Fantastic Short Film Friday - The Killing Joke (live-action)

And we are back with another installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we continue to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

There's just something about short films. Maybe its because of their length and because of that they subject matters can be more esoteric and still be impactful, but there are just some stories that can only be told in the short form, and today's short is one of those. Here is the 15-minute horror short The Killing Joke from filmmaker Sebastian Lopez. There's a killer clown, red balloons and well it's a horror short because of the crazy clown, but its more of a meditative exploration on something, but I'll leave that for each viewer to discover themselves.

The setup from the filmmakers:

The Killing Joke is a 15 minute suspense/fiction short film about a mysterious woman that finds a red balloon tied up to a curious little box on an eery derelict street. Using classic elements of suspense and working within a seventies aesthetic, 'The Killing Joke' is an action packed film that pays homage to some of the horror movies from that era.

Not to be confused with Alan Moore's seminal Joker story of the same name, this one is a showcase of suspense and fear of the random unknown. There's very little dialogue and some of the scenes are pretty mind-numbering frustrating (like if you're getting chased by a crazed clown would you really just fall down and cry and not try to move), but if you like the classic slasher genre you should get a kick out of this short. It's just shot amazingly well, and the final scene is just breathtaking.

Check this out if you like slow methodical horror films that rely on fear of the unknown as opposed to jump scares. Check this out to see a genuinely beautifully shot film that had me wanting more as I drifted off to sleep. Enjoy this weeks dose of short form goodness in, The Killing Joke.

What I Think Of: Predators (2010)

Here's an early review of a recent film release. Since we've been a bit tardy with the latest podcast (sorry guys but a new show will be released at the end of this week. No really it will!), I've decided to give my quick thoughts on this reboot/sequel to the original 1987 film, Predator (let's all try to forget the 1990 Predator 2 where a predator is defeated by out of shape Danny Glover ever happened). So here we have Predators, where elite human killers are dropped on an alien world to be hunted. Directed by Nimrod Antal (of Kontroll, Vacancy and Armored fame), the film stars Adrian Brody as an elite special opts soldier who must team up with a ragtag group of survivors to fight and fend off their captors. Upping the stakes is that while Arnold barely defeated one in the original film, washboard abs Brody must defeat 3, because the best things in life come in three's (and yes I'm including the 3-set of breasts in Total Recall).

Since we'll be reviewing the movie later this week for the podcast, I'm going to make this short and sweet, so here are some of my initial thoughts concerning this film.

• I've been waiting most my life for a true sequel to one of my favorite sci-fi horror franchises, and Predators does not disappoint. While I thought it might be decent if not cheesy, Predators is surprisingly well written, action packed and stays true to the original film.
• On that note, initially I thought that there was no way "serious" actor Adrian Brody could pull off an action lead, especially one that Arnie made famous, but he's damn good here. He's gruff, he's mean, he has a six-pack, I mean Brody just went up miles in the "man" factor in my eyes. Everyone I talk to about this movie keeps asking, "you say it's good, but I mean come on, Adrian Brody is in it. How good can he be?" He's f-n fantastic here people. The biggest surprise of the year.
• If there's one thing director Nimrod Antal knows it's how to shoot and pace action scenes. This movie is just filled with some great set pieces, great beats of humanity and characterization between action scenes- it's a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The film doesn't try to be anything more than it is, a B-movie action flick with an A-movie budget, and Antal just works wonders here.
• I just love actor Danny Trejo and he makes a cameo here. Why? I'm sure it's because the film is produced by Robert Rodriguez and Trejo is starring in Rodriguez's upcoming movie, Machete. But yeah Trejo is just awesome and playes my favorite character in the movie. And I think I'm in love with Alice Braga. Ever since I saw here in the disappointing Repo Men movie, yeah I can't get enough of her and she's fantastic here as well, being the only woman in the movie and yet not only being able to keep up with the guys, but also showing them how its done.
  
• Just like I always say, practical creature/monster effects are always better than cheap cgi effects. The predator costumes are just great, with a nice throwback to the original but still feeling fresh and updated.
• Lastly, if you liked the original film, you'll love this one. There's just so many homages, so many references that any fan of the original will have a blast during the film picking out everything. Thank you dvds and repeat viewings!!

