What to Watch This (or Any) Long Weekend – April 2015
Weekends are a funny thing. Some weekends I have plans and ambitions – house projects, yard work, DIY projects, places to see, restaurants to try, trails to hike… and other weekends, I want to just stay inside and enjoy my home and the company of my two favorite individuals (Spoiler: Mark and our cat). On these indoor concentrated weekends, my interests incline towards a short list of things: reading, trying new recipes and streaming TV shows (preferably the kind that can be finished within the weekend). You all know that Mark is the ‘movie guy’, while I like and even love some movies, what I really adore is a great TV show where I have time to get to know my characters and see how they react to new issues as time passes.
Some of us are lucky enough to have a 3-day weekend coming up, for those of you who would prefer to spend this weekend relaxing in the comfort of your home, here are some of my recent favorites and shows on my ‘to-do list’ that are streaming on Amazon Prime (or pay-per-episode on Amazon), Netflix and HBO Go. Enjoy!
- Orphan Black (Amazon only) – 2 Seasons, 20 Episodes – Sci-fi bonkers with a side of family drama, that’s the best description that I can give for this show without giving too much away. Tatiana Maslany is crazy talented and you really have to see her to believe it. Take a few days, get lost in this show, thank me later. Start now, Season 3 starts on April 18th!
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- Broadchurch (Amazon) – Season 1, 8 Episodes – This is a sad, bleak story – and oh so well done. A short ‘who done it’ mystery that is excellently paced, making you question everyone’s credibility. Skip the American version, watch the original. Also, if you watch now, you can set your DVR for Season 2 (a whole new mystery!), airing now.
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- Top of the Lake (Netflix) – 7 Episodes – Did I say Broadchurch was bleak? Well this show takes the bleak cake and eats it too. When Mark started this show (without me, rude!), I was appalled by how committed this show was to painting a portrait of violence, neglect and abuse in rural New Zealand…then I became addicted and devoured the show in 2 days. TotL delivers successive punches to the gut, but you keep coming back because you NEED to know if the abusers or the victims prevail in the end.
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- Sherlock (Netflix) – 3 Seasons, 9 Episodes – If you haven’t heard about this show by now. Who are you?? Get started tonight and get addicted to this uber-smart, tech savvy, crime busting bromance.
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- True Detective (HBO Go) – Season 1, 8 Episodes – For me, this was the best show of 2014 (maybe ever). Another dark show (I’m sensing a disturbing trend in my TV tastes), you will probably have no idea what is going on for the first two thirds of the story, then it will disturb your sleep for weeks. I love seeing McConaughey in these gritty roles, he can really bring it…the supporting cast is nothing to sneeze at either. Also, there is a 6 minute, single take tracking shot, DURING AN ACTION SEQUENCE. WHAT?!
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- Better Off Ted (Netflix) – 2 Seasons, 26 (21 min) Episodes – Some lighter fare… quirky, brazen, nerdy and loveable. Where office shenanigans meet scientists and experiments gone wrong, yet so hilariously right.
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- Band of Brothers AND The Pacific (HBO Go, Amazon) – 10 Episodes each – You could say that we have an obsession with WWII books/movies/miniseries in our home. These two shows are the best of the best on that subject, offering intimate perspectives from 2 different theaters of this war. You cannot walk away from this experience without feeling alllllll the feels.
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Megan’s Streaming Wish List
- Garfunkel and Oates (Netflix) – If you haven’t seen their videos online, where have you been? Kate Micucci was a scene stealer on Raising Hope…I have high expectations for this duo.
- The Fall (Netflix) – I have a serious X-Files obsession and by default, love everything that has/will have Gillian Anderson in it, forever and ever and ever and ever. Already has Mark’s seal of approval.
- Peaky Blinders (Netflix) – Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, gangsters, and the roaring 20’s…what else do you need?
- Bosch (Amazon) – we love the cranky Bosch of the Michael Connelly novels, can’t wait to see Titus Welliver bring him to life.
