I'll be honest. I tend to be more forgiving on an average lower budget horror movie, than a big budget studio movie that is equally as mundane. Let's explore why I have this mentally (other than my slight negative bias towards the stifling Hollywood system).
The independently produced film usually has more freedom for the players (I use this term to some up the entire crew from writers, directors, producers, actors, and other staff) to work freely and express ideas which could be shied away from by the constraints of Hollywood. This freedom can result in a new twist on an old story, exploration of a taboo subject matter, and loads more of gore. It also forces these players to use innovation and their brains to get the most out their money.
The other place to find this items in other countries. I often turn to horror movies from other corners of the globe to see new, refreshing ideas. It's fascinating to me to watch horror from another cultures unravel, though many Asian Horror films these days have been following a trend of the haunted object and creepy ghost child.
The above statements do not apply to every film. Many low budget and foreign movies are absolute crap, just as some Studio flicks are damn good. I guess it all comes down to the fact that with all the extra money spent one a big budget Hollywood movie, the end results should turn out better. And originality instead of regurgitated material.
I'd like to expand more on this subject, but just wanted to lay out the ground work right now. In the meantime...
Here's some lower budget horror, sci-fi, and foreign made movies I've seen recently that grabbed my attention. You may want to check them out.
- The Hunt
- Altered
- The Fountain
- Wilderness
- 13 Tzametti
- Roman
- Dark Remains
- Head Trauma
- Strange Circus
- The Official Website of Sean Kimmmel -
This blog has evolved over time. It started as a horror movie reviews, which is now called Fringes of Horror. Then it became a place to put my writing, which is now a page called Tales of Fiction. Now, this blog is now more about the things happening in my life. My thoughts, travels, relationships, or whatever pops in my mind that I feel like writing about. Why one would care... I have no idea. But enjoy it none the less.
7.01.2007
6.27.2007
Wrestling #4: The Tragic Death of the Benoit's
Like many fans in the wrestling world, the death of Chris Benoit and his family has left me deeply saddened, pissed off, and confused.
When the news first broke that Benoit and his family was found dead, I felt heavy hearted because a great performer was gone. A man who gave it his all each and every time out would never be seen again. I teared up. I was emotional. But not as emotional as maybe I should have been. This guy was one of my favorite workers. And I knew the reason why...the way the police found the bodies. Deep down, I knew it was going to be grim. Either they entire Benoit family was murdered by an outside source or the brutality was committed by one of the parents.
I watched the RAW tribute to Chris Benoit. I cried. I listened to his peers talk about how decent of a person he was and he loved his family to his fullest extent. When the show was over, I turned off the TV and waited until morning, with an uneasiness in my stomach, for more news to break.
On Tuesday the details of the event came to light. It was in fact my worse fear, a murder-suicide. Benoit strangled his wife Nancy, smothered his son with a pillow, then hung himself in the weight room. Steroids and human growth hormones were found in the house and the police tracked down where the substances were purchased. Track marks were found in 7 year Daniel's arm; the speculation is that since the child was undersized Benoit felt the need to put chemicals into his system. All of this makes me sick to stomach. How could a man who appeared to be so noble on the wrestling stage, be such a monster in real life?
And rightfully so the media has turned this into a crusade against wrestling. This form of entertainment is being put through the ringer. It's no secrets steroids are rampant in the industry, especially at the top levels, and some measures need to be taken as too many performers die too young. But that is a topic for another day.
Certainly more details of this horrible event will unfold in the weeks to come and I wont like hearing one bit of it. My opinion on Chris Benoit the wrestler will never change. He was one of the greatest in ring performers to lace up the boots. But my opinion of the man Chris Benoit is forever altered. I am disgusted by the actions he committed and because of this, I'm not certain a match of his will ever again be viewed by eyes. It will take a long time for the wound to heal.
It brings me to a thought about people in general: No matter how close you are to another person or how much you think you know another person; you truly never do.
