My job in the AV world takes me many places. I've been able to stay in upscale resorts & hotels in nearly every portion of the US. Most of these are I would've never gone otherwise. If Im lucky on these work excursions I get a couple of nights to check out the city.
However I'm embarrassed to admit to never sitting foot outside US borders. Well except that one time as a child my grandparents drove across Mackinaw Bridge & turned around in Canada. Does that adventure really count?
It's not that I've never wanted to travel abroad, I do rather badly and to many places. But a variety of other reasons/excuses are the cause of why it hasn't happened yet. This needs to change. Soon.
In fact as I get closer to forty the notion of becoming an expat of US sounds more pleasing by the day. Quite often I ponder the notion of selling everything I own off to travel the world. Working when I need money or in exchange for a place to stay.
It seems very appealing.
(stay tuned)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
7.11.2011
7.01.2011
Horror Movies Watched and Books Read (June 2011)
MOVIES
Venus In Furs (1969) **1/2
A stylish Jean Rollin movie about a woman, who may just be a ghost, and holds a trance over a man. Like most of the director's movies, much wont make sense, but it certainly captivates the viewer.
Dracula (1979) ***
This version is beautifully crafted and pits Frank Langella as Dracula against Donald Pleasence as Van Helsing. A must see for Drac fans.
I Saw the Devil (2010) ****1/2
A grizzly cat and mouse Korean flick about a serial killer who kills the wife of a detective, who then sets out for revenge.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009) ***
An out of work playwright lands a job in a small theater directing Hamlet. The theater is ran by an eccentric. It turns out he's the original Horatio and several cast members are vampires. The movie rides a line of comedy and horror but falls closer to comedy. Still a worthy watch.
Philosophy of the Knife (2008) incomplete
At nearly 4 hours long, I couldn't make it through and turned off at the two hour mark. It's part documentary and part film about the human experiments Japan did during WWII.
Troll Hunter (2010) ****
Two students start out filming a bear hunt but they get sidetracked when they find out one of the hunters actually kills trolls. The students quickly learn this is no joke and follow the hunter on his expeditions.
The Rite (2011) **1/2
A young priest goes to exorcism school and shadows a veteran priest on a case of possession. Weird things happen. Nothing you haven't seen before. However Anthony Hopkins makes it worth a watch.
Red, White, and Blue (2010) ****
A story about a woman who uses sex to hurt men, a guy who stays at the same boarding house as her which she wont have sex with, and one her conquests. A twisted, deep tale that I dont want to give away. A slow burn movie with a nasty ending.
Noroi: The Curse (2005) ****
This documentary style movie from Japan follows a man who investigates the paranormal. He stumbles upon several strange cases that seem to be linked by a demonic possession and tries to solve the mystery. This is a very creepy flick. Find it, watch it, and be impressed.
High Lane (2009) **
A group of friends go mountain climbing and run into a crazy man who wants to kill them all. Very cliche, though the mountainous scenery is amazing.
Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter (2001) *
Some flicks you know will be bad going into it. But at 1am with a buzz you dont really want to watch anything too heavy. The title has all you need to know combined with lots of martial arts. A stinker for sure.
Sella Turcica (2010) **
A soldier comes home from Iraq in terrible shape. Mentally is distant and physically he's falling apart. Top notch gore and good story cant save this from just being too boring. Nearly just 90 minutes of talking and thin characters before it finally explodes at the end.
Living Hell (2004) ***
Now this is one which keeps you guessing till the end. It's over the top, but in a good way. An old woman and her granddaughter come to stay
Husk (2010)**
A car full of college students encounter a breakdown in the middle of nowhere. They find a house surrounded by corn with scarecrows posted all around. Too bad they dont realize the the real secret the farmhouse holds.
Durham County, Season 1 (2007) ***1/2
A high strung homicide detective moves back to home town after his partner gets murdered and his wife recovers from cancer. He's thrown right in the middle of a serial killing case, where he believes the lead suspect is his next door neighbor. A nice twist on some usual themes and the line between the good guys and bad guys aren't so different.
Sanctuary, Season (20110) ***
The series still combines elements of horror in its steampunk style setting. This season saw the cast escape from Middle Earth and end up on the verge of an uprising of Middle Earth dwellers. The saw still manages to peak my interest.
Seconds Apart (2011) **1/2
Twins with telepathy and mind control abilities start making movies of classmates killing themselves. Soon a girl comes between them and brothers battle it out. All while a detective tries to piece the puzzle together.
