DVD Review: NATURAL BORN KILLERS - THE DIRECTORS'S CUT By Dave Dreher - FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK
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Nov 8, 2009, 11:18
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Think what you will of OLIVER STONE no one can deny him the fact that he is a visionary and controversial film maker. Probably no film better highlighted those facts than 1994's NATURAL BORN KILLERS which on its surface appears to be a modern day Bonnie and Clyde but upon closer evaluation is instead a seething commentary on pop culture and how media influences just about ever aspect of our lives.
I think a lot of this film went over my head 15 years ago when I originally viewed this film. I got wrapped up in the blood and guts and violence and paid no attention to the actual facts that STONE was presenting in his own messed up, visually artistic way. I have to say I really enjoyed this film a ton more this time around. I wasn't particularly looking forward to checking NBK out again but I'm really glad I took the time to sit down and watch it.
My appreciation for OLIVER STONE'S work actually began with a film called TALK RADIO that if you have never viewed it you should do so as soon as possible. It is a brilliant film and why STONE and actor Eric Bogosoian were not nominated for Academy Awards is beyond me but that is another article. Getting back to OLIVER STONE, I think TALK RADIO kind of serves as a bit of an precursor to NBK as he touches on the same subject matter a bit. How opinion and hype influence everything and how we as humans can't seem to help rubber necking at any opportunity given. It really is a satire on the human condition and in the STONE universe our condition is pretty messed up.
The film is shown on this release in its complete and uncut form, the way director Oliver Stone intended if you will. Over 150 cuts were imposed on the film and even after all that the MPAA had a problem with it just because of its overall feeling of chaos. It really is a mind screw of a film. Lots of quick cuts, nightmare images and really sick tongue in cheek humor pepper this journey. It's not easy to watch and at times comes across as a little hokey but when you view the film as a whole, when you let it play out and really think about what STONE is attempting to tell you, it all works out beautifully.
This release is really a stand out piece of work. As I mentioned above you get the director's cut of the film with all the content that the MPAA cut out put back in place. On top of that there is also a brand new featurette titled NBK Evolution: How would it all go down now. Pretty much a self explanatory segment, it talks about how the Internet would effect a film like NBK. It's interesting but a bit predictable and boring. You just kind of come away with the fact that it would have greatly affected everything... duh.
Of more interest to me was CHAOS RISING: THE STORM AROUND NATURAL BORN KILLERS which talks about how the film was received and the turmoil it caused. Great stuff.
A bunch of deleted scenes, an interview of OLIVER STONE by CHARLIE ROSE and an alternate ending.
It's a 2 disc set which also comes with a really well done 44 page booklet that talks about the film, its stars and some kick ass pictures from the film.
Overall I would have to say that this would be the definitive release of this film. If you don't own the film yet, this is the version to buy. If you own it but want the best available version, this is the disc to buy and if you have hated this film in the past then you need to run out and buy this version and watch the special features, get you head out of your ass and listen to what OLIVER STONE has to say. It's important and deserves your attention.
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Mindless, silly, fun, a little sexy. All these things describe STAN HELSING the new DVD offering from ANCHOR BAY.
Notice that certain words you would hope to see like, great, must see and blockbuster are missing. That doesn't mean its a bad film, just not a great film. I found myself kind of chuckling lightly a few times but there are no real gut busting moments and the parody of our beloved modern day horror icons are well, less then stellar. You got parody Freddy who wears a big clock around his neck ala NWA and parody Pinhead has some kind of hypodermic needle, dart thing going on in place of the actual pins. I now, its a parody but come on, we couldn't do better then that? The humor is low brow, teen age stuff. Fart jokes, pee jokes, poop jokes, etc. You get the idea.
On the up side, I really did like the performance of the four main characters. Steve Howey plays Stan Helsing his side kick is played by a Superman outfit wearing Keenan Thompson (from SNL) and their girlfriends played by the insanely gorgeous Diora Baird who spends the entire film in a Pocahontas outfit that barely covers her ample talent and Desi Lydic who is equally attractive and a lot of fun to watch work.
