Lines and Loathing at New York Comic Con Pt 1

Well, as was promised last time, last week's entry was cut off for a reason.  This past weekend saw New York Comic Con come and go.  In a show of good faith, and to make up for the fact I split this week's entry (Thursday and Friday will come attached to next week's entry, for the record) I have promised a writeup of my experience with the con.

So here it is.  I will say this year was a mixed experience.  Many of the events were good (those will be discussed first) but there were some problems which will be discussed in passing and elaborated on in the next two parts.

That said, let's start from Part 1:

PART THE FIRST - FRIDAYor
Everything Is Better With Giant Monsters

...you know, sometimes these just kind of explain themselves.  I can't be cheeky all the time.

Well, to start with, rather glad heeded the advice was given last time.  Rather than showing up right at the start, we waited a bit for the initial rush to die down. 

The line was still daunting, but not nearly as bad as it had been last year, so there was some relief there.

For the first part, there weren't any events were immediately gunning for, so simply explored the show floor. 

Where Bandai had this camped out front to greet people.  Gotta say, pretty damn nice sight to enter to.

The spread this year had some pretty interesting features - Marvel actually arranged an interesting promotion for their Marvel Online game.  On signing up for the beta, each guest was given two cards.  From there,
they could take part in several other Marvel-related promotions throughout the con and receive more of the cards as a result.  On completion of all twelve, they were offered a bonus chance to be rendered in a Marvel style.  Admittedly, didn't run the full spread, but thought it was a pretty cool idea for encouraging fans to sample a little of everything Marvel had to offer on the show floor. 

Yeah, they're not Marvel, but for lack of a better bridge to the Marvel Online stuff, I'll take this bridge.

Another major standout going to the Lego booth, who are embracing their Lord of the Rings tie-in with a vengeance.  Alongside videos promoting the upcoming Lego LotR videogame (including a pretty amusing segment of Frodo screwing around with the ring to Samwise's annoyance) and large-size Lego statues of Bilbo and Gandalf on display.  Of course, they also still gave due coverage to their tie-ins with Star Wars and DC Superheroes as well.  Their entire section was fun even just to look at.

The more I think about this one, the more I feel bad for whoever built these, since eventually they will likely have to be taken apart again.

After some exploring we made our first stop of the day, getting an autograph from Stan Lee's table (itself a gift my girlfriend got for someone else.)  While the pricing was a bit steep, this was actually one of the better handled events saw over the weekend.  Getting the tickets in advance and then letting each person know a time to come back really helped keep things running smoothly.  That said, the signing itself was somewhat rushed...though admittedly I can somewhat understand why - I mean, Lee had a pacemaker put in recently, so I can see why he wouldn't be full-steam.  Though his handlers were a bit brusque all things considered.  Still, was one of the better handled events of the weekend, but that will be gone into later.

Alongside the publicity shots like this, they actually had the suits themselves in glass.  Looks very promising.

In one last highlight of the show floor, we swung by Legendary Studios booth - which had a nice display of some of their previous films as well as some looks at items from their upcoming Pacific Rim.  The highlight of these being two of the pilot suits on display - themselves a nice mix of a sleeker modern design and an older, more classic look.  That said, I'll be coming back to Pacific Rim later, as it ties into one of the highlights of Friday.

From here, went down to Artist's Alley to catch up with a few artists (in my particular case, Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy.)  There was some initial issues with George Perez owing to tickets and a lot of people bailing from lines, but largely, this experience went pretty smoothly.  The artists were all pretty friendly (and to our surprise, Mignola showed up early.)  So some initial frustration aside, this part was pretty nicely handled.

After missing Mignola last year, this was one of the highlights for me this time.

Additionally, was interesting to have him indirectly confirm why I'd been unable to find a one-off he'd written since it has been out of print.
(...seriously, if you get the chance, look up The Doom That Came to Gotham - Mignola runs Batman through a Lovecraft filter and it is glorious.)

From there, checked out the promotional spot for the upcoming multi-platform game Aliens: Colonial Marines.  Said game taking itself from where James Cameron's sequel left off.  While I admit I'm kind of behind on more recent gaming, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by where this one could be going.  The 'get your picture taken in a power loader fighting a xenomorph' promotion certainly didn't hurt things either.

As my girlfriend decides to put Giger's anatomical design to the test and nail the bastard in the nether-regions.

The next encounter...admittedly I didn't get the full blast of this compared to my girlfriend - the autograph pit.  Yeah, that's not the best name for it, but Hell with it, with the organization there, that was about as good as it's gonna get.  In this case, she went for the Carrie Fisher line.  Now, I was interested initially as well, even with the $60 charge (contracts, they are a bitch) but seeing that line just...I'll be honest, even as a congoer, I have my limits on crowds.  She had already paid for a spot in line, so she decided to stick it out (and more power to her for that) meanwhile, I went ahead to secure a seat at the panel we were really gunning for on Friday (will get to that in due time.)

Anyway, at the suggestion of the staff themselves, I wound up scoping out a spot for said panel by checking out the panel they had running before it.  Turns out, it was actually pretty interesting.  It was a presentation for a group called 4th Wall Studios.  They're a production company based on internet-based television.  It's pretty surprising to realize how much the production quality on internet television has gone up in recent years.  In particular, living up to their names, this site is taking steps to up the interactivity that web-television allows, in particular through use of other devices to add to the experience, such as calls or texts onto your cellphone at certain points in the programming to give insights that wouldn't be as broadcasted otherwise.  Further surprising is the range of shows they're looking at trying to apply these and other developments to - things ranging from comedies (Dirty Work, a currently running series about a team of crime scene cleaners) to horror (Dark Wall, an anthology series inviting different writers and directors to bring their style to each new storyline) to sci-fi (Flare, a series exploring a world where the sky has gone dark and power has gone out...for the record, they were apparently working on this before the series Revolution was announced and that was something of a setback, but they're keeping with it) to even animation (Airship Dracula, a steampunk readaptation of the original Stoker story featuring Alan Tudyk.)  Having never heard of this company before, I'm intrigued enough to look into more of their works in the next few days.

...and now we come to the big one I'd been waiting for - Legendary Comics. 

...and yeah, this partially gives away the main highlight of the panel now, but still read the first two parts of this one - they still sound pretty damn cool.

 Why was this one a highlight?  Because this company is an off-shoot of the movie production company Legendary Studios - and in large part, the panel was tied in to promoting their major film for next year. 