What are your favorite shows on streaming? Leave me some comments and suggestions!
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MY CALL: Entrancing and unsettling, this gritty timeless film serves as a powerful cautionary metaphor to the consequences of unprotected sex. Beautifully executed and a unique experience; quite an unusual combination in the horror genre.
This film felt like so many familiar things, yet like nothing else. The presence of a Kindle (or something sort of like that) indicates that the story takes place now—or close to present day. Yet the use of corded phones and minimal presence of cell phones creates a sense of media isolation, much like pre-2000 horror, and the overall feeling reminds me more of an 80s horror setting. Adding to this isolated 80s sensation, the entire film is scored with synthesizers. This scoring is of much higher quality than an 80s film, and the style sets an ominous tone that readily resets our uneasiness as we watch.
And what is it we’re watching for? After an intimate encounter, a young girl (Maika Monroe; The Guest) is told by her newly ex-boyfriend that “something” will follow her from now on; that this something once followed him but he has now “given it” to her. This something has no specific form or identity and may appear as anyone, from a random unknown person to someone you love. The only certainty is that, where ever you are, “it” will be somewhere walking directly towards you…until it takes you, or you give it to someone else. “It” becomes a palpable nightmare.
And that brings us to the most important thing of all: this movie is scary? You may not leap out of your seat or scream, but you will be scared. This film propagates more of a continuous, quiet sense of dread. As with White Noise (2005), Shadow People (2012) and Paranormal Activity (2007) we find our eyes locked on the screen, looking for the “it” that “follows.” Suddenly every person in the background becomes a candidate and every time a door opens we wonder if “it” will pass the threshold. Typically we watch a screen and may jump at the appearance of a killer before his victim. Here, we watch more in the same manner as the victim. I really felt like I was in the movie for many of the scenes.
Is that displaced person the “it” that “follows,” or just a red herring to keep us on our toes? You’ll find you’re on your toes a lot while watching this film.
There was one scene towards the end that I didn’t like. It was a long and major scene, but still just the one turned me off. You’ll know it when you get to the indoor pool scene. It felt like it belonged in a different movie of lower caliber.
The pool scene, if viewed alone, smacks of a typical (but watchable) direct-to-DVD horror movie of moderate production. It just didn’t “fit” the film well in my opinion.
Director/writer David Robert Mitchell is brand new to the business, but I expect he’ll become a household name to horror fans. As far as I can tell, It Follows serves as something of a cautionary metaphor representing the risks of unsafe or premarital sex and being “followed” by the consequences, even the sense of dread that may haunt one while waiting to receive the results of an HIV test (or any STD test). This metaphor, however, really pushes the envelope and the realness and likability of the young cast veils this nightmare with urgency. There is one particularly intense scene in which “it” takes the form of a teen victim’s mother, and the way it “takes” you when it finds you is quite a disturbing image that was burned into my mind. This film was unsettling and gritty, for sure—and it does it without a menacing killer with a name and a scary past. It does it with a nameless, protean entity; an unnerving breath of fresh air.
Even my horror-desensitized mind was on edge as I watched this masterfully crafted horror. This truly unique and beautifully executed film pleased me overall. It felt like a classic horror from the late 70s or early 80s with a modern production treatment.
Ignore the sexual theme, understand that there is nothing raunchy or gratuitous to be seen, and enjoy sense of unmatched isolated dread of It Follows.
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Trailer Talk: Other Halves, about a strange dating app that causes strange and evil side effects.
Other Halves features Mercedes Manning (Strictly Sexual, Zipper) and Lauren Lakis (Hybrids, Gun Woman) as the developers of a revolutionary new dating app called Other Halves. On the night before the app is set to launch, they discover it causes strange side effects: users lose all self-control, becoming amoral, lascivious, violent…and evil. They consider shutting the app down, but…EVIL IS PROFITABLE.
