Hello all. Mark here.
If you’ve been reading MFF for sometime you know that I love overly researched lists. These lists get to the bottom of the most important topics on the planet and explore what happens when critic and audience scores are averaged out. The following post examines which 21st century films have the highest combined audience/critical average. I collected critical/user data from three sources:
- IMDb User Votes – The amount of votes did not matter (1,339 is the minimum on the list). I didn’t want to punish films for not getting wide releases.
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic/Audience Scores – The films needed at least 40 reviews to be considered. That is par for the course when it comes to RT’s ranking system.
- Metacritic Critic Average
I added the four scores (RT critic/audience, IMDb user, Metacritic critic) together and averaged them out. The process isn’t sophisticated, but, it gives a straightforward look at the averaged scores. If you want to see some more in-depth metrics check out the movie poster explosion and horror franchises posts (you will love them). I gave the same weight to critic and user ratings despite there being more users. Critics can push the agenda, so their ratings get equal weight. If data was missing from one of the sites I left the film out of the list.
If you like this list make sure to check out our stellar lists of awesomeness.
- I’ve attached a handy PDF so you can check out the top 25 critic and audience ranked films
- The top 21 horror films of the 21st century
- The highest audience/critic rated horror films of the 21st century
- The best 21st century horror films that don’t appear on “best of” lists
- Movienomics: Explosions and Movie Posters
- What are the Best Horror Franchises, Sequels and Remakes?
Here are the top 201 audience/critic rated films of the 21st century!
201. 3 Idiots (2009) – 85.25
200. Al Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012) – 85.25
199. Beasts of No Nation (2015) – 85.25
198. Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) – 85.25
197. Catch Me if You Can (2002) – 85.25
196. Food, Inc. (2008) – 85.25
195. Fruitvale Station (2013) – 85.25
194. Last Days of Vietnam (2014) – 85.25
193. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – 85.25
192. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – 85.25
191. Oslo, August 31st (2011) – 85.25
190. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – 85.25
189. Shrek (2001) – 85.25
188. Timbuktu (2014) – 85.25
187. Volver (2006) – 85.25
186. West of Memphis (2012) – 85.25
185. Call Me Kuchu (2012) – 85.5
184. Deep Water (2006) – 85.5
183. End of the Century (2003) – 85.5
182. Her (2013) – 85.5
181. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – 85.5
180. Mea Maxima Culpa (2012) – 85.5
179. Mountain Patrol (2004) – 85.5
178. Phoenix (2015) – 85.5
177. Scratch (2001) – 85.5
176. The Station Agent (2003) – 85.5
175. The Incredibles (2004) – 85.5
174. The Interrupters (2011) – 85.5
173. Vera Drake (2004) – 85.5
172. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – 85.5
171. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (2015) – 85.5
170. Winter Sleep (2014) – 85.75
169. Grizzly Man (2005) – 85.75
168. Iron Man (2008) – 85.75
167. Milk (2008) – 85.75
166. Moneyball (2011) – 85.75
165. A Film Unfinished (2010) – 86
164. Casino Royale (2006) – 86
163. Django Unchained (2012) – 86
162. Hotel Rwanda (2004) – 86
161. How to Survive a Plague (2012) – 86
160. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) – 86
159. The Lego Movie (2014) – 86
158. Marwencol (2010) – 86
157. Red Army (2014) – 86
156. Sideways (2004) – 86
155. Sound City (2013) – 86
154. The Class (2008) – 86
