MASTERPIECE...and some WT2 family sightings...

I got to see one of the best films of my life over the weekend.

PAN'S LABYRINTH. I will not waste time or mince words in describing this masterpiece. Yes, you will hear that a lot over this film, director Guillemero Del Toro's fantasy/horror/war drama hybrid about a little girl and her journey into fantastical darkness amidst Fascist reign over spain in 1944.

Not to get too deep and sentimental, but as the credits rolled, so did the tears. Not tears like "end of PHILADELPHIA or MY LIFE" crying, but just tears of joy...over how magical this film is. You will not see too many films that instill such a sense of wonder and a joy for film in general. Before you point a finger and laugh, stating "Lynch's a wuss!", recall for yourself when you saw one of the films that made such an impact on you (and if you haven't had that feeling yet, then well, you might just not love movies), that film that just punched your gut in and makes you smile every time you think of a scene, or an image or a moment. PAN'S worked for me on every level, and to me it's the culmination of all of Del Toro's work up to this point, his creative peak. It is what we as filmmakers all strive for but seldom achieve, due to one conflict, compromise or another...a perfect film.

Seek this film out and tell me it's not 2 hours of pure cinematic gold.



On the WT2 front (well, not really) I wanted to give a shout out to our own Steve "Jonsey" Braun, who just bent over and RAWKED Gilmore Girls last week!
"What, Lynch, you watch the GIRLS?"
Shit, ya got me, or at least know who has the remote on Tuesday nights (although Im still in love with VERONICA MARS even though this season sucks a cock) but lo and behold, we're watching and Steve bursts into a party scene as "Trip Cavanaugh", debonair socialite who spews forth a Gil-monologue so sharp and vibrant it would have made Mamet cream his jeans. If there was ever an actor better suited for the fast-paced dialogue of that show, it's muthafuckin' Steve Braun. Way to go Buddy! If you get the chance in re-runs (for some reason it was on over the weekend...a TiVo SAVE!) the title of the episode of "Introducing Lorelai Planetarium"...

Plus, Crystal Lowe, who seems to ALWAYS be shooting these days, has ANOTHER movie that just came out called TOTALLY AWESOME, written and directed by Neal Brennan, one half of the genius team behind CHAPELLE'S SHOW, and if you love 80's movies like JUST ONE OF THE GUYS and GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN (or anything else that uses a song title) its a total blast. Crystal has a smallish part, but it's a NUT-CRACKER.

I've been trying to keep up with all my cast's happenings (thought I saw Aleska on WITHOUT A TRACE, Clint (BROTHER) just KILLED on Tobe Hooper's MOH episode, Leehrsen is hanging with David Caruso on CSI: MIAMI, Matty Holmes just finished an indie horror film and I hear great things on the Texas Battle front too...and we all know how Danny is involved in that OTHER Cannibal Mutant Hillbilly sequel for FOX) and will update when i can. It's great to see everyone kicking ass!!!

That is all...Lynch out!

Gobble Gobble...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hell yes, a day to lounge...and watch LOST BOYS with the mutt. "Death By Stereo"!


What am I thankful for this year? Christ! (no I haven't found Jesus...he knows his place)

Im thankful that Im alive, and healthy...aside from that Cronenbergian symbiotic sac growing on my side. Say Happy Turkey Day Clumpy!

Im thankful that I have my girl and my dog. They're keeping me sane in this insane time and place. Beav and the Banz rock.

Im thankful for my friends, old and new. Recently I've been honored to be in the company of some great people who have been so supportive and gracious and Im so glad we all met. In a town so cold and prone to daggers in backs, its nice to know people have our back; at the very least to help pull the blade out and maybe codorize the wound, RAMBO 3 style. Hurts...so...good!

Im thankful that I got to live my lifelong dream earlier this year. This time last year I was finishing up the edit on The Black Dahlia Murder music video and wondering if I'd ever get the shot to make a movie, but never gave up hope. And here I am enduring the god-dammed Macy;s parade (it's raining and I wish i was there...that's an East Coaster for ya!), the movie is delivered and now just waiting for the release date, and knowing I did my best to make it kick ass. Im so thankful for the opportunity and if it never happens again (Perish the thought!!!) at least I can say i got to do what I've wanted since I saw THE BLOB remake that hot summer day in 1988. Pretty crazy.

Im thankful Martin Scorcese and Billy Friedkin are back inspiring us and blowing us away again.