Other Halves, from One Oh One Radio Pictures, is the feature film debut for director and co-writer Matthew T. Price, and co-writer Kelly Morr. The film is produced by Curt Chatham, and also stars Lianna Liew (Truth Or Dare), Megan Hui (The Before Time), Melanie Friedrich (Positive: Some Doors Should Remain Closed), Sam Schweikert (Hart of Dixie), and Carson Nicely (The Conan O’Brien Show).
The first teaser video features Jasmine (Mercedes Manning) recording a pitch video for the Other Halves dating app. Right away I felt like Manning captured a very candid, very real character. The acting seems good. The very honest budget is clearly low, but that doesn’t hinder our ability to see that there is something strange going on with this app…as if the app itself was possessed. Here’s the first teaser:
In the next teaser video (below) we see a commercial for the Other Halves app featuring Devon (Lauren Lakis). During her presentation, again, something sort of goes wrong with the app and it seems that another world with another version of her character is being tapped…a more evil and seductive version. Here’s the second teaser:
I’m curious to see this film and I’m not scared by the low budget. As long as filmmakers don’t try to do that which cannot be done effects-wise with their budget, things tend to go fine for good directors working on good scripts with capable actors.
This one looks like it has the potential to get pretty raunchy. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good, though. I’ll certainly give it a chance when it comes out. I hope you will, too.
You can follow the production on their website, www.OtherHalv.es. You can also follow the film on Facebook, Twitter (@OtherHalvesFilm), and Instagram (@OtherHalvesFilm).
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Paul Walker’s Seven Best Fast and Furious Moments
The Fast and Furious series has gone from a Point Break ripoff to a global sensation. The stressing of family and insane car stunts has pushed the series to new heights and I’m expecting Fast 7 to pull in well over $500 million at the worldwide box-office.
The seventh installment will be a bittersweet affair. The loss of Paul Walker was a tragic blow and it will be hard to separate fact from fiction while watching Furious 7. Walker will be remembered as a genuine man and Tyrese summed him up perfectly when he said:
“Paul was the nicest guy in the world, period. He treated everybody the same — the cast, the crew, wardrobe, electric, grips, doesn’t matter if you do plumbing. He was the nicest guy ever, So we all felt the trauma. It wasn’t just a death. It wasn’t just a loss. It was traumatic because of the way he died. So it was a lot.”
In honor of Paul Walker I’ve compiled the seven best Walker moments from the Fast series. What I appreciate about Brian O’Conner is that he kept the films grounded while Vin Diesel and The Rock became more superhero like. He never drove through planes, threw men through ceilings or crashed through walls while fighting. O’Conner was a surgeon with a car and his character grew from an undercover bro-cop to full on family man. His moments of glory were more subtle and subdued and that is why it is easy to miss the little things over the years.
1. I almost got you – Fast and the Furious
With one sentence Walker won over the crowd and made the cranky Dominic Toretto smile. He may of lost the race but the look of glee on his face shows that he was hooked on car racing. Even as Dom is babbling on about carburetors Brian has a massive smile on his face and takes the loss well. It was good police work and it helped him get into the world.
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2. The 2 Fast 2 Furious fight
2 Fast is my sentimental favorite of the series. It is about two guys, one smarmy drug dealer and the stealing of cigar cutters. The stakes were low and that allowed the relationship between O’Conner and Roman to flourish. Tyrese and Walker had great chemistry and they are my favorite duo of the series. I like their backstory, the way they always say “bro” and how they steal each others moves.
The opening fight between them plays realistically with Roman hitting harder and Brian nullifying him with jiu-jitsu. O’Conner knows that Roman is mad so they slug it out, talk smack and team up.
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You can tell be these outtakes that they had a great time together.
3. Pockets ain’t Empty
The finale minute of 2 Fast 2 Furious might be the most ridiculous moments of the series. I love how it ends on a small scale note with two men, full pockets and food on the horizon. Here is how it plays out:
Brian O’Conner: Pockets ain’t empty, cuz.
