Electric_blues

11:08pm: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
How do you even begin to review a romantic comedy with zombies? Well, since I never do a "critical" review, I guess the best way is the way I usually do it.

After a nice musical nod to the original Romero classic "Dawn of the Dead", we're plunged into the world of Shaun, a man trapped in a dead-end job with a dead-end life, a best friend whose going nowhere, a relationship that's on the rocks and if that's not bad enough, the bodies of the recently deceased are returning to life and attacking the living. Of course, the last part is barely noticed by Shaun and most of the people in his life as they focus more on their own lives.

A bitingly satirical look at the state of man himself, Shaun of the Dead stands out as one of those rare films that makes dark comedy work. It does tend to get heavy at points, but there are still plenty of laughs to be had. It's not exactly a "silly" film. If you're looking for a spoof of zombie films in the "Airplane" style, you'll be disappointed. The characters are real, their situations believable, aside from the zombie parts and it's treated soberly with a lot of tongue-in-cheek. Truly a great film, probably deeper than most people will see but I'll let you figure that out for yourself. 8.5/10

9:22pm: Jersey Girl (2004)
In its theatrical release, this film was pretty much killed by the previous Aflleck/Lopez bomb "Gigli". A stunning example of how the press can pretty much ruin what turns out to be a very good thing.

Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma) takes a huge step away from his normal fare to bring us a heartfelt, funny and, yes, serious look at fatherhood and what it takes to be a good father.

Many fans of Smith's previous films will be disappointed at the lack of toilet humor. I'm not exactly opposed to that kind of humor myself, but realize this is a very different movie. In "Chasing Amy", the character Helden McNeil laments his curse of writing comics that tell nothing but "d**k and fart jokes" and vows he'll tell a more meaningful story when he has one to tell--

This seems the most personal line of dialogue Kevin Smith has ever written. In "Jersey Girl", he shows he's got something more meaningful to say. A father himself, Smith approaches the film from the P.O.V. of a single father, struggling to get his old P. R. job back while juggling time for his daughter. In a more interesting turn, Smith has a multi-generational story as George Carlin plays the father of Affleck's character.

Don't worry, JLo is only in the first twenty minutes of the film before she dies.

This film is not really a departure for anyone whose bothered giving Smith's films more than a cursory glance. The only real change is that this is the first PG13 film he's ever made. Aside from that, the standard Smith philosophy is present. "Men are generally stupid, make lousy chooses but eventually learn from their mistakes and become better men."

If you just hate Kevin Smith, you won't like Jersey Girl. If you have no opinion of him at all, I suggest this be the film you see. It has a lot of heart and that's what truly matters anyway, isn't it?

10:59pm: Dawn of the Dead Ultimate Edition DVD Set
What makes this the "Ultimate Edition"? Well, it contains three cuts of the film, for starters.

Let me explain first, for those who are still "Dead" impaired. Dawn of the Dead, the George A. Romero classic sequel to the original Night of the Living Dead and the second film in what is currently the Dead trilogy (soon to be a quadrilogy with the release of his 4th installment Land of the Dead) was initially released with three distinctly different cuts. So that's where we'll start, by reviewing each cut of the film.

The U.S. Theatrical Release: This is the cut we're all familiar with, assuming we've seen the film at all and assuming we live in the U.S. As the name implies, this is the cut of the film originally released in theaters with the same music, the works. This disk contains optional audio commentary by Romero, Effects guru Tom Savini and A.D. Chris Romero. For the die-hard fan, it also included original theatrical trailers, TV Spots, radio Spots, and a poster and advertising gallery. Most importantly, this version is presented in 5.1 DTS Surround, which really gives the film an edge.

The Extended Version: This 139 minute opus is often, and erroneously called the "Director's Cut". Fact is, the U.S. Theatrical release was Romero's cut of choice. The extended version was actually only put together to show at Cannes. This is still a great version that fills in a lot of the character gaps.

The European Version: This is really director Dario Argento's cut of the same film for use in European Theaters. It's actually a far more abbreviated cut that the U.S. release, with extra scenes and additional music. Honestly, though, it felt choppy to me and the music seemed to have no breaks in it.

Okay, now for the film itself. What makes Dawn of the Dead resonate with so many people for so many years? Some claim it's the unapologetic gore. Others claim it's the pessimistic look at society. For me, it's the moral of the tale itself that keeps me coming back.

The film opens in the midst of the carnage created by an unexplained epidemic in which the recently dead are returning to life and feeding on the living. During the chaos, a group of four friends escape the city in a T. V. station chopper, eventually finding themselves at a shopping mall.

The Monroeville Mall becomes the group's home for a while, then their prison. The idea is that we are "safe" if we're surrounded by the "finer things in life." After removing the zombies from the mall and locking themselves inside, the group starts to forget about the undead terror and begin living in the false security of having the full run of a mall.

The obsession with keeping these symbols of society leads to a nearly completely tragic end.

Is this horror, or is it social satire? I think it's a little of both. One can't help but see the "in-you-face" irony of brainless zombies shambling around in an empty mall simply because, as Stephen muses in the film "This was a very important place in their lives."

Romero had his finger on the pulse of rampant consumerism before it became the complete reality it is now, and to me, this is what the film is truly about. The social relevance of the original Dawn of the Dead should not be overlooked because of the blood, the gore, the terror. In fact, those things are what make the message even more clear. How much blood have we shed? How much gore have we created? How much horror have we fed in order to have the "finer things" in life?

If you want it put bluntly, Romero was saying we're eating ourselves alive to get to the material possessions we think will make us safe. We're eating ourselves alive and becoming brainless zombies.

10:33pm: Hellboy DVD Review (2004)
This is truly strange for me as the theatrical release of this film was the first review I wrote on here, I believe. Well, it was at least AMONG the first. So why write a SECOND review of a film I already reviewed? Well, the fact that it came out last week is one good reason and another is to find out what else, if anything, I got from the film itself.

To my surprise, Wal-Mart stores didn't carry this initially, though I did see copies this weekend at one Super Wal-Mart. At any rate, the title may be misleading to many, thinking this film somehow "Fosters a belief in the occult". To those people, I cry RUBBISH! This is not a film about monsters and sorcery but a film about humanity and love. The "occult themes" present are treated with a more cartoony "Men In Black" attitude than with any seriousness and it's all treated tongue-in-cheek enough not to be mistaken for "satanic imagery". In fact, it borrows more from the Lovecraftian Cyclopean horrors than from any real Judeo/Christian Daemonology. The occult themes only serve as a backdrop for the story, an impetus for the action and nothing more.

If this is still bothersome, I will point out that BOTH sides are adequately represented. The heroes of this film use Judeo/Christian relics as weapons and it's treated with respect and seriousness. Far more than the evil elements are. If this still does not convince you, then maybe you're just reading too much into things.

