The Blair Witch Project

The Blair Witch Project remains the only film I have seen three times in the theater. Opening night, the next night and about a week later.

Carl was (and still is thank you very much) on top of things. You see, this was a time when we had discovered something called the internet. Carl showed me pictures of the stick people figures and told me the story of how some kids had disappeared while doing a documentary on something called The Blair Witch.

"Is it real? These kids disappearing?"- Me

"I don't know. It seems like it, yes?"- Carl

This was weeks before the film opened and likely the first instance of a film having a viral marketing campaign. What I knew of the internet at the time was basically message boards and dial up connections. My dad would let me use the computer for an hour every so often and you had to have a clearly defined plan of what you were going to look up. Otherwise your time would run out while you were waiting for three(!) pages to load in that hour. So the internet was as mysterious to me as this film that we were talking about.

Several of us (When you see Matthew, ask him about Book Of Shadows) went all the way to Nashville on opening night. The place was packed and the film was sold out. We didn't let this deter us. We just bought tickets to something else and went into The Blair Witch Project theater anyway. There was not enough seating and folks were sitting on the floor. Management came in and announced that they knew there were several people in there that weren't supposed to be. They checked a few tickets. I was sweating. But no one (at least in my group) was kicked out.

Man, this film was scary. It's quite a testament to a film's scariness when I can say that, 1.) The film was scary, and 2.) The scariest part of the film to me was a guy standing in a corner.

Often the hype around a film can obscure just how good it is in hindsight. When I first got into gialli I was blown away by Deep Red. Then I started digging into more and more obscure gialli and even though I KNOW how awesome the film is I forget until I watch it again. "Wow. Deep Red is amazing." I mean, I know that but I kind of take it for granted until I see it. (The Blue Underground bluray really helps hammer that point home by the way.)  


I bought the bluray last year. It was cheap and an impulse buy. Does it hold up? That is the question that I've been leading up to. I think it does. You never see anything. Not really. And that fact means more to me now than it did in 1999. (God, I am old.) You never see The Blair Witch herself. Just a lot of sounds, tension and atmosphere building that finally crescendos as the film...ends. It reaches it's highest point and it's over. Bam.


                                                               

There. I've ruined it for you.

Sometime last year there was a big brouhaha because a bunch of teenagers watched Halloween and thought it wasn't scary or good or said it was dull or something stupid. I don't remember exactly other than it squarely thrusts me into the 'old man shakes fist at cloud' crowd. But inversely I also think, "Who gives a shit?" Because I can't help it if kids have no imagination these days.


And imagination is indeed something you need to appreciate The Blair Witch Project. And the first Paranormal Activity for that matter, but that's another blog entry/rant. I don't have to be shown everything. I don't have to be spoonfed. I don't have to see The Blair Witch. 

The Hundred In The Hands

This is the best dream pop song I've come across in a while.
I feel like 1993.

You're Next

If you haven't seen this, you should. The remix trailer AND the film. Do it.

And the entire awesome Dwight Twilley song:

Hello! This Is The Doomed Show

So not only have I been neglecting the old Yellow Razor, I've also been absent from Hello! This Is The Doomed Show. Never fear, I shall return shortly. But honestly I almost hate to. I have enjoyed special guest star co-hosts Jeffrey and Nafa SO much. Tampa's Giallo, Murder Rock derision, Tommy Pickles, Trampa, Serbo-Croatia, Bosco the mute flautist, the Firefly family, Steven Seagal, unraveling the mystery of The House With The Laughing Windows, it goes on and on. I thank them both for joining Richard for some great shows.

The show can be found here: http://hellodoomedshow.podomatic.com/


And archives here: http://doomedmoviethon.com/podcasts/podcasts.htm

April Fools Day

Tomorrow is April 1st and Elizabeth got me April Fools Day and Slaughter High for my birthday. (Slaughter High was originally titled April Fools Day, for that matter, so was Killer Party which she also got me but we went ahead and watched it. All three from 1986. Weird.) I've saved them for tomorrow. April Fools Day is a favorite from my childhood and I think I've only seen Slaughter High once. So how about it? Does anyone plan on watching either of these tomorrow? I'm thinking I'll turn it into a tradition like Halloween on Halloween, Black Christmas on Christmas Eve, and My Bloody Valentine on Valentine's Day.

