Bond at your service...

Tomorrow will begin my marathon of James Bond posting and just wanted to add there will be a daily quote each and every day from the Bond film series.  I will begin with this quote from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) where several bad guys take turns trying to kill Bond (Roger Moore) and Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach):

"You ever get the feeling that somebody doesn't like you?" - James Bond

31 Days Of Horror: Day 30 (ALIENS - 1986)

Terrific sequel that is the perfect follow-up to Ridley Scott's 1979 original Alien. This time James Cameron (The Terminator) takes over and creates one of the best films ever made. Set 57 years after the events of the first film, sole survivor Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver's best performance ever) is picked up floating adrift in space in suspended animation. She is taken back to Earth and has to explain what happened to her crew-mates and the very expensive ship that she blew up. Of course no one believes her story of an alien that killed her mates and almost got her too. And the planet where they picked up the creature is now populated by engineers and their families. But suddenly when all communication is lost, a team of US Colonial Marines are dispatched to investigate. Ripley reluctantly goes along as an advisor. The setup is perfect and soon the marines are under full assault by a planet full of aliens. There is only one survivor there on the planet, a little girl named Newt, who quickly bonds with Ripley. The action scenes are impressive, some of the best you will ever see. With a strong cast alongside Weaver that includes Michael Biehn as Corporal Hicks, Bill Paxton as the hilarious Hudson, Lance Henriksen as the android Bishop, Paul Reiser as slimy company man Drake, and of course Jenette Goldstein as Vasquez. Director James Cameron manages to top the original Alien with this well crafted story driven sci-fi action/horror film. One of my favorite films of all time.




Ripley ready to squash some bugs
 

Looks like we will be staying awhile after all..
 

Vasquez and Hudson..."Game over man..game over!"

James Bond hits Hero Worship in November

For the entire month of November, it will be all about one superspy from England. Yep, James Bond 007 will grace Hero Worship in November. Now Classic Film and TV Cafe just recently wrapped up their in depth breakdown of every Bond film made so far. Wonderfully written by Sarkoffagus. And he pretty much hit on everything with some well written articles. So I will be doing lists of different categories, such as favorite Bonds, favorite songs, favorite girls, favorite villians and so forth. And I will rank all the bond films from my favorite to least favorite. So expect adventure, stunning locations, beautiful women, and the dapper Bond all month long. Please do stop by to visit.

Dahmer

Okay so one of my favourite films that I'm going to recommend is one that is not traditional horror, the real life story behind it is one of the greatest horrors of American history, however due to my sick warped mind, I find this film to oooze melancholy and to be a real thing of beauty.  See that's the thing about horror, the sheer psychological torture that often frequents the genre can be one of the most stunning and purest forms of film making.  Dahmer is the perfect example of this.

Visually this film is stunning!  Director David Jacobson did one hell of a job directing this film, and with Jeremy Renner playing Jeffrey Dahmer, you have sheer perfection.  Jeremy Renner is one of my all time favourite actors and easily one of the best working in the industry today.  I've been in love with him since 1995 when I first saw him in National Lampoon's Senior Trip....a completely ridiculous movie but one that made it impossible for it not to be love at first sight the moment I saw him.  It wasn't until Dahmer though I believe he truly hit his stride.

With the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, Jacobson could have went down the route of providing a gross-out fest, focusing on Dahmer's experimentation with cannibalism where he ate the thigh of one of his victims.  He could have went more down the line of The Secret Life of Jeffrey Dahmer, released in 1992, a film that focused on as many grizzly features as possible and was basically made to shock.  And it did shock...in the fact that it was so bloody awful!  David Jacobson's Dahmer however focuses on the mind of Jeffrey Dahmer, an incredibly tortured and broken soul.  The tag line for the movie is one of my all time favourite quotes - "The Mind is a Place of its Own."  Such a truer statement I've never heard.  We all have our own personal demons and struggles and what David Jacobson did with Dahmer was show how much like the rest of us he actually was.  And that's what makes this movie all the more horrifying.  I think it was a huge risk on Jacobson's part because let's face it....showing to the world how we could relate to parts of one of the most notorious serial killers of all time...it's not the kind of thing that many like to consider.

