If you're feeling like I do and are still bummed about del Toro's news of Silent Hill's cancellation, then this might help you like it did me. The Iconic Silent Hill 2 Nurse is up for pre-order over on BigBadToystore for $54.99. I already ordered mine, now I'm just considering getting a second...
I'm not sure why her head is unfinished in this photo, but don't worry they ship completed.
And if you just can't wait for a pre-order to be filled or just really need an awesome figure NOW, then checkout this Pyramid Head. He's a little pricey at $59.99 but you definitely get what you pay for, a great paint job and a wide range of articulation. I've recently spent a ton of money on music and movies so I just can't bring myself to order this guy yet, but if he's still here next time I get paid I will definitely be purchasing him! But if you have money and don't mind waiting for a pre-order, there's one more figure to see...
Robbie the Rabbit from Silent Hill 3
Yes he looks amazing but at a pre-order price of $269.99, I'll have to just enjoy the pictures.
If anyone ends up ordering a Silent Hill figure from this site, please comeback and share your experience!
Here's what the citizens of the Overlook Theatre had to say:
Lord Battle - "Not a great film but a pretty solid slasher movie." - 3 Stars KillDozer - "Sometimes you are the only person cheering at the end while the rest of the group looks at you in disgust. Such is the case with Death Valley, a fun and flawed slasher written by Richard Rothstein (Universal Soldier) and starring Stephen Mchattie (Ponty Pool, 300, The Watchmen) and Peter Billingsly (Iron Man, A Christmas Story) in very early roles. Honestly, I had a lot of fun with this movie about a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time who is hunted down by a serial killer while his mom and new boyfriend roam Death Valley. The people involved in making the film have an obvious love for Hitchcock and Halloween. Unfortunately they didn't quite know how to make it all work. But like I said I had fun with this movie and it honestly has the best/most confusing impalement scene ever. That alone is worth the trip to Death Valley!!" - 3 Stars (Collection Worthy)
B4DK - "Not sure what to say so I'll describe it with one word, 'Bad.'" - 1 Star
Book Wyrm - "The kid was cute but I don't care enough to review this movie. : ( " - 1 Star
Math Mage - "Hilariously cheesy ending, fails to redeem 70+ min of boredom." - 2 Stars
Huntress - "I'm glad I got to see this movie, mainly for the complete tone reversal, but it desperately needs some editing. The first instance where the vacation turns ominous but then gets dismissed as childish imagination is easily my favorite moment, but there is too much dead screen time and weird conversation for me to want to watch it again." - 2.5 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
Death Valley is a strange film. The opening sequence shows Mike (Paul Le Mat) and his father Paul Stanton (Edward Herrmann) on a blissful romp through the city, it honestly feels like it's building to a sudden tragedy (like someone gets hit by a car and the music halts) but it never comes. Instead we get some dialog that seems to be setting up a family drama. Mike's parents are split up and he soon learns that he's heading out to Death Valley to visit his mom's new boyfriend alongside her. This of course is no big deal, until we find ourselves 3 scenes into the film and the only thing amping up is the tension between the family. Then, just when you are about to check and see if you have the right film, a car appears on the road behind them and the soundtrack instantly turns ominous. The car is practically emitting an evil aura but no one seems to notice. From this point, the film seems to sway from poor storytelling to simply bad movie making. Death Valley seriously runs the gambit of bad acting, bad editing, and bad writing but always in little spurts and as the movie goes on, it becomes increasingly funny.
My favorite scene in Death Valley has our killer ambushing an unsuspecting babysitter by simply leaving a soda out. Never mind she was already carrying ice-cream and had just eaten chocolate... Death Valley is definitely not for everyone but if you like slashers and you've got some friends over, it's definitely good for at least one run.
While we were screening this film someone got a good round of laughs with this line: "If you're watching this because you're a fan of A Christmas Story, turn it off."
*Spoiler* - The Indian shoots his eye out.
- 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.
Revenge of the Fifth also falls on Bluray Tuesday. Light week this week for horror titles as well. The main horror release is The Pyramid. I have not seen this yet, I've heard mixed to bad things on this title. If anyone reading has seen this or would recommend please comment below. Lost River is one I am looking forward to checking out this week. It was written and directed by actor Ryan Gosling. I've also hearing mixed to bad reviews on Lost River as well but I will see for myself soon. Shout Factory this week gives us the Collectors Edition of Mad Max loaded with new special features just in time for the remake released in theaters May 16th. What will you be buying or skipping this week?
