While looking for stuffz to watch earlier this month, my boyfriend and I decided to watch The Wasp Woman (1959) by none other than one of the masters: Roger Corman. I grew to love Corman after I saw A Bucket of Blood (1959) for the first time, back during the IMDb.com horror message boards October Horror Movie Challenge in 2009. The Wasp Woman, in my opinion, stands its ground as being almost as good as 'Bucket'.
So why on earth its considered a turkey is beyond me. It is a film that I watched for the IMDb.com horror message boards Turkey Challenge. I loved every minute of it, even the cheesy make-up effects of the 'Woman' herself. I also have a fondness for it now because I had heard awhile back that there is bee sting treatment for people with Multiple Sclerosis:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/tests-treatment/bee-sting-the rapy-and-ms.htm
Am I gonna try it? Heck no! I don't want to be another 'Wasp Woman' but kudos to those who have the balls to do so/done so. The Wasp Woman is about cosmetics/looking younger not about health per se but the connection was close enough to remind me of the wonders of science, side effects, and horror movies, lol. I also found it funny how I have more than one set of glasses that almost matched the ones exactly that Susan Cabot/Janice Starlin was wearing in the film as well.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Deep Space (1988)
I had planned on watching Deep Space (1988) for awhile, and this month, I certainly got my fill. May the godz (or something, sorry - I'm atheist, lol just being crazy lil alchemie here, haha) bless and protect and bow down to the netherworld demon/god/whatever - the most awesomest director: Fred Olen Ray. He has become one of my favorites as of late. Every November, there is what's called The Turkey Challenge on the IMDb.com horror message boards, and because of this, I might have never got to know the great and wonderful FRED OLEN RAY!
So, yeah, check out Deep Space. Its a lot of fun, and it had almost 100% of what I love about cheesy 80's horror movie flicks: Julie Newmar (#1 Catwoman, yeah!), Charles Napier (kickin' monster ass and takin' names :P), just to mention a little bit, but unfortunately, it is missing something that makes me rate a movie higher. Otherwise, I'd give that sucker a 10/10. I would say what it is but that would spoil the movie for you. But it did have that sweet stuff I adore - that includes stuff that both my boyfriend and I just love to f-ing pieces.
So, yeah, check out Deep Space. Its a lot of fun, and it had almost 100% of what I love about cheesy 80's horror movie flicks: Julie Newmar (#1 Catwoman, yeah!), Charles Napier (kickin' monster ass and takin' names :P), just to mention a little bit, but unfortunately, it is missing something that makes me rate a movie higher. Otherwise, I'd give that sucker a 10/10. I would say what it is but that would spoil the movie for you. But it did have that sweet stuff I adore - that includes stuff that both my boyfriend and I just love to f-ing pieces.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
I Am Legend (2007)
In 1954, author Richard Matheson wrote the science fiction novel, I Am Legend. Matheson has also written several other novels, including one of my favorites, What Dreams May Come. Which was also made into a movie starring Robin Williams, and it even won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1999.
I am surprised that I Am Legend appears to be the 4th remake of the movie. With the original being The Last Man on Earth (1964). I've seen this one but I still need to see the other 2, just to compare them all. Vincent Price was excellent in the original, even if the film is quite dull and is filled of narration.
Other writers, such as Stephen King, George Romero, and Dean Koontz, have been quoted to say only good things about Richard Matheson.
I Am Legend stars Will Smith, who is known mostly for doing comedies. However, he has been recently going into other genres. He is also in the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. Smith has proven that he can do more than just comedy. I Am Legend was nothing like that I expected. I have never read the novel but I am now considering it. There were similarities in this movie, to other movies that have been made in the last 10 years. Such as 28 Days Later, and even a slightly older movie, Night of the Comet. But I Am Legend, in my opinion, is the Grandfather of most of these movies that are in the same vain, even if those films are about zombies. When I recently saw The Last Man on Earth, it was then that I realized that this first film was actually about vampires and not zombies as I Am Legend appears to be. Interesting difference to say the least.
