Halloween II (1981) Review

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(More customer reviews)Going against what my gut instinct was telling me about the current crop of "remakes" that keep springing up, I went ahead and got a copy of Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, which after viewing is the equivalent of Vince McMahon's (Brainstorm!) XFL, meant to improve on the traditional NFL. Like Vince, Zombie falls flat on his face!
What a total waste of effort(??)! Forget the obviously lame storyline! Zombie has taken the BEST parts of what I & others loved of John Carpenter's masterpiece and has profoundly spat on them, transforming & transposing them away from what made them appealing- Laurie Strode from a straight-lanced, innocently appealing & ultimately doomed heroine who we ended up rooting for to a foul-mouthed, UN-likeable blithering mess. Sam Loomis has been remade from a truly concerned savior, determined to stop his quarry (while being believably terrified of him at the same time)from spreading death & destruction into a greedy, uncaring opportunist. And what a howler THIS Michael Myers is......! Where-as he was a terrifying, shadowy form of living darkness in total control of his actions without expression or remorse in the original, Zombie's version is laughably inept, just another thuggish brute without the cunning or resilience of a true screen villian, led only by his childhood/"inner-self" visions/images to explain his actions (oh, so T-H-A-T's why he does & is what he is!!!!! I d-i-d-n-'t k-n-o-w THAT!). I'm not sure how much effort was made by Tyler Mane to "get into character" but you never really truly believe he's Michael Myers, or at least I didn't. Dick Warlock ('the Shape' in 1981's H2) was more convincing, emerging out of a dark corner with the occasional creepy head tilt while remaining stoic was all that was really needed.
The way I see it, the only real excuse for these re-makes (or are they re-boots???)is a set-up for a future "Michael vs Jason" clash!

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Rob Zombie's H2 (Halloween) picks up at the exact moment that 2007's box-office smash, Halloween stopped and follows the aftermath of Michael Myers's (Tyler Mane) murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton). Evil has a new destiny. Michael Myers is back in this terrifying sequel to Rob Zombie’s visionary re-imagining of Halloween which grossed almost $80 million worldwide. It is that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Unleashing a trail of terror that only horror master Zombie can, Myers will stop at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past. But the town's got an unlikely new hero, if they can only stay alive long enough to stop the unstoppable.

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Sorority Row (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Yeah, I watched it! So what?! When you know what you're going in for, this kind of movie has many merits. Sorority Row is a movie about a killer who meanders through an alcohol-soaked, drug-fueled, sex-crazed, sorority McMansion during the end of the year party indiscriminately butchering the tight-bodied, scantily-clothed co-eds - and their dufus boyfriends - who may or may not have knowledge of a murder cover-up involving a senior soror who got chucked down a well like baby Jessica.
Additionally, the cheese-covered horror rules are followed perfectly: The phones get no reception unless receiving a horrifying, tension-increasing picture or video from the killer. A dark, mysterious figure in a face-covering graduation robe, the killer is so derivative that I imagined the character holding the fishing hook from I Know What You Did Last Summer (IKWYDLS) and wearing the mask from the Scream Trilogy, neither of which happened. There is full frontal nudity that serves no other purpose than checking off the nudity requirement. Characters who engage in illicit sex almost certainly die. Characters who elicit groans or disapproval from the audience are guaranteed excruciating deaths. And, finally, there is inevitably more than one "twist" to mislead the viewers attempting early killer recognition.
As for the characters, just picture IKWYDLS and replace the male characters with gorgeous, nubile, women in their early twenties. It's the "talented" Megan (Audrina Partridge); smokin' hot Cassidy (Briana Evigan), the girl with the moral compass; Chugs (Margo Harshman), the sorority's resident slut (who is present in all real life sororities); the sexy Claire (Jamie Chung), fulfills multicultural standards for the sorority's funding purposes; the blonde vixen Jessica (Leah Pipes), who is as ruthless as she is beautiful; and Ellie (Rumer Willis), the slack-jawed, kind of ugly girl (but with a nice body) all sororities need for term papers and to increase cumulative GPA. Aside from the main cast, there is an endless supply of hotties prancing around in lingerie (or less) and either dancing about in the soapy bubbles from an overflowing hot tub or having a feather pillow fight in pajamas with exposed behinds. Read that last sentence again.
As for the plot, a sorority prank goes wrong, one of the sisters dies and the rest of the movie is about the characters covering up the murder, repenting their actions, or playing a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a tire-iron wielding killer who appears to have an oral fixation. Pretty standard, suspenseful stuff.
Aside from my belief that Ellie should have been the victim of the prank, thereby improving the possible skin-to-film ratio, the directing, acting, special effects, and all other aspects representative of any number of recent Hollywood horror flicks are sufficient. No awards will be won, but I'd probably watch it again for hot chicks and bad jokes.

