Showing posts with label The Trash Pile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Trash Pile. Show all posts
Friday, December 9, 2016
Friday, November 18, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
Examining Alternate Edits
Do you remember watching a movie like Billy Madison on TV, and all of the sudden there's a scene of the staff playing kickball you hadn't noticed when watching on video? Or maybe you've heard that a movie like Johnny Mnemonic had an extra 14-minutes in the Japanese cut? One of the more trying points of being a movie fan is keeping track of all edits/alternate scenes to your favorite films. The world of alternate versions is pretty vast, so I'll select a few recent films I've viewed.Over the past few years I've come across edits of some of my favorite movies that were released strictly for foreign markets. We, as the consumers of these films, have little to no insight as to why a distributor may feel that one scene may work for their European market, but when the film is released here in the United States the edit could be different. Let's take for instance Alex Winter's Freaked. Upon my first viewing of Freaked on HBO in the early 90's I was hooked. I loved the ridiculous characters, dialog and the plot. The film was perfect for my pre teen humor, and as I grew older I found new jokes that went WAY over my head years earlier.
This year I found the German DVD release of Freaked that contained two scenes which were not in the American edit. Sure, these were more than likely included in the deleted scenes portion of the supplemental features on the Anchor Bay disc, but to see the new flow felt a little better to be honest. The inclusion of a scene in which the Freaks play Wheel of Fortune continued the riff on Hollywood Squares to show how the mutated residents of Freek Land spend their time. Later in the film, once Ricky Coogan (Alex Winter) finds out about his horrid fate to be turned into a super-freak and destroy the others, he says fond farewells to each of the freaks. While not adding more than a few minutes to the American run time, these scenes were a welcome addition and felt like they should have been included originally.
Then there's edits of movies for television. While not every movie is edited for television, most are. In can be for a multitude of reasons (as stated prior to any airing), but more often than not these movies are relatively the same version you'd see in theaters or on video/disc/interwebs. Sometimes these result in hilarious dialog censorship (see: Casino) or glaring omissions of violence (see: Casino). Then there are films where questionable material is edited out, and new footage inserted to make up the running time. When the Disney Channel used to be a premium station, and they had the "free preview weekend", they would air a version of The Goonies which included the octopus scene, which I have recorded and is my preferred edit of the movie. There's also the discussion Jason and I
had on the podcast last year in which we detail the differences between the theatrical and television edits of Alligator.
One recent example of a TV edit that stands out was a recording I received of Fred Dekker's The Monster Squad, which was recorded off of a Fox affiliate out of Augusta, GA in 1995. Monster Squad for me as a kid was the best movie in the world. Sure, I was also a big Ghostbusters fan, but the combination of all the classic monsters was a joy to see as a 5-year old who was just discovering horror. Flash forward 26 years, and now I see a version of this beloved film with a few scenes extended, and a random flashback sequence added later on. While not adding anything major to what was already a perfect movie, this was a real interesting watch. There's something fun about watching a movie with a fresh set of eyes, looking for any of those slight changes to alter your experience.Then there's the much maligned discussion of the "Director's Cut" and "Unrated" editions of films that have come out in the past few years. Granted, there are instances where a film deserves to have the director release their version of the film (see: Superman II), but how many fucking times do we need Blade Runner released? Anyways, this particular conversation has been done to death, so in lieu of that, why don't we leave the forum open to you. What are some of your favorite edits to a movie that may not be the most commonly seen?
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Charly, Dias de Sangre (1990)
Charly, Dias de Sangre tells the basic story of Danni and his cousin, Charly. Charly has been having a tough time at school, and has been very introverted since the death of his brother when they were kids. Charly's uncle hopes to get him out of this mental slump, and asks Danni to try and get a lady for Charly. After getting some friends together, Danni and Charly bring them to Charly's family cottage off in the woods.
As the evening progresses Charly becomes smitten with one of the girls, and the two talk for the whole night. But they're not alone, as an unseen, heavily breathing entity is stalking the teens in the shadows. Soon truths are told about the house, and no one will be safe.
Charly, Dias de Sangre is a pretty routine slasher, but there's enough here to keep even the most seasoned gore hound watching. The opening sequence is the strongest in the film, but there's a decent enough flow to keep your attention throughout. While you're probably not going to recognize any of the Argentinean actors here, they all do their part in helping progress the story. Not any one of the actors particularly stands out, but they're serviceable fodder to get the "Days of Blood" the title promises.
The movie does suffer when it comes to actually laying out a cohesive story. While we are given background in regards to the death of Charly's brother, it feels as if there's portions of the script that were tossed out, or sequences of the movie that were deleted as if to make less sense. The film just kind of ends and we're left scratching our heads trying to figure out if anything truly supernatural was going on, or if Dias de Sangre is a look at how someone deals with grief. Probably not the later, so we're just going to say this is a daft slasher played up for the video market.
