"Insanitarium" follows the story of Jack (Jesse Metcalfe) and Lily (Kiele Sanchez) after their mother's death Lily starts to have trouble coping with the loss landing her in a mental hospital. Jack does what it takes to get himself put into the same hospital as his sister in order to get close to her but in the process discovers there's something strange about this hospital , Dr Gianetti (Peter Stormare) the head psychical is using its patience's as lab rats turning them into flesh craving monsters. Aided in this journey to save his sister and expose Dr Gianettis evil plan Jack finds help from a nurse named Nancy (Olivia Munn) and a fellow patient named Dave (Kevin Sussman).
I'm not going to lie the main reason I watched this movie is because I'm a huge fan of Olivia Munn and also Attack of the Show, with that out of the way Olivia Munn aside I walked away very pleased with this film.
The storyline was original and well written from the intro to the credits I found myself entertained and never once feeling like the movie was dragging on unlike a lot films I watch these days. I had heard nothing about this film before seeing it and honestly would not of watched it if I wouldn't of seen Olivia Munn's name across the top but am glad that I gave it a chance as it turned out to be a fun ride.
Special effects wise the gore in this film is pretty fucking awesome, without giving to much away there's a cat scene that will leave you puking your guts out (Warning: For animal lovers who cannot stomach animal violence in movies do not watch this film or if you do simply skip the scene once you see a cat involved friendly warning from a fellow animal lover.) Overall the practical effects displayed in this movie are well done and should put a smile on any gore hounds face I know during an arm break scene I found myself saying "Fuck Yeah" out loud.
Overall I enjoyed this film and think that mainstream and hardcore fans both can find something with in the running time of "Insanitarium" to leave them satisfied with the time they spent viewing the film. On behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Insanitarium" a solid 6 out of 10.
Predator(1987) became such a cult phenomenon, that it spawned a sequel, two crossovers with the Alien Franchise, and a massive line of toys for both kids, and adults. The problem is, none of the following movies were any good. Sure, "Predator 2" gained a cult following, but there's a scene in the movie where an old lady smacks the predator with a broom as he runs through her apartment, so to me, it's a "so bad it's good" situation.
"Preadators" directed by Nimrod Antal, and produced by Robert Rodriguez, is a return to form for the franchise. It's more of a direct sequel to the original film than the sequel is, if that makes any sense. The events of the original film are referenced several times throughout the movie.
We open to Royce, played by Adrien Brody, free falling through the sky while unconscious. Recovering from his hard landing in an unknown jungle, he starts discovering that he wasn't he only one tossed out of an airplane. Murderers and mercenaries literally start falling from the sky. A ragtag group of complete strangers, with only one thing in common, they are all killers in one way or another.
The first act is spent mostly in a state of confusion. Not only is the audience confused as to what is going on, but so are the characters. Cautiously advancing through the strange jungle, they start to discover that they weren't the only people(things) dropped into this jungle. Empty cages, as well as skinned remains lead them to believe that they have been dropped here for a reason, to be hunted as game by somebody, or something.
The first encounter with something other-worldly, is in a sequence where the crew is ambushed by a horde of strange canine like creatures. It is at this point that they actually realize they are being treated as game, in a reserve. Predators, releasing the hounds in order to get their prey on the run, and give them the upper hand. This is our first real treatment to the gun porn aspect of this movie, while our characters fire their respective weapons wildly into the pack of vicious beasts. Anyone who has spent any amount of time playing Modern Warfare 2 will quickly recognize Royce's gun, an AA-12, which is a fully automatic 12 gauge shotgun. The FX in this sequence are a decent blend of both CG, and practical splatter. The creature design is awesome, but not quite as jaw-dropping as Stan Winston's original design for the Predator.
In a decision that could be viewed as either really smart, or supremely stupid, the group follows the "dogs" tracks back to what appears to be the Predators(plural) camp, we discover that there are different types of Predators present, and apparently, not all of them get along very well. Tied up in the camp is "Classic Predator" played by Derek Mears of "Friday The 13th" reboot fame.
One of the main problems I see people having with the movie is Adrien Brody's performance. While I find it to be an effective performance, some are accusing him of trying to mimic Christian Bale's raspy whisper. While this is partially true I suppose, Brody plays a hardened merc like one would picture a hardened merc being. No complaints from me in this department. Another complaint I have heard is that, if Arnie couldn't stand toe to toe with the original Predator, how is it that scrawny Adrien Brody is able to do so in this sequel? Without giving too much away, I don't feel that this is the case. Brody doesn't have a knock down/drag out with the Predator, he actually just exploits one of the Predators only weaknesses.