But first, we got to learn about what they were working on as straight-up comics went - including debuting a new series over the weekend entitled The Tower Chronicles.  The series, involving a supernatural bounty hunter, seems to have enough ambition going into it that, despite the premise feeling a little cliched, I'm curious enough to give it a look. 

From there, they introduced their second most prominent announcement of the panel - the newest comic by acclaimed writer Grant Morrison.  I have to say, from what they described, it sounds interesting.  In a nutshell, the new title 'Annihilator' (named for the 'Great Annihilator' black hole at the center of the galaxy) follows a down-on-his luck writer who's been contracted to work on a script for what will be a major tentpole blockbuster.  Said blockbuster, called 'Annihilator' itself is an update of an old pulp antihero character (within universe.)  As the pressure mounts (Morrison mentioned deadlines of various sorts as a theme in this work,) the desperate writer makes a deal with the Devil - the terms of the deal, however, result in said antihero being brought from the page into reality...and into the writer's life.  It sounds like Morrison's penchant for the meta is taking a very interesting turn on this one, and I'm rather curious to see how it turns out.

...and from there came the moment many were waiting for - in promotion for next year's Pacific Rim, Legendary's panel brought out acclaimed director Guillermo Del Toro.  Prior to actually discussing anything, Del Toro offered the audiences good news and bad news:

The bad news - it was recommended to him not to replay the PR teaser trailer that had been shown at San Diego Comic Con over the summer.
The good news - in his own words: "I don't give a fuck!"

...suffice it to say, he played it for us anyway...and damn, I try not to get too psyched for trailers too often, but this one...OK, I am pretty damn excited.  Most of the cast all turned up in varying capacities, and more importantly we got to see the film's monstrous Kaiju and giant robot Jaegers in action.  The designs and the directing in their action were impressive, and I can only imagine what they'll be like on the big screen.  From there, Del Toro discussed the project, which lead to many interesting insights - for one, the man's enthusiasm and passion for this project is infectious.  I mean, even outside of the trailer itself, I found myself getting more excited just hearing him discuss the project and the amount of effort put into it - one of the highlights was showing us a few pages from his notebooks...while the image isn't as clear as it could be, the amount of detail this man has put in his jaw-dropping (he jokingly compared them to John Doe's notebooks in 'Se7en'.) 

Additional trivia - while it doesn't show clearly here, it's all in Spanish to boot.  To be expected, but still...just one of those cool bits of info.

In particular, this feels like a labor of love, both from the way he talks of it (he described part of the project as wanting to bring back a more romantic feel to and an adventure movie, not wanting the film to look sleek or overly futuristic.  In fact, one of the major influences they wound up turning to in designing the film's feel was World War II (properly reflected in a promotional poster they handed out at the con in the style of a WWII propaganda poster.) 

I do feel kind of bad for missing when they were handing these out though.  The main teaser poster is nice, but I REALLY like this one.

From there, they discussed in part why this ties into the comics branch of Legendary - they were also announcing a set of comics that would tie in with the film's release.  Del Toro, a fan of transmedia approaches sees this as a way to add to the already immersive world feel they're trying for within the movie itself.  In terms of specific details, they've announced at least three stories from three writers, including exploring just what prompted this universe to turn to humanoid robots as means to fight the Kaiju.  Further to this end, the artists working on the comics are being given direct access to the film as it goes so everything will keep a consistent visual style.  At this point, the floor was opened up to q&a (not surprisingly, the questions were all for Del Toro.)  Among these, the highlights were with regards to if there are plans for future movies (as it stands, they are designing the world so more stories could occur within it, so while nothing is planned, they won't say no to it), the decision to convert to 3D (despite his initial reservations, Del Toro did come around on this, in his own words doing "a full Romney" on seeing the results of it.)  Additionally, there was discussion on the Kaiju design, which Del Toro encouraged creativity on, but also set two restrictions - nothing overly referential (as he put it, they wanted it to be a movie by fans, but not a fan movie) and they had to look somewhat believable as real animals.

At that point, the panel ended - though despite everyone else leaving, Del Toro was an awesome sport and stuck around to sign things and look at art from congoers until he was told again they had to go.  Even then, he still insisted on at least finishing signing the things that had been handed to him.

Suffice it to say, of the con in general, Del Toro was probably the highlight - not just because of the work he's done, but because he was a genuinely great guest: outgoing, enthusiastic, and more than happy to be talking with fans about shared loves.  VERY worth seeing in person if you ever get the chance.

Seriously, I would love to shoot the proverbial shit with this guy some time...

 

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2 - COMING SOON

Halloween Week 1.5

OK, as I explained last time, there's a reason this one's a .5   The remaining half will be added to next week's entry with bonus.  I'd say I can imagine your disappointment on this matter, but I might be lying on your behalf then.  So, to avoid such a potential mixup, I'll simply ask that you bear with me until next week when we get this all balanced out again.

Now then...back to work

See, THIS is how I plan to tell my children the story of Frosty the Snowman.
...of course, in light of this, they may not be my children for much longer, but it would SO be worth it!

10/6 Sauna

This is the reason why I always leave part of the list to the suggestion box.  It's because this is how I get introduced to stuff I otherwise would not have heard of or even thought to look up.  In this case, I was pretty surprised with the payoff.

Let me start by saying this now, if you're looking for just a light bit of a scare story, then you may want to pass on this one.  Not cause it's bad, because that's not the case, mind you.  It's because this is actually a pretty damn dark movie in terms of its subject matter.  In a way, part of me keeps wanting to compare it to The Devil's Backbone - in both cases, it's a piece set in a period of history where the film's more horror-based elements are used to frame some much darker issues than straightforward supernatural elements.  In this case, however, the ghosts aren't that harmless, or that simple to explain.  Much of this film, like TDB explores the idea of what war does to people - in this case, it's in a much more direct light, as the film's protagonists, Eerik and Knut (Ville Virtanen and Tommi Eronen respectively) both have changed greatly from their time in combat.  In particular in the case of the former: where Knut largely had his ideals destroyed, Eerik as we first see him seems almost inhuman in his casual nature towards those he's had to kill.  In this case, however, the horror that starts with what they've become quickly turns as they find themselves haunted in various ways by their actions, all guiding to a curious sauna in the middle of a swamp.  Fun fact of the day: In Finnish culture, the sauna is believed to be capable of washing away one's sins.  See?  You can learn things here...not that often, but it can happen!  Whether or not they truly gain redemption is not only for you to find out, but also decide as well.  In the meantime, this is a rather curious film about facing up to one's past sins and the horrors war does both externally and internally.  It's a pretty dark film in this regard, and one that will leave you wondering just what to make of its finale, so if that sounds like it will be up your alley, by all means give it a watch.  Just be sure to know what you're in for on this one, since, while not particularly brutal, it really is a film that works more on a slower burn.

