Sam Peckinpah directing Warren Oates on the set of The Wild Bunch
For me most of the tension came from the underlying question of ‘Will anything EVER happen?’ and ‘Will Joceline Donahue EVER deliver a line convincingly?’, the answers to which are ‘Sort of’ and ‘No.’ The film’s big finale, a rushed ten minutes at the end, is slightly confusing and utterly underwhelming and totally conventional. I understand that West wasn’t look for a gore-a-thon at the end of his picture, but after the truly lax pacing of the rest of the movie, House of the Devil needed to end with a bang, whether that be a bang of violence or a bang of brain-twisting coolness, and neither is the case here. There’s a final shot in the movie that is held over the closing credits and I sat through pretty much all of it because I couldn’t believe that this was the ending it had all been building towards. With a horror movie you need to either shock me, gross me out or unsettle me, and House of the Devil is incapable of doing any of those things.
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CHUD’s Devin Faraci While I feel like writing a long thing about Ti West’s House Of The Devil, I feel this quote sums up my feelings about the film. It’s just a slow film about a girl with really skinny legs walking around a college campus and a creepy house in the woods. It’s a frustrating endeavor that left me tapping my feet, tapping my invisible clock, and saying multiple times: “less chatter, more splatter!” I don’t mind a slow film, but when it’s a thriller or a spooky movie, I need more. Let’s look at it like we’re eating a nice meal at a fancy restaurant. First, the waiter brings you up some bread, to get the appetite going, then maybe you’ll have an appetizer and some more bread and a glass of wine and eventually, you’ll get to the main course and it’s great. This film is just like ordering a pizza. You place the order and wait by the door or go over to the place to pick it up and you eat it when you get home. There’s no building of the appetite. It’s just there like a greasy, soggy mess. It feels a need, but its devoid of substance unless you’re getting the prosciutto and mushrooms pizza from Red Brick Oven. A good horror film builds tension and rewards the audience with an occasional set piece or good acting that will enhance tension when the film is devoid of grandioso set pieces. I’m just glad that Ti West and star Joceline Donahue introduced the film instead of staying for the Q&A because they would have a lot of explaining to do. Great poster, though! |
The facial hair situation of the Los Angeles Clippers back court:
- Baron Davis = wacky old gold prospector
- Eric Gordon = Amish
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Hooray for hoops and hardwood.
There are about four or five great trailers on the latest installment of the “42nd Street Forever” series curated by Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. It’s good, but it takes a couple of viewing to realize that brilliance of some trailers.
Now, for the sixth volume, one has to assume that the Alamo will be hind it because if this makes sense, their latest volume ends on bit of a cliffhanger. The program hit a slight lull, then picks up again and it becomes rather compelling and then it’s over. So, it makes sense to have another volume for Tim League and his programmers in the next year. However, I must demand that the people at Synapse Films let the fine folks over at New Beverly Cinema put together a volume of the series or perhaps the biggest coup of all time, a Tarantino curated installment .
Spooky Movie Trailer Of The Day
The Incubus
Directed by John Hough
Starring John Cassaetes
Voice Over by Percy Rodriguez
Ron Artest, in a way is very similar to the character, Charlie from “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” While it may be hard to see Artest dressing up as Green Man, but Artest seems like the guy who’ll cut the brakes on the van, declaring “Wild Card, Bitches!” before leaping out. While Artest seems intent on performing his ‘Ronnie Tasks’ like defending the best player on the opposing team, but he’s going to want to expand or at least get the Lakers’ Dennis and Mac (Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom) in on some of these tasks one night. It’s going to be a wacky scene in Los Angeles beyond the Ron Artest situation and there is going to be so much material and fodder with the entire Kardashian Jenner clan parked court side for every single home game with national TV coverage. It’s going to be a nightmare for the Staples faithful (the people that sit in the 200s and 300s section). And to complete the “It’s Always Sunny” comparsion: Phil “Big Comfy Chair” Jackson is Frank Reynolds, Jordan Farmar = Sweet Dee and Khloe Kardashian is Gail The Snail (There is not enough to salt to salt that snail).
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It’s the second happiest time of the year, people. Basketball starts tonight. |