When the news first broke that Benoit and his family was found dead, I felt heavy hearted because a great performer was gone. A man who gave it his all each and every time out would never be seen again. I teared up. I was emotional. But not as emotional as maybe I should have been. This guy was one of my favorite workers. And I knew the reason why...the way the police found the bodies. Deep down, I knew it was going to be grim. Either they entire Benoit family was murdered by an outside source or the brutality was committed by one of the parents.
I watched the RAW tribute to Chris Benoit. I cried. I listened to his peers talk about how decent of a person he was and he loved his family to his fullest extent. When the show was over, I turned off the TV and waited until morning, with an uneasiness in my stomach, for more news to break.
On Tuesday the details of the event came to light. It was in fact my worse fear, a murder-suicide. Benoit strangled his wife Nancy, smothered his son with a pillow, then hung himself in the weight room. Steroids and human growth hormones were found in the house and the police tracked down where the substances were purchased. Track marks were found in 7 year Daniel's arm; the speculation is that since the child was undersized Benoit felt the need to put chemicals into his system. All of this makes me sick to stomach. How could a man who appeared to be so noble on the wrestling stage, be such a monster in real life?
And rightfully so the media has turned this into a crusade against wrestling. This form of entertainment is being put through the ringer. It's no secrets steroids are rampant in the industry, especially at the top levels, and some measures need to be taken as too many performers die too young. But that is a topic for another day.
Certainly more details of this horrible event will unfold in the weeks to come and I wont like hearing one bit of it. My opinion on Chris Benoit the wrestler will never change. He was one of the greatest in ring performers to lace up the boots. But my opinion of the man Chris Benoit is forever altered. I am disgusted by the actions he committed and because of this, I'm not certain a match of his will ever again be viewed by eyes. It will take a long time for the wound to heal.
It brings me to a thought about people in general: No matter how close you are to another person or how much you think you know another person; you truly never do.
6.01.2007
Wrestling #2: Candido Cup Thoughts
I went to IWAMS's first annual Candido Cup Tournament, held over Friday & Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The show had some great tag teams from the indy scene with the likes of the The Basham Brothers, 2.0, North Star Express, Tomaselli's, Blackout, and the Havana Pitbulls (unfortunately Arrogance had to pull out due to an injury to Scott Lost). Throw in Homicide & Lowki with Axl Rotten & Mickie Knuckes with BJ Whitmer & Davey Richards with an appearance of legendary Ricky Morton, this was shaping up to be a nice tourny. This time around, the winner would also win the IWAMS Tag Champions.
If you want until to watch the event spoiler free, then skip the rest of the post.
Going into it, I figured one of the regular teams would win like the Tomaselli's or Bashams (thus setting up a kick ass feud with Bad Breed once Ian returns from injury --- something which will probably still happen). So I wasn't all that surprised to see Vito & Sal Tomaselli win the titles back. And in Chicago, these guys are hugely popular. I works for the promotion. The big surprised were some of the teams that advanced, like Cheech & Cloudy in the finals. I admit, these guys are entertaining but I'm a little confused on why they made it that far. And the whole run by Whitmer & Richards just seemed to set up a first round match for the TPI, which I find fun how the story was incorporated with their big singles tourny, but it could have happened early in the tourny.
Directly after the two day show, I came away entertained but a little disappointed. Maybe I expected a little more from this tournament. Maybe I was a little angry it didn't play out the way I thought it should. Maybe I was over thinking the whole thing and should just be content. I still suggest getting the DVD from Smart Mark Video when it's released. You could do a lot worse for indy actions and as I said before, it is an entertaining wresltling show.
Get the DVD at Smart Mark Video
If you want until to watch the event spoiler free, then skip the rest of the post.
