Lensman: Secret of The Lens(SF 新世紀 レンズマンSF Shinseiki Lensman) is a 1984 Japanese animated film loosely based on the 1940's & 1950's Lensman novels written by E. E. Smith. The OVA originally aired on July the 7th in Japan, and after mild success an animated series was comissioned under the title of Galactic Patrol Lensman. The Animé lasted only 25 episodes and it was broadcasted only in Japan. Later in 1987, Harmony Gold (the studio that brought you Captain Harlock & Robotech) planned to release Lensman to the western world, which meant, revamping the series, dubbing it, adding new music and white washing it, so the first home video release was Lensman, The Power Of The Lens a "movie" that comprised the first four episodes of the original Animé, maybe Harmony Gold was planning to release the entire series under the treatment they had given to other Animé and OVAs. Unfortunately, there is no official information about that, so I'm just guessing. What is true nevertheless, is that after this home video was released, they got the rights to the original 1984 film, so by 1988 they had "adapted" the OVA to western civilization standards (whatever the fuck that meant) the films was known then as Lensman, The Secret Of The Lens. Later in 1990 a "new" version of the film was produced by Streamline.
There are differences however between the two versions in terms of
story and the length of the movie where the Harmony Gold version deleted
some scenes that were kept in the Streamline version. Harmony Gold also
arranged a whole new soundtrack for their version, with some tracks
carried over from their previous movies Robotech II: the Sentinels and Robotech the Movie: the Untold Story whereas Streamline used the original Japanese Soundtrack.
Now, if we think about the correct cronological order where the original film & animé happened, this is what you should read to not be confused (many respected websites have this info painfully wrong)
July 1984 "SF Shinseiki Lensman" the OVA or film if you prefer.
October 1984 "Galactic Patrol Lensman" the 25 episode Animé that only aired in Japan.
1987 "Lensman, The Power Of The Lens" the first four episodes of the original Animé made into a movie by Harmony Gold.
1988 "Lensman, The Secret Of The Lens" the Harmony Gold version of the original film
1990 "Lensman" the Streamline version which added back everything Harmony Gold changed in the OVA (music, deleted scenes, different dubbing)
Not afraid of spaceflights.
I must not fap!
The story is about a dying Lensman who transfers his Lens to a young
man named Kimball Kinnison. To his best knowledge, Kim wasn't aware of
how big the responsibility of holding the Lens is. This Lens contains
vital information that would enable the Galactic Patrol to face the
deadly DNA weapon created by the Boskone Empire. The Arisians initially
were the ones who created the Lens in order to stand up to the evil
Eddorians, because in spite of their great power, they alone could not
vanquish the Eddorian menace. Through the Lens, the Lensmen minds were
merged with the cosmic conscientiousness of Arisia. On another side is
Lord Helmuth, the ruthless, merciless Boskone leader, who would stop at
nothing to get his hands on the Lens.
Kim finds himself escaping from the boskone battleships with the
assistance of his friend Van Buskirk. Afterward, the Boskone blew up the
Planet Mqueie (an agricultural planet) where Kim and his father Ken
lived. Ken was one of the founders of the Galactic Patrol; however, he
lost an arm during battle, and if he hadn't, he would have been a
Lensman himself. Ken always dreamed of becoming a Lensman, so when he
found out that his son became one, he sacrificed his life to save him.
The Millenium Falcon.
Chewbacca's update.
Through the movie's events, Kim meets Clarissa MacDougall, who is a
nurse working with the Galactic Patrol and there is an immediate
attraction between them.
Eventually Kim realizes that the Lens has the answer, and within it
lies great power as well, providing the key to Helmuth's defeat, and he
transmits the formula to the Galactic Patrol fleet that is waiting to
attack, knowing that they will lose without the answer...
People don't seem to be giving Lensman enough credit where its due. A few
issues have been overlooked which are key to understanding the Lensman
experience.
The Year: For the year it was made in (1984) Lensman features some of the
most stunning effects I've ever seen. As a person who watches a lot of early
80's animation Lensman is unique in it's use of what appears to be
computer-generated imagery at a time when computers were extremely
primitive. Kim's battle against the geometric cutter pods in the laser maze
can be taken as an excellent example of this. Every time I watch that I have
to keep repeating to myself that it was 1984 when it was
made.