A team of U.S. archaeologists unearths an ancient pyramid buried deep
beneath the Egyptian desert. As they search the pyramid's depths, they
become hopelessly lost in its dark and endless catacombs. Searching for a
way out, they become desperate to seek daylight again. They come to
realize they aren't just trapped, they are being hunted
A single mother is swept into a dark underworld while her son discovers an underwater town.
"Lost River" is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for
survival in the face of danger. In the virtually abandoned city of Lost
River, Billy (Christina Hendricks), a single mother of two, is led into a
macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her
family together. Her teenage son Bones (Iain De Casestecker) discovers a
mystery about the origins of Lost River that triggers his curiosity and
sets into motion an unexpected journey that will test his limits and
the limits of those he loves.
Captain Robinson is a seasoned submarine captain who, after losing his
crew and his job, learns of an unclaimed bounty of Nazi gold lying in a
U-boat at the bottom of the Black Sea. Seeing an opportunity to strike
it rich and leave the job behind him once and for all, Robinson acquires
the support of a shady businessman and assembles a crew of British and
Russian sailors before embarking on the hunt. However, with such a huge
pay off on offer, it isn't long before tensions flare on board and some
of the crew begin to think about how they can increase their share of
the gold.
Selma chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting
rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to
Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the
civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s Selma tells the real
story of the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement that
prompted change that forever altered history.
In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road.
Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the
ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping
them. But they underestimate one officer: Max Rockatansky. And when the
bikers brutalize Max's best friend and family, they send him into a mad
frenzy that leaves him with only one thing left in the world to live
for - revenge!
May is turning out to be a great month for going to the movies! Here are some of the titles and events I'm especially excited about:
Midnites for Maniacs: Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame Triple Bill with Director Penelope Spheeris
The director of all three of these films will be interviewed by Jesse Hawthorn, maybe even take some questions for the audience, but I'm not sure how long she will be there. So make sure you're on time!
"The Seminal Metal Classic features performances by Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, Seduce, London, Odin and legendary Motörhead. This time around the brutally honest interviews with the young head-bangers of Los Angeles circa late-1980s are even more complicated especially when aligned with some extremely memorable conversations with Metal legends like Alice Cooper, Lemmy of Motörhead, Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley of KiSS, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. Spheeris' again captures a moment-in-time better than any film from the era and it's time to celebrate it in all of its hair-sprayed glory. Digitally restored picture and sound presented in a brand new DCP restoration courtesy of Spheeris Films. Preceded by a fistful of meatl themed 35mm trailers. 100 minutes. Rated R." Starts at 7PM
I've only heard about this movie, but have yet to see it, so I'm really looking forward to this.
""We're not worthy!" Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live with Spheeris' ode to Heavy Metal that slyly subverts the music industry as it follows two maniacs who host a cable access show in their downstairs basement. This side-splitting, four star comedy finds a perfect balance between stoopid and profound, yet again proving Spheeris' unique understanding towards adolescent youths. Come out and celebrate (with a Special Guest!) Wayne & Garth's magical journey that proves that even Saturday Night Live skit-inspired-flicks can change the world. Preceded by trailers made by Penelope Shpeeris. Rated PG-13. Original 35mm print from Paramount. 94 minutes." Starts at 9:15 pm
Not that this movie needs any kind of introduction, but how many people can say they've seen it on 35mm?? This constantly quoted movie is celebrating its 23rd anniversary and do it in style at the Castro Theatre.
"The Seminal Metal Classic features performances by Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, Seduce, London, Odin and legendary Motörhead. This time around the brutally honest interviews with the young head-bangers of Los Angeles circa late-1980s are even more complicated especially when aligned with some extremely memorable conversations with Metal legends like Alice Cooper, Lemmy of Motörhead, Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley of KISS, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. Spheeris' again captures a moment-in-time better than any film from the era and it's time to celebrate it in all of its hair-sprayed glory. Digitally restored picture and sound presented in a brand new DCP restoration courtesy of Spheeris Films. Preceded by a fistful of metal themed 35mm trailers. 100 minutes. Rated R." Starts at 11:30 pm
Everything about this movie sounds amazing, and the added bonus of a conversation between Jesse Hawthorn and the the woman responsible for making it definitely makes this an unmissable event. You can get tickets early through TicketWeb. The Castro Theatre has a handful of great double features all month. Here are some highlights:
May 14th at 7:30pm
"Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo is one of the great visions of the cinema, and one of the great follies. One would not have been possible without the other. This is a movie about an opera-loving madman [Klaus Kinski] who is determined to drag a boat overland from one river system to another. In making the film, Herzog was determined to actually do that…[it] opens on the note of madness, which it will sustain. –Roger Ebert. Claudia Cardinale co-stars; music by Popol Vuh. (1982, 158 min)"
I've never seen this but the combination of Werner Herzog's directing, the strange plot, and the star's unforgettable face tells me I need to.
