Archive for April, 2007

Buffy, Stephen King, and the Antichrist

By
Ian W
Published: April 29, 2007Posted in: ComicsTags:

Forthcoming titles:

The Highwaymen sounds like a great idea for a Hollywood buddy movie, albeit a geriatric one. Able “Speed” Monroe and Alistair McQueen were the ultimate couriers and they’re coming out of retirement for one last job, transporting a top secret package for a dead President. Writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman team with artist Lee Garbett. I’d love to see Sidney Poitier and Clint Eastwood in the inevitable film version. Coming from Wildstorm June 20. Anticipation factor: 7

The Weapon is another title that sounds like it would make a great film. A high tech invention, evil assassins and an ancient mystical martial art – this sounds perfect for Jet Li! Fred van Lente and Scott Koblish bring us this four issue actionfest. Coming from Platinum Studios in June. Anticipation factor: 7

Black Summer is a new series from my current favourite comic writer Warren Ellis. Here Warren once again turns his fevered imagination to the superhero genre but this promises a more explicit take than the usual Marvel/DC fare. Art is by Juan Jose Ryp. The eight issue series from Avatar starts in August but watch out for issue 0 before that. Anticipation factor: 8

Sheena Queen of the Jungle gets reinvented for the modern age by Robert Rodi and Matt Merhoff from a concept by Die Hard scriptwriter Stephen E. de Souza. Coming in June from Devil’s Due. Anticipation factor: 7

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The Weekend Horror Double Bill: Gone Camping

By
Ian W
Published: April 16, 2007Posted in: DVD Reviews, Horror, Movie Reviews, ReviewsTags:

The weekend horror double bill returns and to mark the occasion we’re going on a camping trip. Hope you’ve packed the essentials – sleeping bag, torch, food and of course a homisidal maniac…

The Long Weekend (1978)

This low budget ’70s Australian film is something of a lost treasure and shows that sometimes having no money can almost be a blessing. There are no make-up or special effects to hide behind and this seems to have made all involved up there game to compensate.

The film only has two characters – Peter and Marcia, a married couple whose relationship is on the rocks. In an attempt to save their marriage they take a weekend break to a secluded beach and it’s their experiences there that make up the bulk of the film. Strange sounds at night and a mysterious shape in the water are just some of the terrors they encounter and, rather than bring them closer, their trip serves to drive them even further apart.

It gradually becomes clear that Peter and Marcia are the villains here, not just attacking each other but the idyllic beach environment as well and Mother Nature isn’t happy. The characters are brilliantly realised but you don’t sympathise with them – rather you observe with a sense of revulsion as their history of infidelity and abortion unfolds.

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Cinema Macabre Issue 1

By
Ian W
Published: April 2, 2007Posted in: Film & TV NewsTags:

Over at BC Magazine some of the film writers have selected their favourite horror flicks for a new monthly feature called Cinema Macabre.  As a taster this is my entry -

Race With The Devil (1975)

Peter Fonda and Warren Oates join forces again for this tale of the holiday from hell. The pair first worked together on the elegiac western The Hired Hand and enjoyed the experience so much they jumped at the chance to make this film, about two married couples whose journey to Colorado in an RV is interrupted by a group of backwoods Satan worshippers after the holidaymakers witness a human sacrifice.

The two stars’ real life friendship allows them to bring a natural camaraderie to their characters and they’re aided by a pair of seasoned TV actresses as their wives. Loretta Swit gets some R&R from playing “Hot Lips” in M*A*S*H as Warren’s better half, while Lara Parker, of supernatural soap Dark Shadows fame, shines as Fonda’s onscreen spouse. Also making a welcome appearance is Peckinpah regular R.G. Armstrong as a local sheriff who may know a little more than he lets on.

Master low budget director Jack Starrett makes sure everything moves at a cracking pace yet still leaves room for some Invasion of the Body Snatchers-style paranoia as Lara Parker becomes convinced that everyone they encounter is a member of the cult. Add to that some expertly crafted scares (most notably the rattlesnake scene) and an action-packed final twenty minutes that has the beleaguered campers fending off attacks from all sides while trying to stay on the road and you’ve got the perfect action/horror movie.

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