Roman: And we ain’t hungry no more either, brah
4. Puts family first
The beginning of Fast Five is insane. Dom is headed to prison and his family comes out to save him. Brian and Mia worked together (great couple!) and somehow manage to flip a bus like 12 times, rescue Dom and kill nobody. The amount of planning and aerodynamics had to be so exact there was no room for error. Mia drives straight at the bus and makes it swerve while Brian waits IN FRONT OF AN OUT OF CONTROL BUS in order for it to hit his car and go into a spin. The guy almost gets crushed so he can help his family. What is the biggest theme of the Fast movies? Family!
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5. The train debacle
Fast Five is awesome. The train scene took it to another level. While Vin was having a cake walk fight on the train Walker was hanging on for dear life on an exploding vehicle. He survives the exploding vehicle, jumps on a car then looks totally relaxed as the badass car flies a quarter mile off a cliff. Viva la car surfing!
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6. Ditching the electronic car killer in Fast Six
Walker first showed his getting rid of electronic car killer skills in 2 Fast 2 Furious. He perfected the skill in Fast Six. Ludacris and Tyrese had already been taken out by the devices and Walker was the last one left chasing the SUV of doom. He knew what the devices were capable of so he pulls a perfect emergency brake maneuver and gets rid of the projectile. It shows he can think fast while going really fast. This would come in handy later on when he uses a grappling hook to take down a plane. The dude can’t stop saving the day.
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7. Fast Six Prison Fight
Forget the unbelievable fights between The Rock and Vin Diesel. This fight is a close quartered masterpiece that once again plays believable. I’m still not entirely sure why he went to that prison (who cares) but I walked out of the film saying it was the best fight in the history of the series.
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O’Conner also throws the best superman punch in the history of cinematic superman punches
Brian O’Conner is the true hero of the Fast world.
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I love the Fast & Furious franchise. Each installment has its own personality, and I’m a fan of almost every character that’s been introduced since 2001. It’s been fun to watch the series evolve, adapt, and grow into an international juggernaut with an international cast. The first film climaxed with an angry trucker defeating the crew, while Fast Six finished with a car driving through an exploding cargo plane. The jobs have ranged from minor heist to “mission in freaking sanity.” We’ve watched Fast and the Furious evolve from a Point Break ripoff to full-fledged worldwide phenomenon.
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The Fast movies are like the James Bond films because everybody has their personal favorite. Ranking the films was really hard because I like all of them. Imagine you are ranking Girl Scout cookies. I would eat all of them but Samoas are my favorite. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t crush some Thin Mints or Tagalongs. If I was at a vending machine I would have a hard time picking one of them to watch.
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6. Fast and the Furious – Two tunnel chases, something about drug smuggling and other stuff. I like the film and it brought Walker and Vin back into the fold but it doesn’t have the magic of the other films. The best thing about FF is that it introduced Gisele (Gal Gadot) and brought Han (Sung Kang) back from the dead. Justin Lin used this as a springboard to make the amazing Fast Five. To that we owe Fast & Furious a debt. 
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5. Fast Six – It throws in the kitchen sink then blows it up with a tank. Then, it rains kitchen sinks onto the tank and somehow Vin Diesel still manages to catch a free falling Michelle Rodriguez. I love Fast Six but it lives and dies by the adage “much more is better.” I love the car work Paul Walker does and listening to Tyrese asking for change so he can buy food from a vending machine always cracks me up. Fast Six is much like the runway at the end. It is too long and excessive.
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4. The Fast and the Furious – I would rank the first entry higher but it is a Point Break ripoff that was better than it had any right to be. It opened the door to the world and wasn’t afraid to cast an eclectic crew that would grow with the films. The best thing about Fast is that it introduced “I live my life a quarter-mile at a time” into the lexicon.