The story line is about as simplistic as one can hope. We meet up with Stan who works at a video store and is your stereotypical stoner dude. Breezing through life always a little high, always a little dumb. His shift is ending, it's Halloween night and his aforementioned friends are picking Stan up so they can head on off to a kick ass party. One thing though, Stan must first drop off a bag of videos at his bosses moms house. She lives in STORMY NIGHTS ESTATES a gated community that just happens to be tormented by the five greatest modern horror icons known to man. Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, Pinhead, Leatherface and Chucky haunt the town folk and wouldn't you know it, Stan is about to learn his destiny.
What follows is a series of goofy, off the wall incidents that end in a winner takes all Karaoke contest.
Leslie Neilson is even along for the ride playing a STORMY NIGHTS local. He plays a women, he is goofy as always and it's always good to watch him do his thing. His involvement is really not much more then an extended cameo but he does rule the scene when he's there.
I did appreciate the fact that Stan and his crew sings I DON'T WANNA GO HOME from Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes as their Karaoke song. Always loving myself some Southside Johnny.
Overall, I didn't really get much out of STAN HELSING but on the other hand it's not horrible either. It's probably actually worth the viewing just to watch Diora prance around int that Indian outfit. Yowza.
Special feature wise the disc is pretty loaded and I really enjoyed the "making of" featurette. The commentary track is a must listen. Really fun.
That's kind of where things stand on this one. Give it a view yourself, see what you think just don't expect to be blown away.
Have fun with it.
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When you look back at the history of horror films, each
decade since its inception as an art form appears to be more or less defined by
certain themes that occur frequently throughout the genre.The 1980's will more than likely be forever remembered
as the birth of the horny teenager horror film, which kicked off in 1978 when
Michael Myers bludgeoned his sister to death after a Guinness Book of World
Record-setting of the world's fastest sex with her boyfriend.Two years later Sean Cunningham made Friday
the 13th a superstitious day to be reckoned with, and premarital sex
was forever labeled as a crime punishable by death by lunatic killers.Still, young men with sex on their minds did
all they could to get the girls of their dreams into bed.HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE, THE BOOGENS, THE
BURNING, HALLOWEEN II, MY BLOODY VALENTINE and countless other stalk-and-slash
films repeated this formula with much less panache and cinematic style than
John Carpenter did in his watershed HALLOWEEN, even prompting a send-up of
horror films in the form of STUDENT BODIES, a comedy that ridiculed death as
the inevitable outcome to teenage sex.
Since Wes Craven's SCREAM reignited interest in horror in
1996 and proved that it was once again viable box office, so has there been resurgence
in the teenage sex and death flick.Unlike
the gawky and under-confident teenagers of a quarter century ago who had to
borrow their parents' oversized cars to get some action, today's teens are
muscular and sexy model types who seem to have stepped off of the pages of GQ
and Playboy magazines.Most of them appear
to have money and their own set of wheels.In ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE, a feature which premiered at the
Toronto Film Festival in 2006 but was filmed a year earlier, director Jonathan
Levine manages to take a very overdone and tired horror subgenre and make it
real and interesting.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead
The film's title says it all: all the boys do love
Mandy Lane, The
Perfect Girl in High School, played adeptly by Amber Heard of THE STEPFATHER
remake, and they make no attempt to hide their feelings.The obnoxious jock Dylan (Adam Powell) and
his posse of over-stimulated testosterone and estrogen friends, all expertly
portrayed by Whitney Able (Chloe), Luke Grimes (Jake), Melissa Price (Marlin),
Edwin Hodge (Bird), and Aaron Himelstein (Red), invite
Mandy Lane to a party at his house.
Mandy agrees, and elects to bring her awkward friend Emmet
(Michael Welch) along, much to Dylan's chagrin.Once there, Dylan puts the moves on Mandy who brushes off his
advances.This disgusts Emmet who,
although he and Mandy appear to be platonic, very obviously wants her, too, and
tricks Dylan into a maneuver designed to impress Mandy but that effectively
takes Dylan out of the game completely.Nine months after Dylan's untimely demise, Red
rounds up Chloe, Jake, Marlin, and Bird for a weekend at his father's mansion
in
Bastrop,
TX, the same town where Tobe Hooper
introduced us to Leatherface in 1974.