Instead of "focusing" on the title, watch the content of the film itself. It only takes a very few minutes to forget that Hellboy is, physically at least, a monster. Within the first half an hour, you'll actually forget it's a guy in red make-up and latex and just see him as a man, as "one of the guys". You'll see him fight giant beasts in one scene of garish, cartoony violence and laying on his bed the next moment, trying to write out how much he loves Liz Sherman and looking for another word for "need" that doesn't "sound too needy."

It's in these stark contrasts that we find the core of the film, and the central question asked in the opening of the film. "What makes a man a man?" Is where a man began his life the definition of the man, or where he decides to take his life? That was a theme I didn't quite catch in my first viewing. Yes, I caught the "what makes a man a man" thing, but for some reason the central theme of freewill and how we, every one of us, ultimately chooses our own fate escaped me until viewing it again. Yes, it may be hard for many to view a creature born to be the demon of the Apocalypse as a hero, but that's the point. We all have some preconceived notion and we tend to prejudge people in real life based not on where they are, what they've done, rather where they came from. Hellboy may have been born the demon of the Apocalypse, but has chosen a much different path. The path of redemption. The path of fighting against the very things that led to his birth in the first place. The theme that anyone can find redemption is a theme that should not be overlooked.

So you see, refusing to see Hellboy based on the title alone is exactly the problem. In this film, our very prejudices are put to the test and we are shown that things are not always as we perceive them. That anyone can redeem themselves and that, if given a chance, we can still be surprised by the humanity within people.

The DVD contains plethora of extras including cast and crew commentary, branching comic book, set visits cued through the film and a documentary that's over two hours long covering the making of this film from pre-production to it's premiere. Give it a chance, it's worth the price and the time.

11:05pm: Batman TAS Season 1 DVD Review
Finally, fans of perhaps the best comic-based animated series in history are treated to the unabridged first season of Batman the Animated Series on DVD. For fans of Batman or the series itself, this is a crown gem that has been 12 years in the waiting. The wait was well worth it to say the least.

In its initial seasons, Batman the Animated Series broke all the barriers that separated a cartoon from straight drama. Playing off the success of the first two Batman films, Warner Brothers, perhaps, made their last smart decision where DC comics properties were concerned with a very smartly written and stylistically animated show. The animation reminds one of a much darker version of Fliescher's old Superman cartoon and the voice acting was done by actual actors with no shortage of well known names in roles that boggle the mind. Most notable is Mark Hammil as none other than The Joker.

It's going to be difficult to review this DVD set as a whole, so I will instead hit every episode, all 21 one of them, and hopefully not go over my limit.

1. On Leather Wings (With Commentary by Eric Rodomski and Bruce Timm). The first animated appearance of Batman juggernaut. The Man-Bat. In original comics, a rather transparent, and obviously cheesy idea made into a powerful story of pathos and family in this animated retelling.

2. Christmas with The Joker: What would Batman be without The Joker? Yes, I am biased, being that The Joker is my favorite Batman villain. This installment, the only Batman Christmas special to my knowledge, it full of all the laughs and sadistic nature one would respect from The Joker as he holds the city hostage on Christmas Eve in order to give Batman a Christmas present. Yes, an actual Christmas present.

Nothing to Fear: The first appearance of The Scarecrow that, frankly, fell flat due in large part to his absurd appearance in this initial offering. Fortunately, they changed the character design to make him more creepy in later installments. This one covers the origin of The Scarecrow and even delves into Bruce Wayne's own fears regarding the way his father would perceive him were he alive.

The Last Laugh: My least favorite Joker episode, yet it has my favorite Joker line in it. "Justice is served hot, Batman, and you're gonna melt just like a grilled cheese sandwich!" In this episode, The Joker uses a garbage barge to send his gas into the city so he can commit a series of robberies.

Pretty Poison: First appearance of Batman villain, Poison Ivy. It's an all around solid story with several important elements established for the importance of later episodes. A close friendship between Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne is established, which come into play very well later on. The basic storyline is that a botanical nut, Pamela Isely, seduces Harvey Dent in order to protect an endangered plant, poisoning Dent and causing a lot of destruction along the way.

The Underdwellers: An interesting Batman tale involving a villain I know nothing about and may have been created for the series, The Sewer King, a despotic madman who kidnapped children and forced them to commit robberies for him in an Oliver Twist fashion. This episode is crucial in that it solidifies Batman's rage at anyone who causes harm to children. It's a very good episode with some hysterical scenes involving everyone's favorite smarmy butler, Alfred.

P.O.V.: The same story told from three perspectives is always very interesting. Though this episode would have been done better if the animation matched the teller's story rather than showing what really happened.

Forgotten: One of the more impressive episodes that really captures the haunted character of Bruce Wayne. In this episode, Bruce Wayne loses his memory after being clubbed over the head while investigating several disappearances of the homeless in the bowery district. He awakens to find himself in a slave labor camp forced to dig for gold. Several key highlights include the dream sequences of the amnesiac Bruce Wayne as he begins to piece together who he is and, of course, more Alfred. Flying the Batjet no less. Can't be missed.

Be A Clown: Yup, another Joker episode, obviously. The Joker infiltrates Mayor Hill's son's birthday party because the mayor made the mistake of saying that he wanted to make the city "as secure as my own mansion!" The mayor's son, neglected by Hill and infatuated with Magic, stows away in The Joker's van to learn how to be a magician.

Two Face Pt 1 and 2: The first two partner done. This hour long episode succeeds where Batman Forever fails by making us care about Harvey Dent, working off an already established close friendship between him and Bruce Wayne, and by giving him a fiancee who loves him enough to see past the accident that scars half of his face and makes his repressed rage that manifests itself into a split personality come to horrific life. You feel the anguish of Batman as he tried to save his friend from becoming just another villain for the rogue's gallery. This is made even more evident in a dream sequence Bruce has where Harvey screams "Why didn't you save me?" and this his mother and father say the same thing.

It's Never Too Late: One of the most impressive episodes of any animated series I have ever seen. When an aging mob boss is on the edge of a gang war with the younger Rupert Thorne, we see that he is haunted by an event that happened in his childhood involving his younger brother and a train. The character development and drama are too deep for children and obviously meant for adults.

I've Got Batman In My Basement: One of the more amusing episodes and the only episode in this set featuring The Penguin, voices by Paul Williams. In this episode, two adventurous children stumble onto The Penguin's hideout and end up with an unconscious Batman in their basement.

Heart of Ice: The origin of Mr. Freeze is made more realistic in this 25 minute episode than in all two hours worth of Batman and Robin. We're shown in a more realistic way WHY he becomes what he becomes and we actually feel sorry for him. Very moving story.

