Five 21st Century Creature Features You Might Have Missed
I love a good creature feature. When done right they provide a fantastic combination of violence, likable characters and neat special effects. The problem with creature features is that too many of them slip under the cracks and are not viewed enough by the mainstream. The following five films all excel at creating fun stories that feature lots of booze, blood and bigfoots. I love them because they take old tropes and make them fresh via actually being good.
If you are hankering for some solid creature features I totally recommend you check out these five films. Let me know what you think!
Dog Soldiers
Dog Soldiers is one of the best 21st century horror films that doesn’t appear on “best of” lists (read the post. Shock Till You Drop loved it!). This line from Dog Soldiers sums up the film.
We are now up against live, hostile targets. So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch.
Dog Soldiers is an action packed spectacle that doesn’t reinvent the wheel. However, it makes the wheel look amazing. It is a fun ride that borrows heavily from other films but shows all the traits of Neil Marshall’s (The Descent) future films. Dog Soldiers walks a fine line of humor, violence and suspense. For instance, after a massive kitchen brawl the werewolves get the upper hand and a soldier says “I hope I give you the sh*ts. You f**king wimp.” Dog Soldiers exemplifies independent horror and is urgent and exciting in ways very few films can match.
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Grabbers
Grabbers is fun, charming and rewatchable. It is a little Irish film that focuses on villagers who have to stay drunk to stay alive. The best thing about Grabbers is that it is immensely likable and doesn’t become a one-note shlock fest. It follows in the foot steps of Gremlins, Attack the Block and Tremors with its infusion of horror, comedy and oddness. You will cheer for the eventual drunk heroes as they battle ill-tempered aliens.
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Rogue
Rogue was directed by Wolf Creek’s Greg McLean and features Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington, John Jarratt and Mia Wasikowska. it is a well-acted and great looking monster movie that moves along quickly and logically. What I love most about Rogue is the respect it gives to the monster and the various characters. They all feel real and you grow to like the monster fodder.
McLean was incredibly dismayed with the treatment the film received yet had this to say about it:
I made exactly the film with Rogue, that I was making for ten years, exactly the way I wanted, with exactly the people I wanted and the film they put out was exactly what I wanted to make. So that’s the plus side. People will catch it on cable or see it playing and go, ‘what is this film?’ Because the quality is so good and they can’t understand how these films just don’t get released properly. So hopefully they’re the sort of things we’ll find.
Watch Rogue!
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Willow Creek
I love what Indiewire had to say about Bobcat Goldthwait’s Bigfoot horror film:
Willow Creek stands alone because it aims to engage with several genres at once. While it eventually devolves into exploring the terrifying prospects of something hairy lurking about in the shadows, Goldthwait uses that thrill factor to validate the commitment of Bigfoot believers. Willow Creek never feels like an attempt to proselytize, but it’s a smart recognition of the dangers involved in doubt.
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Troll Hunter
Troll Hunter is a fantastic Norwegian found footage film that revolves around what happens when trolls run amok. What makes Troll Hunter stand apart from its peers is that it is actually a good film. Everything about it is good and I will let MFF c0-writer John sum it up.
Good special effects, a dash of realistic biology and an interesting story make Troll Hunterthat which I always strive to find: something entertaining and unlike anything else I’ve seen. Clutch writing makes the characters as interesting as the monsters—a task which I feel is generally difficult. This film gets a solid, John-approved “A
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What Are the Best Comedies of the 21st Century? An In-Depth Look Into Critical and Audience Ratings
Hello all. Mark here!
The comedic films of the 21st century have been an eclectic mix that feature 40-year-old virgins, bridesmaids and Merlot hate. We’ve been blessed with horror comedies (What We Do in the Shadows), comedy dramas (The Royal Tenenbaums) and just straight up comedy (The Other Guys) Wes Anderson, Alexander Payne, Judd Apatow and Edgar Wright directed solid gold movies that have made defining the word “comedy” impossible. So many of the 21st century comedies fall into several categories at once. For example, movies like Juno, Shaun of the Dead, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Station Agent, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, American Hustle and The Kid’s Are All Right cover every genre while still being recognized as comedy. Movies don’t have to be “Ow, My Balls” to be considered funny and that is why I collected so many films for the data set.
The 370 comedies I collected critic/audience data for are incredibly different but utilized laughs in brilliant ways. My favorite comedic moment of the 21st century revolves around a guy playing terrible tennis because his sister married Bill Murray.
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Here are my 10 favorite 21st century comedies to give you an example of the varying hilarity we’ve been given.
- The Royal Tenenbaums
- Hot Fuzz
- Goon
- The Trip
- The Guard
- In Bruges
- What We Do in the Shadows
- Sideways
- The Other Guys
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
The following lists are pure data. I’ve haven’t tinkered with the averages or weighted anything. I simply wanted the facts and I found out some interesting things in the process. For instance, here are the films that audiences loved much more than critics. The numbers next to the movie represent the difference between the critic/audience averages.