A caretaker in the form of a much older Garth (Anson Mount)
who lives in a shed in the back is there to oversee the teens and protect them,
complete with a firearm at his side.Mandy,
whose parents died when she was young and is now being raised by her aunt, is
invited and decides to go along.Once
there, the guys all descend upon the fetching blonde, making no bones about how
much they want to jump hers.Jake is
especially aggressive and looks a bit like Robert Pattinson from TWILIGHT.Mandy is made the most uncomfortable by him,
which makes one ponder why she would agree to spend the weekend with a group of
people who all want the one thing from her that she is not willing to surrender.That question is answered near the end in an
interesting twist.
Things begin to go wrong rather quickly and it does not take
the high schoolers long to learn that there is a murderer in their midst.You can see the killer's identity coming from
a mile away and yet despite that, the film remains interesting enough for the
audience to want to see it through to the end.Director Levine handles the film with a restrained hand, which is
refreshing when most films like this tend to hit the audience over the head
with quick cuts, loud music and sound effects in a desperate effort to be
suspenseful.The middle of the film
drags a bit but not by too much, and perhaps MANDY LANE would benefit by some
tighter editing.
The females in the film are snotty and bitchy but not in an
overly hateful fashion.Unlike the shallow
vamps in the BLACK CHRISTMAS remake in 2006, Chloe and Marlin, just like the
guys who are all pining after Mandy, are all real people.Credit must go to the performers in this
film.They all talk and sound like real
teenagers who are looking to find their place in the world, and are concerned
with how others perceive them and are the types to surrender to peer
pressure.
The film was picked up for distribution by the Weinstein
Company. The current version
possess a hard "R" rating, though it would not surprise me to see a
tamer "PG-13" cut get released as the film is about high school
students. Now that Heard is gaining notoriety the film should easily see the
light of day as a theatrical release, or at the very least a DVD/Blu-ray incarnation.
The film won't break any new ground, but the twist is nice
and it's a fun movie to watch with a rowdy theater crowd.
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Amber Heard
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This is easily the best box set released this year, not just for horror fan but for film fans everywhere.
I don't usually do tAdd or Upload File(s)his but I want to list what is on this set first and then we'll discuss:
The William Castle Film Collection
The master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his
outrageous audience participation gimmicks is remembered in this, The
William Castle Film Collection.
DISC 1:
13 Frightened Girls (1963, 89 min.)
Castle launched a worldwide hunt for the prettiest girls from different
countries to cast in 13 Frightened Girls!. The stunt helped generate
publicity for the film about the thirteen daughters of international
diplomats in a Swiss boarding school, who stir up trouble when they
mess in the diplomatic affairs of their parents and a Russian spy is
discovered murdered.
13 Ghosts (1960, 85 min.)
Castle aggressively promoted the film with floats going up and down
Hollywood Blvd. with “ghosts” riding along, holding signs, touting the
movie. He named the gimmick created for 13 Ghosts “Illusion-O,” which
was a special hand-held piece of cardboard with two transparent colored
strips, one red and one blue. If you wanted to see the ghosts in the
film, you looked through one, but if you were too frightened, you could
look through the other and they weren’t visible. The film promised and
delivered “13 Times the Thrills! 13 Times the Chills! 13 Times the
Fun!” for the story of a family who inherits a haunted house, but
discover a special pair of goggles that allows them to see their
ghostly tormentors. The film starred Martin Milner (TV’s “Adam-12”) and
Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz).
BONUS FEATURES:
* Featurette: “The Magic of Illusion-O”
* Original Theatrical Trailers
* Original “British” trailer introduction for 13 Frightened Girls
* Original “Candy Web” trailer for 13 Frightened Girls
* Original “Candy Web” theatrical opening message from William Castle for 13 Frightened Girls
* Original “Candy Web” theatrical closing message from William Castle for 13 Frightened Girls
* Alternate opening (British) for 13 Frightened Girls
* Alternate opening (Swedish) for 13 Frightened Girls
* Alternate opening (French) for 13 Frightened Girls
* Alternate opening (German) for 13 Frightened Girls
DISC 2:
Homicidal (1961, 87 min.)