The Living and the Dead (2006) ***
A man must leave his grand estate to find work. He leaves behind his severely ill wide and mentally challenged son. While away the son thinks he should be the man of the house and barricades them in the mansion. Then the fun really begins. Slow, stylish, and strange makes for an interesting flick.
BOOKS
Hellboy vol. 4, The Chained Coffin and More ****
A nice series of unlinked tales surround Hellboy.
Venus In Furs (1969) **1/2
A stylish Jean Rollin movie about a woman, who may just be a ghost, and holds a trance over a man. Like most of the director's movies, much wont make sense, but it certainly captivates the viewer.
Dracula (1979) ***
This version is beautifully crafted and pits Frank Langella as Dracula against Donald Pleasence as Van Helsing. A must see for Drac fans.
I Saw the Devil (2010) ****1/2
A grizzly cat and mouse Korean flick about a serial killer who kills the wife of a detective, who then sets out for revenge.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009) ***
An out of work playwright lands a job in a small theater directing Hamlet. The theater is ran by an eccentric. It turns out he's the original Horatio and several cast members are vampires. The movie rides a line of comedy and horror but falls closer to comedy. Still a worthy watch.
Philosophy of the Knife (2008) incomplete
At nearly 4 hours long, I couldn't make it through and turned off at the two hour mark. It's part documentary and part film about the human experiments Japan did during WWII.
Troll Hunter (2010) ****
Two students start out filming a bear hunt but they get sidetracked when they find out one of the hunters actually kills trolls. The students quickly learn this is no joke and follow the hunter on his expeditions.
The Rite (2011) **1/2
A young priest goes to exorcism school and shadows a veteran priest on a case of possession. Weird things happen. Nothing you haven't seen before. However Anthony Hopkins makes it worth a watch.
Red, White, and Blue (2010) ****
A story about a woman who uses sex to hurt men, a guy who stays at the same boarding house as her which she wont have sex with, and one her conquests. A twisted, deep tale that I dont want to give away. A slow burn movie with a nasty ending.
Noroi: The Curse (2005) ****
This documentary style movie from Japan follows a man who investigates the paranormal. He stumbles upon several strange cases that seem to be linked by a demonic possession and tries to solve the mystery. This is a very creepy flick. Find it, watch it, and be impressed.
High Lane (2009) **
A group of friends go mountain climbing and run into a crazy man who wants to kill them all. Very cliche, though the mountainous scenery is amazing.
Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter (2001) *
Some flicks you know will be bad going into it. But at 1am with a buzz you dont really want to watch anything too heavy. The title has all you need to know combined with lots of martial arts. A stinker for sure.
Sella Turcica (2010) **
A soldier comes home from Iraq in terrible shape. Mentally is distant and physically he's falling apart. Top notch gore and good story cant save this from just being too boring. Nearly just 90 minutes of talking and thin characters before it finally explodes at the end.
Living Hell (2004) ***
Now this is one which keeps you guessing till the end. It's over the top, but in a good way. An old woman and her granddaughter come to stay
Husk (2010)**
A car full of college students encounter a breakdown in the middle of nowhere. They find a house surrounded by corn with scarecrows posted all around. Too bad they dont realize the the real secret the farmhouse holds.
Durham County, Season 1 (2007) ***1/2
A high strung homicide detective moves back to home town after his partner gets murdered and his wife recovers from cancer. He's thrown right in the middle of a serial killing case, where he believes the lead suspect is his next door neighbor. A nice twist on some usual themes and the line between the good guys and bad guys aren't so different.
Sanctuary, Season (20110) ***
The series still combines elements of horror in its steampunk style setting. This season saw the cast escape from Middle Earth and end up on the verge of an uprising of Middle Earth dwellers. The saw still manages to peak my interest.
Seconds Apart (2011) **1/2
Twins with telepathy and mind control abilities start making movies of classmates killing themselves. Soon a girl comes between them and brothers battle it out. All while a detective tries to piece the puzzle together.
The Living and the Dead (2006) ***
A man must leave his grand estate to find work. He leaves behind his severely ill wide and mentally challenged son. While away the son thinks he should be the man of the house and barricades them in the mansion. Then the fun really begins. Slow, stylish, and strange makes for an interesting flick.
BOOKS
Hellboy vol. 4, The Chained Coffin and More ****
A nice series of unlinked tales surround Hellboy.