5. Van Wilder – 48.1
4. Joe Dirt – 49.5
3. Grandma’s Boy – 51.5
2. Kung Pow: Enter the Fist – 60.1
1. Out Cold – 62.6
Zach looks shocked.
When I unleashed my 21st century horror post it sparked a lot of conversations about the definition of horror and what should be included. I loved those conversations and I understood the points made. So, in order to prevent mass annoyance I included a fourth category to appease the masses.
- Top 25 critically rated comedies according to Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic critics
- Top 25 audience rated comedies according to IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes audience scores and Metacritc users
- Top 25 rated comedies from Rotten Tomatoes critics, RT audience Scores, Metacritic critics, Metacritic user scores and IMDb users
- Top 25 Rated “Comedy” comedies from Rotten Tomatoes critics, RT audience score, Metacritic critics, Metacritic user scores and IMDb users
Here is a PDF list of the 371 films ranked so you can see where your favorite films placed.
Enjoy the list and make sure to vote below!
Sidenote: I decided to exclude animated films because I wanted to save them for another post.
1. Top 25 Critically Rated Comedies according to Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic Critics
25. Volver (2006), The Station Agent (2003) – 88
24. The Host (88.5) – 88.5
23. Her (2013) – 88.5
22. Nebraska (2013) – 88.5
21. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) – 88.5
20. In the Loop (2009) – 88.5
19. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – 88.5
18. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – 88.5
17. The Band’s Visit (2007) – 89
16. The Kids Are All Right (2010) – 89.5
15. The Ten Canoes (2006) – 90
14. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) – 90
13. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) – 90
12. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) – 90
11. Ghost World (2001) – 90
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – 90
9. Le Havre (2011) – 90.5
8. Tangerine (2015) – 90.5
7. The Man Without a Past (2002) – 91
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – 91
5. American Hustle (2013) – 91.5
4. Lost in Translation (2003) – 92
3. The Artist (2011) – 93
2. American Splendor (2003) – 93.5
- Sideways (2004) – 95
Seeing Sideways at number one makes me happy. It features perfect blend of humor, drama and lines that alter the wine industry.
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2. Top 25 Audience Rated Comedies according to IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes Audience Scores and Metacritc Users
25. Shaolin Soccer – 81.6
24. Old School -82
23. The Band’s Visit – 82
22. Juno – 82.3
21. Stranger Than Fiction (2006) – 82.6
20. Zombieland (2009)- 82.6
19. 24 Hour Party People (2002) – 82.6
18. Black Dynamite (2009)- 83
17. 50/50 (2011) -83.3
16. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) – 83.3
15. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – 83.6
14. Volver (2004) – 84
13. Amelie (2001) – 84
12. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – 84.3
11. In Bruges (2008) – 84.6
10. The Station Agent (2003) – 85
9. Hot Fuzz (2007) – 85.3
8. Kung Fu Hustle (2004) -85.3
7. The Big Short (2015) – 85.6
6. Her (2013) – 86
5. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – 86
4. The Intouchables (2012) – 86.3
3. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – 86.6
2. Wild Tales (2014) – 86.6
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – 89
I love Charlie Kaufman screenplays.
3. Top Rated Comedies from Rotten Tomatoes Critics, RT Audience Score , Metacritic, Metacritic User Scores and IMDb Users
25. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) – 83.2
24. Adaptation (2002) – 83.2
23. 50/50 (2011) – 83.2
22. Lost in Translation (2003) – 83.8
21. Nebraska (2013) – 83.8
20. 24 Hour Party People (2002) – 83.8
19. Ghost World (2001) – 84.2
18. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – 84.2
17. Juno (2007) -84.4
16. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) – 84.6
15. American Splendor (2003) – 84.8
14. The Band’s Visit – (2007) – 84.8
13. Kung Fu Hustle (2004) – 85
12. The Big Short – (2015) 85.2
11. Volver (2006) – 85.6
10. Hot Fuzz (2007) – 85.6
9. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – 85.6
8. The Man Without a Past (2002) – 85.8
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – 86.2
6. The Station Agent (2003) – 86.2
5. Her (2013) – 86.4
4. Wild Tales (2014) – 86.6
3. The Artist (2011) – 87
2. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – 87
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – 89.8
4. The 25 highest rated “comedy” comedies from Rotten Tomatoes Critics, RT Audience Score , Metacrtic, Metacritic User Scores and IMDb Users
25. Bad Santa (2003)/ I Love You, Man (2009) – (75.8)
24. Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) – 76
23. Bridesmaids (2011) – 76.2
22. Four Lions (2010) – 76.4
21. Elf (2003) – 76.4
20. 22 Jump Street (2014) – 76.6
19. 21 Jump Street (2012) – 77.6
18. The Trip (2010) – 77.6
17. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2010) – 77.8
16. A Mighty Wind (2003) – 78.4
15. The Hangover (2009) – 78.4
14. Knocked Up (2007) – 79
13. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) – 79.2
12. The Guard (2011) – 79.8
11. Black Dynamite (2009) – 79.8
10. Francis Ha (2012) – 80.4
9. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)- 81
8. Superbad (2007) – 81.4
7. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – 82
6. Zombieland (2009)- 82
5. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – 83
4. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – 84.2
3. Hot Fuzz (2007) – 85.6
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – 85.6
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – 86.2
Gustave loves the news!
