Twisted Love Celluloid- Hellraiser (1987)

An Oriental man in a Middle Eastern bazaar asked Frank Cotton, “What is your pleasure?”  He said, “The box.”  Then, he paid the man and exited the shop.  After the trip, he returned home and began to act stranger than usual.  He started to worship this antiquity and pushed the center of the puzzle box.  Then, it opened into a realm of infinite horror.  However, the pleasure cost him dearly.  The price was his soul but part of him remained in the world of the living.

Larry returned to the residence with Julia, his wife.  It was where his mother resided for decades prior to her death.  The abandoned house had Frank’s clothes, mattress and oddities.  Yet, he ghosted (as usual) in the mind of his brother.  The happy couple decided to clean up the mess and make a happy family.  Unbeknownst to him, she was hiding a deep, dark secret.  Her true love was his brother and not him.  She shared the type of carnal lust with him that resided in tent revivals and trashy romance novels.

Kirsty was given an opportunity to live there after the restoration by her father and stepmother.  She decided to get her flat.  This would benefit her in more ways than she would ever comprehend.

Larry decided to continue work but something aroused Julia’s mind upstairs.  She decided to look in an unoccupied room.  Then, a soothing voice greeted her but the body was a talking skeleton.  It was her secret lover, Frank?

What happened to him?  Where had he journeyed to?  Could she have a second chance?  Who were the people that he had fled from?

One thing was obvious.  No matter the reason, there would be HELL to pay.

Hellraiser was written and directed by Clive Barker.  He gave a glimpse into the twisted things that we’ll do for love.  The film provided a claustrophobic feel with equal parts Psycho and H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dreams in the Witch House”.  Julia and Frank were equal parts Norman Bates and his dear old mother.  Ashley Laurence (in her film debut) was beautiful and brave as Kirsty.  She provided an unlikely nemesis to Clare Higgin’s Julia and Shawn Chapman’s/Oliver Smith’s Frank.  Yes, two actors played Frank.  Chapman was prior to the dark side but Smith was after escaping that realm.

Yet, the film’s unlikely breakout role was the Lead Cenobite.  No, he wasn’t referred to as Pinhead.  However, Doug Bradley would be duly noted as a new face of horror.  His supporting role was diabolically understated, sadistic and sexual simultaneously.

Hellraiser is still a must see for fans of Clive Barker, horror and H.P. Lovecraft.  It cemented his status as a visionary of horror.  Stephen King said, “I have seen the future of horror.  And his name is Clive Barker.”

In April 2014, I had the privilege of Kickstarter funding the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthulhu-Con with 313 other individuals.  The highlight of the festival was a Saturday afternoon screening of this film.  It was followed by a Q&A with Doug Bradley.  He revealed that originally Julia was supposed to only bed Englishmen but Clive had her seduce all men.  Also, he shared the difference between his walk with and without costume.  Of Bob and Harvey Weinstein, he said “That is a lot of assage.”

Prior to the Q&A, an audience member shouted “Jesus!” when the statue fell out of the Chifferobe during the climatic finale.  We all laughed through one of the biggest scares of the film.  This was the first celebrity Q&A that I was fortunate enough to attend.  Viewers should seek out this film festival each October for great independent horror along with cult classics.

 

Coming of Age Celluloid- The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Nadine was smart, witty, and…awkward.  Damian, her younger brother, has muscles, looks, and friends.  She envied and hated him in the same breath. However, her father loved and understood her above everyone else.  Then, her world tumbled down with his death.

Several years later, the family (including his widow) struggled with this loss individually.  Damian focused on sports and being a social butterfly.  Mona, Nadine’s mom, had varying friends with benefits and battled with her daughter constantly.  Throughout, she has had another rock and her name was Krista.  She met Nadine in kindergarten and they’ve been inseparable every since.  Yet, this would change with one night of drinking around Damian.

Would Nadine ever become popular?  Would Krista ever wise up?  Will Mona ever realize the true pain that her daughter suffers?

The Edge of Seventeen was written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig.  Craig captured perfectly the awkwardness of puberty and adulthood in one film.  Hailee Steinfeld was beautiful as an old soul in capturing Nadine’s essence.  Kyra Sedgwick was brutal yet loving as Mona.  However, Woody Harrelson’s Mr. Bruner gave audiences some of the best verbal sparring in 2016.  He provided the much needed reality check for this teenager loner.