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3. Tokyo Drift – Tokyo Drift did one thing incredibly right. It introduced the world to Han. Han is my favorite Fast character and I was happy Sung Kang got a big role because I thought he was really cool in Better Luck Tomorrow. Justin Lin expanded the world and Roger Ebert had this to say about it:
In “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” he takes an established franchise and makes it surprisingly fresh and intriguing. The movie is not exactly “Shogun” when it comes to the subject of an American in Japan. But it’s more observant than we expect, and uses its Japanese locations to make the story about something more than fast cars.
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2. Fast Five – Fast Five is next level awesome. It plays like Ocean’s 11 met all the Fast films and they spawned an amazing hybrid. Fast Five is funny, fast, fresh and nobody dies when a bus flips 12 times. Justin Lin was working on all cylinders and he managed to introduce Hobbs (The Rock), focus on family and pull off the coolest scene in all of the Fast films.
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1. 2 Fast 2 Furious – While Vin was off making A Man Apart, (Totally not family) Paul Walker teamed up with Tyrese and they robbed a smarmy drug dealer. The stakes were low, the crime cheeky and the chemistry was amazing. Paul Walker, Eva Mendes, Tyrese and Ludacris fully embraced the world and John Singleton did a solid job creating a dynamic duo. In a series that is all about family Paul Walker and Tyrese formed a brotherhood that
could not be matched. The movie is pure popcorn fun that kept the series relevant and brought in future crew members who do nothing but steal the show. Also, the ending dialogue might be the greatest lines ever spoken on film.
Brian O’Connor: Pockets ain’t empty, cuz. Roman Pearce: And we ain’t hungry no more either, brah.
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Five Films worth a watch on Netflix: April 2015 Edition
Hello all. Mark here.
The world is inundated with movies, television and more movies. It is easy for films and television shows to fall through the cracks and into Netflix oblivion. I’ve decided to start a regular “stream this” post that covers films and television shows that you can stream on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
My goal is to save you time and keep you from scouring the streaming services in hopes of finding something unique. I don’t want you to spend 45 minutes looking through films until you decide on some weird movie or television show that feels put upon and ultimately disappoints.
The Trip – The Trip to Italy
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are my heroes. The Trip and Trip to Italy are incredibly breezy, organic and always funny. The films revolve around Rob and Steve driving around England or Italy in search of food, wine and vistas. Their impersonations are spot on and I love how they take the piss out of each other. You gotta watch these films .
Goon
Goon tells the story of a kindly hockey enforcer and his team of misfits. It is a Slapshot for this generation and Sean William Scott is a revelation as Doug Blatt. Goon is a nice film that features fun fights, good hockey and three-dimensional characters.
Chef
Chef is wonderful. Jon Favreau was tired of big-budget film making so he made this little film about a chef rediscovering his love of food and family. The cameos are wonderful and John Leguizamo finally got a role to flourish in.
Headhunters
Jo Nesbo is awesome. He is a great author and I bet he is proud of this adaptation. Headhunters is stylish without being pretentious and juggles gore, humor and plot twists with aplomb. This Norwegian export plays like the Coen brothers directed a live action Road Runner film.
Irish villagers need to stay drunk in order to survive an alien attack. I love the characters, creatures and death via alien flick. Grabbers is a fun creature feature that feels like Gremlins met Tremors and spawned Attack the Block.
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The 1995 Index: All the MFF 1995 Posts in One Place!
Hello all. Mark here.
1995 week is over and it was a big success! I had a blast writing about 1995 and all of its eccentricities. Whether it be researching the random moments or writing about the cult classics I’ve learned that 1995 was a multi-layered bringer of the good, the bad and the ugly.
I’ve compiled all of the 1995 posts and put them in a convenient spot for you. Throughout the year I am going to update the list with further 95 shenanigans. We here at MFF are trying to accumulated the biggest, best and most random collection of 1995 posts on the planet.
Click on the links! Enjoy! Share! Help us build a wonderful 1995 collection.