Coming up next on 'The Frugal Surgeon'...

10/7 - Sisters

Looking at this film on paper, it feels like something that could go wrong on several levels - a story involving the twin dynamic, homages to Hitchcock, and the second half's twist are the kinds of elements that we have all seen done in varying degrees and with varying levels of success often over the years.  Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see Brian De Palma actually manage to take these often overused elements and do them well.  In particular the Hitchcock element, as this film is clearly made by a director who understood what made the man's movies work.  It also helped that, as a bonus, De Palma got Hitchcock regular Bernard Herrmann to compose the score of the movie.  Though even without that score (that certainly does help, don't get me wrong) the film manages to carry its plot and scenes in many of the similar ways.  Additionally, while the twins angle is a part of the story, much of the film explores it from other angles - much of the first half is a murder investigation, driven by a reporter (Jennifer Salt) who suspects the police are sweeping it aside due to a racial angle.  As she tries to get to the bottom of the case, she unearths something that, prior to this, we only have a passing hint of.  Said investigation itself again pulls a tricky balancing act, in that it's one of those stories that makes you think you have it figured out, only to pull another surprise out.  Surprises that, thankfully, actually still work within the overall narrative.  Alongside Salt, the other main standout in the cast is Margot Kidder as the movie's prime suspect.  As someone who mainly knew her through the Superman movies and the 1970s version of The Amityville Horror, her role in this film was surprising - a mix of demure and violent that I would not have previously expected of her.  It was a standout role in that regard and between the two leads, the film's acting carries well.  It's kind of a shame De Palma hasn't really been able to recapture this sort of stylistic thriller since then, really.  Especially as, even outside of the homage, his style adds several nice touches (including a couple of scenes that make great use of dual-camera to capture a full scene without throwing the pace by cutting back and forth.)  Hopefully De Palma does eventually recapture this part of his style.  Would be nice to see if he's still got another in him like this.

Tonight on an all new 'I Drink Your Blood', wackiness ensues when Pete decides to prank the new neighbors by giving them all rabies!  It'll be a bloody good time tonight at 8 on the Third Row Network
(...watch now, cause the FCC will shut the network down before the first commercial break.)

10/8 - I Drink Your Blood

I was intrigued by this film even before watching it.  This was largely due to its dual role in film history - first and more notably as one of the more infamous films subjected to censorship in the 60s and 70s (this film may make a serious bid for having the most edits made of it.)  The other role, somewhat lesser, is in the film's reflection of how the Manson family pretty soundly drove the last nail into the casket for the hippie movement.  In this case, the film's director has even admitted they were an inspiration on the film's Satanist hippies.  That said, the film also proves an interesting entry into the 'revenge' genre of horror films that were pretty prominent in the 60s and 70s as well.  In this case, it actually makes for a bit more of a creative form of revenge than many of the others - to be expected when the main perpetrator is a young boy.  Said revenge, rather than being the main plot of the film, becomes the catalyst for the greater threat.  A few spiked meat pies later and the film finds itself the epicenter of a rabies outbreak that makes up the bulk of the movie.  It's a nice way to shift the tone, even if it doesn't necessarily always carry itself as well.  Appropriately, I found myself reminded of Cronenberg's 'Rabid' at times.  Some interesting ideas and some segments of the film are well executed on their own, but the overall film is a mix of ups and downs.  The buildup of the first half is well done, but once the outbreak is in full swing, the second half feels somewhat uneven, with some parts unfortunately just lacking the shock they seemed to be trying for.  To their credit, the actors make a good effort of the story all the same, even when some of them are supposed to be ravenous maniacs.  If nothing else, the movie is still worth the watch if you have any interest in film history for the reasons listed above.  Though it certainly does have its benefits beyond just those, as outlined above.  A fascinating time capsule of horror, as it were.

Pictured: Exhibit A

Now, before we continue, I would like to make a curious side observation about one of the actors in this - one Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury, the actor who plays cult leader Horace Bones.  Maybe this is just me, but I can't help but look at him and see and hear a curious resemblance to infamous actor/director Tommy Wiseau.  Now, they say he was crippled in the 1970s and died in 2003...but given some of the other theories about Wiseau, would this really be that out there?

For the record - I am fully in favor of this as a means of decorating for Halloween.
...it should also be worth noting that this is probably why the neighbors have restraining orders filed against me

10/9 - Trick 'R Treat

The horror anthology is one of those ideas I've always felt was somewhat underutilized in film.  Sometimes, brevity is a plus, and there are some horror films that have enough story to make a great shorter film but fumble when it comes to actually making enough material to cover a feature.  With no idea what to expect of this movie when I started watching it, I was very happy to see it really helped show the capabilities of what the anthology can do.  Additionally, was surprised to see this film, rather than using a framing method many other anthology films use, instead chose to have them flow into one another, with characters crossing into other stories as things run out of chronological order.  Made for a fun bonus in watching everything unfold.  That said, the individual storylines were all well-done as well, making a good blend of some creepy scares and some wonderfully dark humor (probably one of the best stories involving Dylan Baker as a Mr. Rogers-esque school principal moonlighting as a serial killer.)  Another interesting element to the film is how the stories all explore different elements of Halloween customs - the pranks, the parties, the original mythos that the holiday was founded on, these elements are all covered in the various stories.  Additionally, alongside Baker, the rest of the cast carry their stories along well, among them Anna Paquin as a girl looking to have her first time on Halloween night, Brian Cox as a recluse who finds the holiday coming for him whether he wants it or not, and several young actors in a story of a school prank that goes hideously awry.  It's a shame this movie got short-changed out of a theatrical release, really.  Writer/director Michael Dougherty and his cast had a very well put-together series of short, but effective horror tales that manage to be both creepy and funny as Hell.  So far, this is the one I'd say in particular is worth watching at Halloween - a good time and really helps capture the feel for the holiday.

German Expressionist Architecture
Efficient - Debatable
Safe - Good Lord, no
Stylish - Hell yes.

10/10 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

and so we round out this entry with a touch of the classic.  Robert Wiene's silent film is still considered one of the definitive classics of silent cinema, and one can see why on the rewatch.  The film has a very distinct personality amid silent films - between its extremely stylized sets (what you see above is one of the more sedate designs) and its mystery story whose ending leaves you questioning much of the film, the title has left a considerable mark. 

