Fun in the Snow
Winter air is cold
Killing zombies will warm you
Shotguns and snowballs
Santa Stops at Taco Bell
Reindeer on the roof
Cleaning up their poop is gross
They just ate tacos
Androids Have Feelings Too
Geordi cannot see
His visor is his best friend
Data is jealous
Ode to an ASM
Brenda's going mad
Newspapers keeping her down
Sadness and hot glue
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Troll Hunter (no really)
I've recently had the pleasure of borrowing a great movie from an awesome friend, the great movie being Norway's Troll Hunter. A basic synopsis; a group of film students follow a bear poacher who turns out to be a troll hunter. They follow him on his full-time troll hunting job as he tries to determine why Norway's trolls have all scattered outside of their territories, exterminating the rogue trolls he finds along the way.
Some of the things I really enjoyed about this film were its roots in norwegian folklore. There are tips-of-the-hat to the billy goats gruff, turning to stone, and the verse "Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of a christian man" - which is woven into the plot extremely well. The team also did a really great job in the design of the trolls based on the popular dolls found in Norway, but on a much larger, grander and more frightening scale.
Side note: I totally had one of those dolls when I was a kid. Yes, they are terrifying in person.
Science is also brought in to explain why the trolls are acting so strangely and why they have physical reactions to sunlight. Evolutionary biology is involved when decribing their traits. There are no loose ends when it comes to the trolly details, which is refreshing. It's too common that movies will take a "let's not explain it and maybe no one will ever ask" storytelling approach. Norway, you got your shit covered.
My favourite scene? Any scene with the trolls. They're so well constructed and so captivating, they do a great job of envoking awe and fear. When the film crew agrees to do whatever Hans, the troll hunter, instructs them to, they find themselves covered in an extremely foul-smelling "troll stench" to keep their human scent covered. Watching their reactions to the smell is enough to know that this is not a situation you'd like to be in. The format of the film is the perfect way of introducing the audience to the fantastical elements, the more the film crew learns, the more the viewer learns. Seeing their initial terror and exuberance when they discover that trolls are real is enough to pull the viewer into those emotions. Wonderful performances from every cast member as well. I enjoy watching foreign horror and fantasy films - not recognizing any of the actors is a great way to really attach to the characters and the performances.
All in all, a great and entertaining movie, and a fantastic find from a wise friend.
Some of the things I really enjoyed about this film were its roots in norwegian folklore. There are tips-of-the-hat to the billy goats gruff, turning to stone, and the verse "Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of a christian man" - which is woven into the plot extremely well. The team also did a really great job in the design of the trolls based on the popular dolls found in Norway, but on a much larger, grander and more frightening scale.
Science is also brought in to explain why the trolls are acting so strangely and why they have physical reactions to sunlight. Evolutionary biology is involved when decribing their traits. There are no loose ends when it comes to the trolly details, which is refreshing. It's too common that movies will take a "let's not explain it and maybe no one will ever ask" storytelling approach. Norway, you got your shit covered.
My favourite scene? Any scene with the trolls. They're so well constructed and so captivating, they do a great job of envoking awe and fear. When the film crew agrees to do whatever Hans, the troll hunter, instructs them to, they find themselves covered in an extremely foul-smelling "troll stench" to keep their human scent covered. Watching their reactions to the smell is enough to know that this is not a situation you'd like to be in. The format of the film is the perfect way of introducing the audience to the fantastical elements, the more the film crew learns, the more the viewer learns. Seeing their initial terror and exuberance when they discover that trolls are real is enough to pull the viewer into those emotions. Wonderful performances from every cast member as well. I enjoy watching foreign horror and fantasy films - not recognizing any of the actors is a great way to really attach to the characters and the performances.
All in all, a great and entertaining movie, and a fantastic find from a wise friend.
Friday, July 13, 2012
I will watch the crap outta this
So, I've been on a (lengthy) hiatus, but I thought what better way to get back on the wagon than discussing movies. Again. Because that's just how I roll.
I've been watching a lot of trailers recently, and these are the ones that stand out.
1) The Day
Why: From what I gather, it's basically Straw Dogs (2 links, 2 versions) meets The Road, starring Dominic Monaghan (of Lord of the Rings/Lost fame) and Ashley Bell (who was amazing in The Last Exorcism). Also, Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale, some other stuff) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men. I'm not gonna lie, even after studying the poster and the trailer, I totally did not recognize him). I'm always a fan of the post-apocalyptic genre (can we call it a genre?) as it's usually a smorgasbord of crazy with the crushing realization that the characters usually have nothing left to live for, but they still do anything to survive. The path is, obviously, never easy, which makes for some really interesting character studies. How do they react? What's their motivation? How have they survived thus far? What's keeping them sane? I'd like to tell past me that it would've been an interesting essay topic. Hey, film students, you're welcome.