The Cat and The Claw Pt1 and 2: It's not entirely without note how this two partner soars above the recently released Catwoman film. Voiced by Adrienne Barbeau, Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman is depicted exactly as she is meant to be, a cat burglar with a thing for cats. When she inadvertently stumbles upon a plot by a terrorist organization called The Red Claw, headed by a woman named Thalia (which is a brilliant bit of foreshadowing for what is to come. Thalia is the daughter of Batman's most brilliantly conceived villain, Ra's Al Ghuul) to convert a wildlife refuge into a secret base from which to launch their terrorist plots. Hey, it's world's better than an evil cosmetics company headed by Sharon Stone.

See No Evil: Another very adult tale about an ex con, his daughter, and his ex wife. It's about child abduction and abuse cloaked in a super villain tale about a man with a suit that allows him to be invisible. Again we're given an ending that reminds us that Batman is all-too-human, even touching.

Beware the Grey Ghost: In a very touching tribute to the last time Batman was on TV, Adam West lends his voice to a washed up actor, known for playing a TV superhero known as The Grey Ghost. We're treated to great flashback sequences here showing a younger Bruce Wayne, watching television with his father. When a series of crimes starts to match an old episode of The Grey Ghost, Batman enlists the help of the actor to discover who the criminal is.

Prophecy of Doom: Another episode that is more along the lines of reality. Two ex cons set up a phony group with the pretense that they can predict catastrophe's that they're actually making happen in the first place.

Feat of Clay PT1 and 2: Another tremendous origin story about greed, vanity, and the price that's paid. It's the origin of shape shifting villain Clayface, an actor who was horrifically scared in a traffic accident and given a "second chance" by using a highly addictive, highly experimental skin cream manufactured by evil corporate titan ROland Daggett.

The Joker's Favor: The best Joker episode ever! When an ordinary man having a crappy day gets cut off in traffic, he intends to give the guy who cut him off a piece of his mind. Unfortunately, that man is The Joker. The Joker tracks him down and agrees to let him go so long as he does a favor for him someday. Seven years pass before he gets a call from the Joker, despite having moved to Cleveland and changing his name. The favor? Come back to Gotham City and open a door for him. This episode really shows how completely insane and dangerous The Joker really is. It's just brilliant and also has one of the best lines ever. "I just cussed out The Joker!"

Vendetta: The first appearance of Killer Croc, though not the best Croc episode. Croc attempts to frame the cop who arrested him and sent him to prison.

Fear of Victory: The first episode with Robin and the first appearance of the newly redesigned, creepier Scarecrow, voiced by Rene Aberjonois. In this episode, The Scarecrow uses his fear toxin to rig sporting events so he can clean up on betting.

The Clock King: A second rate villain with a tremendous episode. An efficiency expert with the rather telling name of Tempo Fugit, a man obsessed with schedules and time, taking the train one morning is given some advice by then Councilman Hill to take his coffee break outside. Fugit agrees, feeling the change might relax him enough to make a better impression before the judge as he prepares to deliver crucial paperwork that would prove his company was not at fault for a fraud claim. The simple act of taking his coffee break outside causes a comedic chain reaction that ends in him missing his appointment and losing some of the documents. Years latter, when Hill is running for re-election for mayor, he is tormented by a string of well timed incidents. Tempo Fugit is back, and this time, he's The Clock King, bent on revenge against Hill for what he perceives as a calculated attempt years ago to ruin him.

Appointment in Crime Alley: The best of the first series bunch. Batman is trying to make an important meeting in Crime Alley, the place his parents were killed, yet keeps running into one problem after another, mostly circulating around an attempt by millionaire villain, Roland Daggett to have explosives planted in the alley to demolish buildings allowing him to buy the property and develop it. What makes this episode the best, in my opinion, is the culmination of the "appointment" itself. It's simply Batman, meeting with the friend of his deceased Father's, the very friend who held the young, weeping Bruce Wayne all those years ago. In the end, he lays the two roses, and falls into her arms and weeps and she comforts the adult Batman in the same way.

Mad As A Hatter: The Mad Hatter, a scientist named Jervis Tetch, employed by WayneTech to build a chip that could control minds. He's also a man with two obsessions, one is Alice in Wonderland, the other is his secretary, Alice. The theme of love has been used for the creation of villains, but this is the first time the theme of love unrequited has been used. A brilliant piece with the voice talents of Roddy McDowell as The Mad Hatter.

Dreams in Darkness: The third Scarecrow Episode, with little to offer story wise, except for the scenes involving Batman as an inmate at Arkam and some of the delusions he has as a result of exposure to a more potent form of The Scarecrow's fear toxin. One of the most compelling visuals in the entire series is in this episode as Batman watches as his mother and father walk into a dark tunnel which turns into a giant revolver with blood pouring out of the barrel.

All around, this collection is a must for true Batman fans or even just fans of good, mature animation. I would even recommend at least a rental for those who have not visited animation in a while or think it's all "just kid's stuff". It retails for about $49.99 and is available everywhere.

10:35pm: Spider-man 2 (Spoiler-free review)
Okay, so it took me a week to get this out, but I was busy. This is the spoiler-free review of the film Spider-Man 2. The LAST review was filled with spoilers, so if you read it, don't blame me.

What can I say about the best Comic-Based film made to date? There is emotion, character development and humor. This you already know unless you've been living under a rock and missed the waves of praise that CRITICS have poured over this film. (Most of you know how little I think of critics).

This sequel succeeds where the first film did not, which is to say that director Sam raimi corrected the few problems in the original and kept in the parts of the original that worked. Toby McGuire shows more zeal as Spider-Man and more maturity and emotion as Peter Parker. Albert Molina shines as the villain of this film, the utterly creepy, yet strangely sympathetic Dr. Octopus. However, the greatest surprise in this film comes from Tommy Franco's portrayal of the tormented Harry Osborne. It was commented that Franco appeared "strung out" throughout this film, which was a brilliant touch. I'm not sure if Raimi intended it, but it conveyed in a way one thing most comic fans know, that after his father's death, Harry became a drug addict.

Franco plays Harry Osborne in all his haunted, vengeful and obsessive mannerisms. He makes the transformation from the innocent kid who was ashamed to be seen coming out of a limo in the first film to a near villain in this one. An amazing performance worthy of note.

Also worthy of note are more scenes with the surrounding characters. Jameson gets more screen time and Aunt May even has an action sequence. Both of these characters are central to the make-up of the character of Peter Parker as well as his alter-ego. Greater inclusion of these characters gives greater depth and richness to the world the story is set in.

Are there complaints? Of course there are. Nothing's perfect and everyone has complained about one thing or the other. One complaint, not so much a spoiler as it may seem, is that Spider-man took off his mask too much in this film. I take issue with this complaint. These scenes were not gratuitous and were either necessary in conveying emotion or forwarded the scene. There is a scene where Spider-man stops a train. He takes off his mask due to circumstances that seemed clear to me. However, without being able to see the strain on McGuire's face, the scene would not be nearly as gut wrenching. Yes, the people on the train do see his face, but because of that we're given a very touching, emotional scene where one of the passengers remark "He's just a kid, no older than my son!"