6.01.2011
Horror Movies Watched and Books Read (May 2011)
MOVIES
Men Behind the Sun (2003) **
This film about secret experiments the Japanese army performed during WWII packs enough gruesome torture scenes and body mutilations to satisfy gore hounds. Unfortunately there was little else to keep me interested.
Vampire Circus (1972) ***
One of the more unique Hammer Studio offerings. Villagers slays a vampire. He puts a curse on the village. The plague takes over quarantines them from outsiders. Until the day a circus rolls into. But this disturbing bunch of performers have a secret.
Bled (2009) 1/2
Couldn't even get through this snooze fest about a woman who is given an amulet which when she smoke the blood on it, allows her to cross over to another dimension where a vampire lives. Or something like that
Samurai Zombie (2008) **
Pretty much what is sounds like, a zombie samurai attacks a family and some thieves who cars break down in the middle of dark forest. I didn't expect much. And didn't get much either.
Black Swan (2010) ****1/4
This memorizing tale of a ballerina and her fall into madness is simply outstanding. The movie is filled with a great cast, tight direction, and visceral images.
Grapes of Death (1978) ***
This atmospheric flick from director Jean Rollin is packed with all his stables, gore and nudity. Pesticides being used in grape vineyard turns folks into zombie like creatures.
Dorian Gray (2009) ***
A nice movie version of the classic Oscar Wilde story.
Hunger (2009) **1/2
Five seemingly random people are kidnapped and locked away in a hole to see how long they can go without food. People start turning each other and do unspeakable things to survive.
My Soul To Take (2010) *1/2
Seven kids were born prematurely on the same night a serial killer was murdered/disappeared. Sixteen years later, the killer seems to have returned. I expected much better from director Wes Craven.
Body #19 (2007) ***
A Thai horror flick about a guy who has nightmarish visions of a girl being killed. The mystery leads him to a morgue. A little gorier than many Thai films and plot keeps you guessing until the end. At over two hours, parts felt to drag out. It's a minor complaint.
Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) **1/2
Kind of a lazy, run of the mill Dracula film from the good folks at Hammer Studios. Watchable, but nothing memorable about it.
Rawhead Rex (1986) *
Such a cool short story, by Clive Barker, and such a horrible flick. Laughable, but not in a good way.
Eaten Alive! (1980) **
If you've seen one cannibal movie made in Italy during the 80's then you've seen them all. Nothing too new territory here, except a fanatical cult be the reason why people stray into the jungle.
Home Movie (2008) ***
Killer kid movies creep me out. This "found footage" tale about a couple of homicidal twins is above average. What makes it all the more creepy is reason behind the children's motives. Seemingly none.
Dead in 3 Days (2006) **1/2
A group of friends and recent high school grads start being killed off by. And guess what? They all harbor a shared secret. Nothing really stands out about this average movie with retread themes from Germany.
Alone (2007) ***
A Thai film about sisters who are conjoined twins. They get separated as young girls and one dies. The other one lives her life until one day she starts seeing the her dead sis. A good slow burn mystery with some general spooks and scares.
The Violent Kind (2010) *1/2
A bunch of rockabilly ghosts (I think) bust up a party being held by bikers in order to take a girl who's been possessed by some sort of demonic monster that will bring on the end of days. Decent characters and acting cant make up for a script that is all over the place and incorporates too many different themes while not explaining nearly enough.
Primal (2009)
A group of students head out to the Australian Outback to look at cave drawings. One of them gets ill and starts changing into a creature, which then attacks the remaining group.
The Kindred (1987) **
This 80's sci-fi/horror hybrid is about a doctor who learns his mother was performing DNA experiments. Naturally there's a mutated creature involved. Rather cheesy flick but the great Rod Steiger is awesome as a demented doctor.
Summer's Moon (2009) **1/2
A girl trying to locate her birth father gets picked up by a nice guy. She goes home with a guy only to find out he's a bit off his rocker and likes to collect girls. And his mother is a little off too. Not
Drive Angry (2011) **1/2
A man escapes from Hell to save his grandaughter from being sacrificed by a Satanic cult. Bloody fun if you want to kill a couple of hours.
BOOKS
American Conspiracies by Jesse Ventura *****
I've always enjoyed good conspiracy theory. What makes this book truly frightening is it covers conspiracies and cover-ups by the American government perpetrated upon the American people. Ventura covers the assassinations of JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.; how George Bush tampered with votes to twice win the Presidency; Watergate; drugs; and Wall Street. I like how Ventura lays out each subject. He gives the reader mulitple facts and sites the resources to cover all theories on the subject, then gives his opinion. A fascinating read and one that if even part of it is true, the American public has much to fear from the powers that be.