The Evolution of Mallrats: The Blade Runner of Comedies
Before Sunrise: The Best Romance of 1995
Alec Trevelyan, Goro and Tony Perkins: The 1995 Heist Crew
The Best Moments of the one of the Worst Years in Horror: Looking Back 20 Years to 1995
The Best/Worst Fight of 1995: Analyzing the Goro vs. Johnny Cage Fight
The Best Fights of 1995: Sword Grabs, Haymakers and Leg Squeezes
Dracula: Dead and Loving It: Mel Brooks 1995 Comedic Gem
The MFF 1995 Random Awards: Part Two: A Collection of nut shots, raspberries and swimming pools
Goldeneye: The 1995 Resurgence of Bond
The Best/Worst Monster of 1995: The Big Slimy Worm/Shark (Aka Dinner) in Waterworld
The 1995 Jerk Squad: A collection of step brothers, Musicians and fashionable males
20 Years of Rex Manning Day: A Look Back at the 1995 Cult Classic Empire Records.
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Clueless – 20 Years Later
As part of this week’s 1995 celebration, Mark asked some of his favorite people to write about movies made in 1995. I wasn’t sure where to begin so I exercised my Google muscles and searched around the internets for ideas… that was when, much to my horror, I started seeing ‘20th Anniversary Edition’ and ‘20th Birthday Celebration’ headlines on my screen.
Obviously 1995 was 20 years ago, but when you sit down and quantify it, you (meaning me) start to feel really old. Take a look at some of the things turning 20 this year…
- The DVD is announced as a new media format
- Starbucks Frappuccino
- Dangerous Minds, Toy Story, Friday, Apollo 13
- eBay
- The World Wide Web available via AOL
- Tom Hanks wins Best Actor Oscar for Forrest Gump
- Christopher Reeve is paralyzed
and the real reason for this post…
Clueless is 20 years old this year — Cher, Josh, Tai, Christian, and Dionne have been adored by teens and adults alike for two decades. To look at Paul Rudd (Josh), it is hard to believe that this much time has passed, seriously what is his secret?? If you find yourself looking for something to watch tonight, here are five arguments for the case of Clueless.
- Source Material. Another special anniversary to be noted this year, is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s Emma, the material that Clueless is loosely a based on. I cannot count the number of times that I have watched Clueless but it never loses its appeal or humor. Even with the multitude of pop culture references (Twin Peaks, Pippi Longstocking, Beavis and Butthead, Pauly Shore) I attribute that to solid and enduring source material.
- Likeable Characters. Sure Elton is kind of an entitled slimeball and Amber is a bitchy frenemy, but there is no real villain in this film. We have a full cast of quirky, cliquey and lovable teenage characters who are trying to match-make their teachers (to help their GPA’s) and navigate through a mostly typical high school existence full of parties, charity drives, crushes, shopping, debate classes and drivers licence woes.
- THE Closet. That closet though. The first time I saw Cher’s closet, I was in awe. Nowadays, it would be still be pretty cool, but much more on par with the level of current technology. I WANTED (read STILL want) that masterful and innovative display of clothing organization, not to mention the clothes within the closet as well. On a similar topic- there is much talk about the fashion in this movie and the sheer volume of outfits worn by Cher and crew. What I find impressive about the fashion is that it is clearly 90’s influenced garb, but it feels costumey enough that it still looks fresh and fun when watched 20 years later.
- Awareness. It’s hard not to appreciate a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Tai says it best when Dionne and Cher are orienting her to the Bronson Alcott High landscape while using their best SAT Prep vocab words, ‘Wow, you guys talk like grown ups.’ This awareness shows up in how the schools various cliques are introduced, how the characters talk about themselves, and Tai’s well-thought out apology to Cher. But there is one way that I especially love, Cher’s voice-overs. She is self-reflective but still naive, generous and helpful but still self-serving and she hashes all of this out via voice-over while we watch her delightful antics.