That said, it still holds up as an interesting story nowadays.  The style alone makes this one worth the watch, but the story itself is also a rather curious one.  Adding to the very abstract style of the film are the performances of the cast (which, in silent cinema, can run from being very good or just not aging well.)  In this case, the dreamlike nature of the story and its questions of reality and hallucination are added to by some of the performances, in particular Werner Krauss as the titular madman Caligari and Conrad Veidt as his sleepwalking accomplice Cesare.  This is one of those classics that had stood the test of the time, and if you have any sort of interest in the roots of horror cinema, you owe it to yourself to give this one a watch.
Additionally, like last year's Nosferatu, I have to say - if you're going to look this one up, show some discretion.  Its public domain status means there's a lot of different companies distributing versions of it of varied and sometimes disappointing quality.  For your best bet, look into the version distributed by Kino Entertainment.  The remaster they have for it, while still somewhat damaged at points, still looks in good condition for a movie of its age.

With that, yeah, we're coming up short for this week.  As promised, next week will pick up the slack, plus a report on goings on observed at New York Comic Con.

Keep an eye out for it!

It's That Time Again...

Well, with this we officially kick off this year's Octoberfest (...I've really got to find a better name for this in the future.  Suggestions are welcome!)

Featured here is one of the most common breeds of evil movie child, the evil British child.  Though featuring the eerie silence and unnerving stare of many other variations of evil child, the British breed is usually distinguished by the strangely dignified voice with which it either threatens you or tries to convince you it won't kill you.

10/1 - Village of the Damned

You know, it's interesting how this film's reputation compares with the actual finished product.  I mean, when you mention this title to people, the first thing evoked is usually the film's famous unearthly children that serve as its antagonists.  Surprisingly, however, the film doesn't focus on them nearly as much as its reputation would suggest.  They are still a key part of the film, don't get me wrong, but it also delves quite a bit into the circumstances of their arrival, among other things.  The children aren't even around until at least a third of the way into the 80 minute movie.  Much of the first section is focused around the phenomena that leads to their arrival - alongside the investigation at the start, there are also some surprisingly serious bits of exploring the fallout.  Most notable of these parts are the repercussions in the village of Midwich when all of the women become pregnant; as you can imagine, not everyone takes the news well.  Even after the children arrive, a large chunk of the story is devoted to the adults trying to ascertain what to do with them, particularly focusing on the conflict between the pragmatic Major Bernard (Michael Gwynn) and the idealistic Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders.)  Gordon's arc in particular helps carry much of the second half of the film as his views of the children become increasingly more conflicted by their own actions, building to the film's surprisingly tense climax.  However, this isn't to sell the children short, as the film still handles them well.  Specifically, the scenes in which they exert their will on others, between their acting and the directing, still have a surprising air of suspense to them as even the inevitable action feels more ominous than predictable.  All in all, for a film that tends to be viewed at large as just a classic 'evil children' horror film, this handles it subject matter with a surprising amount of thought and a good degree of tension to keep its story going.  If you're ever in the mood for a classic and haven't looked into this one, give it a shot - time has actually been surprisingly good to it.

Alas, this image is the only thing to survive from the infamous episode of The Muppet Show guest directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky.

10/2 - The Abominable Dr. Phibes

It took me this long to get to a Vincent Price title?  Wow.  Have to say though, this was a Hell of a way to welcome the guy to the festivities - vengeance from beyond the grave, Biblical curses, and some surprisingly good organ work all conspire to make this a pretty damn enjoyable piece of craziness.  This is especially entertaining since the story itself could have been rather down to earth - Vincent Price plays Anton Phibes, a well respected doctor with several degrees in several fields.  One night, his wife dies during a surgical procedure, his car crashes and so the two are believed dead.  Years later, the doctors who worked on the operation are now being murdered one by one in rather deliberate and elaborate deaths themed off of the ten plagues of Egypt - and the only suspect is a dead man...or is he?  The whole film makes for a pretty wild ride, with Price as a sort of bizarre mix of Phantom of the Opera and John Doe from Se7en in his quest to avenge his wife.  The entire plan calls for some elaborate murders that are, all things considered, fairly inventive, if a bit outlandish at times (the death by hail feels like something out of a James Bond movie.)  In the midst of this, the rest of the movie is focused on the investigation  that feels rather down to Earth, which just stands to make Phibes's insane world that much more memorable.  Probably one of the best touches within this setting, on comparing the two realms it plays in, is the fact the film never actively seems to try and condemn either side - the doctors (including Joseph Cotten as the head surgeon Phibes targets last) are all relatively normal people, and the film doesn't suggest the death was a result of carelessness or accident but rather sheer misfortune.  At the same time, despite the title, Phibes doesn't come across as a complete monster.  We certainly aren't exactly asked to take his side, but the film still takes time to show that for all of his wrath, this elaborate scheme is being done for his late wife rather than his own personal satisfaction.  Additionally, for a role where his appearance largely renders him unable to speak, and what dialogue he had was dubbed in after filming wrapped, Price still manages to make Phibes feel like a very signature character for his resume.  Admittedly, nowadays a lot of it feels somewhat over the top and silly, but that kind of adds to the fun in a way.  It may not necessarily scare you (though one scene involving rats may hit some if they have a phobia) but it's still a rather fun little revenge tale.

Passing up the temptation to Photoshop this into a 'Wish You Were Here'-style postcard was actually harder than I thought it would be.  Just so you all know.

10/3 - Sleepaway Camp

Now, anyone who's seen this is likely expecting some joke about the movie's infamous twist ending.  I considered one...more accurately, I considered several.  Then I realized honestly, let's keep it on the downlow, simply because knowing my luck, there would still be someone who didn't know the ending and I didn't want to be that jerk that spoiled it (I have a short list of standards, but there are some, thank you.)  That said, I have an odd relationship with this film - on the one hand, I think it may be one of the most riffable horror movies I have seen in years.  I mean, there's a lot I can say for elements of this movie in jest on many levels...and, admittedly, that's part of the fun of it for me.  At the same time, I can't bring myself to entirely call it a bad movie, even in the fun sense.  As a low-budget indy slasher of the early 80s, for all its faults, the film carries itself just on the line between earnestness and camp that I can't help but be won over by.  Additionally, the film actually does have some good for it - despite the afforementioned budget, the movie actually makes for some pretty damn impressive visual effects on the kills and the film's earlier mentioned twist ending manages to pull the rare feat of being incredibly hard to predict, yet actually making sense within the overall movie.  Actually, I will say this for said twist - this is one of those films where knowing the reveal doesn't really spoil things.  In fact, on rewatching it for this month, I actually found some moments actually feel even creepier thanks to that extra knowledge of things you don't have the first time around.  That said, outside of the twist, the writing is definitely one of the odder parts of the film - both in terms of some downright bizarre choices in wordplay (admittedly, the fact most of the cast are kids leads me to cut it some slack here) and in the overall plot.  On that note, I just want to say - next to Kamp Krusty, I think Camp Arawak may be the silver medal winner for one of the worst-run summer camps I've seen in fiction in years.  I don't even just mean the obliviousness necessary for a slasher film either, I mean between the abusiveness of some of the counselors and the openly pedophilic cook, this camp was bound for a lawsuit even before the bodies started stacking.  If anything, the killer was doing the camp a favor by given them an external reason for getting shut down. 

