List Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Quick List: 5 Movies That Scare The Bejesus Out of Me
Filed under: Horror », Fandom », Lists », Trailers and Clips »
Well, it's just about 'All Hallows Eve' and if you're anything like me, then you have already depleted your candy supply and you've been watching as many horror movies as you can get your hands on. And as I've watched everything from The Wolf Man to 13 Ghosts I've been thinking how few movies actually scare me -- the rise of torture porn was nauseating, sure, but scary? Not really. Over at Den of Geek they've compiled a list of movies that scare them and it has inspired me to think about what flicks have given me the honest to goodness heebie-jeebies over the years.
Usually when I watch horror, it's with an eye for comedy and usually the lamer the film, the better. But occasionally there's a film that actually does what it's supposed to: scare the crap out of me. But as much as I tried to find a common denominator for what scares me on the big screen, I came up empty. In fact, there's never really any way to tell just what is going to hit the right buttons when it comes to horror, but I guess that's what makes it so much fun.
After the jump: 5 movies that guarantee me a 'bad night's sleep'...
Villains Too Charismatic For Their Own Good
Filed under: Classics », Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Lists », Trailers and Clips »
Everybody loves a bad guy. They usually get the best lines, a great entrance, and a hell of a death scene. But our love affair with the dark side is no secret, and as much as we might love the bad boys, we all enjoy a good 'comeuppance', which is usually where our heroes come in. Hell, probably one of the biggest reasons most of us love the world of make-believe is that at least there, the good guys can win. Occasionally, though, you find a villain with qualities that go a little beyond being the 'man/woman you love to hate', and before you know it, that monster has managed to win you over before the credits have rolled -- which isn't always good news for our heroes.
Now this doesn't mean that I think these villains are model citizens, because well, I'm not that psycho. But when these guys are on screen, suddenly the 'hero' of the piece starts to fade away, and when your audience is bummed when the bad guy goes down, you know that you've created a villain who is just too damn charismatic for their own good. These characters can pop up in anything from a comic book flick to a period drama, but the one thing they have in common is their ability to make you think, "Hey, he's nuts, but he might have a point". So that's why for today's installment of our monthly tribute to villains, I've put together a list of my top 5 movie villains with charm to spare.
After the jump; my top five movie villains that will win you over in the end...
Why Zombies Make Better Horror Movies Than Vampires
Filed under: Horror », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom »
The battle of the undead on the big screen has been under way for some time now, and after months of hearing that vampires are taking over pop culture, it seems like we shouldn't quite put our friends the zombies (no, not those ones) down for the count. Over at Newsweek, Sarah Ball put together a few reasons as to why zombies will never beat vampires in a pop-culture zeitgeist-off thanks to our long-standing love-affair with the pale tortured types. But just this weekend, audiences proved that when it comes to the walking dead, the zombies still have what it takes to bring in the crowds.
Everybody has their personal preferences (and man I love those bloodsuckers), so even though I've watched more vampire content than I care to remember (I even sat through the pilot of The Vampire Diaries), and I'll always be a dedicated 'fan of the fang', I think that sometimes those drooling bumbling walking corpses might be better suited (at least these days) to the world of horror. Here's why:
After the jump: my top 3 reasons Zombies (might) make better horror movies.
Now It's the 50 Best Movies of the Decade!
Filed under: Fandom », Tom Cruise », Steven Spielberg », Quentin Tarantino », Lists », Trailers and Clips »
Earlier today we brought you Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 100 worst reviewed films of the decade. Now, though it might be a little premature (considering that we still have a little while to go before we hit our next decade), the good folks over at I Heart Chaos have decided to get the ball rolling on those end-of-decade lists by shoveling out what they believe are the Top 50 Movies of the 2000's. Usually these kinds of things start to gain in popularity towards the end of the year, but I guess the early bird does get the worm, so let's get right to the chase and find out who made the cut.
When you've got a a list of 50, there is plenty of wiggle room, and it's a pretty comprehensive list that manages to find room for cult faves and foreign flicks. But I'll admit, even though Chaos has put together a solid list, I was a little surprised that the #1 film for this decade is Quentin Tarantino's Samurai/Cowboy epic, Kill Bill -- though that's the beauty of a list, everyone wants to have a little friendly debate, I guess. You can read the entire list over at Chaos, but rounding out the top five are The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, and Kinji Fukasaku's adaptation of Battle Royale.
