John’s Horror Corner: Puppet Master 4 (1993)
Worth noting: Torch (bottom right) is not even in this movie.
MY CALL: This is hardly simply “another” killer puppets movie. This sequel brings a good combination of silly straight-faced nonsense and fun kills along with some new other-worldly elements. IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: Puppet Master (1989), Puppet Master II (1991; the most slapstick crazy of the first three) and Puppet Master III (1991). Also try Ghoulies (1985) and Ghoulies II (1988) SEQUEL SIDEBAR: Puppet Master III (1991; set in 1941 and having the highest production value of the first three franchise installments) is actually a prequel to Puppet Master (1989), which occurs decades later in present day and is seamlessly followed story-wise by Puppet Master II (1991; which was the least serious, most zany installment). This fourth installment returns us to present day after Puppet Master II.
B-horror sequel director Jeff Burr (Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Stepfather 2) drops us right in the middle of the silliness in this Jim Henson’s Storyteller-turned-evil sequel. Andre Toulon (Guy Rolfe; Puppet Master III, V and Retro Puppet Master; Dolls, The Bride) had obtained the ancient Egyptian secret of reanimation from some Arab back in the 1920s-30s, but in part 4 some puppet-like ghoul-demon named Sutec on a throne claims that Toulon “stole” this secret and has put some evil netherworld at risk of discovery by mankind. That story sounds about par for the direct-to-video course, right?
Meet Sutec. He never smiles.
Sutec’s minions watching from the netherworld.
This fourth installment returns us to present day after Puppet Master II. Rick (Gordon Currie; Friday the 13th Part VIII, The Terror Within II, Puppet Master 5) is a robot engineer living in the same oceanview hotel (from part 1 and 2) as the off-season caretaker. He is working towards artificial intelligence in his spare time. You know, for fun. For whatever reason, he has Blade (from parts 1 and 2) in his office.
Meanwhile, in a high-tech laboratory working with Rick, some scientists have discovered some weird netherworld puppet-sized, fleshy doll-monster gremlins. They kill Dr. Leslie Piper (Stacie Randall; Ghoulies IV, Trancers 4 and 5, From Dusk’ til Dawn 2) and steal her soul for the netherworld powers.
Rick has a dinner party and invites his girlfriend and iron man athlete Susie (Chandra West; White Noise, Puppet Master 5), metaphysicist and psychic-channeler Lauren (Teresa Hill; Puppet Master 5), and his friend and scientist Cameron (Ash Adams; A Nightmare on Elm Street). It’s funny how so many horror movies rely on a dinner party to get a bunch of people into a house before the slaughter.
They find Toulon’s rather informative journal which reveals his history, the secret life-giving serum and puppets Pinhead and Jester (four movie veterans), Six-Shooter (from part 1) and Tunneler (four movie veteran), all of whom he reanimates with the glowing green syringed formula. As usual, the puppets each get their moments to shine. Except for the underplayed Jester, who has the least to offer in terms of interesting kills.
A few inconsistent notes… Tunneler “died” in Puppet Master II and Six-Shooter, while presented in the prequel Puppet Master III, was nowhere to be seen in parts 1 or 2. Yet here he is as if he was always one of the gang. On the other hand, who cares? I’m happy to have them all and their endearing stop-motion glory.
Tunneler just owning this round of laser tag.
This movie is fun. The puppets play laser tag with Rick; Toulon is back, but not as the over-the-top farcical character from Puppet Master III; an idiot opens a gate to the gremlin-infested netherworld; Toulon anoints Rick the new puppet master; and, like in the prequel Puppet Master III, the puppets are the good guys. I love it when they gang up on the netherworld gremlins in stop-motion melee. We also have a new over-the-top bad guy (Sutec) and a new puppet, the head-swapping Decapitron who microwaves the nether-gremlins ’til they burst.
Nether-gremlins spawning from a gate through a board game.
Blade vs a nether-gremlin
Decapitron lives!!!
This whole movie boils down to turning the puppets into good guys as they fight a handful of Sutec’s evil nether-gremlins; hardly a plot. The movie ends with what is clearly a nod to the audience that a sequel was planned before this movie even hit the shelves. But it’s a fun ride and fans of the franchise will continue enjoying consistent quality.