Going into it, I figured one of the regular teams would win like the Tomaselli's or Bashams (thus setting up a kick ass feud with Bad Breed once Ian returns from injury --- something which will probably still happen). So I wasn't all that surprised to see Vito & Sal Tomaselli win the titles back. And in Chicago, these guys are hugely popular. I works for the promotion. The big surprised were some of the teams that advanced, like Cheech & Cloudy in the finals. I admit, these guys are entertaining but I'm a little confused on why they made it that far. And the whole run by Whitmer & Richards just seemed to set up a first round match for the TPI, which I find fun how the story was incorporated with their big singles tourny, but it could have happened early in the tourny.
Directly after the two day show, I came away entertained but a little disappointed. Maybe I expected a little more from this tournament. Maybe I was a little angry it didn't play out the way I thought it should. Maybe I was over thinking the whole thing and should just be content. I still suggest getting the DVD from Smart Mark Video when it's released. You could do a lot worse for indy actions and as I said before, it is an entertaining wresltling show.
Get the DVD at Smart Mark Video
5.08.2007
Wrestling #1: A change in the US scene
Talk about a huge announcement that came out of thin air!
Last week Ring of Honor Wrestling (rohwrestling.com) told the world they have come to an agreement with EchoStar, InDemand, and TVN to air six PPV's throughout 2007-08 (1 every 60 days). This statement prompted a domino effect on the US independent wrestling scene. Mainly due to decision made with in TNA.
The report prompted to immediately pull all TNA talent from RoH, which was down to only Austin Aries and Homicide. Unlike the previous situation when TNA did this (see Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, etc), this time I can completely understand. They want to protect their investment and their company. Having TNA wrestlers on another company's product that will be available national would be a bad idea. RoH has seen this coming and slowly started phasing the TNA workers out of main angles over the past few months.
What I don't get is the TNA verdict to pull talent from PWG (http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/) because they make their DVD's available through High Spots (http://www.highspots.com/), a website that also distributes TNA merchandise. Unlike RoH, PWG uses a lot of TNA midcard talent in major storylines. Only time will tell, but it appears that if a promotion sells DVD's on a outside distributors website like High Spots or Smart Mark Video (http://www.smartmarkvideo.com/), then the TNA will be pulled. For the record, Smart Mark tapes and sells DVD & tapes for various promotions including IWA-MS, IWA-DS, CZW, Chikara, and several others.
Who gets hurt most by this...well the answer right now is both fans and wrestlers. TNA westlers will suffer because they wont be able take other booking to subsides their incomes. With TNA only doing one PPV and two TV tapings a month, that's not a lot money for some of the workers, especially low card workers. The fans may get resentful because they cant see these workers anywhere but TNA. Unless TNA plans to start running house shows on a weekly basis, which I cant see them doing, the potential backfire could be immense.
Back to the Ring of Honor. The huge difference with RoH's deal is these are NOT LIVE events. These will be taped shows, edited down (though no editing will occur in a match itself, just the entire card) to meet the two hour time slot. This gives the company the chance to create this event for DVD release, then make the necessary changes for the PPV. Not much extra work will go into the process.
This can only be a good thing for the company. If the deal fails, they can always go back to the original business model and try again later. But if the deal succeeds. We could have another national alternative in US wrestling...which is a great situation to have if you're a fan.
RoH has said they have no interest in taking on the WWE. They cant. They don't have the financial backing. They just want to carve out a piece for themselves. The promotion is different in how it presents itself than both the WWE and TNA (which are very similar in styles). As a fan of wrestling and of Ring of Honor, I hope the promotion gains new fans and makes more money thus making all wrestling fans the winners.
Last week Ring of Honor Wrestling (rohwrestling.com) told the world they have come to an agreement with EchoStar, InDemand, and TVN to air six PPV's throughout 2007-08 (1 every 60 days). This statement prompted a domino effect on the US independent wrestling scene. Mainly due to decision made with in TNA.
The report prompted to immediately pull all TNA talent from RoH, which was down to only Austin Aries and Homicide. Unlike the previous situation when TNA did this (see Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, etc), this time I can completely understand. They want to protect their investment and their company. Having TNA wrestlers on another company's product that will be available national would be a bad idea. RoH has seen this coming and slowly started phasing the TNA workers out of main angles over the past few months.