Personally I can relate to the loneliness that Dahmer felt, that feeling of wanting someone to stay with you forever, and the fear of them leaving and what you would do to keep them.  The film also deals with that feeling of not being able to talk to family, and to having little friends.  I am in no way condoning the things that Dahmer did, but neither do I condone the sentence he was given by the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin.  He tried to create a zombie so they wouldn't leave him....I'm sorry but in no way, shape, or form does that represent a sane person.  And leaving him alone in prison, being as vulnerable as he was, that was a set up.  No doubt about it.

The structure of the movie was done where we see parts of Jeff's life in a three part time line.  We have Jeff in the present day (which would have been 1991) and then during the few years prior when he was drugging and raping men in the bath houses...although for the movie it has been changed to a gay bar.  The third part of the timeline, and most definitely my favourite, it is set in 1978 when Dahmer was 18 years old and killed his first victim Steven Hicks...renamed for the film as Lance Bell.  It was in this part that we saw Jeff in his desperate attempt to have someone never leave him.  The film ends after Jeff has killed Lance and despite his Dad's attempt to get him to see a psychiatrist for his drinking problem, he walks away.  The scene in which Jeff is walking through the forest to one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, Blue Theme by Siren Music Productions.  Three wonderfully talented women who create the most gorgeous and haunting music and did the whole score for the movie.

 I am not going to give anything more about the movie, all I am going to say is that it is the performance of a lifetime by Jeremy Renner.  It is one of my all time most favourite movies, and most watched.  I love it and can't recommend it enough.  :)

31 Days of Horror: Day 24 (FEAST - 2006)

This is what I'm talking about. Horrorfest with lots of gore, gruesome deaths, and some colorful humor. About patrons at a bar in the middle of nowhere who are beseiged by some vicious flesh eating creatures. And not your typical horror flick because no one is safe from being killed. Oh, and Krista Allen is hardcore. "Choke on it!" As she tells one of the creatures as she rams her fist down it's throat. Hell yeah!



Krista is having a really bad day....

One of the creatures being unfriendly with a patron...

31 Days Of Horror: Day 23 (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - 1996)

Kick ass action/vampire flick with two hardcore killers who are brothers (Clooney, Tarantino) on the run and headed for the border to Mexico. They kidnap a family driving cross country in a mobile home (Keitel, Juliette Lewis) and head to the rendezvous point in Mexico called The Titty Twister. But they find trouble there as the place is actually a haven for vampires led by queen Santanico Pandemonium (Hayek). All hell breaks loose and the bloodbath is on. This film is way cool from the sensational opening scene at a gas station which turns into a shootout to the very end where the last survivors wage war against the vampires. The cast is top notch especially George Clooney, who is bad ass as Seth. Lewis and Keitel are also very good too. And great supporting turns from Fred Williamson and Tom Savini. I thought this was one very cool movie. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Carlos: So, what, were they psychos, or...
Seth: Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don't give a fuck how crazy they are!


The brothers in a spot of trouble...

31 Days Of Horror: Day 21 (HIGH TENSION - 2003)

High Tension is a cool French horror movie from 2003, that is effectively creepy and gory as hell. The story has two college friends Alexia and Marie going to visit Alexia's family in the quiet countryside for the weekend. Alexia and Marie are best friends and have a bond that's quite strong. Once they arrive at the house and introductions are made, things settle down. But when a mysterious stranger shows up in the middle of the night, all hell breaks loose. Marie is waken by the ruckus and quickly tries to avoid detection by the killer. Marie is played by Cecile De France is she is positively riveting in this role. Starting off panicky she realizes she has to stand up and save Alexia, who the stranger has kidnapped. This soon becomes a cat and mouse movie, with Marie trying her best to save her friend. High Tension is not your typical horror movie. You will have to actually think about it as you watch it. And I won't spoil the ending..let's just say it's different. Of course the gore and blood factor are quite high. I believe the makers of the Saw films checked out Tension and took some crib notes. Things get kinda nasty in Tension that will please all horror fans. And as I said before De France makes this movie. Her central performance is key to the whole film. If she couldn't have pulled it off, I don't think Tension would have worked as well as it did. A good scare of a movie for Halloween. Highly recommended. And as a side note, I know some people complain of the logic and flaws of this movie, which I will agree on as well to a point. But this is still one hell of a ride.

