CASE 39

2009
Director:  Christian Alvart
Writer:  Ray Wright
Starring:  Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper, and Jodelle Ferland






The one regret I have with this movie is not seeing it two years ago.  This is what I like to refer to as a sneak attack film.  A movie that appears to guarantee disappointment, but actually is awesome!


I went to Blockbuster the other night and picked out some cheap DVDs to fill more space in my living room.  As much as I love horror films, even I must admit that 85% of them suck balls to the core.  In my opinion, even if the story sucks, I feel my money is well spent as long as I at least get one cool death scene.  Not only did this film fulfill my quench for blood, but it was an all around cool flick.  


First and foremost, I love love love a child actor who can play two personalities.  How the fuck do they that?  When Jodelle Ferland first appears on screen, you automatically sympathize for her.  She literally looks like a child who has been through torturous abuse to the point where she is in that numb stage.  I remember being horrified and offended with the "oven" scene in the beginning, but by the time the credits roll it all comes clear to the viewing eye.  I cannot stress enough how talented this kid is, however, it probably has something to do with that fact that this actress has the face and height of an eight year-old, but will actually be turning seventeen next month.  Teenager or not, she still rocks!


The chill her little voice sends down your spine is priceless.  It is quite an achievement to manipulate the audience just as she did with Renee Zellweger.  She softens your heart right before she raises your arm hairs.  Not only do I give her tons of credit for her creepy way of verbalizing threats, but I must pat the back of writer Ray Wright for providing her with such a unique script.  


Another thing about horror movies that can make or break a story in my eyes is the realism behind the plot.  If it can't happen in real life, it doesn't scare me.  Sorry, but zombies, were-panthers, and other random creatures of the night just don't cut it in my book.  I do, however, believe in the existence of ghosts and demons.  I would not necessarily place this type of movie in the science fiction genre, however, I suppose you need to possess a spiritual and open mind to believe something of the sort could possibly happen in real life.     


This film executed my expectations for horror films.  It concludes with a believable ending that had an appropriate amount of blood and unique death scenes intertwined in its solid plot.  I definitely recommend this movie for those who seek a two hour escape to horror heaven.  As the credits roll over the creepy ending music, you will find yourself feeling grateful you are not being swallowed up by your own interpretation of hell.  After all, what is YOUR worst nightmare?  

GETTING INSIDE...DOMINIQUE SWAIN

I fucking love Dominique Swain.  How could you not love this gorgeous soul?  She doesn't star in many well known films, but she somehow exerts herself and stands out in all of her roles.  Luckily, I will have the pleasure of personally asking her just how she does it when I meet her at Chiller Theatre on October 29, 2011 :)

The Smokers stands high on my favorite movie list.  Aside from its originality and underlying darkness, Swain stars as a good girl surrounded by edgy peer pressure.  I refuse to give out any details of the film in the hopes you will just watch it for yourself.  Ladies will especially enjoy this flick, and believe me when I say Dominique never disappoints.

New Best Friend is another favorite of mine.  Swain portrays a character who is wildly exploding with exemplary behavior.  She is the perfect example of a spoiled brat dedicated to wasting her daddy's money, that is.  This is another movie that is just too good to spoil.  

A friend of mine introduced me to this film.  It was another one of those DVDs that sat comfortably on my list of impossible movies to find due to its lack of advertisement I suppose.  Even though its cast includes other well known names like Taye Diggs, Mia Kirshner, and Rachel True, even I have never heard of it before.  

This is exactly why you can understand how ECSTATIC I was to literally stumble across it in the Christmas Tree Shops.  No matter what store I am in I ALWAYS browse through the DVDs, no matter how small of a collection is on display, in the hopes of finding a lucky one.  Buried between Lifetime movies and unheard of 80's films sat ONE copy of New Best Friend.  Not only was it the best $5.00 investment ever, but it also was a sign it was destined to reside on one of my many DVD shelves because I absolutely fell in love with it during my first viewing.  This story exerts many aesthetics including foreshadowing and twists told with a flashback technique.  I am a sucker for flashbacks.  

Not only are these two films absolutely amazing, but they also reveal Swain's talent of playing opposite characters and personalities on screen.  