153. The Martian (2015) – 86
152. Wadjda (2012) – 86
151. Monsters Inc. (2001) – 86.25
150. American Splendor (2003) – 86.25
149. Creed (2015) – 86.25
148. Infernal Affairs (2002) – 86.25
147. Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) – 86.25
146. Mustang (2015) – 86.25
145. Restrepo (2010) – 86.25
144. Sweet Sixteen (2002) – 86.25
143. The Devil Came on Horseback (2007) – 86.25
142. The Hunt (2012) – 86.25
141. Winged Migration (2001) – 86.25
140. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) – 86.25
139. Memories of Murder (2003) – 86.5
138. Amy (2015) – 86.5
137. Bill Cunningham New York (2010) – 86.5
136. Hero (2002) – 86.5
135. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) – 86.5
134. Maria Full of Grace (2004) – 86.5
133. Riding Giants (2004) – 86.5
132. Sicario (2015) – 86.5
131. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) – 86.5
130. The Wrestler (2008) – 86.5
129. This is England (2006) – 86.5
128. Wild Tales (2014) – 86.5
127. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) – 86.75
126. 49 Up (2005) – 86.75
125. Democrats (2014) – 86.75
124. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) – 86.75
123. Incendies (2010) – 86.75
122. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) – 86.75
121. Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013) – 86.75
120. Leviathan (2014) – 86.75
119. Searching for Sugar Man (2012) – 86.75
118. Since Otar Left (2003) – 86.75
117. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – 86.75
116. The Overnighters (2014) – 86.75
115. Wasteland (2010) – 86.75
114. The Tillman Story (2010) – 87
113. 13 Assassins (2010) – 87
112. Amour (2012) – 87
111. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014) – 87
110. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – 87
109. Lost in Translation (2003) – 87
108. Million Dollar Baby (2004) – 87
107. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – 87
106. Son of Saul (2015) – 87
105. Star Trek (2009) – 87
104. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) – 87
103. Touching the Void (2003) – 87
102. A Summer’s Tale (2014) – 87.25
101. Brooklyn (2015) – 87.25
100. Burma VJ (2008) – 87.25
99. Dallas Buyer’s Club (2013) – 87.25
98. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – 87.25
97. Selma (2014) – 87.25
96. The Beaches of Agnes (2008) – 87.25
95. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) – 87.25
94. The Crash Reel (2013) – 87.25
93. The Man Without a Past (2002) – 87.25
92. Argo (2012) – 87.5
91. Bloody Sunday (2002) – 87.5
90. Bus 174 (2002) – 87.5
89, Carlos (2010) – 87.5
88. Downfall (2004) – 87.5
87. Ernest & Celestine (2012) – 87.5
86. Last Train Home (2009) – 87.5
85. Let the Right One In (2008) – 87.5
84. No Man’s Land (2001) – 87.5
83. Nostalgia for the Light (2010) – 87.5
82. There Will Be Blood (2007) – 87.5
81. Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008) – 87.75
80. Gravity (2013) – 87.75
79. In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) – 87.75
78. Moolaade (2004) – 87.75
77. No Country for Old Men (2007) – 87.75
76. River and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (2001) – 87.75
75. Talk to Her (2002) – 87.75
74. About Elly (2009) – 88
73. Blackfish (2013) – 88
72. City of God (2002) – 88
71. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) – 88
70. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) – 88
69. Life Itself (2014) – 88
68. Murderball (2005) – 88
67. Poetry (2010) – 88
66. Senna (2010) – 88
65. The Act of Killing (2012) – 88
64. The Hurt Locker (2008) – 88
63. The Salt of the Earth (2014) – 88
62. Before Midnight (2013) – 88.25
61. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…..and Spring (2003) – 88.25