Men Behind the Sun (2003) **
This film about secret experiments the Japanese army performed during WWII packs enough gruesome torture scenes and body mutilations to satisfy gore hounds. Unfortunately there was little else to keep me interested.
Vampire Circus (1972) ***
One of the more unique Hammer Studio offerings. Villagers slays a vampire. He puts a curse on the village. The plague takes over quarantines them from outsiders. Until the day a circus rolls into. But this disturbing bunch of performers have a secret.
Bled (2009) 1/2
Couldn't even get through this snooze fest about a woman who is given an amulet which when she smoke the blood on it, allows her to cross over to another dimension where a vampire lives. Or something like that
Samurai Zombie (2008) **
Pretty much what is sounds like, a zombie samurai attacks a family and some thieves who cars break down in the middle of dark forest. I didn't expect much. And didn't get much either.
Black Swan (2010) ****1/4
This memorizing tale of a ballerina and her fall into madness is simply outstanding. The movie is filled with a great cast, tight direction, and visceral images.
Grapes of Death (1978) ***
This atmospheric flick from director Jean Rollin is packed with all his stables, gore and nudity. Pesticides being used in grape vineyard turns folks into zombie like creatures.
Dorian Gray (2009) ***
A nice movie version of the classic Oscar Wilde story.
Hunger (2009) **1/2
Five seemingly random people are kidnapped and locked away in a hole to see how long they can go without food. People start turning each other and do unspeakable things to survive.
My Soul To Take (2010) *1/2
Seven kids were born prematurely on the same night a serial killer was murdered/disappeared. Sixteen years later, the killer seems to have returned. I expected much better from director Wes Craven.
Body #19 (2007) ***
A Thai horror flick about a guy who has nightmarish visions of a girl being killed. The mystery leads him to a morgue. A little gorier than many Thai films and plot keeps you guessing until the end. At over two hours, parts felt to drag out. It's a minor complaint.
Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) **1/2
Kind of a lazy, run of the mill Dracula film from the good folks at Hammer Studios. Watchable, but nothing memorable about it.
Rawhead Rex (1986) *
Such a cool short story, by Clive Barker, and such a horrible flick. Laughable, but not in a good way.
Eaten Alive! (1980) **
If you've seen one cannibal movie made in Italy during the 80's then you've seen them all. Nothing too new territory here, except a fanatical cult be the reason why people stray into the jungle.
Home Movie (2008) ***
Killer kid movies creep me out. This "found footage" tale about a couple of homicidal twins is above average. What makes it all the more creepy is reason behind the children's motives. Seemingly none.
Dead in 3 Days (2006) **1/2
A group of friends and recent high school grads start being killed off by. And guess what? They all harbor a shared secret. Nothing really stands out about this average movie with retread themes from Germany.
Alone (2007) ***
A Thai film about sisters who are conjoined twins. They get separated as young girls and one dies. The other one lives her life until one day she starts seeing the her dead sis. A good slow burn mystery with some general spooks and scares.
The Violent Kind (2010) *1/2
A bunch of rockabilly ghosts (I think) bust up a party being held by bikers in order to take a girl who's been possessed by some sort of demonic monster that will bring on the end of days. Decent characters and acting cant make up for a script that is all over the place and incorporates too many different themes while not explaining nearly enough.
Primal (2009)
A group of students head out to the Australian Outback to look at cave drawings. One of them gets ill and starts changing into a creature, which then attacks the remaining group.
The Kindred (1987) **
This 80's sci-fi/horror hybrid is about a doctor who learns his mother was performing DNA experiments. Naturally there's a mutated creature involved. Rather cheesy flick but the great Rod Steiger is awesome as a demented doctor.
Summer's Moon (2009) **1/2
A girl trying to locate her birth father gets picked up by a nice guy. She goes home with a guy only to find out he's a bit off his rocker and likes to collect girls. And his mother is a little off too. Not
Drive Angry (2011) **1/2
A man escapes from Hell to save his grandaughter from being sacrificed by a Satanic cult. Bloody fun if you want to kill a couple of hours.
BOOKS
American Conspiracies by Jesse Ventura *****
I've always enjoyed good conspiracy theory. What makes this book truly frightening is it covers conspiracies and cover-ups by the American government perpetrated upon the American people. Ventura covers the assassinations of JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.; how George Bush tampered with votes to twice win the Presidency; Watergate; drugs; and Wall Street. I like how Ventura lays out each subject. He gives the reader mulitple facts and sites the resources to cover all theories on the subject, then gives his opinion. A fascinating read and one that if even part of it is true, the American public has much to fear from the powers that be.
