Dates Subject to Change
The Last Exorcism - Review 8/26
Piranha 3D - 8/27
Machete - 9/3
Resident Evil; Afterlife - 9/10
The Ward - 9/24
Let Me In - 10/1
Season of the Witch - 10/15
Saw VII 7 - 10/22
Paranormal Activity 2 - 10/22
Night of the Demons - 10/29
REVIEWED
ADVANCED SCREENING!
The Last Exorcism - Review 8/26
Piranha 3D - 8/27
Machete - 9/3
Resident Evil; Afterlife - 9/10
The Ward - 9/24
Let Me In - 10/1
Season of the Witch - 10/15
Saw VII 7 - 10/22
Paranormal Activity 2 - 10/22
Night of the Demons - 10/29
REVIEWED
ADVANCED SCREENING!
© 2003-2010 OSH Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved
Coming Soon....
In Theaters....
With Joe Johnston's remake of The Wolfman,
I expected rich, gothic horror and instead I got
a hollow shell of a monster mash with a
comic book action movie feel. I didn't hate it
outright, but I forgot the film's details the very
second I stood up from my cushy theater seat.
Maybe House of the Wolf Man deliver what
monster fans were looking for?
The black and white indie homage, from
writer-director Eban McGarr, is finally seeing
the light of day on DVD, September 28.
McGarr has created an intentional throwback
to the Universal Monster series, crafting
House of the Wolf Man as an unofficial
sequel following the studio's House of
Frankenstein and House of Dracula. The film
re-unites Dracula, Frankenstein's monster,
and, of course, the Wolf Man in a tale about a
spooky old castle, inherited by new,
unsuspecting owners.
Will it deliver where The Wolfman failed?
We'll all find out very soon...
I expected rich, gothic horror and instead I got
a hollow shell of a monster mash with a
comic book action movie feel. I didn't hate it
outright, but I forgot the film's details the very
second I stood up from my cushy theater seat.
Maybe House of the Wolf Man deliver what
monster fans were looking for?
The black and white indie homage, from
writer-director Eban McGarr, is finally seeing
the light of day on DVD, September 28.
McGarr has created an intentional throwback
to the Universal Monster series, crafting
House of the Wolf Man as an unofficial
sequel following the studio's House of
Frankenstein and House of Dracula. The film
re-unites Dracula, Frankenstein's monster,
and, of course, the Wolf Man in a tale about a
spooky old castle, inherited by new,
unsuspecting owners.
Will it deliver where The Wolfman failed?
We'll all find out very soon...
Classic Horror Homage 'House of the Wolf
Man' Is Headed to DVD
Man' Is Headed to DVD
Review: The Last Exorcism08.29.10 By: Alison Nastasi
6 Comments
Print
I spent my undergraduate college years being shuffled around a grungy art school dormitory, where I
finally ended up being the neighbor of two kind, sweet girls. Both were devout Christians, and one even
believed she could speak in tongues -- something I once heard while quietly resting in my bed from the
other side of the concrete wall. I admit to having naive and almost romantic notions of Southern religions --
shaped by films and books alike -- and to see some of these foreign ideologies brought to life felt terrifying
and intriguing. If there's one thing I can positively conclude about the experience, it's that there are no right
answers when it comes to personal faith. The Daniel Stamm directed and Eli Roth produced
mockumentary The Last Exorcism explores this uncertainty through its strong characterization and clever
use of horror film tropes to usurp expectations of the occult/exorcism subgenre.
Beware of spoilers ahead ...
Patrick Fabian delivers a solid performance as the disillusioned Reverend Cotton Marcus -- an evangelist
who spent his childhood in the church, following in his preacher father's footsteps. His wife describes him
as a performer -- no doubt from his dad grooming him to become, amongst other things, a master
exorcist. Now the Reverend is exorcising a few demons of his own, after grappling with a particularly
morbid possession case, and facing his own son's disability which was "healed" by science and not Christ.
The preacher wants to expose the fraud behind his ministry by inviting a documentary camera crew to
follow along on one of his cases -- the Sweetzer family. Once there, we watch Marcus set the scene for the
exorcism of Nell. The teenage girl lives on a rural farm with her volatile brother and distant father, who has
been trying to hold them all together with God's love since the family matriarch passed away.
