Saw Tagged Articles at Cinematical
The Obligatory 'Paranormal Activity' Spoofs
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
.jpg)
These days folks don't really wait for things to settle before they start making fun because there's always this unspoken contest to see who can crack the obligatory jokes first. When Paranormal Activity beat Saw VI at the box office this weekend, not only did it send a much welcomed shock through the Hollywood system, but it also automatically became the source of what we can only imagine will be at least a few dozen different upcoming spoofs. From the professional spoofers to the amateur, do-it-yourself-and-throw-it-on-You-Tube spoofers, get ready to be inundated with random shaky-cam videos about ghosts in bedrooms, in living rooms, in attics, in kitchens, in bathrooms, in toilets, and so on and so forth.
Funny or Die was first out of the gate this weekend, producing a spoof that mixes Paranormal Activity and Saw called Paranormal Saw. In the video, a couple set out to record ghosts in their bedroom, but instead are paid a visit by the Jigsaw puppet from Saw who keeps the two awake by talking about puzzles and games all night long. The second video, from Texas-based filmmaker Jordan Crowder, is called Parannoying Activity, and it also follows a couple who decide to record ghosts while they're sleeping -- only this time the ghost decides to screw with them constantly by doing stuff like rearranging their DVDs and solving all of the puzzles in a puzzle book.
How many videos will it take before everyone begins to hate Paranormal Activity? I sense a backlash starting in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
... watch both videos after the jump
How 'Saw' Got Its Groove Back ... If Not at the Box Office
Filed under: Horror », New Releases », Box Office », Contests », Remakes and Sequels »
This one is for the increasingly few of you who have steadfastly stuck with the Saw franchise through thick-and-thin in the aughts. The opening weekend numbers for Saw VI are the weakest since the first film, mostly thanks to some stiff competition from breakout hit Paranormal Activity. But box-office returns aren't everything. So: what'd you think?
I wrote this little piece before the release of Saw V last year, in the mode of a frustrated fan hoping for a revitalized franchise. It didn't happen; Saw V was boring and incomprehensible, and I was ready to skip the sixth film altogether. Then it got some decent reviews, and I thought what the hell. I'm glad I did. Saw VI, which sees editor Kevin Greutert take over directing duties, is easily the best Saw movie since the third. That may not be the most enthusiastic bit of praise I've ever issued, but miracle of miracles: the fifth sequel to a half-decent horror flick is legitimately pretty good. Here's how I think Saw got some of its bite back:
- Thriller momentum. For the first time in three years, a Saw movie is exciting, in an old-fashioned what-happens-next sort of way. There are creative traps a-plenty -- some of the most ingenious ones in the series, for those who are into that sort of thing -- but the film doesn't depend on them: it has a semblance of a protagonist, and a story that moves forward, and draws you in, and makes the 90 minutes feel like less. Which is related to my next point, namely:
Sticking Up for the 'Saw' Series
People who know nothing about horror films still like to take a cheap-shot when they can. They see a film with a 5 or a 6 in the title, and they get all clever: "Wow, part 6 already? Why? Who makes this stuff? Does anyone care anymore?" and all that jazz. Now, before I start ranting proper, I'm not saying that you're WRONG if you don't like the Saw films. I'm just sick of the knee-jerk reactions from people who'd happily mock a "Saw 6," but then run right home to catch the 11th season premiere of "CSI: New Jersey." Matter of fact, that's where I'll start:
It's a Serial!
The massively popular, horror-centric, and entirely silly True Blood is discussed like it's the reinvention of the vampire. (It's not. But it's good.) So far there have been 24 60-minute episodes of True Blood, which equals 1,440 minutes. By comparison the first five Saw films equal about 475 minutes. My point is this: Why should we hear cries of "enough!" on one and "ooooh, more please!" on another? Do the horror geeks not deserve their own equivalent of an "unending" soap opera? Is it fair that people bemoan a Saw 6 yet sit down for General Hospital ... every day for 15 years??
