Shitter Was Full

Christmas Vacation (1989)
Dir - Jeremiah S. Chechik

Everyone knows this film, everyone loves this film, and it's completely justified. After dozens and dozens of times seen over the past 22 (!) years I still find myself laughing out loud consistently. Probably the best of the Vacation films, with the original a VERY close second. It was great to see it in 35mm on the big screen again for the first time since its original run.

Country Vengeance

Pumpkinhead (1988)
Dir - Stan Winston

Great fun on Halloween night at the Texas Theatre with a 35mm presentation of this great flick directed by a great in the FX world. The titular character is freaking awesome and Lance Henriksen is fantastic. Don't remember much about the three sequels but I do remember loving part 2 for some cheese and having Punky Brewster in the cast. Maybe I'll re-watch it soon.

Is It Really You?

The Thing (1982)
Dir - John Carpenter

One of the best horror/sci-fi films out there... period. Couldn't pass up the chance to see this in 35mm at the Texas Theatre. The print was obviously aged and well worn with much "pinking" but that only added to my enjoyment. I wonder how many times and in how many places that particular print has screened? The film was great though some of the audience, probably a tad tipsy, laughed at a few parts that, in my opinion, aren't really funny. Great FX work by Bottin and truly frightening.

Oh Niles...

The Perfect Host (2010)
Dir - Nick Tomnay

Heard some good things about this from some and decided to stay for its last show at the Texas Theatre. Good choice. Really interesting low budget thriller with an outstanding performance by David Hyde Pierce. I really love films that are smaller and take place closer to real time. This only spans about twelve hours (mostly) and the main location is just one house. Not sure why so many seemed to not enjoy it, according to the low rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I thought it was great.

End of the World

Night of the Comet (1984)
Dir - Thom Eberhardt

Had not watched this since the DVD came out a few years back and really enjoyed seeing it in 35mm for the first time. So much of this film is great, but I love it mainly for every little thing that Kelli Maroney does. She's cute and funny.

Holy Tomatoes!

TerrorVision (1986)
Dir - Ted Nicolau
Tuesday Night Trash

This is a film that I've seen a few times before and love. It's goofy and fun with a very cool designed monster and Jon Gries as a metalhead! What had me out to see it on this night was the first of a new series at the Texas Theatre called Tuesday Night Trash. They are going to show older, off the beaten path films along with other assorted oddities.

For the inaugural film it kicked off with an odd "short film" by a local Dallas guy who goes by the name George Quartz. I'm not too sure how to feel about this, I really enjoyed parts of it but overall wasn't too impressed. Quartz, I believe, has something to do with the programming of TNT so that would explain why they showed this. If you want to see it for yourself it's here on Vimeo.

The features are supposed be shown on their original format and for TerrorVision that meant a VHS screening. This was a pretty poor tape as the image looked over saturated and the sound was very muffled. Not sure if it was a bad copy or projection problems. I will give the venue the benefit of the doubt.

Not sure how many of the TNT screenings I'll be able to make it to, since my Tuesdays are usually booked, but I'll try to go again. Next one is on July 5th and they're showing Necropolis, which I've never seen.

Cleanin' the Streets

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)
Dir - Jason Eisener
Special Dungeon Screening!

Started out as a fake trailer in the Grindhouse faux-trailer contest this awesome premise has been fleshed out into a full feature with the great Rutger Hauer in the lead role. Who wouldn't want to see this based on the red band trailer alone? I held out to hopefully see this in a theater instead of renting it on-demand and I'm glad I did because The Texas Theatre started playing it this week. Now I could have seen it in their 600+ seat main theatre like everyone else but they were having one screening in their "super secret" dungeon screening room. Something I (along with Jenny, Micah and Melissa) could not pass up doing.

First to get to the basement screening room you have to go through the men's restroom! Once in the small door you go down a small staircase into the room that's small and dank. When I say dank... I mean dank. There are plumbing pipes hanging down with cut tennis balls on the ends of the sharper/lower ones so you don't hit your head. It seats around 16 or so, but due to all the recent rain we were down a few seats because of the standing water in the back corner. Ha! One of the theater owners was even down there mopping as our pre-show entertainment.