Weirdo puppet Toulon: “Hey, everybody. Tune in for the sequel!”
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), another great, low budget movie that was unfairly judged.
MY CALL: Another great, low budget B-movie that was unfairly reviewed as a theatrical release, which it shouldn’t have been. [B] IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: Suckers for found footage and video analysis should turn to Paranormal Activity 1 & 2 (2007, 2010), Grave Encounters (2011) or Grave Encounters 2 (2012). If you want some great B-movies then aim for Dagon (2001), Bleeders (1997) or The Hazing (2004).
We recently addressed sequels that nobody expected, wanted, and were completely unwarranted. Such movies include Sinister (2012) and its inevitable sequel and the questionably titled The Last Exorcism Part 2 (2013). Book of Shadows is such a movie. Nobody could have figured how this story could possibly continue without simply regurgitating the same movie all over again with different actors. Not the case with this one. This was a thoughtful, well-crafted sequel which had its own feel, style and story. It managed to continue the legend from the story arc of the original while proving to be a solid stand-alone film of its own. It opens with a typical in-the-spirit-of-good-fun nonsense disclaimer:
“The following is a fictionalized re-enactment of events that occurred after the release
of The Blair Witch Project. It is based on public records…[blah, blah, blah]”
The Blair Witch Project (1999) was a shaky found footage movie. Book of Shadows continues the legacy with paranormal investigation-style video analysis within a traditionally filmed movie. Like its much more recent follower Grave Encounters 2 (2012), Book of Shadows opens with pop-culture acknowledging the fame of its predecessor (treated as a movie within the newer movie)–in this case using MTV News, late night shows, E! News and real news casts, followed by a brief documentarian approach with the testimony of Burkittsville locals.
Goofy, likable Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan (Changeling, USA Network’s Burn Notice) does a fine job as Jeff, a witch store propagandist with a troubled past and a painfully average mind living in Burkittsville. He leads Blair Witch Tours and comes off as simple, easily manipulated and quite likably candid and enthusiastic. We also get an introduction to how poorly he was treated in a psychiatric facility that operated under 1800s-like moral practices.
Disturbed Jeffrey Donovan
Assembled for a Blair Witch tour, Jeff leads Erica the “good witch” Wiccan (Scream Queen Erica Leerhsen; Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Kim (Kim Director) the psychic goth, and the overly academic couple Tristen (Tristine Skyer) and Stephen (Stephen Barker Turner), who are investigating the Blair Witch legend and mass hysteria.
Here’s Kim the Goth. She’s a psychic.
These folks think she’s weird because she’s a psychic.
Kim knew they’d think that.
This is Erica.
Erica likes laying in the grass and being one with nature.
Kim knew that, too.
I really enjoyed the soundtrack. The opening credits have us soaring above the defoliated Fall woods in a late overcast afternoon to Marilyn Manson and a scene of campfire overindulgence is most perfectly complemented by Queens of the Stoned Age. These add a good deal to the erratic, confusing, mysterious mood. But the weird events, Jeff’s past, Tristen’s dreams and nervous breakdown, weird and disturbing visions, random clips of violent imagery, and (more than anything) strange discoveries while reviewing their recorded footage (after they all black out overnight) are what really drive this movie.
Tristen is freaking out and having weird visions.
When they watch the video playback, even Kim thought that was shocking!
The gore was weakly presented and the special effects, in general, were limited. But special effects really didn’t seem necessary for this movie anyway. It was effectively driven by the mystery of the story which is slowly unveiled.
Jeff is the focal point of an ensemble cast film. We see alternating scenes of the present, in the form of flash-forwards in which Jeff and the others are interrogated by coarse Sheriff Cravens (Lanny Flaherty; Signs, Men in Black 3, Waterworld), and the past, what we would call “the main movie.” As the movie ends see how the interrogations end.
Some people may have thought this movie was dumb, but I find it a pleasant surprise; more of a great B-movie than a lousy major release. We see what the characters see, we receive hints that things are not what they seem and that we’re “missing something,” and soon we have the reveal stage during which we see what really happened. At times you might even question what is “really” happening.
Even seeing this movie a second time, I find it satisfying. I hope you hear what harsher reviewers say, but see what I see so that you can enjoy this movie with me.