- Father- Daughter Dynamic. Mel and Cher Horowitz have been on their own for a while and it is clear that this suits them just fine. Cher watches her dad’s health/diet, he smiles at her quirks. She looks up to her lawyer dad and tries to incorporate aspects of his career into her behavior to make him proud. When Cher argues and schemes her grades from average to excellent, a proud Mel says ‘Honey I couldn’t be prouder than if they were based on real grades’. There are many father-son stories told in cinema, which makes this rare portrayal all the more delightful.
If these five reasons aren’t enough to make you want watch or re-watch Clueless, then in the immortal words of Amber… Whatever!
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MY CALL: A solid premise and great atmosphere that fails to deliver an effective possession movie. Despite some good performances and a decent ending, we are not completely reimbursed for the disappointing shift from an engaging, tense film to a nigh-dull, predictable experience. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Damned: Stronger Spanish-language films whose atmosphere’s actually deliver on their promises include The Orphanage (2007), [REC] (2007), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The House at the End of Time (2013).
Also released under the title Gallow’s Hill and Encerrada, this Colombian film boasts a humble $5 million budget and uses it wisely. It is also Colombia’s highest grossing film with 395,380 tickets sold (in Colombia) of the year…not horror film, but “film.” Having seen this, I’ll say it doesn’t live up to that statement. I mean, sure. I guess I’m not surprised it was Colombia’s highest grossing horror film, but I’m a bit surprised it was their highest grossing film in general for the year. Then again, this is perhaps the first Colombian movie I’ve ever reviewed. So what do I know about their country’s film industry?
Reporter Gina (Carolina Guerra; Da Vinci’s Demons), her cameraman, a young girl, her father (Peter Facinelli; the Twilight Saga, Hollow Man 2) and soon-to-be stepmother (Sophia Myles; Outlander, Underworld: Evolution) find themselves stranded in the flash flooding mountains of Colombia and seek refuge in an old man’s house in the middle of nowhere.
This premise already screams cookie-cutter plot, right? Lost, car breaks down, people are stranded, they find an old house with a creepy host who offers them help but has no telephone and he doesn’t speak much…yeah, it does. But you know what? For what it is, it works. After we meet the characters, find them stranded and see them to their creepy remote locale, this film captures a creepy atmosphere from the get-go.
“Hey, that old guy asked us not to leave this room. What should we do while he gets us a glass of water?”
“Where did they go? Um….to look for a bathroom.”
Their remote location host is an old man who isn’t so happy to have guests. He lets them in to take cover from the rain but explains that he has no means of communicating with the outside world and he doesn’t even want them to leave the living room. Of course, the old man’s guests find an excuse to explore the house at the earliest opportunity and they stumble across a locked cell in the basement incarcerating a young girl. They release her and, in doing so, release “the damned” upon the house. From here, this becomes a possession movie which declares a witch’s curse to be the problem, but it feels a lot more like Evil Dead (1981, 1987, 2013) revisited using the Fallen (1998) playbook.
What worked? Carolina Guerra gives the best, twisted performance as a possessed deadite and, until the possession premise was obvious, the atmosphere was powerful and eerie. Spanish director Víctor García (Mirrors 2, Return to the House on Haunted Hill) knows what creeps us out. The special effects were limited and practical, but one scene involving a neck break and its aftermath (and the actor’s performance around it) was REALLY IMPRESSIVE. Also, although predictable, I liked the (hardly-a-twist) ending. It shined with a “horrific” sort of poetic justice.
The evil spirit of the witch exploits our secrets and sins much as the devil would.
Then she contorts and spasms and goes all Evil Dead.
What didn’t work? Once you know the premise, things become overly predictable and the atmosphere loses its luster. I essentially found myself waiting for the witch’s spirit to finish her game of musical chairs as she possesses her way through the cast of protagonists. It simply degenerated from engaging and tense, to almost dull.
I’m not alone in my opinion of this film—i.e., not being terribly impressed. Out of almost 3000 ratings it averages only 5.2/10 on IMDB, the NY Daily News gave 2/5 stars and explained “strong performance doesn’t scare off moviegoers in this serviceable, but gruesome, horror flick,” and Rotten Tomatoes reveals an unprovocative rating of 11% (20% audience). Of all places, Amazon has the highest ratings at 3.3/5 stars.
