Scrooge (1951)- A Christmas Carol with bite

"That bloody Frog is here somewhere......”

This post first appeared in December 2013 - for some reason I decided to re-post it. I blame it on the time of year myself.

Scrooge - 1951 | 

86 mins | 

Comedy, Drama | 

B&W

I don't like the Muppets, I don't like them at all. I never have and I'm probably sure that I never will. It's a controversial viewpoint which I know will upset many, but I have my legitimate reasons.

Even as a child I never really had much time for those supposedly lovable puppet things that celebrities almost seemed to trample over each other to get their faces on the show; Kermit the blooming Frog simply annoyed the hell out of me, Miss Piggy reminded me of an old schoolteacher from my Grammar school and Fozzy bear just creeped me out for some unknown reason that I couldn't ever quite put my finger on. The only character that I ever found remotely likable was the drummer, Animal. "So Stuey, what is the actual reason for this hatred of an entertainment institution?" I hear you ask. Well, partly it may be that at school one of my lesser flattering nicknames was 'Gonzo', given to me by some wit who thought that, as I had a slightly big nose, it would be highly hilarious to give me that name.  I'm way past that now - after all, those years of therapy had to amount to something.....

No, it is far more than just a half-arsed witty nickname that causes me to tense up just at the very thought of Jim Henson's crazy Muppets. The thing that more or less sealed the deal was a certain adaptation of arguably the classic ghost story of all ghost stories. As far as I'm aware there have been over fifty adaptations in various forms of Charles Dickens Literary classic 'A Christmas Carol'. Some of them have been truly excellent (the 1984 TV film starring George C. Scott being of particular note) while some adaptations have been, well, less than excellent. 

You see, I truly love the story of A Christmas Carol, not necessarily for it's theme of personal redemption (which is a quite nice thing I suppose), no I love it because at the core of the story there is a genuine substance of spectral horror. Yet, throughout the years a light-hearted and comforting tale of amusing and eccentric ghosts visiting a rather grumpy but still humorous old Ebenezer have replaced the original feeling of fear and horror that Dickens intended when he wrote the story........ and chief amongst those guilty of such a transformation from horror to cosy are those responsible for A Muppet Christmas Carol. I tell you now, 'Funny ghosts' and Michael Caine hamming it up are not anywhere on god's green Earth near to the original authentic subject matter of the source material. And don't get me started on the bloody songs.

Thankfully the more authentic adaptations are there to remind us how powerfully chilling this story can actually be when the will arises. Whilst the aforementioned TV version starring the excellent George. C Scott is a wonderful piece of work, for me nothing has yet has ever compared on a chill-factor level as a British made black and white version of the story - Scrooge (1951).

"You bloody well let me know when you hear the first sound 

of a song in this movie"

THE PLOT

You've got to be kidding me?! - Its A freaking Christmas Carol!

Well OK - for those 23 people in the Amazonian tribe yet to be discovered by the rest of 'civilisation' and so haven't got around to seeing any of the veritable plethora of movie versions, here is the plot in a very quick but informative way.

"Old, bitter businessman Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas and everybody who celebrates it - he does have one favourite Christmas pastime, which is shouting "Humbug" at all Crimbo devotees.....He especially has no time for his ever-so-nice employee Bob Cratchett who has a big annoyingly happy Family, including a crippled son called Tiny but annoyingly happy Tim.......Ebenezer is soon visited by the ghost of his dead business partner - Ghost warns him of his impending doom. Scrooge laughs it all off as the result of bad cheese, ghost gets a bit annoyed........ soon he's visited by the ghosts of Crimbo past, Crimbo present and possible Crimbo future which looks decidedly pants - It's all very very frightening with thunderbolts and lightening.......Eventually he sees the error of his selfish ways.........suddenly becomes very happy when alive to see Crimbo morning......treats everybody to free lunches & presents......buys the Cratchetts a big bird to eat......Tiny Tim is more annoyingly happy than ever...."

Yes the story for me has its faults; Tiny Tim is always genuinely annoying and if I was his older brother I would be deeply pissed off that good old golden buy Tim always gets all the attention. His father ,Bob Cratchett, has always in my book deserved a bit of a slap around the chin with a wet fish for being overly wet and subservient. However even the cynic in me never fails to get sucked into the joy that Scrooge feels when waking up as a reformed man on Christmas morning.

This film is true, not only to the main episodes in the original story, but just as importantly to this blogger, faithful to its fundamental horror content. 

"But I've never even met Jim Henson!!"

For while learning from the error of ones' ways and attaining personal redemption are all well and good, it's the chilling psychological journey that Scrooge is forced to endure that has always appealed to me - and boy does this version lay on atmosphere and chill-factor galore.

The film is perhaps in some ways the most faithful in some ways to the original text and yet succeeds in adding some fascinating layers of previously unexplored back story of the character at Scrooge, in essence building upon elements of plot that Dickens at best only hinted at. For in this version the usual pantomime version of Scrooge as a grumpy yet still likable is replaced by a back story rich in detail that gives meaning and understanding to some of his behaviour. For example, Scrooge's resentment of Fred isn't purely due to his hatred of Christmas, but also because his birth resulted in the death of the only woman he ever loved, his sister.

It is partly the marvellous screenplay by Noel Langley which provided richly textured back story to Dickens' source material and partly the darkly ominous musical score from Richard Addinsell that creates a wonderful atmosphere. However, more so it is the central performance of Alistair Sim that brings out a rounded completeness to Scrooge's character - this is no cardboard cut-out performance from a giant of British cinema, it is a thing of genius. It isn't only me that believes that Sim's performance is the benchmark portrayal of Scrooge that all others should be measured by - George C. Scott himself said the very same when he was preparing for the eponymous role.