What I don't get is the TNA verdict to pull talent from PWG (http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/) because they make their DVD's available through High Spots (http://www.highspots.com/), a website that also distributes TNA merchandise. Unlike RoH, PWG uses a lot of TNA midcard talent in major storylines. Only time will tell, but it appears that if a promotion sells DVD's on a outside distributors website like High Spots or Smart Mark Video (http://www.smartmarkvideo.com/), then the TNA will be pulled. For the record, Smart Mark tapes and sells DVD & tapes for various promotions including IWA-MS, IWA-DS, CZW, Chikara, and several others.
Who gets hurt most by this...well the answer right now is both fans and wrestlers. TNA westlers will suffer because they wont be able take other booking to subsides their incomes. With TNA only doing one PPV and two TV tapings a month, that's not a lot money for some of the workers, especially low card workers. The fans may get resentful because they cant see these workers anywhere but TNA. Unless TNA plans to start running house shows on a weekly basis, which I cant see them doing, the potential backfire could be immense.
Back to the Ring of Honor. The huge difference with RoH's deal is these are NOT LIVE events. These will be taped shows, edited down (though no editing will occur in a match itself, just the entire card) to meet the two hour time slot. This gives the company the chance to create this event for DVD release, then make the necessary changes for the PPV. Not much extra work will go into the process.
This can only be a good thing for the company. If the deal fails, they can always go back to the original business model and try again later. But if the deal succeeds. We could have another national alternative in US wrestling...which is a great situation to have if you're a fan.
RoH has said they have no interest in taking on the WWE. They cant. They don't have the financial backing. They just want to carve out a piece for themselves. The promotion is different in how it presents itself than both the WWE and TNA (which are very similar in styles). As a fan of wrestling and of Ring of Honor, I hope the promotion gains new fans and makes more money thus making all wrestling fans the winners.
5.07.2007
Horror on the Tube
If you're a fan horror, you will notice a decent amount of TV shows which contains the elements of horror in them on a regular basis. I'm only making note of this because the number seems to be higher than usual...and for the most part, these are great programs. Let's take a look.
Masters of Horror - Horror fans can be a very finicky bunch of people to please. Rarely do they get blown away by a movie or program. The critics for MoH are no exception. Most episodes are either loved or loathed. I seem to be in the minority because I've enjoyed every episode, some much more than others but all are watchable (though I believe Season 2 had a slight drop off). You get combine some of the best horror directors and writers together with a minimum budget a enjoyable stories should unfold. Hopefully the series keeps going for a few more years, which a variety of directors and writers so it doesn't get repetitive.
Favorites from Season 1: Jenifer, Cigarette Burns
Favorites from Season 2: Sounds Like
Supernatural - I compare this show to the X-Files in the fact there are two types of episodes. The ones which deal with monsters, urban legends, and things that go bump in the night; and ones which advance the main storyline of a powerful demon's plans to end mankind. At the heart of the program is the relationship between the Winchester brothers and how they deal with this responsibility. This is simply fun television, with some decent scares thrown in the mix.
Lost - This show helped to change television. After the explosive pilot, every week felt like a must see movie premiere. Characters are the soul of the program, but almost every episode features elements of horror - ghosts, mysterious creatures, strange noises, premonitions, on the list goes on and on. The shows gives very human characters with strengths and flaws, but makes the viewer care about each one. So many questions have opened up on the series, and for every one answered it seems a new questions open. Now the writers have an end point, I can see everything coming together to hopefully satisfy our curiosity.
Heroes - Taking a spin from Lost, the program puts an array of characters together with super powers and manages to humanize them all, regardless of intentions. It asks a lot of questions and sets up many scenarios, but it also gives the viewers answers. The very nature is more of a fantasy, but hey fantasy is horror's first cousin (along with science fiction). A rewarding show, which had me hooked after the first episode.