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It’s all fun and games until someone gets stabbed with a tire iron. When a pledge week prank goes terribly wrong and one of their own is killed, the popular, hard-partying sisters of Theta Pi vow never to speak of the tragedy again. But the past comes back to haunt them in the form of a homicidal maniac seeking revenge during the out-of-control graduation festivities.

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Megadeth: Rust in Peace Live (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, this was awesome!!!! I remember seeing these songs performed during the "Clash of the Titans" tour back in the 90s, and I'm glad Mustaine chose to do this album in its entirety. Not too many heavy metal albums rank next to this one, and I rank this album as one of the greatest of all time.
The musicianship is second to none. I would go so far as to say this is the best Megadeth lineup, as I think Shawn Drover is the best drummer Dave has played with in a long time (Gar Samuelson was probably the best). He is a solid drummer who can play the all the material. He has the chops and style. Chris Broderick is massive on the guitar. He really can move over that fret board and seems like a natural for all the parts. Personally I like to hear all the original solos played as they were originally written, but I don't mind when someone like Broderick adds his own flare because after hearing his work on "Endgame" I think to myself, "What would he have done with 'Rust In Peace?' Not dissing Marty, just giving respect to Chris.
I gave this 4 stars because of a few short comings. Take my following criticism more like suggestions for the future as I am really a diehard fan of Megadeth, and have been for decades (but I know Dave and Megadeth management will never see this review).
1) The vocals were overdubbed, and it is easy to see. My question is, "why?" Mix as you will, but let the true live experience come full force. The music sounded great, I'm sure the vocals sounded just as good. I have this problem with many live DVDs; don't funk with the mix so much.
2) Backstage footage was skimpy. This would have been a great opportunity to really go behind he scenes and see how the band sets up, check out the equipment, and do some solid up close interviews, especially with the other band members. Also, show some footage of the tour preparation rehearsals when the band was first playing all of "Rust In Peace" in a rehearsal studio (and when Ellefson just came back). The DVD creators could have even re-visted footage from "The Clash of the Titans," and do a retrospective kind of thing. That would have been awesome!! A nice biography would have been great, tracing the history of Megadeth up till now (something quick and creative). And last for this point, fan interviews. The screaming fans showed the energy and excitement, but do something more refined to really get the feel of the fans. Some of those fans came a long way. I would had loved to had heard their stories about Megadeth a bit more in depth. So much more could have been done, and it would have been worth the price hike. I felt the creativity with the DVD was lacking.
And 3) Again, with the bonus footage. I'm a bass player, and I love the drums, and the guitar work on "Rust In Peace" is genre breaking and defining, so why aren't there performance isolation angle options? This would have been great for the Blu-Ray DVD (as all this extra footage would need the space). Show the parts being played live, up close and personal. Dave Mustaine once said in an interview, where he was showcasing his signature Marshall stack, that the best way to learn a guitar part is to watch the actual musician play it (if you want to learn it note for note). This would have been a great opportunity for that to come true. But the bonus material really doesn't hold up to the what other bands produce. I think Megadeth could have taken a lesson from Dream Theater (actually Mike Portnoy) in this regard, and pack the DVD with every possible thing you could imagine, and sell the hell out of it. Mike Portnoy could have lent Shawn Drover his drumcam(s), so we could see his technique, etc. I would have like to see those drum parts, like on "5 Magics" and "Rust In Peace...Polaris." Again, the package could have been for the Blu-Ray only, or make it multiple DVDs, whatever, just give me more. I would have paid the price.
I'm obviously thinking with a fans mind, and maybe some of what I said could not have happened logistically or financially, but I think if minds and the powers that be had sat down and really thought out this process, and looked outside the box to give the fans the ultimate experience then more stuff could have been packed in to the DVD. In the end, the performance was awesome!!!! And for what the DVD offers, the price is right, but it could have been so much more.
Peace,
Fan from 'Back in the day'

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In March of 2010 Megadeth hit the road in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their classic 1990 album, Rust In Peace. The show was filmed on the last night of the tour at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Megadeth was formed in 1983. The band played Rust In Peace in its entirety, including all-time classics Holy Wars...The Punishment Due and Hangar 18. The set list also featured several other fan favorites, including Trust, Symphony Of Destruction and Peace Sells.