60.The Artist (2011) – 88.25
59. 60. The Triplets of Belleville (2003) – 88.25
58. Capturing the Friedman’s (2003) – 88.5
57. Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) – 88.5
56. Let the Fire Burn (2013) – 88.5
55. Short Term 12 (2013) – 88.5
54. The Social Network (2010) – 88.5
53. A Prophet (2010) – 88.75
52. Deliver Us From Evil (2006) – 88.75
51. Lagaan (2001) – 88.75
50. Man on Wire (2008) – 88.75.
49. Nobody Knows (2004) – 88.75
48. Once (2007) – 88.75.
47. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) – 88.75
46. The King’s Speech (2010) – 88.75
45. The Square (2013) – 88.75
44. To Be and To Have (2003) – 88.75
43. Before Sunset (2004) – 89 .
42. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003) – 89
41. Finding Nemo (2003) – 89
40. Listen to Me Marlon (2015) – 89
39. Room (2015) – 89
38. The Departed (2006) – 89
37. The Twilight Samurai (2004) – 89
36. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) – 89.25
35. Promises (2002) – 89.25
34. The Cove (2009) – 89.25
33. Waltz With Bashir (2008) – 89.25
32. Zootopia (2016) – 89.25
31. Dear Zachary (2008) – 89.5
30. Persepolis (2007) – 89.5
29. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) – 89.5
28. The Song of the Sea (2014) – 89.5
27. Up (2009) – 89.5
26. Boyhood (2014) – 89.75
25. Ratatouille – (2007) – 89.75
24. The Dark Knight (2008) – 89.75
23. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – 90
22. Inside Job (2010) – 90
21. The Fog of War (2003) – 90
20. We Were Here (2011) – 90
19. The Pianist (2001) – 90.25
18. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014) – 90.25
17. Whiplash (2014) – 90.25
16. No End in Sight (2007) – 90.5
15. The Lives of Others (2006) – 90.5
14. Inside Out (2015) – 90.75
13. Toy Story 3 (2010) – 90.75
12. Wall-E (2008) – 90.75
11. Werckmeister Harmonies (2001) – 90.75
10. 12 Years a Slave (2013) – 91
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – 91
8. Spotlight (2015) – 91
7. The Look of Silence (2015) – 91.25
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – 91.5
5. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – 91.5
4. The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) – 91.5
3. The Best of Youth (2003) – 91.75
2. A Separation (2011) – 92.25
- Spirited Away (2001) – 93
Share this post:
TRAILER TALK: Blood Money
Upon solicitation, I recently saw the trailer for a Porthos Films release and felt compelled to share. Take a look…
After a botched art heist in France, a group of friends are left with a body on their hands and the gendarme hot on their trail. They hide the body and make plans to sell the painting and return home. But as they wait for the chance to escape from their secluded holiday home, they soon realise the body has gone missing. Paranoia and fear sets in and the friends begin to turn on each other. Soon it is clear there’s a killer in the house and the group must figure out who is responsible before they all suffer the consequences.
This British film was produced Luke White and Ed White, written by Emmy award winner Rosy Deacon (Shards), and stars Ollie Barbieri (Skins, Anuvahood), Klariza Clayton (Skins, Harry Brown) and Scott Chambers (Chicken, The Hippopotamus), as well as debut performances from Sabrina Hansen and Nicholas Bourne. It was shot in just two weeks on location in Normandy, France.
IMDB – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4594286/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/BloodMoneyUK
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/FollowBloodMoney/
Share this post:
The MFF Podcast #51: 10 Deadpool Lane
You can download the pod on iTunes or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOGTALKRADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Go visit the episode that started it all:
The MFF Podcast #50: Kurtchella, the Kurt Russell Special
SUMMARY: This week we discuss and dissect two fantastic movies, 10 Cloverfield Lane and Deadpool. Enjoy our musings of R-rated comic movies, how John Goodman deserves an Oscar for Creepiest Actor, the long and tortured history of the Deadpool movie, and how Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a perfect combination of strong and scared.
We also answer such important questions as…
“How is it that we still haven’t seen Maniac Cop?”
“Did the cast of Deadpool have a little too much fun?”
“What’s the ideal buffness level for an action hero?”
“Would you have ever known this was a Cloverfield sequel”?
“What should the Broken Lizard team do for their next movie?”
LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOGTALKRADIO,
or head over iTunes so you can download, REVIEW, RATE and SHARE the pod.
Share this post:
MY CALL: The Purge (2013) was perfection. I like what DeMonaco was “trying” to do with this sequel, but he missed the target this time–which is especially shocking when considering his mastery in capturing the atmosphere of the first. As such, I’d advise you to watch Anarchy if you’re a Frank Grillo fan more than if you’re a Purge fan. This really wasn’t a terrible movie–just not at all a good one. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Purge: Anarchy: Well you’ve got to see the original The Purge (2013). In fact, maybe just watch part 1 twice…in a row…then skip part 2 and go see part 3.
With the Purge eliminating poverty and unemployment (presumably by “deleting” undesirables), the United States is a wonderful place in 2023. A wonderful place because of the inner demons cleansed by 12 murderous hours once a year.
Writer/director James DeMonaco (The Purge, The Purge: Election Year) tries to impress us by re-introducing us to the Purge, its supporters and vocal resistance, practitioners and abstainers. Instead of unleashing the beast by laying siege to Ethan Hawke’s house, we follow some unwilling Purge participants stranded out in the streets on the most dangerous night of the year. They serendipitously end up being led by Frank Grillo (The Grey, Warrior, Mother’s Day, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), who dominates the screen and manages to make this otherwise sorry sequel watchable with his mysterious Purger-with-a-secret. But wait… he “is” out on Purge night so it begs the question…can they trust him?
We see how the lower, middle and upper class purge. Unfortunately, we’re already quite familiar with this world from the stellar performances in the original The Purge (2013) and nothing new is really offered beyond this change in perspective.
