Bitten and a Fun Fact About the Math Mage

4 of 6 viewers "Liked" "Bitten" (2008, Canada)

Here's what the citizens of the Overlook Theatre had to say:

The Great Hornito - "This is definitely Jason Mewes best performance, which means he was slightly above average. This vampire movie was really a pleasant surprise. If someone would have described this movie to me I would have never watched it. The acting and the over the top music every situation really made this entertaining and worth watching." - 3 1/2 Stars

Ice Giant - "Jason Mewes at his best." - 2 Stars

Unicorn Slayer - "Visually, save cheap contacts, it was intriguing, but the plot is a leftover casserole of expected vampire film scenes. Poor acting was only made bearable by the one good actor and only likable character, Rog. Poor acting, sub par plot, and pathetic, reversed romantic themes of wounded birds and savior complexes." - 2 Stars

Huntress - "I was ready to hate this movie, just based on the cover. Although the acting usually solidified that feeling, the camp and novelty mixed with a couple of fitting story aspects made this a fun movie (with the right people)." - 3 Stars

Math Mage - "Jay manages to be out acted in every scene he's in" - 3 Stars

Lord Battle - "This film starred Jason Mewes, the fact it's watchable is a success, even if the supporting character Roger totally steals the show." 3 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

I purchased "Bitten" at FYE for $2 on sale for $1.33 or something, at the time I was sure this was a waste of money, but the DVD came with a really nice slip cover and I am a hopeless collector. To my surprise the movie was not a totally pos, in fact the first scene offers some very noir shadow play backed by a very amateurish John Carpenter-esk theme, this was a thousand times better than what I was expecting.

Now with that said this film is far from great, if you couldn't tell from the citizens' tagline reviews the acting is a major issue and the plot is far from inspired. Still this is a soft core vampire flick staring Jason Mewes.

After the credits roll, stick around for a scene that kinda puts a weird spin on the whole film, this is kinda important when trying to figure out how the hell vampires work in this strange world, but don't expect any real answers.

Lastly if you're wondering why this film made the big screen here at the Overlook, it's not because of any overlooked artsy theme or deep relevant notion but simply because I wanted to hear the Math Mage's commentary as the film played (which wasn't much). Math Mage tends to work his thought process out-loud and during a screening this would normally be annoying but somehow he manages to do so very respectfully and it really is very entertaining.

- Lord Battle

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not effect the rating. 

A Morning Message

Running the Overlook Theatre has been pretty stressful lately and it doesn't help that I've been feeling low on energy. Between work and the energy it takes getting 5-14 friends over regularly to screen films, I've been dragging on posts. I feel terrible about this simply because this blog has become a huge source of  enjoyment for me and all of the citizens.

Today was a great reminder of why a small amount of stress is nothing compared to the opportunities the blog presents. I slept in late again today (which has become a habit) and instead of being upset at the time I'd lost, I was thrilled by a message I had received on twitter.

"For you, because you understand me, and what I'm about to do. I wonder, do reality stars bleed pink? Let's find out." - L.A. Slasher

With this photo attached.

I can't say enough about how excited I am for this film, I think it's pure genius, and I mean every aspect of the film and it's marketing. I mean if the idea of the L.A. Slasher doesn't interest you, than check your pulse because you're dead.

Follow the L.A. Slasher on Facebook or Twitter if you don't already.

Occupant

2 of 6 viewers "Liked" "Occupant" (2011, USA)

Here's what the citizens of the Overlook Theatre had to say:

Book Wyrm - "I liked this because there was a cute cat, a cool twist, and was sort of believable. It was also funny and intriguing. I love crazy decent into madness pseudo ghost films." - 3 Stars

Lord Battle - "Occupant is a terrible film although somewhat entertaining. This slow-burn is just burnt." - 2 Stars

The Impostor - "Occupant tries hard to build suspense but ends up being a very slow and boring movie. Occupant is a film u seem to know whats gonna happen from the beginning but the movie tries to pull you in different directions that just ends up confusing you." - 1 Star

Huntress - "This movie had a shaky beginning, got better and then plummeted. You'd have to be very forgiving to enjoy this." - 2 Stars

The Great Hornito - I thought this movie had a lot of potential but it came up a little short. Movies when people get isolated in a house/app and go crazy are some of my favs but this one wasn't one of the greatest. The Filipino thanksgiving scene almost saved the movie... almost." - 3 Stars

Ice Giant - "The gore effects were pretty cool but they went down to man avenues without ever fully committing to any which left open to many annoying questions." - 2 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

First I feel it's important to say I love slow-burns, especially in the vein of Polanski's apartment trilogy, Occupant however is far from that. The main problem with this film is that it's totally unbelievable that Danny Hill (or anyone for this matter) would have gone crazy, as nothing during his 12 day stint was very mind altering. A lot of things were scary and or strange but this film fails in what most slow burns showcase, a decent into madness.