Overall, this certainly isn't going to be a film that'll take home any awards...but for all of its ridiculousness, I can certaintly see where the cult appeal comes from, and am happy to have a copy of it in my collection.

Pictured here:  The controversial cover art rejected for use on the reprinted versions of 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'

10/4 - Inside

Where to start here?
Well, I believe the comedian John Belushi said it best when he said "HOLY SHIT!"  This movie just...well, after doing I Spit On Your Grave and Cannibal Holocaust last year, it felt fitting to make sure this year had at least one infamous and generally disturbing film on deck.  It just so happened, this also allowed me to continue the other tradition Rosemary's Baby established by being this year's 'If You Show This Movie To a Pregnant Woman, You're Officially an Asshole' entry.  That said, wow.  I will admit, I'm still relatively new to the New French Extremity brand of horror (prior to this my only other direct contact with it was High Tension) so there's still a learning curve at play here.  That said, I should probably start with the story - which is part of what had me curious in the first place because damn, it's a pretty effective premise.  For those playing at home not familiar with this one, let me just sum it up as follows - Alysson Paradis plays the film's protagonist, a pregnant woman who will soon be giving birth.  One night she's visited by a stranger who knows who she is...and more importantly is determined to take her baby.
...and of course, she's got the crazy to act on it.  What follows is a visceral and brutal game of cat and mouse between the two where parts get mutilated and passersby wind up dead.  As a thriller, it's pretty intense - even outside of the pretty shocking gore (as years of jokes about the French being wusses blow back with a vengeance) the film builds up its suspense well, and much of the last half hour has a sense of dread hanging over it that really starts rubbing off after a while.  Additionally, and adding to this, the two leads play their roles well - though we only know a little about Paradis's Sarah and even less about Beatrice Dalle's unnamed antagonist, what the two bring to these characters still leads us to feel degrees of concern and fear respectively, and adds to the "Oh shit!" moment of reveal at the end.  Much like last year's "OH GOD!" entries, this is certainly not a film to consider if you have any doubts about your constitution.  That said, even outside of the brutal violence, the film actually carries itself well as a suspense film.  Just one with several moments of sheer 'drop the jaw in utter disbelief at what you just witnessed' along for the ride.

"So to review, you can either take the year's supply of soup, the entire living room furniture set, or you can trade it all in for what's behind Door #3.  Choose carefully."

10/5 - In the Mouth of Madness

Before I start this, I'd like to indulge for a moment in behavior I'm sure some would describe as 'hipster.'  To which, if I may be so bold, I'd like to say - fuck it, I don't care.  ANYWAY, this is one of those films I'm glad to see people have come around on.  When I first encountered this movie, it was back in high school when a friend introduced me to it.  One borrowed tape and some good natured abuse of the school's PR department equipment later and I was now up a copy as well that saw a good deal of use before I eventually picked up a copy on DVD years later.  Back then, this movie was primarily identified on lists of films inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft (deservedly so.  I actually have this movie to thank for my getting into his works.)  Seeing it finally come into its own nowadays where it has gained considerably more respect and something of a small following makes the embittered high schooler inside me smile.

Now then, back to the movie itself.  With this, we've now covered the third part of John Carpenter's 'apocalypse trilogy.'  Yes, I realize this means I've run them out of order.  I'll tell you guys what, this clinches Prince of Darkness for next year to round out the trilogy.  As the conclusion to his thematic trilogy, I'd say this is probably one of Carpenter's more ambitious films of his later years.  I mean, in a time when Lovecraft was still something of a smaller niche than he's become now, to make a mainstream film that takes as much influence as this film does from Lovecraft takes a lot to pull off.  To their credit, Carpenter and screenwriter Michael De Luca prove up to the task for the most part.  While I'm not sure I can say this has the full appeal of many of Carpenter's earlier hits, among his offerings from the 90s on, I'd say this is quite possibly his best.  It shows a solid grasp of the mythos it's playing with while also making some interesting use of the metafictional ideas that make up the basis of the story.  One of the best components of the film in that regard then goes to Jurgen Prochnow as the film's antagonist - enigmatic horror writer Sutter Cane, whose works may not be just the pulpy monster stories they appear to be.  As the skeptical protagonist turned Lovecraftian narrator John Trent, Sam Neill's more straight-laced style fits his role well, and he manages to handle the film's chaotic finale well to boot.  If there's anything I'd say this film could be said to stumble on it would be with regards to the effects - while they're largely not bad, the big reveal at the end of the film feels somewhat anticlimactic.  I mean, on they're own, they're decent creature designs.  For monsters whose sheer existence is expected to be beyond the pale of human reckoning however, they feel rather underwhelming - doubly so from the man whose prior remake of The Thing STILL manages to wow people with its creatures.  Despite this shortcoming, it has still held up well as one of the first mainstream bids at Lovecraftian cinema, and it is nice to see it has come into its own since then.

--

Now then, to give a update so you guys all know in advance - the next entry will be a truncated one, however this will be for a good reason.  Next weekend I will be among the many foolhardy who will be braving the crowds in a chance to get a closer look at what the industry has in store at New York Comic Con.  As such, posting at my usual time next week will prove problematic.  As such, I will post what I have done on Wednesday next week, and then the subsequent week, to make up for it will include that week's entries as well as the extra from this up coming week.  And, as a further show of good faith, I will even throw in the time-honored convention report.  Given some of the titles being covered and the guests announced, it should prove interesting.

Until then...well, I'm not one to tell you guys what to do.  Just try and come by again next week when you can.

"This is a Review About Trickery and Fraud...About Lies."