That’s not to say that the sociopaths preparing for the Purge, eerily waving at their soon-to-be victims wasn’t unnerving–it just lacked the degree of undiscovered menace that made its predecessor so shiny and new.
It’s like the thrill of discovery in learning the secrets and nuance of The Matrix (1999), followed by the disenchanted reaction of revisiting its inner workings in The Matrix: Reloaded (2003). But this comparison really isn’t fair. The Matrix: Reloaded (2003) is still awesome much as the Silver or Bronze medalist at the Olympics would compare to the Gold-toting original (1999), whereas Anarchy is more like a fat guy with type-II diabetes and a sprained ankle compared to the two-time winner of the Boston Marathon that is The Purge (2013). But let me tell you how I really feel…
Outside of our solid lead cast, the secondary actors provision the screen with stale performances. The social allegory that was once so organically powerful now feels forced and the new commentary intended to add intrigue to the story (and the social/political evolution of The Purge) is delivered in such a manner that it falls flat.
Seeing this makes me want to go back and watch The Purge (2013) again–which I found to be perfection. I like what DeMonaco was “trying” to do with this sequel, but I fear that he missed the target this time–which is especially shocking when considering his mastery in capturing the atmosphere of the first. As such, I’d sooner advise you to watch Anarchy if you’re a Frank Grillo fan than if you’re a Purge fan–however, Purge fans won’t want to miss it as it will clearly bridge us into the third installment’s plot. But with that said, this really wasn’t a terrible movie–just not a good one and definitely doing zero justice to part one. I didn’t hate it. I won’t be buying it either… Not unless it comes at a discount in a triple movie blu-ray pack with The Purge: Election Year.
If you want a second opinion check out Mark’s review: The Purge: Anarchy: When a Bad Movie Happens to a Good Idea.
Share this post:
Short Film Buzz: Burn (2016)
Upon a kind solicitation, I am writing to share the development status of an upcoming film (@BurnShortFilm).
Director by Judson Vaughan (Pedro and the multi award-winning Soul Breaker) has recently completed filming Burn (2016), a short psychological horror film, in Hertfordshire and north London, UK. Slaughtered Bird Creations and Dragon Egg Media’s debut film collaboration has wrapped and entered post-production.
After several local disappearances prompt a nationwide manhunt, Burn focusses on Peter and Louise – two of many gripped by media-induced fear. When their son, Charlie, is born, the pair must find a way of raising him amid continuing public hysteria and incomprehensible personal tragedy.
Starring Max Cavenham and Emma Kelly, the story is the brainchild of www.TheSlaughteredBird.com co-owner, Chris Barnes (@TheBlueTook) and, in partnership with Vaughan’s Dragon Egg Media label, will become the first project released under production umbrella, Slaughtered Bird Creations (@SlaughteredBird). Incorporating its creators’ love of precise tension-building, Burn’s (2016) approach is both patient and unrelenting, stunningly captured by Joaquim Barreto’s cinematography, and brings classic psychological horror to the forefront of independent British cinema once again.
Keep an eye out for the trailer!
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Deadtime Stories (1986), a wonderfully campy horror anthology with diverse effects and dark fairy tales.
MY CALL: Excepting the middle story, I really love this horror anthology. I loved it as a kid in the early 90s and I still love it today. It’s an excellent, cheap B-movie with fun short stories of dark fairy tales. The budget is low but the effects are diverse and the music was surprisingly interesting. MORE MOVIES LIKE Deadtime Stories: Hellraiser (1987) and Wolfcop (2014) offer better iterations of the first two short stories herein. Otherwise, try more horror anthology movies.
OTHER HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: Black Sabbath (1963), Tales from the Crypt (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), The Uncanny (1977), Creepshow (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985), Creepshow 2 (1987), Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), Campfire Tales (1997), 3 Extremes (2004), Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Chillerama (2011), Little Deaths (2011), V/H/S (2012), The Theater Bizarre (2012), The ABCs of Death (2013), V/H/S 2 (2013), The Profane Exhibit (2013), The ABCs of Death 2 (2014), V/H/S Viral (2014) and A Christmas Horror Story (2015).
Also released as Freaky Fairy Tales, this clearly low budget film begins with a playful whimsy as the opening credits are presented as pages in an ancient storybook being turned by progressively more monstrous hands–it’s cute but it relates to nothing else in the movie. The wraparound story is quite simple: an uncle telling his nephew a series of bedtime horror stories to waylay his fears of a monster hiding in his bedroom.