I've been seeing the cover of Q the Winged Serpent forever now, and I even own a copy, but I have yet to actually watch it. The Castro must have read my mind.
Just for the sake of Swayze!
Of course, there is a whole month of movies that you should check out at the Castro's site. This month's calendar is up and ready. Find it here
The theatre is ending this month, and staring June, with its annual Silent Film Festival, and there are some interesting films screening. Since I don't know about the majority of them, I'll have to borrow the descriptions from the festival's site.
Friday May 29th at 1 pm
"Since so much of early Chinese cinema has been lost, the recent discovery of a nitrate 35mm print of Cave of the Spider Women in the archives of the National Library of Norway was cause for worldwide celebration.
Cave of the Spider Women is a rare example of the magic-spirit film, a popular genre in ’20s Shanghai, and its story comes from a classic masterpiece of Chinese literature involving a pilgrim monk and the search for Buddhist texts. The monk and his followers—monkey, pig, and shark spirit—ward off the Spider Queen who tries to seduce the pilgrim. The film set Chinese box-office records in 1927 but was considered lost until the discovery in Norway."
But for all its foreign influence, The Ghost Train remains singularly British in its humor and eccentric characters as it tells the story of travelers stranded overnight at a dubiously haunted train station. The extant print of the film comes from the British Film Institute but has French intertitles!"
Friday May 29th at 7 pm
"In this, his greatest role, Emil Jannings plays the chief porter at a prestigious hotel, a position affording him respect and dignity. His military-style uniform is the emblem of his stature—especially among his poor neighbors—and a source of great personal pride, so his subsequent demotion to washroom attendant and the loss of the uniform is devastating.
The film’s emotional depth is bolstered by its technical innovation—Murnau’s “unchained” camera is as beautifully expressive as Jannings’s breathtaking performance and allows the story to flow without the need for intertitles."
This is a gorgeous film! I've seen it multiple times and can't wait to see it with a live orchestra providing the music.
Monday June 1 at 3 pm
"After her father’s death, Mary Willard (Blanche Sweet) takes over his business interest. Willard Sr.’s right hand man Harvey Judson (Mahlon Hamilton) has more cutthroat business practices in mind, and Mary has him kidnapped to protect her shareholders (and teach him a lesson). In the end of this gentle comedy, Mary and Harvey propose another merger that has little to do with business. Boris Karloff has a small role as an unspecified foreigner.
Preserved by the Academy Film Archive from the only known surviving film element, a 35mm tinted nitrate print from the Archive’s Lobster Film Collection. Funding for the restoration was provided by The Louis B. Mayer Foundation."
All of the movies presented by the Silent Film Festival are accompanied by a live orchestra, which will change the viewings completely. You can find more info and the rest of the movies being screened at the festival's site.
Let's support this historic theatre and enjoy some great movies!