So yeah, there you have it. Predators is a great reboot/sequel to the classic 1987 film, and is a true throwback to all the great genre films of the 80's and 90's that modern cinema is sorely lacking. Listen to our upcoming podcast to hear my full review, but this one is a definite must watch.

Fantastic Short Film Friday - Universal Dead

And we are back with another weekly installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we look to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for you something a bit different, rather than the usual one and done short, this one is the first episode in an ongoing zombie webseries called, Universal Dead. Directed by Vernon Mortensen and written by Kelly Parks, the series stars a plethora of talent such as DB Sweeney (of Jericho fame), Gary Graham (of Alien Nation fame), and Doug Jones (of Hellboy and Pans Labyrinth fame). So yeah, its nice to see some fairly known stars in a webseries. Here's the official synopsis:

Planet Earth is ravaged by a strange disease that turns people into mindless murderers. As civilization struggles to survive, a small team of US Navy SEALs must protect a doctor from the Center for Disease Control on a mission to evaluate the claims of an erratic scientist who may have discovered the secret to mankind's salvation.

I'm not sure what I really think of Universal Dead so far. To be fair it's only the first 5-minute episode. But it does have this cheese factor to it, with some oddly pretty poor acting, and I'm not a fan of the gray shuffling zombies the filmmakers have decided to use. For one, the make-up looks poor, and secondly, I think shuffling gray zombies in a visual medium is just lazy. Still, it's very early on and there's a lot of promise I can see here. So I'm waiting to watch at least the first 5 episodes before I make a final judgment.

I can sit around all day and watch a zombie show and a bite-sized webseries sounds right up my alley. To find out more information about the series including the rest of the series (when they finally air) go: here.

I know it seems as though I'm down on Universal Dead, but it's only because I see so much promise here and can't wait for the creators to hit their stride and flesh out the story they want to tell. Give the series a chance, watch the first few episodes, and hopefully we'll all be rewarded with an interesting and fun take on a zombie filled world. Enjoy.

Book Review: Feed by Mira Grant

Publication Date: 2010 in US

Synopsis:

In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.

It raised the dead.

Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.

Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:

When will you rise?

Joshua's Take: 4/5☆

Why I picked up the book: a story about journalism, zombies and blogging? Seriously, did Mira Grant write this book for me?

I am a journalist by study if no longer by trade and while the world of news no longer interests me as a profession, I am still fascinated by reading the news, or to more precise, how newsies go about their craft. And as we all know, especially you, purveyor of our blog and I'm sure countless others, most people get their news online or from television. The majority of people first hear about something from the John Stewart Show, Colbert Report, or watch news stream instantly online from any war torn area. Newspapers can no longer compete. It's a both sad and sobering thought because the truth is, bloggers don't have a filter. This is both freeing and cumbersome, the idea that now I can write as much as I want, about whatever I want to, unfiltered and unfettered, but I don't have an editor, someone to pare down the post to the essentials. I'm also my own fact checker now and that's scary. What I'm trying to get at here is- imagine a world where the zombie apocalypse has happened, and now the world has been saved and gets its information from everyday modern journalists who run their own blogs, no filter no fact-checking but their own- and god help us because that's the very definition of chaos.

I'm not going to lie, nothing brings me more pleasure than a good zombie and vampire story. I'm a sucker for the decaying flesh and blood sucking fiends, but while I do read a lot of their stories, I'm also very picky on what I consider good, because damn I read a lot of their stories and I want to be impressed. Mira Grant has crafted a fascinating world, post zombie apocalypse style. So many stories I read about zombies deal with the zombie infestation rather than the aftermath, the thought about the daily life of people who have to live with zombies shuffling around. Do people run and hide and cry? Sure, some do. But many others just go about their daily lives, just now in fortified cars, with guns and more watchful eyes.