"Look, this is where I've buried that bloody Gonzo"...

Sim's portrayal is an honest to god tour-de-force, with the more detailed back-story of his life providing him the chance to give depth, understanding and even a degree of sympathy to his selfish and outwardly seemingly downright evil treatment of the people in his life. For example, the well known antipathy he seems to have towards his nephew Fred is explained by the fact that his cherished sister died shortly after giving birth to him - an occurrence that has caused intense resentment and in some ways no little hatred towards the unknowing young man. No-one before or since has ever matched Alistair Sims magical performance of a man tortured by his past - there are moments when just a flicker of his eyes says more than a dozens of hammed up performance of Ebenezer have ever managed to do combined together.

However, this is a horror blog, so I'm especially concerned with the scare factor of this version - and by Jove does it deliver.

I mentioned earlier that numerous adaptations of this story have resulted in what we now familiarly see as a series of vaguely unsettling but more so amusing spectres providing their various warnings of impending doom. This version thankfully remains true to the chills that it should actually provide - after all, the ghosts that appear are supposed to be intending to frighten the worst of moral offenders into changing his selfish ways.  For example, the slow atmospheric build-up leading to the appearance of Scrooges' long since dead partner is so expertly done that when the Ghost of Jacob Marley finally appears it produces perhaps one of the most unnerving spectres to haunt cinema - and I genuinely mean that. Not only is the deep despair about his own fate clearly apparent in the wonderful performance of Michael Horden, his rage and frustration at Scrooges initial scepticism is deeply convincing. The fact that a range of ground-breaking special effects were also employed in this production gives a true sense of chilling gravitas to the phantasmic scenes.

If that wasn't enough for the connoisseur of the frights,  the effective chills of the ghost of Christmas future is the forbidding shadow of impending doom that Dickens originally intended him to be. 

The fact that the entire movie was filmed on a purpose built studio is a testament to the intense and foreboding atmosphere created for this Dickensian London. The bleakness of the black and white film gives an added Gothic nuance that is reminiscent of the glory days of Universal monster movies. This is simply British film-making at it's glorious best. I would strongly advise that if you are going to view this version of the film for the first time that you watch the original b&w version and not the later colourised version which goes a fair way to robbing the film's ghost sequences of much of their power to scare - stay away I say....stay away from colour!!

Oh my good god - no word of a lie, but I've just seen a trailer on TV for The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol. Kill me now.

Billy The Kid Versus Dracula: A movie brought to us courtesy of the Movie & Music Network

Billy the kid Vs Dracula  (1966)

Director: William Beaudine 

Cast: Chuck Courtney, John Carradine, Melinda Plowman

I really wish that I could have been a fly on the wall of the film studio sometime during the mid 1960's when the discussions started about ideas for new horror films. Of course, I wasn't there but nevertheless, in my mind it all went something like this.

" Film studio rep: Now we're getting really desperate for some good new horror movies, somebody give me some ideas!!!

Producer: Hmmmm, what about a Dracula story? Everybody loves Dracula!

Film studio rep: No damn way!! Ever since those goddamn Limeys and their goddamn Hammer studios and goddamn Christopher Lee cornered the market in Gothic horror, nobody wants American Vampires any more!

There's silence for a moment until the producer gets another idea......

Producer: I know, I know.......Frankenstein! What about Frankenstein?

Film studio rep: Jesus wept, man!! Ever since those goddamn Limeys and their goddamn Hammer studios and goddamn Christopher Lee and his godammed limey mate, Peter Cushing cornered the market in Gothic horror, nobody wants American Frankenstein any more!

This time the silence is now uncomfortable and seems to last for an age as the producer sees the final dregs of his career die before his eyes......until suddenly a flash bulb seems to appear above the producers head.

Producer: Got it!!! We give those Brits a taste of their own medicine and use some good ol American boys to give Dracula and Frankenstein a real good kick in the balls!

Film studio rep: Now that could work - how's about a using a few Gunslingers to kick some Vampire ass??!!

The excited  producer was already dreaming of wild west vs Gothic Franchise heaven. After all, what could go wrong?........"

When it came to my next choice of movie to watch & review from the wonderful library of the Movie & Music Network, well in all honesty, it took me a few minutes to first decide what suited my mood at the time. Did I want something thought provoking and intelligent? No. Did I want something complex and full of complex psychological themes about the human conditions? No. Did I want something that I wouldn't have to think to hard about and was about as deliciously cheesy as cheesy could be? You're blooming right I did!!...... and after a few moments of perusing the network's library I stumbled on a gem of exquisite cheesiness.

Some time ago, in the deep dark recesses of this blog, I scribbled a feature on movies under the headline of something along the lines of "So bad that they're good". You know the ones, there are films that are so irredeemably flawed yet there is still an undeniable guilty charm about them that draws us back again and again into re-watching them, no matter how many times we vow never to do so again. For some reason, my 'So bad they're good' article didn't feature the subject of this latest article, or the other film made simultaneously with it, the equally wonderfully titled Jesse James Vs Frankenstein. So I think that the only thing for it is to at some point update the list, because quite frankly, Billy the kid Vs Dracula is without doubt one of the most exquisitely enjoyably bad movies that I've ever had the pleasure to see.

For a start, the premise is simply as mad a as the proverbial box of Frogs....