Marie and Alexia enjoy a nice ride thru the countryside before
things turn deadly....

Marie playing hide and seek with the killer...

Marie trying to save Alexia...

Marie is pushed to her breaking point...

31 Days Of Horror: Day 18 (BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA - 1992)

This version of Dracula oozes with sex and violence. Top notch production with solid acting from the entire cast especially Anthony Hopkins as Van Hesling and Sadie Frost as Lucy. Gary Oldman is terrific too in this version of Dracula. A bombastic music score helps immeasurably with this solid horror film helmed surprisingly by Francis ford Coppola. Co-starring Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Waits.

Van Helsing: "Mr. Morris, your bullets will not harm him. He must be beheaded. I suggest that you use your big Bowie knife".

Morris: "Well, I wasn't planning on getting that close, Doc".

Happy Birthday Margot Kidder!

Happy Birthday to actress Margot Kidder who played Lois Lane in the Superman films with Christopher Reeve. Also starred in such 70's horror flicks like Black Christmas, The Amityville Horror, and Sisters. Happy Birthday Margot!

31 Days Of Horror: Day 17 (THE WALKING DEAD)

Last year, The Walking Dead made it's TV debut. Based on the popular comic book series, the show was an immeidate smash hit. Following the story of a group of survivors who try to survive a zombie apocalpyse led by former police officer Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln). Taking a page from 28 Days Later, Rick was actually in a coma while the world went to hell. When he woke up, he couldn't another living soul, just a lot of corpses and then some walkers. Zombies in this series are called walkers. Rick is determined to find his wife and son no matter what. So the series shows him making his way back to them and other strangers and then trying to survive this nightmare. This is one awesome series with lots of gore and action, but also some wonderful storytelling. Season 2 just kicked off last night, just in time for Halloween.

Happy Birthday Roger Moore!

Happy Birthday to James Bond actor Roger Moore who turns 84 today. Moore took Bond into a more light-hearted direction and it worked quite successfully to the tune of seven consecutive 007 flicks. He took over from Sean Connery in 1971 with Live and Let Die and retired from the world of espionage in 1985 with A View To A Kill. Moore actually tested the spy waters in the 60's tv series The Saint. As Connery's replacement, he was actually three years younger. But he still brought a youthful edge to the superspy. Happy Birthday Roger!

31 Days Of Horror: Day 13 (28 WEEKS LATER - 2007)

To be honest I wasn't a fan of the original, but the sequel is in my opinion way better. It starts 6 months after the events in the first movie as the US Army has started to bring people back home with the infection seemingly having died out. But all it takes is one infected person and the crisis begins again. Once again a strong story is at the forefront with Rose Byrne as an Army medical doctor trying to find a cure; Robert Carlyle as a dad dealing with personal demons when he couldn't save his wife when the first epidemic hit, and Jeremy Renner as a lethal sharpshooter who I think is the best character in the movie. Of course there are several kick ass scenes involving attacking zombies. The showstopper is a helicopter making mincemeat of about 70 or 80 zombies. Very cool. For me the sequel works better than the orginal. And if you liked the original then you will probably like this one also.

