Mutant Chronicles
By admin | February 28, 2009
In the year 2707, war rages between earth’s four giant corporations as they battle over the planet’s dwindling resources. In an era marked by warfare and social regression, the earth is on the verge of ruin, destruction is everywhere; battles explode on every ravaged continent. Amidst heavy combat, an errant shell shatters an ancient buried seal releasing a horrific mutant army from its eternal prison deep within the earth. As the mutant scourge threatens human extinction, a single squad of soldiers descends into the earth to fulfill the ages-old prophesy of the MUTANT CHRONICLES and save mankind.
Genre:Action and Adventure, Science Fiction
Director:Simon Hunter
Cast:Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, John Malkovich, Devon Aoki
Explicit Ills
By admin | February 27, 2009
The directorial debut of actor Mark Webber (”Broken Flowers”), “Explicit Ills” follows four inter-connecting stories revolving around love, drugs and poverty in Philadelphia. Babo, an asthma ridden seven-year-old lives with his mother in the badlands of North Philly. His neighbor Demetri transforms himself into a well-read “smart” boy in order to get the girl. Michelle, a well-off art student is quick to fall into a drug induced love-affair with her dealer Jacob. Kaleef and Jill’s marriage is strained as they pursue their dreams of bringing “produce to the people” as their teenage son Heslin focuses on competing in the World’s Strongest Man competition.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mark Webber
Cast: Paul Dano, Rosario Dawson, Naomie Harris, Lou Taylor Pucci, Frankie Shaw
Friday the 13th
By admin | February 13, 2009
Let’s celebrate “Friday the 13th” with a little red meat, shall we? And hard numbers.
There are 13 grisly deaths in the re-boot of “Friday the 13th” - machete decapitations, an arrow through the head, somebody burned to death in a sleeping bag - you know the slasher drill. The murders are for shock and comic effect.
Three nubile young things take their tops off. Two of them have sex with not-nearly-as-naked guys in the same forest by the same Crystal Lake where all those camp counselors were butchered back in 1980.
This Michael Bay production is a graphic homage to the series that helped turn simple slasher pictures into a formula for success. It may have Bay’s big-budget sheen, and it’s every bit as efficient and heartless as the original Fridays. But for all its attempted jolts, it’s not all that scary. The genre is reduced to “Who gets it next and how?” and never for a second makes us care.
The difference between the worst slasher film ever and the best one is about as wide as a machete blade. They all turn bloody, horrific murders into comic sport, all feature faceless, soulless masked (hockey, etc.) slashers and all have plot holes so big you could drive a Zamboni through them.
“Friday the 13th” has no more room for “feeling” or “fearing” than “My Bloody Valentine.” At least last month’s slasher re-boot had 3D. “Friday” skimps on suspense and cuts straight to the beheadings.
But with every cheap scare, every surly, three-toothed local, every random moment of nudity (topless water skiing, there’s a resume skill!), “Friday the 13th” feels more quaint. For all its social ills, there is one good that came from “Hostel” and its torture-porn cousins. The simple “slasher” formula doesn’t cut it anymore.
The only terror here is that this “Friday” will be a hit, and “Friday the 13th” will enjoy another decade as the unluckiest day of the year for horror fans.
‘FRIDAY THE 13TH’
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Aaron Yoo.
Directed by: Marcus Nispel.
Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes.
Rated: R for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, language and drug material.
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