The story takes place in a future where a well known virus is reversed and is being used to treat cancer patients. It ended up curing them all for the time being, however, not too long after that, it had disastrous side effects. Smith's character, Dr Robert Neville, who was also in the Military, stayed behind after there was a quarantine and evacuation of New York City. He was desperately trying to find a cure for the side effects, which pretty much infected and/or killed 99% of the entire population of the world. He ends up being all alone.
There was CGI in the movie, and one of the things that I did not like about it was the fact that some of the 'characters' and 'animals' were done with CGI. Granted the CGI wasn't too bad but I honestly think that not using it might have made the movie even better.
Most scenes were of Smith's character being the only one in it. I thought that it might be a bad idea, but after seeing the movie, I think that it was brilliant. He also had his faithful companion, Sam, which was his dog.
Seeing New York city completely deserted was kinda scary within its self. Reminded me of Stephen King's The Stand. King has said that Matheson was the first writer who influenced him. George Romero and Dean Koontz have been quoted to say only good things about Richard Matheson as well.
Overall, I do believe that the rating on IMDb (currently 7.1/10) is well deserved. If you like actors who had stayed in their genre and then moved on, like Will Smith (and others like Jim Carey who is in Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Number 23) you'll like this movie. You will also like it if you like other movies where people end up being completely alone.
I am surprised that I Am Legend appears to be the 4th remake of the movie. With the original being The Last Man on Earth (1964). I've seen this one but I still need to see the other 2, just to compare them all. Vincent Price was excellent in the original, even if the film is quite dull and is filled of narration.
Other writers, such as Stephen King, George Romero, and Dean Koontz, have been quoted to say only good things about Richard Matheson.
I Am Legend stars Will Smith, who is known mostly for doing comedies. However, he has been recently going into other genres. He is also in the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. Smith has proven that he can do more than just comedy. I Am Legend was nothing like that I expected. I have never read the novel but I am now considering it. There were similarities in this movie, to other movies that have been made in the last 10 years. Such as 28 Days Later, and even a slightly older movie, Night of the Comet. But I Am Legend, in my opinion, is the Grandfather of most of these movies that are in the same vain, even if those films are about zombies. When I recently saw The Last Man on Earth, it was then that I realized that this first film was actually about vampires and not zombies as I Am Legend appears to be. Interesting difference to say the least.
The story takes place in a future where a well known virus is reversed and is being used to treat cancer patients. It ended up curing them all for the time being, however, not too long after that, it had disastrous side effects. Smith's character, Dr Robert Neville, who was also in the Military, stayed behind after there was a quarantine and evacuation of New York City. He was desperately trying to find a cure for the side effects, which pretty much infected and/or killed 99% of the entire population of the world. He ends up being all alone.
There was CGI in the movie, and one of the things that I did not like about it was the fact that some of the 'characters' and 'animals' were done with CGI. Granted the CGI wasn't too bad but I honestly think that not using it might have made the movie even better.
Most scenes were of Smith's character being the only one in it. I thought that it might be a bad idea, but after seeing the movie, I think that it was brilliant. He also had his faithful companion, Sam, which was his dog.
Seeing New York city completely deserted was kinda scary within its self. Reminded me of Stephen King's The Stand. King has said that Matheson was the first writer who influenced him. George Romero and Dean Koontz have been quoted to say only good things about Richard Matheson as well.
Overall, I do believe that the rating on IMDb (currently 7.1/10) is well deserved. If you like actors who had stayed in their genre and then moved on, like Will Smith (and others like Jim Carey who is in Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Number 23) you'll like this movie. You will also like it if you like other movies where people end up being completely alone.
The Wurdalak from Black Sabbath AKA I tre volti della paura (1963)
I've not been too fond of Bava's work in the past but that changed this year with his film, Black Sunday AKA La maschera del demonio (1960) which I quite enjoyed. So, I thought that I would move on to another one of his called Black Sabbath AKA I tre volti della paura (1963).