SCREAM 4 is better than it should be and makes a great movie for Halloween

Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson dust off their horror series with a brand new Scream for the first time in over 10 years. Some of the survivors from the original trilogy are back like Sidney Prescott (a still solid Neve Campbell); Dewey, who is now sheriff of Woodsboro (David Arquette) and Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox, who can still can do the bitch thing quite effectively). Sidney is now an accomplished writer who is on a book tour that has a stop in her hometown of Woodsboro and decides to meet her aunt and niece. Of course a new killer springs up and it's deja vu all over again. Now every opening of a Scream film has a great intro and killing scene and this one has a doozy. Kind of a multiple scenario if you will. And then the action shifts back to the local high school where Sidney's niece attends. She is played by Emma Roberts (Julia Robert's real life niece). And for awhile things seem like they might get too jokey. But once things settle down, this sequel finds it's groove and never lets up. The killings are brutal and efficient and the killer(s) show quite a bit of imagination. The cast is loaded with such actors like Anna Paquin, Hayden Panetterie, Kristen Bell, Anthony Anderson, Marley Shelton, and Mary McDonnell who are all excellent especially Panetterie as a sexy girl who can hang with the geeks when it comes to horror movie trivia. The returning vets are all good once again as they know their roles backwards. Scream 4 is a pleasant surprise being better than I thought it would be. The finale with the killer exposed is a nice twist that I for one did not see coming. And the battle to the death between Sidney and the killer is awesome.
B

31 Days Of Horror: Day 11 (THE HOWLING - 1981)

Along with An American Werewolf in London, this film set a new standard in werwolf effects. In The Howling, news reporter Karen White (played by Dee Wallace) helping the police trap psychopath Eddie Quist (played by Robert Picardo). Karen's confrontation with Eddie causes her to have selective amnesia and admits herself to this posh recovery resort ran by Dr. Waggner (Patrick Steed). Little does Karen know, this place is a haven for werewolves. And she realizes she has to let the world know they exist. But surviving the night is her first step. Wicked horror movie that has some amazing werewolf transformation scenes and also some black humor. Followed by several inferior sequels. Stick with the original. It's by far the best. And does it not have one of the coolest movie posters ever? Hell yeah!

31 Days Of Horror: Day 10 (My Top 5 Favorite Buffy Episodes - Season1)

I am a huge Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan. The tv series with Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's one of my favorite shows of all time. Gellar was excellent as Buffy, always ready with a quip when taking down some vampires. Great stories by Joss Whedon and his stable of writers. A terrific supporting cast. Can't really find fault with anything about this series. So here is my list of my favorite episodes from Season 1. I will do lists for the following seasons as well over the next few months.


5.) WITCH (Episode 3) - Buffy tries to get back into the normal flow of things by trying out for cheerleading. But she soons learns that competition to become a cheerleader is nearly as dangerous as battling vampires. Especially when one competitor named Amy, dabbles in witchcraft, to make sure other girls meet with accidents while trying out. A good and humourous early episode.

4.) WELCOME TO THE HELLMOUTH (Episode 1) - First episode lays the groundwork for the series and while some things don't work that good yet such as Xander being kind of annoying at first. But once Buffy encounters vampires who are using school grounds to feed on kids, this episode comes alive. Her first confrontation with Darla is quite funny, but her fight with Luke (a hulking vampire) is both scary and intense. This all sets the stage for the Master, a vampire who is prone to crack wise while munching down on a hapless victim. The series would fine tune itself the rest of the season and be on point by the year's finale.

3.) THE HARVEST (Episode 2) - The Master is readying himself for his ascension and uses Luke as his vessel to collect souls for him. Xander's best friend Jesse gets captured and is turned into a vampire. Giles gives the Scooby gang a history lesson on The Master and his plans of ascension. A very good episode that improves on the first episode, Welcome to the Hellmouth.

2.) ANGEL (Episode 7) - This is the one where Buffy learns Angel is a vampire. Totally blind-sides her too. Giles digs up the full history on Angel, and finds that he use to be the ruthless vampire Angelus before gaining his soul back. This is top notch TV right here folks. One of the best Buffy episodes ever.

1.) PROPHECY GIRL (Episode 12) - In the season finale Giles learns that Buffy will meet the Master and die. Buffy doesn't take that news well and tries to avoid a confrontation. But she will eventually battle him in a no holds barred fight. By far the best episode of the first season of Buffy. And things would only get  better in season 2.