"The world deadliest gunfighter! The worlds most diabolical killer! Dracula travels to the American West, intent on making a beautiful ranch owner his next victim. Unfortunately for the dastardly Transylvanian, her fiancé is the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid. When the gunslinger finds out about it he rushes to save her and with it, destroy the cunning Count. "

If the premise is mind-bogglingly insane, well as are indeed the rest of the ingredients; the acting, direction, filming and editing all range from extremely bad to almost extremely bad. For a start, the film was directed by William Beaudine. What, you've never heard of him? Well, you're in for a treat. William 'one-shot' Beaudine is arguably one of the most prolific, in terms of output, directors in Hollywood history. He directed far too many for me to have bothered to count when I visited his Wikepedia page, suffice to say there are blooming hundreds (well at least there seemed to be, though that might be slightly affected by the glass or two of wine I had while 'researching' his career). 

"I'm sorry my boy, you can't be Billy the kid because you're a wuss."

To be honest, i wold highly recommend looking at his list of movies, not necessarily in order to watch any of them, but simply to enjoy the incredible entertaining names of some of his titles - my absolute favourite being the completely bat shit bonkers title of 'Bela Lugosi meets a Brooklyn Gorilla' (1952). I have never watched the said confrontation between Mr Lugosi and the Gorilla - but one is for sure, it is now on my 'must see'. I would sincerely consider my life wasted if I didn't get the opportunity to see that film before I die.

As you may have already guessed, Beaudine obtained the the nickname 'one-shot' due to his highly economical method of filming - and while the myth that he never ever used more than one take is probably indeed that, a myth, the fact is that Billy the kid Vs Dracula certainly includes some of the hallmarks of this quite remarkable director's career. For example, there is one particular scene where one of the cowboys have even killed and the actor clearly moves and flinches as a horse draws near to his 'body'. I just love the fact that the filmmakers may have seen this and thought "what the hell, who cares?...."besides which, we need to get this finished as we start on Jesse James giving Frankenstein a good kicking next week"

"I think I may need the Gentleman's room......"

John Carradine is quite rightly regarded as one of the 'big four' stalwarts in horror history, along with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. I must admit admit that in comparison with the other three, I have always been less enamoured with Carradine's own prolific career. Well, if his performance in Billy the kid Vs Dracula is anything to go by, that viewpoint will have to change, because if you love your over the top cheesy performances (and don't we all?) then this one is perhaps the daddy of them all. I don't know whether it was Carradine's own idea, or one from old 'one-shot', but his idea of showing the demonic and chilling side of the blood-sucking Count was to look squinty eyed into the camera and trying look all menacing like, while at the same time old one-shot' was using his limited supply of red tint lighting. If anything, it simply looks like the actor was suffering from extreme episodes of rampant diarrhoea if the looks on his face are anything to go by - simply hysterical, and not in a scary way. 

Actually, I'm doing John Carradine something of a dis-service as he does have one other facial expression in this film, and that is the lecherous dirty old man leer that he gives the young ranchers daughter whenever he sees her. The actress in question, Melinda Plowman, was indeed rather fabulous looking, that fact cannot be denied. However, I'm pretty sure that if her mother was to show me her picture (as happened in the film) and I pulled my best "I'm going to lick you to death look" (as the Transylvanian terror does in the film) that I would have been railroaded and horsewhipped out of town (that's a Wild West term, you know). But no, nobody says a word.

"Now my dear, he may look at you as if he wants to do very bad things to your body

but I'm sure he's a very nice man"

The rest of the cast do their very (limited) best with the material they were given, though whether any of them would have fared any better with a better script, director and budget is open to question. I mean, I know that I may not be that up on my Wild West mythology, but I really wasn't aware the Billy the kid was actually a clean cut Nancy-boy who was afraid of his own shadow! If he's not showing the very pretty Betty (Plowman) to happily shoot shit up while looking at her all puppy dog like, then he's walking around with the very pretty Betty trying to also convince her that even through he used to kill lots and lots of people he is actually a nice guy now. I could have told him that he needn't worry, because nobody in their right mind would thing this complete mummy's pretty boy could be a psychotic killer.

The film generally looks cheap and is often so badly lit that it's often difficult to tell if it's meant to be day or night time. Consequently, one doesn't know whether old 'one-shot' wasn't particularly aware or simply didn't care about his Vampire lore as the leering Count is often seen to be wandering around in the sunlight. Cheep and not so cheerful too are the scenes where the Transylvanian tickler transforms from a very obvious plastic bat on a string to his blood sucking dirty old man guise. Well actually, no transformation takes place, the plastic bat simply lands behind a waggon and moments later, the creepy Count comes walking nonchalantly out.

Believe me, if you like your blatantly bad films that are so disastrously inept that they are in fact one and a half hours of pure and unadulterated joy. You may not be chilled to the bone but you'll possibly find yourself laughing yourself into an early grave.

Shear genius.

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But hey - don't just take my word for it!. Because thanks to the most wonderful people at the Movie & Music Network, you can watch Billy the kid Vs Dracula for FREE!

You don't need to subscribe to view it - but you never know, after having yourself a sneaky little peak the rest go the Library then it may well be a good idea to do so!

Click RIGHT HERE to watch the movie and let me know what you think!