It's a smoke and mirrors performance from Marcus who amuses himself with the audience "off" camera,
detailing his deception -- but justifying the trickery by explaining he has good intentions. When Marcus' first
exorcism doesn't prove successful, Papa Sweetzer demands further help -- except Marcus is in the difficult
position of revealing himself to be a complete fake if he can't convince Nell's father to get his daughter
medical and psychological help. From there, the film is a slow boil to a grand finale -- a story arc which
seems to have left audiences torn. It's an event which requires viewers to suspend their disbelief, a
struggle central to the characters in Last Exorcism and similar to the film's theological subject matter
overall.
It's obvious that Last Exorcism borrows from several other genre titles in both its execution (shaky cam
titles like Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity), as well as its story arc (Rosemary's Baby or even more so to
me, The Wicker Man) -- and yes, there are even several well-worn exorcism tropes that come into play --
but Stamm and company use all these elements to their advantage. It's a gross oversimplification to
dismiss the film's ending as a mock-up of the aforementioned titles, and those expecting it to wrap up in a
neat, little package won't get what they want -- and why should they, considering the movie's theme?
There are no definite answers here, but that's the beauty of Last Exorcism's story and performances.
Fabian expertly straddles the line between dogged, earthly savior and charlatan. Really, one could draw a
line down the middle of every player -- the dichotomy of fantasy and reality, faith and fear, pride and shame
pervades the lives of all and is turned against us in the end, forcing us to face the same questions as its
characters.
Like Nell's stories (which we're never sure are true in part or at all ... ), Last Exorcism's conclusion plays
out in a fantastical, over the top way -- but who's to say that small town cults and fiery demons aren't really
a stand in for a molesting preacher and a backyard abortion? You don't have to take a leap from the
darkness into the fire like Reverend Marcus to appreciate Last Exorcism (though I remain unconvinced he
was actually sold on his own convictions during that final moment ... ) -- but it's my hope that people will
stop fixating on the film's ending, and start focusing on all the reasons why they like this clever and creepy
character driven film.
6 Comments
I spent my undergraduate college years being shuffled around a grungy art school dormitory, where I
finally ended up being the neighbor of two kind, sweet girls. Both were devout Christians, and one even
believed she could speak in tongues -- something I once heard while quietly resting in my bed from the
other side of the concrete wall. I admit to having naive and almost romantic notions of Southern religions --
shaped by films and books alike -- and to see some of these foreign ideologies brought to life felt terrifying
and intriguing. If there's one thing I can positively conclude about the experience, it's that there are no right
answers when it comes to personal faith. The Daniel Stamm directed and Eli Roth produced
mockumentary The Last Exorcism explores this uncertainty through its strong characterization and clever
use of horror film tropes to usurp expectations of the occult/exorcism subgenre.
Beware of spoilers ahead ...
Patrick Fabian delivers a solid performance as the disillusioned Reverend Cotton Marcus -- an evangelist
who spent his childhood in the church, following in his preacher father's footsteps. His wife describes him
as a performer -- no doubt from his dad grooming him to become, amongst other things, a master
exorcist. Now the Reverend is exorcising a few demons of his own, after grappling with a particularly
morbid possession case, and facing his own son's disability which was "healed" by science and not Christ.
The preacher wants to expose the fraud behind his ministry by inviting a documentary camera crew to
follow along on one of his cases -- the Sweetzer family. Once there, we watch Marcus set the scene for the
exorcism of Nell. The teenage girl lives on a rural farm with her volatile brother and distant father, who has
been trying to hold them all together with God's love since the family matriarch passed away.
It's a smoke and mirrors performance from Marcus who amuses himself with the audience "off" camera,
detailing his deception -- but justifying the trickery by explaining he has good intentions. When Marcus' first
exorcism doesn't prove successful, Papa Sweetzer demands further help -- except Marcus is in the difficult
position of revealing himself to be a complete fake if he can't convince Nell's father to get his daughter
medical and psychological help. From there, the film is a slow boil to a grand finale -- a story arc which
seems to have left audiences torn. It's an event which requires viewers to suspend their disbelief, a
struggle central to the characters in Last Exorcism and similar to the film's theological subject matter
overall.
It's obvious that Last Exorcism borrows from several other genre titles in both its execution (shaky cam
titles like Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity), as well as its story arc (Rosemary's Baby or even more so to
me, The Wicker Man) -- and yes, there are even several well-worn exorcism tropes that come into play --
but Stamm and company use all these elements to their advantage. It's a gross oversimplification to
dismiss the film's ending as a mock-up of the aforementioned titles, and those expecting it to wrap up in a
neat, little package won't get what they want -- and why should they, considering the movie's theme?
There are no definite answers here, but that's the beauty of Last Exorcism's story and performances.