My complaints are not major, yet may spark some offense. My complaint is basically Kirstin Dunst. She just looked bored throughout the entire film as if she didn't want to be there and despite excellent acting by Toby McGuire, I just didn't feel any actual chemistry between the two. Still, it was not a major impediment to the film, believe it or not.

This is the best film of the year so far and almost a guarantee of a third installment. If you haven't already seen this, then what the hell is wrong with you?

9:53pm: Spider-man 2 Spoiler Review (2004)
Okay, first up is the "spoiler" review for this film. For those who do NOT want to know the "secrets" of this film, skip this review and go to the next one, which is spoiler free. Okay, you have been warned.

What can I say about this film save that it is, perhaps, the best "Super-Hero" film ever made, better even than the first Keaton Batman film. No, this is not coming from an anti-Batman bias. I have always been as equal a Batman fan as I have been a Spider-Man fan. Director Sam Raimi delivers in this sequel to the wildly popular first film, an installment that has all of the qualities that made the original a wonderful film as well as the removal of the elements that just didn't work in the original film.

This time around, we're given two villains, though one is much more subdued than the other. We're given one of Spider-man's most notorious villain, Dr. Otto Octavius, AKA, Dr. Octopus. When a fusion experiment goes awry, Dr. Octavius becomes an obsessed, deranged man, bound to these indestructible appendages designed for the safe handling of dangerous matter. This is all very true to the comic book origin, yet stream-lined and updated to fit within a film format. Not an easy thing to do. The second villain is none other than Harry Osborne, the son of Norman Osborne, AKA The Green Goblin. Harry is accurately portrayed as a man haunted by the mistaken idea that Spider-man murdered his father and also haunted by the psychological abuse his father thrust upon him when he was alive. He's torn between obsessing over getting revenge on Spiderman and trying to run his father's company.

That is the thesis of the film itself. Everyone is torn between two worlds. One would think this would get tiresome, which it would have were it not that all the characters are torn between their real world responsibilities and events caused by the insertion of the more fantastical. In this film, Peter Parker is torn between his real world responsibilities and the solemn oath he made to his uncle in the first film. The words of his uncle haunt him even still "With great power comes great responsibility". Even the film's central villain is a man torn between completing his own research at any cost and keeping HIS oath to issue that science is only used to benefit mankind, not to destroy.

Perhaps that's what makes this film better than the original, it doesn't; fall into the all-too-common trap of having villains who wear the theatrical black hat. You feel for every character, even the villains. Their motivations are not only rational and believable, but in many cases, justified. The only real villainy in this film comes from the character's inability to see how their actions would have negative consequences. That is, for the most part, true in real life.

There are also a lot of nods in the film to both fans of Sam Raimi films as well as fans of the comic. For the Sam Raimi film buffs, the nods are very apparent. The car that Sam Raimi puts in every one of his films, the infamous car that Ash from the Evil Dead series had, and the car that was trashed in the original film was sitting in Aunt May's garage. The scene in which the doctor's are trying to remove the limbs from Octavius and the camera cuts quickly to the surgical chainsaw, then cuts away, then cuts quickly back to the doctor, thrusting the chainsaw at the screen was lifted directly from both Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. Then there is the inevitable cameo by Bruce Campbell as the usher at the theater. For those not in the know, Bruce Campbell has at least made a cameo in every film Raimi has ever made, including Darkman.

There was no shortage of nods to the comic fan as well. Dr. Kurt Conners was actually cast and shown in this film, complete with the one arm. Comic Fans recognize him as the doomed Spidey villain "The Lizard". John Jameson is also introduced in this film, another occasional Spiderman Villain known as the "Man-Wolf". These are but a few of the nods to the comic inserted. More compelling were some of the scenes taken directly from the comics themselves. The scene where Parker decides to give up Spiderman and walks away with the costume sticking out of the garbage can in the foreground is a powerful image taken from the cover of "Amazing Spider-man". The newspaper headline "Where is Spider-Man?" also taken straight from the comic, the words plastered on a billboard when Spider-man vanished to fight in Marvel's "The Secret Wars". Comic fans also had to cheer when Mary Jane used the line her comic character made famous "Go get 'em, tiger." And lastly, the obvious moment that Harry discovers the truth about his father and we realize he is going to become the next Green Goblin, just as he did in the comic.

But these nods to not steal from the film itself. The depth of character development and treatment is what makes this stand out. These characters all come off as real people, not four color cutouts used as a backdrop for garishly costumed action. This film has something for everyone. It's the best film I have seen this year, bar none.

10:45pm: Secret Window DVD Review (2004)
Stephen King films have always been a 'hit or miss" game. For every great Stephen King film, such as Misery, The Shawshank Redemption of Apt Pupil, there's always a stinker like "Pet Semetary" or "Maximum Overdrive". The problem is that Stephen King's work doesn't usually translate well into film without completely changing the story, as was the case with Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining".

However, "Secret Window" does a very good job of capturing a Stephen King story without altering the source material too drastically. The tale of an author haunted by a stranger named John Shooter who claims he stole a story from him, Secret Window takes us deep into the heart of man and into the very nature of fear itself.

Johnny Depp once again proves he can actually act, but that's usually a given. More compelling than Depp's performance is the story itself. Few films of the horror genre actually stick with me these days, actually keep me thinking long after the film has ended. This one, however, still has me thinking. I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that if you turn on your brain while watching this, and leave it on, you'll find yourself questioning a lot of things about yourself.

The main thing that distinguishes this from other Stephen King films is that there is some actual narration in the film. As the story unfolds, we're let into the main characters mind, his very thoughts. This might seem clunky in cinema, but it works very well in this film. Despite other poor reviews, I highly recommend you see this film.

The DVD sports a healthy array of extras, including deleted scenes and commentary. I'll admit, I liked the extended deleted ending better than the cut theatrical ending. It's worth more than a watch, it's worth a buy. Watch this film at least twice to fully appreciate it.

12:10am: Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
A hilarious "mockumentary" set in the fictional town of Mount Rose Minnesota centering around the beauty pageant circuit. This is a darkly comedic, almost sardonic look at America, it's obsession with beauty and more importantly, the obsession with winning.

Irreverent and unapologetic in its take on society itself, Drop Dead Gorgeous offers us a little more than a few cheap laughs. Like all good satire, we laugh because of the truth in what we're seeing. We laugh because we KNOW people like this. We laugh because through the absurdity of it all there is the reality that people do kill for the foolish reason of pride. We can't forget the cheerleader murder-for-hire plot that headlined the news several years back or the multiple cases of so-called "soccer mom rage" that has lead to brutality and, yes, to murder.

A brilliantly written and acted film that is so largely overlooked it can be found for $5.99 at your local Best Buy, this film delivers much more than it promises and a lot more than you'd expect. So when you watch it, prepare to laugh. However, while you're laughing at the absurdity of it all, remember that it could, in fact, really happen.

