Grimm Reviewz

Saturday, May 25, 2013

The ABCs of Death (2012)

I've always been a fan of horror anthology films so it'd be fair to say, I had a lot of excitement going into this. Anthology films are great because they're so much fun packed into one movie. I remember growing up watching 'Tales from the Darkside' and 'Creepshow' and, they still remain favorites to this day. The idea of anthology films didn't surface until early 1930's with two of it's earliest films being Edmund Goulding's 'Grand Hotel' and Paramount's 'If I Had a Million', both released in 1932. The anthology method wasn't used in horror until the 1940's. And in 1945, it's biggest one to date, was released titled 'Dead of Night' which was followed by a swarm of British horror anthologies in the 60's and early 70's.

Some of the better and more mentionable anthologies include,'Screamtime' (1986), 'Creepshow 2' (1987), 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972), 'Vault of Horror' (1973) and the superb, 'V/H/S' (2012). The latter finding itself in my elite favorites in the anthology chapter of the horror genre.

'The ABCs of Death' offers a fresh take on the anthology spectrum and takes it to bold levels. I'm not a hundred percent sure on the matter, but this is probably the most stories ever put into one anthology movie.

The UK's very own Lee Hardcastle won his spot as director for T with his claymation short after entering a contest for the 26th director. His story in the film is one of the most enjoyable ones and is full of dark humor.

I ended up not liking the film as much as I wanted. It didn't meet the high hopes I had for it. I found there to be too many stories full of humor and that made it less enjoyable for me. The serious stories ended up being the best ones and, it isn't because I don't like horror comedy; I like all types of horror. The humor in this film was too much for me to take it seriously though. To give you an example, Noboru Iguchi's "F is for Fart" wasn't enjoyable to me. I slightly smiled but I never laughed, and I was eagerly awaiting the next story to come on.

I'd have to say that my favorites of the lot were Xavier Gens' 'X is for XXL', which is a gory and witty short, only to be surpassed by Ti West's 'M is for Miscarriage'. They are the only ones that I genuinely like. Other than those, some of the concepts were just so ridiculous, I couldn't find myself being entertained. And, I found myself checking the clock on the DVD player to see how much longer of the movie was left. I did enjoy Macel Sarmiento's 'D is for Dogfight'. That was a good one!

One thing that I do need to give credit to this film for is how wide it's scope is. Even though I didn't like all of the stories I still have to admit that this movie went everywhere. Then again, it did have 26 stories, so you'd have to expect nothing less.

If anything else, we got to see some of horrors up-and-comers shine and, leave us in hope for what the future of horror holds and will bestow on us. Other directors showed that either we're in for some bad films in the future, or that they just didn't properly use their skill for their short in this film. We can hope it's the latter.

THIS FILM GETS 2 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Bates Motel: episode 10 "Midnight"

***SPOILERS***

I know I'm late on this one, my apologies. I've been extremely busy lately with other film related things. I've also decided that I'm not going to review shows in the same manor as I have been. I'm not really enjoying telling the entire episode, I feel that it lacks my personality and if you want to read a full synopsis you could always go to Wikipedia. I'm going to be making my reviews shorter and sweeter, still giving away what happens, just not every second of the show. I'd like to be able to elaborate on certain things.

The finale on Monday was kind of a let down for me, I expected more to truthful. I had already predicted weeks ago that Norman was going to kill someone and I know that I wasn't the only one. It would have been nice if they hadn't made it so obvious and did something left field that we didn't see coming, like having Norma kill someone. I feel that right now this show is afraid of killing off a main character and that hurts it and lessens it to me. If you know that they're always going to get out of their situations than there's no suspense, everyone is safe. What this episode needed was to go out with a bang and it didn't.

Dylan buys Norma a gun and teaches her how to shoot it, so she can protect herself against Jake. There's some bonding between them that I enjoyed watching. He even calls Norma mom for the first time. I like this character development because I can relate to Dylan, how he always has a hard exterior because the past has dragged him around. And it's always good to see when those chains can be broken and happiness can be found.