The ambience, Carolina Guerra, and the ending might make this film worth a watch for the horror fan who likes to see as much as they can. Just don’t expect anything original or to be wowed.
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My life has reached a pinnacle. Joe is letting me close the store tonight.
With these immortal words we are introduced to the world of Empire Records. The cult classic is full of 90’s independent music and a boat load of future stars. In a recent podcast we had a listener question about what would be the perfect cinematic job. I quickly replied “working at Empire Records.” The employees were cool, the dancing plentiful and they planned an impromptu block party to save the store.
Fresh off the success of Dazed and Confused and Clerks, Empire Records looked to perfect the day in the life of teenagers/twenty-somethings film. 1995 was a great year for single day movies as Before Sunrise, Mallrats, Kids, Die Hard: With a Vengeance and Friday were big hits or eventually became cult classics. Empire Records was panned by critics (24% RT) and quickly disappeared from theaters. However, it picked up a massive following on VHS and DVD. It has become so popular people are throwing “Rex Manning Day” parties 20 years later and Huffington Post cast the remake (Jennifer Lawrence, Shailene Woodley, Aubrey Plaza, Skylar Astin, Ezra Miller, Adam Driver, Kieran Culkin and Jake Johnston).
Why has the legacy lived on? One of the reasons Records is so beloved is because it plays like Breakfast Club met High Fidelity and spawned Dazed and Confused. It juggles subplots with aplomb and has something for everybody. It is easy to like the characters because they come from different walks of life and are able to work together in the coolest store ever. They might not always get along but they are united in their dislike of Rex Manning and saving the store.
Empire Records has an odd rhythm that was the product of studio meddling and big editing cuts. Director Allan Moyle in an interview with Buzzfeed had this to say about it:
“The studio was in a cocaine mentality, while we at the movie were in a pot mentality.” Part of the feel of the film was also lost via Regency’s insistence that it remain PG-13, rather than have the R-rating of the original script; that’s why none of the characters could be shown actually smoking cigarettes or marijuana, why they couldn’t swear like actual teenagers, why Eddie couldn’t run his weed operation on the roof — why they couldn’t, in other words, fully behave like the teens they were meant to portray.
Here is the story behind why it received such a limited release:
Regency decided to test the re-cut film on teen audiences — a common practice for any film, no matter the genre. The first screening took place in a white, middle-class area of the San Fernando Valley — and the audience loved it. Moyle was pleased, but Regency wanted to test it again. This time, however, the screening was in a lower-class, Hispanic neighborhood in the Valley — and the results were disastrous. It’s easy to see why: The cast, their character’s concerns, and the music itself are all lily-white.
The limited release is what allowed Empire Records to become a cult classic. Much like Mallrats it is a underachiever that was loved by underachievers. People united around Empire Records because it was a misfit and offered something for everyone. Pretty much everything that could happen in one day happens in the film. It makes the life lessons learned in Breakfast Club seem boring because BC didn’t feature faux-funerals, sex and robberies.
Another reason why the film is so popular is because it plays like a Generation-X time capsule. I remember buying cassettes and thinking music stores were the coolest thing ever. Watching it 20 years later you can’t help but smile when the Gin Blossoms or Sponge starts playing. I remember getting my hands on the VHS and thinking it was the coolest thing ever. It was one of those movies that you heard about from somebody else. I also received Donnie Darko and Boondock Saints in this manner and they’ve lived long cult classic lives. The passing along of the film built a community of insiders who looked at it as their film. Empire Records has lived on because its fans won’t let it die.
I don’t think Empire Records could be remade. The era is over and the circumstances that lead to it being loved cannot be replicated. The remake would be too glossy and lack the personality that made the original a cult classic. That is why I am happy that people are discovering or rediscovering the film.
Watch Empire Records. Appreciate the music. Host a Rex Manning day.
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