Craig has created something that no viewer would’ve ever conceived.  The film would’ve been a great project for Robert Altman and Nora Ephron to create.  Viewers can see the realism that Altman was known for and Ephron’s yearn to capture the female psychique.  They each wrote and directed films about women of all ages.  Yet, Altman and Ephron never conceived a teenage coming of age film.

Kelly Fremon Craig has done that.  She has found the right balance of bring baby boomers, generation X, generation Y, & millennials together without missing a beat. She has packed heart, humor, and sadness into one ball of teenage angst.  They (Robert & Nora) are smiling down upon this brilliant piece of celluloid.  It along with Moonlight & Arrival capture the essence of 2016 on film.

The Edge of Seventeen is my choice for Best Film of 2016.  We realize that being awkward never complete ends beyond puberty.  Yet, this film shows us that there is hope in embracing what makes us real.

Coming of Age Celluloid- Moonlight (2016)

Little was a young, intelligent, and black boy.  He was the constant target of bullying because he’s gay.  However, Paula, his mother, doesn’t appreciate his life choice.  Yet, she worked and spent her spare time smoking crack.

He’s never known his real father.  However, his world was about to change unexpectedly.  Juan was his name and drugs are his game.  He came to Little’s rescue after being chased by intolerant classmates.  Little would tell him that his name was Chiron.

Chiron was surprised that this man and Teresa, his woman, opened their home and hearts to him.  He’d never felt this type of love towards anyone.  However, he did love another and his name was Kevin.  Kevin was his best friend but was unaware of being loved.

Would Chiron’s mother ever accept his sexuality?  Will Juan & Teresa continue to love and support him?  Would he ever tell Kevin his true feelings?

Moonlight was directed by Barry Jenkins.  Jenkins co-wrote this original, coming of age story with Tarell Alvin McCraney.  They have captured a rare side of urban life. Viewers have always seen white and other races as growing up gay.  However, Jenkins & McCraney have created a film that shows the struggles of being black & gay.

We see Chiron’s transition from boyhood to manhood in a new light.  It’s not just cut and paste like lower class to upper class society for most races.  It can be a real beast and hate changes people over time.  The hate can turn a young, innocent boy against himself and most others.  The person may be deemed bad by society. Yet, hope can be found within one person or several people.  They’ll take someone in when no one else wanted them.

Chiron was beautifully portrayed by Alex J. Hibbert (aka Little) & Ashton Sanders (Chiron).  Mahershala Ali did an outstanding job as Juan.  He went seamlessly from pusher to pushover.  Naomi Harris was brutally devastating as Paula.  She could send Satan running back to the Lord in a heartbeat.   Janelle Monae was warm and pleasant as Theresa.  She embraced Chiron in ways that his mother never would.

Jenkins has created a beautiful, urban masterpiece.  It is an unlikely companion to The Infiltrator.  However, Moonlight focused more on the pusher’s psyche.  The Infiltrator showed viewers what took down the drug trade to an extent.

The film will leave viewers talking long after the credits role.  I won’t reveal the ending but it’s a second audible for a film this year.  The previous one was for the surprise ending of Arrival.

This is one of 2016’s Ten Best Films and will probably be a contender at the 2017 Oscars.  Viewers have a new visionary director in African-American cinema; his name is Barry Jenkins.

Haunted Celluloid- Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

Alice Zander was a widow and fortune teller in 1960’s Los Angeles.  She used parlor tricks to give clients closure with the hereafter.   Lina & Doris, her daughters, assisted with the near death business.  However, they were on the verge of eviction. Yet, things were looking up with a new edition.  Ouija was a new party game and swept the U.S. like ghouls on Halloween. It was the ticket that would save her business.

Would it be her salvation or something else altogether?

Ouija: Origin of Evil is classic horror. Lulu Wilson is wickedly haunting as Doris Zander. Wilson gives a performance that would give Linda Blair nightmares.

Mike Flanagan has directed & co-written this taut, jump laden film. It’s awesome to see scares that rely on cinematography, pacing, & composition than sheer gore.