"When his late grandmother leaves him her rent-controlled apartment in New York, Danny Hill moves in... only to discover that he isn't exactly alone." This is the synopsis for "Occupant" found on Netfilx, this also helps make discovering what this film was originally intended to be about impossible.

There is a scene where Danny starts creating crude weapons from home appliances and what he creates is pretty cool (other than the tennis racket with spikes), even though they way it was filmed is obnoxious. In all fairness, this film is easy to sit through or awesome to have on as a backround horror film that won't distract you while you clean your room, but ultimately the touchy Eastern European doorman, the complaining neighbors (from next door even though the noise would bother someone below...), the scummy bug guy, and the hot girl who stalks guys for a blog all made for a lot of content that failed to move the story or explain the mystery that kept everyone watching.

- Lord Battle

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not effect the rating. 

The Upper Footage with some Context

2 of 7 viewers "Liked" "The Upper Footage" (2013, USA)

Here's what the citizens of the Overlook Theatre had to say:

The Impostor - "The Upper Footage is something I haven't seen done before, it seemed almost too real. It was very basic and simple, I feel if it got more complicated it may not have felt as real. Characters were very unlikable and scenes dragged on a bit too long which made it boring. Upper's plot had me intrigued even though things weren't executed as well as they could have been. If I didn't find out it wasn't real I think I would have thought differently about it." - 3 Stars

Lord Battle - "Viewed without any context this film is certainly a downer and because I feel that the film can't stand alone (explanation after the trailer) I have to rate it poorly, despite the fact that "The Upper Footage" is an awesome experiment in film making. I just wish Justin Cole played with the actual footage more and made it not only feel real, but also entertaining." - 2 Stars

The Great Hornito - "Found footage is my favorite genre right now and this one was a pretty good one. I really love the idea of this movie but they just didn't do enough with this unique story. I thought it would have been better if it was more campy and over the top." - 3 1/2 Stars

Huntress - "This was a painfully uneventful hour and a half, spent with a group of rich assholes. All the director-made hype about the footage being real seemed like an excuse to have barely anything happen." - 2 Stars

Book Wyrm - Spoiler - "Nothing was resolved, nothing happened, and the only 1/2 decent character got killed (Will). Terrible. I love found footage but nothing could save this film." - 1 Star

Ice Giant - Fell Asleep - Default 2 Stars

Bug - "The movie failed to keep my attention 0% of the time. There was a tiny amount of interesting content." - 2 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(First I have to say none of the citizens knew any of what I have written below while screening the film.)

I have to admit I feel a bit awkward about writing the wrap up to "The Upper Footage" as this is the first film I've seen in a long time that made me feel like I missed something. Upper Footage isn't some deeply intellectual film or a feature with a complicated plot; no, the reason I felt lost has to do with the main selling point of the film. Believing "The Upper Footage" is real is very important when it comes to the entertainment value of the film, simply because they focused solely on making it feel as real as possible. If you found yourself asking "Is it real?" then you enjoyed this film more than I did. 

With a bit of research I discovered the answer to my "The Upper Footage" question. Upper footage is more of an art film trying to prove the medium and what can be down with it while making a social statement. The subjects in the film are a representation of the 1% and the evils that occur when you are detached from normal society (This is obvious without any research). Although this commentary is fun, it has nothing to do with my feelings of missing something during the screening, that answer was found when reading about Justin Cole and his intent when filming "The Upper Footage".

Cole loved the media buzz that surrounded "The Blair Witch Project" and wondered why other found footage films never tried to take advantage of the incredibly realistic style. I'm sure you can tell where this is going but it's important to discuss because all of the footage in the beginning of "The Upper Footage" from TMZ and other news sources is real. Cole himself set out leaking footage and spreading rumors so that the hype and feel of his film was as real as possible. The other thing that is important to know is that the blurred face of the victim isn't just a gimmick, apparently she is an actual socialite with a famous mother and or father and the nude scene she did is actually cut due to distributors and theaters demanding an edit.

The edit demands started after bad press from this flyer used to promote the film.

I only wish I could have seen "The Upper Footage" in the right context. Sadly Upper footage will end up like most films that do well for reasons other than simply being a good film and fail in the long run. I am however very interested in what Justin Cole may have up his sleeve for future endeavors. 

- Lord Battle

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not effect the rating.