Pan at heart is responsible for this. His childish enthusiasm for the unreal formed and shaped my mental workspace and to some extent, my perception. As I got older, the more I delved into the fantastic the more I began to learn. This, I believe, has had a significant effect on my moral standing and personality traits. I have no doubt that my hopeless optimism comes from Superman's impenetrable (if not unrealistic) faith in human kind despite their inhumanity to themselves, my racial and feminist empathies can be put into perspective by the films of George Romero and James Cameron and perhaps, because of this, is why I've been so attracted to the horror genre.
A lot of horror films trivialize death into dark fantasies making spectacles of violence, while other horror films are the melding of otherworldly forces unknown to our understanding and how they can be just as dark as some fairy tales can be light. They can also be interpreted as morality tales, scaring its audience with the evils of the world, never glorifying but exploiting them as grim and truly immoral. Horror and escapism can be used as a tool in melding humanism and social awareness for entertainment. And I would eventually stumble upon a movie that I felt would meld all that I love about fairy tale fantasy and social morality. When I was 13, I found Nightbreed.
The movie, about an outsider who joins a club of outsiders (monsters) who are ostracized and oppressed by patriarchy combined the comic book sensibilities of something like the X-Men, full of subtexts that can be correlated to civil rights, sexual orientation and any other social discrimination, the heart of a story like Frankenstein, who wasn't born evil, but misunderstood, the visual
iconicism of a slasher movie, action, fantasy
and even romance. I thought it was bad ass! I'd eventually read in
horror movie publications such as Fangoria and Toxic that Nightbreed was
meant to be a franchise, a series of films expanding the mythology of
the characters and that the film itself was intended to be much
different than what we actually received. The film's story was re-purposed by the distributor which conflicted with the filmmaker's
vision. Though, I loved what already was, I was now influenced by the
knowledge that there was more and I could realize that something was
missing with each subsequent viewing.So I read the original novel it was based upon, “Cabal” and any issues of the comic book I could find and always wondered and theorized what Nightbreed could've been. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the movie passed out of all knowledge... Well, no, but, some years went by and shortly after sharing the movie with my then girlfriend in 2008/2009 I had read online that a 160 minute workprint had been unearthed and was going to be screened at a horror con in Indianapolis. I had to go! I was waiting for this moment for 10 years! And we went!
Before the screening there was a Q&A with writer and director Clive Barker. He mentioned that all he needed to find was some reels of film and they could begin restoring it for a Director's Cut. Now, when I watched this version my viewing experience could have been enhanced by not only my excitement, but how I mentally pieced the film together due to its technical imperfections. The quality of the Workprint was not only in rough shape, but the score, visual/optical and sound effects as well as audio mixing and re-shoots were all absent! So my pleasure could stem from my fan bias as well as how actively engaged I was at trying to make sense of it all based on my general understanding of how a movie is made. Which only, in my mind, made it a better film because not only could I reflect and see what the finished project was meant to be, but all of the holes that were apparent in the theatrical version were finally fulfilled painting a much more refined picture. The characters felt like they had more purpose and given much more weight in the film and some of the lack of re-shoots aloud the narrative to breath.
For plenty of viewers it was an eye sore because I don't think people realized how formative a stage a workprint is for a film, but I left the screening elated.
Now, when I heard that the CABAL
CUT was underway it was like a dream come true. Finally someone would
take both versions to make a cohesive and coherent edition of Nightbreed
as it was intended. Restructuring the film in the best way possible.
And when I finally saw the "Cabal Cut" either my expectations were too
high, or I relied too heavily on the version I had made in my head but
it was still a work in progress, and I expected it to be closer to a
finished product.The Cabal Cut jarringly cut from DVD footage to the cruddy off color muted video quality of the workprint, using some scenes that flowed and some cuts that didn't. I assumed that the footage had been found and that it would be more complete and not look so much like a glorified fan-edit, but I was wrong... Russell Cherrington, the “expert” responsible for this cut had stated before the screening that if anyone wanted to discuss the film or had any suggestions about it could talk with him afterwards. I approached him after the screening and I asked how they intended to release the film, would it include both versions, would it have deleted scenes and such and he didn't seem all that interested but he was nice enough to patronize me. He said yes to it all and I asked him about one scene that I didn't think fit and he agreed but he said he liked it anyway... I thanked him for his time and I was disappointed.
Afterwards I kept asking myself, where is Clive Barker and where's his involvement in this version? Is he supervising this cut and does he have a say? Or has he kind of removed himself from the material and faithfully relies on the hands of others? I just decided not to get my hopes up too much. Not long after that was it revealed that home video distributor Shout Factory was working on releasing an official Director's Cut.