Fabian expertly straddles the line between dogged, earthly savior and charlatan. Really, one could draw a
line down the middle of every player -- the dichotomy of fantasy and reality, faith and fear, pride and shame
pervades the lives of all and is turned against us in the end, forcing us to face the same questions as its
characters.
Like Nell's stories (which we're never sure are true in part or at all ... ), Last Exorcism's conclusion plays
out in a fantastical, over the top way -- but who's to say that small town cults and fiery demons aren't really
a stand in for a molesting preacher and a backyard abortion? You don't have to take a leap from the
darkness into the fire like Reverend Marcus to appreciate Last Exorcism (though I remain unconvinced he
was actually sold on his own convictions during that final moment ... ) -- but it's my hope that people will
stop fixating on the film's ending, and start focusing on all the reasons why they like this clever and creepy
character driven film.
Review: Piranha 3D08.20.10 By: Brian Salisbury
1 Comments
Print
"The guiltiest of guilty pleasure movies," that's how Eli Roth, recounting the sentiments of director
Alexander Aja, described the conceptual approach to Piranha 3D. Eli did his best bad French accent as he
regaled the Alamo Drafthouse audience with anecdote after anecdote about the director; a welcome
prelude to this midnight screening. As someone who worships at the altar of guilty pleasures, a director's
self-awareness of this characteristic always makes me a bit uneasy. Making a film as stupid as it can
possibly be in the hopes that your being cognizant of its stupidity somehow legitimizes it does not a true
guilty pleasure film make. In fact, I am of the opinion that most people can only pull off guilty pleasure by
accident so hearing those words co-opted as Aja's directorial mantra flipped the switch on my pessimism
machine.
And then the film started and all doubts were quickly chewed up and spit out.
Piranha 3D is about as guilty a pleasure as it gets, and I mean that as a compliment. It is disgusting,
unapologetically base, and wholly indecent...and I loved every second of it. The death scenes are bloodier
and more viscerally off-putting than anything you could have imagined given the trailer or even in full
consideration of Aja's catalogue (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes). It employs a level of violence so
unfettered as to seem less based in reality and more an approximation of a hard-R Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
Every character, portrayed in majority by actors who have either already achieved cult hero status or are
well on their way to earning that distinction, is exaggerated without being irritating and even those who
exist merely to feed the fish strut their hour upon the stage with conviction.
But the real reason Piranha 3D works is its masterful tightrope walk along the line of intelligence and
unfettered id. It is just clever enough to be legitimate while just intentionally moronic enough to not be
accused of taking itself too seriously. When it's clever, it's both satirical and reverent to its source. If you
went to see this film and didn't already love Joe Dante's Piranha, I'm just not sure what the draw for you
was in the first place. Piranha, along with being a great early effort from Dante and a remarkably effective
creature feature, is one of the better Jaws rip-offs ever created. In full genuflect to the film from which
Piranha "borrowed," Piranha 3D opens with Richard Dreyfuss in a boat singing, what else, "Show Me the
Way to Go Home." If that wasn't enough beautiful fan-pandering, Dreyfuss' character is named Matt. The
send up of Girls Gone Wild entrepreneur, all around d-bag, Joe Francis in Jerry O'Connell's character was
also smart as well as hilarious.
But of course, all this witty writing is tempered with superb gross-out gore and gratuitous,
three-dimensional nudity to ensure maximum entertainment value. Why would a movie like this, with its
3D naughty bits tickle me so while a movie like My Bloody Valentine 3D pisses me right the hell off? i think
it has to do with the source and the execution. The original Piranha, despite its flashes of quality, is a very
silly film. Therefore elevating the silliness in direct proportion to the evolution of concept (i.e. the 3D)
makes for enjoyable fluff that still manages to demonstrate respect to its source. Whereas the 1981 My
Bloody Valentine is.an honest-to-goodness slasher film with very little in the way of silliness. Therefore
remaking as a lackluster, obnoxiously insipid platform for 3D vagina is contrary to the source and
frustratingly awful. Not to mention the situations developed for the 3D nudity in the Piranha remake are
already established as being absurd and non-realistic (Girls Gone Wild filming sessions and drunken
spring breakers) whereas those in MBV3D are only absurd because ofthe nudity exists.