Read the rest over at Horror Squad
'Saw VII' Will Venture into the 3-D Realm
Filed under: Horror », Lionsgate Films »
By Brad McHargueAm I the only who thinks 3-D horror films are a waste of time and money?
While some films may lend themselves to the technology (such as Burst, which is about exploding humans), the effect is usually lost on me. In the end, it almost seems like a distraction to prevent the audience from realizing your story is formulaic and conventional. The effect is lost once the film hits DVD, and although Blu Ray technology can emulate 3-D quite well, the overall impact is diminished considerably.
Given the recent spate of horror films being filmed in 3-D, it comes as no surprise that the Saw franchise will venture into the third dimension with 2010's Saw VII. Shock reports that the seventh installment in the seemingly never-ending franchise will feature a longer production time and be more expensive ... due to the conversion to 3-D.
Read more at Horror Squad!
'Wanted' Screenwriter Gets His Game On - Who's Next?
Filed under: Deals », Fandom », Tech Stuff », Scripts »
In the same way that higher-profile actors are jumping on the video game ship sans shame, so too are movie writers like Wanted's Chris Morgan. Morgan has signed up for a rather daunting task – working as the story director for the massive and practically holy sci-fi series The Wheel of Time by the late Robert Jordan.
Variety reports that this job entails "overseeing the writing on the titles, working with executive producers and writers to help develop story arcs and helping to digest the book series' 10,000 pages and over 1,700 characters."
(Of course, Morgan and the other two screenplay writers, Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, were taken to task by fans for not sticking to the original comic book story all that much. However, compared to comic book purists, the wrath of Robert Jordan fans can be deadly. Or so I hear.)
Morgan isn't the only screenwriter who has dipped his toes into the pixellated pool. Saw director James Wan is one of the writers for the Saw video game, which surprisingly got some good gamer feedback from its preview at SDCC. And David McKenna, who wrote American History X, Get Carter, Blow, and Bully, wrote Scarface: The World is Yours, which got generally mixed reviews.
Like Torture? New Vegas Attraction Offers Real-Life 'Saw' Experience
Filed under: Horror », Fandom », Movie Marketing »
Have you ever wished that you could be chained to a basement floor, or forced to stick your arm in a box with a circular saw, or dunked in a vat of liquefying pig cadavers? Then have we got the Vegas vacation for you! Fright Dome, the seasonal haunted-house attraction at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, will open two park areas on Oct. 2 replicating Saw villain Jigsaw's sadistic games, as a tie-in with Twisted Pictures/Liongate's release of Saw VI on Oct. 23."We've always had the best haunted attraction in Vegas and partnering with Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures takes it to a whole new level," said Fright Dome owner Jason Egan in a press release. "The Saw films cut to the core of human fear and we're using that to its fullest potential."
Fright Dome, a five-acre, Halloween-season theme attraction that opened in 2002, features costumed actors roaming around in the dark, artificial fog to make everything all scary-like, plus strobes and lasers and sound effects. Basically, all of the "we're gonna keep jumping out at you until you're a nervous wreck" gimmicks of your usual haunted house, except much bigger, much more expensive and, well, in Vegas. Fright Dome also features rides, a freak show, and special events (last year featured an appearance by House of 1,000 Corpses' Bill Haig).
The two Saw-themed haunted houses will attempt to recreate the games in the Saw movies which, honestly, didn't really look like that much fun. But if that's your particular cup of tea, according to Twisted Pictures producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules, "Visitors from around the world will be able to experience the terror of Jigsaw first hand." Umm, yay?
James Wan Heads to 'Castlevania'
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Games and Game Movies », ComicCon »
The dead have risen from the grave! If you're a Castlevania fan who thought you weren't going to be subjected to a big-screen version of your beloved game, think again. In the midst of the news frenzy coming out of SDCC, Bloody Disgusting got the chance to speak with Saw co-creator James Wan, and he confirmed that he has just signed to direct the video game adaptation for producer Paul W.S. Anderson. Wan tells BD, "I'm very fresh on this project, so its early stages and I'm still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for it" The Castlevania video game franchise mainly centered on a war between the vampire hunting family known as the Belmonts and the big bad blood-sucker himself, Dracula. The game is one of Konami's biggest titles, and was considered one of the best action-platform games around. But as we were soon to find out, it wasn't going to be an easy transition from the console to the big screen.