Remember three things:

Don’t play alone.
Never ever play in a graveyard.
Always Say Goodbye.

 

From The Deep Celluloid- The Creature Below (2016)

Olive Crown, a marine biologist, was on an expedition with Dr. Fletcher.  She was assisting in his research on an experimental dive suit.  All was going well in the decent but that changed at 1500 ft.  Suddenly,  a giant squid-like creature grabbed her and both dropped into the darkness.  Then, Olive woke up from a blackout surrounded by Dr. & crew.  He wanted answers because his suit was destroyed.  He dismissed her from the project for not remembering.

She returned home to great fanfare from her dad and Matt, her boyfriend.  Unannounced to them, she smuggled something from the ship and her near-death experience.  It was an egg that was lodged into air tank.  What was this?  Would it unlock the lost memories of that tragedy?  Could she keep this discovery a secret?

The Creature Below was directed and co-written by Stewart Sparke.  His debut feature was equal parts Alien, The Abyss, Little Shop of Horrors, & The Call of Cthulhu.  Anna Dawson portrayed Olive Crown as a sexy hybrid of Ellen Ripley & Seymour Krelborn with just a twist of Dr. Herbert West.

The film was released on August 27, 2016 in the U.K.  However, it made a regional premiere at the 21st Annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival &  Cthulhucon in Portland, OR on October 7, 2016.

Seek out this Lovecraft film and enjoy a dark expedition into the unknown.  The twist and ending will leave viewers talking long after the credits role.

http://hplfilmfestival.com/hplfilmfestival-portland-or#top

http://www.darkriftfilms.com/

 

FBF Anniversary/Space Opera Celluloid- From Beyond (1986)

Dr. Edward Pretorius and Crawford Tillinghast, his assistant, are developing a Resonator at The Pretorius Foundation on 666 Benevolent St.  The Resonator would allow users to go outside of our known galaxy.  Yet, it has an unexpected side effect in stimulating the pineal gland.  In the case of Pretorius and Tillingham,  they are able to view alien creatures.  The research was going well until one night when the Resonator brought through an unseen, foreboding creature.  It murdered Pretorius and the energy field destroyed the Resonator.

The police were called to investigate.  When they arrived, Tillinghast was still physically intact but emotionally detached.  So, they arrested him for murder and sent him to a psych ward.  He kept trying to explain the details but the doctors just sedated him.  Yet, Dr. Katherine McMichaels, a rogue psychiatrist, took him for a CAT scan and found the pineal gland was still growing.  She convinced to staff to release him into her custody.  However, she has her own ulterior motives and wants to use the Resonator for mental health treatment.  She takes him along with Detective Bubba Brownlee back to the Foundation.

Will Dr. McMichaels make the machine plausible for mental health purposes?  Will Tillinghast ever become sane again?  What in the hell happened to Pretorius?

The answers would be come From Beyond.

From Beyond was based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story.  It was brilliantly directed and co-adapted by Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator).  Jeffrey Combs followed up Re-Animator with a brilliantly, subtle performance as Tillinghast.  Ted Sorel went above and beyond with his playful & sadistic role as Dr. Pretorius.  Barbara Cramden was beauty and brains as Dr. McMicheals.

I had the privilege of attending the 21st Annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival & Cthulhucon in Portland, OR from Oct. 7-9, 2016.  The festivities included shorts, feature films, and Q&A with filmmakers.  Stuart Gordon was in attendance as the Guest of Honor.  He introduced From Beyond and held a Q&A with the audience afterwards.

The interesting facts about this film are as follows:

1.   The entire short story was only six pages and told in the opening credits.
2.   Gordon borrowed from other Lovecraft fiction to fill the remainder including  “At the Mountains of Madness”.
3.   After criticism of the blood splatter in Re-Animator, he decided to use slime instead.  His wife said, “The slime is even worse than the blood was.”
4.   The most challenging visual effect aspect was Ted Sorel’s makeup.  It took six hours for him to prep.  He decided to film as much as possible with Stuart’s agreement.  However, Gordon began to notice that Ted was forgetting his lines after several hours of shooting.  He noted that Ted was very intelligent and this was atypical of him.  The makeup had constricted blood flow to Sorel’s arm and impaired it to other areas of the body as well.
5.   Gordon and other film crew members had an ongoing joke about how many visual penis gags that they could squeeze in.  The first one is the “Don’t Tread of Me” flag with the snake.  He recommended lightly to make this into a drinking game.
6.   He notes that his adaptations of Lovecraft are funny and sexual to an extent.  Also, Lovecraft captured this aspect in various parts of his stories and novellas.  Viewers will notice Pretorius Foundation is located on Benevolent Street.  Also, the house number was 666.
7.   The house featured in the film was modeled after the Salem Witch House.  Also,  Stuart Gordon jokingly noted that the scale miniature was the same size as the actual Salem Witch House.