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Dark Tower (1987)
MY CALL: This is all sorts of bad. Only recommended for horror fans looking to check off the “killer skyscraper” box on their “Seen It” list. IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: Other “killer skyscraper” movies include…hmmm…maybe Poltergeist III (1988) simply because it also takes place in a high-rise building, I suppose. I’m guessing that Dark Tower was trying to ride the coattails of a coattailless sequel that no one ever wanted to see.
After being killed by an invisible force during a pathetic struggle and death scene, a high-rise window washer in Barcelona mysteriously dies. Just to reinforce the gratuitous Spanish-ness of this film, the sound editing (which is more dreadful than any other aspect of this movie) noisily layers an admixture of loud, indiscernible people speaking English and loud, indiscernible people speaking Spanish…to each other. For some reason, the guy (Michael Moriarty; It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive, Troll, The Stuff) investigating the window washer’s death seem to be from the northeast–that is, the northeastern United States. Hmmmm? In fact, an awful lot of folks in the building seem to be American.
After witnessing the window washer’s apparently unaccidental death, Carolyn (Jenny Agutter; Child’s Play 2, An American Werewolf in London) is fixated on the particulars of his death. Clearly worried that she is on to the building’s nefarious plan, the building possesses a man and forces him to try to kill Carolyn. Makes sense, right?
So our sleuth seeks out the aid of a parapsychologist/paranormal investigator. In seeking Dr. Gold, he discovers that he himself is clairvoyant. That’s random. We also learn that the menacing spiritual force behind the killings may be the dead architect who didn’t get the job given to Carolyn, making this the lamest haunting ever. More random.
Ahhhhhhh! It’s her dead husband’s ghost!
Dr. Gold’s investigation is boring and he realizes he needs help for a talented medium, Sergei (Kevin McCarthy; both the 1956 and 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ghoulies III, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Piranha).
In an attempt to personify our edificial assassin, erratic POV shots from something rushing down hallways are employed. So, I guess the building was running through the hallways inside…wait for it…ITSELF!
When POV’s attack!
Further failing to add to this structures malevolence is when it unscrews light fixtures so that they fall and narrowly miss building employees and hacking elevator controls to murderous ends. Evidently, an elevator can fall fast enough to kill its occupants without incurring any damage…or the building and all of its fixtures possess the ability to regenerate/self-repair–but we don’t see it happen. In fact, there are basically no special effects at all outside of some wind and broken glass. Just sad.
Oh, yeah. There’s a zombie in the end of the movie. And they rip off one of the most chilling scenes from The Gate (1987). Only here, it’s not at all chilling.
I have no clue how this nigh bloodless, unscary, nudity and profanity-free movie tendered an R rating. The most interesting thing is that, despite how bad this movie is, there is some success filling the shoes of directors Ken Wiederhorn (Return of the Living Dead Part II, Shock Waves) and Freddie Francis (Tales from the Crypt, The Brain).
I’d skip this one unless you, like me, feel the need to see every horror movie out there.
Share this post:
Bad Movie Tuesday: Sinister and the Inevitable Sequel
Spoiler Alert! If you read this post SINISTER’S PLOT WILL BE SPOILED and there will be no need to watch Ethan Hawke run around scared whilst wearing a stylish cardigan.
When I first watched the trailer for Sinister it seemed to incorporate everything I appreciate about horror films. Original story, good lead actor, scary villain and tiny three million dollar budget. However, when I watched Sinsiter the twist ending and overall selfishness left me with the “not impressed” face.
Via Getty images (somehow they got Bughuul in it)
Sidenote: The face is old news but it was how I looked when Sinister ended.
Sinister does several things well. However, I am not really into scenarios involving families being hung, lit on fire and run over by lawnmowers. Ethan Hawke watches some brutal stuff and never tells the authorities or wonders why the tapes were left in his attic. Another issue I have is that the whole thing is caused by selfishness and lies. Hawke never tells his family that four people were murdered in the backyard and he alienates himself because he hasn’t had a best selling book in ten years. So, you have a desperate man immersed in bloody tapes while some demon named Magul, Bughuul or Magbuguul harasses him and eventually has a child kill him with an axe.