After Norma informs Sheriff Romero about the threat bestowed upon her, he later finds the money and informs Norma that he'd take care of it. Later, instead of Norma meeting Jake, Romero does and kills him. This was extremely aggravating and I highly consider this a cop-out. All of this suspense built up with Jake and this fear we've all been driven to by him is all for nothing because in the end, Norma doesn't even have to fight her own battles. The whole Jake storyline wasn't concluded properly and it makes you realize how minimal the threat was to begin with. Lackluster to say the least.

Norman finally sees that Dylan and Bradley are bonding and although he puts on a cool facade, you see how enraged he is. He's destroyed emotionally and fueled with anger and despair. He takes Emma to the dance and she looks really beautiful, even if I say so myself. Emma leaves him with tears in her eyes when she notices all he's focusing on is Bradley, and he makes it obvious. At this point I'm really done with caring for Norman's feelings and he's a complete idiot for letting Emma go and for even looking at Bradley. He and she had one night together and he's become ridiculously obsessed.
He needs to get over it, it's becoming quite annoying. I can only image how Bradley feels.

After being punched in the face by Bradley's boyfriend, Norman walks home in the rain. He's soon intercepted by Ms. Watson, who takes him back to her house and tries to seduce him. He then has a psychotic break down and runs home where he and Norma are happy and all is well...NOT. The final shot of the episode shows Ms. Watson dead in her bedroom with her throat slashed.

All in all this wasn't a bad episode due to some character development that I liked. It was extremely uneventful though, and not the way a season should go out. I'll still be tuning in to the next season or course, but if it falls short like this I can't say I'll stick around any longer.

THIS EPISODE GETS 2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

THIS SEASON GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Nothing can save you from Mister White

"When a group of popular college students chose bizarre Tyler Rooney as the new target for their juvenile pranks, Tyler seeks out a mambo (voodoo priestess) and performs an ancient hoodoo ritual to unleash bloodthirsty "Mister White" to exact a brutal revenge and punish them all for their sins"

This is another film that I've had the pleasure and opportunity to watch in advance, and this one's a memorable one to say the least. This film tells the story of bullying and the effect it has on people. The lengths people are willing to go to amuse themselves at someone else's expense and humiliation, and the lengths people are willing to go to not be made a victim anymore are spoken loud and clear. This story is absolutely relevant in today's society and that's the beauty of it and what makes it so tragic. We have people killing themselves on a daily basis due to being made to feel like they're garbage by people who are stronger and better looking. It's an epidemic.

What if you didn't have to kill yourself or drop out of school to avoid being belittled? What if you could raise an evil to avenge all the wrong that's been done to you, would you do it? This movie tells that story, and it's heartachingly told in brilliant and demented way.

How far are you willing to go to not be victimized anymore? We find out how far Tyler's willing to go and what his breaking point is. Thing is, regardless of how far he takes his vengeance, the viewer still sides with him, hoping that every last one of the bullies get their just desserts. Watching the film tears your heart out but then puts an evil grin on your face. Watching Tyler getting abused and bullied is gut wrenching and sickening, and was shot very well and truly makes you sympathize with him. The conclusion is extreme, but after watching him get pissed on and beat to hell and back on several occasions, a big nasty payoff is the only thing that could set his situation straight.

Tyler is one of those guys that just wants to be alone and do his own thing, but is literally followed and hounded by a group that has nothing to do with their time but push someone to the very edge of extreme depression. I never stood for bullying growing up, so when I saw these scenes I couldn't help but think of how I would have had the guts to help him out, had I been there. He is literally abused and embarrassed in every possible way you can imagine, and it isn't overdone or exploited. It just shows you how much someone can take that type of humiliation before they have nothing left to lose and decide to push back hard.