You may also recognize Swain from Face Off.  She played John Travolta's rebellious daughter who stabs him with a butterfly knife!  Awesome!  Although she did not stand out much in this film, you just have to credit her for learning the 'balisong' technique in that stabbing scene.  

I MISS SHARK WEEK!

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FIRST TO SET THE MOOD!


As Lady Gaga would say, "SHOW ME YOUR TEETH!"  Shark Week colored my television screen with blood all last week.  I must admit the shows are quite educational.  I learned that the first ever record of an American shark attack was in July of 1916.  And yup...it was in New Jersey!  Hmmm...perhaps MTV should have an episode of "Jersey Shore" dedicated to seeing which cast member can swim the furthest:)

Anyway, the reason I even chose this particular show, besides its cool name, "Blood in the Water", is because these first attacks influenced the movie Jaws.  I'm not a huge fan of Steven Spielberg, but even I have a soft spot for this movie.  I'm not even sure if it's the great white that makes me shit my pants, or the anxiety attack I feel coming on at the sight of miles and miles of ocean water.  Regardless, Jaws is a classic.  Period.

Unfortunately, there are so many movies that butcher the fear of sharks.  Deep Blue Sea was just too sci-fi for me.  Plain and simple...if it can't happen in real life, I don't want to watch it.  Sharks are scary enough, therefore, why the hell do you need to jazz them up with superpowers.  Blah...

Open Water really rubbed me the wrong way.  The movie states in bold letters that it is based on a true story.  Last time I checked, this story was about a couple who found themselves accidentally abandoned in the middle of the ocean when their boat left without them.  They were never found.  The movie was pretty much marketed this as a bloody shark movie.  Dammit...it worked because I definitely contributed to their bullshit profits by purchasing this DVD.

My complaint isn't even directed at the fact that they threw sharks in as bait so more people would watch it.  My problem is that the movie was too slow even for Clint Eastwood.  The R rating label came strictly from the pointless boob shot in the beginning of the movie, and there wasn't even a friggin' shark attack.  It was more like a shark bite.  They would have been better off exaggerating the fabrication of the possible shark theory.  I spent the whole time on edge for NO climax.

I recently watched the movie The Reef.  It was a typical, mediocre shark movie.  A group of people are stranded in the middle of the ocean yada yada yada, and then dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt dunt.  I do believe an hour passed before I saw the first shark of the film, but overall it was satisfyingly scary and rocked a few awesome shark attacks.

I must admit my favorite shark movie of all time is Jaws The Revenge.  I grew up watching this when I was a child who didn't realize that like 98% of all sequels suck.  Well this one landed in the thumbs up percentile in my opinion.  Please ignore the fact that it has been acknowledged as one of the worst movies ever on many peoples' hall of shame lists.  Fuck them:)

Every time I hear "The First Noel" Christmas carol I think of the opening blood bath shark attack!  I really like the transition from the unsettling ocean to the fish eye being cooked by a main character.  In the same scene, the first shark victim cuts himself by mistake, foreshadowing his violent death in the near future.  I mean, who cares if this film's plot was based on the ridiculous theory that the shark was the original killer from the first film.  The gore and sentimental value combined keeps it on top of my shark list.

A new shark movie comes out September 2.  shark Night 3D will probably not be worth the $13 ticket, but I'm pretty certain there will be boobs and blood!

AMERICAN HISTORY X

1998
Director:  Tony Kaye

Writer:  David McKenna

Starring:  Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, and Fairuza Balk

This is one of those movies that leaves a scar on your heart and has a place in your memory forever.  If you ask someone if they have ever seen it, just the natural reaction of that teeth breaking emotion of pain explodes over their face, answering your question with a yes.

First and foremost, I have to confess my love for Edward Norton.  He is just awesome.  I have seen him execute every different type of character and personality.  You may always recognize his face from film to film, but you can never take his roles for granted until you see the credits.  He even beats Ted Bundy for the champion of sociopathy when he is on camera.

I love that American History X opens and closes with a beach.  It makes me compare the ocean and the reality of racism.  It's overwhelming and looks to be infinite in size.  It can swallow you up before you know it.