With news that a sequel is on the way I can’t help but think that Sinister is just another cog in the money making machine. It certainly won’t be as ridiculous as The Last Exorcism 2 (huh?) but it will just wreck whatever frights mugbughull creates. The creative marketing and decent previews resulted in an $80 million worldwide gross and a a decent cult following. Fellow Co-writer John appreciated Sinister but the news of the sequel boggled his mind as well. They will essentially be telling the same story over and over again. There is no room for further stories because everybody is dead. Will they explore the netherworld or tell us how the bad guy paints his face? I loved the film Insidious and the news of the sequel worried me but there is room for future stories. There is a world to be explored that will not result in copious amounts of gore porn. I’m hoping the Insidious sequel will further explore a world and not use gimics to make money.
I was expecting a lot from Sinister. In my mind I had a monologuing Ethan Hawke dealing with a jerky and scary evil thing. However, the movie didn’t hit the spot and I can blame high expectations for that. Sinister is not a Day Time Horror film and doesn’t pander to Tank Top Horror but still is a nasty little thing. The sequels will further exploit the snuff video aspect and audiences will expect more and more pain with each sequel. Intelligence will be thrown out of the window and any chance of a scary story involving likable people will be nonexistent. Muhbuhba will still steal childrens souls in his realm and cameo in his own films like Hitchcock.
Sinister will have a sequel that will make lots of money. It will be better than Last Exorcism 2 but not as good as Final Destination 2. The worst part is that there won’t be any Ethan Hawke monologues.
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Ghoulies 2 (1988)
MY CALL: Oodles of silly, buckets of fun. This movie doesn’t take itself seriously at all and I love it. It’s one of the more enjoyable family friendly (i.e., PG-13) horror movies. IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: Enjoy more miniature menaces with Puppet Master (1989), Critters (1986) and Ghoulies (1985). Other carnival funhouse flicks include Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988; which is AMAZING), Howling VI: The Freaks (1991; which is almost intolerably bad) and The Funhouse (1981; which is decent and way under-rated). SEQUEL SIDEBAR: Other than the ghoulies themselves, I find no connection between this story and Ghoulies part one. None.
The ghoulies are back! And they’ve come with a well-deserved special effects makeover, some stop-motion action and some new ugly friends. They sneakily hitch a ride with Larry (Damon Martin; Amityville 1992) and his uncle Ned (Royal Dano; House II, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Spaced Invaders) on their way to work at a traveling carnival.
The ghoulies reveal themselves in the funhouse and start causing trouble. They’re much more involved in the action in this movie compared to Ghoulies. This movie also has a little more fun with the ghoulies. They high five in front of a crowd of chanting people while playing with dead things and one of them projectile vomits green superglue at two teenagers making out, leaving their faces stuck together and the guy’s hand firmly planted on second base.
Little person Nigel (Phil Fondacaro; Willow, Return of the Jedi, Return to Oz) and gypsy go-go dancer Nicole (Kerry Remsen; A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2, Pumpkinhead) round out the better supporting cast. But the show stealer is often drunk Uncle Ned, who believes that his parlor trick illusions resulted in real magic and summoned the ghoulies to serve him.
Phil Fondacaro as Nigel
The carneys eventually unite to battle the ghoulies in silly confrontations. Additional doses of silly come when the ghoulies get out of the funhouse and run amok throughout the carnival grounds. There is also an implication that a man’s genitals are eaten by a ghoulie in the men’s room–don’t worry, he deserved it. Lots of random, lots of silly. But how they defeat and get rid of the ghoulies is just priceless!
Reading from an incantation book, Nigel and Larry summon a giant ghoulie which catches and eats the little ghoulies one by one, picking its teeth like a bloated, satisfied foodie after each one. Unfortunately, now they have 500-pound ghoulie on their hands, which they dispatch in an appropriately inane manner.
The movie ends with a strong suggestion of a sequel, which is the case in almost every horror movie ever. But you’re left somehow wanting more of this nonsense. I hope you like it. Childhood favorite for me!
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Dagon (2001), a lovecraftian love story with lots of tentacles and a good face peel!