There you have it! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the list! If you have some time please vote below. I want to know what the readers think is the best 21st century comedy.
You have three votes. I understand how hard it is to just pick one.
If you do not find your favorite 21st century comedy on the list please write it in!
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John’s Horror Corner: A Christmas Horror Story (2015), a holiday anthology complete with zombie elves, evil spirits and Santa fighting Krampus!
MY CALL: If you’re looking for a campy Christmas horror anthology with a berserk Santa Claus, changeling shapeshifters, Krampus, creepy kids, zombie elves and evil seductive spirits—then this is for you! It’s a decent flick if you don’t go in expecting much. MOVIES LIKE A Christmas Horror Story: For more serious holiday horrors try Krampus (2015), Gremlins (1984), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984), Black Christmas (2006) and Black Christmas (1974). OTHER HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: Black Sabbath (1963), Tales from the Crypt (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), The Uncanny (1977), Creephsow (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) and V/H/S Viral (2014).
This playful little holiday horror anthology opens with the general feel of a higher quality ScyFy Channel movie-of-the-week. But once it gets going the gore is more than adequate and there are some decently fun jump scares. So I didn’t exactly have a bad feeling about this—just don’t expect high quality filmmaking and you should be fine.
This anthology bounces back-and-forth between four linked horror stories that can’t seem to agree when it comes to tone. As something of a wraparound story between segments, we have William Shatner’s silliness as a radio show host. He’s okay, not great, maybe a fraction as charming as intended. But he did his job—he got me to watch this movie after I saw him in the trailer and I chuckled at his scenes. LOL. One little Easter egg is that Ginger Snaps and A Christmas Horror Story are both set in the fictitious town of Bailey Downs.
The first story introduces a group of young documentary filmmakers producing “Horror in the Hallways” about a years-past serial killing in their high school. It seems to take itself rather seriously while trying—and failing—to embrace the notion of personable characters who don’t know what they’re getting into like Grave Encounters (2011).
After our introduction to the first and more serious story, the tone shifts to something more tongue-in-cheek. Evidently the elderly have a special intuition when it comes to the evils of Krampus…and they tend not to warn others for some reason! In Krampus (2015) the grandmother knows what evil looms but says little (and nothing clearly or in English) to try to save anyone. In this movie, the elderly great aunt kicks out her nephew and his family after his tween son deliberately breaks a Krampus figurine. Clearly an unforgivable offense—but the kid was being a little punk.
Meanwhile at the North Pole, after a self-mutilating accident in Santa’s workshop an elf becomes patient zero in a zombie outbreak of Santa’s little helpers. Now the tone has transmuted into fully slapstick, gory silliness.
Then our fourth tale, about a child behaving strangely on Christmas eve, is 100% serious. It’s hard to talk about this one without ruining it. So I’ll leave it at that. But it’s a neat little short.
These short films often feel sort of cheap—like they were the gems found in a Walmart horror movie bargain bin but just fit for Video-on-Demand. This movie is certainly joyously entertaining for horror fans, but its symptoms of weak filmmaking are readily apparent. The young filmmakers’ lines are poorly written, Krampus evidently hunts his cheerless victims by obliviously walking into traffic (like some stupid Sasquatch movie) and hoping the driver swerves into a wreck in lieu of running him over (although later he hunts them in a more appropriately fun manner), Santa’s expository dialogue was awful (but maybe funny in that respect), there were basically zero good camera shots, a girl gets possessed and immediately starts seducing teenagers with such Shakespearian prose as “I know you always wanted me”, and this was largely written like an R-rated children’s story that had to clearly and slowly verbalize EVERYTHING as if it was made for toddlers. There is also no real development. Krampus is mentioned, something bad happens, and now suddenly everyone talks about Krampus as if they have always believed in him. Silly—just dumb and silly.
Furthermore, none of the mysteries are explained. And no, they’re not the kinds of things that are better left unexplained. Directed by Brett Sullivan (Ginger Snaps 2), Steven Hoban (producer on Ginger Snaps), Grant Harvey (Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning), I’m not surprised by the randomness of quality and storytelling in this film—as this can be witnessed when comparing Ginger Snaps movies to one another. Just look at the varying quality in their respective werewolf movies.
But this movie was not without its share of bad horror charm. Seeing Santa slaughtering his elves was a great concept. Even if the action/killing scenes were ill-executed at times, it always had me grinning even if I was rolling my eyes while I was enjoying the wholesale elf murder and dismemberment. I enjoyed the mass “elficide.” Krampus looked pretty cool and basically went all Mortal Kombat wielding his hooked chain like Scorpion. And I loved how the Krampus-Santa battle transitioned us to the surprisingly satisfying ending.
This is not a “good” movie, but it’s a very enjoyable one! Highly recommended to horror fans especially around the holiday!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #41: The 2015 Random Awards
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!