31 Days of Horror: Day 9 (SHAUN OF THE DEAD - 2004)

Excellent horror comedy that hits the mark. Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed (Nick Frost)are room-mates in England and are just coasting through life. Shaun has a girlfriend named Liz (Kate Ashfield) who wants more from him. Then one day people start turning into zombies and Shaun becomes the reluctant leader. The laughs are plenty as are the thrills. It can get very gory but still fun. I laughed my ass off and it's one of my favorites now. Highly recommened. Oh plus it has Bill Nighy as Phillip, his step-dad. Cool!

Shaun: I don't think I've got it in me to shoot my mum, roommate, and girlfriend all in one day...



This so does not look good...

Shaun and his friends trying to blend in....

Shaun and his weapon of choice..

Lianne Spiderbaby Meets Elvira at San Diego Comic-Con!

Elvira fans ahoy, please check out the Fright Bytes episode where my beautiful girlfriend Lianne Spiderbaby meets the lovely gorgeous Miss Elvira herself! <3

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

Okay it's actually rather shocking that until just then, I had never seen this movie before!  Shame on me I agree.  If you too have never had the chance to view this belter of a film, I advise that you do so a.s.a.p.  Cassandra Peterson as Elvira is an absolute hoot!  When people think of Elvira, the first thing they think is her awesome boobies and her fabulous goth look and massive hair!  What they might not also think of, is the fact that she is absolutely hysterical!  Elvira is the kind of chick that both girls and boys alike can't help but fall in love with.  Girls want to be her...hell, I have even given myself my own Elvira/Vampira style nickname...Jenpira, bwahahaha!  Must be something to do with the excessive boobage, something the three of us have in common, haha.  Boys...well, boys will be boys, haha.  

On the whole though, I think what makes Elvira so appealing to such a large generation is the fact that she is just so god damn likable!  Watching her I just can't get enough of her.  She lights up the screen every single moment that she is on it.  When all the townsfolk are against her, treating her as a complete harlot, all I can think to myself is, awwww, she's just so god damn cute...how can you not love her?!! :)

The film is awesome...so much fun.  And I do totally wanna watch it again right now!  If you have not seen it yet then I totally advise looking it out and definitely this movie is worth buying!  I am so glad that I now own it! :)  For all the hilarity please do check out the trailer below, trust me, it's an absolute hoot! :D

31 Days of Horror: Day 6 (SEVEN - 1995)

Top notch serial killer movie that I like just as much as Silence of the Lambs. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are two detectives on the trail of a vicious killer named John Doe, who is using the seven deadly sins to dispatch his victims.  An uncredited known actor is supremely creepy as John Doe and makes an effective foil for our dynamic duo. Freeman is top notch as the veteran detective who is burnt out by all the violence in the world. Pitt is gung ho as his eager new partner. Gwyneth Paltrow is effective as Pitt's wife. And R. Lee Emery is great as the duo's captain. A great film that I have seen several times.
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David Mills: You're no messiah. You're a movie of the week. You're a fucking t-shirt, at best

Happy Birthday Kate Winslet!

I almost missed Kate's birthday, but thanks to my friend Irene, here is my birthday post for Kate. She is one of my favorite modern actresses and some of my favorite films of hers include: The Holiday, Heavenly Creatures, Sense and Sensibility and of course Titanic. Plus I enjoyed her recently in HBO's Mildred Pierce remake. Happy Birthday Kate!

31 Days Of Horror: DAY 5 - THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987)

The gang's all  here.....

Just watched this film because it was finally released on DVD. 20 years later and one of my childhood favorites from the 80's is still awesome. A group of small kids in a small town dub themselves The Monster Squad and must take on some very real monsters including Dracula, The Wolfman, and the Mummy. Lucky for them Frankenstein's Monster is on their side. Loaded with great makeup effects and lots of humor and an action-packed last half hour, Monster Squad is a winner.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Rudy: Where the hell am I supposed to find silver bullets? K-Mart?