The first story is about a young boy and the witch sisters he serves. They intend to resurrect their long dead sister (another witch). This dark fairy tale is surprisingly loaded with fun special effects. They use illusions to seduce a priest and make his disembodied hand crawl asunder from his arm. They then remove the heart from the corpse of their long dead sister, apply a magical potion to restart its beating, and return it to her chest cavity. What follows is a gross, slimy, stop-motion display as tendrils of nerves and sinew emerge from the heart and envelop the skeleton in a crust of cadaverous filth, from which their sister would then emerge. The effects, however low the budget may be, had me squealing in delight as it reminded me of the Hellraiser (1987) transformation scene.
Later, her disembodied heart would literally attack the servant boy like a facehugger organ-octopus! Which reminded me of the zombified guts in Dead-Alive (1992). I vaguely remember these two grotesque scenes from when I rented this over 20 years ago! It’s delightful!
This trailer has glimpses of both these scenes that I love.
The transformation (in two separate parts of the clip) and the face-attacking organ.
The second tale is a werewolf version of Little Red Riding Hood and, because our story teller is a bit of a dirty uncle, our Riding Hood heroine (Nicole Picard; Ghoulies III) is a bit on the sultry side. This horror short is rather disappointing and revolves around a werewolf (Matt Mitler; Breeders, Basket Case 2) getting his prescription mixed up with grandma’s at the pharmacy. When he stops by her house to retrieve it, he wolfs out and blows her house down. It’s silly, stupid and barely entertaining. But if you enjoyed it at all I’d recommend you follow it up with Wolfcop (2014). Watch out for the goofy closing line “Grandma, what big teeth you have!”
Our third story is about Goldi Lox (Cathryn de Prume) and the three bears. Only here our Goldi is an insane psychic/telekinetic murderer who collects the bodies of her would-be suitors in a murder house and our “bears” are the Baer family, the poppa and baby of which were recently broken out of the “Home for the Hopelessly Insane” by Momma Baer (Melissa Leo; Oblivion, Olympus Has Fallen). This one is just plain zany and mixes the macabre with the trickery of Bewitched.
With each subsequent story, the tone goes from moderately serious, to silly, to slapstick. The writing, editing and acting are consistently horrible (yes, even Melissa Leo) and the campiness also increases later in the movie, culminating in Goldi’s gratuitous nudity-showcasing shower scene.
Excepting the middle story, I really love this horror anthology. I loved it as a kid in the early 90s and I still love it today. It’s an excellent, cheap B-movie with fun short stories of dark fairy tales.
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Leprechaun: Origins (2014), the story of a carnivorous Irish monster that made me miss Warwick Davis.
MY CALL: Despite some clear efforts, this movie was largely disappointing. Sure, I was entertained…but I’m not sure my entertainment outweighed how annoying it was at times. The best part of this movie is the Irish accents. I don’t recommend this…not even as a fun B-movie. I miss Warwick Davis. MORE MOVIES LIKE Leprechaun: Origins: Want a fun B-movie with a leprechaun? Then go back and watch Leprechaun (1993). It’s bad…but it’s a delight!
Let’s engage in a thought exercise. Imagine victims being hunted by velociraptors in a field of tall grass. Looks pretty cool, doesn’t it? But now, take away all the special effects and great shots. Not as cool, is it? This is essentially how this WWE movie begins…with a weak chase scene. Presumably, this is how the story will end for our protagonists.
Four American 20-somethings backpacking through Ireland stop in a random countryside village pub where they meet a friendly local (Garry Chalk; The Fly II, Freddy vs Jason) who gets them excited to see The Stones of the Gods, ancient stones that have been in place for centuries. Sophie (Stephanie Bennett; Grave Encounters 2), Ben (Andrew Dunbar; SGU), Jeni (Melissa Roxburgh; Sorority Murder) and David (Brendan Fletcher; The Revenant, Ginger Snaps 2-3, Freddy vs Jason) are excited for adventure and accept an invitation to stay the night in the local’s cabin. Just one problem, this quaint Irish has a secret.