I received the DVD from Netflix this week without knowing what I was in for. Several other IMDbers had recommended it in the past. Unfortunately, no one said that it was dubbed over in Italian no less, so badly. The version that I watched also had Boris Karloff dubbed even as he is introducing the film as well as ending it in which I found completely ludicrous. He is found in the 2nd short story of the film within the 3 part story, called "The Wurdalak".
A family's father, who had went up into the mountainous region in Russia returns home after being gone for 5 days. The family had wondered if he had been stricken with the blood curse since he had been gone for so long. One of men that was there, due to seeking out shelter in the family's home, had told them about a dead man that he had found on his travels was beheaded with a knife in his heart. That is when we first find out about the curse of the wurdalak.
Now for over 20 years, I've had a thing about vampires but I didn't know that there was a name of one called a wurdalak until I saw the film Black Sabbath. I could explain the meaning but it would spoil this short story for you if you haven't seen it. I used to own a book called The Vampire Encyclopedia back in the early 90s but I do not remember coming across the term "wurdalak".
So I guess its still true: You do learn something new every day.
I received the DVD from Netflix this week without knowing what I was in for. Several other IMDbers had recommended it in the past. Unfortunately, no one said that it was dubbed over in Italian no less, so badly. The version that I watched also had Boris Karloff dubbed even as he is introducing the film as well as ending it in which I found completely ludicrous. He is found in the 2nd short story of the film within the 3 part story, called "The Wurdalak".
A family's father, who had went up into the mountainous region in Russia returns home after being gone for 5 days. The family had wondered if he had been stricken with the blood curse since he had been gone for so long. One of men that was there, due to seeking out shelter in the family's home, had told them about a dead man that he had found on his travels was beheaded with a knife in his heart. That is when we first find out about the curse of the wurdalak.
Now for over 20 years, I've had a thing about vampires but I didn't know that there was a name of one called a wurdalak until I saw the film Black Sabbath. I could explain the meaning but it would spoil this short story for you if you haven't seen it. I used to own a book called The Vampire Encyclopedia back in the early 90s but I do not remember coming across the term "wurdalak".
So I guess its still true: You do learn something new every day.
The Man from Planet X (1951)
"The hour is near, and The Man from Planet X is waiting..."
This B&W sci-fi from the early 50's does not come without its faults. Director Edgar G. Ulmer, who was more famous for The Black Cat from 1934 with Karloff and Lugosi, attempts to bring us this little sci-fi movie in hopes of it being a masterpiece.
John Lawrence, an American Reporter for the Affiliated Press, learns of reports of 'objects' seen in the sky in an isolated area in Scotland. His colleagues learn that a Planet X is rushing toward the earth but they are still not sure whether or not it will hit. John joins his colleagues so he can write an article concerning this, and to be of any help that he can in trying to find a way to stop this disaster if it were to be certain of impact. John happens to narrate a bit in the beginning but it slightly spoils the movie. And the biggest fault lies within these first 5 minutes.
The love interest, which everyone knows happens in most movies, named Enid Elliot, who is the Professor's daughter, will be the one who picks John up when he arrives to meet with his colleagues. She will end up professing her love for John later in the movie. During one part in the movie, while her and John are strolling along outside, thunder is heard, and she mentions the 'counting the lighting before the thunder can tell how distance a storm is'. This could be the first reading of this in a movie. I remember that it also happened 30 years later in the movie, called Poltergeist.
Before the discussion and reading of reports of Planet X, there is talk of Dr Mears, a man who was once in prison but who is let out, and is invited to help study whether or not the planet is going to indeed hit the earth. A spaceship ends up landing out in a field, and instead of being scared, and not wanting to go near it, John, the Professor, and Enid all go out to investigate. While being near the spaceship, a small light shines on the Professor, and it ends up mind controlling him for awhile. This will end up happening to several other people in the village as well, and they will end up going missing.
A spaceman is discovered, and eventually brought into town to try to communicate with. Dr Mears is the one who will attempt it but he apparently has some evil plans of his own. Little does he know, that the spaceman is going to be something not to fool around with.