12:01am: Bubba Ho-Tep DVD Review (2003)
Okay, I'm not sure how to even begin to review this film. This is definitely one of the oddest films I have ever seen, though not in a bad way. Okay, I'll just give you the lowdown on the plot line. Elvis (Bruce Campbell) is alive (or is he?) and he's living in a retirement home, suffering from a broken hip and, well, penis cancer. He joins forces with another one of the patients, a black man (Ossie David) who believes he's JFK. "They dyed me this color!" to fight a 4,000 year old soul sucking mummy who wears a cowboy hat, snakeskin boots and a tattered western style shirt. Yes, certainly one of the most bizarre, campy plotlines in history, but that's kind of the point.

This is definitely a laugh-out-loud kind of movie. A very low budget film that received a huge amount of praise from the most unlikely of sources, art house cinemas and the film festival crowd. Why all the buzz? Well, there's a layer to this film that is completely unexpected. It's not just camp, it's something deeper than that. Campbell is brilliant as an over-the-hill Elvis, or perhaps, simply deranged Elvis impersonator, that is never explicitly answered. He plays the geriatric Elvis with a huge degree of self reflection and pathos. Couple his performance with Ossie Davis as JFK, and you realize this is more than a campy horror movie, it's about how we just cast aside the elderly, dismiss them, treat them like children, or ignore them all together.

Now, to explain the deal with Elvis in this movie, the character Campbell plays is either Elvis, or a man who thinks he's Elvis. The explanation is that he went to meet the greatest Elvis impersonator in the world, a man named Sebastian Haff (Also played by Bruce Campbell) and agrees to trade places with him because the fame was too much for him to handle. So as a career, the "real" Elvis took on Haff's role and did shows impersonating, well, himself. Yes, it sounds more confusing than it is, but we're left to make up our own minds as to whether or not this is the true King or not.

With brilliant direction from Don Coscarelli (Writer/Director of the cult horror classic Phantasm) Bubba Ho-Tep surprises at it's ability to make these believable characters out of unbelievable character types as well as its ability to make us care about them. It should also be noted that while the DVD is released through MGM, this is truly an independent picture. It was made for under 6 million dollars, though the effects, done by noted KNB Effects Group prevent the budgetary constraints from coming off as cheesy.

This DVD is definitely worth the 20 dollar price tag. loaded with extras. There are two separate commentary tracks, one with the director, Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell, and a second commentary track with "The King". There's also a reading by the author of the short story the film originated from of, well, the short story itself as well as three deleted scenes, four behind the scenes documentaries a music video, photo gallery, theatrical trailer and TV spots.

Don't let the title throw you, pick this one up, if you're lucky enough to find it. My Suncoast had already sold out by three this afternoon and my Best Buy only had two copies left to its name, so it is going fast. This is a great movie, well worth the price and the time.

6:45am: Calendar Girls (2003)
I KNOW what some of you are saying. . . "WTF is this? A 'chick flick'?" Well, I will admit to being somewhat skeptical at first as well, BUT Calendar Girls turned out to be a hysterical and touching film with brilliant performances and a message of hope and triumph.

For those not familiar with the famed Calendar Girls, a group of women from the Women's Institute" (think Junior League, only English) who decided to, well, pose nude for a calendar, all proceeds going to Leukemia research, then here's the basic gist, aside from what was already covered. After the husband of one of the members dies from leukemia, a small group of these otherwise prim and proper and, yes, older women decide to expose themselves, literally, to sell calendars. Initially, the proceeds were to go to nothing more than buying a better sofa for the family room at the hospital, but what they turned out with became an international sensation and the cause was not merely a sofa any longer, but fighting the disease itself.

I could go on and on about the brilliant performances. I could also reassure everyone that, though they were nude, everything was still covered and the photos were very artistic, many of them actually beautiful. Instead, I'll focus on the bits some of you might have a little trouble with.

The Women's Institute is a club that as formed during the suffrage movement as a means of empowering women. Of course, today, it serves as more a social arena. Like I said, it's not that different from the Junior League, if any of you are familiar with that. The membership is mostly older ladies, middle to upper middle class. This should help you a bit in understanding the film itself.

Next question, of course, is why would these "old women" do a nude calendar? Well, it's explained somewhat in the film, but I got from it a deeper meaning. What I got from it was that these women were essentially saying "just because we're not twenty doesn't mean we're sexless creatures. We are still women!" So that's why a nude calendar. And obviously, it was a grand idea.

This film is not all bleak and serious, so don't worry about that. It's actually a bit like "The Full Monty", filled with hysterical bits of irreverent humor. You WILL find yourself laughing out loud most of the time. Of course, this is not to say the film lacks any depth nor that you care little for the characters. See, that's the catch, you DO care for the characters. You actually care about their personal lives and you see the beauty in them.

Sure, there are no car chases. There are no monsters, no chainsaw wielding madmen, no explosions, no CGI assisted fight scenes. This is just a simple film. The only effect present is the one it will have on you if you just give it a chance. Don't just dismiss this as a "chick flick". Give it a shot. You won't regret it.

9:16pm: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
Critically lynched for being too long and too dramatic, this film still takes hold the record ad being the only Frankenstein film that even comes close to the novel itself. Perhaps that is where the inherit flaw itself lies. Audiences, being spoon fed for decades on the grunting behemoth that is Frankenstein's monster were not prepared to deal with the evolving monster, the speaking monster, the literary monster.

A beautifully filmed period piece, Frankenstein shatters the Universal Studios mold by giving us a more sane Dr. Frankenstein and a less "sanitized" view of the Victorian world. We're given the reasoned for Dr. Frankenstein's obsession and, in his creation, we're shown the true moral of the story.

Many have claimed this film is, as I said, too long and too boring. Well, to that, I say get an attention span. This is not meant to be an action film or even really a horror film, it is a dramatic feature. It is, nonetheless, entertaining, so long as you prepare yourself for a dramatic film and NOT for the standard, "grunting" Frankenstein's monster.

9:07pm: An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Touted as THE contemporary werewolf picture, An American Werewolf in London mixes dark comedy with some of the most disturbing imagery in werewolf films. Many times, we are left waiting to laugh and scream at the same time.

When two Americans (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) are attacked by a werewolf in the English moors, one killed, the other only wounded, we're taken on a journey through the supernatural, complete with the spirits of the undead compelling the werewolf to kill himself in a porn theatre and nightmares involving demonic neo nazis gunning down his family.

Most impressive feature of this film are the effects. Despite its age, the masterfully crafted visual effects still stand the test of time. In fact, the transformation scene itself has yet to be topped, even with modern CGI. The visual effects are stunning, and well worth the picture alone.