2) Rec 3
Why: Have you seen Rec 1 & 2? No? Stop what you are doing and watch them! No, not Quarantine, that's the American remake and it's probably awful. Because as horror films, Rec 1 & 2 are utterly fascinating and pretty much flawless. The first film sets up a crazy and terrifying story, the second continues from approx 5min after the first one ends (same set!), answers a lot of questions and brings up a whole bunch of crazy developments. I'm not sure how Rec 3 fits in to the storyline as it takes place miles away from the initial location, but from what I've read, it does explain the tie-ins. It has the same writer/director (one of a duo, which is a bit sad but also very exciting... it's always kind of a drag when a completely new and unattached writer/director takes over the sequel to a pre-exisiting film, especially when the original team has created a masterpiece). At any rate, the first two were so well done, I'm utterly stoked for the next instalment. There is reportedly going to be a fourth film as well. Bitchin.
3) VHS
Why: It looks like a series of horror vignettes, and from what I've seen from the trailers they could be pretty damn awesome. VHS is apparently a huge deal at the Toronto After Dark film festival this year, so it's a good endorsement (though they have also featured The Human Centipede... which I've blogged about already. It was pretty..... weird? I get the appeal, as it does have a pretty strong shock value, and the series of events was interesting, it just wasn't a movie I'd ever want to see twice. It just wasn't that entertaining. Interesting, sure, but not great to watch). The directors attached to the vignettes sound intriguing, featuring Ti West (House of the Devil, The Innkeepers). For most of the directors, this appears to be the first "big" movie they've worked on, which could be a help or a hindrance. It seems to be predominantly filmed by handicam, which has its merits, but can be distracting or stomach-churning if not used correctly. I'm curious about this one... I don't really know what's going on with it, but it's piqued my interest.
4) Looper
Why: Really neat concept. It may be a little jarring to watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt with facial prosthetics to make him look more like Bruce Willis, but the idea of a time assassin alone is interesting, throw in the twist of having his future self sent back for execution and you've really got something. Another great cast as well. Furthermore, it's done by the writer/director from Brick, which is impeccable. (Seriously magnificent. Modern film noir. Just great).
Anyhoo, more later. Trailer frenzy y'all!
I've been watching a lot of trailers recently, and these are the ones that stand out.
1) The Day
Why: From what I gather, it's basically Straw Dogs (2 links, 2 versions) meets The Road, starring Dominic Monaghan (of Lord of the Rings/Lost fame) and Ashley Bell (who was amazing in The Last Exorcism). Also, Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale, some other stuff) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men. I'm not gonna lie, even after studying the poster and the trailer, I totally did not recognize him). I'm always a fan of the post-apocalyptic genre (can we call it a genre?) as it's usually a smorgasbord of crazy with the crushing realization that the characters usually have nothing left to live for, but they still do anything to survive. The path is, obviously, never easy, which makes for some really interesting character studies. How do they react? What's their motivation? How have they survived thus far? What's keeping them sane? I'd like to tell past me that it would've been an interesting essay topic. Hey, film students, you're welcome.
2) Rec 3
Why: Have you seen Rec 1 & 2? No? Stop what you are doing and watch them! No, not Quarantine, that's the American remake and it's probably awful. Because as horror films, Rec 1 & 2 are utterly fascinating and pretty much flawless. The first film sets up a crazy and terrifying story, the second continues from approx 5min after the first one ends (same set!), answers a lot of questions and brings up a whole bunch of crazy developments. I'm not sure how Rec 3 fits in to the storyline as it takes place miles away from the initial location, but from what I've read, it does explain the tie-ins. It has the same writer/director (one of a duo, which is a bit sad but also very exciting... it's always kind of a drag when a completely new and unattached writer/director takes over the sequel to a pre-exisiting film, especially when the original team has created a masterpiece). At any rate, the first two were so well done, I'm utterly stoked for the next instalment. There is reportedly going to be a fourth film as well. Bitchin.
3) VHS
Why: It looks like a series of horror vignettes, and from what I've seen from the trailers they could be pretty damn awesome. VHS is apparently a huge deal at the Toronto After Dark film festival this year, so it's a good endorsement (though they have also featured The Human Centipede... which I've blogged about already. It was pretty..... weird? I get the appeal, as it does have a pretty strong shock value, and the series of events was interesting, it just wasn't a movie I'd ever want to see twice. It just wasn't that entertaining. Interesting, sure, but not great to watch). The directors attached to the vignettes sound intriguing, featuring Ti West (House of the Devil, The Innkeepers). For most of the directors, this appears to be the first "big" movie they've worked on, which could be a help or a hindrance. It seems to be predominantly filmed by handicam, which has its merits, but can be distracting or stomach-churning if not used correctly. I'm curious about this one... I don't really know what's going on with it, but it's piqued my interest.
4) Looper
Why: Really neat concept. It may be a little jarring to watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt with facial prosthetics to make him look more like Bruce Willis, but the idea of a time assassin alone is interesting, throw in the twist of having his future self sent back for execution and you've really got something. Another great cast as well. Furthermore, it's done by the writer/director from Brick, which is impeccable. (Seriously magnificent. Modern film noir. Just great).
Anyhoo, more later. Trailer frenzy y'all!
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