The Soundtrack: Lensman has one of the most insane soundtracks that I've
heard, and this mad hysterical beat permeates every corner of the film.
Lensman borrowed heavily on two western mistakes (as above mentioned) and managed to somewhat
deal with the first one - the need to fill in every second of silence in a
film with music and the need for a heroine. While the music is attuned well
and galvanizes scenes such as the motorcycle battle in the Thionite Factory
on Radelyx, the heroine theme fails due to the sheer annoyance value of
Chris.
I'm a Lensman too!
I used to be a Lensman when I was alive.
Western Influences:
Helmut - sounds like "helmet" and has roughly the same voice as Darth
Vader.
Clarissa Fairborn - has the same hairstyle as the princess of SW and her
name sounds suspiciously similar to Marissa Fairborn of Transformers. Takes
over Han Solos role by flying the ship and having some technical
expertise.
Buzzkirk - a definite improvement on Chewbacca.
The lens - a nice concrete copy of the force that comes across less as a
chance to preach Christianity at the audience than in the original SW. While
the force relied on belief far more than concentration, the lens is a pure
concentration tool. Theoretically, anyone could wield the lens. The lens is
far more limited than the Force - being purely a defensive/offensive
weapon.
Technology: The boskone alliance have interesting meatball sponge ships.
They look like stormtroopers only with red uniforms instead of white. The
idea of a DNA weapon was nice if only it had been developed. The Galactic
Alliance looked like Starblazers (or whatever it was called - that 60's
series where they were battling the Xylons). There weren't enough ship to
ship battles for me - this is much improved upon in the second Lensman
film.
Idle hands.
Original promo art.
Overall, a great piece of OVA from the beginning of the Animé madness that conquered North America in the early 80's. Depending on which version you watch the differences will be mostly about the soundtrack and a few deleted moments that do not interfere with the plot. There are some cool early CGI that make this the very first animated film to ever use this kind of technology. Also, do not be confused by sites claiming there are two Lensman movies, there is only one Lensman movie (read some paragraphs above)
Now, let's get into the video section of our review.
Galactic Patrol Lensman, the opening of the impossible to find original Animé series:
Here the original Shinseiki Lensman Opening scenes:
The Harmony Gold version of the film:
The Streamline version of the film:
I hope you've liked this review since we'll be checking some of the most influential OVA and Animé from the 80's within the next weeks.
Last year around the same date as of today, The Flash & Constantine pilot episodes leaked. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, we'll never know but one thing is for sure: it worked wonders for producers as to get a glimpse of what to expect from their target audiences. To many people out there this "leaking issue" is nothing like a new way to approach costumers without investing a lot of money in private screenings for a limited amount of people. Why would you show your product to a few chosen ones when you can show it to the whole world via internet?
Disclaimer
Before, we move on, I'd like to clarify that none of the members of the SPAM Alternative team support piracy, we don't post direct/indirect download links, we support the artists behind the camera, which means we encourage you to access any artistic product from official sites and/or stores so please, understand we're doing this review for hardcore comic book fans who want to know in advance if the latest superhero hype is worth trying. Again, don't ask for a download link here because you will not get it. Buy comic books!
Anyways, if you're still reading this, you already know we're craving connoisseurs like yourself so expect spoilers ahead and don't say we didn't warn you.
Planet Krypton's fate.
Kara Zor El, a female hero making room in a macho heroes world.
Many years ago, CBS said that they didn't want to end up being known as the super hero network (This is because they produced Wonder Woman, The Amazing Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, The Captain America & Doctor Strange TV films in the late 70's) Today, CBS knows for sure that a product based upon a comic book mag can make millions of dollars with ease, so lesson learned and enter Super Girl, the series!
Which Super Girl is the series depicting?
Now, before we get into details about the pilot, do you know your Super Girl? So far in the DC Comics universe we've seen 4 Super Girls! One (and the most popular) is Kara Zor El or Superman's cousin as everyone knows her. The second Super Girl is "Matrix", an interdimensional shapeshifter. The third S girl is Linda Danvers(not to be confused with Kara's secret identity Linda Lee Danvers) and the last one is Cir-El(Superman's daughter in an alternate universe) Obviously, as we can all expect CBS producers focused on the most iconic S girl of them all: Kara Zor El, AKA Kara Danvers. To the connoisseurs, Kara Zor El was killed in the mid 80's during the Crisis On Infinite Earths story arc and it remained dead in the comic book world until 2004. Now, this series isn't the first time we see Kara Zor El spending on screen time. The first live action incarnation of the character was the palm face 1985 Super Girl movie.