Of course, there is more to this film than simply amazing visual effects. A masterful blend of dark humor and believable characters make this film enjoyable on an entirely different level. What "An American Werewolf in London" does is not take itself too seriously, and in the process, delivers the pinnacle werewolf picture of our age. By NOT taking itself too seriously, it allows we, the viewers, to decide whether or not his is a comedy or a horror film. Whichever you decide, this film is enjoyable enough for multiple viewings.

8:52pm: John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) DVD Review
John Carpenter, famed director of such classic films as Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween and The Thing brings us a modern vision of vampire folklore that rivals even that of the classic film "Near Dark" The film is about a group of vampire hunters, working under order from the Catholic church. In traditional John Carpenter style, these vampires are not your father's vampires, they are mostly somewhat mindless shapes, save for the "master vampire' Valek, the first vampire.

Any attempts at a traditional plot summary falls far short of explaining the actual film. Vampires has all the elements of a western with fangs. You have a desert setting, a group of bounty hunters and an organized group of enemies that could just as easily be replaced by "Indians" were this a traditional, old fashioned western. James Woods as the lead hunter, Jack Crow adds a unique blend of callous indifference and unyielding focus on his solitary goal, to exterminate vampires. He's tan archetype of the traditional western bounty hunter, focused only on his quarry and unable to form any sort of real human relationships.

Vampires also takes the whole vampire mythology and reinvents it in a very modern, yet very familiar way. Gone is the "attractive" vampire. There is no mistaking Valek for an evil thing, something only playing at being human. This is indeed a refreshing change from the pathos of most modern vampire films.

While this may not be a "thinking man's" film, it's well worth watching for the sheer entertainment value alone. Even a fan of old westerns will see many nods to such films as High Noon. It is certainly one of the best Vampire films to come out of the 90's

11:12pm: Big Fish (2004)
What is truth and what is fiction? It doesn't matter. All that maters is that you find the version of the story that you like best and never lose your ability to imagine something more than what your eyes can see. This is the point of the Tim Burton film "Big Fish", a study of the life of a man whose life is riddled by tall tales and the truth seeming obscured by his exhagerrations. The tales Edward Bloom tells about his life are as large as life itself, and in many cases, even larger.

As much as this is the story of Edward Bloom it is also the story of his son, Will Bloom, a man pinioned by reason, fact and only what can be proven or explained. A man who has grown ashamed of his father's tall tales, a man who wants to know the truth behind the myths. Of course, the truth was always there all along, in all Edward's tall tales was some fragment of truth, some portion of the real story, but this isn't really the point of the film. The point of the film is that when we lose our sense of wonder, we become dismal, boring creatures and that sometimes a whopper beats "just the facts".

"Big Fish" has many elements that most will find enjoyable. It's a love story, a comedy, a mild fantasy picture and a touching drama. This film has so many layers that one viewing will not even begin to reach beneath the surface at the true heart of the film, and trust me, there is a lot of heart to this film.

Frankly, I was surprised at many points that this film was directed by Tim Burton. While his very unique style is apparent in many of Edward Bloom's "memories", the present day scenes are directed masterfully and absent the staple surrealism Burton is famous for. In "Big Fish", Burton reminds us that he CAN direct a serious picture, much like he did with "Ed Wood". Yet Burton continues to challenge our perceptions though more subtly in this film.

A beautiful, touching, warm, funny movie that will leave you in tears and filled with a sense of joy and wonder, unless you're too serious to give it a chance. If you are too serious to give it a chance, to pinioned by reason, to tied to "only the facts", then watch it twice.

12:08am: The Punisher (2004)
The second big screen attempt to bring the comic book anti-hero Frank Castle, AKA "The Punisher" far exceeds expectations. A dark, gritty, violent movie with a heart and soul. A film that casts aside the garishness of stereotypes and gives us something we're not quite so used to seeing in film, originality.

After his last mission with the FBI, Frank Castle watches as his entire family is slaughtered in the most brutal and ruthless means possible. One year later, Castle sets out to punish those responsible for the act. Yes, I am aware that this is hardly an original concept, but this is not a concept film, it's more like film noir, a character piece rather than an idea piece.

The Punisher himself is played equally well as the loving husband and father, Frank Castle, and as the hollowed out shell of a man who is The Punisher. His descent into darkness is a believable one for the very reason many reviewers have downed this movie, the violent methods used to kill his family.

John Travolta does a wonderful job of shattering the time tested "Goodfellas" gangster by providing us with a mob boss who not only sounds well educated, but is a cold and calculated businessman. Nowhere in this film will you find the track-suited mob boss chewing on cigars and spewing out lines that would make Snidely Whiplash chomp at the bit. Instead, you have plausible villains, not very likeable people, violent and sadistic, but deliberately vile.

Of course, The Punisher is not just a mindless gorefest or a braindead soot-em-up. It is a film with many layers. There is plenty of comic relief to prevent the film from being to bleak and tense, all of which is provided by Castle's new neighbors. However, aside from merely being a plot device, these characters seem to genuinely care about Castle, view him as a misfit, just like they are and embrace him even thought he is unable to embrace anyone else.

Make no mistake, this is a dark film, it is meant to be. It is a film about chance, cause and effect. In many ways, it is reminiscent of a style in film that has not been seen for some time. Everything that happens, everything that leads up to Frank Castle becoming The Punisher is blind chance and simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Punisher is neither hero nor villain, much like most of the rest of us. He is simply a man who has lost everything and, through the course of seeking his vengeance sees a greater truth to his "new" life. "It's not about vengeance, it's not about justice, it's about punishment".

A dark film, blending the surreal comic elements with the very real human elements, this film will hardly be embraced by the masses, yet in time it will be understood. SUrely anyone familiar with the source material will find much to enjoy in this film. Even those not familiar with he source material will appreciate the genre itself. Anyone who enjoyed "Falling Down" will certainly enjoy "The Punisher".

1:32am: Hellboy (2004)
"What makes a man a man?" The opening phrase of the film, wonderfully narrated by John Hurt is of far greater significance to the plot line of Hellboy than one might think. To the casual observer, this film may easily be dismissed as yet another Comic-to-Film eye-candy romp filled with eye popping special effects and very little along the line of character development. Many reviews peperring the internet have made similar statements, but I am here to say they are all dead wrong.

Hellboy surprises us by giving us a startlingly human hero in the creature, no, the MAN known as Hellboy. So genuine is the character that we overlook the garishness of his appearance and see him instead as simply a man.

Found sixty years ago by a top secret government organization bent on stopping Hitler from gaining control of occult forces, Hellboy was raised in secret by Dr. Broome whom he affectionately refers to as "Pop".

Yes, I know we have seen all this before, a collection of people with unique powers fighting the forces of evil and there are times when this film has a slightly "Men in Black" type of feel, but what you find if you really study this film, really pay attention, really give this film a chance is that, despite the monsters and the villains and the outrageous action sequences, this is really a story about humanity, a story about choices, about finding out who we are, coming to grips with it and simply being it.