MY CALL: Director Stuart Gordon (The Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dolls) is no stranger to H. P. Lovecraft and I think he really nailed this one. This is a B-movie, and it shows, but it’s a great one. IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: This is a tough one… Bleeders (1997) touches on the same mood, shocking nature and romantic overtones and does so with similar quality and inventiveness. SIDEBAR: Based on the short stories “Dagon” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”
After a yachting accident in a storm, the affluent Paul (Ezra Godden) and his girlfriend Barbara (Raquel Meroño; Beneath Still Waters) find themselves on the shore of a rundown fishing village off the coast of Spain.
Finding the city nearly barren, they take shelter from the storm in the Church of Dagon which bears a strange symbol which Paul has seen in his dreams. The people of the town are all quite odd. A priest (Ferran Lahoz; Darkness, Faust) of the Church of Dagon has webbed hands, the hotel manager has gills and never blinks, and many of the people are stunningly pale, ranging from deathly anemic to even albino. We very quickly discover that this town and its people are under the influence of an ancient Cthulu sea god and its monstrous half-human offspring.
Aaaaaand cue tentacles!
Separated from Barbara early in the movie, our protagonist Paul strikes me as the first person to die in a typical horror movie. True to Lovecraftian form, he is weak, pale, neurotic, desperate and scared. That said, Paul is perhaps the most credibly pathetic horror protagonist out there. However, unlike The Re-Animator and From Beyond, this movie takes itself quite seriously. The Re-Animator and From Beyond reach such outrageous levels of ridiculousness that they start to feel cartoonishly crazy, whereas Dagon is focused and never farcical–but quite “out there.”
As Paul searches for Barbara we learn more about the village’s history with Dagon and find intriguing connections linking Paul to the village itself. It’s pretty elaborate and inventive for a direct-to-DVD movie… even for any horror movie.
Tentacles from mouths…
This movie features a lot of crappy CGI that you’d expect from a Sci-Fi channel movie-of-the-week. The gore is infrequent, but there is a seriously grotesque skin-peeling scene that should impress any gorehound. But the monster make-up and latex prosthetics were good.
FACE PEEL!
Also interesting is the sexual, pseudoromantic nature of the story. I understand this to be commonplace for Lovecraft, the sexuality that is. But don’t think “oh, it’s just for B-horror nudity.” No. In this case the nudity, which is quite infrequent, is not the driving force. Rather a taboo allure sets the strange tone, turning Paul’s terror into some perverted, yet pragmatic acceptance of unpredictable circumstances.
Tentacles for legs = Less cute.
Director Stuart Gordon (The Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dolls) is no stranger to H. P. Lovecraft and I think he really nailed this one.
This is a B-movie, and it shows, but it’s a great one. Enjoy.
Share this post:
Celeste and Jesse Forever
Rashida Jones did something fantastic. She wrote herself an interesting role and tells a story worth telling. Her characters are not perfect and the film has a rough around the edges feel that fits in with the independent vibe. It is not a well-manicured romantic comedy that feels created by committee and I applaud Jones for that. The men are not swarthy, the women are not desperate and most importantly there are no precocious kids. Celeste and Jesse Forever is wonderful and features a refreshing blend of romance, comedy and character. Celeste and Jesse was written with love and can almost compete with the upper echelon of break up films like 500 Days of Summer and High Fidelity.
The film centers around two people navigating through a divorce. It won’t be easy and will annoy many of their mutual friends. The reason for the annoyance is that they’ve broken up yet remain best friends. They never talk about the split and instead riff off each other and do various German and goofy voices. They spend all their time together yet sleep alone. They probably would stay in the vicious circle for years but unforeseen circumstances finally tear them apart. I won’t give away the twist because it hits hard and is a smart way to distance two people who haven’t totally committed to the split. Their friends stay annoyed though.
Rashida Jones is a successful author and image consultant who is married to a talented albeit incredibly lazy man played by Andy Samberg. They love each other but have grown apart due to contrasting styles and ambitions. Jesse starts dating a younger version of Rashida and she starts spending time with the likable Chris Messina (Dr. Castellano from The Mindy Project). She also has to deal with a less talented yet self aware version of Ke$ha and her co-worker played by Elijah Wood whose attempts at being sassy end with disastrous results.
The movie is about two people but the film belongs to Rashida Jones. Samberg is good but comes across as more of a plot device to help Rashida go through all the emotions. She has the biggest character arc and learns from the unlikeliest of people (pop stars, drug dealers). I like how she ranges from goofy to attractive and back to goofy. She allows herself to look bad for the sake of the movie and hasn’t written herself to be the greatest human ever. her insistence on not making things easy or pretentious make for an interesting romantic comedy with a likable supporting cast.