LOL it took me some time to get here.
Hi, I'm your cousin and I will be your guide.
Since Super Girl is Superman's cousin her story isn't any different from his, planet Krypton is on the brink of destruction (for several reasons depending on which comic book story arc you read) and well, survivors have to be preserved and for reasons unknown they're all sent to planet Earth. Kara Zor El is to be sent to Earth to ensure Kal El survives the trip and lives to fulfill his super destiny. Unfortunately, Kara's ship malfunctions due to the explosion of her home planet and it's swallowed by the phantom zone (again, depending on story arcs this zone is the preferred imprisonment space area where Krypton's criminals end their days) Several years go by before she gets to her final destination, so once she does, the world is already aware of who Superman is, and by the way he looks, he's clearly the Superman from the Man Of Steel film.
Once, Kara is taken to her new earth parents (you'll be gladly surprised to find out they followed the homage line set by The Flash by adding Dean Cain & Helen Slater (the original Super Girl from the 80's film) as Kara's stepparents) we're quickly taken to Kara's present day which doesn't look so bright I might say. Kara lives in National City (the series is being shot in California) with her elder sister and works as a secretary for the media conglomerate Cat Co. If you remember the six minute teaser trailer, you can clearly get the picture of Calista Flockhart as her boss (I say yawn, she's not going to be a key character during the series but what the hell, she comes up with the Super Girl nick name)
Kissing cousins?
Hey Kara! welcome to our family!
The way Kara narrates her origin story reminds of The Flash episode opening, you know, "My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive. When I was a child..." So if you're a Flash fan you will feel quite comfortable. The pilot, like most pilots, does not expect you to be introduced to a whole world of complex characters and hidden plots, the idea is to get a taste of things to come, and I'm convinced this series will kick ass.
In a nutshell, the pilot explains the hero's journey in 46 entertaining minutes. As opposed as other superhero stories, Kara wants so badly to embrace her super powers that she's waiting for the moment to show the world what she's truly capable of. Unfortunately, her sister Alex (Chyler Leigh) is keeping her from becoming the female version of her super cousin. For reasons unknown to the viewer, Alex must fly to a conference in Geneva, once the airplane malfunctions, Kara is forced to save her sister by using her special abilities.
Kara Danvers by day.
Shit's about to get real!
The rescue results in National City media knowing there is an unknown female with super powers and Kara & Alex parting ways due to their different view of the rescue. However, Kara goes on with the idea of going public and with a little help of one of her colleagues she designs different suits for the occasion and begins showing up at various crime scenes with positive results until she's caught by the DEO (Department of Extra Normal Operations) There she learns the awful truth: Once she escaped from the phantom zone she grabbed a space prison with her to Earth, so every alien criminal escaped to different places in the world. The DEO started operations after Superman became Superman and well, all they want to do is to prevent aliens from destroying the planet. The problem is their CEO is named Henry "Hank" Henshaw, if you read comic books you'll know who he is... But surprises do not end up there, Alex Danvers (kara's sister) is actually an undercover agent of the DEO, hence why she didn't want Kara to expose her super powers to the world.
Now, all this messy hidden reality allows Kara to re think her role in a more serious way than before, and despite Henshaw & Alex's disapproval she insists she must be allowed to help re capture the aliens that she accidentally brought to planet earth on her arrival.
Feeling that we have spoiled way too much info already, let's discuss the technical side of the pilot episode and let's start by the special effects. The airplane rescue and later fight scenes are executed with mastery, you feel you're watching a big budget movie instead of a TV episode, and while that may not be surprising to some, I might say having Greg Berlanti as one of the executive producers, guarantees Super Girl will be a total success. Berlanti's work in The Flash has been praised worldwide and the CBS producers sure know where to pick their people to create a realistic looking universe of fictional characters.
The workout Super Girl suit (an 80's tribute)
This is more like it.