The great thing about a long list like Chaos' is that it makes room for all kinds of movies that sometimes you just don't have room for in streamlined lists of five or ten entries. But I love a challenge, so I decided to put together a list of my top films of the 2000s ... although I've cheated just a little.
After the jump: my nominations for the top films of the 2000s...
'Captain Blood' Remake Heads for Outer Space
Filed under: Action », Classics », Casting », Deals », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Scripts », Remakes and Sequels »
If you know your pirates and are a fan of classic cinema, then I'm sure I don't need to tell you about Captain Blood. The 1935 swashbuckling classic starred Errol Flynn as a doctor convicted of treason who escapes to the Caribbean to join forces with a French pirate, and was the role that made Flynn a star. But here we are 74 years later and suddenly the word 'remake' started to come up in conversation over at Warner Bros. That was almost a year ago, but not only is the film still in the works, the story is about to get one hell of a venue change. Variety now reports that Daybreakers duo Michael and Peter Spierig have been hired to direct an update that would transplant the action to outer space.Back in December, Monika brought us the news that John Brownlow had been hired to pen a faithful remake, but now it looks like Brownlow will be going back to square one with his script. Blood's producer, Bill Gerber, promises that even though there are some changes afoot for the update, "There are some things you don't mess with, and that is as classic a movie storyline as you will ever find."
But here's the big question: Who will be our new Captain Blood? It's a mighty big part to fill; Flynn was a legend of Hollywood and the granddaddy for every bad-boy with a heart of gold to come after him. It's a role that requires charm, action, and a way with the ladies. The project could be a gamble for WB, but I guess as long as it doesn't turn into Ice Pirates 2, things should work out just fine.
After the jump: My suggestions for the new interstellar Captain Blood...
Quick List: Sex Scenes That Aren't Sexy
Filed under: Romance », Fandom », Lists »
Like plenty of you out there, I sat down to watch Brüno over the weekend and was treated to one of the more graphic sex scenes I've had the pleasure of witnessing in a long time. But unlike most sex scenes, this one wasn't about turning on the crowd, it was about getting laughs. Now in Brüno's case, the comedic effect was a deliberate one, but it did get me thinking about sex scenes in films that have had the opposite of their intended effect. So that's why today I've put together a list of sex scenes in movies that aren't the least bit sexy.
Showgirls
Let's start off with the big dog, shall we? When it comes to ridiculous on-screen sex, it doesn't get much dumber than Showgirls. If you don't believe me, do a quick search for a list of the worst sex scenes and this Eszterhas/Verhoeven turkey is usually the hands down winner -- and rightfully so. When it comes to low points, there really is too much to choose from, but the highlights include Elizabeth Berkley flailing about like an electrocuted dolphin while her partner, Kyle MacLachlan, is busy making 'barf faces' (which I suppose were meant to be ecstasy). So watch the clip in it's entirety here and see if you can make it to the end without bursting into laughter.
After the jump: more laughably bad sex scenes...
Cinematical Seven: Movies That Pull an All-Nighter
Filed under: Comedy », Cinematical Seven », Lists »
I've had my share of all-nighters, and sure, some of them were for a perfectly legitimate reason like studying, but I'll be honest with you: most of them were for reasons that for the sake of propriety, I shouldn't go into here -- and I know I'm not the only one. Who doesn't have a story about that one great night? Or that one party that couldn't be missed? Exactly, we all do, and maybe that's why we all love a good story about some wild and crazy all-nighter.
This Friday, audiences will be treated to another tale full of all-night shenanigans with I Love You, Beth Cooper, which follows a high school nobody who changes everything when he utters those five words during his graduation speech. So just like every 'all-nighter' film to go before it, Cooper is about breaking out of your comfort zone and watching the best laid plans go to waste -- and usually our hero or heroine gets to fall in love along the way. So with that in mind, let's take a look back at seven other films that are about our search for a good time.
1. The Allnighter
Well, you can't have a list about all-nighters without including this 80's turkey starring The Bangles' lead singer, Susanna Hoffs. Even Joan Cusack (the patron saint of 80's comedy) couldn't save this story about a group of girls looking for a good time on their last night before graduation. The Allnighter was written and directed by Hoff's mom, and was meant to be the singer's big break into acting. Unfortunately for her, the film was so bad that not only did it fail at the box office, it managed to turn the gal off from ever pursuing a film career at all.