Im not thankful for the Bush administration.

I am thankful Australia and New Zealand are still around for us to find sanctuary when the US is taken over by either Korea or Wal-Mart.

Im thankful that we're all still here. I always think of all those "24" or "Die Hard" scenarios where we dont know how close we were to Total Nuclear Destruction, and how many times a year some lone hero narrowly snips the green wire and we live another day in relative peace. We still have too many brothers and sisters defending what little freedom we have left overseas, and our hearts go out to you guys. Endure the powdered Turkey guys, hopefully next year you'll be home and having it with your families...

...and finally...Im thankful for Tenacious D, who will live on in the history of my "Thanksgiving Movie Night" which has been a steady tradition since SCROOGED in '88. Wow, 88 was a pivotal year, huh? We were trying to decide which movie we'd go see tonight; it was a toss-up between The D and CASINO ROYALE: after a D-ciple gave me a great review earlier today (thanks "Mr. Peabody") it was a done deal. Besides, Bond doesn't need our money; our Knights of Metal, defending our precious genre with swords of awesome bared, need all the support we can give them. For all that is sacred and good in the world, go see TENACIOUS D this weekend and keep the Awesome alive....or you will get a Rocket sauce facial.

End giving Thanks....onto other things.


Spent Tuesday night with Bri walking around the Warner Brothers Burbank lot, which was pretty surreal. I hope I never lose the sense of kid-like wonder and excitement these places give me. We went to watch Bear finish this season's GALACTICA scores, which is always a fucking blast. Seeing Bear command a 100+ orchestra is a sight to behold, and that's not even counting the Spoiler-riffic scenes we saw on this huge screen as they played along. Let's just say that BG fans are gonna be fucking FLOORED when they see the final scenes, if that's what we did witness in rough form. I can't say much more about Bear, other than he's gonna have a hell of a time on our next film. The point of working with creative people is to continually challenge them and their craft, and I can't wait to test him. After I finally got to shake Steve Bartek's hand as he twisted the board's knobs while Bear led his troops (as you probably read, Bartek is part of Oingo Boingo and who played on my film's score....geek out) we went out for some fresh air and ended up wandering between the huge stages on the lot. Each stage has a list of all the films that have inhabited it's walls, and those lists were amazing...everything from CASABLANCA to GHOSTBUSTERS to BATMAN BEGINS....one hell of a history, no? Plus, both of us being huge PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE fans, walking through the lot had an extra thrill; we were waiting to see the deep-throated dancer or the high-pitched sci-fi soldier to give us directions, but since it was after hours and the streets were dead, we roamed the streets like the guy in 28 DAYS LATER...



ROBERT ALTMAN: I've been trying to formulate my thoughts for a few days when i heard that Robert Altman passed away early this week You can read the media's coverage HERE.

Im not an Altman devotee; frankly after DR. T AND THE WOMEN I kinda wrote the guy off; there was a respect for his work in his golden years, but those films, like ATLANTIC CITY & PRARIE HOME COMPANION (which i do still want to see, mainly for the cast) never wavered away from the original vision of the filmmaker. All of his films, from M*A*S*H* to POPEYE to THE PLAYER to now, all were considered tapestries of character, where the storyteller used various story and style techniques to enhance his point and let his characters drive the tale. Some are successful...some are not. When I saw THE PLAYER in the theater, even at a younger age where I was just discovering the finer tastes of american art cinema, I could tell this was a master at work, enjoying the craft and a newly rejuvenated outlook while ripping Hollywood a new asshole for years of fucking him over; this was a filmmaker at the top of his game, a creative peak many visual storytellers strive to achieve. So needless to say I was entranced by this guy; I couldn't believe he was the sam director as one of my childhood HBO staples, POPEYE (a horribly marred production thanks to Bob Evans...was it a doomed film? "You bet your ass it was"...) as well as the show I loved and didn't get AT ALL when I was 11 (TANNER '88...hey there's that 88 again!!) and then to see his mastery in peak form on the multi-storied SHORT CUTS (yes there is more reason to see it other than Julianne Moore's redheaded beaver) but then I kinda lost interest. But nonetheless he will always be a major influence on the use of multiple characters to drive a scene; how to properly weave politics and a socialist sensibility into art...and the man knew how to zoom. Even when using zooms were considered un-cool, he used it to full effect in all his films. To that, I bid you adieu, Sir Altman.