In Homicidal, the brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace
sparks an investigation of the dark family secrets in a sleepy small
town. Castle promoted the film with a “Fright Break,” a 45-second timer
during the film’s climax as the heroine approached a house harboring
the sadistic killer. The voiceover advised the audience of the time
remaining in which they could leave the theatre and receive a full
refund if they were too frightened to see the rest of the film. To
ensure filmgoers did not opt for the refund, Castle instituted the
“Coward’s Corner.” Patrons were expected to follow yellow footsteps up
the theater aisle, bathed in a yellow light and sit in a yellow
cardboard booth in the theater lobby. Castle included a nurse offering
a blood-pressure test, a recording blaring “Watch the chicken! Watch
him shiver in Coward’s Corner,” and required them to sign a yellow
“Coward’s Certificate” card stating, “I am a bona fide coward.”
Needless to say, very few filmgoers opted out of the screening.
Strait-Jacket (1964, 93 min.)
Advised by his financial backers to eliminate the gimmicks, Castle
hired Hollywood’s legendary Joan Crawford (The Women, Our Dancing
Daughters) to star as an ax-murderess in this story of a mother, who,
after a 20 year stay in an insane asylum for a double murder, visits
her estranged daughter and raises suspicions about her odd behavior. At
the last minute, Castle had cardboard axes handed out to patrons and
sent Crawford on a nation-wide promotional tour of theaters showing the
film.
BONUS FEATURES:
* “Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal”
* “Homicidal Youngstown, Ohio Premiere”
* Featurette: “Battleaxe: The Making of Strait-Jacket”
* Vintage Featurette: “How to Plan a Movie Murder”
* Original Theatrical Trailers
* Joan Crawford Wardrobe Tests
* Joan Crawford Axe Test
* Strait-Jacket TV Spots
DISC 3:
Mr. Sardonicus (1961, 89 min.)
In this gothic tale set in 1880 London, a Baron’s face is frozen into a
permanently grotesque hideous smile after digging up his father’s grave
to retrieve a winning lottery ticket accidently left in his pocket. The
gimmick allowed audiences to vote in a “Punishment Poll” during the
climax of the film where Castle himself appears on screen to explain to
the audience their options. Each member of the audience was given a
card with a glow-in-the-dark thumb they could hold either up or down to
decide if Mr. Sardonicus would be cured or die at the end of the film.
Supposedly, no audience ever offered mercy and the villain was always
punished.
The Old Dark House (1963, 86 min.)
Tom Posten (Zotz!) was again cast by Castle in this project about an
American who sells cars in England who receives a mysterious invitation
from an old, eccentric millionaire to visit his house in which he lives
with his twin brother.
BONUS FEATURES:
* Featurette: “Taking the Punishment Poll"
* Featurette: “Ghost Story: Pilot (The New House)"
* Original Theatrical Trailer
DISC 4:
The Tingler (1959, 82 min.)
Legendary horror star Vincent Price (Edward Scissorhands) stars in The
Tingler, the terrifying story of a docile creature that lives in the
human spinal cord. They become activated by fright and can only be
destroyed by screaming. In the film’s finale, one of the creatures
kills a mute woman because she was unable to scream and the creature is
let loose in a movie theatre. Castle promoted the film with the gimmick
of “Percepto,” where audiences would actually feel the sensations of
the actors on the screen. To achieve this, theaters wired select seats
with tiny motors underneath that would vibrate during key scenes in the
movie. The certain members of the audience would get a “tingling”
sensation and were encouraged to “Scream - scream for your lives.”
Zotz! (1962, 87 min.)
Tom Posten (TV’s “Newhart”) finds a Zotz coin and discovers its awesome
powers. After attempting to share its secret with the US government
(where he is brushed off as a lunatic), his discovery captures the
interest of foreign agents, who attempt to steal it. To promote the
film, Castle provided each filmgoer with a “magic” coin which,
unfortunately, did absolutely nothing.