I also really dig the use of black and white for the obvious reasons, along with the symbolism behind it.  Naturally, the absence of color differentiates the past from the present while the story flash backs in time to tell a story.  I always have a soft spot for these special moments in movies.  However, when the screen changes like that in this film, I feel the director wanted us to see in black and white because that's all the main characters saw.  They ignored everything about people to exert their focus on their skin color instead.  Whenever color entered the viewers vision again, Edward Norton's character, Derek, was out of prison with a reformed mind set.  In other words, he removed the hate that was obstructing his view, and he gained his sight back while we were able to see color again.

The excitement integrated with the eye-popping scenes of violence made a two hour movie fly by.  There were a lot of character building scenes that consisted of large chunks of dialogue.  Sometimes a lot of talking can make you check your watch twice in one minute, but on the other hand, the movie creators only have 120 minutes to introduce a character, and in this case a transformation of character, well enough to get the viewer emotionally attached to him.  This movie does a genius job with this because although I do not agree with Derek's initial attitude,  I was still intrigued by his knowledge and intensity.  His preaching and leadership grabbed you by the throat, but him smashing a guy's skull open on a curb shivered your spine.

It's rare you come across a man raping another man on screen.  In my opinion, I find that all rape scenes, regardless the circumstance, haunt my memory.  Unfortunately, I find it difficult to cleanse my eyes and ears of the damage done even if it is just a movie being filmed with hundreds of crew members surrounding the victim.  Well to say the least, it must have been awkward for Edward Norton to accept the role of "Derek" knowing what was in store for him.

On a side note, I will be meeting Edward Furlong at Monster Mania in Cherry Hill, NJ at the end of this month!  I think I'm more excited to hear his distinct voice in person!  Hasta la vista, Baby!

BULLY

2001
Based on a true story.
Director:  Larry Clark
Writers:  Jim Schutze (book)
           David McKenna (as Zachary Long) and
          Roger Pullis (screenplay)
Starring:  Brad Renfro and Nick Stahl

Let's be blunt here...this is a fucked up story.  It is true, therefore, it must be told.  Now, I watched this film quite a few times years ago, however, I recently watched a documentary on it.  Thanks to the Biography channel (YOU ROCK!), I knew just from reading the description that it was the same story.

Oddly enough, the stories from the movie and documentary drifted apart in certain aspects.  Primarily, the focus on who the victim is and who the "real bad guy" is differs here.  I know films can fabricate issues in stories and still slap the "this is based on a true story" sticker, attracting a wider audience, however, I just don't see why they would have to fabricate a story that is already outrageously bloodcurdling.  Let me discuss a little of each so you can tell me what you think...

The gist of the story goes a little something like this.  There are a group of teenage friends who are abused physically, sexually, and verbally by one of their own.  It is disturbing to watch, yet even more confusing to grasp the concept of why this "bully" remains in the friend category for so many people.  I pondered this until they all murdered him.

The movie really makes the murder of the "bully" seem justified, especially for the main character, who is the "bully's" best friend.  The movie shows mild slashes of brutalization towards the best friend.  This abuse includes random punches to the face, peer pressure, and absolute loss of control that is surrendered to manipulation.  Just to get a glimpse of what I'm referencing, the most disturbing scene contains the bully violently interrupting the best friend having sex with his own girlfriend to rape her.  The best picture I can paint for you of this bully is visualizing that douche bag you see at the bar every weekend who is obnoxiously violating every girl's personal space, and multiply him by 4,738.

The documentary on the other hand, declined to mention the intensity of the abuse the bully submerged his so-called friends in.  If I recall correctly, there wasn't even any mention of the numerous rapes he committed throughout the film.  It makes me wonder if he even was the monster that the movie easily convinced the viewer to hate.  Perhaps the documentary only relied on the words of the bully's family, forcing them to neglect the acknowledgement of the defensive, justifying words from the guilty gang of friends.  I distinctly remember one policeman's statement from the documentary.  He blatantly claimed that this group of people, or malicious killers depending on who you ask, would have killed regardless of the circumstance.  He claimed that if it wasn't the bully, these losers in his eyes would have murdered someone else.  He truly believes they are animals with that crooked "Ted Bundy" look in their eyes.