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Metalocalypse: Season 2 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you like Metal, _This Is Spinal Tap_, "Beavis and Butthead", the mockumentary genre, lots of death and explosions, other Adult Swim shows, brilliant writing and animation, great comedy, dark humor, buy this DVD collection now. Support quality programs on Adult Swim. They ruthlessly kill off good shows as seemingly as often as people get offed in Metalocalypse. Season 2 sees the return of characters introduced in the first series, some of whom viewers were given the impression were probably dead or gone for good. This was a pleasant surprise as is the further development of the characters. There's more to some of them than you first realize. Season 2 also continues to follow a certain strange top secret orginization monitor and cause trouble for the band. It does have me curious how they'll wrap that up. I do know this - the concluding episodes of seasons 1 and 2 are so kick *** they leave you wanting more.

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METALOCALYPSE:SEASON TWO - DVD Movie

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Metalocalypse: Season One (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Adult Swim have realy outdone themselves this time. Who would have thought that a cartoon about a post-apocalyptic death metal band ruling the world would be this good? Whether they're unleashing swarms of murderous kitties on an unsuspecting populous, summoning giant trolls to ravage the countryside, trying their hand at stand-up comedy (death metal style), or destroying hippies with the combined darkness of thrash and the blues Dethklok always finds a way to keep the mayhem coming.
Featuring the world's fastest guitarist, a bassist who can pull off a wicked solo playing with his johnson, an alcoholic drummer who used to front a bad 80's metal band, an amusingly naive childish rhythm guitarist, and a singer who talks in his growling metal voice all the time and is obsessed with all things brutal, the show is never short of hilarious characters to abuse and the laughs just do not stop. And I haven't even mentioned Dr. Rockso, the rock 'n roll clown who uses his high Axl Rose-ish voice to screech his catch phrase, "I DO COCAINE!!!" at anyone who will listen.
The music is fantastically metal with plenty of double-bass drums, shredding guitar, and nearly incoherent ranting (the subtitles help lots) that will make you bang your head and laugh at the same time. The episodes are short, to the point, and packed with satire, heavy metal references (a fast food place named Dimmu Burger, anyone?), and shear insanity. My personal favorite episode involves bassist William Murderface looking for religion after a near-death experience. The band takes him to a lame christian rock show where several concert-goers and band members wind up dying grisly deaths after a Dethklok member tries to join the fun by starting a mosh pit. Later, they give devil worshipping a try in what has to be one of the funniest animated scenes (and possibly most true to life) I've ever watched. Best satanic quote ever: "Pick up after yourselves; this is a Church of Satan, not a wastepaper basket."
If you don't see a special features menu when you fire up your DVD's, don't freak out. The bizarre assortment of features are hidden within the menu and can be found by moving the cursor to highlight different parts of the logo or band members' faces. There is a tour of Dethklok's compound, Mordhaus, a series of amusing band interviews, a slightly extended Murderface bass solo, a montage featuring the series' more violent moments, and even a little porn. Then there's the 20 minutes of frontman Nathan Explosion reading Shakespeare; if you can sit through that, you are a bigger fan than I. My only complaint is that -while the special features are freeballing it- the show itself remains censored. Sure, the cool guitar noises beat the hell out of the bleeps other shows use, but they should be optional. Still it's a minor complaint about an awesome set.
So if you're a metalhead with a sense of humor or are looking for some truly twisted, violent, and laugh-out-loud funny animated entertainment to NOT share with your children then "Metalocalypse" is as good as it gets. And with each episode clocking in at a little over 10 minutes, it's a fantastic way to catch some quick laughs and hear some headbanging good music on the run. "Now go forth and DIIIIIEEEE!!!!"