I've never been very good about film festivals, I'm not sure why. After they were over, I'd hear about some of the things I missed out on for no good reason, and would tell myself that I'd be more aware of what would be playing where and on which days, and make it to as many as I could, which resulted in a great experience at the Guillermo del Toro night. So here are some of the highlights I've found for the rest of this year's SFIFF:
"Seventeen-year-old Shiori’s Gothic Lolita garb attracts a lot of fans to her interactive video blog, a stepping stone she hopes will launch her career as a model and actress. One day while handing out promotional pamphlets, she meets Ayumi, a timid 13-year old who is in awe of her and her wardrobe. Shiori is initially wary of the attention but takes pleasure in being idolized, and eventually allows the girl to get closer. Ayumi’s growing infatuation becomes difficult to disguise, and their odd friendship takes an unforeseen turn after Ayumi runs away from home and quietly begins to infiltrate Shiori’s life and relationship with her boyfriend. Prominently showcasing the music of Japanese pop star Seiko Oomori, Wonderful World End embraces a narcissistic and hyper-commercialized version of Japanese teen life. Director Daigo Matsui spiritedly and stylishly presents a youth culture where emojis, text messages and candy-colored fantasies invade the screen in unabashed fashion. —Julia Barbosa"
This will be playing at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre 4/30 at 4pm, 5/1 at 8:45pm, and 5/3 at 4:45pm
"From the fantastic team behind Father’s Day and Manborg comes a loving tribute to the giallo films of the 1970s. The Editor distills the best and most sublimely ridiculous bits of this unique, largely Italian-made thriller-erotica-horror genre into a story about a once-famous editor who becomes the prime suspect in a series of homicides. Editor Rey Ciso (Adam Brooks) was once a great practitioner of his craft, but a freak accident leaves him with four wooden fingers. Equipped with a clumsy prosthetic, he now spends his days slaving on lurid pulp movies in 1970s Italy. When the cast and crew of his most recent project start turning up dead, suspicions keep turning to Rey and even he starts questioning his own innocence. Hilarious, visually adventurous, politically incorrect and violent, The Editor is packed with cult actors, including Udo Kier, Laurence R. Harvey, Tristan Risk and Paz de la Huerta. —Evrim Ersoy"
This is will be showing at the Roxie Theatre only on 5/1 at 11pm. The trailer will get you Italian horror fans pumped, because that is actually Claudio Simonetti of Goblin taking part in the score of the movie.
"A mother (Susanne Wuest) recovers from plastic surgery in an idyllic country retreat while her two fresh-faced young twin boys Lukas and Elias (Lukas and Elias Schwarz) frolic about the house and in the nearby cornfields. What at first seems like an idyllic country paradise, however, is quickly shown to be rotten just beneath the surface. The boys are at home in nature. They collect bugs, play with animals, like to roughhouse and get a little dirty. Their fastidious mother sits in icy, stark contrast, much like their sleek, sterile, modern home juxtaposes the rustic countryside in which it is plopped. Mom needs absolute calm for her recovery and becomes increasingly annoyed and borderline abusive with her free-spirited children. They in turn begin to suspect that something might not be altogether right with her since her procedure. Austrian weirdo auteur Ulrich Siedl (The Paradise trilogy, In the Basement) produced Goodnight Mommy, and his distinctly odd, subtle flourishes of humor and style can be detected in its nooks and crannies. But writers/directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala craft a deliciously intense and genuinely exhausting thriller that is distinctly their own. With slow-burning tension that excruciatingly ratchets tighter and tighter from first frame to final credits, Goodnight Mommy will leave genre fans both exhilarated and exhausted. —Tim League"
This will be playing at the Clay Theatre on 5/1 at 4pm
"The avant-garde music and multimedia collective known as The Residents has never revealed the identity of its members, always appearing in costume in extravagant live musical performances and filmed projects. They have also been making some of the world’s most mind-bending music and visual artifacts for more than 40 years. Don Hardy’s fast-paced documentary tells the story of the group’s start in rural North Louisiana, their artistic awakening in late-‘60s San Francisco (including some incredible archival footage of the band in what appears to be a North Beach folk club), and follows them to the present day where they are still going strong creating and performing. The film employs a trove of archival material alongside contemporary performances and interviews with the band’s longtime “business managers,” the Cryptic Corporation as well as a wide variety of creative minds—including Penn Jillette, Jerry Harrison, Les Claypool of Primus,Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening and members of Neurosis, Henry Cow and Ween—drawn to the group’s uncompromising focus on creative control over conventional commercial success. Without exposing that final mystery,Theory of Obscurity illuminates the ethos and influence of a band whose perseverance and originality have begun to attract a whole new generation of fans. —Cory Sklar"
This film will be screening at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre 5/1 at 9pm, and 5/3 at 6:15pm.