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http://www.movieandmusicnetwork.com/content/w/billy-the-kid-vs-dracula-r?promocode=5THDIMENSION.%C2%A0

The Strain - now on DVD from Foxhorror

I think that it's only fair that I own up straight away to the fact that I have a major geek adoration (some may even go as far in calling it a Geek crush) for the work of Mr Guillermo del Toro. However, It saddens  me at say though, that the adoration that I have for his work has been tested on the odd occasion recently. It had all started to well with masterpieces such as The Devil's Backbone and the truly sublime Pan's Labrynth, as well as other favourites of mine including Blade II and the wonderful Hellboy. I genuinely thought for a time that he could do no wrong and no matter that the odd dud may be bound to come along in his career, I would still love his work....nothing but nothing could test my geek adoration. I was a sure as sure could be that I was safe in that assumption. That was until Battleship Pacific Rim.........

I wanted to like Transformers Pacific Rim, I really did. And for a good while into the film I was almost bearing it pretty well, for a start it had one or two noticeably familiar and enjoyable 'del Toro touches', so all was OK. It was going better than I had anticipated. That was until I heard the line "Today is the day we cancel the Apocalypse". Oh. Deerie. Me. Oh deerie deerie me.

To be honest, I almost fell out of love for the work of the Mexican maestro right there and then. I thought that this was quite possibly the end of a beautiful friendship. Almost, but not quite, because around the time of the cinematic monstrosity I also chanced upon del Toro's first novel, written in collaboration with Chuck Hogan. The book, called The Strain, was a deliciously gruesome and intelligent tale of New York City being overrun by a virulent Vampire plague. I read, nay, devoured the story in a matter of hours. It was del Toro at his gruesomely descriptive best.

Now I know what you're thinking, the book was released way back in the dim and distant days of 2009 with the other two in the trilogy following within a couple of years - not exactly a blogger with his finger of the pulse of all that is good and nerdy is it? Well, maybe you're right, but as she said "Better late than never, I suppose" 

A full and frank review of the books is something for another time and place. The point of this article (be quiet, there is occasionally a point to some of my articles) is to talk about the the TV adaptation of the story and its subsequent release onto DVD and BluRay. Suffice to say, reading those books went a long long way to helping me out behind me the memory of Godzilla    Pacific Rim.

So you can imagine my delight this after being contacted all the way from Los Angeles by a representative of Fox Home Entertainment, who have been recently performing a takeover of the Fox Horror website in anticipation for the Season 1 release of The Strain on Bluray/DVD and the launch of http://bit.ly/TwoStrainsSite which will give users a look at how the graphic novel was turned into a television show. I was asked whether I would want to tell people not only about what they are undertaking, but also to talk a little bit on my blog about The Strain. Of course I did!

To see what delights the new website has in store then visit http://bit.ly/FoxHorrorStrainTakeover but be quick as the takeover ends on Monday 8th December.

So for those of you that haven't read the books or seen that television adaptation then how about a quick synopsis of the storyline?

The Strain begins with the team from the Centre for Disease Control investigating the mysterious arrival at New York airport of a plane in which the whole of the passengers & crew are seemingly dead.

At this same moment Abraham Setrakian, owner of an old raggedly pawnbrokers in downtown New York, is also heading to the airport after hearing the news. He knows that this is no 'ordinary' viral outbreak and is convinced that it is a new, potentially catastrophic chapter in an horrific and age old series of events designed to wipe out humanity.

Soon, the team of scientists, together with the obsessive Setrakian and a rag-tag team of fellow city dwellers, are fighting the Vampiric parasites that could well spell the end for normal human existence.

Adapting from page to television is traditionally some of a hit and miss affair. In fact it's safe to say that pleasing some of the more, shall we say, vociferous fans out there, is something of a no win situation (Yes, some Game of Thrones fans, I'm talking about you). If I've heard "well that's different from the book" once, I've bloody well heard it a thousand times. Give it a rest people!! Remember, we don't actually own the work we're watching or reading. If the writers etc want to change their work for whatever reason then that's their choice. Though I would say that a certain Mr G Lucas has tested even my open-minded stance in the past.

It seems though, that generally, The Strain's first season on Fx was on the whole well received by critics. Perhaps more importantly, many fans of the story (of which I'm proud to class myself as one) seem to agree as the viewing ratings, particularly in the States, held up strongly thought its first season run. The fact that the show was picked up for a second season pretty quickly into it's run speaks volumes in the cutthroat world that TV series now seem to inhabit.

I must admit that on a personal level, the first season of The Strain was, apart from a couple of issues, an exceedingly satisfying experience. This was probably helped in no small part by del Toro's continued involvement in the concept and production of many of the episodes. Yes there are noticeable differences from the books, but actually some of those differences actually benefit the viewing experience. For example, the character of Abraham Sektrakian of the books is far more softer and likable then he appears on screen as played the the magnificent David Bradley. This could have alienated some of the literary aficionados, however turning the character into a far more driven, obsessive and often unlikable person is something of a masterstroke. In doing so, the frequent back stories of him and his experiences of past deaings with the vicious Nazi Vampire, Thomas Eichorst, is given even more gravitas and importance. Both Bradley and Richard Sammel (Eichorst) simply chew up the dialogue and scenery with the power of their relative performances and if anything, flesh out far more than expected, the characters than they appeared in the books.

In fact, the cast as a whole provides an essential excellent ensemble performance. I must admit that for me it did take a number of episodes for the characters gel with the more action orientated segments, which may have been something of a risk perhaps for the modern I-want-It-now audience in order to give the character development some time to breathe. However, The Strain is not meant just to be a series of gruesome action set -pieces (albeit some rather excellent ones) but it's also a tale driven by some very strong characterisation. 