It turns out these tourists were simply lured into serving as an offering to a carnivorous leprechaun. Evidently, the townspeople once stole the leprechaun’s gold and in order to appease this creature of Irish myth, they must periodically offer it human sacrifices…basically like King Kong. I think the leprechaun likes earthy seasonings, because it loves dragging its victims. We must see about four completely gratuitous horror drags.
The gore starts out slow, but then builds up a bit in the last 30 minutes. At first we never see things happen (e.g., lacerations and impalements), instead only seeing the gruesome aftermath. But later we get to enjoy an axe to the head and a spinal cord rip. So one can’t say this movie didn’t make an effort.
Similarly, we never seem to see the monstrous leprechauns until the end. Before that we only ever see the beast blurred out of focus, which is really frustrating. Upon finally seeing the leprechaun I wasn’t thrilled. It looks like a demonic chimpanzee burn victim–almost like the miniature demons from The Gate (1987). Maybe that’s why it fears fire and light–a weakness that was entirely under-utilized.
But more importantly, the Irish monster gets plenty of screen time whether you love or hate it’s malformed face. In fact, this monster more closely resembles a chupacabra or one of the albino cave dwellers from The Descent (2005) than a leprechaun.
This may have been intended as a Leprechaun (1993) reboot, but it did no such thing. If they didn’t “tell you” this monster was a leprechaun, you’d never know it. You’d just think it was a naked goblin of sorts.
Despite some aforementioned efforts, this movie was largely disappointing. Sure, I was entertained…but I’m not sure my entertainment outweighed how annoying it was at times. The best part about this movie, other than a hilarious axe-to-the-face scene, is the Irish accents. I don’t recommend this…not even as a fun B-movie. There’s too much else out there.
I miss Warwick Davis.
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: House of 1000 Corpses (2003), Rob Zombie’s sick experiment in extreme cinema.
NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW
NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW
NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW
MY CALL: This felt like a sick kid’s slapstick torture film and back when this came out I really wasn’t so excited to see what Rob Zombie would do next. Not necessarily original or clever, I view this first film to be his experiment in filmmaking. I may not have been impressed (at the time), but I’ll still call this experiment a victory and I imagine this hard-R horror and its popularity helped transform the genre as we know it today.
MORE MOVIES LIKE House of 1000 Corpses: The Devil’s Rejects (2005) for more but better of the same. Lords of Salem (2013) for a major change in pace and artistic approach.
Written/directed by Rob Zombie (Lords of Salem, Halloween), this modernly spun 1970s throwback immediately lets you know what you’re getting into–and it’s really SOMETHING! It’s gory, in-your-face, brutal, macabre, schlocky and offensive as a gas station hold-up goes horribly awry for two bumbling criminals who are gleefully resisted by the evil clown-faced Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig; Creature, Galaxy of Terror). But this film’s greatest impact was not on the audience, but the genre itself. Dare I be the hater to say I wasn’t at all impressed with this film on its own. But far be it from me to deny how this film (among others like Wrong Turn and the TCM remake; also 2003 releases) reintroduced brutality and gore back into mainstream studio-release horror after a over a decade of soft-R and PG-13 theatrical releases. Take my word for it, the 90s weren’t awesome for fans of hard-to-watch horror. And there was almost nothing so schlocky gracing screens backed by a studio!
A group of four friends (including Rainn Wilson; Cooties) stop by Captain Spaulding’s monster museum, go on his Murder Ride, and pick up a hitchhiker (Sheri Moon Zombie; Lords of Salem, Halloween) who wastes no time in luring one of them away from the others to her home after they get a flat tire. By the way, Rob Zombie is clearly very proud of Sheri Moon’s body (and I think so is she, and rightfully so)–a trend you’ll observe in all his movies along with her comfort with nudity and scant wardrobe.
The gigantic, mask-wearing, mute and shy Tiny (Matthew McGrory; Big Fish) and the scraggly, stringy-haired Otis (Bill Moseley; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, House) are clear reflections of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (parts 1-2) family and a shallow gene pool. Rounding out the crazy family of murderers is a sultry mother and a loud mouth grandfather.
For his first feature-length film Rob Zombie does well, but still displays some beginner-level editing and camerawork that we see more honed in his subsequent movies. The same can be said for the somewhat crass writing (typical of direct-to-DVD movies starring Clint Howard) and Sheri Moon’s acting. I’m not trying to be mean, but all of these components seem far more developed in his more recent work. But, then again, this is a deliberate schlocky throwback.