After the jump: find out which other all-nighter flicks made the list...
List This: The Worst Movie Songs of All Time
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Fandom », Lists », Trailers and Clips »
Movie music has certainly changed over the years. What was once the domain of an orchestra and studio musicians is long gone, and now the top-40 soundtrack reigns supreme. Sometimes it works, like in the case of Martin Scorsese's use of pop music, and sometimes it really doesn't -- and that's where today's list comes in. SPIN has compiled what they say are the worst movie songs of all time, so make sure your earplugs are handy because we're about to look back at the Top 10 Worst Movie Songs, Ever!
So let's get right to the list, shall we? Grabbing the top spot for the worst of all time was P. Diddy and Jimmy Page's Kashmir update for Godzilla, Come With Me. But if you thought that song was bad, wait till you get a load of the other nominees, including Vanilla Ice's Ninja Rap, Limp Bizkit's Take a Look Around from Mission Impossible II, and Nickelback's Spider-Man song, Hero. Judging by SPIN's list it seems like 'geek' movies took most of the hits -- although how Evanescence's theme for Daredevil escaped I'll never know. But rather than complain about what wasn't included in SPIN's list, I've decided to make my very own list of great and not-so-great movie songs.
After the jump: My Top 10 Favorite (and most hated) songs from the movies...
The "Red" and "Blue" of Horror Films
Filed under: Horror », Fandom », Politics », Lists »
Can a horror movie have a political agenda? Well, that was the question I asked myself after reading '15 Horror Movies Socialists Could Love''. So as I started to think back to all the hacking and slashing I'd seen over the years, I looked for some some pattern or connection between what I choose at the box-office and what I do at the polling station -- and what did I come up with? Well, I'll get to that, but first I wanted to take a moment to look back at some of the films that have gained a reputation with critics and fans alike as movies with a so-called conservative or liberal state of mind:
'Red State Horror':
Friday the 13th (1980)
Conservatives supposedly love this movie because it's all about no-good kids getting what they deserve. Sexy teens don't stand a chance in this franchise from the moment they take a drink, get high, or get naked. Plus, it's one of the few horror films with a moral about the importance of a good work ethic.
Frankenstein
It's science vs. religion in the story of a man who presumes to know more than God...and I think we all remember how that turns out.
Lost Boys
Family values are all over this one, and when a divorced mom pays more attention to a her love life than her two sons, look what happens. So even with a pot-smoking grandpa, plenty of critics agree that this film is all about Regan's America and the triumph of family over no-good, rock n' roll loving, motorcycle-driving youth gangs.
Tremors
2nd Amendment fans praise this tale of a band of locals fending off giant worms and the gun-toting survivalists that help save the day -- Take that Brady Bill!
Check out the rest at HorrorSquad!
Quick List: Worst Musical Moments
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
One of my favorite things in the world is a musical gone wrong. I don't know, there's just something particularly funny about watching a musical number go down in flames -- and the more awkward the better. Well, at least I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, because Over at Den of Geek they have compiled a list of the Top 10 Worst Musical Moments in Movies. Now, they didn't just limit themselves to straight musicals, but the results are a trip down memory lane for me and a nightmare for most people. Taking the number one spot was a pretty obscure moment starring Hollywood Legend Mae West and Timothy Dalton (the much-maligned Bond) in the 1978 musical, Sextette. There are plenty of cringe-worthy moments in this film, but the highlight is Geek's selection: Dalton and West singing (and I use the term loosely) Love Will Keep Us Together. There's really nothing more to say, mainly because I seem to have lost the power of comprehension after watching that clip.
So who else managed to make the list? Well, we've got Vanilla Ice in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, Pierce Brosnan ruining ABBA songs in Mamma Mia, Neil Diamond in black face for The Jazz Singer, and my personal favorite -- a clip from Rhinestone starring Sylvester Stallone as a NYC cabbie turned country singer. But, after looking at Geek's list, I noticed a few omissions (at least in my opinion) so I decided to do a little listing of my own.
After the jump: my top 5 worst moments in Musical history...
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