From Beyond was and still is a great follow up to Re-Animator.   It was equal parts humor, slime, sex, & Lovecraft.  So, be aware of purple lights and bolts from the neighbor’s house.  Just, be forewarned that you’ll be wishing for Frankenstein’s monster.  It hails in comparison to what lies from beyond…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Gordon

Also, I had the privilege of attending a VIP reception at Lan Su Chinese Garden as part of the festivities along with a few other festival attendees.  Stuart Gordon was very nice and answered questions from a few other party goers (myself included) as well.

He was kind enough to pose for a picture when I asked at the end of the evening on Oct. 6, 2016.  Thank you, Stuart Gordon for the photo op.  It is great when you meet someone that you admire and they exceed your expectations.  He is a modest, humble man who has conceived & continues to create works for stage, cinema, television, and radio/digital podcasts.

 

Twisted Celluloid- Dead Tongues (2016)

Tony Germaine has just returned from exploring the Nazca Lines on October 18, 2015.  He’s greeted by his girlfriend, Stacie.  She was glad to see that he’s back from Peru.  However, Tony’s psyched about the potential of discovering a new language in some unknown part of the lines.  She is distraught because he forgot their anniversary.  Yet, he’s already begun a new journey despite being home.  The alien lines have begun to be his new love/obsession.  She saw him alive this day for the last time.  Two weeks later, he was dead.

Stacie headed back to Tony’s apartment to box his belongings.  However, she was unexpectedly frightened.  A familiar face greeted her in the apartment but it wasn’t him.  Tony had a twin and his name is Travis.  She’s perplexed because his twin brother was never mentioned.  Also, the study contained encrypted zip drives and other research material.

Who is Travis?  What’s on the zip drives?  What drove Tony to an early grave?

Dead Tongues was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, “Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family”.  The film was co-directed by Roberto Drilea & Brianna Dorn.

Tongues slithered stealthfully due to the dual role played by Robert Justin Dresner. Dresner portrayed Tony & Travis without missing a beat.  He found the right nuances to make each brother chill and thrill.  Phoebe Fox was mesmerizing as Stacy.  She had the innocence and strength that comparable with Ashley Laurence’s Kirsty in Hellraiser.

Drilea and Dorn have directed a debut film that is on par with Hellraiser and Psycho.  The film is nonstop thrills and chills with twists that will leave audiences mesmerized.  Also, this is a micro-budget independent film and cost only $2,000 to make.  The film was the 2015-16 Applause for the Cause feature film project by Northwestern University.

On October 9, 2016, Dead Tongues was awarded Best Feature at the 21st Annual H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.  It deserves this honor and is worth seeking out.

Dead Tongues is one of 2016’s Best Films and will be making the rounds of horror film festivals for many years to come.

http://hplfilmfestival.com/films/dead-tongues

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertodrilea

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-dorn-593492103?authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=Csoz&locale=en_US&trk=tyah&trkInfo=clickedVertical%3Amynetwork%2CclickedEntityId%3A440125887%2CauthType%3ANAME_SEARCH%2Cidx%3A1-3-3%2CtarId%3A1476241033180%2Ctas%3Abrianna%20dorn%20

MCM Anniversary/Role Reversal Celluloid- John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

My name is Hedwig Robinson.  I was born in East Berlin, Germany as Hansel Schmidt.  You are asking yourselves, “How did I become a woman?”  Darling, it’s complicated as all things are in life.