Saw THE FOUNTAIN last night. I've been following this movie for a while, as far back as 2002 when i was still working at Fuse doing Uranium in New York. Unlike Altman, Im a huge Aronofsky fan, with both PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM being major inspirado for the art of the lyrical edit and the funky camera. Here was a guy from our generation going from the DIY sensibilities and the east coast attitudes trying something different for a change, and I was hotly anticipating seeing the finished product since last year's response from Comic-con. Plus, hearing how the home-made effects being used in the film were created (many of which I had on my computer as screen savers, not knowing it was micro photography and not CGI...check them out here) I couldn't wait to get my eyes on this film.

Then I did. I really don't want to waste my time explaining how disappointed I was with the film. Best way to describe it is being served a very expensive, rich, fancily-prepared dinner and it just NOT agreeing with you. You can appreciate the effort put into it, but it just doesn't taste good. See, i use the "taste" metaphor because I know some people love this movie, and I wish i could too. So many things about it just did not work for me, from the relationship between the two leads (Jackman and Weitz, my future ex-wife, sorry Darren & Bri) to the schizophrenic storytelling structure to the score (Clint marshall again but it didn't gel) to even the cinematography by Matty Libatique, one of my favorite modern DP's and one I would kill to work with. His work in particular; here it is he is working with the guy who started his career, and you wold think he would make this THE definitive work of his career thus far...and it felt sloppy and uninspired to me. Plus, a subplot involving animal testing INFURIATED me; was totally unnecessary and even if it was necessary, there should have been SOMETHING of a comment on the evils of using animals this way. There's even a live monkey in the film who is clearly not enjoying his 15 minutes of fame on-screen. Bullshit guys, fucking bullshit. If you want me to sympathize with the hero, dont have him cruelly ordering animals to be sacrificed for his wife and not have him pay the price. No tears from me, Pal.
Even the effects, while ambitious and ground-breaking, just didn't work the way I had hoped it would. There were a few scenes of true greatness, but overall, I had a case of movie heartburn when the credits rolled. Too much ambition does not a good movie make. Im still psyched for whatever Darren, a true hero to me, will cook up next; hopefully its something like LONE WOLF & CUB or a genre entry. The few moments he had in THE FOUNTAIN with violence had an odd style to them that caught my eye...could you imagine this guy doing a BATMAN movie like he was supposed to before this?

I do wonder though how a film like this, with such a "different" style and sensibility, was even made through a studio system, let alone being released in thousands of theaters. I am excited to see what the return is, and can pretty much predict it will be on the lower run o the top 5 come Monday morning, then whither away into holiday movie obscurity till DVD, which will eventually embrace as a cult classic. But are audiences so jaded by instant gratification storytelling able to handle such intimate and experimental type films? How would 2001 (THE FOUNTAIN's distant cousin) be received now? Would it just be misunderstood? What's funny is that Kubrick's film was destroyed by the critics when it was first released, and it wasn't until later that it was embraced as a modern masterpiece. Correct me if Im wrong (use that comments button, dammit!) as I'm going only on my feeble memory and saying it was a Pauline Kael review that started the change of heart, but when it first came out, people just scratched their heads. So who knows? Maybe I'll embrace it one day, but right now I feel like I wasted too much time on this topic.



On the opposite end of the spectrum, I got to see another hero of mine, Billy Friedkin, direct his ass off one one of the more disturbing films I've seen in a while, BUG, played the AFI fest. I wont waste your time with details, but Billy Friedkin is another filmmaker I will follow like Moses with some Manna. FRENCH CONNECTION and EXORCIST alone, he's always challenged the form, and the audience, with some of the most provocative images and themes ever burned to celluloid. Sure, he's also made some clunkers (THE GUARDIAN or DEAL OF THE CENTURY anyone?) but no matter what the project, he always brings a little crazy to the table, and I love him for it. Speaking of crazy, there's a whole lotta crazy going on in BUG, which is a sly horror film wrapped up in a Mamet-like drama (funy because it originated as an off-broadway play). Friedkin is up to his old tricks, using sound design and editing to keep the audience unnerved, as well as a verite style that metamorphoses like an insect as the story mutates into visual and character chaos. All the performances, especially Ashley Judd (where have you been my dear? I had to move on to Rachel Weitz!!), who needs to be nominated for this film. It's not your typical horror film, in that the more "wet" moments are few and far in between, and when they happen its not about the crimson its about the character, and amazing character actor staple-cum-leading man to be Michael Shannon (World Trade Center) sells the unseen to the point where you yourself squint to see the bugs...are they in their heads? I swear you'll question it yourself. Friedkin does amazing work here, even when he pulls some visceral visual punches, but they work as effective ways to, like the doomed new lovers in that stagnant hotel room strive to do with knives and razors and even their fingers, get under the skin.
HERE is a great review on DREAD CENTRAL from the same screening....