Watch Celeste and Jesse Forever. Dig the Rashida. Appreciate the script. Enjoy something new.
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: The Entity (1982), a “true story” about an invisible ghost rapist
MY CALL: I’ll say two things that I never thought I’d say together: this is a movie about an invisible rapist and I thought it was good. IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: The Sentinel (1977), Paranormal Activity 1 & 2 (2009, 2011), Poltergeist (1982).
Based on the true story of what is considered the most extraordinary case in parapsychological history.
Our first impression is that Carla (Barbara Hershey; Insidious, Black Swan) is a beautiful, strong, single mother wrapping up a perfectly normal day when she is beaten and raped by an invisible assailant. However, after this traumatic event, she is rendered an understandably fragile and terrified wreck.
With the advent of a second “event” of sorts, she’s scaring her children and appearing insane to her teenage son, who doesn’t understand what’s going on…but, really, neither does Carla. She confides in her supportive friend who advises she see a psychiatrist and even stays with her to help her feel safe.
That’s not good enough, though. The “entity” strikes when she’s in the car, causing her to crash, she finally sees Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver; Time Cop, The Arrival), who doesn’t seem to find Carla’s claims credible but works hard to help her get to the bottom of it.
Eventually her teenager witnesses such an assault and is thrown across the room and held at bay by the entity–making a believer out of him. As things escalate, a team of university parapsychologists get involved much to Dr. Sneiderman’s disapproval. As Sneiderman’s disapproval mounts, Carla regains her confidence and mental fortitude. This is designed, and designed well, to force us to question whether Sneiderman is actually an antagonist or protagonist in this story.
So the question remains: is she nuts and the victim of her own psychological projections, or is she actually being raped by an entity of something other than her own creation?
This movie has several faux rape scenes. They may be intense for more sensitive viewers, but they’re tastefully approached–as “tasteful” as a rape scene can be–in the capacity that you don’t see an assailant during these scenes.
There wasn’t much in the way of special effects. They were poor light show displays like crackling electricity. Except they did a great job of showing that she was being fondled by something invisible.
A movie about ghost rape…and it was good. Give it a chance, folks.
Share this post:
Smashed
Smashed is the fantastic tale of a person becoming sober. Does it solve every problem? Nope. Will the person be forced to sever ties with lifelong friends and spouse? Yep. Will the poster feature the main character smiling like she is in some sort of romantic comedy? Yep.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead should have received an Oscar nomination for her role as an alcoholic school teacher who decides to become sober. She inhabits the role with aplomb and at the very least is now on the radar for bigger and better roles. Producers will jump at the chance to hire a woman who played such a difficult role with relative ease and grace. She did her time in Deathproof, Final Destination 3, The Thing and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and with Smashed finally gets to showcase some skills in a smart film. Roger Ebert sums this film up perfectly when he wrote “This is a serious movie about drinking but not a depressing one.”
The moments that lead to the sobriety ring true and Winstead plays them off with believable maturity. You first meet the character as she is rushing out of bed late for work. The process seems to happen often and you can tell by her hair and clothes that rushing to work is nothing new. The prior night was filled with copious amounts of booze and there is evidence of it on the bed in the morning. These people get so drunk that relieving themselves in bed is a common and normal occurrence. She speeds to her job, takes a swig out of a flask (recovery drinking) and eventually throws up while energetically teaching her first grade students. She tells her students she is pregnant and this opens up the door to tall tales, drunk bicycle riding and smoking crack (only once).
The rest of the film involves her getting sober while at odds with her love husband/best friend/drinking buddy/terrible influence of a husband played by Aaron Paul. The two genuinely love each other yet cannot be together if she is going to follow sobriety through. The relationship is handled realistically and I loved the third dimension to Paul’s character which I will not divulge.
Helping her towards clean living are Octavia Spencer and a recovering cocaine addict (Mr. Ron Swanson) who happens to be her assistant principal and boss . You can tell that they lived wild and crazy lives fulls of stories and bruises. However, they’ve calmed down and become regular folk who live boring yet sober lives. I love that both of them still haven’t figured it out but appreciate every day not under the influence. Nick Offerman has made the word “moist” incredibly cringe worthy though.