With a brisk 75 minute run time and barely a lick of character or plot development, Dias de Sangre is one movie to throw on if you're just looking for mindless gore and scantily clad women.You won't see anything truly original here, but to be honest it shouldn't affect your enjoyment. There are far worse slashers that have received theatrical distribution here in the USA, so you'd be doing better to watch Dias de Sangre than the recent releases from any major studio.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Trash Bags
**This version is missing the first 2 1/2 minutes of random girls taking a topless bath.**
**This version is missing the first 2 1/2 minutes of random girls taking a topless bath.**
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
The Murder of Sgt. Macklin (1993)
For most movie fans the idea of finding a new film to enjoy
is one of pride. While most cinephiles like to think we’ve seen it all, the sad
matter of fact is that we’ve only scratched the surface. Sure, we try to
broaden our pallets with foreign films and obscure shot-on-video titles from
the mid-80’s to late 90’s, but the truth is that there are thousands of movies
left untouched, and unfortunately, forgotten by the masses. The past few years have shown that films once
thought lost, like The Basement or Run Coyote Run, can be seen again and
appreciated by new audiences.
What I’m getting at is that finding a film that has no
history, or barely a mention anywhere on the internet is pretty much the bee’s
knees of being a movie fan. Where was it made? What was the background? How many copies were distributed? Was it
primarily a regional release? The more questions come up, the sooner the
answers arrive.
As those who have been reading the blog and listening to our
podcast are aware we’re avid VHS hunters.
While following a Craigslist post for a media sale in Southern New
Hampshire I found myself digging through banana boxes of analog titles,
grabbing a few sealed blanks and couple other random movies. Then, I see a
title released by a company I was unfamiliar with: Stage 1 Productions. With
the haunting visage of a scowling man adorning the cover, the name of the movie
would become a quest: The Murder of Sgt.
Macklin.
The Murder of Sgt.
Macklin spills the legend of a school house in La Junta, Colorado that just
so happens to be built on the same ground as the horrendous Sand Hill Massacre.
New owner Harry Furgeson experiences a chilling spiritual attack while walking
the school, and finds drifter Mike Broderick to take on the roll of manager
for his new building. Soon, Mike himself starts to experience strange goings-on
inside the empty school, even seeing a ghastly apparition come out of the
night. Alongside locals Ellie Franklin and Harry’s wife, Sylvia, Mike and the
women get to the bottom of what exactly happened all those years ago.
“Like many of my generation, I had wanted to make movies as long as I
could
remember. We bought the old schoolhouse and moved to La Junta in 1991 with the intent of making it into a film production center. Because we had very little money, I wrote a script to use the building, people and equipment available. Macklin's Sand Hill Massacre theme was a fictional adaptation of the horrendous Sand Creek Massacre committed in this area in the 19th Century. I figured anything of that magnitude should have at least one unsettled spirit hanging about.”
remember. We bought the old schoolhouse and moved to La Junta in 1991 with the intent of making it into a film production center. Because we had very little money, I wrote a script to use the building, people and equipment available. Macklin's Sand Hill Massacre theme was a fictional adaptation of the horrendous Sand Creek Massacre committed in this area in the 19th Century. I figured anything of that magnitude should have at least one unsettled spirit hanging about.”
With smaller films you’re apt to expect and forgive a few
shortcomings in terms of production value. However with Macklin, most aspects you’d expect to be lackluster are
surprisingly tip-top. The actors and
actresses, while being of no significant note and without national recognition
in 2015, all fit their characters well, and handle the dialogue with enough
believability to bring you into the world. The story, while being a slow-burn,
offers ample atmosphere with the talents of Director of Photography Vincent
Gearhart with Key Grip Bill Milliken and the synth-centric soundtrack from
Kevin Foster.
“The whole project took a little over a year from scripting to release.
A local group here in La Junta held a Dinner Premier for us and we ultimately
sold maybe 250 copies”
After I had enjoyed Macklin
more questions bubbled up. I listed those questions earlier, so try to keep
up. Thankfully on the back of the film
there was contact info for the writer, director and producer Bob DuBois.
Through a few emails back and forth I was able to learn more about this unique
little ghost story out of south-eastern Colorado.
“The actual shooting schedule was 22 days, but because of a volunteer
cast and crew it took about 10 weeks to complete. Our principal acquisition camera
was either a Panasonic AG 450 or the 455, I don't remember exactly when I
upgraded. For a couple of scenes (such as Mike & Sylvia exploring the
building in the dark) we used our DP's personal Sony (C or 8mm, I forget which)
in tandem with the Panasonic. We used his for low-light acquisition and the
Panasonic for recording with better audio.”
An interesting note I had learned in talking with Mr. DuBois
in regards to the production of the Macklin.
Key Grip and friend Bill Milliken had taken residence in the school house that
was purchased for the hopeful production studio. Roughly halfway through the
making of Macklin Bill Milliken suffered a
heart attack, and although he survived and is living to this day, that had to
make for a nervous bump in the road. One has to wonder if there were more
spiritual happenings going on than just what was captured on video.
Ultimately, The Murder
of Sgt. Macklin is a prime example of someone who has an idea, and goes
about creating a story using the location and actual historical events to
elevate the yarn being spun. While
learning the background of the film is one mystery solved, I feel the bigger question
is how this independently made and distributed VHS survived a trip halfway
across the country to a little church book sale in southern New Hampshire.
However the trip may have started, I’m happy that Macklin ended up in my hands. It was a fun, no-nonsense spiritual
trip that I now aim to offer to a like-minded and wide audience.
**Thanks to Josh Schafer from Lunchmeat for the editing of this article.**
Monday, June 29, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Episode 30 - Satanic Attraction/Ritual of Death
*Normally I'd add trailer(s) for the films, but as we said in the podcast they're really full of spoilers. Watch at your own risk!*
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
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