MOH: "The V Word": I've been really digging the new season of MASTERS OF HORROR, and while I haven't seen Brad Anderson's installment from last week, finally got to check out Ernest Dickerson's episode "The V Word", written by MOH creator Mick Garris. I knew little about the story, other than what Ernest himself told me over laundry when we were both staying at the Sutton. He was about to shoot and I was 2 weeks into production, and as a huge DEMON KNIGHT fan, I had to shake his hand. But I had no clue how much i ended up enjoying "The V Word" even as Im losing interest in the Vampire genre. It's hard to twist the sub-genre anymore, especially with post-modern entries like NEAR DARK and as recent as THE HAMILTONS, but Garris whipped up a timely story of two friends who sneak into a funeral home to check out a dead body and end up stumbling into a bloodsucker (Genre icon Michael Ironside) and become entangled in his feasting plans. Sounds simple, but the approach to the vampire lore is well done in it's treating the symptoms and methods, and I've never seen a neck biting like that before. Sure, there's plenty of the Dickerson Dutch angle look and some campy lines, but not since FRIGHT NIGHT have I seen the Vampire genre modernized for the times and still retain the gothic sensibility. Check it out.



The greatest new Christmas tale, THE LAST CHRISTMAS, is now complete and available in Trade Paperback form. I implore you to get it...how often do you see a Whisky swilling St. Nick with an uzi plowing down zombies? Brian and Gerry, the whacked masterminds behind the comic mini-series, will be on Conan next week hocking their wares, dont forget to tune in but more importantly, behold your new Xmas tradition to read to your kids...or the patients at the mental home.
Check out the site HERE: and pick it up today!



Finally got around to listening to the new MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE album, The Black Parade....and it's fucking good. As a Queen fan that extends past "Bohemian Rhapsody" (and what nerd doesn't love "Flash! Ah ahhh!!"), this album both embraces the grandiose arena-rock style of The Who's TOMMY and Queen's A NIGHT AT THE OPERA and still manages to feel new and rockin'. I cannot stop listening...and Liza Minelli, cool again?!?!



Don't worry, Im also ensconced in the new LAMB OF GOD and ZOMBI albums, in case you think I've gone soft. The new ZOMBI is the music of choice when Im writing, and this new album does not disappoint. The new album from LOG is pure 100% american metal, as advertised. What more do you want?

Finally, to bookend this bitch of a blog (Both Stephen King and David Foster Wallace would be proud of the word count) Im thankful I finally cracked the code on a new script Im doing. There's nothing more satsfying when you figure out the appropriate ending to a tale. NOW I can kick this story's ass...and hopefully it will kick YOUR ass someday soon...

Whew, now that's an update!!!
OK gotta eat. Have a great holiday you crazy kids!

Staying Scary,
Joe

See You Next Wednesday...

John Landis is back.

Like Tobe Hooper last season with his balls-to-the-wall extreme MASTERS OF HORROR featurette DANCE OF THE DEAD (scripted by horror lit god Richard Christian Matheson) which despite it's Tony Scott over-style (NOTE TO TOBE: should NOT have gotten MAN ON FIRE & DOMINO in the hotel so much, Tobe) was a true testament to a director who knows the limits of the genre and then leaps over them with sadistic glee thanks to the uncensored thesis of the MASTERS series, John's 2nd season entry, FAMILY, is a total return to pre-TWILIGHT ZONE Landis.

Im a hardened Landis devotee, especially the one-two-three punch of ANIMAL HOUSE, BLUES BROTHERS & AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, and this doesn't even include the short form music video classic MICHAEL JACKSON'S THRILLER, which scared the shit out of me for years. Here was a director that was fearless, with his copious use of both comedy and horror with an assured style and timing that was both appealing to the masses while having his own distinct voice. I can't completely put the verbal finger on describing his singular style, but you knew, even down to the font of his credits, that you were watching a Landis film. Even his use of music had a winking nod to the audience; any track in AMERICAN WEREWOLF has it's own cheeky purpose to the scene..."Moondance" anyone?