...well...the above listed as well as an announcement at the end, but all things in due time.

With a paraphrased quote like that as a lead-in, let me start by saying that even I admit to having been a little surprised by this film.  Prior to this film, I, like many people, knew Orson Welles from one of three facets:
-As a well known and highly respected actor/director renowned for being a very intense individual
-The unfortunate later years which lead him to rather unusual side projects to fund his main interests - perhaps best encapsulated by one of the last roles of his life voicing Unicron in the Transformers movie
-and as an entertainingly cantankerous old man who, despite doing projects he may not have been proud of, still found enough pride in himself to verbally tear apart a badly written commercial spot he'd been asked to read.

So when I first learned about his semi-documentary F for Fake (or, as it's called within the movie, About Fakes) I wasn't entirely sure where in the spectrum I would find this to be.  My initial impulse being the intense man of his prime and in his element.  To my surprise, I discovered a Welles I never expected. I never thought I'd see the day I'd call Orson Welles playful...and yet, this movie certainly showed it, and not just in his behavior.  The entire way the movie is shot gives a rather different sort of look at Welles - it certainly shows itself as a product of the man's passions, don't get me wrong, but given the subject matter, he also approaches it with an almost fun air.

I'm actually rather glad they market under the other title.  This one just doesn't roll off the tongue as well.
...look, these captions can't be zingers all the time.  Just saying.

Equally surprising is the fact that, in his own way, Welles actually seems to side with the idea of fakers. In fact, in the beginning of the film he even identifies himself as a charlatan with a smile on his face.  Further, he has a friendly rapport with particular fakers the film focuses on, and  that keeps the film from feeling like a formal affair.  Instead, it feels almost more like a casual sit-down conversation at times.  This loose feeling is also embodied in his focuses - in looking at the notion of the hoax, Welles focuses much of the film on two prominent hoaxsters: Elmyr de Hory, an art forger who, at the time of the movie, has worked for over 20 years and has consistently delivered astonishingly accurate fakes; and Clifford Irving, the infamous author known for his faked memoirs of reclusive millionaire Howard Hughes.

Artist's Rendering.
...I have to admit, I think I'm just gonna picture this whenever I think of Hughes in the future.  If only cause this is a hard to top take on the idea.

In particular, Welles focuses much of the film on Elmyr, and for good reason - he is a genuinely  fascinating subject.   He's a very good-humored and surprisingly talented man whose technique of forgery is  almost more of a hobby to him than simply a means of income - we see him actually burn many of his works that he could have easily profited from.  If anything, any profit he makes from the paintings is more secondary to his amusement at the idea that his work is convincing enough for people to offer as much money as they do for them.

This is made even better by the fact he's smiling as he does it.  I can only imagine some of the shenanigans he pulled on people that ended like this.

Additionally, it's through the idea of Elmyr that Welles explores some other interesting notions regarding art and the art world.  In particular, though only briefly touched upon, the film has a rather criticial approach towards the entire art dealer culture and the idea that art's value is artificially instilled by experts.  On that note, actually the lighter approach to much of the film makes these meditations stand out more.  In particular, one sequence near the end of the film when Welles reflects on an old cathedral and the idea that art is, in many ways, a sort of echo of man that will eventually fade in time.  It takes a surprisingly darker tone from much of the film, but that allows it to stick in the memory a bit more.

"...and for my next trick, a reminder of your own inescapable mortality."

Alongside exploring Elmyr's story, and somewhat tied into it, Welles also explores the backstory of Irving's infamous scandal.  His tale fares less fortuntely compared to Elmyr.  In fact, exposure seems to have even helped Elmyr.  Many of his friends speak well of his capabilities.  Comparatively, we don't see quite as much said in favor of Irving and his staged autobiography.  Welles certainly goes into many of the details of the case, raising questions of if Hughes had any part to play in things.  Even when the famed recluse supposedly came forward (by phone) Welles raises the question of if it's truly him, or another facet of the hoax.  Overall, while it still provides a good overview of the hoax, it does feel somewhat less personal than the focus on Elmyr, with less direct study of Irving and more of the entire mystery around him.  Nevertheless, Welles's exploration of the mythos of Howard Hughes and Irving's part in it also makes an interesting aside in the film, in particular outlining why it happened and why people were so fascinated by it in the first place.

Sorry Cliff, but I think the earlier image of the man beats yours.  Points for trying though.

There is an additional story near the end of the film Welles goes into - a rather curious tale of one Oja Kodar and her own adventures in the world of art forgery. Rather than describe, I can honestly say it is a sequence that really has to be watched to be fully enjoyed.  In particular, the way Welles and Kodar recount the tale is a nice bit of shooting and really helps draw you into the tale.  It's an interesting note to end the film on.  Though it's only tangentially tied to the two main stories, it still provides a very nice little riff on the theme, and watching it truly does it justice.

Seriously, with this as a lead-in, I just don't have it in me to spoil the surprise for you guys.

If I had to say one other thing for this film overall, it's that, even along with his playfulness as a host (Welles even starts the movie demonstrating sleight of hand magic to a child, as shown above,) Welles's easygoing nature seems to show through in the direction.  The entire movie moves with a sort of free-form, loose style rather than a focused approach, and it really keeps the movie flowing nicely.

 To give credit where it's due - Elmyr de Hory, with his rendering of another famous art forger (guess who? ... or just watch the movie and learn that way, that's fine too.)

and Clifford Irving - because sometimes one really big spectacular bluff is enough to put you up there with the guy who's been on a decades-long strong streak.
...actually, I really do have to hand it to Irving, the film really does help give you a respect for the fact he got away with as much as he did.

Is this one of Welles's most acclaimed masterpieces?  Not sure I'd say that for it.  It is, however, certainly a fascinating project for him.  He takes a rather vague topic and manages to still explore it in a well thought out fashion, and even manages make some interesting food for thought of its own.  It's one of those films that really helps remind one of some of the interesting things a documentary can be capable of when approached the right way.

"Now then...which one of you bastards did I just hear start a sentence with 'In July'?"

 

...sorry.  It's Orson Welles, the reference is almost inevitable.

Having said that, as stated above, it's announcement time:

As of this time next week, we'll officially be into October.  Good weather, seasonal decorations, and right now the only tradition that has safely managed to stick here at the Third Row - that's right.  We're repeating last year's Beer and Lederhosen-Free Octoberfest.  For those who missed this and are thinking 'Nuts to checking the archives' the set-up is simple - entries will still be here every Thursday (roughly.  There may be a week mid-month when this is delayed for reasons that will be explained when the time comes.)  Instead of the standard full review, this month is 31 films, a horror film a day, with a weekly writeup on each of the entries.