When Mister White is brought back to wreak havoc you can't help but have the jitters, waiting to see what he'll do and where he'll come from. Then you're anxiously awaiting how the gang of bullies are going to get picked off one at a time, and hoping they suffer. The thing is, they don't deserve to die, killing them isn't vengeance. Vengeance would be doing to them what was done to Tyler. Raising Mister White takes things to a hardcore level that's sinister, but Tyler is completely broken and all he lives for at this point is to see them die. The focus is on what people are willing to do to feel empowered and have the upper hand.

Mister White is a horror film villain you'll remember for years to come. He's eerie as hell looking and keeps you on the edge of your seat. His backstory is very enjoyable and well told. He and Tyler make a Malevolent duo to say the least. It's crushing to see Tyler resort to sinking so low, but it's also what he feels he has to do. It's not like Mister White was his first option, he was forced into doing it by the sadism of the "cool crowd"

The gore in this movie isn't abundant, but this isn't a gore movie. It's a beautifully told revenge story and Andy J. Salgado does a great job as the lead character and really brings charisma to the role of Tyler. The supporting cast does a great job as well. It's a bunch of good looking, young actors and actresses acting their hearts out and it's all around a job well done.

Erica Summers wrote this film as well as produce and direct it and she does a fine job. What stands out to me the most is that you can tell this was written by a female, it has that certain touch to it that allows you to see deeper into the characters than most male directors would have showed. Erica focuses on the emotional tone of this movie, not just the revenge part and my hat goes off to her. We need more female directors in horror if you ask me. They have a different standpoint than most directors today do, and we need some new fresh blood in horror.

"Mister White" is a film that falls into the same category as "Pumpkinhead" and "I Spit on you Grave". If you dig revenge horror films then you need to watch this. Even better, if you like seeing bullies get what's coming to them than you'll fall in love. This film appeals to the teenage angst we all have or had in the past and the need to do something of big proportions to vent it. It isn't a perfect film, but it's damn good.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Twisted Tales of Madness and Murder (comic book)

"Detective Spurlock is a tormented cop with a heavy cocaine addiction and a penchant for prostitutes. Done something wrong? He is more than willing to look the other way-for a price. Under his rough exterior, Spurlock is a man who is haunted by his own demons. Demons that threaten to take him down and destroy his very existence. As he weaves his way through one horrifying crime scene after another, he leaves his own trail of destruction in his wake creating one twisted experience."

I've been away for a few days because I took a road trip to Ohio for Rock on the Range, the largest rock festival in the nation. Rest assured that I'm back and ready to go.

Today I'd like to turn you all on to a comic book that was presented to me. As you all know, I'm a sucker for comic books and horror. So...when you combine them I'm going to be all over it like flies on crap. When asked to read and review this comic I jumped on it.

The original idea of this series caught my attention, and after reading the first issue it had my full focus. This isn't a comic book for children, it's very mature and adult in it's contents. So don't go trying to get your kids a copy. There's nudity, drug use and foul language used. It's perfect for the adult horror and comic fan!

It was darker and more raw and gritty than I was expecting, which pleasantly surprised me. A lot of horror comics try to dull down the seriousness, but I've always been a sucker for the ones with balls. The ones that aren't afraid to tell a deep, twisted story. This comic delivers on the latter. I've only read the first issue but by the writing I can tell that this is one that is going to have layers and layers of story and character development.

The illustrations were fantastic as well. I like the black and white approach, always have. I feel it works best for serious comics because it gives them the bleak, emotionless feeling they need to sink in the sinister storytelling. Black and white was used for James O'Barr's The Crow, and look how fantastic that turned out. The lines are drawn clearly and you can tell this was a comic made of passion. I sincerely wouldn't be surprised if you see this become a movie over the next couple of years.

I love the fact that there's so much gore in it as well. Even though it comes off as a detective story, at it's core it's a horror story with gross and grotesque images that'll keep you reading without blinking. I've been asked to read some comics before for people and never felt the need to give them coverage. This one deserves it though, because I truly believe it's something magical and a breath of fresh air from the common type of horror comics you come across now. It has a lot of dark humor in it that you'll find disturbingly funny as well.