I saw Zombie today

Oh hey there. I haven't posted in a while but it isn't because I don't love you. It's because I'm lazy.

So I watched Zombie today. The two disc deluxe Blue Underground bluray. It's been a while since I saw it. Zombie seems to be a lot of folks 'in' into Fulci. It was mine. And while it'll never be my #1 Fulci film, it does rank highly. I prefer his Gates Of Hell trilogy but without Zombie we wouldn't have likely gotten them. I used to think that long stretches of the film was boring. Everything clicked on my second or third viewing. And this bluray is outstanding. I really believe that Fulci belongs up there with the master directors of horror.

If there's anyone still reading after my long lazy absence, hit me up in the comments on your top 5 Fulci films.



                                                                                   

Guest Post: John Hughes Minithon

And now a guest post from the most important person in the world, my wife, Elizabeth!

I am sick. I have strep throat. It is stupid. What should I do to feel better? Well aside from a round of antibiotics, I decided to have a John Hughes minithon! I call it a minithon because it is only three films, but oh what films! Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

I began with Sixteen Candles (1984). Why, you ask? Because when given a sex quiz that asks if I could do it with anyone (other than my husband), the answer would be Jake Ryan. And I went in chronological order. Sixteen Candles is my favorite John Hughes film. It could almost be said that is it one of my favorite films, period. I watched this quite often on TBS as a kid. Needless to say as an adult, I was a little surprised at the amount of cursing and the brief nudity. Surprised, but not bothered. Many a times has Brad had to listen to me say “Au-to-mo-bile!” and “Oh sexy girlfriend!” in my very best Long Duk Dong voice.

The film revolves around the life of Samantha (Molly Ringwald) and the events surrounding her 16^th birthday. Her older sister is getting married the next day and everyone forgets Sam's birthday altogether. Sam also has a mad crush on school hunk Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) who she believes doesn't know she exists. Sam is also plagued by the presence of everynerd, Ted (Anthony Michael Hall). School dances are attended, parties are held, and weddings commence. Things go awry but everything works out in the end with kisses and cake. 

Why do I love this film? It's such a simplistic premise and yet it fills me with that hopeful, romantic feeling that I probably should have given up ages ago. What's not to love? It's the kind of film that makes you believe in miracles. If you've ever been in high school, you will know that the hot, popular senior falling for a slightly awkward yet potentially cool sophomore is practically a miracle. It's not a particularly deep film, but I think it paved the way for the next two Hughes films I will cover. It still has a sense of the have and the have-nots, nerds and sophomores versus prom queens and seniors. It is exploring some of the same themes of the others films just not quite so head on. All in all, this film is funny, heartwarming, and fun, and to me, perfectly wonderful.

Next up in my minithon was The Breakfast Club (1985). It is angsty and awesome. The film's premise is that five very different students have to spend an entire Saturday in the school library as a form of detention for various transgressions they have committed. As the day progresses, the teenagers learn more and more about why each one is in detention and subsequently, learn more and more about the way they view each other and themselves.  Each kid has his or her own set of problems, but in the end, they realize that their problems unite them and that they are more than just the labels high school society has pinned on them (The Athlete (Emilio Estevez), The Brain (Anthony Michael Hall), The Basket Case (Ally Sheedy), The Princess (Molly Ringwald), and The Criminal (Judd Nelson)). 

I thoroughly enjoy films that are set in one location. This definitely has that going for it. They do move from the library to the halls a few times and we do see the street in front of the high school when their parents pick them up and drop them off, but I still consider this a one location film. I love seeing how a film evolves when characters are confined to one location. It leads to a more focused study of the characters and their dilemmas which is exactly why it works for a film such as this. We feel cooped up just like the teens knowing that we can't leave until the end of the film. We feel the tension build as they examine their lives at school and at home, and we feel the bonds form as they realize their similarities despite their differences.