Moving on to the actors department let's say Melissa Benoist steals the show as Super Girl, her super hot in shape body fits Super Girl's suit like no other, and her acting skills deliver a convincing confused alien looking to go out of the closet as the super character she's meant to be. Benoist, being 26 already holds a wide experience in acting. Her TV work CV includes series like Glee, Homeland, The Good Wife and Law & Order. She's also worked in the acclaimed film Whiplash among others. The pilot episode is clearly all about her character so, trying to describe the supporting cast may be a bit unfair at this point.Nevertheless, all we can say is that they clearly need more development to get to the liking of the audience with the exception of Mehcad Brooks who plays the all too familiar James "Jimmy" Olsen with ease. As for the long awaited roles for Dean Caine (Lois & Clark The Adventures of Superman) and Helen Slater (Super Girl) all we are shown is the flashback moment in which they welcome Kara to their family which rises the question of how Superman met them? what is the relationship he has with them to trust them with his cousin's life?
Does Superman get a mention or two?
So far, DC Comics has set only one shared superhero universe and Superman it's not a part of it, or not until now at least. Such universe is shared by Arrow, The Flash & Legends Of Tomorrow series. Gotham has its own universe and now it seems that the Super Girl universe will at least be related to Superman & The Flash universes respectively. Time will tell, but to answer the question: Yes, Superman not only is mentioned but you can also see him welcoming Kara after the landing and taking her to her new human family. Later Jimmy Olsen mentions him a few times and by the end of the pilot he delivers Kara a package sent with love from her cousin.
Not only Superman is worth the S.
Voilá! Super Girl ready for action.
Does the pilot live up to Super Girl's legacy?
If the pilot episode has an issue, is that it is only a pilot, and thus saying it's a master piece or that it sucks badly, makes no sense. The pilot works as every pilot episode does: Introducing the audience to the series main plot, the characters and that's it. Having watched the six-minute preview released last week is like watching a teaser trailer that may be telling you too much. Fortunately, all the Devil Wears Prada scenes are nothing but a few moments in the overall length of the pilot.
The letdown of only being a pilot is that this also means that the overall plot, that of Kara
Zor-El coming into her own and empowering herself is told in the most standardized way: Lead character's quick origin, Lead character's friends and family, Lead character's desires to break free, lead character's people who want to hold her back, lead character's early attempts at reaching her goal, lead character meeting undesirable support cast characters and finally lead character setting her motto by kicking the bad guy's ass.
Super Girl's gallery of rogues.
The alien turd space ship prison.
Happily,
one cliché the pilot does not run into is finding a fiancee to our lead heroine. In the past many comic book film adaptations had the wrong tendency of adding love interest characters as a way of saying "hey, this film can also be watched by adults because it has love in it" Her friend Winn, who
delivers the one liner in the preview about Kara being a lesbian
(assuming that is why she’s not interested in him), also is firmly kept
as a friend. Still, I couldn't see the reason why she needs him as a dressing consultant since her elder sister already did that in a previous scene.
Anyways, I’m pretty confident most of these issues are purely because it’s a pilot. Furthermore, after Arrow and The Flash,
I trust showrunner/creator Greg Berlanti implicitly. Both his other two
DC superhero shows were fun but flawed for the first parts of their
first seasons, and then got exponentially better.
Even if this expected improvement doesn’t happen, Supergirl is still well worth checking out because it is fun. The Christopher Nolan excessive darkness environment is not here because Kara loves her powers; she loves helping people, and
her excitement is infectious. Maybe that is an idea they took after watching too many dark hero films that lead nowhere but to repetition and cliche. I for one, have always seen Superman, and Supergirl for that matter, as daylight heroes, which means "happy to be your savior" and just because they're glad to be here, doesn't mean we're getting a campy product.
oops!
Up, Up and away!
In addition,
Melissa Benoist steals the show as Kara Zor-El. She’s
the physical manifestation of Supergirl's confidence, fearlessness and concerned,
strong and vulnerable. Before the pilot I had no idea who she was. In fact, all I knew about her is that some private pictures of her (and many other actresses and artists) leaked in "The Fappening" infamous cloud hacking of the past year.