The ultimate limited edition set was very expensive for one movie but I caved and ordered it. A few weeks before it would find its way into my eagerly waiting hands, reviews began to surface and some fans, as well as some of my friends were unimpressed with the new edit. This put a slight damper on my heart, I say slight because while I may not entirely enjoy the context of this new official reconstruction of the movie, I still have the version I've loved all these years, and I'll have a ton of special features to compliment it, so, good or bad, to experience Nightbreed yet again for the first time in a different way is enough for me.
I started this new cut and I couldn't calm myself. I kept comparing it to what I had seen before instead of just taking it in. My mind was racing and I began deconstructing it immediately, repeating the criticisms of my colleagues. After about 30 minutes in, I stopped it and took a break. Found a distraction (the guitar) and eased my mind for a bit. Then, I started it over.
I don't think the Director's Cut is perfect, but that doesn't mean I think it's bad by any means! In this new version, I found the first act to be a bit uneven for Clive is trying to bring in more character development in an already quickly moving story, interspersing scenes of character relationship excised from the theatrical version between scenes of exposition. There's a musical number where the male lead visits his significant other performing on stage during a concert and while this scene is cool to see, I found it unnecessary for I feel their relationship is given enough development throughout the course of the story. The use of alternate takes heightening the performances I thought brought a solid emotional context to the film that wasn't as blatant in the theatrical release. Also, the movie tends to ponder during the second act, spending a lot of time on the antagonists, while I can see this being a problem for most viewers, I felt it made the climax all the more satisfying with the inclusion of some more action. Because of the heart that this new version tries to
I can totally understand why viewers would be underwhelmed with this new version. The new footage was spoken of in legendary proportions which only lead the fans to enthusiastically speculate that this film would be nothing less than a life changing experience. After 25 years of waiting to see what could have been, we simply get a monster movie rich in myth given a bit more heart.
So now, a journey of mine has come to a close. I've devoted so much of my life to loving and studying this movie and all of my wonders and questions have finally been answered. I shall always hold this movie in my heart and in my mind as well as on my shelf.
Final notes:
Considering the materials that were given, I love the clarity in picture this Blu-Ray has to offer. But there's still plenty of footage that was featured in the workprint that is not present in this set, some of which I'd like to see again: In the workprint (as well in the novel) the mask in Decker's mind would talk to him, beckoning him to come out. Interesting to note that the workprint originally opened with the scene where Lori visits Boone at his job in the car garage (another scene I found to be unnecessary in the DC). The family Decker murders was not present nor were the two characters of the chubby guy with the tentacles that come out of his stomach and his black bull looking friend. Also, Hugh Quarshie survives and aids the Nightbreed in escaping.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Charter Entertainment
Why does one decide to collect something? What is it about one particular brand or look that draws us to act like Ash Ketchum with a duffel bag full of Pokeballs? I'm sure there's some asinine psychiatrist opinion about how we were raised, but I honestly think who gives a shit. Some like baseball cards, some comics. Some records and others with embossed presidential faces on a doily. Regardless this is a post about my journey to collect all the releases from Charter Entertainment.
Charter was a subsidiary of Nelson Entertainment, who was later purchased by New Line Cinema.... Who was later purc
hased by Warner Brothers. My first experience with Charter was Brian Trenchard-Smith's The Quest. My father had seen the movie one random day on TV, and had found a copy for me to see when I was about 8. At the time my VHS collecting consisted primarily of Godzilla, Universal Monsters and big bug movies from the '50s, but this Australian set film captured my imagination.
It wasn't until 2008 when I then saw my next Charter which would be the Larry Cohen oddball God Told Me To. Then I came across the John Stamos/Gene Simmons tour de force Never Too Young to Die, and my love of this company grew. After I started coming across different titles while hunting in the wild, I decided to "Get the whole set".I had no clue how many titles Charter released. Through websites like VHSplatter, Critic Online and VHS Collector I was able to amass a large amount of the product IDs and titles. However, these sites still don't list every title. I have found a few that these sites don't list, and that has begun my quest collect, watch and review every Charter film. I don't know for sure how many titles that is, but as of now I've counted upwards 117 titles. The IDs I've collected so far go up to "90237, which is the Harvey Keitel thriller Blindside.
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Monday, September 29, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Episode 06 - Demons/Demons 2
Episode 06 - Demons/Demons 2Download this episode (right click and save)
Scare-A-Con
Coolidge Corner Theater
Monday, September 1, 2014
Popcorn (1991)
Perhaps it was the changing tastes of the movie-going public that brought the end to theater gimmicks, but there are two great examples of tribute to the lost art form. The first being Joe Dante's overlooked period piece Matinee, with an outstanding performance by John Goodman in tribute to the late Castle. The other film that tips its hat to Mr. Castle is the offbeat slasher film, Popcorn.