Mira Grant is the pen name for urban-fantasy author Seanan McGuire who has penned two previous novels (Rosemary and Rue and A Local Habitation) both of which I have not yet read. But man, after reading Feed, I'm eager to read her other books. She has created something special with Feed. It's reality and horror though information, a story of how people can be at times even crueler than wave after wave of zombies, a story about a world rebuilding through politics and journalism, though faith and death, through virus and understanding. The zombies are here to stay, but we can survive if we have enough information on the hows if not the whys. We can all thank Mr. Romero for that one.

However, what really got me about Feed, what really kept me glued page after page, were the main characters, the Mason brother and sister, or to be precise, the sister, Georgia Mason. While Sean Mason is the balls to the walls, fun Irwin of the story (Irwins are journalists who go out and like to poke zombies for the viewing public's pleasure), Georgia Mason is part of the Newsies, journalists who give you the information straight as they see it. Her character reminded me so much of everyone's and mines journalistic ideal, Hunter S. Thompson, or more specifically, Warren Ellis's warped vision of Thompson, Spider Jerusalem from one of the greatest comic book series- Vertigo Comics, Transmetropolitan. If you want to read awesome, check out Transmetropolitan now!! I'll forgive you for leaving me mid-thought. So yeah, we have Ellis's Thompson personified dishing the news on zombies, all the while fighting for the political future of a post zombified United States. Seriously Feed is all about bloggers covering the up and coming Presidential caucus and the zombies that appear to be out to assassinate them and thepresidential hopeful they are following. God, is it any wonder I love this book so much?

I will say that the book does drag a bit as sometimes the POV shifts back and forth, and I wasn't a fan of the final POV shift, although I understand it, but damn if I don't want to accept it. But yeah, while the book does get bogged down a bit with too much character exposition, with conspiracies on top of conspiracies that are just a bit to easy, a bit to transparent to figure out as you sit there screaming at the characters, "why don't you see it, you're smarter than that." However that by no ways takes any of the sheer fun out of the book.

Feed is the first in Grant's Newsflesh trilogy with the second book, Deadline, hopefully coming out soon. Seriously, Feed has it all- great action, poignant deaths (I mean come on right, this is a zombie book), chase scenes, zombies, more zombies, great heroes on the front line reporting the news so people can feel safe. This is what war journalism would read like if zombie's were the new and constant threat. Hide and be scared, but there's no reason to feel afraid and lost because the Mason siblings will do whatever it takes to bring you the news, even if it costs them their lives. A must read for any zombie or journalism fan.

What I Think Of: [Rec] 2 (2009)

There are some movies that just stay with you years after you first see them, their memories fondly tickling the back of your brain. The memories can be momentary flashes of scenes as you go through your daily life, quotes or sayings that pepper your everyday conversations. Then there are those movies that haunt you, scare the wits out of you, leaving you begging for mercy... or more if that's your preference. 2007's Spanish horror film Rec is one such film that has haunted me, now three years after seeing it (so much better than the far lesser American remake Quarantine). It's images still swim in my head as I remember how great and gruesome the tale was and how a great idea can work wonders even with little money. 2 years later, the original filmmakers, Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza, got back together to create a sequel to their huge shaky-cam hit. Taking place literally minutes after the end of the first movie, Rec 2 follows a group of soldiers as they try to find out whats happened inside the apartment complex and the truth about the outbreak that has left the apartments inhabitants with uncontrollable rage. I don't want to give much away for those that have not seen the original, but yeah, since the events take place minutes after the first film it is necessary to have seen the original film to fit in all the pieces of the story. Here are some of my initial thoughts while watching Rec 2:

• My god this is incredible. It's really like Aliens to Alien, a sequel to an amazing film that ends up somehow better and more amazing. This is how you do a horror movie!!
• On that note, it's sad that foreign films generally do so poorly Stateside. I get that people don't like to read, but it's because of that reasoning that Hollywood keeps remaking every successful foreign film which inevitably pale in comparison.
• Still on that note, it used to be at least 10 years in a films release before it got remade by Hollywood, now it's more like 6 months before a remake hits. It just leaves me mind numbingly asking, "whats the point?"
  