Overall, another superhero that gets inside the small screen. CBS are experienced in terms of what it means to broadcast a superhero series. Also, having Berlanti behind the wheel tells you this series means business. Hopefully, the forthcoming episodes will bring more freshness for comic book fans, and let's hope it doesn't get formulaic copying the already successful Arrow & The Flash series. Agents of SHIELD? Agent Carter? c'mon! nobody watches those turds! Want a heroine empowering women? watch Supergirl now!
Following our effort for portraying the most representative films of the Canuxploitation genre, we continue revisiting some of the great horror films that came out with a bitter taste despite all the maple syrup efforts put in the making of them. So far we've reviewed a few of the most iconic and I think we still have some more films left to share here with you. The goal is clear here, to allow these films to continue in existance. To help people find quality films that were not necessarily master pieces or Hollywood blockbusters, and finally to teach those who aren't connoisseurs that a good horror film has a lot more to do with storytelling than CGI.
The Changeling is a 1980 film, directed by Peter Medak and co-written by Russell
Hunter, William Gray and Diana Maddox. It stars George C. Scott, Trish
Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos and Jean Marsh. Plot finds
Scott as John Russell, a music composer whose life is shattered when an
accident kills both his wife and young daughter during a winter break near Whistler (a Vancouver skiing spot). Relocating to Seattle,
Russell rents a large Gothic style mansion from which to bury himself
in his work. But he soon discovers he is not alone in the house, there
is a ghost here and it desperately wants his help with something he's obviously unaware.
I've got you this great house...
Loneliness be my shepherd.
Not a teenager or a scantily clad bad actress in sight here, for this
is a traditional haunted house spooker for the adults, one that has a
distressing mystery at its core that's just aching to be solved. Chief
writer Russell Hunter has based much of the film on incidents that
happened to him in real life when he moved into a house in Denver. If
you believe him or not is not really the point, because it does not
take away from just how well executed The Changeling is, both as a
scary movie and a well thought out drama. There's limited characters in
the narrative, thus keeping the film free from filler and the clumsy
character set-ups that mar so many horror films these days. It's also
worth noting that it doesn't suffer from dating either, as Nicole
Kidman starred The Others proved 21 years later, a haunted house tale
can be effective in any decade if the writing and direction is spot on.
The Changeling has both, plus a towering and believable performance
from Scott leading the way.
Medak clearly knows that an imposing house is a key element. Utilizing
the big spaces to emphasize Russell's loneliness, he sweeps his camera
around the sets (this is not a real house, it's a brilliant mock-up
creation by the designers) to give the feeling of a spirit observing
proceedings. The house is always a main character and acts as the
perfect backdrop to some ghostly goings on (excellent work from the
sound department too). The chills are genuine, the attic room is creepy
personified, a rubber ball, a wheelchair, a bath sequence, an old water
well and even the gentle tinkling from a music box, all induce the
hairs on the back of the neck to stand to attention. And there's a
séance! Oh yes indeed, a séance that's tape recorded, more chills down
the spine on the way there as well. All played out to some lush unholy
musical arrangements from Ken Wannberg (the music box theme composed by
Howard Blake).
Who tossed me my daughter's ball?
Mmm, interesting melody, it sounds just like my latest composition.
At times during the movie you are wondering why a musician would get so interested in finding out about this odd presence that seems to control the house but, then you realize this man has recently lost his wife & daughter under tragic circumstances and that he may somehow be unconsciously thinking this ghost could be related to his late family. Nevertheless, the mystery goes on and it only gets weirder.
Setting it apart from conventional haunted house movies is that it has
a most intriguing story to tell. One of murder, greed, deception and
grief. The latter part is often forgotten when talk of The Changeling
arises. John Russell is absolutely stricken with grief, this stops him
from being one of those characters who you shake your head at because
they refuse to leave a clearly troubled house. His grief process, which
makes him the ideal host for what this spirit wants, means he has no
fear, some unhappy ghost can't hurt him anymore than he is hurting
anyway. It's a neat and seamless meditation on grief that's threaded
into the story. The last quarter of the film slips into action
territory, which is a little jarring given the smooth pacing Medak has
favoured up to that point. But although the scares have gone, the
intelligent story has come full circle and the film closes down
triumphantly without copping out or having resorted to unimaginative
formula.
There there.