I don't mind saying that I'm actually looking forward to this one.  This was a fun event to do last year and it's a Hell of a list lined up for this time around.

So keep an eye out, and will see you all next week when this craziness kicks off with our first four features!

Till next time...feel free to insert a maniacal laugh of your choice here.

We Now Return You To Your Disappointed Review, Already in Progress

Well, let no one say that I'm not a man of my word.  Last week I promised you guys Battletruck, and Battletruck you shall have (though I imagine not many of you were particularly excited for this one.)

It's funny, the more I look at the post-apocalypse genre of film, the more I realize that, all things considered, it's pretty diverse.  I mean, while the first image is usually going to be George Miller's Mad Max movies, people will then in turn remember such other standouts as A Boy and His Dog, Fist of the North Star, The Day After, The Road, and even the Fallout game series.  Each of these took the loose idea and managed to find their own voice amidst it, ranging from brutal action in a world with society's restrictions loosened to grim realizations of the potential twilight of humanity, to a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the ways society could reshape itself in the aftermath of it.

Then - A grim statement of a future where scarce resources have become scarcer
Now - A punchline of your choice to be filled in here.

Why am I bringing up all of these other films?  In part because, comparatively speaking, Warlords of the 21st Century (the official name of the movie) makes unfortunately the worst mistake you could make under the circumstances.  It's not really that good, but at the same time, it's not exactly that bad either.  It's a very rather lukewarm offering.  But I'll get back to that in time.

As I can see everyone's on the edge of their seat for it...

The story starts, as many of these stories do, in media res - throwing you right into the middle of the action with very little explanation beyond a very quick overview that's only missing the 'You'll figure it out as you go' at the very end.  The stage is set for us through a short prologue delivered in large part via radios - in the aftermath of an age known as The Oil Wars, resources are now scarce and government has broken down.  In the middle of this chaos, military leader Straker (James Wainwright) has gathered up a cadre of loyal soldiers and wanders the wasteland in an armored truck they use to maraud other peoples for resources.   To this film's credit, their introduction to Straker does at least give us a means of getting the question of where they get the fuel for the rest of the movie somewhat out of the way.  Unfortunately, it also serves to kick off kind of a meandering narrative that feels a bit less like a thoughtout plot and more like a loose chain of events that kind of fit in a sequence.  The main element that sets much of this in motion is female protagonist Corlie (Annie McEnroe) who appears to be the only female in Straker's team.  After deciding the plunderer's life is not for her, she tries to sneak out of the camp, and, one botched escape attempt later, meets our film's hero, Hunter (Michael Beck, whom many will likely more remember from his role as Swan in 'The Warriors'.)  Hunter takes her in and then leads her to a commune of survivors, who then come under the crosshairs of Straker looking to get Corlie back.  From there it dances between revenge and human football with Corlie.  They make a game attempt to work a couple of small twists in, but unfortunately, they largely don't amount to much in the overall narrative (beyond one which partially explains Straker's motives but also makes him come across as even more insane in the long run of the movie.)

With the exception of when he's being shot at, this is basically every Michael Beck face throughout the movie.

Which, admittedly, is a bit better for immersion than McEnroe's 'Please get me out of this' to the audience.

As much as I give the movie's story a lot of grief (to be fair, with some polish it could have been interesting,) the biggest problem this movie has is in its acting.  There's no one I can really say stands out, in large part due to the fact that most of the performances are pretty lackluster overall.  About the only person who seems to make an attempted effort in the whole affair is Bruno Lawrence as Straker's resident psychopath Willie, and even then his crazy is rather restrained by what a PG rating will allow for.  Of the rest of the cast, Beck's stoicism-which previously worked for him in the above mentioned 'Warriors' as an unsure leader trying to keep the team all together in absence of a real leader-mostly just feels uninterested in this role.  Whether that's a fault of Beck or awkward direction, I can't really say. The same goes for McEnroe; For a character who has a lot of emotional baggage, she doesn't really seem particularly phased by a lot of it.  To her credit, she does try at times, but it still feels rather underwhelming - especially after watching Straker hit up and loot the survivors' camp (even if she left partway, the fact is she knows what's going down from having seen it before.)  For the final lead, Wainwright as Straker feels...kind of uncertain where they wanted him to go as an antagonist.  I'm not sure if they just wanted hardened battle commander or ruthless leader, but mostly he just looks and carries like Dean Wormer goes on a hunting trip (fun fact on that note - apparently John Vernon actually WAS in talks to play the role at one point.)  The rest of the cast are largely unremarkable. Beyond that, keep an eye out for a young John Ratzenberger as Rusty the mechanic.

"I'm declaring open season on Delta House!"
...OK, I'll stop now.  I promise.

Also, NORM!

It's disappointing, in a strange way.  I wanted to be able to rip on this film.  I was expecting a low-budget 'Road Warrior' knockoff with a lot of cheeze to unload on (cause hey, that's half the fun with bad movies.)  Instead, it's a film that largely feels like the people who worked on it weren't particularly interested in doing so. I'm talking across the board here-even the directing feels rather uninspired.   Though I do have to wonder if the shadow of Miller's second movie did have any impact on this movie, given that, despite reports they had been trying since the mid-70s to make this happen, it wasn't until a year after TRW came out that this was released.  In some ways, I also feel like one of the big enemies of this movie was its PG rating.  When you're dabbling in the idea of a world where force makes the rules, it's a safe assumption things aren't going to be nice.  Despite this, the setting actually feels like one of the tamer postapoc movies I've ever seen.  There's definitely signs they were trying to aim for darker elements, particularly where Straker is concerned (as there are some offscreen implications of torture and rape that aren't exactly subtle) but in keeping with the safer rating, it largely just amounts to shooting people and driving through their buildings. Actually, that is one other thing I can say for this movie - someone working on it really seemed to like the idea of vehicles driving through buildings, cause they come back to it several times. In fact, despite having an armored truck full of armed soldiers, that seems to be Straker's main battle tactic.

Said truck, for reference.  Woe be unto your wooden shack, for it is no match!

and for an encore - probably the best rendition of what a postapocalypse car actually would look like.

Maybe this is exactly the film they wanted to make. But I can't help but look at it and feel like it really could have been something better with a more capable, or at least had more focused hand working on it.  As it is, it just simply is.