Does it bum you out that nobody will ever be recognized for their great cinematic naps or dancing? If you answered “yes” you will love the MFF random awards. Every year I sort through underappreciated moments and put together some very random awards. I’ve eschewed the stock awards and instead chosen to honor the squishy noises, arm grabs and usage of Belgian beer.
Furious 7 knows how to feature Belgian beer.
The random awards are a great way to close out the year because they cover every facet of the cinematic world. No stone is left unturned and sometimes we even give out awards for the best stone throwing!
Sit back, relax and listen to discussions about Jedi’s defeating helmet hair. Check out the MFF pod on Blog Talk Radio or head over to Itunes and listen to the randomness!
If you get a chance please REVIEW, RATE and SHARE the pod!
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The 10 Best Films of 2015: A Collection of Beach Boys, Authors and a Guy Named Earl
I haven’t been able to catch every film that was released this year so my “best of” list isn’t all inclusive. However, I’ve watched a boatload of movies and wanted to share my favorite films. 2015 has been a great year for film because it has featured some great big budget blockbusters and a rejuvenated horror landscape. The following list is uber eclectic and features Beach Boys, space potatoes and Jason Statham wearing a fake mustache. If you are interested check out my other best of 2015 posts (you will love them!).
The Best Non-Human Characters of 2015
Here is the list! I wanted to start at my favorite films and work my way down.
- Love & Mercy
Love & Mercy is a beautiful film. I loved every second of the biopic and the only other movie I can think of that hit me as hard was Take Shelter (one of my favorites). It is a beautifully told story that eschews the standard biopic cliches and travels back and forth during Brian Wilson’s life. Paul Dano and John Cusack are perfectly cast as young/old Brian Wilson and Elizabeth Banks finally found herself in a dramatic role worthy of her talents. I loved learning how Pet Sounds was created and I was so happy to see John Cusack back in form after some very uneven films.
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2. The End of the Tour
The End of the Tour centers around the five day interview between David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) and Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg). Lipsky joined up with Wallace at the end of his 1996 book tour for Infinite Jest and the following interview was pure gold. Jason Segel is stellar in the role and I love that he didn’t add massive flourishes or “acting” touches to the role. Director James Ponsoldt (Smashed, Spectacular Now) knows how to capture conversations organically and The End of the Tour flows along nicely towards its beautiful final shot. I loved the exploration into a brilliant mind and I hope Segel gets remembered come award time.
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3. The Martian
Movies don’t get any nicer or crowd pleasing than The Martian. Everybody was on their A-game (even the potatoes) and I love how it remained faithful to the book. I loved The Martian because it was about a bunch of smart people trying to help another smart man get back home. You don’t want the movie to end and I can’t remember the last time I had such a big smile on my face while leaving a theater. Also, Sean Bean lives!
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4. Brooklyn
Everything about Brooklyn is nice. It is the rare film that manages to create three-dimensional characters doing believable things. I love the chemistry between Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen and I think they are the best couple of 2015. Writer Nick Hornby is one of my favorite writers and he managed to take a popular book and translate it into a crowd pleasing yet tear jerking tour de force.
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5. Bridge of Spies
Tom Hanks is so good in Bridge of Spies I’m pretty sure people won’t appreciate how good he is. His character James Donovan is a good man that loves whiskey and is respected by everyone. He won’t back down from a fight and I love how he clenches his fists when things get real. I love that Bridge of Spies only cost $40 million and it felt like an epic story of spies and the cold war. Steven Spielberg knocked Bridge out of the park and not a second of on-screen time is wasted.
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6. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
I love Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. It blends quirkiness with intelligence and manages to avoid thinking it is too clever. This Sundance favorite is self-aware and the cinematography by Chung-hoon Chung (Oldboy, Stoker) is pretty amazing. I love that director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon allowed the camera to linger on the actors faces and you can tell he trusted their performances. Also, the fake movies are pretty glorious.
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7. Spy
Spy is the funniest movie of 2015 and I can’t think of a movie with a deeper bench of funny movie characters. Director Paul Feig is a genius and he gathered the San Antonio Spurs of the acting world to do his bidding. Everybody is unselfish and it leads to a beautiful comedy that is infinitely rewatchable. I was so happy to see Jason Statham back in Snatch/Lock Stock form and it proves he has no problem making himself look dumb. I was stoked to see it nominated for several Golden Globes and I want everyone to get a spin-off movie.
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8. Mad Max: Fury Road
What I love about Mad Max: Fury Road is that it feels like an incredibly expensive hand made film. Every stunt feels like it hurts and I can only imagine how long it took to accomplish each stunt. George Miller wanted everything on his set to be functional and it all looks f**king amazing. The world is fully fleshed out and I’m amazed at the skill and care that each character receives. Films like this can never be recreated because they left no blueprint. Charlize Theron stated that their would be days when there was no script and director George Miller was shooting from the hip. Fury Road works because the crew worked their asses off for six months in the deserts of Africa. It is a labor of love that feels totally fleshed out.