• I love how the filmmakers play with the "shaky-cam" film motifs. Since this one has soldiers in it, each soldier is equipped with their own helmet cam so all their other squadmates can see what they see if they ever split up. You can imagine the kinetic rush and chaos that ensues as they watch their teammates get attacked by the apartment tenants, attempting to rush quickly to try and save them. Scary as all hell and fantastically done.
• I also love how short the film is (at around 85 minutes) and yet it never feels short. The filmmakers do such a fantastic job telling their story, that it's just so well paced that you get everything you want and more in just 85 minutes.
• On that note, I like how 1/3rd through the film, the film cuts to a parallel story of three teenagers who end up in the apartment building. So you're watching the same events that occur just from different points of view, until 2/3rds into the film, where the teenagers meet up with the soldiers. So it's like you get two movies in one and it just works brilliantly.
• I love the while "virus" and how it spreads. It works like a zombie outbreak, through a bite or a scratch, but it's not a zombie outbreak since the infected don't want to eat people. Without giving anything away for those that haven't seen the first film, rather than a "virus", it's more like a "possession" and I love how the film explains things.
• For a horror film, the plot for Rec 2 is really well scripted. It's engaging, makes complete sense and leaves the viewer thinking of the possibilities, which is amazing since horror films are not generally known for their plots.
  
• Seriously, I can not express how awesome this film is. And there's a brilliant cameo 3/4ths into the film that will leave fans of the original applauding as they fall out of their seats with happiness.

It seems like Mexico and Spain is where the great next wave of horror movies are coming from with The Orphan, Fermat's Room and of course every Guillermo Del Toro film and frankly, I could not be happier. Rec 2 is light years ahead of the 20 or so horror films that get released each year here in the States that still follow the J-horror wave that I thought died 5 years ago. Magnolia Pictures (my favorite genre distributor) has bought the rights to release Rec 2 here in the States. It will be getting a limited release this July 2010. Do yourself a favor and see it on the big screen. It's just such a glorious and fulfilling experience, not just for horror fans but for movie fans.

What I Think Of: The Crazies (2010)

So yeah, The Crazies. It's like this horror movie came out of nowhere, built up great word of mouth, made double its budget and then disappeared, all this in 2 months. To be fair, horror movies don't generally stick around long in popular conciseness, especially one's that get released in January. So again, yeah, The Crazies. This 2010 film is a remake of the 1973 George Romero film of the same name and is directed by Breck Eisner (of Sahara fame, or is that infamy). It's about a small Pennsylvanian town whose inhabitants suddenly become violent and well, crazy. Somethings in the water stripping the town's people of any moral semblance and filter and it's up to Sheriff David Dutton (played by Timothy Olyphant) to figure out what's going wrong and find his pregnant wife, Dr. Judy Dutton (played by the beautiful Radha Mitchell. The original The Crazies is a huge cult classic, bringing horror fans around the world to collective orgasms. Can this new remake live up to the original? Here are some of my thoughts:

• Why do horror movies get released every January/February? It's like there are two things one can always expect at the beginning of each new year, people breaking their New Year's resolutions after 2 weeks, and many Romantic Comedies and Horror Movies get released. I know after a long winter we as Americans feel fat and tired, but seriously, why so many horror movies? Do we dream of running from crazed killers for our lives so we can burn off some calories?
  
• When does Timothy Olyphant not play a cowboy hat-ed, spur wearing cop? Deadwood? Check. Justified? Check. The Girl Next Door? Well he played a porno director so no. While he has many roles under his belt, none are ever as memorable than when he plays a Southern badge wearing cowboy.
• I'll watch Olyphant in anything, but please not another Hitman. That film is soul crushing, a nearly life changing experience its so bad.
• On that note, actress Radha Mitchell is quite the diverse actress. She can go from a Woody Allen film (Melinda and Melinda), to a horror movie (Silent Hill), to a sci-fi film (Pitch Black and Surrogates) to z dramatic muse (Finding Neverland and Henry Poole is Here). You ma'am are a fantastic actress.
• This movie is wonderfully frighting. I mean crap yourself in the pants I can't believe what I'm watching frightening. The director sets up an incredible mood throughout the entire film backed by a fantastic script. This is one smart horror movie.
• The Crazies is all about humanities most basics of depravities and the depths we sink as people, crazy or not just to survive. Yeah a B-movie with a message. Who would've guessed.
  