This film goes even further into the themes that were merely touched upon in Sixteen Candles. It very clearly separates five types of high school personalities. The difference between each person is continually shown through every single action in the film. Even lunchtime becomes a character study as each teen has a lunch that speaks to exactly what kind of person they are supposed to be. I think this film speaks of friendship but not about friends. None of these kids are friends, and they admit that they may not be friends when the day is over. They don't build friendships so much as they build alliances based on mutual understanding of what makes them similar. It is a film that speaks about finding common ground among those around you, and it has the song “Don't You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds; therefore, it rocks.

Last in the minithon, Pretty In Pink (1986). This movie I have not seen nearly as many times as the other two, but that does not make it any less awesome. The plot goes something like this. Pretty but poor Andie (Molly Ringwald) and her best poor friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) are outcasts at their richie-rich person high school. Lucky for Andie, richie-rich guy Blane (Andrew McCarthy) likes her and is nice (unlike all the other richie-riches who are a bunch of nasty, horrible jerks). Andie falls for Blane who then has a crisis of identity brought on by the leader of the horrible jerks, Steff (James Spader). Despite losing her rich boyfriend and being made fun of incessantly, Andie is able to man up and go to the prom where Blane realizes he’s an idiot and that even though poor, Andie is perfect.

This film takes the idea of differences and focuses on one specific difference, economic status. It is truly about the haves and have-nots. The message in the end is that money shouldn’t matter because love is greater than material wealth.  Hopefully most people going into this film already know this lesson, but the film does a nice job of showcasing it. We feel for Blane as the only decent person in a sea of slimeballs, and we definitely root for him to overcome his fears and get back with Andie. We feel for Andie as well as she endures taunts and teases about her looks, her clothes, and her friends all of which are too poor for the rich girls to ignore.

The other theme I think this film highlights is friendship. Andie and Duckie are best friends. This film highlights close friendships in a way the other films do not. Andie is also very close with her boss, Iona (Annie Potts) and her father, Jack (Harry Dean Stanton).  Neither of the other films focus on a close support system for the main character. In Sixteen Candles, Sam is isolated from her family and only has one friend who is not really a main part of the story.  In The Breakfast Club, each main character is purposefully isolated from all the other students as well as their families. Pretty In Pink, however, shows how a tight-knit group of friends and family can help a person through the tough times and come out on top.

Now, some random thoughts.

1)      Pretty In Pink has the best kissing scenes of all the films.  Way to go Andrew McCarthy!

2)      James Spader in Pretty In Pink has the best hair of any male characters in all three films.  It is beachy blond and feathered juuuust right.  Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club comes in second.

Why yes, James, you can stare into my soul any time you like.

 3)      Molly Ringwald’s hair goes from best to worst in this order: The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink. In Pretty In Pink when her hair is down she looks like old Carol Burnett. It’s unsettling.

Bad, Molly, bad!

4)      My favorite leading male character is Jake Ryan.  Did I mention that already?

5)      Anthony Michael Hall is perfect as Ted the Geek in Sixteen Candles. He has an exuberance and confidence mixed with nervousness that jumps off the screen. I think he won an Oscar for that role. (Just kidding!)

6)      Harry Dean Stanton is awesome.  He makes Pretty In Pink even better.

Well friends, in summation, I believe these films perfectly dramatize how people can feel during the high school time of life and that is why they remain popular. Though reminiscent of a different era of fashion and music (man, I miss the 80s), they still capture those feelings of teenage angst, anger, loneliness, love, pressure, politics, and friendship that are eternal. These feelings transcend decades and reside in the high school setting ad infinitum. Thank you, John Hughes.  You made having strep throat somewhat more bearable, and you made high school movies immensely more amazing.