It's been busy a few weeks for me, but a couple of weekends ago I caught the much-buzzed about remake of The Crazies, the zombie action romp first helmed by George Romero in 1973. And I loved it... and mostly for what the movie didn't show. [Warning: some spoilers to follow, but you already saw it, right?]
I'm listening to NPR when a piece about vampires comes on. Reporter Margot Adler (a vampire-lit enthusiast) points out the latest batch of fanged fiends dominating the zeitgeist struggle more than ever with being moral. She notes that vampires are often like the color to our socio-cultural mood rings. They're indicators of our fears, struggles... basically, the state of "us." The Great Depression was the backdrop when Bela Lugosi's Dracula debuted; the ‘80s (height of the Cold War and beginning of the AIDS epidemic) that of Anne Rice and The Hunger. So why are we living in the age of the mildly de-fanged?
Video games adapted into movies have, historically, been duds. One can only hope that one day Hollywood will finally meet gamers at some magical intersection where the former understands the latter's desire for flicks faithful to compelling stories, and the latter understands the former's desire for mass marketability. I know, I know: compelling stories AND mass marketability? I'd also like a unicorn, please.
Maybe in a distant Utopia this will actually happen - the movies, not the unicorn. But until then, a fangirl can only dream, right? Some horror (survival horror, specifically) and thriller-themed games boast not only dynamic visuals but effective - if not totally absorbing and terrifying - storylines. Below are a few I'd like to see adapted for the big screen, and who I'd like to see star.
If the buzz coming in from Sundance is any indication then horror fans should be pretty optimistic about this coming year, especially when it comes to the "Weird But Beautiful Human Chimera That's NOT From Effing Avatar" sci-fi horror department. Splice, starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, is rumored to be in talks of some major distribution deals, and I've been stoked on the film since I saw stills of Dren (the aforementioned beautiful-creature-cum-terror) a few months ago. And it's more than just her weird feet that have got me kind of disturbed already.
It's an informal tradition of mine to find and dine at a horror-themed restaurant whenever I venture out to Tokyo, and on my last trek a few weeks ago, I found yet another one that readily serves up Japanese cuisine (in this case, American-inspired Japanese cuisine) with a healthy side of freakiness.
I'm not a huge fan of making resolutions at New Year's. The pressure of maintaining some vague self-promise to lose 10 pounds or make a budget and stay on it usually proves too daunting for me. By January 2nd, I've succumbed to eating multiple Krispy Kreme donuts and splurging on shoes. But this year, I do plan on making one resolution: to deepen my horror/thriller viewing repertoire with the help of all of you. Behold, "Educating Audrey, Lesson 2."
If you're like me, you've been lapping up every juicy TV spot and trailer for Daybreakers, hitting theaters Jan. 8. I don't know if it's the haunting Placebo song playing in the background or Ethan Hawke looking delicious as a cerebral honey-eyed throat jockey, but after the woefully disappointing New Moon, this I know for sure: it's time for a good vampire movie. I'm hoping Daybreakers can be the metaphorical mouthwash that finally gets that puke-y aftertaste of Edward and friends out of my mouth (rinse... and repeat!). So here are my five reasons why I'm excitedly awaiting for this flick to finally see the break of day.
Where do I begin?
Twi-hards, I'm sorry. Like I wrote last week, I had high hopes for New Moon and that the Twilight sequel could possibly convert me from being a tepid viewer to at least a tepid sort-of fan. From the looks of the trailers, New Moon promised more shirtlessness, more action and less constipated staring, and in my book that equals WIN WIN WIN! But while it delivered on the first two, unfortunately, I'm still confounded over why this saga about a 100-plus-year-old vampire and his mopey (and newly suicidal! Edgy!) teenage girlfriend continues its imperialistic reign over the pop culture landscape. In other words, Twi-hards, I still don't get it. But I'm still willing to try.
When a blockbuster's sequel becomes the best advance ticket seller of all time before it's release, and when fans travel from as far away as Australia to camp out for the premiere in Los Angeles, it's hard to ignore the fervent fandemonium surrounding The Twilight Saga: New Moon, in theaters this week. Naturally, I've found myself contemplating Alex Meraz's abs this pop culture phenomenon.
// More: 'New Moon' Rising, and Why I Just Don’t Get 'Twilight'
Grab your talisman: today is Friday the 13th, the third and final time the unlucky number meets the unlucky weekday this year. According to some, the superstition surrounding this foreboding day is probably the most widespread one in America, and even warrants its own phobia: paraskevidekatriaphobia. (Personal challenge: spell that... backwards.)
Last week, I covered the red carpet premiere of doomsday disaster movie, 2012, that renders Earth as good as gone come December 21, 2012. Red carpets, while fun and glammy, also tend to be fusterclucks of publicists, celebrities (major and minor), and, in this case, the occasional trio of Mayan prophecy experts - appropriate since the movie's based on one that says we're dunzo in a little over two years.
Phobia Friday: Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching and a couple of weeks ago, I had no problem making my suggestions about what YOU should be this year. Ironically enough, I'm having trouble with my own costume.