So without going into the whole TWILIGHT ZONE debacle, I could tell, even if TRADING PLACES was a smash hit (well, how could you go wrong with a package like Murphy, Ackroyd & Ameche?) there was something...different, about the Landis machine. There was a lack of that fun sensibility that permeated through his early work, like these were just to "pay them billz". From INTO THE NIGHT to INNOCENT BLOOD to the HORRID sequel BEVERLY HILLS COP 3, more times than not John's films suffered from a a lack of passion. It KINDA looked like a Landis film; it KINDA had the same comedic energy of a Landis film. For someone who admired the filmmaker and even recognized his style so early on (the guy was my fucking hero for a while when I was a kid), it was really sad to continually be disappointed with his work. Sure, he hit big with COMING TO AMERICA, but that was more Eddie Murphy and Rick Baker havign a blast and Landis was just around to point the camera. Then there were films like THE STUPIDS and BLUES BROTHERS 2000 (NOTE: If you ever see me ask me about the night my brothers and I stole Jake, Ellwood, John Goodman and that annoying kid). I will give him credit; he did make the greatest sitcom for a boy discovering masturbation could ever have ("Dream On") which he brilliantly wove 50's film clips into the conscience of the LUCKIEST WHITE MALE EVER, Martin (Brian Benben) Tupper. Thank you John, for giving me a still-young and uber-hot Kim Cattrall a blow job scene. That....was awesome.

Over the past few years, the filmmaker has been plotting a bit of a comeback. He directed the interesting but style-free doc SLASHER about a used car salesman. He appeared in one of the most hilarious episodes of DINNER FOR FIVE, recounting the time Cheech marin cursed him out at the premiere of THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN. Word that he was directing the film version of BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL (which we saw in NY a few years back and if there was anyone better to direct a twisted modern opera with the sadistic glee it needs, Id like to meet them) sent geeks a buzzin'. Last year he directed an episode of MASTERS OF HORROR, "Deer Women", which reunited him with former LUCKIEST WHITE MALE EVER, Brian Benben, playing a depressed cop on the hunt for a mysterious...well, "deer woman" who kills unsuspecting males. The results were good, and had a hint of that playful madness seen in his earlier gems, but the script (by his son, Max) lacked a forward momentum and frankly, as hot as the Deer chick was, I kinda wasn't scared of dainty hooves. Plus, the ending sucked, which was rare, even for Landis, who always finds a way to get one decent "zing" in the climax. I love ambiguity and even the anti-climax, but this story needed resolution, and knowing it wasn't ever going to get a sequel, it was not a satisfying piece of cine-venecin.

But here I am slack-jawed over Landis' new MOH episode, FAMILY, feeling like the bearded madman is really enjoying the medium again. Maybe it was the script, by FRAILTY scribe Brent Hanley, which is perversely funny but grounded in the sub-conscience of Harold, the killer next door played with zest with George Wendt, who is becoming the "NORMal guy" to fuck with the audience's expectations with many horror directors; see Stuart Gordon's KING OF THE ANTS for proof. I wont give too much away here because its fun to discover the story. Long tale trim: Harold lives in a cul-de-sac. Harold has a family. Harold pours acid on bodies in the basement and creates family members out of the bones, who talk to him like a mother, wife & daughter would. Then, Harold meets the new neighbors...

Like mentioned above, but it's hard to explain how this episode feels like the Landis of old took a delorean 88mph from say, 1981 to now, jumped out and directed the shit out of this episode. From the music choice...old gospel pop hits as Harold pours acid on bodies and we watch, in long take, the bodies melt. Fuck, CG is starting to work, boys....to the excelents camera work and framing and the well-rounded performances; it feels like the crazed storyteller is back, telling you this killer scary tale, using grand gestures with his hands as he leans closer to you excitedly. In one pivitol moment he even uses the Vertigo shot, which has become a visual cliche ever since JAWS, in a new way that had me laughing and blown away at the same time. The ending? Holy shit. It has the kind of shot that would make even Fincher say, "Christ! Why didn't I think of that?" This is a filmmaker...having fun again. This episode might not be your cup of tea tonally or pace-wise, but as a ressurection of a once-MASTER of the genre, its a nice little slice of John Landis that fans will rejoice over.