BONUS FEATURES:
* Featurette: “Scream For Your Lives: William Castle and The Tingler”
* Featurette: “Ghost Story: Graveyard Shift”
* Alternate Drive-In Sequence for The Tingler
* Original “Scream” Sequence for The Tingler
* Original Theatrical Trailers
DISC 5 (BONUS DISC):
* Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
Growing up in the 70's as a huge fan of Saturday horror hosts the films of William Castle were the foundation from which my horror fandom was built. I never got to see one of his films in the theater and get to experience any of his "gimmicks" but damn, I would have loved to.
Actually more famous then his films were his trademark "gimmicks" that ranged from Illusion-o to chairs actually being rigged with electric shocks that was used during the climatic scenes of THE TINGLER. Amazing, fun stuff that theater owners now can't even comprehend. His films were certainly not award winners but they were well crafted and more importantly they were incredibly entertaining and some of the imagery was nothing short of iconic.
As you have noticed above the special features on this box set are amazing and very well done. I really enjoyed the TINGLER featurette and the bonus disc with the feature length documentary SPINE TINGLER! The William Castle Story is incredible.
If you are a fan of CASTLE'S work then you are going to be more then pleased with this offering and if you are new to the world of WILLIAM CASTLE then this set is the perfect welcome to his wild demented world.
I really can't recommend this box set enough. It has it all. The films are great, they look great, they sound great. The special features are excellent and it is just one great way to celebrate the films on a true visionary.
Go get it now.
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DVD Review: Scare Tactics Season 3 Part 1 - Uncensored and Too Hot For TV By Dave Dreher - FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK
Source:
Oct 16, 2009, 4:57
PM
Incredibly intricate, often times bloody and always entertaining. That pretty much sums up this box set of SCARE TATICS.
Scare
Tactics Season 3 Part 1 - Uncensored and Too Hot For TV is a 2 disc journey into some sick twisted minds that just freakin love to scare the living shit out of people. These episodes of course originally aired on SYFY Channel but they are much more fun here as they are uncut and even more outrageous then you can imagine.
If you're not familiar with the whole SCARE TACTICS idea it can best be described as CANDID CAMERA for horror fans. Friends and family members set up other friends or family members by placing them in crazy ass situations and then watching them squirm. Nice thing is, we get to watch them squirm as well.
The set ups on these gags are amazing. It is no wonder that the marks fall for them. They are very realistic and in a lot of cases, very bloody.
I was actually surprised at just how messed up some of these gags were and of course the reactions of those being set up are usually priceless.
For this UNCENSORED collection we get swear words and nudity, which is always a good thing, right.
My personal favorite was the "TRY THE PIE" segment. Crazy shit going on. Not particularly bloody but just weird and odd and well, fun.
Oh yeah, and any episode you see the midget dude, you're in for something special. They dress this guy up like an alien baby, the devil's spawn, you name it and he is good and freakin scary.
Keep you eyes out for the midget dude.
There are a few episodes where the marks just get ready to throw down. Folks handle these things differently and every now and then they run across one who just ain't going to stand for it and go after the tormentor. Makes for some great viewing.
Overall if I have to sum up watching this collection the main thing I take away is FUN. It its a shit load of fun watching these folks get the living shit scared out of them and even if you tried watching it on SyFy give it another whirl on DVD as they are a lot more fun when you can actually watch peoples unedited reactions to the horror going on around them.
TRACY MORGAN of SNL and 30 ROCK hosts the goings on. He's not actually on scene for any of the gags he just kind of sets them up and then always has a funny comment or two to wrap things up.
Special features wise we get some out takes which are mainly of a lovely topless lady that was used in various segments. We get nude lady in a bathtub of blood, nude lady having he leg sawed off and nude lady strangled in hot tub. Key part being, nude lady.
The second disc brings more of the same with the special features being a blooper reel of Tracy Morgan flubbing up, a lot.
All in all, a nice package of demented Halloween fun. Check it out.
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