• On that note, this film reminded me a lot of the 2008 film Blindness, but you know good, and instead of blind people you have rednecks.
• There's just so many amazing gore and death scenes, all worthy of being true grade B goodness.
  
• I just love the fact that while the crazed humans in the film are close to zombies, there's enough different about them that you never question if they are in fact dead. You're scared of them for different reasons. Zombies scare you because they'll eat your brains and turn you into a zombie. The crazies in this film are scary because they'll butcher you slowly all the while watching you with these dead-behind eyes. Damn.
  
• On that note, while not a zombie film, this is how you do a f'n modern zombie film!!
• This is one of the better horror movies I've seen in the last 5 years.
  
• Seriously I'm like Olyphant's biggest fan, and he's not even a particularly good actor.
  
• And lastly, this is just great B-movie fun and I know this may sound crazy (and yes I meant the pun) but this is better than the original George Romero film. Blasphemy you say? Perhaps. But it's true.

Movie Review - The Box (2009)

This 2009 sci-fi horror film is written and directed by Richard Kelly (of Donnie Darko and Southland Tales fame) and is based on the 1970 short story Button, Button by Richard Matheson (he of I Am Legend fame). The Box stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a married couple who are presented with a box and with a button by a stranger who offers them 1 million dollars if they press said button. The only drawback is that if they press the button someone they do not know will die. Is the price of a complete strangers life worth a million dollars, and once the button is pressed, is there a way back from the knowledge that you were the cause of someone’s death?

The question in all of the incarnations of Button, Button is, “what is it to know somebody?”, a universal question akin to what’s the meaning of life and why is South Park so funny. And this movie plays with that concept further, by tying it’s structure around the writing of French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, the thought that since there is no god, no creator, in Satre’s words, “we are left alone without excuse.” Basically since one cannot explain their own actions and behavior by referencing any specific human nature, they are necessarily fully responsible for those actions. Which is basically why I’ve always enjoyed all of Richard Kelly’s films, even his heavily flawed sophomoric effort Southland Tales- all his movies deal with some form of existentialistic thought.

Anyway, the original 1970 short story was first published in Playboy (see, people can really read Playboy for the stories) and was originally adapted for the 1985 reboot of the Twilight Zone television series. The Box even has a Twilight Zone type soundtrack, the sweeping horns, the striking violins, all to leave the viewer with a sense of paranoia and dread. I was wondering how they could drag out what has always been a short story and a 30 minute television show to a near 2 hour film. I needn’t have worried, because I absolutely loved this film, and it’s easily one of my favorite films of the year.

For a director with only 3 films under his belt, Kelly has an amazing eye. The tracking shots, the camera angles, watching this film, you can really tell that the man directing the film really lives and knows a lot about films. Every shot just seems to fall into place. The Box is a slow burn though, a very slow burn, with nearly 2 hours of set-up until the payoff, but anyone familiar with Kelly’s work already knows to expect that. But it’s because of it’s slow burn that makes The Box so compelling, so mesmerizing.

For me the weak point of the movie was Cameron Diaz. She really can’t act, and the choice to give her a soft spoken southern accent, akin to Anna Paquin’s X-Men, Rogue and Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood, is a really odd choice since it adds nothing to the story and makes her character seem at odds with the world around her. And hey, Cameron using an accent ain’t helping her acting. James Marsden is a passable Cyclops and Frank Langella (who many may know as Skeletor from the He-Man move) is absolutely fantastic as always as the man behind the box and movie, Arlington Steward.

For anyone that has seen the Twilight Zone adaptation, this film acts as almost an extension of that television episode. The first 30 minutes of the film are the Twilight Zone episode, and the film continues after the episode for those wondering about the consequences, the what happened after the episode ended to the characters. The remake ending was always inferior to the original story ending, but it was the only ending that Richard Kelly could follow that would have a necessary sequel. So basically the movie tries to add to the tv ending with more of a surreal Donnie Darko sci-fi bent that comes out of nowhere, and being a fan of the Button, Button and Donne Darko, I really really liked what Richard Kelly was going for here. Sadly this film has been out for over a month now and has only grossed 14 million domestically on its 30 million dollar budget.

