THE LOST ART OF THE HORROR MOVIE POSTER (US EDITION)

A recent discussion at Stacie Ponder's essential Final Girl blog about the poster for the remake of "The House on Sorority Row"..



...called simply "Sorority Row" (kinda like Kentucky Fried Chicken used to be just that and now it's KFC)...



...lead me to consider the mostly lost art of the movie poster in general, and the lost art of the horror movie poster in specific. What follows are North American release posters only (too many amazing European ones to consider) that don't necessarily represent my favorite horror flicks, though some of them are, they're just genre posters that I love.

Inglourious Basterds

Q: Why is it that when a new Quentin Tarantino move is released, all the movie-lovin’ blogs and website write incessantly about him/it?

A: Because he/it is worth writing about.

Like the release of a new Coen Brothers movie, a new Tarantino flick is a cause for movie fans – real film lovers who also care about pre-Spielberg, pre-Lucas cinema – to celebrate. Tarantino is clearly obsessed by movies, and that spills out onto the screen whenever his movies do too. I love that he’s not a movie snob (at least, if he is, it’s in the best possible way); his obsession seems to spread across the cine-spectrum. He’s a guy who realizes that the line between arthouse and grindhouse is practically nonexistent. He’s as much Godard as he is Girdler.

To my senses, the key to Tarantino is to realize that all Tarantino movies are about… movies. And none more so than his latest – Inglourious Basterds. In this case, where the film demonstrates, quite literally, the power of film during its climax. This underlying theme may be why I love his movies so damn much.

Starting with Jackie Brown, my personal experience with Tarantino flicks have been unusual. Previously, I’d seen and loved Reservoir Dogs, but seeing Pulp Fiction felt like my movie world had been rocked. Walking out of the theatre after seeing it for the first time, I felt like I had just witnessed an utterly new combination of elements put together in an exciting and unique way. The anticipation for Jackie Brown then, was extremely high. When JB rolled around to theatres, it was not at all what I’d anticipated, and I was somewhat let down by it. Then I saw it again and really got into it. Really got into it. It’s now one of my favourite flicks. The same happened with Kill Bill Vol. 1. And Kill Bill Vol. 2. By the time Grindhouse came around, I realized that I was going to have to see any Tarantino film at least twice in the theatre; once to go through that highly anticipated rush, and a second time to get a grip on the movie and experience it a different way. And by the time of Grindhouse, I was predisposed to love everything that Tarantino did. So, following my predisposition, I loved Grindhouse, a movie experience that can only properly be experienced, I think, in its original double bill, missing reel, in theatre (or at drive-in) format. It’s a blast.

And now comes Inglourious Basterds, a movie that I loved at first sight, and a movie that I will return to again soon. Why discuss plot and ruin the experience for those who haven’t seen it yet? It’s a World War II flick/Spaghetti Western fairy tale that’s about the movies. To paraphrase the tag line for Showgirls: “Leave your expectations at the door.” A new Tarantino flick has arrived, and it’s a reason for writing.

Tokyo Transit Dreams

Laura O'Brien and I have collaborated on our first Flash animation. Jeez, what a pain in the ass! Not because of Laura (she is an excellent collaborator), but because our brains weren't built to function the way Flash asks them to. With tips from Beth Scott (whose brain DOES function the way Flash asks it to), however, we were able to get all 52 seconds of mostly repeated motion up on Youtube. The result is "Tokyo Transit Dreams", a simple animation with a simple concept... Do reserved people get wild in their dreams? Mentally blink and you'll miss it.

Oh Hal Hartley! Oh Godard!

Back in April, I posted about this scene I love from Hal Hartley's 'Simple Men":

http://bloody-terror.blogspot.com/2009/04/it-aint-bloody-but-i-love-it.html.

Now I feel like a dope. In the midst of a Godard frenzy, I recently watched "Bande à part" and discovered this freaking fantastic scene (note: the subtitles are iffy in their translation here) that was clearly Hartley's inspiration:



Vive la Godard!

'Cuz I Love It! (Song & Vid)

FAVOURITE COMEDIES

A recent conversation with my friend Rob over at The Annekenstein Monster coupled with watching the special features on the Young Frankenstein DVD (in black & white... no offence) set me to thinking about my favourite comedies. It's interesting to me that all but one of them are American. And Rob, I challenge you to post your own list on your blog.

Any way, for better or worse, here's my list, including guilty pleasures and only straight ahead comedies (no Evil Dead 2 or The 4th Man), no cut off number and in alphabetical order:

AFTER HOURS (1985) Dir: Martin Scorsese




ANIMAL HOUSE (1978) Dir: John Landis



ANNIE HALL (1977) Dir: Woody Allen



BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970) Dir: Russ Meyer



BLAZING SADDLES (1974) Dir: Mel Brooks



BRAIN CANDY (1996) Dir: Kelly Makin



BRINGING UP BABY (1938) Dir: Howard Hawks



A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) Dir: Bob Clark



DESPERATE LIVING (1977) Dir: John Waters



DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964) Dir: Stanley Kubrick



DUCK SOUP (1933) Dir: Leo McCarey



FEMALE TROUBLE (1974) Dir: John Waters



A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988) Dir: Charles Crichton



HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) Dir: Howard Hawks



JACKASS NUMBER 2 (2006) Dir: Jeff Tremaine



LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) Dir: Terry Jones



THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS (1970) Dir: Arthur Hiller



PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) Dir: Tim Burton



RAISING ARIZONA (1987) Dir: Joel Coen



SLEEPER (1973) Dir: Woody Allen



SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) Dir: Billy Wilder



SOUTH PARK BIGGER LONGER & UNCUT (1999) Dir: Trey Parker



STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (1928) Dir: Charles Reisner



SUPER VIXENS (1975) Dir: Russ Meyer



TEAM AMERICA (2004) Dir: Trey Parker




THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984) Dir: Rob Reiner



UP! (1976) Dir: Russ Meyer




WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (1996) Dir: Christopher Guest



YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) Dir: Mel Brooks

POOT

My CHIMP bandmate Rob has cut together a video for our song "Poot" using footage from a movie called "A Estrana Hospederia dos Prazeres". Check it out. You can also buy our CD "Thundercrack!" through Amazon.com and CD Baby.