Boy it's warm here.
The Changeling is a film which comes with my highest recommendation
possible. This film can easy become one of those rare ones who really
scares you. A few preparations need to made first, though. Watch this
film late at night if possible. Don't turn on too many lights and make
sure no other sounds then those coming from the movie can ruin the
atmosphere. This really was one of the best stories I ever saw. It's a
known film but not so much as the Amityville Horror, which was released
around the same time. Well, in my humble opinion, The Changeling is
much better. Much more intense to say the least.
Director Peter Medak
proved himself to be a great storyteller more than once already. I
remember the Krays biography to be very good and Romeo is Bleeding too.
The Changeling belongs to his earlier work but still is one of his best
films. A respected musician, Russel, loses both his wife and daughter
in a terrible road accident. Only 4 moths later, he accepts a new job
at a university and he moves into a new and very large house. Right
after Russel moves in, the house starts to act strange. Weird and
disturbing noises wake him up in the morning and he discovers a secret
attic, with a mysterious wheelchair and music box in it. Russel is
intrigued by these objects and, seeing that the secret room belonged to
a young child, he feels related because of what happened to his own
daughter. He starts to dig deeper and more intense. To find out more
about the whole case, he even holds a séance to get in contact with the
mysterious child. This particular scene is really breathtaking, I
assure you. Actually, the whole evolution of the horrifying house is
breathtaking. It really gives you the creeps. George C. Scott gives
away an excellent performance. When he loses his family at the
beginning of the movie, you can really feel his pain. George was one of
the greatest actors who ever lived and he was able to carry a complete
movie all by himself, like he did here. If you like his acting as well,
you should really check out the Changeling.
Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!
The haunted house.
An essential viewing for those who like haunted house movies;
especially if you like slow build and genuine mystery as well.
Notorious for being the slasher film most tortured by the censors upon
release, MY BLOODY VALENTINE has become something of a cult classic with
legions of adoring fans. The only available version of this movie is missing
over 9 minutes of gore, but thankfully producer John Dunning has located all
of the absent footage and a battle rages on with copyright owners Paramount
for a fully restored release. The movie itself nestles nicely with
ROSEMARY'S KILLER as the two best non-franchise splatter flicks of 1981.
From the outset, we're introduced to the small mining town of Valentine
Bluffs, which hides beneath its fun loving exterior a best-forgotten secret.
Twenty years ago the supervisors at the mine were so eager to get to the
annual Valentine dance that they didn't bother to check the levels of the
methane gas. There was a massive explosion and five workers were trapped
underneath the rubble and debris. The only survivor was one Harry Warden,
who never mentally recovered from the accident. Exactly a year later he
returned and brutally killed the two who were responsible for the tragic
mishap. He cut out their hearts, stuck them in candy boxes and sent them to
the authorities. Fortunately he was caught before he carried out any more
killings and was put into Eastfield Asylum for the insane.
Now in 1981 the happy go lucky residents of the usually tranquil town are
preparing themselves for the first Valentine dance to be held since that
fateful night two decades ago. Memories of Warden's murders have passed and
a group of fun loving kids are thinking about nothing else but the
anticipated party. However the night before the event the town mayor
receives a blooded heart in a candy box with a poetic warning. It seems
Harry has returned…
Will you be the valentine of this eager teenagers?
Take that Ferrero Rocher!
MY BLOODY VALENTINE is certainly a fine example of eighties splatter at it's
best. Although the acting isn't remarkable, I found that the three leads
were competent enough and the script gave us enough time to get to know
them. There's an interesting sub-plot that builds between T.J. (Kelman),
Axel (Affleck) and Sarah (Hallier). Apparently T.J. was with Sarah before he
went away for a while without telling anyone where he was going. Now he's
returned and his buddy Axel is with his old flame. Cue the flying sparks!
The rest of the wacky cast members are so cheery and carefree that you just
know something dreadful is going to happen to them! There's a practical
joker (who surprisingly isn't the fat guy), a couple of overly randy teens
and even a hammy old guy who tells the kids that they're doomed just like
Ralph over at Camp Crystal Lake!