So yeah, all in all, a definite, “bring your lunch from home because you do not want to miss this one” rating. A sadly overlooked gem of 2009, one that I hope will find a larger audience once it hits dvd.

What I Think Of: A Perfect Getaway (2009)

Josh and I managed to catch a free screening of this movie on Thursday, about 3 couples in Hawaii who might have a killer among them who kills other couples. Now, Hawaii may indeed be the perfect getaway, but this movie most certainly was not. It's more like going on vacation and having it torrential downpour every day until you leave. In this particular getaway, the dark clouds are the story, and the torrential downpour is the dialog, which is downright awful. A little cheesy and funny, at times, but still awful.

I should also mention, without spoiling anything, that this poster to the left completely lies to you, and not just about this being A Perfect Getaway. One of the couples in this movie serve little to absolutely no purpose whatsoever. Granted, they might serve a better purpose if the story and dialog were better, but without those minor little details, they are just wasted space amongst a whole island of pretty obvious hints & clues given to you throughout the first half of the movie. I mean, shame on you David Twohy. You've directed and written better films than this.

Finally, I will just say that towards the end of the film lies one of the worst editing sequences I've seen for a while now. It looks like someone just saw almost every option in Final Cut or Avid, and just decided to go nuts with it. What makes it worse...or maybe better, is that this wacky editing is only used in one sequence. I mean, if you're going to attempt "suspenseful" editing like that, at least do it more than once during the movie. Otherwise, it just looks out of place and completely stupid, which it did. In closing, A Perfect Getaway is not bad enough to warrant a "Sneak Out, I Want My Money Back" rating, but not good enough to warrant a "DVD Rental/Matinée." Instead, I'll make up my own new rating and give this a "Late Night on TV & I've got nothing better to do!" If anything, check it out for the absolutely beautiful shots of Hawaii, which does look like a truly perfect getaway.

Also, to hear out what Josh thought of this movie, be sure to listen to the Podcast.

-Greg

What I Think Of: Merlin's Shop Of Mystical Wonders (1996)

Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders. Where do I begin? Well first, I'll just let you know that I watched this via Mystery Science Theater 3000, and like any MST3K viewing, I'm watching it to see what kind of cinematic torture my brain can handle. Needless to say, I was shocked to see that this god awful film came out in 1996, cause it looks like a bad 80's movie. The plot? Umm, I'm still working on that. Oh wait, I've got it. Ernest Borgnine, the "star" of the film plays a Grandfather telling his grandson about how Merlin from Arthurian legend opens up a shop of, you guessed it, Mystical Wonders, in order to bring magic and wonder back to the modern era. How does Merlin do this? By letting loose pure demonic evil onto two families, in two separate, horrific stories told by Ernest. This cesspool of a flick was written, directed, and produced by one Kenneth J. Berton, who has not written, directed, or produced anything since. Quite frankly, the world is better off because of that fact. This is the worst of the worst, and only should be watched via MST3K, to get the most enjoyment out of it. Like all MST3K films, watch at your own risk!

-Greg

What I Think Of: Cube (1997)

This is an odd Canadian psychological horror/sci-fi film that has spawned two sequels and is about a group of strangers that wake up one day trapped inside a cube-like structure with no memory of how they got there and must answer/survive a series of puzzles in order to find the way out. Despite its low budget, this film totally works and goes to show how a different look at a tried genre can do wonders for a film. Even in the horror world this film is getting overlooked and that's a shame. This is a nerds horror movie, and it's one that'll leave you thinking, "how close am I to becoming them?" It's all just very Kafkaesque.

Friday the 13th

This 2009 horror film is a reboot of the legendary and iconic film franchise and is directed by Marcus Nispel, who frankly right now is the king of iconic horror reboots, creating a fantastic reboot of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. It's also from the writers of Freddy vs. Jason, Damion Shannon and Mark Swift, which was frankly every horror geeks wet dream. God I love that movie. This reboot stars Jared Padalecki (he of the Supernatural tv show fame) as Clay, who travels to Crystal Lake in search of his missing sister who was last seen gallivanting around Camp Crystal. When will anyone ever learn? Anyway, along the way he comes across some sexed up 20-somethings staying at a lake house, as Jason stalks the woods, beginning to hunt people that have wandered into surrounding the area. What happened to Clay’s sister and will Clay even survive the day to find out?