Our heroes are all believably flawed individuals, from Hellboy, a seven foot tall creature that is "part heaven, part hell" who files down his horns to appear more human. He's sometimes reckless, somewhat of a smart ass, always seems in control of any situation, so long as the situation doesn't involve expressing his feelings, especially for the pyrokenetic Liz Sherman. Hellboy is a beautifully portrayed character, full of sympathy and kindness, yet also a capable individual, just not particularly good with people.

Liz Sherman is another good example of the flawed hero. She's a pyrokenetic who has a dark past. She's also in love with Hellboy, yet denies this even to herself. In her mind, he represents a separation from the world and an admission that she can never be a part of "normal society".

Abe Sapien, an unknown amphibious creature with the ability to see what has happened by touching an object is the major comic relief, but more than merely serving in this capacity, he has a much greater roloe as a figure for Hellboy to relate to. There are no characters just "thrown in" for the sake of a plot device or to simply "die", a rarity for these types of films.

The villains are far more enigmatic. The main villain being Rasputin, yes, THAT Rasputin. It was he who summoned forth Hellboy sixty years ago, and he holds the dark secret of Hellboy's true purpose. Accompanying him are Ilsa, a woman he has seduced and granted eternal life in order to serve him, and the Nazi Kroenen, perhaps the more disturbing of the villains. Kroenen is also somewhat immortal. He's a wizard with blades and also addicted to surgery. One of the more chilling scenes in the film involves something as simple as Kroenen sitting in his makeshift study, surrounded by steel masks to cover his face, listening to an old phonograph.

Then, of course, there is the token monster. This one takes the shape of a "demon" named Sammael. I use the term "demon" loosely as this is more Lovecraftian and less King James. Sammael is a well designed monster that does serve a greater purpose other than to simply have a monster for Hellboy to fight.

Make no mistake, the fight scenes are amazing, the action sequences explosive, but there is, beneath the surface of that, a very human love story and a few very touching moments along the way. We're really shown Hellboy's human side when he's spying on Liz Sherman and talking to a nine year old boy. You get a sense that the Character of Hellboy is a complex one, gentle and brutal when needed, thoughtful and sometimes callous. He can be patient as well as hot tempered.

Do not make the mistake of simply dismissing this film as yet another comic book film. Keep an open mind and pay close enough attention and you'll find Hellboy is a pleasant surprise.

11:54pm: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
At first, I was skeptical, being a fan of the original 1974 classic. Still, I purchased it, a blind buy, based on the positive reviews of others and all I can say is WOW!

Many elements that made the original great were present. Five young people, a van, Texas, Leatherface, a demented family and even a nice voiceover by John Laroquette (He did the voice over narrative for the original film). But after the narrative, the horrors you're shows are far different, even if eerily similar.

The film opens almost like a snuff film, a grainy 8mm film of a police officer going over the scene of a particualrly grissly crime. It sets up that something horrific happened here without showing us too much. The film and the enhanced narrative lend more of a "documentary' feel to it and is the most telling nod to the gritty realism of the original.

But the similarities end with the narrative. The infamous "hitchhiker" is no more, replaced instead by a wandering young girl the troupe of teens nearly hit as she walks listlessly down the road. Our heroes have changed as well, rather than being a group of well meaning hippies driving the Texas countryside to make sure their grandfather's grave has not run afoul of a grave robber, these teens are coming back from a vacation to Mexico. A vacation which, to the surprise of some, was actually a means by which to buy two pounds of marijuana, a "nest egg", as one of the characters puts it.

The characters are far more developed in this version than in the original. Nobody seems to exist for the sole purpose of being killed. You get a sense these are three dimensional people, that they have been places and, had events been different, would have gone places.

Also gone, to some degree, was the element of cannibalism being the cetral precipice behind the deeds of the "family". In fact, the cannibalism was so played down that if you weren't watching, you'd have missed it. Instead, you're shown a much more, well, normal looking family that is simply deranged and trying to shelter this younger member of their family, the homocidal, chainsaw wielding "Leatherface", this time given a name and a face of his own. William Hewirtt.

The original pathos for Leatherface is also somewhat diminished. Unlike in the original, he is not viewed so much as a product of this deranged family of cannibals as he is a pue psychopath not above using his chainsaw on members of his own family. Though not expressed, it is implied that the leggless old man, an undetermined relative of the family in question, lost his own legs to Leatherface's chainsaw.

Yet, at the same time, his pathology is more clearly explained to us by giving him an overbearing mother and elluding to his having an alcoholic father (both nods to the true life serial killer Ed Gein). We are told in smatters about his childhood and even shown his face, to remind us he is not an inhuman monster, but a human one. His face is grotesque, to be sure, but not so ov er the top as not to be believed. We are told of the "skin disaease" he contracted as a child, tumors grew on his face. We all know how cruel children can be to children that are different. We are shown that Leatherface was not born, he was made. In a chilling line delivered by his mother "I know your kind, always being mean to my boy. My sweet, sweet boy".

The film has many nods to the original, yet maintains an originality of its own, allowing it to stand on its own merits. In many ways, it is superior to the original.

Now comes the fun part, since this IS a DVD, I'll give you the specs, so bear with me. I strongly recommend, if you're buying this film, to lay down the extra money on the delux edition. It's well worth the price for the bonus disk, which contained deleted scenes, alternate ending and beginning, a feature length documentary on the making of the film as well as a chilling feature length documentary on Ed Gein, the real life inspiration for both the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the remake, as well as Psycho and a few other films. Just don't watch the documentary or the film alone.

11:50pm: Gothika (2004)
Advertized as a spookfest along the vein of The Sixth Sense and promising a lot of good scares, Gothika falls far short of this and falls less into the niche of a horror film and more into the realm of supernatural thriller. Borrowing story elements from just about everything from "The Uglies" to "8mm", Gothika also falls short in the category of originality.

Starring a rather unconvincing Halle Berry as a Psychologist (or psychiatrist, they never really say) who specializes in deeply disturbed patients. Her ham-handed performance wrecked even moreso by an unrealistic love for her husband (Charles S. Dutton). The one scene they shared did not convey their relationship in the least and was, frankly, awkward. Yet we are supposed to care when he turns up dead and she's been locked away for having comitted the crime.

Of course, it is after her incarceration that the film actually starts to get good. There are no truly horrific images, but there is a mystery that somehow, despite the performances, becomes compelling. As strange as it may sound, this was a film that I wanted to turn off until after the first thirty minutes.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not a BAD film, just not a very good one. Still, it's a decent popcorn flick with a fairly well written mystery even if the ending is full of more holes than OJ's testimony. Gothika's main flaw is that it tries to be a cerebral film yet fails miserably under too much scrutiny. My advice on this one, if you can't turn off your brain and just enjoy a movie, skip this one. You'll be better served checking your brain at the door.