Nip/Tuck - I love this show, but I debated on adding it to the list. Then thought why the hell not. The horror that lies with in this program is the horror of human nature and what people are capable of doing to each other. And on this show, that is a lot. Last season was a small dip from the previous ones, which included Dr. Troy and Dr. McNamara dealing murder, feeding bodies to alligators, transsexuals, drug smugglers, white supremacists, porn, and so much other strangeness; but Season 4 still had organ smuggling.
Dexter - The concept alone had me from the first episode. A forensic detective who also a serial killer, but he only murders the extremely bad people. I caught the first few episodes when I had free Showtime for a week, no I cant wait for it to come out on DVD.
The Dead Zone, Ghost Whisperer, Medium - Honestly, I've never seen theses show. But it's are still on after their first season...may be I should check them out.
Check these past favorites (alright I didn't watch all of them on a regular basis) out on DVD: X-Files, Twin Peaks, Tales from the Crypt, Dead Like Me, The Twilight Zone, and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Charmed.
I'm certain there are more out there, just cant think of any at the moment. Let me know if I've missed any.
Masters of Horror - Horror fans can be a very finicky bunch of people to please. Rarely do they get blown away by a movie or program. The critics for MoH are no exception. Most episodes are either loved or loathed. I seem to be in the minority because I've enjoyed every episode, some much more than others but all are watchable (though I believe Season 2 had a slight drop off). You get combine some of the best horror directors and writers together with a minimum budget a enjoyable stories should unfold. Hopefully the series keeps going for a few more years, which a variety of directors and writers so it doesn't get repetitive.
Favorites from Season 1: Jenifer, Cigarette Burns
Favorites from Season 2: Sounds Like
Supernatural - I compare this show to the X-Files in the fact there are two types of episodes. The ones which deal with monsters, urban legends, and things that go bump in the night; and ones which advance the main storyline of a powerful demon's plans to end mankind. At the heart of the program is the relationship between the Winchester brothers and how they deal with this responsibility. This is simply fun television, with some decent scares thrown in the mix.
Lost - This show helped to change television. After the explosive pilot, every week felt like a must see movie premiere. Characters are the soul of the program, but almost every episode features elements of horror - ghosts, mysterious creatures, strange noises, premonitions, on the list goes on and on. The shows gives very human characters with strengths and flaws, but makes the viewer care about each one. So many questions have opened up on the series, and for every one answered it seems a new questions open. Now the writers have an end point, I can see everything coming together to hopefully satisfy our curiosity.
Heroes - Taking a spin from Lost, the program puts an array of characters together with super powers and manages to humanize them all, regardless of intentions. It asks a lot of questions and sets up many scenarios, but it also gives the viewers answers. The very nature is more of a fantasy, but hey fantasy is horror's first cousin (along with science fiction). A rewarding show, which had me hooked after the first episode.
Nip/Tuck - I love this show, but I debated on adding it to the list. Then thought why the hell not. The horror that lies with in this program is the horror of human nature and what people are capable of doing to each other. And on this show, that is a lot. Last season was a small dip from the previous ones, which included Dr. Troy and Dr. McNamara dealing murder, feeding bodies to alligators, transsexuals, drug smugglers, white supremacists, porn, and so much other strangeness; but Season 4 still had organ smuggling.
Dexter - The concept alone had me from the first episode. A forensic detective who also a serial killer, but he only murders the extremely bad people. I caught the first few episodes when I had free Showtime for a week, no I cant wait for it to come out on DVD.
The Dead Zone, Ghost Whisperer, Medium - Honestly, I've never seen theses show. But it's are still on after their first season...may be I should check them out.
Check these past favorites (alright I didn't watch all of them on a regular basis) out on DVD: X-Files, Twin Peaks, Tales from the Crypt, Dead Like Me, The Twilight Zone, and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Charmed.
I'm certain there are more out there, just cant think of any at the moment. Let me know if I've missed any.
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