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9. What We Do in the Shadows
What We Do in the Shadows is a glorious comedy/horror mockumentary that centers around four vampires who live in New Zealand. The horror hybrid blends comedy with lots of gore and features some of funniest characters of the last several years. It is a creative blast of niceness and violence that will most certainly become a cult classic. The 85 minute film is so full of one-liners, sight gags and hilarious characters you need to watch it more than once.
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10. The Hateful Eight/Bone Tomahawk
The reason I lumped these movies together is because Kurt Russell is awesome. He plays a major role in both of these westerns and he is fantastic. I love that both of them subverted the western genre while feeling totally original. They are bloody, brutal, ugly and lyrically written. I wouldn’t watch them back to back (your soul would be crushed) but I totally recommend them. Both films are loaded with fantastic performances and some of my favorite actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins and Demian Bichir get a chance to shine.
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11. It Follows, Backcountry, Spring and Creep
2015 was loaded with solid horror and these four films are very good. They do a great job creating new villains, worlds and love stories. They are stuffed with dread, urgency, believable villains (good thing) and I can’t wait to watch them again. I totally recommend you check them out and appreciate the indie horror boom.
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TRAILER TALK: Cherry Tree looks like an amazing witch movie in the trailer, but the film festival reviews are rather unenchanted…
Cherry Tree (Release Date, 1/8/2015; Video on Demand)
I just saw a trailer that had me stoked to this! Making reference to such components as magical resurrection, the sacrifice of an unborn child and a coven of witches, this Irish film has me excited and optimistic. The trailer’s shots and music seized my attention; dismal yet beautiful. Written (Brendan McCarthy) and directed (David Keating) by the minds behind Wake Wood (2010, also an Irish film), we catch glimpses of some sort of webbed Species-esque (1995) cocoon, strange rituals and spellcraft.
On the Blumhouse website I also found all sorts of awesome, somewhat spoiler-ish screen shots complete with rituals, cultists, creepy lairs and monsters (perhaps a demon?). All cool stuff, but I must admit that there is clearly a blatant overuse of giant centipedes in this film. How’s that for a strange criticism? But I’m not complaining…yet.
Unfortunately, despite my child-like excitement, Dread Central had a rather unfavorable criticism to offer:
“Compared to the well balanced, creeping horror of Wake Wood, this is amateur hour in the extreme. If there’s anything positive to be said about it, Cherry Tree does bust out some rather impressive physical effects work on occasion, and the lack of sexualisation of the coven is a nice touch. Battrick carries the film capably and manages not to embarrass herself completely amidst the torrential nonsense. But is that worth suffering the trip down this particular rabbit hole of absurdity? No. No, it isn’t.”
Does it really look so bad? Here’s the TRAILER, see for yourself:
There is some absolute weirdness going on towards the end of that trailer, including some infernal MirrorMask demon lady! Can’t wait to see this, but can’t help to be extremely worried by the available reviews–because yes, so far they’re all negative. All should be warned by the consistently less-than-rave reviews of the film.
Cine-Vue wrote “the issues and problems cripple what could have been a gnarly genre piece…The pace is sluggish even when narrative events hurtle along like a freight-train with the brakes off…The film is nothing but a clumsy constructed yarn with a final scene/shot so cheap and misguided; it sums up Keating’s clunker with aplomb.” Ouch!
Flickering Myth joined the dog pile and warned that “Getting a movie like Cherry Tree right is a very difficult task. Of course you want to take your movie seriously, but when you make a movie about witches and covens, you have to tread very carefully to remain on the right side of entertaining – otherwise you just end up looking a little bit silly. And in the case of Cherry Tree, the movie is just a little too silly…Being that this is a movie based around witches, ancient covens and the rebirth of the Anti-Christ, Cherry Tree is hammier than Porky Pig eating a bacon sarnie. The movie starts off innocently enough, but once the act of sex happens and the pregnancy begins, Cherry Tree devolves into an incredibly silly mess. Each passing moment is wackier than the next to the point where it’s laugh-out-loud funny. But the movie isn’t trying to be funny, it’s trying to be scary – which it fails at miserably.”
In case these reviews haven’t completely scared you away from considering watching this film, here’s the synopsis from IMDB:
Faith’s world is turned upside down after she finds out that her beloved father is dying. When the mysteriously alluring Sissy Young becomes her field hockey coach, Faith finds a compassionate spirit and much-needed mother figure. Little does she know that Sissy is the head of a centuries-old witches’ coven that uses the fruit of an ancient cherry tree in a secret ritual that restores life to the dead and dying. Offering to cure her father in exchange for a child, Sissy strikes a bargain with Faith, who suddenly finds herself pregnant with a baby that’s growing at an alarming rate. But with the clock to the child’s birth ticking down and the true intention of Sissy’s plans for humanity becoming more apparent, Faith and her father must stand together in order to save both their lives.
I am honestly someone who seeks the opinions of others before choosing my viewing options. That’s not to say that I won’t see films which yield poor reviews, but I might de-prioritize them on my watch list. That said, I remain to excited about this trailer and intend to ignore these reviews!!! I’ll admittedly lower my expectations. But make no mistake, I’m seeing this as soon as I can!