The choppy editing offers visions of malevolence, necrophilia, torture and nudity. These scenes are meant to create a twisted flavor, but the celluloid scenes also unevenly break the pacing. Flayed bodies, masks and suits of human skin, and general evil-doing may impress some viewers. But to me this is a beginner’s take on extreme horror. It had no sense of story and became more over-the-top with each subsequent scene, culminating in a most unreasonably elaborate finale in a mineshaft lair of pseudozombie ghouls, Dr. Satan’s lobotomized human experiments, and a mutant barbarian that leads us to an ending that, again, smacks of a lovechild between an R-rated acid trippy videogame and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I thought it was silly (and maybe I enjoyed it a little), but this was something horror-goers weren’t getting elsewhere, perhaps making it the hot commodity of its time.
The violence is campy and unconvincing by current standards (again, this is schock cinema, though). This film has a reputation for brutality, but well-seasoned horror fans probably won’t see it that way today. Some may find the macabre humor, evil laughter and odd score to be more than a bit disconcerting–but I was not so affected. This felt like a sick kid’s slapstick torture film and back when this came out I was honestly not so excited to see what Rob Zombie would do next. It wasn’t original or clever and it offered little more than to demonstrate that Rob Zombie knew his way around the features on his camera. To that end, we see him trying (and learning) about alternative lighting schemes and filters (very music video-ish actually). Although it didn’t really fit well here in my opinion. I guess it was fun at times, and it’s lunacy lends itself well to drinking games. No scares to be found (nor were there meant to be), but a constant flow of bloody evil craziness.
Today, by the way, my opinion on Rob Zombie has changed dramatically as he has matured as a filmmaker. I’m actually quite excited to see 31 and Halloween 3…and everything else he does. I view this first film to be his experiment in schlocky filmmaking that paved the way for heavier R-rated horror. I may not have been too impressed upon its release, but I’ll still call this experiment a solid victory.
Share this post:
Five Reasons Why Escape From L.A. is a Bonkers Masterpiece
.
Escape From L.A. is an insane film that doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It was released in 1996, and was met with indifference and poor box office results. However, time has been kind to it, and in honor of its 20th anniversary I wanted to promote this crazy John Carpenter film. Carpenter knew what he was doing, and he turned up the volume to 11 and let Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) do his thing. The movie is stuffed to the brim with insanity and pretty much follows the same exact plot of Escape From New York. Basically, Snake has to rescue the President’s daughter from L.A. in 10 hours or he will die. What follows is beautifully ridiculous and I love every second of it.
Here are five reasons why Escape From L.A. is an underrated treasure. After you’ve read the post make sure to check out our 50th podcast that is dedicated to Kurt Russell. It is pretty amazing.
1 . There is a Big Trouble in Little China Reunion
Stuart Quan, James Lew, Leo Lee, Gary Toy and Al Leong pop up as Pam Grier’s Henchmen in Escape From L.A. It was awesome seeing the Chang Sing and Wing Kong unite to help Snake Plissken! I bet they felt invincible.
Sidenote: Jack Burton is my favorite action hero. The guy can do no wrong while totally not doing anything right. Check out the post I wrote about his awesomeness!
All the arrows lead to the reunion. I was stoked to see this!
2. Snake Plissken was Fast & Furious before the fast was furious
The craziest scene in Escape From L.A. features Kurt Russell and Peter Fonda surfing a tsunami. The two high-five and eventually Snake steers his surfboard towards the road and effortlessly manages to jump into Steve Buscemi’s convertible. What?!?! I have a feeling that Vin Diesel ripped off these films in the later Fast installments.
3. Snake is a great basketball player
There are a few things I’ve never thought I’d see, and seeing Snake Plissken play basketball is one of them. There is a weird scene that involves a captured Snake being forced to make five baskets or face certain death. When he makes a shot the buzzer starts counting down from 10 seconds, and the poor guy has to run full-court to drain another shot. Snakes pulls off a miracle and becomes the first person to survive the basketball game of death. A cool little fact is that Russell practiced on his downtime to make his shots look authentic. I wonder how many times it took him to nail the full-court shot?
4. Bruce Campbell plays a devilish plastic surgeon
Did you know that Russell and Campbell have both played Elvis and have the same stunt double? That is a mind blowing fact! I lost it when I saw Bruce Campbell on screen in 1996 because I loved the Evil Dead movies. It was awesome seeing two of my favorite actors together on screen. Of course, they were acting together in a bonkers film that is crazy violent and was initially disliked.