I would not go so far as to call Piranha 3D perfect...because I am not an idiot. There are moments wherein
the 3D is not fully realized and makes for a foggy resolution for the audience. There are scenes that are too
dark to support the gimmick and it's hard to tell what we're actually seeing. But really, given all the rules
that it establishes from frame one and the director's obvious intentions, Piranha 3D delivers on all fronts
and actually surpasses itself in terms of both violence and intelligence. I advise taking a gaggle of your
closest horror geek pals to a weekend screening, drinking lots of beer beforehand (or during if you are
lucky enough to live within the jurisdiction of the Drafthouse), and get ready for a hell of a ride. Pay special
attention to Christopher Lloyd in the film as every second of his channeling Dr. Emmet Brown from Back to
the Future is side-splitting.
1 Comments
"The guiltiest of guilty pleasure movies," that's how Eli Roth, recounting the sentiments of director
Alexander Aja, described the conceptual approach to Piranha 3D. Eli did his best bad French accent as he
regaled the Alamo Drafthouse audience with anecdote after anecdote about the director; a welcome
prelude to this midnight screening. As someone who worships at the altar of guilty pleasures, a director's
self-awareness of this characteristic always makes me a bit uneasy. Making a film as stupid as it can
possibly be in the hopes that your being cognizant of its stupidity somehow legitimizes it does not a true
guilty pleasure film make. In fact, I am of the opinion that most people can only pull off guilty pleasure by
accident so hearing those words co-opted as Aja's directorial mantra flipped the switch on my pessimism
machine.
And then the film started and all doubts were quickly chewed up and spit out.
Piranha 3D is about as guilty a pleasure as it gets, and I mean that as a compliment. It is disgusting,
unapologetically base, and wholly indecent...and I loved every second of it. The death scenes are bloodier
and more viscerally off-putting than anything you could have imagined given the trailer or even in full
consideration of Aja's catalogue (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes). It employs a level of violence so
unfettered as to seem less based in reality and more an approximation of a hard-R Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
Every character, portrayed in majority by actors who have either already achieved cult hero status or are
well on their way to earning that distinction, is exaggerated without being irritating and even those who
exist merely to feed the fish strut their hour upon the stage with conviction.
But the real reason Piranha 3D works is its masterful tightrope walk along the line of intelligence and
unfettered id. It is just clever enough to be legitimate while just intentionally moronic enough to not be
accused of taking itself too seriously. When it's clever, it's both satirical and reverent to its source. If you
went to see this film and didn't already love Joe Dante's Piranha, I'm just not sure what the draw for you
was in the first place. Piranha, along with being a great early effort from Dante and a remarkably effective
creature feature, is one of the better Jaws rip-offs ever created. In full genuflect to the film from which
Piranha "borrowed," Piranha 3D opens with Richard Dreyfuss in a boat singing, what else, "Show Me the
Way to Go Home." If that wasn't enough beautiful fan-pandering, Dreyfuss' character is named Matt. The
send up of Girls Gone Wild entrepreneur, all around d-bag, Joe Francis in Jerry O'Connell's character was
also smart as well as hilarious.
But of course, all this witty writing is tempered with superb gross-out gore and gratuitous,
three-dimensional nudity to ensure maximum entertainment value. Why would a movie like this, with its
3D naughty bits tickle me so while a movie like My Bloody Valentine 3D pisses me right the hell off? i think
it has to do with the source and the execution. The original Piranha, despite its flashes of quality, is a very
silly film. Therefore elevating the silliness in direct proportion to the evolution of concept (i.e. the 3D)
makes for enjoyable fluff that still manages to demonstrate respect to its source. Whereas the 1981 My
Bloody Valentine is.an honest-to-goodness slasher film with very little in the way of silliness. Therefore
remaking as a lackluster, obnoxiously insipid platform for 3D vagina is contrary to the source and
frustratingly awful. Not to mention the situations developed for the 3D nudity in the Piranha remake are
already established as being absurd and non-realistic (Girls Gone Wild filming sessions and drunken
spring breakers) whereas those in MBV3D are only absurd because ofthe nudity exists.
I would not go so far as to call Piranha 3D perfect...because I am not an idiot. There are moments wherein
the 3D is not fully realized and makes for a foggy resolution for the audience. There are scenes that are too
dark to support the gimmick and it's hard to tell what we're actually seeing. But really, given all the rules
that it establishes from frame one and the director's obvious intentions, Piranha 3D delivers on all fronts
and actually surpasses itself in terms of both violence and intelligence. I advise taking a gaggle of your
closest horror geek pals to a weekend screening, drinking lots of beer beforehand (or during if you are
lucky enough to live within the jurisdiction of the Drafthouse), and get ready for a hell of a ride. Pay special
attention to Christopher Lloyd in the film as every second of his channeling Dr. Emmet Brown from Back to
the Future is side-splitting.