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We Write Good Stuff: The Best of 2015
Hello all. Mark here.
We are five years in at Movies, Films and Flix and 2015 was a banner year for us. We loaded up the site with a collection of random posts that blew up across the internet and proved that John Travolta makes very weird cigarette smoking choices. We write about what we love and treasure the mass quantities of nerd energy (Thanks AV Club) that go into each post. In an effort to give a gold star to ourselves I have compiled my favorite 2015 MFF posts to share with the world (and drum up more views).
The following covers my favorite posts of 2015.
- The MFF podcast has arrived!
We are currently 41 episodes in and going strong! Here are five I recommend.
2. Creep and Spring. Talking about new wave horror.
5. The Best 60 Seconds or Less Movie Characters
We hope you listen to and enjoy the pods! If you have any random cinematic questions we will be happy to answer them!
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2. The best 21st century horror films that don’t appear on “best of” lists.
Shock Till You Drop called this list “Mensa approved” and it was a lot of fun to put together. I scoured the internet for 21st century horror films that don’t get enough love and we got 5,300 votes to crown Insidious the winner. Read it! Discover some new horror.
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3. What are the best 21st century horror films?
I collected 250+ 21st century horror films and compiled the audience/critic data from Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and Metacritic. The following post examines what are the best critical/audience favorite horror films of the 21st century! A big thanks to the AV Club for sharing it!
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4. The internet voted and Cabin in the Woods is the best horror film of the 21st century.
We had over 3,500 votes from passionate horror fans and we found out that people love Cabin in the Woods. The internet exploded (sort of, not really).
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I love handing out random awards. The world is full of arbitrary prizes handed out by a committee that follow the popular trends. Why not honor the random and odd? These lists do! Check out the random awards for 2015 spy films too!
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6. The 25 best performances of this decade (so far).
I have an eclectic taste and this list features an fun grouping of fantastic performances. What performances have you loved?
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7. 1995 Week: A collection of all things 1995.
If you are into anything involving 1995 you will love this collection of posts about Clueless, Goldeneye, and Empire Records. Check out the index.
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8. Horror film bonanza
2014-2015 has been loaded with some fantastic boutique horror films. We here at MFF have written about them a lot.
11 horror hybrids you need to watch.
The best transformations of film. NSFW.
The Best horror films of 2015!
Trailer Talk: Krampus (listen to the pod)
Horror films for every type of person. (listen to the pod)
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9. Almost everything you need to know about horror films
If you ever wondered what are the statistically best horror franchises, sequels and remakes you are in luck! This post was overly researched and I loved putting it together.
10. John Travolta and his villainous smoking
John Travolta has an interesting style of villainous smoking. Check out the evolution of his weird habit.
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11. An oral history of the fake film Squid Lake
I wrote a totally fictional oral history for a film called Squid Lake. Then, I teamed up with the Sharkdropper crew and we recorded the weirdest podcast ever.
12. The rise of the weird lists
Here are some weird lists you might like. We here at MFF embrace the different and these lists are proof!
The Best Cinematic Devils (listen to the pod as well!).
The Best Usage of Staples/Staplers.
The Best Horror Pictures of the Last 15 Years (listen to the pod).
11 trees I don’t want in my front yard (listen to the pod).
The Best loss of an arm or limb.
Five reasons why Home Alone’s Marv and Harry are smarter than you’d think.
The best cinematic rock throwing.
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MFF Special: Advice I Would Give To Cinematic Henchmen
Hello all. Mark here.
The cinematic world is rife with henchman who meet untimely deaths. Their choice of work has sealed their fates and many men and women have fallen prey to the good guys. The following post gives advice to potential henchmen in hopes that they choose their minion jobs wisely.
Here are 10 piece of advice I would give to cinematic henchmen.If you are interested we recorded a podcast about this topic. Give it a listen!
- Don’t be afraid to run away.
There is a moment in Kung Pow: Enter the Fist that I love. Some henchmen are looking for the hero and one of the bad guys does something very smart. He says “You go that way, I’ll go home.”
The bad guy goes home and lives to fight another day. Also, not many people notice this but in the Lord of the Ring’s: The Two Towers battle of Helm’s Deep scene some Uruk-hai run away from the battle. They were the product of an AI simulation called Massive and every creation had their own personality. What did they do? They went home!
2. Don’t wear a cumbersome helmet.
This is what happens when you wear a helmet.
Helmets may look cool but they prevent you from seeing properly. This poor stormtrooper had his vision impaired by the helmet and he walked into a blast door. In Star Wars the stormtroopers couldn’t hit the broad side of an AT-AT.
Also, when you watch Spaceballs you need to wonder if the cumbersome helmets were part of the reason that the henchman said “We ain’t found shit!” They have no peripheral vision which greatly inhibits their search.
3. Never fight on top of a moving vehicle
I love that there are henchman who are willing to fight atop moving vehicles. They are almost always guaranteed to lose but they give it the old college try. For instance, the German soldiers in Raiders of the Lost Ark do a great job but ultimately end up as human road rash.
