#11  
Old 10-13-2007, 11:22 AM
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It's hard to be postmodern anymore. We've seen so many deconstructions, mockumentaries and films filled with self-aware dialogue that there's a bit of a "been there, done that" feel to many new projects that attempt this sort of material. That's not to say it's impossible to deliver something different and engaging, which affectionately comments on its source material, but it's a bit more challenging than it once was. This leads us to the release of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, which is indeed a very postmodern film. It's a movie that really only exists if one goes in with prior knowledge of films like Halloween and Friday the 13th, and the way in which they work.

Nathan Baesel stars as the title character, Leslie. In the small town where he's from, Leslie is a local legend; a boy who died a horrific murder and is said to still haunt the area. But Leslie isn't dead. In fact, he's quite healthy. And as it turns out, he's planning a return to his hometown for a night of murderous rampage. And he makes it clear who influenced him, with guys like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees name-checked along the way.

Behind the Mask exists in a world where Freddy, Jason and the rest are very real, with their exploits well known -- the movie never really explains where and how Freddy's inarguably supernatural exploits work in this universe, but push that aside -- and Leslie wants to be just like them. He's allowed a grad school film crew to document his activities as he prepares for his big night, and most of the film is shot from the point of view of these cameras. The on-camera reporter and interviewer for the grad students is Taylor, whose initial intuitiveness begins to give way to some major doubts about the morality of what she's participating in.

Behind the Mask has a fun idea. True, it's impossible not to think of Scream when it comes to movies that deconstruct slasher films, but Behind the Mask is coming at the genre from a very different angle. The idea of following around a Michael Myers type guy before the events of a slasher movie, and seeing all the hard work that goes into preparing the perfect night of terror is amusing. And the movie takes this idea further thanks to its portrayal of Leslie. Rather than a raving lunatic or a mute psychopath, Leslie's just your normal, average, friendly guy… Who just happens to have a plan to hunt down and kill a group of teenagers, before facing his ultimate virginal adversary.

Baesel is very good as Leslie. Sometimes resembling director Bryan Singer, Baesel has the right sensibility to sell the offbeat charm Leslie has, and gets a lot of laughs along the way. Some of the best moments in the script, by Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve, involve Leslie explaining to the camera all the work that goes into his upcoming terror spree, and how he must think through every possibility: from what windows his prey might try to jump out of, to the weapons they'll likely grab for. Baesel has just the right matter of fact delivery with these lines. In an especially hysterical moment, that all slasher movie fans will appreciate, Leslie explains how much cardio he has to do, in order to appear to effortlessly power walk after all of his running victims.

However, Stieve and Glosserman, the latter of whom also directed, aren't always as successful with the jokes, many of which fall flat along the way. Baesel's able to sell many moments, but overall, the film has a very uneven tone that makes for a lot of awkward moments. Several times you can see how the idea behind the joke is funny, but the joke itself just doesn't work.

As the film progresses, Glosserman and Stieve begin to add more of a sense of dread and actual horror to the proceedings. This is a hard sell, because the entire set up calls for the film to be pretty out there and over the top -- Taylor and her crew are documenting a man planning a mass murder, after all. To have Taylor then starting to think, "Hmm, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all…", doesn't have much dramatic weight after such a setup, and scenes in which Taylor sees the truly frightening side of Leslie aren't effective.

More damaging, Glosserman just isn't able to create the proper tension to make for a successful horror film. Here, the Scream comparisons become more difficult to ignore, because one of the many strengths of Kevin Williamson's script, was how it so deftly balanced the comedic elements with the horror scenes, and managed to feel genuine in both regards. Of course, Williamson had Wes Craven -- who knew a thing or two about creating suspense -- directing. Glosserman obviously has great affection for the work of Craven and his peers, but just isn't able to match the sensibilities behind it.

This is a movie about a slasher movie character, made by a slasher movie fan, for slasher movie fans. And it's hard not to smile several times along the way, such as when Robert Englund shows up in a role Halloween aficionados will quickly recognize. Those fans will be amused to a certain point by the film, which clearly was made with love for the genre. But Behind the Mask is also frustrating because it's a movie with lots of fun and clever ideas, that never quite delivers.

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I expected a lot more out of this movie, from other reviews that i have read, im a big horror fan, and this one can go in the trash can. i hope this review was helpful to you, im just saying if you like movies mainly about someone being taped doing absolutely nothing then you might like it.
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  #12  
Old 10-13-2007, 11:25 AM
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Next Review: The Messengers.