Credit has to be given for the effort from all involved. The movie began
filming in September 1980, but the set designer took the time to make sure
that everything was decked out in hearts and banners and they made things
look like it actually was Valentine's Day. Mihalka makes good use of the
spooky mine as a setting and most of the murders are imaginative and well
thought out. In one scene a victim is trapped in a room where miner's
uniforms are dropping from rails and surrounding her. In panic she tries to
find a way out of the claustrophobic and threatening setting (all courtesy
of the killer), before bumping into a costume that actually has the murderer
in it! If that isn't bad enough, he kills her in a most gruesome fashion!
His disguise is arguably one of the best of the eighties and the gas mask
sure helps make the traditional ‘heavy breathing' - sound much scarier.
There are also one or two jumps that'll probably get you if you haven't seen
this before and it's all accompanied with a satisfactory score from Paul
Zaza.
Shit! I forgot my clothes in the laundromat!
These sure aren't my clothes.
The plot is actually pretty smart for a slasher film. I wont go into too
much detail because I can't say anything without spoiling it all for you,
but watch how they manage to keep you guessing toward the end. It's also
worth noting that James Mangold borrowed that classic body (or in his case,
head) in a tumble dryer scene for his part-slasher, Identity in 2003. In
2001 George Mihalka went to Paramount with a script for My Bloody Valentine 2 but they turned him down because the original didn't do brilliantly at the
box office. However, with the return of 3D films, My Bloody Valentine had a rather successful remake in 2009 with plenty of gore and added nonsensical nudity for the B movie feels if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, Mihalka was neither hired nor consulted when filming the remake but John Beaird (original screenplay writer) and Stephen A. Miller (who came up with the original story) Do get a mention in the credits.
This film has a number of strengths. A man dressed in full mining gear
is in fact quite scary. The gas mask he wears also gives his breathing
a Darth Vader kind of effect. A pick ax is one hell of a weapon, too.
There are some very funny characters that make up this town. The mayor
and the police chief are so serious it's almost laughable. The young
men who work in the mine are a rowdy bunch who love to drink Moosehead
beer. It's my guess that Moosehead beer donated a good chunk of change
to this movie due to how much you see of their product. The bartender
at their local hangout is a real hoot, as well. He's pretty much the
crazy old man who warns the youngsters that they're doomed like the old
guy from the Friday the 13th movies.
How poetic!
Mmm, You haven't brushed your teeth lately.
Oh, and Lori Hallier who plays the lead female is an incredibly
beautiful woman. Just had to mention that.
There is some good camera work. I especially like the shot from inside
a mine elevator as it plunges deep into the mine. The camera stays
focused on the top of the shaft, and spooky music plays as the cage
sinks deeper and deeper into the mine. Love that little folk song
during the end credits, too! There are some faults, though. This film
appears to have had much of the gore trimmed from it. That can be a big
mistake for a horror film. Also, it isn't hard to figure out that Harry
Warden is not the killer and that one of the two male leads definitely
is.
Your miner equipment gets me so horny.
A perfect romantic evening would include a six-pack of Moosehead, this
film, and a heart-stuffed candy box. I promise your girlfriend will
never forget it.
The Brood is a 1979 Canuxploitation classic directed by David Cronenberg and starred by Oliver Reed & Samantha Eggar. Being a long time fan of Cronenberg's work you can only tell his horror films are unique in many ways when compared to other works in the same genre. Unlike other films Cronenber's done, The Brood juxtaposes divorce, anxiety with parent-child relationships,
with a story that is basically crazy vengeance that turns to ugly
territory sooner than later. Like Scanners, it's only gruesome in short
spurts (some pun intended), and while it's noticeable Cronenberg
doesn't have too much of a budget to work with, he pushes the seamless,
straightforward style to a high pitch; you know something bad will
happen just as long as it has something to do with little Cindy
(Candice Carveth).
The body and spirit and duality, per usual for Cronenberg, figure in,
yet there's something that makes the Brood much more affecting as soon
as it ends: we're dealing with the deconstruction of family (one also
could see this in more sexually frustrated and emotionally demented
context in Dead Ringers), and as it turns out by the end things won't
ever really be "happy" despite things being all wrapped up in a grisly
and bloody manner. Cronenberg may had been going through some of his
own personal demons during this period (i.e. divorcing his wife), and
this could be almost like it's own 'brood', a shot of cinematic horror
right from the subconscious in the guise of a conscious look at how
probing the mind can only work so much, and that certain problems can
never be solved.