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Another instance of Henchman meeting a terrible death atop moving vehicles is in The Wolverine. Some very brave Yakuza climb atop a moving train and attempt to battle Wolverine. They are brave but dumb.
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4. If you are a human in a world full of superheroes don’t even apply for the job.
What is the point? You have zero chance stopping The Hulk or Iron Man so don’t even put yourself in a spot where you would have to battle them. A great example of a henchman having no chance is in The Incredibles. A henchman is doing his rounds when he is hit by a perfectly thrown rock. Where did the rock comes from? Mr. Incredible throws the rock from like 200 yards out! Why even attempt to keep a secret lair safe when Superheroes are around?
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5. If a British spy tells you to lie down…. lie down
When a murderous British spy tells you to lay down you should just lay down. There is no point doing anything and your lack of a name tag doesn’t help either. Many henchman could live if they assessed the situation and listened to the good guy.
6. Be attentive
Several henchman in the 2015 spy films met their demise when they failed to be attentive. In Spy, the henchman who is tasked with watching Rose Byrne’s drinks fails and almost gets his boss killed. What happens? He gets shot in the head.
Don’t play candy crush or daydream when watching your bosses drink.
In The Dark Knight Rises a moment of not paying attention cost a man his life. Gary Oldman was captured and the henchman lets him get away when he doesn’t anticipate the dive into the sewer. One little lapse gets him killed without remorse.
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Another example of when being aloof goes wrong is in The Return of the Jedi. Boba Fett is too busy focusing on Luke and he gets embarrassingly killed by Han Solo. You need to know who is around you at all times!
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7. Never volunteer and always stay under the radar.
In the film 300: Rise of an Empire General Kashani makes a big mistake. He volunteers to crush the Spartans.
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What happens when you volunteer? General Kashani ends up meeting an incredibly bloody demise that features him losing his limbs! He was brave but dumb.
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A perfect example of why you should stay under the radar is in Mom and Dad Save the World. In the film two henchman are told to kill themselves when they suggest Jon Lovitz wear mutton chops or a goatee. Don’t put yourself in a situation where this could happen.
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8. Never work at a secret lair/space station and pick your jobs wisely.
Secret lairs and space stations always blow up. Try getting yourself stationed at a remote location or a small star ship. Your chances of survival will be much higher if you simply stay away from the main bad guy locations.
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Once you’ve been stationed somewhere other than a Death Star or secret lair find yourself a relatively safe job. Learn from the orcs from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. There is a orc that has a terrible job in FOTR and I wondered why he got stuck with the gig. He has to free the Uruk-hai from a gelatinous goo and it gets him killed. Pick your jobs carefully!
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9. Realize that your gun doesn’t shoot straight and adjust accordingly.
When watching Commando, Eraser, Rambo, Missing in Action, Death Wish and many other movies involving lots of gun play you will notice a trend. Bad guys are terrible at killing the heroes. They are supposedly well-trained minions but they can’t hit anything. Thus, I’m assuming their weapons are black market rejects that were bought at cost. So, figure out the intricacies of your weapon and you might be able to kill the good guy. Don’t be like the people in Commando.
10. Realize that your bosses don’t have your best interests in mind
You are playing a small part in a massive plan and your bosses don’t care about you. For instance, in the film Spy a bad guy hides a nuclear weapon then kills everyone who knows where it is. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve worked for the bad guy because you can die at any moment.
Also, in American Ultra the poor hit men were driven mad by their bosses and are used as disposable killers that are eventually killed. One of these killers is Laugher. The poor guy was tortured, locked up and eventually killed. Nobody cared about him.
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The best example of a boss not caring about his minions is The Joker in The Dark Knight. He literally throws his associates at Batman so he can land a few punches. He is also willing to blow up his crew (prison bomb guy) and murder them all after a robbery. Don’t work for The Joker!
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The MFF Podcast #40: Christmas/Krampus Movie Special
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!
We hope you enjoyed our previous episode:
The MFF Podcast #39: The Great Cinematic Character Trade.
SUMMARY: This week the MFF crew discusses Christmas movies including Krampus (2015), Home Alone (1990), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
We also answer such important questions as…
“Is Die Hard a Christmas film?”
“Does Clark Griswold perhaps have a mental disorder?”
“What are the absolute WORST Christmas movies?”
“Were the bad guys in Home Alone actually really great thieves?”
“How would the MFF crew direct their own Lifetime Channel Christmas movie?”
LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOGTALKRADIO.
or head over Itunes so you can download, REVIEW, RATE and SHARE the pod.
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The 2015 Random Awards: Honoring the Fake Mustaches, Groovy Dancing and Subplots About Buying a Television
Hello all. Mark here.