"Akikazu Fujishima has made some mistakes. He beat his wife’s lover to within an inch of the man’s life, quit his job as a detective and now lives as an alcoholic, estranged from his family. When he receives a call from his wife, telling him that their daughter Kanako has gone missing, he sees an opportunity to quickly restore himself as the man of the house and sets off on a mission to find her. Fujishima quickly learns that his daughter is far from the picture of perfection he thought she was, and finds himself in a vile and extremely violent mess. From the high school cafeteria to underground raves to dark sewers, there’s nowhere Fujishima won’t go—and nothing he won’t do—to find his daughter. Tetsuya Nakashima (Confessions, Memories of Matsuko) has taken audiences to some severely dark places, and his latest film tells his most sordid story yet. Based on the novel Hateshinaki Kawaki by Akio Fukamachi, the pitch-black The World of Kanako combines a ‘70s sense of exploitation action with modern violent thriller tropes and a touch of unexpected humor. The result is a shocking yet frequently beautiful film that ventures into some horrific places. —Brian Kelley"
This will be screening at the Roxie Theatre on 5/2 at 11pm
"Set in the near future, Advantageous (winner of a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival) focuses on Gwen Koh, a single mother, whose aspirations for her daughter drive her to the precipice of a fraught decision. Including eerie and ingenious low-key special effects and a deliciously understated performance by Jacqueline Kim, this sci-fi film is rife with underlying tension and lyrical beauty perfectly matching the city’s atmosphere of quiet desperation. Gwen works as a spokesperson for the Center for Advanced Health and Living (an innocuous sounding organization that is, in fact, a corporate behemoth) and finds that she is in danger of losing her job. That would make it impossible for her to send her daughter Jules to private school, a termed “advantage” that in actuality is more a necessity to shield Jules from this future society's brutal economic disparities. The Center’s newest and untested health procedure offers Gwen a dangerous, life-altering chance to continue her career. To weigh her options, Gwen attempts to reconnect to the estranged father of her child (Ken Jeong) and his new wife, but as seems standard for all in this dystopian landscape, Gwen remains alienated and alone. Through this allegorical structure, Advantageous intelligently investigates present-day society’s perspectives on femininity and motherhood and how they intersect with questions of beauty, surveillance and the economy. —Sean Uyehara"
This will be playing at the Clay Theatre on 5/3 at 6:15pm and at the Sundance Kabuki 5/5 at 9:15pm and 5/6 at 1pm.
Follow the respective links for ticket information to each movie.
The last week of April arrives and the last Bluray Tuesday of the month has not many horror releases. This month brought us many Horror releases to build our collections with so I don't mind the little break on my wallet this week. Shout Factory will release the only horror Bluray this week the 1987 Cult film From a Whisper to a Scream I never heard of this film but may check out sometime in the near future. Jennifer Lopez's Thriller film The Boy Next Door releases this week as well as Mark Wahllberg's The Gambler which Target will carry a steelbook exclusive for this that I'm for sure to pickup. What will you pick up this week or will you skip the releases this week all together? Let us know in the comments.
Literature
professor Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) leads a secret life as a
high-stakes gambler. Always a risk-taker, Bennett bets it all when he
borrows from a gangster and offers his own life as
collateral. Staying one step ahead, he pits his creditor against the
operator of an illicit gambling ring while garnering the attention of
Frank (John Goodman), a paternalistic loan shark. As his relationship
with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must risk everything for a
second chance.
Set in 1960s Los Angeles, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello
investigates a kidnapping case. Based on the novel written by Thomas
Pynchon. In
a California beach community, private detective Larry "Doc" Sportello
(Joaquin Phoenix) tends to work his cases through a smoky haze of
marijuana. One day, Shasta, a former lover, arrives
out of the blue to plead for Doc's help; it seems that Shasta's current
beau, rich real-estate tycoon Mickey Wolfmann, has a wife who may be
plotting to commit him to a mental hospital. When Mickey and Shasta both
disappear, Doc navigates a psychedelic world of surfers, stoners and
cops to solve the case.
When
a handsome, charming teenager named Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next
door, newly separated high-school teacher Claire Peterson (Jennifer
Lopez) encourages his friendship and engages in a
little bit of harmless -- or so she thinks -- flirtation. Although Noah
spends much of the time hanging out with Claire's son, the teen's
attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation
and lets Noah seduce her -- but when she tries to end the relationship,
he turns violent.
It's the end of the Civil War, a handful of renegade union soldiers roam
the south on a mission of unholy terror. Includes five tales of terror
from the blood spattered history pages of Oldfield, Tennessee, as told
by the town librarian, master of horror Vincent Price.
Paddington follows the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear with
a passion for all things British, who travels to London in search of a
home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he begins to
realize that city life is not all he had imagined.
This is a family fun film online a few days ago I came across this creepy bear in classic horror themed scenarios that would make a cool slasher check it out below.
And if you just can't wait for a pre-order to be filled or just really need an awesome figure NOW, then checkout this Pyramid Head. He's a little pricey at $59.99 but you definitely get what you pay for, a great paint job and a wide range of articulation. I've recently spent a ton of money on music and movies so I just can't bring myself to order this guy yet, but if he's still here next time I get paid I will definitely be purchasing him! But if you have money and don't mind waiting for a pre-order, there's one more figure to see...