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  #13  
Old 10-14-2007, 04:45 AM
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Old 10-23-2007, 06:26 AM
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Screen Gems' new horror flick The Messengers marks the stateside directing debut of Chinese filmmaking siblings Danny and Oxide Pang. The film was produced by Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures, the same outfit that was behind The Grudge -- a film that The Messengers owes more than a little to.

Both films are haunted house movies with "fish out of water" protagonists and creepy, crawly dead people contorting themselves all over the place. Domestic violence is also a key element in both films. These striking similarities essentially make The Messengers feel like The Grudge on a farm.

The Messengers follows the Solomon family -- dad Roy, mom Denise, rebellious teenage daughter Jess and baby brother Ben -- who have left their hardships in Chicago behind to start anew in bucolic North Dakota. Roy has literally bought the farm, purchasing a rural old house in order to realize his dream of growing sunflowers.

Jess got into serious trouble back in Chicago, a dark secret that the film nicely holds off on explaining fully until act three. Roy's job and financial woes only compounded the family's trauma. But if one has lost their savings and their job, would moving to the country and banking it all on sunflowers seem like the best bet?

No sooner has the family moved in than Jess starts noticing increasingly creepy things, culminating in poltergeist attacks and appearances by the specters of the doomed family that lived there before them. Jess' claims are dismissed by her folks as the ravings of a surly kid who just wants to move back home.



Meanwhile, Roy hires drifter John Burwell as his farmhand. Is Burwell friend or foe? The fact that he's a dead ringer for Ted Nugent should sound enough alarm bells, but perhaps he's just a red herring. Speaking of birds, there is also a murder of Hitchcockian crows that start plaguing the new inhabitants.

The problem with The Messengers is that it simply doesn't offer up much of anything new. The overrated Grudge already covered a lot of this territory, as did The Others and The Haunting and even Poltergeist. If there's one thing haunted house films prove, it's to never buy a big home situated in the middle of nowhere. You never hear of ghosts bedeviling the tenants of a one bedroom apartment in Van Nuys, do you? Perhaps this sub-genre has simply been done to death.

The scares in this film just aren't all that scary or novel. There are a couple of nice creepy moments -- watch closely while Penelope Ann Miller makes the bed -- but, between the music telegraphing every scare ahead of time and the heavy-handed editing, the intensity soon turns to monotony. While it was wise for the story to focus on the family and to provide them with realistic problems to face outside of the supernatural threat, it was not enough to save The Messengers.

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As suspense/horror movies go, this one isn't amazing. Honestly.

Personally I'd recommend watching the afore mentioned separately, each being better alone than this film. I mean, yeah, its kinda fun the first time or two... but after about half a dozen, you start to wonder if there is anything else to be had.

The Turner kids who played Ben are certainly entertaining to watch, giving a cute contrast to the grungy atmosphere of the movie.

As a quick side note, I DO commend this movie for not being gratuitously gory.

All in all, this movie isn't the worst of its kinda, but it is in no way the best. If you're looking for a deeper, more thought-provoking thriller... I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.
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Old 10-27-2007, 09:06 AM
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  #16  
Old 10-29-2007, 08:46 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by psychooralien View Post
Didn't see this section earlier so I have thought of a Film to review, horror of course.

Horror Reviews not my Horror Reviews.

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Sorry friends, this is one film you won't be sorry you missed. No thrills, chills or characters you can care about. No one seems to care when his fate is discovered. I'm guessing the props dept had a lot of bugs around and wanted to use them up.
He clearly states the review isn't his review untill after he posts the link to the site he used it from. Then under that is his little review on it.
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  #17  
Old 11-06-2007, 09:10 AM
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The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead is the story of five friends who drive up to an isolated cabin in the Tennessee woods for the weekend and discover that the house's previous occupant had left behind a book of spells bound in human skin, and an audio tape of himself reciting its incantations. Before long, the woods are attacking, people are turning into zombies, and Raimi and Co. are getting the very most blood and gore for their buck.

So what if the acting is bad? I¿ve seen worse. So what if the special effects are less than awesome? This was a pretty low-budget movie, and it shows in a lot of places. But the sheer originality of a lot of the scare shots-- the lightbulb filling up with blood leaps to mind-- overcame that to make a horror classic. You¿ve got to love a film that forces a guy to dismember his own girlfriend with an ax. It¿s that kind of demented, sick humor that takes this film to a new level, and it¿s the reason we still talk about it 17 years later.
7 out of 10

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In fact, everyone I spoke to has been scared of this film.

You feel sorry for the characters in it.The forest itself is alive and there is no way out.

This film is one of the great horrors like The Omen, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm Street.The scariest scenes are where the girls are possessed by the demons.

The best horror films are the ones where the characters are in hopeless situations with no easy way out.It really is creepy.Those with a nervous disposition should avoid.
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