Towards the end, the military is brought in and gives John and his colleagues an ultimatum. They tell them that if you can't fix this situation, we are going to destroy that spaceship, and anything near it. They only give them an hour. So the clock starts ticking, and John races against the clock to try to save the people in this little Scottish town from the spaceman. Then they must deal with whether or not Planet X is going to strike the earth.
Some of the set design, especially out in the moors and other landscapes of Scotland looked almost as fake as ones that were in Ed Wood's movies. The spaceman in the movie looks like his face is a ceramic of some sort but where's a space helmet, has the body like a homosapien. Some of sounds used in the movie are quite annoying, especially the one coming from the spaceship. This was also another movie emphasizing on the number 17, which I have found in a lot of other movies over the years.
This B&W sci-fi from the early 50's does not come without its faults. Director Edgar G. Ulmer, who was more famous for The Black Cat from 1934 with Karloff and Lugosi, attempts to bring us this little sci-fi movie in hopes of it being a masterpiece.
John Lawrence, an American Reporter for the Affiliated Press, learns of reports of 'objects' seen in the sky in an isolated area in Scotland. His colleagues learn that a Planet X is rushing toward the earth but they are still not sure whether or not it will hit. John joins his colleagues so he can write an article concerning this, and to be of any help that he can in trying to find a way to stop this disaster if it were to be certain of impact. John happens to narrate a bit in the beginning but it slightly spoils the movie. And the biggest fault lies within these first 5 minutes.
The love interest, which everyone knows happens in most movies, named Enid Elliot, who is the Professor's daughter, will be the one who picks John up when he arrives to meet with his colleagues. She will end up professing her love for John later in the movie. During one part in the movie, while her and John are strolling along outside, thunder is heard, and she mentions the 'counting the lighting before the thunder can tell how distance a storm is'. This could be the first reading of this in a movie. I remember that it also happened 30 years later in the movie, called Poltergeist.
Before the discussion and reading of reports of Planet X, there is talk of Dr Mears, a man who was once in prison but who is let out, and is invited to help study whether or not the planet is going to indeed hit the earth. A spaceship ends up landing out in a field, and instead of being scared, and not wanting to go near it, John, the Professor, and Enid all go out to investigate. While being near the spaceship, a small light shines on the Professor, and it ends up mind controlling him for awhile. This will end up happening to several other people in the village as well, and they will end up going missing.
A spaceman is discovered, and eventually brought into town to try to communicate with. Dr Mears is the one who will attempt it but he apparently has some evil plans of his own. Little does he know, that the spaceman is going to be something not to fool around with.
Towards the end, the military is brought in and gives John and his colleagues an ultimatum. They tell them that if you can't fix this situation, we are going to destroy that spaceship, and anything near it. They only give them an hour. So the clock starts ticking, and John races against the clock to try to save the people in this little Scottish town from the spaceman. Then they must deal with whether or not Planet X is going to strike the earth.
Some of the set design, especially out in the moors and other landscapes of Scotland looked almost as fake as ones that were in Ed Wood's movies. The spaceman in the movie looks like his face is a ceramic of some sort but where's a space helmet, has the body like a homosapien. Some of sounds used in the movie are quite annoying, especially the one coming from the spaceship. This was also another movie emphasizing on the number 17, which I have found in a lot of other movies over the years.
Oklahoma earthquake 5.6
So yeah, earthquake, wow! That was quite an adventure. I was sitting in my computer chair and online when it happened. The chair actually rocked back and forth a bit and there was quite the shake going on. I could hear my daughter in her room totally freaking out and I just sat here with a shit eating grin on my face for the 15 seconds that occurred. It was quite the experience to say the least. It is so crazy that living in California I never felt a quake, and yet here I am in Oklahoma and there has been 2 in less than 24 hours. They can't count this one that happened around 11pm as an aftershock because it was bigger than the one that happened when I was asleep last night around 2am. That one was only 4.7, and this one earlier was 5.6. It was hilarious seeing people I know from Tulsa on FB freaking out, lol. But people I know from the internet said that they felt it in Arkansas and even someone, who lives near Dallas too.
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