I was the son of an East German woman and a U.S. G.I.  However, my father was thrown out by Hedwig (my mother) because of being a pervert.  Maybe, it is the reason that I took her name.  No,  it was because of a another U.S. G.I.; his name was Sgt. Luther Robinson.  However, he couldn’t take me back across Checkpoint Charlie as Hansel.  It would have been frowned upon.  Instead, a simple surgery and I’d be a woman.  Nein, the surgeon was a monster but Dr. Frankenstein would’ve been more considerate.  He took all of Hansel except for one inch.

Oh, Well!  Goodbye, East Berlin!  Hello, Junction City, Kansas?  I thought America would be bright lights and big cities.  Instead, I get a dim, single wide trailer. Damn, where is Luther going?  He’s left me alone and afraid with just a “Wig in a Box”.

Now, I’m a woman of my own and have to fend for myself.  Fortunately, an officer required a babysitter for his two sons: a baby and a teenager.  The teen’s name was Tommy Speck and I was smitten.  He was a rebel against Christianity but I knew music.  Wow, he was hooked on the rhythm and wouldn’t be the same.

Flash forward, Tommy Speck is now Tommy Gnosis.  Hey that sounds familiar because I wrote “The Origin of Love”.

Will I get my music back?  Will I find the rest of what I’ve lost?

Hedwig and the Angry Inch was written, directed, and starred John Cameron Mitchell.  The film was based on his book and the music/lyrics of Stephen Trask.  It was an off-Broadway phenomenon in 1998.

Mitchell was and still is one of a kind as Hedwig.  He brought the kind of androgyny that would’ve made David Bowie coy.   His performance transcended that of Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  He made Hedwig not another Dr. Frank N Furter.

Instead, she (Hedwig) was a real Wo-man who had urges and needs.  Yet, she saw the big picture and found herself.

The moral of the film is pursue dreams and life despite adversity.  The adversity will make us all stronger despite the pain.  We will all continue to face challenges no matter what.

John Cameron Mitchell,  Thank you for writing such a love letter to the human spirit and condition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cameron_Mitchell

MCM Road Trip Celluloid- Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic (2016)

Ben Cash is a father of six children in rural Washington. He has raised them to be self-sufficient.

Leslie, his wife, has been in a hospital for nearly four months. She has cancer.

Then, he received the call that no one wants. She has passed away. He plans to attend her funeral service in New Mexico.

However, Jack, Ben’s father in-law, forbids him to attend the funeral. His distaste for Ben is unspeakable.

Will Ben honor Jack’s wishes? Will he travel his own path?

Captain Fantastic is written and directed by Matt Ross (Silicon Valley). Ross allows viewers into a new world.

It is one of isolation and beauty. He captures the stark contrast of nature and civilization. The natural order of mourning is more organic than the artificial, civilized grief.

Viggo Mortensen is awesome as Ben. He captures the true essence of being off the grid and centered in heart.

Frank Langella is vile and unforgiving as Jack. He’s everything that Ben despises about the outside world and even more.

Ross doesn’t shy away from nontraditional ways of living and grieving. It is a breath of fresh air in a summer of big budget sequels & remakes.  The acoustic version of “Sweet Child of Mine” by the cast is unexpected and powerful.

Captain Fantastic is one of 2016’s Best Films. It is also one of the most honest portrayals of family in recent years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viggo_Mortensen

http://theplaylist.net/exclusive-acoustic-cover-guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-cast-captain-fantastic-20160714/

WCW True One of a Kind Celluloid- Amy Adams in Big Eyes (2014)

Big Eyes is the true story of pop artist Margaret Keane.  The film follows her after she left Frank Ulbrich, her first husband, because of marital troubles.  She fled to San Francisco and made a living doing paintings and sketches with big eyes.

Her art and person fetched the attention and affection of Walter Keane.  After her divorce, she married Walter Keane. The marriage seems great at first. However, art is nothing like it appears to be.

Tim Burton, lifelong fan of Margaret Keane, directs and produces a brilliant tribute to her artistry.  Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood and The People vs. Larry Flynt) have captured this amazing story with great detail.

Amy Adams shines as Margaret Keane.  Christoph Waltz is menacing as Walter Keane. This movie appeals to artists and art lovers alike. Big Eyes will leave viewers gazing in awe long after the credits roll.

(This review was originally written on May 20, 2015)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Adams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Keane