Despite Willie's best attempts otherwise...I'd be lying if I said the way his face lights up at the prospect of looting wasn't one of the highlights of this film.

I share your disappointment, folks.  It's rare that I go into a film wanting it to be bad and actually come away feeling let down.  Hopefully next time we come across one of these in the future, though it fails as a good movie, it will at least give some better material to work with.  In the meantime, I promise next week we've got another good one lined up (I mean actually good this time) as well as a bit of shameless self-promotion for October.

Till then!

Also, this scene is actually a pretty accurate assessment of my face watching this, albeit with more facial hair.

We Interrupt This Week's 'Draw From the Sack of Pain' Review to Bring You a Pleasant Surprise.

Well, this has happened here before, so it's not entirely unexpected.  Running into a title that immediately feels like it's due for a write-up, even though you already had something else planned.  Plus, under the circumstances for this title, right now it could use the extra burst of attention for reasons I will go into later.

So I will apologize in advance to anyone who was looking forward to this week being the promised 'check out the weird shit we pulled out of the bag' review and promise that review will be up next week.  In fact, to further render myself dead to rights, I can tell you now that next week you can look forward to the post-apocalyptic 'Warlords of the 21st Century' (AKA 'Battletruck'.)  Whether you want to consider that a promise or a threat I'll let you decide.

Now then, moving on, it's only fair to clarify what pre-empted that (because I can just imagine the groans of disappointment now.)  In this case, it was actually one of those times where I don't mind talking up a film that's still in theaters...cause right now it's in sore need of some extra word of mouth.

That said, recently, spurred on by word of mouth myself, I went to go see Laika Entertainment's latest stop motion offering, ParaNorman.  Now, to start with I just want to say that stop motion is an underappreciated art nowadays, and not that common in animated features.  I mean, on one level, I can see why - in terms of motion and attention to detail, it's a very intensive field that requires some strong attention to detail, patience, and resources.  However, in an age where it's just getting cheaper and easier to do it all by computer, I still can't help but have some love for those who still make the go of it anyway.  I can't stress this love enough, for the record.  The amount of detail these people put into their work is even more impressive given the medium, whether it's something as simple as Norman's room (which is decorated with zombie and monster paraphenalia) or the entire layout of the town of Blithe Hollow, which, alongside its Salem-esque banking on its history of witchcraft, looks very much like a stylistic, but accurate, version of a Massachusetts city.

Seriously, these are just the backgrounds...

As far as this movie itself, this is one of those rare times where I find myself somewhat hedging my vote from the usual 'well, marketing fucked this movie over proper.'  Cause on the one hand, yeah, it didn't really help the movie in terms of publicity (despite reviewing well, the film's box-office numbers have kept it floating at around 3-5.  Which, while not bad, means marketing has already dropped it like a dead fish.)  Which, in turn, is part of why I'm adding another voice to the promotion for it (...for all the credibility that lends.)

On the other side of the marketing coin, the awkward promotion actually made some of the payoff on this film work out quite well.  I mean, the trailers themselves aren't necessarily dishonest about what the film is about - Norman is an introverted, monster-obsessed child who can speak to ghosts, and yes, he is tapped to help his town when an ancient curse raises the dead.  The way the movie handles these elements, however, manages to surprise in several areas.  The zombie storyline, for example, shows a lot more thought than your standard 'they want to just eat the living and can be mowed down as endless hordes' approach.  Appropriately, the townspeople even seem to be in on this as well, as many of their responses when the dead finally rise are informed by the popular cultural knowledge of zombie movies.  It's another aspect of how versed in a lot of the ins and outs of the genre the staff on this movie are, as they manage to make these jokes blend in pretty well without them feeling forced for the sake of a cheap laugh or too obvious.

That said, I have to admit.  Some of the stuff in his room IS pretty cool.

In one quick aside here, one really clever little bit I do want to specifically call out here is a sequence at the start of the movie - the film starts out with the movie-within-a-movie trick as Norman watches a movie on TV.  In playing with this, the animators deliberately made the movie he watches feel more like a movie, making the acting and effects more staged and filtering all of the scenes with little fake scratches and bits of dirt on the film.  It's a very minor effect, but still a nice little touch that lets you know the level of detail and love for the material the people working on this had.

In fact, a lot of the film actually defied expectations for me for the better.  At first, the film does seem like you can guess where it will head, but as it goes on (and it's REALLY hard not to explain this without spoiling, so you all know,) it manages to take the familiar ideas into a whole different direction.  By the last half-hour, I was actually surprised at how ultimately dark some of the material had gotten for a family-targeted feature.  I mean, it still stays at the PG level but...again, you have to see it for yourself, really.  Additionally, the film's resolution manages to take a familiar theme about understanding and the damaging effects of fear and handles it in a way that, all things considered, is actually pretty mature, and trusts the audience to understand, rather than spelling it out for them.

When this is considered one of your nicer moments at school, that should say something...

That said, so you know this isn't going to be an entirely serious affair, the film certainly has its share of lighter moments along the way to keep this from just being dark.  While Norman himself is a bit more grounded, many of the supporting cast lend themselves to more comedic elements that help keep the film moving along.  On this note, the voice cast for this film actually all fit surprisingly well.  It's tough to really pick standouts in this cast, given how well everyone plays their parts (which, trust me, for voice-acting is a lot more impressive than it sounds.)  If I really had to pick any names in particular to point out from this cast, they'd be Kodi Smit-McPhee as Norman and Tucker Albrizzi as his overly supportive friend Neil (still something pretty refreshing about those moments when you hear kids doing good voiceover work), Christopher Mintz-Plasse breaking from cast type as the oafish bully Alvin, and John Goodman in a short role as Norman's borderline insane uncle Prendergast.  Even though Goodman isn't in the film long, he manages to play the role well enough to make it memorable.

Evidence that that 'borderline insane' isn't an exaggeration.  He's actually right, but still pretty unhinged.

It's really kind of a shame Laika Productions films only come out every so often.  At the same time, it makes the payoff that much more rewarding when they do come out.  For a studio that works in an animation style that (sadly) is somewhat niche nowadays, it's nice to see they can still bring an A-game.

Hopefully, if you haven't checked this movie out yet, this gives the incentive to try and track down any theaters still playing it.  Cause really, for as short-changed as it was by marketing, this is one worth the ticket price.

With that, we now return you to your regularly scheduled review (which I can't say I'll be quite as enthusiastic about...but then, that's part of why I go to the bag in the first place. Sometimes it's fun to talk about crap.)

Till next time, remember - Battletruck!