In my opinion, the reasoning behind the murder of Bobby Kent remains a mystery.  We all are aware of the power behind peer pressure mixed with anger, but this story is pretty hardcore.  In the case the movie has more truth intertwined in the story, I can see how this situation could come about.  Bullying and its effects, especially recently, has unfortunately intensified.  As much as I believe that two wrongs don't make a right, this story reminds me of some episodes of Oxygen's "Snapped", where battered wives are abused and mutilated to the point where murder is the one and only escape from the fatal darkness.  Although the documentary would naturally be looked upon as holding more truth than some movie, something inside tells me there's more to this story than the loving families of all those involved will ever know.  With everyone either dead or rotting behind torturous bars, will we ever know the secrets that hide behind the curtains of what happened the night of July 15, 1993?

  

HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME STAR FOR DANNY

So I have been interning for Starline Films for years now.  Each year I nominate Danny Aiello to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in the hopes of him finally receiving a well deserved Hollywood Walk of Fame Star.  This is my third, consecutive year pulling an all-nighter a few days before the deadline, sifting through web sites in between draining my cell phone battery with e-mails and phone calls with Aiello's publicist and the creator of Starline Films.

I truly, fucking love this entire experience.  Although technically anyone can nominate a celebrity to receive a star, this not-so-free nomination could cost the sponsor (in this case, Starline Films) $25,000 if the nominee wins.  This astronomical figure covers the creation, installation, and maintenance of the star, which by the way, only consist of terrazzo and brass.

Anyway, with this said, if and WHEN Danny wins, it means celeb party time!  And I don't mean tequila body shots off of Aiello party time..I'm thinking more the "Hey you should act in my movies for free:)" party time, AKA networking and eventually getting paid to do what I absolutely love everyday.  Cross your fingers that 3's a charm in this nomination process...

Oh, if you're interested in checking out more about the stars, check out this site... Hollywood Walk of Fame Star.

MOB WIVES

Who is this D'Rita D'Avanzo?  I love her.  She is everything I daydream about when producing possible character profiles for mafia movies.  I don't even care if the show is based on fabricated bullshit or not, because all I know is I want her in my movies!

I believe this show recently premiered.  According to my DVR, three episodes aired so far.  To be honest, the show isn't great.  I've definitely seen worse, but I would be lying if I said each episode keeps me intrigued until the end.  D'Rita is the reason I still have a series recording set up:)

There are four lead ladies who are connected either by their father or husbands.  Besides D'Rita, there's Renee and two other women whose names I can't even recall.  Renee is too much...enough said.  She reminds me of Danielle from NJ Housewives, and that completely drains my interest for her.  Some would argue that her type of drama makes the show, but ultimately, it's the show's biggest flaw in my opinion.  I feel like Renee gets the biggest paycheck for her acting, unlike D'Rita.  Honestly, I feel like D'Rita missed the "this is a scripted reality television show" memo, and signed up to actually reveal personal horror.

D'Rita really looks like she should have starred in Goodfellas or The Sopranos.  The first time I saw her, I created this assumption of her lifestyle.  Her long red hair flatters her slightly aged face appropriately.  I find her to be gorgeous, but even I can't ignore the mild wrinkles that probably formed as a result of some cocaine issues in the past.  Even her voice stresses smoking abuse.  Her tough, Italian attitude always flares through her personality and mannerisms.  She looks like she won and lost some fights in the past.  I can also see her pulling a "Karen Hill" and screaming psychotically at the first realization her husband was cheating, and routinely flushing drugs and hiding a gun in her panties before the raids.  

But if the show really holds some truth, I can't help but to wonder how and why these ladies are still alive and haven't been whacked already.  I don't think having your own reality television show that revolves around your mafia infested life is in the Witness Protection Program's contract.

The show drops some hardcore names of people who were indeed noted for their organized crime.  One of the main characters is the daughter of the infamous Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano, whose ratting ways caught the public's attention.  And for those who weren't aware of his cooperation with the FBI, well they probably found out when Peter Maas decided to publish a book on Gravano's life.  I just don't understand how they are getting away with this.  Is this made up and D'Rita is a notable actress, or is this shit for real?

Well anyway, fuck the show's creditability.  It's worth at least one viewing, and VH1 reruns are played quite often.  If you are familiar with the show, let me know your thoughts on it...