11:40pm: Apt Pupil (1998)
"Tell me everything. Tell me all the things they won't tell us in school". This chilling line serves as a starting point for a masterfully woven tale of corruption set in suburban America. Directed by Brian Singer (The Usual Suspects, Xmen, X2) and based on the novella by Stephen King, Apt Pupil takes us down the long, dark corridor of insanity as seen through the eyes of the "all-American kid", Todd Bowden (Brad Renfroe) as he discovers the horrors of Nazi deathcamps as told by a man calling himself Arther Denker (Ian McKellan), a Nazi war criminal in hiding.

At forst, we believe that Todd Bowden is the one manipulating Denker, but we soonm discover that through Bowden's petty panipulations, Denker is slowly corrupting the boy. We see that as Denker is blackmailed into telling tales of his past exploits, some sleeping beast awakens inside him, and the more Bowden hears, the more that same darkness swallows him up.

This film pulls no punches. Unlike many other films depicting Nazis as the personification of evil, this film shows that the Nazi was capeable of being charming, deceptively charming, disarming even. In one particularly chilling scene, Denker is sharing a family dinner with the Bowdens and when asked what he did during the war, comes up with a very believable story about how he worked in a laundry "Thank God", he says. Denker even goes so far as to con Todd Bowden's Guidance Counsellor.

Denker is, in essence, two characters, the almost pleasant public person, and the private monster who recalls with glee what happened once when there was a leak in the pipes for the gas chambers. In one scene, you see him laughing and complimenting the bowdens on their meal, the next, he is tossing a cat into an oven with all the sadistic glee of a complete lunatic.

But that is the point. That is the purpose. Nazism was insane, but it captivated many people and still does to this day. The opening question of the film 'Why did so many do nothing" is answered to a degree. The nazis were not merely brutish, they were cunning blackmailers. Fear is why so many did nothing, not just fear of their lives, but fear of losing their good name, credibility, what have you.

Brilliant directing, masterful performances and a compelling story make this a hard film to miss. Though it did poorly at the box office and is unusually hard to find on DVD, I highly recommend you give it a chance, even if just a rental. Give it a chance and pay attention to what you're being told.

11:36pm: Day of the Dead (1985)
Years have passed since the Zombie epidemic began. Society is, for all practical purposes, gone.. The last lone hold-out, it would seem, is a joint scientific/military team put together at the last minute to study the zombie phenomenon and try to find a way to stop it.

The third and final installment of the dead Trilogy is considered by many to be weakest of the three. The characters are either virtuous beyond belief or so corrupt they are hideous. Taken out of context, these extremes come off contrived, but one must remember, there is no society, there is no law and order, there is only whatever morality the individual has. Under these extreme circumstances, things get black and white very quickly.

This time, Romero deals with the notion of a military state, the role science plays in the dehumanization of our civilization and what the true nature of man is. Of course, this was 1985. We didn't want to see the military being portrayed in a bad light, even considering the circumstances. We simply were not "ready" for this film at that time and the box office reflected that.

The most chilling aspect of this film is found within the first "officially" named zombie in any of the films, "Bub". this zombie is being trained, conditioned, taught to "behave". The absurdity of such a theory is one of the thesis points of the film. The idea that mankind is little more than programmed behavior, the idea that we are nothing more is, in fact, absurd and the film clearly shows this in the final moments.

As is the usual case for these films, the level of gore has been upped substantially, but the main conflict is man vs man witht he zombies as the backdrop. The undead are more like a force of nature, a storm, not the true threat.

In summary, all three of these films are stark reflections of the times they were made in and should be viewed with that light. Unfortunately, too few are willing to try and far too many willing to simply dismiss the entire genre all together.

11:35pm: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Though ten years had passed since Night of the Living Dead was released, Dawn of the Dead picks up right where Night left off. Though no real sense of time is presented, we are given the sense that the Zombie epidemic is still a VERY new one and humanity is doing a poor job of handling the situation.

This time, we are shown the story through the eyes of four people who escape the city of Philidelphia which has, by now, become overrun with the living dead and hole up in a shopping mall. Again, as with Night of the Living Dead, a simple plot summary does not do this film justice. Being the definative horror film of the 70's, many focus solely on the gore elements, which there are plenty of to focus upon. However, to see this is to miss the point of the story entirely. Once again, Romero addresses the current socially relevant theme of rampant consumerism, greed, racism and man's inhumanity to man and wraps them so delicately in the fibres of fiction that they are overlooked by many.

The notion that even the undead feel compelled towards the mall, despite the lack of "food" is a chilling endictment on our own materialism. Add to this the effect this mall has on our human characters and we are shown that, in the end, all that seems to matter is protecting the mall, even at the expense of their own lives. As the character Stephen remarks during a looting attempt by a gang of rogue bikers "It's ours, we took it!"

Many might find the pace of this film to be relentlessly slow. There are only basically three scenes anyway and a great deal of interspersed dialogue. In fact, there is actually more character dialogue in this film than there is gore, zombies or "boo!" moments. Of course, this is what makes this a compelling film. It is a horror film that strives to me much more than that and succeeds.

11:34pm: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
An epidemic of unexplained violence sweeps across America as the recently deceased have, somehow, returned from the grave to feast upon the living. while the plot itself, if summarized in such a manor, might sound a bit too "drive-in Saturday night", Night of the Living Dead proves to be a far more horrific and psychological film than even the title elludes.

Dealing with such controversial issues as matricide, interracial relationships and racism, Night of the Living Dead stands out as a treatise on current social issues hidden behind the velvet curtain of horror and the fantastic.

The film starts out simply enough with who we think is our main character, Barbra, riding with her brother to visiti the grave of their dead relative. But once the sun goes down, the dead come to life and an ordinary trip becomes a descent into a hellish nightmare.

While the effects are understandably sub-par, the AFFECT works perfectly. We find ourselves in an abandoned farmhouse with a motly group of people representing the diversity of our own culture at the time, wrestling wiht the horrors outside as well as the demons within themselves. To our horror, we discover that the undead are a far less grave threat than the living and that once all the checks and balances are removed, man will revert to his more primative nature.

George Romero's masterful direction gives more menace to the clumsy, slow-moving zombies, preventing them from coming off as merely comical and the acting is surprising good from a cast of complete unknowns. The first film in a trilogy of films, this is certainly a must see film, especially if you're able to look beneath the surface and see the true point of the story.

11:23pm: Everyone's a Critic and Critics Suck
Who doesn't like movies? Maybe commies, but us red-blooded Americans love them. Movies are like apple pie and hot dogs. Why, nothing is more American than the movies. Well, except that the first actual "movies" were made in Germany or somewhere like that and that most of the decent movies these days are foriegn because Hollywood sucks, but movies are still an American tradition.

But I digress. Within this section, you will find reviews of films written by yours truly. Never fear, true believers, I have lousy taste in films and am an even worse reviewer. On the plus side, you won't see any reviews for boring garbage like "Il Postino". So enjoy.