This element of actually caring for the characters has benefited the likes of The Walking Dead, beyond all expectations. For example here, the always excellent Kevin Durand gives a beautifully measured performance as the rat-catcher, Fet, one moment sharing a tender moment with his estranged parents, the next becoming one deliciously mean son-of-a bitch killing machine. The scene where he quickly decides that he must be the one who has to 'dispatch' a close friend of the team is shockingly effective.

That's not to say that the production values and action set-pieces of of less impressive standard, because I assure you they're not. The visualisations throughout, especially the scenes where there Vampires morph into their tongue lashing yucky finery are excellent in their biological squeak inducing state. I know there will be some who miss some of the more elaborate methods that the parasitic worms find their way through various orifices in the books (I'll leave it up to your dirty imagination to connect those particular dots). Instead we have to make do with the worms entering through the eyes, which while still looks rather excellent, may lose some of the gruesome factor for some who like their inventive worm entering orifice scenario - as it were.

The memorable set pieces throughout the first season come thick and fast as the episodes progress. The segment that takes place with the gang cornered in a secluded city store is not only perhaps one of the most exciting episodes, it's also the first time where we see the disparate members first begin to gel together as a real team. Add to that a number of scenes with a wonderfully claustrophobic quality about them that take place in the tunnels and catacombs of the increasingly decaying city and you have an ever improving mix of characterisation and action as the series reaches a stunning climax.

I will be the first to admit that not quite everything works well in series one, with perhaps the least satisfying aspect being the first revealing of the Master vampire. I'm not sure whether it was the way the scene was directed or lit, but the moment when we first witness the personification of vampiric evil appear should have been far more hard-hitting. Instead it is left the the wonderfully ambitious scenes of ever increasing human/vampire transformation that succeed on most every level to provide a genuine feel of terror and stomach-churning chills.

All in all there is much to recommend the first season of The Strain - I plan at the earliest opportunity to get myself a copy on DVD or BluRay - I would do so yourself, you know it makes sense.

Check out http://bit.ly/FoxHorrorStrainTakeover when you get the chance. 

Also, if you want to, you can compare scenes from the graphic novel to scenes that occurred on the show by clicking on http://bit.ly/TwoStrainsSite. I promise you though, that if you do, you may well be there for a few hours because it's crazily addictive!

 

Selected - A Sci-Fi Neo-Noir mystery.

Details

Directing: Brennan Karem,

Produced by: Threshhold Films with Renes Rivera

Writing: Brennan Karem, Zach Karem,

Actors: Tim Abell, Zach Karem, Ron Millkie, Evgeniya Orudzheva, Renes Rivera

Country: USA

Language: English

Length: 39 Mins

I have to admit straight away that I have a problem with Zach Karem, I'm sorry Zach, but it really has to be said before I go any further. Apart from being a writer, producer and lead actor in this Sci-Fi short, he is also far too good looking In my opinion. Now some people may think that I'm being more than a little bit unfair and possibly a smidgeon more than a little jealous in that I'm simply letting my own petty insecurities and personal failings once again get the better of me. Well nothing of the sort.........maybe.

The thing is, I know for a fact that Selected was completely written, produced and edited by Zach and his brother, Brennan. Oh, and before I forget, they also produced the whole of the impressive VFX for the film. If you ask me there is far too much drive and talent there between them for any normal person. After all, my so-called talents amount to nothing more than scribbling a few pseudo-intelligent and half-amusing ramblings here on this blog and also in getting my dog to sit to my command - and quite frankly, the part regarding getting my dog to behave is not going particularly well, if the deposit left by the back door this morning is anything to go by. When you add to the recipe the good looks (of Zach, not me or my dog) then it could well be that I'm simply resorting to petty jealousy.

I admit it, I'm shallow, superficial and envious of talented people. 

So, Zach mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the film had been completed and was in fact nearing its world premiere at the Helen Mills theatre (that's in New York City, for those not in the know) and wondered if I'd be interested in watching an online link to Selected. I decided that it was right and proper to put my petty jealousies and insecurities aside for once and grab the coat-tails of some genuinely creative people and have a looksee at what Mr and Mr Karem have created.

Before I go any further, let me pass on to you a brief synopsis of the plot........

" New York city has been crime free of the past year thanks to an experimental crime deterrant system called ‘Selected’. The all-encompassing system has discouraged all crime as it tracks and literally freezes criminals the moment they break the law. Now Orion Tallis, a former NYPD police officer has become one of the detectives working for the ‘Selected’ system a year after his mother, who created and was the architect of the system, died in a car accident and is convinced that she was the last person to be murdered in New York City. In the process he finds out she developed a fail-safe chip to remove people from the ‘Selected’ grid. Now Orion is in a race against time to find out who killed his mother and what happened to her work……"

This is in no way meant as a form of negative criticism, but it's safe to say that Selected has a number of familiar themes and elements, particularly to those of us who love and revere the work of Phillip K. Dick. There are distinct echoes of Blade Runner (Do Androids dream of electric sheep?) and Minority Report, in the philosophical themes, the social commentary and the narrative of this story. If you add to that a flavour or two of classic neo-noir crime mystery (complete with a drop-dead gorgeous femme fatale) then you should catch the overall feel of the approach of the film.  

However, as I've previously mentioned, the obvious influences should not be seen as a criticism. On the contrary, the makers of Selected quite obviously have a genuine respect for the film's subject matter as the plot tracks the lives of a number of different characters as they cope with this new, all-encompassing security system that strives to completely eradicate murder from the human experience. What the result is an authentic appreciation, possibly even a homage, to familiar genre themes that also come complete with plenty of political corruption, murder and sex - and believe me, those are things one can never have too much of! Though I couldn't possible repeat those comments in a court of law.....again.

