Super Sunday...

GOOD LUCK BLACK & GOLD !!!

cool!

Steelers Pride

Just an unavoidable shout out to The Pittsburgh Steelers for winning the AFC Championship yesterday after defeating the Baltimore Ravens. Kudos to Polamalu for the pick that saved the day.

It's off to the Superbowl in Tampa to meet up with the Arizona Cardinals and their head coach Ken Whisenhunt - former offensive coordinator for the Steelers. You gotta love it.

Normally, I do like birds... however, in this case- I tend to remember that steel can crush a bird like nobody's business.

go steelers!!!

Depp as Barnabas? Say it ain't so...

I was googling my little heart out today when I read somewhere that the rumor regarding a Dark Shadows film (with Johnny Depp attached as Barnabas Collins) was circulating again.



Dark Shadows was a popular gothic soap opera that was on in the late 60's/early 70's. Johnny Depp is always quoted as saying he loved the show, and to play Barnabas would be a real highlight in his career.
So bring it on!

I keep seeing that the new film version is coming out in 2010, and that Depp's production company has the rights and Tim Burton (of course) was signed on to direct.


If Dark Shadows does come to fruition, it would mark Depp's 8th collaboration with Burton.

Well, this is the most positive proof about the Dark Shadows movie that I found:
A (very) short interview with prolific producer Richard D. Zanuck...

Really does sound like it's the truth this time. Supposedly they are working on it this summer.
Guess we'll see. Have to follow this story as info is available.

Meanwhile, I was thinking how truly perfect Johnny Depp would be in that role.



Most of the following pics are stills from Sleepy Hollow - but I'd have to think his look would be similar as Barnabas Collins.





And my favorite...



Please let him look just like that :)

Why, George, Why?

I know, it seems a real sacrilege to diss this film. It really does.
But I have to be honest when I say this movie just didn't do it for me.
Much as I respect the great George Romero (we're not worthy...we're not worthy) - I think maybe he might want to re-think any current zombie movies he might have on the brain.

Some people (or so I've read) are calling this a masterpiece. Seriously?
To me, it seemed like a cross between Cloverfield and MTV's The Real World (which isn't saying much on either account).
The whole hand-held movie camera schtick has simply got to end at some point, right?
It was absolutely brilliant in The Blair Witch Project.
Then everyone and their mother started doing it and it meant nothing. Not clever. Pure crap.

Ok. Plot goes like this: The recently deceased are coming back to life.
WOW, something new, you say? I wish.
This concept was great. In 1968.
Forty years later and we have nothing new to add but a movie camera filming the events happening? Ugh.

The acting in this movie sucked. I especially hated the lead character Jason (Joshua Close)...he was the jackass shoving the camera in everyone's face as they ran for their lives. Hated him nearly as much as his bitchy, completely unlikeable girlfriend, Debra (Michelle Morgan).
I wished a zombie would eat her freakin' brains!

Hard to believe anyone found this concept frightening. I sure didn't.
There were a few good gore scenes, but to be totally honest, Cloverfield came off more scary than this. And Blair Witch? Vastly superior to this poppycock.
We're supposed to believe that if a so-called zombie was chasing you - or your girlfriend - you would make sure you kept that camera rolling, no matter if your friend gets an ax in the head or their guts ripped out or what have you.
Silly, that's all I can say.
I wanted to punch Jason countless times and actually could not wait to see his innards turn to mush.

On a positive note: I did enjoy the mention of Pittsburgh (and surrounding locations) in the film, which is typical of longtime 'Burgh resident Romero.

Anyway... I didn't like Diary of the Dead, and now I know why I waited so darn long to move it up on my Netflix queue. Can't get those 96 minutes back.
Unfortunately, I have read on Wikipedia that Romero is making yet another zombie installment called (tenatively) Island of the Dead.
Help.

I am a HUGE fan of Romero's black and white original NOTLD, and drag it out on several occassions throughout any given year to get my zombie fix. But I'm not really much of a zombie freak, to be honest.

Echoing my previous posts, bring on the vampires.
I like my undead still do-able. Sorry.

Seriously!

Such a great sign.

However:
Would mean so much more if they spelled rotary correctly...