I've heard other complaints about the Jungle, and how it looks too earthly to be on another planet. These people aren't taking into consideration that this is sort of a hunting preserve. One of the first rules of hunting is to make your prey feel comfortable, so that they won't be expecting you when you make your move. Personally, I was glad to see straight up jungle, and not some ridiculously CG environment like that featured in "Avatar". It looks a lot better the way it is, trust me. It helps you connect the film to the original, and although it's a story about killer extra terrestrials hunting and slaughtering humans on another planet, it serves to keep the film as grounded in reality as possible.
As mentioned before, the FX were a solid mixture of practical, and CG. The Predators, of course are still the classic rubber suit monsters that they've always been. Opting for a CG solution would have completely ruined the film. Derek Mears brings that same aggression to screen that he put forth in the F13 remake, and was quite menacing.
Though not quite as tense as the first film, Predators manages to amp up the hunter/prey aspect this time around. In the first film, the rest of the team was done away with pretty fast, and you had the rest of the film filled with Arnie playing a game of cat and mouse with the predator. This time around, it's truly strength in numbers, as our mercs find ways to outsmart, and overpower the Predators that are tracking them down.
In a summer full of bland family flicks, fake vampire films, and soulless cash-ins, Predators is the real deal. It's not a mindless popcorn flick, but it is fun as hell to watch. Predators is the best film of the summer, and the Predator experience that fans have been begging for for decades. If the AVP series left a bad taste in your mouth, be prepared to wash it out with the bloody good time that is "Predators"
Predator is one of those hybrid films, much like From Dusk Till Dawn. It tricks you into thinking it's a certain type of film, and then pulls the rug out from under your feet after you have already immersed yourself. Starting off as what seems like a possible continuation of Schwarzenegger's earlier film "Commando", a group of mercenaries head into the jungles of Mexico in order to rescue two captured soldiers. After a full on assault on the village where the prisoners are being held, and some amazing displays of gun porn, we learn that the mercenaries have been lied to, and that they are actually being used as pawns in a CIA mission to capture intelligence.
Up until this point, aside from a few very brief, unexplained segments of thermal vision, we're still fairly convinced that we're watching an action flick. It is about this time that we learn there's something going on that is not quite right. Strange deaths, weird sounds, and a few odd sightings throughout the jungle alert our team that there is something hunting them, and it might not be human.
Predator is tense as hell. Instead of focusing on the creature, it spends most of it's time building suspense. Some may see it as a popcorn action flick, but in my opinion, it's much deeper than that. It portrays perfectly, the paranoia one would feel being stalked by an unknown force in the jungle.
While "Predator" does spend a lot of it's time building up to the inevitable confrontation, it leaves plenty of room for amazing creature FX. It's hard to imagine that a film like "Predator" was nominated for an Oscar, that would never happen in this day and age. The FX are beautiful, and pop even more in this HD transfer. We're treated to an early piece of eye candy, when the mercs stumble upon three dead soldiers, hanging from a tree completely skinned.
The actual creature FX are mind blowing, especially when you consider that the film was made in 1987. Stan Winston created a very unique monster for this movie. So much so that it has spawned a sequel, a couple of mediocre spin-off crossovers with the Alien franchise, and now a "reboot" directed by Nimród Antal and produced by none other than Robert Rodriguez.
HD Video Quality:
I will be the first to admit that I didn't buy the earlier version of this disc. Knowing how fox is, I knew with a reboot on the horizon, that they would no doubt be double dipping this disc. I can't compare the quality of this transfer to that of the 2008 transfer. I will say, this is the best time I had watching "Predator" since the drive-in theater when I was a kid. Sadly, there are some issues with the picture. All of the background shots are beautiful. The Mexican jungles look amazing in this 1080p presentation. One thing that you'll no doubt notice though, is that there has been some software touch-ups done on peoples faces in an attempt to create details that were not present in the original source. When "Predator" was filmed, time and budget restraints caused them to use a certain stock of film that wouldn't require expensive lighting, opting for more natural light. What this does is create a film-grain look on the final product. It appears, in order to make this transfer seem as clear as possible, they've tried to do away with the grain via software editing, rather than cleaning up the actual film.
Suffice it to say, if you're upgrading from DVD, it's well worth the $15.00 price tag at Wal-Mart. If you picked up the earlier high-def disc, unless you're a collector with ADD, you may want to give it a skip. If this is your first time viewing "Predator" on the new media, you'll probably be impressed, regardless of the noticeable issues. One of the main problems is Carl Weathers face. It looks as if it's been touched up to the point that it is lacking all detail. You'll notice this problem on other peoples faces, but for some reason Weathers didn't transfer into the new media as well as other people. One of the first times I've ever seen an issue like that.
HD Sound Quality:
From what I can tell, there is no change in the audio track from the previous disc. We're treated with DTS-HD Master Audio, which sounds amazing. This disc will rock your system, particularly when the mercs assault the village. Crank it up, and with all the sounds of bullets whizzing around your living room, and explosions that knock the pictures off of your wall, you're sure to have complaints from your neighbors.