My fiancee and I always knew that Winstead could act. In this film she dresses down but doesn’t feel like she is going the Charlize Theron (Monster) or Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball) route. Her poised and controlled performance will win over whoever watches it but didn’t get the press that the other two actresses received. She doesn’t get naked, kill people or have showstopping monologues. She inhabits her role and doesn’t do anything flashy and that is why she didn’t garner any Oscar talk. The role seems easy and not forced which is a revelation. In the wrong hands this film could have hurt the soul and felt like a made for television drama. Instead, it is an intelligent reflection on alcoholism and sobriety.
Watch Smashed. Dig Smashed. Appreciate that it won’t depress you.
Share this post:
http://shenanitims.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/puppet-master-iii-toulons-revenge-1991/
MY CALL: With the highest production value of the series so far, Toulon’s Revenge avenges Puppet Master II‘s terrible misstep. Part two left me dreading Toulon’s Revenge. But now I can’t wait for part four! IF YOU LIKE THIS WATCH: Puppet Master (1989). SEQUEL SIDEBAR: This movie is actually a prequel to Puppet Master (1989), which is seamlessly followed by Puppet Master II (1991), although there is a considerable drop in quality.
Set in 1941 Berlin, part III graces viewers with Toulon’s history which was referenced in Puppet Master and Puppet Master II. Nazi Major Krauss (Richard Lynch; Halloween, Necronomicon, Trancers II) has charged Dr. Hess (Ian Abercrombie; Jack Frost II, Army of Darkness) with animating dead soldiers to utilize in the Furor’s war. They discover that puppeteer Andre Toulon has mastered such secrets and intend to steal it!
http://midnitemedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/puppet-master-3-toulons-revenge-1991.html
The Furor…
http://midnitemedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/puppet-master-3-toulons-revenge-1991.html
…wants this.
In this third installment of the franchise, Andre Toulon is played by a third actor (Guy Rolfe; Puppet Master IV, V and Retro Puppet Master; Dolls, The Bride). But have no fear. This prequel has returned to its fans the more kind-hearted Toulon without the intolerable accent of Puppet Master II‘s zombie Toulon. When Toulon’s wife Elsa (Sarah Douglas; Return of the Living Dead 3, Conan the Destroyer, Strippers vs Werewolves) is killed during a Nazi altercation, Toulon and his puppets are left with a hole in their hearts that can only be filled with bleeding, screaming Nazi death.
This is the best-acted of the franchise s far, but still much is left to be desired if you came expecting Oscar-worthy line delivery. It’s certainly good enough. Making up for this shortcoming are the glorious stop-motion puppets.
The puppets include Pinhead and is man hands (as in a stop-motion puppet with live-action human hands), the drill-headed Tunneler, Jester and cowboy Six-Shooter (new as of this movie). Desperate and bereft of his love Elsa, Toulon goes all Bride of Frankenstein and uses her life essence to create a puppet which he fills with bloated leeches (fan favorite Leech Woman) to exact their revenge. Toulon also crafts Blade (of the first two movies).
http://johnrozum.blogspot.com/2011/10/31-days-of-halloween-day-13-movie-3.html
As usual, the puppets get their moments to shine. However, I felt that Pinhead drew the most fanfare. He was responsible for a knee-capping, a brick to the face, some impaling hooks and a wire-strangling. Cheesy, but good stuff. Six-shooter also had some solid moments.
http://shenanitims.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/puppet-master-iii-toulons-revenge-1991/
http://marcusmovielife.blogspot.com/2011/06/puppet-master-iii-toulons-revenge.html
In the words of Borat: “Great success!”
But the most interesting revelation of the puppets in this movie is what–or who–truly gives them life. Toulon has a special connection to all of them, just as he did in life.
CHEAP B-HORROR FARE: For anyone who cares, this movie (like the first two of the series) is of ample bosom. Neither this nor part one really needed the crutch of gratuitous nudity, but I guess it just felt too classy to omit on the producers’ part. The gore is also enjoyable. Overall, this felt like the highest production quality Puppet Master movie so far.
Fans of part one shouldn’t dare miss this!
Movies, Films & Flix 