Gone to the dogs...

With the holidays just ending (a quick shout out to celebrate that fact), I've been trying to watch a few more movies, in particular horror.

I was really lacking in the month of December, simply because I had enough horror in every day life trying to deal with the behemoth that is the holiday season...
But in the last week, I watched two movies, both original takes on the werewolf story.

I have heard that 2009 is the year of the werewolf.

2008 was supposedly vampires, with the Twilight phenom, True Blood on HBO, and the fabulous movie based on the book of the same name: Let The Right One In. (Sadly I haven't seen the film yet, it hasn't been around here - but I say it's fab because I've only heard good things....)

But I assume the whole year of the wolf thing stems from the upcoming remake of The Wolfman (starring Benicio Del Toro and releasing in November '09) and the fact that the second Twilight film, New Moon (Nov. also), contains a major plotline involving lycanthropes/shapeshifters. I also read somewhere that there is a tv show in development about the moon-loving hairballs.

So, in that vein....

I must say neither of these movies thrilled me to pieces. They both were just mediocre. I will start with the one with the really hot dude, cause that's about all that kept me watching.

Skinwalkers (2007) is about two packs of werewolves, one good - one evil. Yeah, whatever.

The main point I need to make here is that Jason Behr (The Grudge, Roswell) is one really hot, evil werewolf. That's about all I got from this mess.

Jason Behr as "Valek"

The evil pack (who travel in a biker gang. Why? Because it's cool, right?) is trying to infiltrate the good pack because apparently there is a 12 year old boy among them that has the power (when he hits puberty or some such stupid thing) to - when the big creepy red moon comes up at midnight on the kid's 13th birthday (naturally!) - stop the evil affliction and release them from the curse.

There is something for the boys, too - Rhona Mitra stars as the boys mother, but she's pretty flat as an actress. She has never seemed realistic in anything she does. (Hope she fairs better taking over for Kate Beckinsale in the new Underworld movie - Rise of the Lycans... see, more werewolves.)

One thing that really irritated me was all the gunfire. There was more gunfighting in this movie than the shootout at the OK Corral! I mean, this is a werewolf movie. Show me some damn heads getting ripped off or something. Can't they at least bite someone? Most of the action comes when they are still human. And I guess they need guns to show who's boss. Dumb.

Basically this is one big wreck of a film. There's stuff about Native American curses, a few sex scenes, a bit of gore - and other than that, ugh.

But it was worth watching for Jason Behr, if nothing else. I've come to believe that since he can't really get a decent career off the ground, perhaps he should just model underwear...

Blood & Chocolate (2007) is even more convoluted than Skinwalkers.

It wants so much to be a Twilight-style flick for the younger generation, even though it pre-dates it more than a year - but it just doesn't get there.

Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) lives in Bucharest -that's in Romania, folks - where all the vampires come from - they couldn't even give the werewolves their own country. WTF?
She lives with an aunt because her parents are dead, killed by an nasty pack of werewolves. Vivian has her own little secret as well. Bet you can guess what it is. Yep, her time of the month is exceptionally harsh.

Aiden (Hugh Dancy, in an odd role choice) is a graphic artist traveling through Bucharest when he is bewitched by Vivian and they fall in love.
Unfortunately, Vivian is promised to the leader of the pack (please refrain from singing...), Gabriel (Olivier Martinez, who was much lovelier in 'Unfaithful'..).
Fighting ensues. Blah Blah Blah.

Basically all I can say good about this movie is this: They used real wolves instead of really bad CGI or crappy effects. It worked for me, but that's about all that did.
This movie falls flat on so many levels.

I am convinced there have only been three good werewolf movies in the last thirty years: An American Werewolf in London and The Howling (both 1981) and the under-rated and under-appreciated Dog Soldiers (2002)...
(Mini-props to Ginger Snaps (2000), I guess.)

Guess we'll see how they do with the Wolfman remake and New Moon... surely someone will get it right...

But for now, I'll just take my vampires, thanks.

Besides, not to be rude, but if you have sex with a werewolf (before he changes I hope) - does that mean you are into beastiality?
Ew. Bring on the vamps.

All the Best for a HORRORble 2009!