2015 was loaded with many glorious and random cinematic moments. Whether it be Oscar Issac busting a move in Ex-Machina or Julie Walters crushing the dinner table talk in Brooklyn there were many surprises. We here at MFF love randomness and I’ve been trying to bring the world something different with these awards. The random awards celebrate all the things that you might not remember (Kurt Russell drinking Belgian beer in Furious 7). They stem from observations, little moments and things I think are weird (all things Jupiter Ascending). The post was fun putting together and hopefully you enjoy the randomness!
The following post awards all that is random in 2015.
Kylo Ren has defeated helmet hair award
Kylo Ren’s hair is unfazed by that pesky helmet. How does he do it?
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Funniest Drama Award
Bridge of Spies is a very good film. I love how it blends humor with drama and you can tell the Coen brothers were involved.
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Best fur coat award
Ben Mendelsohn is my hero. I feel like the fur coat he wore in Slow West just formed around him one day.
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Domhnall Gleeson is crushing it right now award
Between Brooklyn, Ex-Machina, Star Wars and The Revenant Gleeson is on a tear!
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Best erotic dance performed by a vampire award
What We Do in the Shadows is the best vampire mockumentary ever made. You will love this movie.
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Did Charlize Theron really cut her arm off in Mad Max: Fury Road award
The CGI is incredible in Mad Max. I love how it aided the practical effects.
Sidenote: I know she didn’t cut off her arm…..or did she?
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Thank you for not wasting the Dalmore 62 award
I applaud you Sam Jackson for not wasting the tasty beverage in Kingsman.
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Least safe sea beast enclosure ever award
Why would anybody sit in the front rows at Jurassic World? How much does this thing eat? Why feed it great whites? Can it swim right up to the that beach? Jurassic World is really bad.
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In 120 minutes you fit in eight air battles, one wedding, three rescues, 80 outfit changes, egg selling, Lizard henchmen, TV purchases, three dinners, bureaucracy, bounty hunters, double crosses, imprisonment, space orgies (10 seconds of footage, It took eight hours to film), bee attacks, toilet cleaning, almost space death, roller skating, expository dialogue (X8), wing growth and a whole lot more award.
I love Jupiter Ascending. It may be total gobbledygook but I love it.
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Most uncomfortable moment involving a bath tub award
Creep is a very good movie. The bathtub scene with Mark Duplass with hurt your soul.
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Best usage of fake films in a really good film award
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a very good film. I loved the 42 fake films and the posters are pretty great.
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Best dancing by a brilliant author award
The End of the Tour is a beautiful film. You need to watch it. Jason Segel is incredible as David Foster Wallace.
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The best bear attack that doesn’t happen in The Revenant award
Backcountry will punch you in the gut because you like the bear fodder.
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Best usage of Belgian beer
Kurt Russell is my hero. Furious 7 is #4 on the all-time worldwide box-office list. It is because of Kurt Russell (I have no proof to backup this claim). The guy is so good he knew Dominic would want Corona so he had a six pack waiting on ice.
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My favorite movie of the year award
I have nothing pithy to say about Love & Mercy. It is a fantastic film that is loaded with solid performances and great music. Viva la Pet Sounds!
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Best single line that describes an entire movie award
David Koechner calls his dog a “useless turd” in Krampus. Those words sum up the movie for me.
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I tried to explain your plot the other day and it ended up with two very confused people award
Predestination is a very good film. Just don’t try to break down the plot for your friends.
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Best usage of a possessed teenager kicking off her leg casts (Think Kickboxer) and then walking on broken legs while crunching noises abound with each step.
Insidious 3 and Lin Shaye were very good. I normally dislike horror prequels and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be glorious (check out the pod for it here). You will love the crunchy leg scene.
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Best standing around in a barren landscape award
If you are going to stand around in the middle of nowhere you better look ridiculously good like the people in Spectre.
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Best reaction to being drugged award
What does Napoleon Solo do when he is drugged in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.? He gets comfy on a couch and awaits unconsciousness.
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Best real mustache award
Kurt Russell is my spirit animal. Hateful Eight uses his mustache skills perfectly.
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Best fake mustache and wig award
Jason Statham was pure gold in Spy. You need to see it.
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Best usage of sassy Irish women award
What I like about Brooklyn is that everybody feels three-dimensional. I would pay to watch the dinner scenes again.
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You do you, James Spader…..award
Even when Spader plays an evil robot in Avengers: Age of Ultron he still tilts his head. Spader keeps it real.
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John Leguizamo is the best and needs to be in more movies award
He has minimal screen time in American Ultra but Leguizamo still manages to steal the show. Put him in more movies!
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Best usage of potatoes award
I’ve never cheered for potatoes more. Their nourishment saved our favorite martian. The Martian is the crowd pleaser of 2015.
Best dancing by a megalomanic billionaire award
Oscar Issac dancing in Ex-Machina is a perfect example of a beautifully random moment.
Movie that I thought would never work, but did award
The Last Witch Hunter built a new world and was incredibly geeky. I love that Vin is trying to bring the world something new. The movie may not totally work but you gotta appreciate something original.
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If you love the Before trilogy and squishy noises you will love this movie award
Spring is like Before Sunrise met Species and spawned a sweet and romantic horror film.
Movies, Films & Flix 