Welcome back, John. If it's the material, keep working with great writers or the kick ass crews up in Vancouver (some of which worked on WT2). If it's something else, hopefully you can harness it again for future endeavors.

See you next Wednesday indeed, John.

Joe

Get ready for THE HOST

Did you ever expect to see THE BLOB 88 meets LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE? Are you ready to love it?

I have just seen the return of the Monster movie, courtesy of Korean director Joon-ho Bong.

At the AFI festival, a bunch of the Fright Club went to see THE HOST, which has been making buzz waves for the past few months on the festival route, and I sat there, rapt, for its entire running time. I was a huge fan of the director's previous effort MEMORIES OF A MURDER (which you can get on netflix) which has an odd, Spielberg-meets-Friedkin-meets-Kurosawaa spin on the serial killer genre, and that same type of attention to detail with the story, the characters and the camera style was applied to the well worn Monster on the loose story. I was fucking blown away.

It's very hard these days to do an effective take on the Monster genre, where the horror these days is coming from a more realistic template ("torture porn" anyone?) Anyone who says that Horror isn't a mirror, not just an exploitation, on our own fractured culture is clearly watching too much Bill O'Reily, and currently movies like SAW, HOSTEL and the ilk are based on real people doing really nasty things. No ghosts, no vamps, no zombies...and it's striking a nerve. But with Monster movies, most times you have to add the fantastic to inject believability, but it should be the opposite, which is what the HOST does so well. Bong takes a dysfunctional family and throws them into the melee, putting them in the way of a freak mutation terrorizing the coast of North Korea, and focuses on THEM, not the world dealing with the monster, not presidents or scientists debating its danger and what to do; the movie is totally grounded because we follow the family and how they deal with loss, with hope, with coming together in a time of need to fight to survive. Instead of taking the Rolland Emmerich route like INDEPENDENCE DAY, Bong instead takes a nod from Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS (or even Stephen King's kick ass CELL novel) by keeping the camera on the fucked up family members, even in the biggest of suspense set-pieces (the first "attack" is a modern classic like the "Lawyer meal" scene in JURASSIC PARK) and by doing this allows us to believe the monster, because we see real consequences, not "ok monster kills 100 people, moving on to military strike" bullshit. THIS is how monster movies should be, and it totally inspired me to bring THE OZONERS back in my head. What's THE OZONERS you may ask? You'll see....

I will say the film isn't perfect. There's some pacing moments, and a subplot that was set up well but never followed through, but the biggest caveat was the use of CG for the monster. I LOVED the design and most of the effects of the monster and how Bong and his DP (who was also in attendance at the screening) shot it with a Verite feel,and hell if I didn't FEEL for the monster at times, but being a product of the 80's horror, a practical monster will always be better than pixel magic. It was only a few times that I noticed it, but its a minor quibble.

Afterwards a Q&A ensued, and one attendee asked "What will you do to ensure that some american director will not screw up this with a remake", not knowing that the film's remake rights were sold earlier this week! Bong was quite diplomatic, saying "we respect the Universal Executives that they will do a good job" or something like that...but I kinda agree with the consensus of the audience. THERE IS NO NEED TO REMAKE THIS. It's understandable when there are culture differences that are hard to translate overseas, but to remake this is like remaking SHAUN OF THE DEAD; totally unnecessary. If Universal was smart, they would push the hell out of the January release of the original over here (thanks Magnolia Releasing) and then do an EVIL DEAD 2-ish "RE-QUEL" (oooh I like that) where it can tell the same TYPE of story (say the focus is on a different family on our soil; there ARE a lot of families over here so many stories to tell) but have it be an extension of the original film, so they can play together, not try to re-capture the magic from the first one. This film is almost too perfect to taint with a redux.

If you get a chance to see it (being released in January in the US), PLEASE seek out THE HOST. It's a monster movie with heart.
Check out the trailer for the film HERE

Staying Scary,
Joe

PS: The BORAT era is finally over. Sure it will be Number 1 this weekend (Yay!) but you will officially be taint punched is "Ver Nizze" or "Ssexy Time" is uttered again in public. The movie? Very funny. "Funniest Movie Ever made?" No way. To me, a comedy classic is when you can watch a movie over and over and its as funny, if not FUNNIER, upon repeat viewings. I can say that I might NEVER see BORAT again; the shock comedy works well the first time, and Cohen is so gifted, but I think it's already jumped the shark (or the Sister/Hooker, to be relevant)....let's see how it does NEXT weekend.

