jack brooks monster slayer Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Watch This: 'Still Life' (or What 'Mannequin 3' Could've Been ... )
Filed under: Horror », Mystery & Suspense », Shorts », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
The other day we wrote about the new horror flick Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (which hit theaters this past weekend), and Cinematical reader Aaron L. (who also happens to be a very good friend of mine) pointed out the fact that Jack Brooks director Jon Knautz had helmed a very cool short back in 2005 called Still Life. I forget exactly when I first saw this short (probably during one of Gen Art's many, many functions/contests/parties), but I remember absolutely loving it over and over again. And we've actually written about it on at least two other occasions, though it's been awhile and, well, I felt our new (and old) readers would like a little something to watch while you eat lunch/surf the internet, etc ...
The short, which runs about eight minutes, follows a very sleepy driver who's in desperate need of a rest and some gas. When he pulls off into a small town, however, he notices that it's populated by mannequins. And that's all I'll say about that. Definitely check it out if you've got a few minutes free, and then hunt down Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (read our review here) -- a film most of our team here at Cinematical dug quite a bit.
Review: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Filed under: Comedy », Horror », Independent », Theatrical Reviews »
In a marketplace of increasingly generic titles and often disingenuous marketing, the horror genre tends to bring a certain honesty to the table. Think about it: the words 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2' can simply never paint as vivid a mental picture as, say, 'Zombie Strippers'. These offerings may be comparatively lower in brow and budget, and no, not for all tastes, but with a film like that -- a title like that -- or Evil Aliens, or Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, for that matter, what-you-see-is-what-you-get chutzpah is on their side, and while that quality might not alone do the trick when it comes to their ultimate entertainment value, it certainly doesn't do any harm.
That said, like those films (well, okay, maybe not that Pants one), Jack Brooks may not quite be the cult classic in the making that it so clearly sets out to be, but at least its influences and intent are always worn plainly upon its blood-stained sleeve.
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for August 15
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Foreign Language », Independent », New Releases », Columns », Indie Spotlight »
A few bright spots aside, the August calendar of wide releases is generally pretty grim. (Do not speak to me of Clone Wars.) Luckily, there are always a few worthwhile flicks playing at the art houses, and the Indie Spotlight is here to tell you about them. We have the lowdown on what's opening "in select cities" this weekend, and if your city wasn't selected, at least you can file a mental note and keep an eye out for the film later. Alphabetically, this week's new indie releases are: Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer, Bachna Ae Haseeno, A Girl Cut in Two, Henry Poole Is Here, and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. Note that all of those titles fit in the first half of the alphabet, and three of the five contain people's full names. Fascinating! My OCD is fascinating! Here's the scoop on each of them.
Henry Poole Is Here
What it is: A gentle drama (with comedic elements) about a forlorn man (Luke Wilson) whose house develops a water stain that some people think is a sign from Jesus.
What they're saying: It's always noteworthy when a movie takes a pro-religion, pro-faith-in-God point of view -- and even rarer that such a film debuts at Sundance -- but this one doesn't seem to have done it very well. The critics are split down the middle at Rotten Tomatoes, while Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson calls it "lackadaisical" and "too uninspired to be inspirational." (I've seen it, and I say amen to that.)
Where it's playing: Pretty much everywhere -- it's opening on 500 screens. So keep the faith, indie filmmakers! It could happen to you!
Official site: OMG you guys, it has a MySpace page!
New Goodies from 'Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer'
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror »
I caught the very entertaining Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer as part of the Slamdance 2008 line-up -- and I knew I had another indie horror flick on my hands that was worth hyping. (Review here.) Bolstered by a canny script and some strong work from actors Trevor Matthews and Robert Englund, JB:MS is a colorfully scrappy little monster movie with a very sly tongue-in-cheek attitude, and I'm certain it's a movie that the horror geeks will embrace once Anchor Bay unleashes it later this year. And those horror geeks have been pretty patient, so here are a few new goodies.Under the jump you'll find a brand-new Jack Brooks poster (which is slightly different from the one Bloody-Dee is sharing right here), but there's also a newly-redesigned website for the monster maniacs to click around in. The movie will open in its native land (somewhere called "Canada"?) throughout July, but fest-freaks can meet Jack Brooks when he plays at Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival on July 5. As far as U.S. distribution goes, that's up to the merchants of mayhem over at Anchor Bay.
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