The original Friday the 13^th film came out in 1980, and in the 28 years since the franchise has had 9 sequels. However, it has also been 7 years since the last time we saw Jason in a Friday the 13^th movie with Jason X, which effectively ended the franchise by putting Jason in space and making him a mechanized killer. Does this new remake of the series warrant a rebirth in the classic horror franchise, or is it just another retread and a waste of everyone’s time?

Much like how Superman Returns was a sequel to the second Superman film, Friday the 13^th is a sequel to the original film. It begins with how the first movie ended, with Jason’s mother being killed and Jason taking on the mantle of fine citizen, doing away with all the noisy campers that come a sexing. The opening tells you all that you really need to know, and you don’t need to be a Friday the 13^th aficionado to enjoy this reboot. Beyond that though, this remake is like a best of the Friday the 13^th series. It’s pre-Zombie Jason. I don’t remember when he became Zombie Jason, probably around part 4 or 5. This one has the crazy silent redneck version of the original. And unlike the original second film, Jason dons the hockey mask early on. Also, many of the kills were culled from previous films. So yeah, this is a hit parade of all the great and iconic moments in the Friday the 13^th film franchise, and is a fantastic beginning.

There were also some nice homage’s littered as Easter eggs throughout the film, like the wheelchair from a victim in part 2 and the original sweater Jason’s mother wore in part one. Its touches like those, that really convey how much care and respect the writers and director had when making this film. The key to every Friday the 13^th movie is Jason, and the filmmakers here kept a lot of the things that previously made Jason so great (his hulking physique, his deformity, his soundless hunting, his superhuman numbness to pain, his anti-rusting machete), and the one update that I was hesitant about, Jason running, was nicely done and didn’t feel thrown in for shock value. The story is also secondary for this kind of movie, but it’s adequate enough. Nothing feels too hackneyed, the dialogue is perfectly cheesy, and the scares are nicely done. However, you watch a Friday the 13^th film for the kills and while not all the deaths are amazing, a few of them are just downright incredible. I mean one character has the best death I have ever seen in any horror film. It involves a woman, water and some fantastic nudity in death. When you watch this film you’ll know what I’m talking about. I mean it’s stellar.

The acting is pretty nicely done here. I mean no one is stellar, but no one puts forth a bad performance either. Like I said before, Jared Padalecki’s in this film and he does a nice enough job. However my favorite character by far is that of the douche bag frat boy Trent played by Travis Can Winkle. He just has this look, like he’s one of those cocky frat boys from an 80’s movie, like he wouldn’t feel out of place picking on the nerds in Revenge of the Nerds, Weird Science or sweeping the leg in Karate Kid. He’s just a great character and by far has the best scene in the movie when he screams like a girl. I mean it’s on par with Mickey Rourke’s take in the Wrestler, it’s that good.

There’s some fantastic nudity as well. Former pop princess Willa Ford has a nice topless scene. However my favorite scene is an extended sex scene where the douche bag Trent is having sex and has a running commentary on how fantastic the breasts are of the woman he’s having sex with. I mean it’s like, “your breasts are mind-boggling. There so round, and the nipple dimensions are perfectly symmetrical.” It’s hilarious and that’s really what makes this film so enjoyable, for a horror film, it’s actually really funny. While humor has always been a major aspect of the the Friday the 13^th series, I found the humor in this movie really the best part of it.

Beyond a reboot, Friday the 13^th works as just a new entry in the horror franchise. You don’t have to have been a fan of the original series to enjoy this film, but if you are, you won’t feel cold and leave the theater with a bitter aftertaste. This film is easily one of the best in the horror franchise, so I give this a “bring your lunch from home because you do not want to miss this one.” A great film, a lot of fun, and wonderful counter programming for a Valentine’s Day weekend.