"Gorno" and the one sided debate...and some video goodness...

Hey all,
Im still a little pissed about this whole Bill O'Reily report that came out on Fox News a few days ago (that I read on Bloody-Disgusting) that focused on the depraved nature of the current horror films and the media-emblazoned "Splat Pack" that is responsible for such cinematic atrocities. Im not going to get into a rant here, mainly because if you see the report, you'll notice that it's such a skewed, one-sided debate (where's Eli or Zombie or any other of the "front line" guys to defend the genre? Must still be in the green room) that there is no basis for a legit argument. This is just the rantings of some old fucks who need to have an argument to reflect current times and with SAW 3 making major bank (seriously, when was the last time a 3rd movie in a franchise made MORE money, aside from maybe RETURN OF THE KING? Not too many) its just a prime target to prey upon. Plus, Fox news put the report out, the same studio (that Billy boy even points out) that put out one of the main offenders, Aja's HILLS HAVE EYES....oh and WRONG TURN 2 (which I garuntee is gonna piss the red states off BIG TIME) so if I start voicing a more detailed opinion, you might see Alan Smithee as the director when it comes out so for now I'll choose my words lightly. I will say that right now, the film has not been affected at all by this (for now hopefully) and we are still going forward with the current, "HARD" cut so all is well...keep your pubes crossed...

If you want to laugh at some serious wind-bagging, check out the link to the site HERE and prepare to have a good laugh.
TWUNTS!!

Also, when i went to SCREAMFEST, Spooky Dan cornered the Sasquatch and asked me a few questions about the new zombie ass kicker AUTOMITON TRANSFUSION (that I kept saying wrong...sorry Steve!) which you can see below.
DAN YOU SEXY FUCKER

Finally, if you haven't seen Jamie Kennedy's new video "Rollin with Bob Saget", you haven't seen funny yet.
F'n Bob Saget, huh?

The SAW 3 party was fun, but a bit of a bust when 100 cops and heli-copters showed up. That's what 35 million gets ya! Thanks to Darren for the party and to Joe Bishara (who did the GRAVEDANCERS score) for the AWESOME after-party...

BORAT weekend...bring it!
Joe

An open letter to the IMDB boards...

God damn we made it through SHOCKTOBER. What a month. What a fucking weekend!
Well I sauntered over to the IMDB boards for the movie (a guilty pleasure to be sure) and saw this interesting post:

WRONG TURN 2, THE COMPLETE BODY COUNT

So instead of answering on imdb, which could just open up a HUGE can of worms, I decided to post an open letter to the fans and the poster "Mark" here and let's see if they ever find it....i doubt it.

DEAR IMDB BOARDS,

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to say hi and thank you all for supporting our F'd up little splatter movie. I hope all of you dig the direction we took with the family's tale and believe me, all your posts are heard! This is a fan movie, one made for us, the hardcore, balls-out horror geeks who love it dark, wet & twisted, and as it stands both Fox and I are very proud of the end result...its pretty sick.

Which leads me to...this post. Long story short....MAN ARE YOU WRONG! Lesson learned kiddies, dont trust the boards. Im usually mum on these topics but this one made me crack up so hard I had Pepsi blast out of my nose and all over my macbook (thanks Mark for the trip to the Apple Store!).

I'd say the best thing to do is just have fun with the speculation but dont trust anything you hear or read unless it comes from Fox or any of the filmmakers, including me. Hell, my site has frikkin spoilers up the wazoo! But for now, this list is as real as Keizer Soze. I wont go into details (for obvious reasons, I want you guys to see the movie and enjoy the bloody twists and entrail-encrusted turns) but just know that practically EVERY death detailed here is 175% false.

Im not sure WHERE Mark got this script but even before I came on, the draft that Al & Turi handed into Fox has practically NONE of the deaths explained here. Hell, they're not even that cool...

The one thing I will say is that DALE MURPHY DOES NOT F'N RUN. Not on my watch. Wait and see....Rollins rules.

So, enjoy spinning the rumor (or "rumour" if your British) mill and keep the support up for WT2; keep the true love for horror alive...Believe me, you aint seen NOTHING yet....thanks so much everyone and talk to you soon, ya sick bastards and bitches!

Mark, glad you liked the, er, "script".

Staying Scary,
Joe Lynch
Director-WT2