OK, I'm having a divorce.
I said I don't wanna play!
Basics first: Oliver Reed plays a psychiatrist who is more like a
hypnotist, as he performs an unusual procedure in a trance state with
his patients to rid them of their past trauma with family members or
other by getting it to break out in rashes or hives or even (if it's
malicious enough as with one man) cancer. With Nola (Samantha Eggar,
definitely in the highlight of her career), she breaks out much
differently, and with full knowledge of what she can do from Raglan.
Little creepy children in parkas who lack navels start killing off
members of those Nola was close to, including her parents, a woman her
ex-husband Frank (Art Hindle) is interested in. Frank is at a loss what
to do, but he does know her daughter is in grave danger even before
this happens, as she has scratches and bruises on her back. How can the
murder spree cease?
At first one might wonder if this also has to do with the little girl's
detached performance, with moments of despair wrapped in a corner. This
is actually more of a concrete vision of what the divorce had done,
even though it looks even creepier and more disturbing that it can't be
explained why she doesn't cry or freak out when she finds her
grandmother beaten by hammers. There's a disconnect that Cronenberg
seems to be exploring, and even when there seems to be a flimsy way of
showing what the hell it is that Ragel really does, or how he hasn't
been kicked out of business yet, his scenes are perfectly ambiguous: we
can't totally be sure how he does it, but he does it, and it's almost
his own worst creation with the case of Nola. But what's scarier, far
more scarier than any typical serial killer or masked being or un-dead,
is that there can never really be change to Nola, to the monster that
she carries out of her womb (one of Cronenberg's most notorious
images), and it's a frightening implication on how uncompromising love
and hate go together.
Wanna play?
Sorry mama, we'll clean it up, I promise.
If the lingering sensation that this might be far too much of a
psycho-analysis type of horror movie, don't fret; the little mutant
kids or whomever are some of the most terrifying beings you'll ever
see. Ever. They make Child's Play Chuckie look like a Cabbage Patch doll (in case you don't know them, these were very popular 80's dolls), with their
make-up distorted and gray, their expressions always that of something
mechanical, and in a presence that calls to mind what they might have
tried to do in cheap 50s sci-fi movies, only here done more expertly in
not showing much at first, and then showing just enough to get the idea
later on. It adds a whole savage element to the picture, where it
wouldn't be if it was other beings like adults that were manifested
(probably even just as unsettling as the ending is with the scene where
they kill Frank's would-be girlfriend at her job, which is teaching
kindergarten). Overall, another brilliant early David Cronenberg horror film, subtly stuffed
with sexual obsessions and social criticism as it was also the case in
"Shivers" and "Rabid", only the idea of this film is even more original
and the tension is more overwhelming. "The Brood" quite often is a
genuinely terrifying horror-highlight with grueling special effects as
well as truly disturbing social themes. Cronenberg's own and
intelligently written script once again focuses on humans' defining
"inner-evil" (it's his hobby-horse) and blends real-life issues like
child abuse and psychiatric patients with adorable low-budget horror
topics such as mad scientists and eerie mutant killers. Nola Carveth is
one of sinister Dr. Hal Raglan's "Psychoplasmics" patients that unleash
their hatred through physical manifestations, like rashes or tumors.
But Nola is an extreme case so her outbursts are also far more extreme
than the other patients and she produces malicious dwarfs that kill
everyone who comes near her husband and 5-year-old daughter Candy.
My tummy.
My tasty child.
The
premise of "The Brood" sounds absurd and incredibly far-fetched but,
believe me, it's alarmingly convincing and scary. The last 15 minutes are effectively nauseating,
perhaps a little too controversial for some people, and the evil
children are petrifying. What is it with little people that makes them
so uncanny? "The Brood" is less gore than Cronenberg's previous two
films (the aforementioned "Shivers" and Rabid") but the killings are
nevertheless nasty and that one sequence inside the kindergarten
classroom is more than enough to skyrocket the shock-value of this
film. Horror/exploitation veteran Oliver Reed is sublime as the overly
ambitious Dr. Raglan. Excellent stuff, David Cronenberg was (and still
is) a genius filmmaker!