Extras:
One thing this disc does bring to the table that the original did not is extras. The first time around, fox released a completely vanilla disc, which was a total rip-off considering how much Blu-Rays cost in 2008. All of the features of the two disc DVD have been ported over to this Blu, and a couple of new extras just to sweeten the deal.
Extras Include:
● ALL-NEW Digital Restoration of Predator ● ALL-NEW Sneak Peak at Predators ● ALL-NEW “Evolution of the Species: Hunters of Extreme Perfection” Featurette ● Feature-Length Audio Commentary by John McTiernan ● Text Commentary by Historian Eric Lichtensfeld ● “If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It” Making-Of Documentary ● “Inside The Predator” Documentary ● Special Effects Featurettes ● Deleted Scenes and Outtakes ● Short Takes ● Theatrical Trailers ● Photo Galleries ● Predator Profile
The Verdict:
If you're like me, and you skipped the vanilla disc from 08, you might as well pick this disc up. At the low price of 15.00(Wal-Mart), it's not that steep of an investment. Sure, it has problems with the video quality, but it still looks far more beautiful than the DVD does, even upscaled.
If you picked the 2008 disc up, unless you just absolutely have to have those special features, I would give it a skip.
Fun Fact: Sonny Landham, who plays Billy in the film was actually a resident of my hometown, Ashland, KY for a long time. At some point he was actually running for some sort of local political office. I heard that he had become ill, and am not sure if he still resides here, or anywhere for that matter.
Halloween night 1962, Frank finds himself locked inside the school coat closet, It is here that he witnesses a replay in time as he watches the ghost of a young girl being murdered by a mysterious man. After this vision he finds himself being stalked by the very killer who took the young girls life many years before, Soon Frank starts to realize the killer may be closer to him than he could of ever imagined.
Growing up "Lady in White" was one of few movies that truly scared me as a kid, Even now watching it as an adult it gives me the willies to some degree, but it never fails to satisfy my horror craving and I would consider this film a "comfort" movie of sorts for myself. Most regular readers know that I have a love hate relationship with the ghost sub genre of horror and am very picky when it comes to anything paranormal related in films. "Lady in White" would have to be in my top three list of best ghost stories every told through cinema if I were to compile one.
The story is truly creepy and paints a very disturbing picture once it comes full circle, it movies at a nice pace and keeps you interested till the very end full of some beautiful ghost effects for its time. I have seen this movie so many times I can close my eyes and replay it in my head one of those classics from the days of VHS and small town video stores that stuck with me throughout my journeys into the world of horror. A great horror film to watch with the family with its PG-13 rating it should be viewable to most members of the family based on how well they handle scary movies. But a good one to keep in mind when it comes time to expose them to the genre if you choose to do so.
If you love a good ghost story but are not a fan of gore this is a great find for you, completely story driven and a ghost story from start to finish no gruesome kills or stomach churning gore here just old fashion story telling at its finest.
On behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Lady in White" a 8 out of 10 and a guarantee that after viewing this ghostly tale you'll be a little extra paranoid about those random sounds of the night for few nights at least.
"Burnt Offerings" follows the Rolf family Ben (Oliver Reed), Marian (Karen Black), their son David ( Lee Montgomery) and Aunt Elizabeth (Bette Davis), Who decide to rent an old gothic estate for the summer after being given a unrefusable offer that came with two catches, Number one they must act as the caretakers and make sure the house stays in top shape, And number two they would have to make sure the owners grandmother got three meals a day left outside of her door and told it was unlikely they would ever see her as she keeps to herself always. It isn't long before the house starts to do what it does best, manipulating the family for its own amusement turning what was to be a quiet summer vacation into a battle for ones sanity and ones life.
This movie pre dates both "The Shining" and "The Amityville Horror" and I found the similarities between the three films very interesting, It had been many years since I last viewed "Burnt Offerings" and had totally forgot how a like it was to some of the most famous movies of the "Supernatural" sub genre of horror. This is a must see movie for any fan of classic horror and I highly recommend it for new comers to the genre as well as an example of an outstanding example of 70's horror.
"Burnt Offerings" is a truly creepy film, it sets a beautifully dark and sinister atmosphere that will leave you with a constant feeling of dread and uneasiness as the movie continues to elevate to higher levels of high tension after each encounter breaks the families sanity a little more. The acting in his movie is top notch and when it comes to showing the emotion of sheer terror look for an mind blowing display from Oliver Reed near the final moments of the movie.
I really enjoy this movie and consider it to be one of the best supernatural related horror films ever created, If you're sick of what the sub genre has become silly recreations of camcorder footage and people screaming at empty darkness turn off whatever "Paranormal Activity" clone your about to watch and instead queue up "Burnt Offerings" and you will not be disappointed.
On Behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Burnt Offerings" a 9 out of 10 and award for best "Out of a window" kill scene in a movie.
A gang of crazed Punkers head to the mountains with plans of robbing a rich Hollywood bigwig's vacation home, once inside they slaughter the entire family except for their daughter Lisa (Linda Blair) who escapes into the woods. Unaware of a creature housed within the home they mistakenly set it free, once it sees that its family has been murdered it goes into a fit of rage wanting only revenge on the punkers who committed this horrible act against his loved ones.
I had never heard of this film and ran across it randomly one night and my obsession with punksploitation films got the best of me and the fact it featured scream queen Linda Blair sealed the deal that I would be viewing it for the site. Going into "Grotesque" I knew nothing beyond it involved a group of 80's looking punk rockers which was enough to peak my interest seeing as I myself am a Punk and have been since I was a very young boy. I really enjoyed this film, it's an great example of 80's horror at its finest a must see for any era fan of the genre, if you love 80's horror and are a fan of Linda Blair you will walk away from this movie very satisfied and more than likely you'll want it to have a home on your movie shelf.
"Grotesque" is a blend of many 80's clichés rolled up into one compact film, You get the 80's slasher / exploitation feel from the punks and their violent acts against an innocent family, and you also get a taste of 80's creature feature from the deformed creature, and at the same time they find a way to squeeze in a moral of "Don't judge a book by its cover" in a very after school special way if you pay close attention to a few key scenes. The story holds up till the end even through a few plot twists that I feared would end up dooming the film but in the end panned our well enough leaving me happy with the film as a whole.
The special FX's in "Grotesque" are all done with practical effects and are your typical low budget 80's slasher Varity, this should bring a smile to the face of any retro horror fan who grew up with old fashion latex and buckets of fake blood. The cheese ball stereotypical characters mixed with the flawless display of old school make-up combine perfectly to produce a perfect example of what I loved about 80's horror.
On behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Grotesque" a well earned 7 out of 10 another great watch featuring the infamous Linda Blair.
What in god's name did I just watch? Did I watch a movie? What was that? Was that shot on a camcorder? Should I be humored or horrified? What is going on with Japanese television? (Yeah this aired of Japanese television). These are all question you'll ask yourself after watching this. Whatever the hell this was? A masterpiece? A fiasco? It's anyone's guess.
A father loses his job at a TV studio, and decides he's going to record his family as a reality series to get back on the air. Waiting at a train station he is hit on the head with a rock. Someone literally hits him in the head with a rock. So naturally he brings his assailant, Q, his name is Q, home with him to meet the family. Q in turn starts solving their issues, their dysfunction in the most bizarre ways imaginable.
This flick is a satirical look at reality television & family dysfunction.... Miike style. Which means you'll be subjected to:
- Incest - (Father/Daughter Incest that is) - Teenage Prostitution - (Daughter is... well she's a prostitute which explains the line above) - Mother Abuse - (Reverse Child Abuse, Son beats his mother with a remarkable collection of canes) - Addiction - ("Mommy loves her heroine") - Urination - (In my day, bullies just used to punch kids) - Lactation - (I'm talking from across the room) - Rape - (Wouldn't be an extreme Miike movie without it) - Necrophilia - (Some guys will do anything... literally) - Whatever word describes getting shit on by a corpse.... (disgusting) - Mutilation - Never will you see someone so happy as in this mutilation scene. I mean everybody involved is smiling from ear to ear.
Now maybe it's because I'm not Japanese, but the only coherent messages I could pull from this were:
- Breast-milk contains trace elements of Prozac - The family that kills together stays together - Sometimes you need an already fucked up outside source to fix an already fucked up family OR - Some people need to be hit on the head with a 10 lb. rock before they wake up and smell the dysfunction.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Family Dysfunction makes the best Reality Television
"Insanitarium" follows the story of Jack (Jesse Metcalfe) and Lily (Kiele Sanchez) after their mother's death Lily starts to have trouble coping with the loss landing her in a mental hospital. Jack does what it takes to get himself put into the same hospital as his sister in order to get close to her but in the process discovers there's something strange about this hospital , Dr Gianetti (Peter Stormare) the head psychical is using its patience's as lab rats turning them into flesh craving monsters. Aided in this journey to save his sister and expose Dr Gianettis evil plan Jack finds help from a nurse named Nancy (Olivia Munn) and a fellow patient named Dave (Kevin Sussman).
Halloween night 1962, Frank finds himself locked inside the school coat closet, It is here that he witnesses a replay in time as he watches the ghost of a young girl being murdered by a mysterious man. After this vision he finds himself being stalked by the very killer who took the young girls life many years before, Soon Frank starts to realize the killer may be closer to him than he could of ever imagined.