5.31.2011
Cable Free
A couple of weeks ago I received my cable/internet bill from Frontier Communications. There was an additional $50 added to the bill and labeled as "Premium TV Service". After spending time with customer service I found out that the additional charge is simply the new rate. To which I replied then why is the charge put on an additional line and labeled differently.
Then I began to do some web research. Apparently when Frontier bought FiOs from Verizon, they did not want it for TV; only internet. This hike is their way of getting people to drop the service and milking extra cash out of the ones who dont before they drop the service.
Right then I decided that I will cancel Frontier as my cable provider. I am not paying that much for TV. In my area of Fort Wayne this leaves few choices. Comcast, DirectTV, Dish Network, or nothing. I've had issues four years ago with Comcast with is why I went to Verizon. And with the satellites their always the "weather" issue.
So I've decided come June I am going cable free. Over the air antennea and the internet shall be my form of entertainment. I figured up the shows I watch on a regular basis and most are streamed in Hulu.com, Netflix, or their own websites relatively soon after broadcast. For the things which are not, like on Travel Channel and Adult Swim, I'll have to wait. For a few others, such as WWE RAW, it will be goodbye for now.
I will miss the DVR and cable but I shall survive. I'll see how it goes for the summer. When football season starts it may decesion.
Then I began to do some web research. Apparently when Frontier bought FiOs from Verizon, they did not want it for TV; only internet. This hike is their way of getting people to drop the service and milking extra cash out of the ones who dont before they drop the service.
Right then I decided that I will cancel Frontier as my cable provider. I am not paying that much for TV. In my area of Fort Wayne this leaves few choices. Comcast, DirectTV, Dish Network, or nothing. I've had issues four years ago with Comcast with is why I went to Verizon. And with the satellites their always the "weather" issue.
So I've decided come June I am going cable free. Over the air antennea and the internet shall be my form of entertainment. I figured up the shows I watch on a regular basis and most are streamed in Hulu.com, Netflix, or their own websites relatively soon after broadcast. For the things which are not, like on Travel Channel and Adult Swim, I'll have to wait. For a few others, such as WWE RAW, it will be goodbye for now.
I will miss the DVR and cable but I shall survive. I'll see how it goes for the summer. When football season starts it may decesion.
5.01.2011
Horrorr Movies Watch & Books Read (April 2011)
MOVIES
Rubber (2010) ***1/2
A movie who's premise revolves around a tire coming to life, having telepathic powers, and killing people shouldn't be any good. However, the filmmakers let audience in on the joke at the beginning at it never lets up. Definitely unique.
The Entity **1/2
The flick starts out creepy enough. I mean a unseen raping entity is always cause for concern. Too bad there was a bad hard rock track playing every time an attack occurred. Then the movie goes into this weird paranormal experiment and that's when the movie loses me.
# Being Human, Season 1 (2011) ***1/2
This SyFy remake of the great UK series had me a tad skeptical going in. The cast is superb and while the show stays along the same lines as the origin material, it also adds enough new things to keep me interested. In case you dont know the premise: A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost living together in an apartment and try to help each other have "normal" lives. Of course their past comes into play constantly putting up road blocks on the goal.
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) ***1/2
A better than average sequel/prequel. Misses out a little bit on the tension from the first movie. Still has moments of sheer uncomfortableness. A decent follow up worth your time.
P (2005) **1/2
A young Thai girl moves from a rural area to Bangkok and becomes a dancing girl so she can make money to help her Grandmother. The girl knows magic and uses it to help her at the club but in the process gets taken over evil forces. Watchable flick.
Case 39 (2009) *1/2
Crapper of flick about a little girl who is possessed by a demon. The movie never really deals with the how or why the demon possessed the girl, just that it's evil and needs to be destroyed. There's a reason this movie sat on the studio shelf for a couple of years. It's terrible.