The acting throughout Selected is generally of good quality, with the seminal Ron Millkie producing a genuinely excellent turn as the not-to-be-trusted commissioner. Ron will will be familiar to horror fans from his memorable role as Officer Dorf in the original version of the horror classic, Friday the 13th (1980). The femme fatale role of Maya is played by Evgeniya Orudzheva. Now, I was wondering just what I could say about Evgeniya without incurring the legal wrath and threat of yet another restraining order. All I will politely say that her performance is excellent and convincing in its portrayal.........besides which, she is completely delicious (see, I couldn't help myself). The character of Maya reminded me a little of Sean Young's classic portrayal of Rachael in Blade Runner - which once again is no criticism at all, as she is quite simply a delightful counter to the character of Orion (played by the annoyingly talented Zach Karem). I don't want to overly inflate Zach's ego, but I must say that he has a nice range of well delivered one-liners in the story and his Sam Spade-esque voice-over is nicely done.

I'm assuming that the budget of Selected, like many first time Indie ventures, is not a particularly major one. The overall look of the film completely belies the probable budgetary restrictions, because visually it is simply lovely. The direction, editing and lighting have been thoughtfully combined not only to show off New York in all it's recognisable fineness, but to fully compliment the darker and edgier scenes that take place throughout. Add to that a number of impressive and convincing FX scenes and you have a veritable visual treat. 

It would be remiss of me not to mention that while Selected has a lot going for it, it isn't perfect. The ensemble cast, while mostly affective are let down by a couple of performances who seem to have erred down the side of over-egging their scenes. It would be grossly unfair of me to name the individuals due to the majority of the cast being very good. Indeed, this unevenness of performance isn't enough to let down the overall feel. In addition, at times the plot pacing becomes a little pedestrian with a couple of scenes that could probably have benefitted from 'tightening up'. However, these negatives are but minor.

There are some who may feel that the short running time and the nature of the ending the ending is less than satisfactory. However, Zach has advised me that the film should be viewed not as a stand alone piece but more along the lines of a TV pilot. He suggests that the universe in which the film takes place has a huge range of possibilities in what it has to offer. Their hope is they will be able to introduce a plethora of story-lines that in the future they want to pursue and broaden out.

And do you know what, dear reader? I have to agree with him. In 10 years time, when no doubt I'm still scribbling my self-indulgent musings here at my Mac, I sincerely hope and believe that I'll be looking back as the Selected being the first of a long and eventful journey in world where life is a right and murder is a privilege.

You can find the Facebook page for Selected RIGHT HERE

The Selected website, which has a whole heap of extra information about the film and its makers, can be found at http://www.theselecteduniverse.com

Three film shorts from Jeremiah Kipp: The Minions, Painkiller & Berenice

Thoughtful. talented and enigmatic - 

talents that Jeremiah shares with me..............possibly.

I often forget, when I'm scribbling my often self-indulgent nerdy mutterings, that once I press 'publish' there are people out there in the scary old world who actually take time to read them. I know, I know - there's no accounting for taste, eh? Take for example the review I wrote a couple of blog entries ago for the new Indie horror, Phobia. Not only has the article had to date well over 500 views according to my blog stats history thingy, but it also garnered a veritable slew of positive feedback from a whole heap of people, which was nice. What was even nicer was that the review led directly to the excellent work of another film director after the man himself emailed me to say just how much I had liked my Phobia review and wondered if I'd be interested in looking a selection of his not inconsiderable body of work.

The man in question is Jeremiah Kipp, a New York City based writer, producer and director with over ten years experience creating narrative and commercial films to his name. Not only that, but he has worked with some noticeable names such as the redoubtable Tom Savini and Chris Sarandon.......not bad, eh? After the usual success anybody has after flattering me with praise, Jeremiah asked me if I would consider having a look at some of his short films for a blog feature. Well of course you know what my answer was, don't you? 

In all, Jeremiah sent me Super-secret online links for three of his short movies; The Minions, Painkiller and Berenice. Would I care to check on or two of them out? He politely asked. Forget that, was my reply, I'll check out all three! That's right, because as you all know me too well by now, besides being self-indulgent and shallow ramblings, I am also rather greedy.

THE MINIONS

"THE MINIONS is based on a true incident. The story is about being thrust into a desperate situation that requires mutual trust between strangers. 

Given the volatility of the circumstances and the uneasy state of mind of the characters, a lot can go wrong. And does."

We've all been there (well, many of us), one is simply walking along a night time city street minding ones own business, when around the corner are some seriously drunk individuals who may or may not be in need of some help. It has certainly happened to me on more than one occasion and to be honest, I'm not sure what is worst, when the drunks are a couple of loudmouth male Neanderthals, or a couple of legless (in the drunk sense of the word, not a missing appendage) giggling women. In The Minions, the second of those scenarios are what face our protagonist, William (played by the far too good-looking Lukas Hassel), after he has decided one evening to take a route through New York along The Witches Path, a path that has achieved urban myth levels of whispered supernatural danger. 

Of course, this is the movies (albeit just 11 minutes of movie) and so therefore this decision proves not exactly to be a straightforward one. William almost makes it to the end of the path, until he suddenly comes along two drunken girls, one of whom keeps collapsing in a heap to the floor. After debating whether or not to help them, he decides to become involved. Unfortunately for him, they are not merely a couple of drunk and defenceless girls, they are minions and that means that things are going to take a very different turn from what William was expecting from the evening.