.
5. Snake lands a hang glider perfectly on the villain
What do you do when you need to find the bad guy? You jump on a hang glider, kill several hundred goons and eventually land on the main villain. What make this scene crazy is how Snake perfectly steers the glider onto the bad guy! Hundreds of people are shooting at him, and he still finds his guy, despite the benefit of both eyes.
.
Escape From L.A. is a crazy little cult classic that won’t appeal to the mainstream but will most certainly satisfy John Carpenter fans.
Share this post:
MFF Special: Kurt Russell’s Long History With Elvis Presley
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
This post takes on the Herculean task of tracking Russell’s cinematic Elvis experiences. Elvis and Russell have a history dating back to 1963 when a 12-year-old Russell kicked Elvis in It Happened at the World’s Fair. From 1963 to 2001 Russell has gone back to the Elvis well several times, and I feel it is my duty (or birthright) to bring this information to the masses. The following piece is going to blow your mind and change the way you think about cinematic Elvis portrayal.
Kurt Russell shin kicked Elvis in 1963
In 1963, a 12-year-old Kurt Russell helped Elvis by kicking him in the shin. The role didn’t require much acting, but, you knew immediately that one day the kid would make for a great one-eyed killer. I love this trivia from IMDb:
Recalling the scene years later, Russell says that he didn’t want to do it, as Elvis was such a huge star and Russell was a fan of his. He says that finally Elvis paid him $5 to do it and he did. Russell would later go on to play Elvis in the TV movie, Elvis (1979)
.
Kurt Russell played Elvis in TV movie
The A.V. Club just released a fantastic piece about John Carpenter’s 1979 Elvis film. The made-for-TV film didn’t light the world on fire, but it proved Russell wasn’t afraid to take chances and that is noted in the A.V. Club article.
But though the swagger Russell would bring to his later starring roles for Carpenter wouldn’t be out of place in a movie about The King Of Rock ’N’ Roll, he plays Elvis as deeply vulnerable. There is never a point at which he doesn’t look like an outsider; whether as a young man with a ducktail haircut and silk shirt, or as a grown man who regularly wears a cape and sunglasses indoors, he always seems dressed for another world.
.
Kurt Russell’s Tombstone co-star Val Kilmer portrayed Elvis in True Romance
I love Tombstone (1993). It is a brilliant film that is quotable and stands the test of time. My favorite aspect of Tombstone is the relationship between Wyatt Earp (Russell) and Doc Holiday (Kilmer). The two actors are great together and would love to see a Tombstone 2: The Incredible O.K. Corral. One cool fact about them is they’ve both played Elvis. Val Kilmer played The King in True Romance (1993), and channels Elvis in Top Secret!. If you haven’t watched True Romance and Top Secret! do it now!
Kurt Russell voiced Elvis in Forrest Gump
Kurt Russell supplied the uncredited voice of Elvis in Forrest Gump (1994). The guy just can’t stop playing Elvis!
.
Kurt Russell’s Escape From L.A. costar Bruce Campbell played Elvis in Bubba Ho-Tep
Escape From L.A. is a cheeky film that features Kurt Russell playing basketball and surfing into action. During his quest he comes across Bruce Campbell’s murderous plastic surgeon. When putting together this piece it dawned on me that both of these guys have played Elvis! It was a life changing moment that proves great actors can’t stay away from oddball Elvis impersonations.
If you haven’t watched Bubba Ho-Tep you need to do it now. It is a fantastic film.
.
Kurt Russell dressed up as Elvis in 3,000 Miles to Graceland
3,000 Miles to Graceland (2001) is a garbage pail film that netted Kurt Russell/Kevin Costner a 2001 Razzie nomination for Worst Screen Couple. The movie is a dirty little thing that features no joy, excitement or logic. The only good thing is seeing Russell dress up as Elvis one more time. The guy is a natural Elvis impersonator, and the film gave Russell’s hair another chance to shine.
The only cool thing to come from the stink bomb is it takes the Kurt Russell/Val Kilmer/Elvis world full circle. Christian Slater dressed up as Elvis in 3,000 Miles to Graceland, and received advice from Val Kilmer’s Elvis in True Romance. The Slater unites.
There you have it! Kurt Russell has had a long and random history with Elvis Presley!
Movies, Films & Flix 