![A Serbian Film (2010) ( Srpski film ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sdUdZL-5Py9E-M75S1n0DWIsT1gkHEsriUV_TooPq-HFkN21ARLjOdhy6URq5sS36yFxG9knWimpUEPc_K8OiCwvn0D3CmoifSdUbkyhdbrqQBZCL338y9O52ZbwrOd8HClxvnxDFfEb27OzOI8p9N1IVnyl5n-4-hVpK0Thh1p-ahzbjM5U0QDhIoyxwmz9ntPtX-q2Hh9aybPPK7Hxo9qmj8_-VXpH8=s0-d)
A Serbian Film (2010) ****
A simple story. A former porn star turned family man is lured back into the business for one last movie which will set his family up financially for a long time. Though the details are sketchy, he agree to star. When he finds out the movie is pushing boundaries he doesn't want to perform, the producer drugs him and makes him take part. For people who label this film as "torture porn" or "shock cinema" they are missing the point of the movie. Below the mind numbing nastiness is commentary on what people in a poor, corrupt country will & can do to survive. It's brutal, disturbing, and at its core heart breaking as you care about the actor and his family.
Parasomnia (2008) **1/2
In a hospital, lives girl with parasomnia (aka "Sleeping Beauty" disorder) has her dreams invaded by a serial killer with incredible hypnotic powers, who happens to be roomed down the hall. Then a boy comes along and falls in love with her. He breaks her out of the hospital, which the killer does not like. The killer escapes and a battle for the girl ensues. Even though a lot of things about this movie didn't work for me, I did find it interesting enough to set through.
Automaton Transfusion (2006) *
Cliched ridden zombie outbreak tale with zero characters I gave a crap about.
BOOKS
A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson ****
A creepy story about a man who gets hypnotized. After his mind is opened up to the paranormal, which is a gift neither he nor his wife want. He sees apparitions and can predict the future but at what cost. While Matheson's tale is a little out dated with the setting, written in 1958, the suspense is top notch.
Rubber (2010) ***1/2
A movie who's premise revolves around a tire coming to life, having telepathic powers, and killing people shouldn't be any good. However, the filmmakers let audience in on the joke at the beginning at it never lets up. Definitely unique.
The Entity **1/2
The flick starts out creepy enough. I mean a unseen raping entity is always cause for concern. Too bad there was a bad hard rock track playing every time an attack occurred. Then the movie goes into this weird paranormal experiment and that's when the movie loses me.
# Being Human, Season 1 (2011) ***1/2
This SyFy remake of the great UK series had me a tad skeptical going in. The cast is superb and while the show stays along the same lines as the origin material, it also adds enough new things to keep me interested. In case you dont know the premise: A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost living together in an apartment and try to help each other have "normal" lives. Of course their past comes into play constantly putting up road blocks on the goal.
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) ***1/2
A better than average sequel/prequel. Misses out a little bit on the tension from the first movie. Still has moments of sheer uncomfortableness. A decent follow up worth your time.
P (2005) **1/2
A young Thai girl moves from a rural area to Bangkok and becomes a dancing girl so she can make money to help her Grandmother. The girl knows magic and uses it to help her at the club but in the process gets taken over evil forces. Watchable flick.
Case 39 (2009) *1/2
Crapper of flick about a little girl who is possessed by a demon. The movie never really deals with the how or why the demon possessed the girl, just that it's evil and needs to be destroyed. There's a reason this movie sat on the studio shelf for a couple of years. It's terrible.
A Serbian Film (2010) ****
A simple story. A former porn star turned family man is lured back into the business for one last movie which will set his family up financially for a long time. Though the details are sketchy, he agree to star. When he finds out the movie is pushing boundaries he doesn't want to perform, the producer drugs him and makes him take part. For people who label this film as "torture porn" or "shock cinema" they are missing the point of the movie. Below the mind numbing nastiness is commentary on what people in a poor, corrupt country will & can do to survive. It's brutal, disturbing, and at its core heart breaking as you care about the actor and his family.
Parasomnia (2008) **1/2
In a hospital, lives girl with parasomnia (aka "Sleeping Beauty" disorder) has her dreams invaded by a serial killer with incredible hypnotic powers, who happens to be roomed down the hall. Then a boy comes along and falls in love with her. He breaks her out of the hospital, which the killer does not like. The killer escapes and a battle for the girl ensues. Even though a lot of things about this movie didn't work for me, I did find it interesting enough to set through.
Automaton Transfusion (2006) *
Cliched ridden zombie outbreak tale with zero characters I gave a crap about.
BOOKS
A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson ****
A creepy story about a man who gets hypnotized. After his mind is opened up to the paranormal, which is a gift neither he nor his wife want. He sees apparitions and can predict the future but at what cost. While Matheson's tale is a little out dated with the setting, written in 1958, the suspense is top notch.
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