             

As for the projection there was a small projector, like you would find in someone's home theater, hooked to a PS3 and a PA system. I worried for about a half a second about the water leaving the confines of the  orange cones and electrocuting something but that might make it even more fun. Luckily the sound was loud enough that I never heard a toilet flush once the movie started. The whole thing is thrown on a "screen" that's sloppily hung on the wall. Interesting.

The chairs were small and damn uncomfortable, as well as how hot it was down there. If they got a fan down there and let you bring your own lawn chars, or something similar, it might be fun to do semi-regularly for some dark horror, underground (natch) or exploitation fare. It's quite an experience, one that makes you feel like your in a room with a bunch of perverts watching a snuff film or something. But in a good way of course! Hopefully they'll figure out the cooling situation before next time and I'll go back down there, but probably not otherwise.

As for the actual film - I thought it really delivered. Some great ultra-violence and a fun story. I really love The Plague and some of the more humorous one-liners. Eisener made a good decision to keep the comedy to a minimum and go a more serious route with the film. Karim Hussain's cinematography was quite interesting and really hit the nail on the head with some of the films of the exploitation heyday. Films like Bitch Slap should really take note of what is done here, because this is the right way to make this kind of retro-sploitation.

Grave Diggers!

Stone (1974)
Dir - Sandy Harbutt

Great 70s biker flick, a genre of which I'm not a huge fan, from Australia. This played before a repeat of Horror Remix's great biker themed show Road Rash and I'd like to thank them for introducing this to me. Some good action, a great exposition/drug seen and some really awesome characters. Some of the bikers in the Grave Diggers you might recognize from their later work in Mad Max.

This Wheel Keeps A Turnin'

Rubber (2010)
Dir - Quentin Dupieux

How can you not want to see a movie about a killer tire? This film is super meta and celebrates the moments in film, and life, of things that happen for "no reason." This little nihilistic tire is hysterical. He blows up people's heads, rabbits, birds and loves to watch TV. I want an action figure! A great film that I highly recommend.

See, Books Can Ruin Your Life

Peep World (2010)
Dir - Barry W. Blaustein

Had to see this because Sarah Silverman is quite wonderful and enjoyed what I saw. Not a comedy that will have you roaring with laughter but still quite funny and dark. Great cast and premise and never gets dull - but how can it with a runtime of 79 minutes?

Tengo Hambre

We Are What We Are, aka Somos lo que hay (2010)
Dir - Jorge Michel Grau

Missed this one at Fantastic Fest and luckily the Texas Theatre was showing it this week. Some of what I read about this film compared it Let the Right One In, saying that this does for cannibals what that did for vampires. I can see where they are going but it's not nearly as good as it's bloodsucker Swedish comrade. This Mexican film deals with what goes on in a poor family after the death of the father. Who should take over, the eldest boy or the mother? There is a power struggle and grief set against the backdrop that they are all cannibals. Where this falls short is because of some confusing struggles between the son and mother that existed long before his father's death, none of which is explored too deeply or explained. I'm all for leaving ambiguity, like with the whole human eating ritual thing, but it seemed too much was left unexplored.

I did love certain aspects of this film. Grau did a lot with his obviously tight budget and there is some great camerawork in certain scenes that brought a smile to my face. What really stands out is sound, in all forms. The sound design is fantastic in their project home that is filled with Doc Brown levels of clocks and the constant cacophony of ticking is mesmerizing. But special attention must be given to Enrico Chapela's lovely string heavy score. Even if I would normally leave a film before the end credits are complete, which I don't, I would have been unable to leave because the music was so damn good. To my dismay there is no soundtrack currently in release, as far as I can find, but I hope someday they release one because they will get my money for sure!

Bravo

The Red Shoes (1948)
Dir - Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

Wow! What a great film with moving music to some fantastic dance sequences. The photography and technicolor used here is jaw-dropping - not like it wouldn't be with Jack Cardiff behind the lens. Moira Shearer is absolutely stunning. I'll have sweet dreams of the 15 minute version of the ballet of The Red Shoes we get to see. Bravo!