The Minions is easily my favourite of the three offerings that Jeremiah sent me - that's not to say that the other two are not worthy, because they very much are. However this particular story hit an immediate chord with me for a number of reasons. To begin with, it works wonderfully in transforming a traditional Grimm-like fairy tale of being lost in the forest and being taken advantage of by supernatural forces, and instead sets the story in a modern sprawling urban city. I'm something of a country boy these days but I have spent much of my previous years living in the city, and until you've done the same, it is difficult to convey just how much a dynamic daytime urban landscape can so completely change in complexion when night falls. The feeling of isolation that one can feel within a previously bustling city when darkness comes and results in streets becoming empty, is palpable. So too is that feeling that some of the people one meets on a lonely city night can often seem 'slightly the wrong side of normal', a feeling that is often compounded when one gets 'trapped' in a one-sided drunken conversation. 

I know what you're thinking, you're sat there confused that you've never actually had that feeling when walking through an evening city landscape and thinking that there are strange people around you. Well have you considered that the person who is 'slightly the wrong side of normal' might actually be you?..........

This film nicely captures that sense of ever increasing isolation and, without hesitation, increases the pressure immeasurably throughout to result in a enigmatic and thought provoking climax.

The subtlety of the lighting and direction ,which perfectly conveys the ever encroaching supernatural atmosphere, Is nicely complimented by the quality of the acting. I'm sure that quite naturally, Lukas Hassel will deservedly get the majority of the acting plaudits. A running time of just 11 minutes is no time at all in terms of character development, yet Hassel skilfully carries us along with him on his journey of discovery. He is obviously far too tall and good looking for his own good (the same thing is often said of me....stop laughing you there at the back!) but I'll put any sense of jealousy aside. I would go as far as saying that he has a distinct captivating quality on screen in his almost note-perfect depiction of a man appalled, fascinated and excited by the events he is being drawn into.

A mention also needs to be given to the two minions, Cristina Doikos and Robin Rose Singer, who are both excellent in their respective roles. Doikos in particular provides a satisfyingly textured performance as Sarah who more than holds her own as a perfect equaliser to the character of William. The fact that she is also rather fabulous on the eye doesn't harm either....if that doesn't sound too shallow and superficial, which by my own admission, I very often am.

So we have an intelligent supernatural story that explores the human weaknesses that may well be within us all, featuring a fine cast and a well put together slice of movie production. My only major grip is that isn't isn't longer in length.

The Facebook page for The Minions can be found RIGHT HERE

PAINKILLER

"Painkiller is a dark, disturbing tale of addiction, abuse, and codependency that combines body horror and psychological terror. 

Two scientists (Kelly Rae LeGault, Thomas Mendolia) develop a radical solution for pain: an organism that thrives on suffering and rewards its host with pleasure. 

When one of the scientists volunteers as a test subject, however, the couple quickly discovers that the organism comes with a chilling side effect. The scientists turn to outsiders for help (Jill Di Donato, Jerry Janda), but can anything stop the organism before its appetite for agony consumes them all?"

You can call me an old soppy romantic, but I'm a real sucker for a dark twisted sado-masochistic love story where pain, pleasure and body horror blend seamlessly into each other. Painkiller features a loving theme that I'm sure that we're all familiar with; Boy meets girl. Boy persuades girl to experiment with combining pain with pleasure. Girl needs more and more pain until the boy has trouble keeping up. Boy calls another boy to help out with girl's pain addiction. We've all been there. 

This is without doubt the harshest, most brutal and unrelenting to watch of the three films sent to me by director, Jéremiah Kipp. Painkiller, written by Jerry Jander (who also appears in the film) once again (as with The Minions) deals with the inherent weaknesses of base human nature, namely a man being seduced by a desire or ambition that proves to be disastrous and ultimately costly.

I will admit right now that I'm not the biggest fan of so-called 'body horror' or 'torture porn' and while Painkiller may not quite fit into that rather extreme sub-genre it certainly does have its nasty blood soaked moments. Now, don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that there isn't a place (or an audience, because that's obviously not the case) for this sort of material, Indeed, neither am I saying that I don't find merit in such works - and I'm certainly not saying that I disliked this movie, quite the contrary in fact.

What I'm trying to say. in my usual waffling method, is that one of the joys of this blogging lark is the occasional surprises that come my way to challenge my sometimes limited and constricting preconceptions about what I like to watch. Painkiller certainly has done that, and while it's not perfect, I found myself more engrossed for the 15 minute duration of the film than I anticipated I actually would be when I read the accompanying blurb beforehand.

Jeremiah & the team take 5 mins from filming to read the

latest blog article from the Fifth Dimension.....possibly.

The script by Jerry Janda, who also produced the film, provides a confident and measured pacing to the experience, something that some short story film makers forget. Instead some seem obsessed in trying to fill every screen moment with fast paced complex narrative. I was surprised to learn that this was Janda's first time at having a script filmed, such was the quality of his writing.

Jeremiah Kipp once again directs with astuteness in bringing to life Janda's characters which provides a nicely intelligent and convincing feel, not only to the lead couple's relationship, but also to the mutual destruction that is to ensue between them. Once again, Kipp doesn't fall into the trap of other movie-short makers by trying to get every directional trick that they ever learnt in film school class onto the screen.