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This is a show that satires celebrity-ism and celebrates and completely embraces METAL!DVD Features:InterviewsMusic VideoOther

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30 Days of Night (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's nearly Halloween, so I went to see a horror film today, so here I am ready to share my thoughts on the vampire horror-thriller "30 DAYS of NIGHT". The film is based on the graphic novel/mini-series by Steven Niles and Ben Templesmith. I like vampire movies in general, although I have to say that NOT all "vampire flicks" are created equal. Thankfully, I am happy to say that this film lives up to its promise, and has become one of my favorites.
An isolated small Alaskan town called "Barrow" with a population of 560+ experiences 30 days of total darkness. No sunlight will be seen for a period of a month, so most of the town's inhabitants leave for this period to brighter pastures except for the 152 townsfolk; of whom some one stated that " we live here because we can". On the last day of sunlight, unusual things start to occur; satellite phones are found destroyed, the aforementioned one emergency helicopter is damaged beyond repair, even snow dogs are killed. The town sheriff; Evan Oleson (Jason Hartnett) finds a filthy, bad-toothed drifter (Ben Foster) who seems to be a harbinger of the danger to come. No long, after, the town is under siege by band of inhuman creatures bent on killing everyone in sight...
30 DAYS OF NIGHT is a straight-forward vampire film. It doesn't waste much time setting things up with minor character development with Evan and Stella's (Melissa George) background; with their rocky marriage, characters are introduced quickly and how they are related to the town. Director David Slade goes to the throat with the intensity and apprehension of the screenplay as soon as the band of vampires (led by Danny Huston) makes their appearance. Instead of just going for all-out mayhem, he calculates each scenario and accompanies it with a heart-pounding atmosphere and emotion that builds up the suspense. He also uses silence as an effective strategy to set the film's eerie feel.
The usual rules to vampirism is applied; vulnerability to sunlight, super-human strength and can turn other humans into vampires. However, the band of vampires seems to have only one goal; to feed on human blood, nothing subtle, but FEED. Before their siege, the pack leader instructs his band to "rip everyone's head off and do not turn them..".The language of the vampires has that ancient-like tone but somewhat sound Germanic is a very nice touch. The vampires are grisly, inhuman-looking predators, not the "seductive" blood-suckers that have been the stereotype for many years. However beastly and savage the band may be, but they are far from being dumb; the vampire pack is intelligent and organized (much like wolves are organized). No mental control or shape-changing abilities are displayed, the vampires in this film are portrayed as hungry, vicious, shrieking, deformed beings who assault the sleepy town in a hellish attack.
The film is not perfect, it does have its shortcomings. It didn't explain why a very minor number of townsfolk have been turned by the vampires (even with the pack leader's instructions) or what rules do apply on how and when a human has been turned. There is something very downright creepy and unsettling in the proceedings; I think this may be the first time I've seen an eight-year-old child turned into a vampire. Also, there are minor weaknesses in the plot where the usual clichés are present; a panicky old man with his son, a fear-fraught man who makes a wrong decision with his family, and a scared teenager. All these factors cause problems for the lead characters. There were quite a lot of instances that I feel that an "extended director's cut" is coming for the DVD release. (I hope and wish for one).
Unfortunately, I haven't read any of the graphic novels (yet) so I cannot determine how faithful the film is to its roots. To the film's credit, the film does succeed on most vampire films have not. It did deliver an intense, grisly and a clever visceral thriller that hits the marks right and never stoops to wallowing in blood and gore alone. It showed a side of the human spirit about courage, the determination to protect its own, and the capability for sacrifice. A band of vampires attacking a small Alaskan town during a 30-day stretch should have been thought of sooner as Danny Huston said in the movie; "We should have come here years ago.".
The film's premise is MUCH more interesting than other films' overused plot with blood-suckers living among us and just preying on beautiful women. It is also a much needed break from the "torture" shows with unyielding psychopathic killers.
"30 DAYS OF NIGHT" is a vampire film with a rarity that achieves its potential. It is more a classic monster film than a contemporary horror movie.
RECOMMENDED! For horror fans..[4 stars]

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Josh Harnett (Black Dahlia, Pearl Harbor) crosses over to the dark side in this bone-chilling adaptation of the cult-hit graphic novel, brought to the screen in all its demonic glory. In a small Alaskan town, thirty days of night is a natural phenomenon. Very few outsiders visit, until a band of bloodthirsty, deathly pale vampires mark their arrival by savagely attacking sled dogs. But soon they find there are much more satisfying thirst-quenchers about: human beings. One by one, the townspeople succumb to a living nightmare, but a small group survives - at least for now. The vampires use the dark to their advantage, and surviving this cold hell is a game of cat and mouse - and screams.

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