Popcorn revolves around Maggie, an aspiring screenwriter attending UC Berkley, who keeps having vivid nightmares which she fuels to write her script. While attending class, Maggie's film teacher Mr. Davis tells them they need to get some funds for their department, or risk being shut down. So Mr. Davis enlists the help Dr. Mnesyne, who is a film historian, to re-create the lost art of the gimmick with such thrills as 3D, Shock-O-Scope and Odorama. The goal is to have an all-night horrorthon to raise money for their program. As the event starts, Maggie starts to learn that her nightmares are repressed memories from her childhood, and it appears that her past has a deadly way of catching up with her.
As a fan of both 80's slashers and 50's Science Fiction, Popcorn is, well... a real treat as a genre fan. It's hard to look at the film as one cohesive story as there are two films going on here, both of which highly entertaining. The kills are all different and rather inventive, and while some of the actors may not be what you'd consider "A-List" (with the exception of the ever lovely Dee Wallace) they suite the film just fine. My favorite moments are the films within the film, serving as the go-between to the slasher stuff. This is just personal preference as the slasher story is handled really well for a film of this type.
Popcorn is a film that pays homage to the long gone B-Movies of the 50's and 60's while keeping modern day audiences appeased with a by-the-numbers slasher sub-plot. Popcorn isn't a film that will be known for re-inventing the genre, but it's a fun look at a bygone era of film making. With a well crafted sub-plot and an energetic script, Popcorn is a film that will entertain those looking for laughs as well as violence.
Popcorn is out of print on DVD, but available from Elite Entertainment. Synapse is supposed to release a special edition Blu-Ray this October, but I haven't heard any updates as of yet.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Trash Bags
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
The Trash Pack: Contest 08/06/14 to 09/26/14
\I've been spotty with keeping reviews and the podcast up to date, but I do appreciate anyone who has taken the time to listen to an episode, read a review or even share my work with someone else. That's why I'd like to show some appreciation to one lucky reader. I've been teasing the thought of a contest on our Facebook page for sometime now, and here's the deal:In order to win over 30 DVDs, 30 VHS, a few action figures, comics and more you'll have to comment below with the name of your favorite video store, existing or not. The only other rule is you have to like our Facebook page. It's that simple! This contest will run until Friday, September 26th. I'll then collect all entries, and figure out a winner at random!
Now, these are all the DVDs that will be included, but more VHS will be added once I find some stuff I highly enjoyed, or a couple of more obscurer titles. Right now there's a stack of Punisher mags I have included, but I'll be putting some more horror comics in.
Make sure to like our Facebook page to stay up-to-date on any additions to the Trash Pack contest!
Thanks for reading!
*New Additions 08/26/2014*
We're a month away from the contest ending, so I've added some more stuff to the pack. Here are detailed images of all that is included!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Death Nurse (1987)
I've seen and reviewed my share of ridiculous films throughout my time on this earth, but I find that when watching a film shot-on-video (SOV) I tend to be more relaxed with my feelings. While I will always say The Abomination is a wretched film, there is a lot of entertainment to be had with the right inebriation. There's a certain chunk of salt one has to swallow to enjoy these films, and more often than not they're poorly made and convoluted.At the Shady Palms nursing home, Nurse Edith and her brother Doctor Gordon take care of their patients. They give them beds, offer food, and unnecessary surgery and murder. While more patients are brought in for their "exquisite" care, Edith and Gordon take turns either performing surgery or suffocating, stabbing. Soon though they find themselves with more corpses than they can handle. What are a murderous brother and sister to do?
Death Nurse is a pretty baffling movie. At the staggering 57 minute run time you are thrown into one of the most weirdly edited, shot and acted films ever. Again, that's not saying it's bad, but, well... It's bad. In an enjoyable way, but you're scratching your head as to why most of these decisions were made. Long shots of actors doing nothing. Dream sequences that are never explained, also these sequences were taken from the film Criminally Insane, so they obviously needed the padding.
The acting from Priscilla Alden is spot-on with its awfulness. It's wooden and no awards will be given for her performance, but it's endearing. The "production value" of the film was that of probably one weekend, the director's family/friends, 5 VHS tapes, a Panasonic camcorder and two VCRs for editing. It's cheap and it shows, but it's never serious and allows for organic laughs with the dark humor while everything else in the movie provides the unintentional chuckles.
Death Nurse isn't going to win any awards, but it's a movie to throw on with a group of friends. It's under an hour of your life, and most of us paid to sit through Avatar. That shit was like 3 hours. You could watch Death Nurse, Death Nurse 2 and two episodes of the Simpsons in that time frame and be more entertained that tree sex bullshit.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 Trash Bags
Death Nurse is available from Slasher // Video, but it is limited to 1,000 units.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
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