There's enough here to satisfy the gore-hounds to an extent and the lesser gore-hounds like myself. I too must make special mention the special effects quality of the organism that has been produced - for a low budget short film the creature that has been produced is utterly convincing and pretty high up there on the 'yeuch' factor. The moment when it enters the host's body is simply wonderful - so much so so that this 'lesser gore-hound' rewound that part a couple of times to view it again.

The overall acting performances of the cast are mostly confident and convincing, with the two leads,  Kelly Rae LeGault, Thomas Mendolia who play the scientist and lovers being particularly excellent in their roles. However, the same cannot quite be said of Jerry Janda's appearance which is less confident and assured than the others, with his dialogue delivery at times early in the feature feeling stilted and over dramatised. It must be said though that as the film progresses his performance does become more assured, however, the role overall is the one less than convincing link in the chain. 

However, in general I was mesmerised and genuinely impressed (as well as surprised) in just how much I enjoyed a film of this uncompromising and relentless nature. Painkiller at it's core is a mean and nasty narrative about the human experience, but delivered by all involved with more than a modicum of intelligence and style - and it's all the better for it!

You can find information on how to purchase Painkiller at: http://painkillerfilm.com/2014/10/18/buy-or-rent-painkiller-today/ 

The Facebook page for Painkiller can be found RIGHT HERE

BERENICE

There is an achingly beautiful quality about Berenice, partly is has to be said from it being an adaptation of one of my favourite Edgar Allan Poe stores about the dark side of loves craving, but also because the adaptation itself nicely brings Poe's legendary shocking imagery to life.

This third and final selection from Jeremiah Kipp is one of a quartet of short films included in Creepers - Horror Anthology, Volume Two. Once again, we have a story that continues the fascinating theme of human weakness, personal craving and a relationship that at first borders and then veers of onto the wrong side of obsessive destruction. Blimey, another film that could be talking about my life!

"Erm, you've got something on your chin......no, left a bit"

I'm assuming that Jeremiah is fan of Poe's work because we have here a lovingly faithful retelling of a story about the obsessive love that a young man has for his cousin, or rather one part of her anatomy - and before you start guessing, it's not necessarily the part of the female anatomy that I (or you) may usually be obsessed with. The adaptation is faithful in the sense of the shocking themes that Poe included in his work, but also in remaining authentic to the time line of the original story. It is nice to see Kipp resist the temptation to make a Poe short story into a longer Hollywood friendly feature length version, on option that more times than not results in the watering down of Poe's horror. 

As a consequence, the 20 minute running time of Berenice is practically perfect. This factor is made more so by Kipp's direction, which is noticeably more sequential in style than the other two offerings in this article. This turns out to be something of a master stroke by the director because, while there is certainly a time & place for a more abstract time line, such as the one that takes place in The Minions, the more episodic flow here accentuates nicely the ever increasing horror of the story. The film's ending is meant to both shock and surprise the audience. It worked when Poe first produced the story (perhaps too well, judging by the horrified reactions at the time) and it works terrifically well here.

"So, er.....how often do you brush your teeth?.........."

As with many directors, whether they be indie or mainstream studio based, Kipp seems keen to use a familiar stable of actors and crew for his films. In this feature the leading man is once again played by Thomas Mendolia and thanks to a far more edgier role here,  if anything he is even more impressive than he was able to be in Painkiller. Mendolia perfectly conveys a character who is trapped by obsession, an obsession that is deeply layered and ultimately deeply flawed. Cheryl Koski is also quite remarkable, both in terms of talent and easiness on the eye, in the title role of Berenice as the object of her cousin's ultimately horrific desires. 

When Edgar Allan Poe's story of Berenice was first read to audiences, the reaction to the ending was one of real shock and controversy. This film version is 15 minutes of fine ensemble acting and a genuinely sympathetic treatment of genuinely chilling subject matter. Once again Kipp has the nerve and temerity to actually ask the audience to think about what they are seeing on the screen, and just as importantly, what they are not seeing on the screen. Poe had the power to deal with a multitude of psychological themes in his work, thankfully Kipp produces a piece of work here that deals satisfyingly with each of the layers of this deceivingly complex story.

It is a treat for the eyes and ears and well worth checking out for yourself. 

Berenice, this fine adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story, is part of a horror anthology called "CREEPERS" and is out on DVD right now. It is available for order at creepersfilm.com 

Jeremiah Kipp's Biography.

His directing credits include THE SADIST starring Tom Savini, MASTERMIND starring Chris Sarandon, THE POD starring Larry Fessenden, CONTACT (commissioned by Sinister Six annual screening series), THE DAYS GOD SLEPT (Best Director-HorrorHound 2014), CRESTFALLEN, THE CHRISTMAS PARTY (Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand), EASY PREY (commissioned by NYC's annual VisionFest), DROOL (commissioned by Mandragoras Art Space), SNAPSHOT and THE APARTMENT (commissioned by Canon to premiere their XL2 at DV Expo 2004). Producing credits include the feature films SATAN HATES YOU (created by Glass Eye Pix, starring Angus Scrimm, Michael Berryman and Reggie Bannister), GOD'S LAND, LET'S PLAY, IN MONTAUK, THE JONESTOWN DEFENSE and THE BED-THING (directed by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Matt Zoller Seitz). Assistant director credits include I SELL THE DEAD starring Dominic Monaghan, SOMEWHERE TONIGHT starring John Turturro, ONE NIGHT starring Melissa Leo, and the Sundance Award-winning MAN (dir: Myna Joseph).

For more information about the work of Jeremiah Kipp, then visit his website at http://kippfilms.com/main.html