If you haven't been keeping track, (and who could blame you) here's a brief history on the troubled flick: the announcement of a feature film Castlevania first came about in 2007, but over the next two years little ground had been made. For starters, there were personnel changes and then there was the double-whammy known as rewrites. The last anyone had even heard from the project was that Sylvain White (Stomp The Yard) had reportedly been hired to direct. But then the writer's strike hit and the project ran into a brick wall -- but that was then, and this is now.
After the jump: find out what Wan has planned for the Belmonts...
Bousman Wants to Troma-tize us with 'Mother's Day'
Filed under: Horror », Deals », Distribution »
Wow, what does Darren Lynn Bousman's mom get for her special day? News that her son is remaking Charles Kaufman's Mother's Day, a 1980 exploitation horror flick from Troma that follows the hilarious misadventures of two brothers whose mom likes to watch them rape and murder women. Wait, did I say hilarious? Sorry, I meant icky and effed up. (But that doesn't mean I'm not going to Netflix it.) And no, it's not an existential and tripped-out treatise on love and mortality a la Charlie Kaufman. Charles Kaufman wrote and directed Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters, directed and produced Sextasy, and wrote Squeeze Play. He also has uncredited roles in Mother's Day as a cocaine addict and Squeeze Play as "Man with Popcorn in his Nose."Fan Rant: More Like 'My Bloody Mary'
Filed under: Horror », Lionsgate Films », Distribution », Exhibition », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Fan Rant »
Thanks to advancements in movie-going technology over the years, all one needs to view tomorrow's slasher remake, My Bloody Valentine, in three dimensions is a special pair of glasses. And according to Lionsgate's marketing department, all one needs in order to see the film in four dimensions is a set of beer goggles.
The above picture is of an online ad that I just came across while watching a video on YouTube. (Whether or not said video was a RickRoll, I'll neither confirm nor deny.) Apparently, the studio is so confident in the quality of their film that they hope young viewers over the age of 21 will stumble up to the ticket window before tossing their cookies mid-movie in an effort to create an interactive "splash zone" of sorts for some lucky viewers.
Empire Announces the 500 Greatest Films of All Time
Filed under: Lists »
Love 'em or hate 'em, there's no denying that a big new 'movie list' can really get the geeks talking. Take, for example, this recent (and very nifty-looking) article at Empire Online, which claims to list the 500 Greatest Films of All Time. But when I click on to the first page, what do I see at #499? Saw. Yes, the first one, which I honestly love a whole lot ... but there's no way it's one of the 500 greatest films ever made.See? Only one peek and already I'm digressing, arguing, and geeking out! Fun! And there's more. 499 more, to be precise. According to their splash page, Empire polled 10,000 readers, 150 of "Hollywood's Finest," and 50 whole film critics while putting their mega-list together. And I must assume that the Empire flick staff had some heavy input, which is good because A) "readers" can be morons, B) "Hollywood's Finest" may have ulterior motives, and C) British film critics are big, fat weenies. Plus Empire has a stellar flick staff.
Anyway, I'll get you started with entries 500-475, because that seems arbitrary enough, and then I'll invite you to peruse the gigantic Empire piece, and then perhaps come back here and share your admiration, your incredulity, and your ire. And I was kidding about the British film critics.
#500 -- Ocean's Eleven (2001)
#499 -- Saw (2004)
#498 -- Back to the Future Part 2 (1989)
... OK, I give up. Go read it for yourself. Back to the Future 2.... {{ NOTE: Erik D. informs me that this piece is kind of "old news," as in a few months old, and for that I apologize. Still fun though. }}
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
_thumbnail.jpg)
