Camfrog Blogs

Showing posts with label Trailers. Show all posts

Rise of the Planet of the Apes [trailer]

La Planète des singes pub. 1963 by Pierre Boulle translated as Planet of the Apes. It is inspired. The 1968 film is more famous than the novel. The 1968 film has the best ending in movie history.

The film created a cottage industry: four sequels and a 2001 remake, a television series, an animated television series and the bric-à-brac of merchandising. It has enough of a cultural impact that another film is always a possibility.

There is a reason stories start at the beginning. Prequels rarely work. In today’s smash-and-grab box office strategy they don’t really have to.

When one character argues with another that the cost of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease might be too much then the quality of the writing has been exposed. Like the 2001 remake this could be a white ~~elephant~~ mammoth.

It doesn’t have to be.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011 opens 5^th August in the US and 12^th August in the UK.

The Woman in Black (teaser trailer)

The Woman in Black starring Danial Radcliffe

In the 1960-70s British Hammer Horror films enjoyed worldwide success so much so they were their own brand à la Universal horror in the 30s. Unfortunately they could not compete with the new wave of American horror that began with Night of the Living Dead 1968. Hammer ceased production in the 1980s.

In 2007 the company was bought by nouveau riche John de Mol – the man who owns Endemol. His reality television curriculum vitae boasts Big Brother and Jerseylicious.

Now de Mol wants to make horror films.

The new (dutch owned) Hammer has released three films to date: Let Me In 2010, The Resident 2011 and Wake Wood 2011: an ambitious remake, a generic thriller/horror and a low key horror fable respectively. They are all flawed films yet it is not a bad start. In order for Hammer to recreate their brand they must do better. The Woman in Black 2011 will be their litmus test.

The novel was published in 1983 and remains in print. It has been adapted for television and radio. A stage play has been running in London since 1987. The film stars Harry Potter alumni Daniel Radcliffe and is directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake 2008). It has no reason to fail creatively.

The box office will be down to the marketing.

The Woman in Black is on general release 28th October in the UK. US date to be announced.

Read more Thrill Fiction: The Wicker Man

Technorati Tags:the woman in black 2011, horror movies, hammer films, daniel radcliffe, movie trailers
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Still SCREAMing: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective

In the wake of the A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010 reboot two fans released the epic Never Sleep Again 2010. It is the zenith of horror documentaries.

The Scream franchise has its own fans.

Writer director Ryan Turek and producer Anthony Masi have assembled all the relevant players in their documentary Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective 2011. The proof is in the trailer.

FEARnet is giving fans the chance to attend the premiere on Thursday April 14^th. Shame they’re not sending out plane tickets. For those of us who don’t live in Los Angeles Ryan will be posting a week long series of behind the scenes blogs at Shock Til You Drop.

There are fans and there are filmmakers.

Thrill Fiction would like to thank FEARnet for use of its exclusive content. I would also like to congratulate Ryan and Anthony for making this happen.

Scream 4 is released April 15^th in the US and UK.

Read more Thrill Fiction: Wes Craven’s Scream

Technorati Tags:still screaming the ultimate scary movie retrospective, scream, horror documentaries, trailer
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Scream 4 (new trailer)

The new Scre4m trailer.

It’s the same as the others but different.

It’s the best one yet.

Scream 4 is released 15^th April in the US and UK

La Casa Muda (The Silent House) trailer

I return from my illness induced hiatus because I learnt Christopher Hitchens may be dying of cancer but is still writing. I on the other hand am almost back to full health.

I’ve got a lot to learn about writing.

Thrill Fiction is my testimony.

La Casa Muda made a splash at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Set in Uruguay it is a story based on the real life event of a father and daughter under siege in a remote cottage.

Sounds like The Strangers 2008.

La Casa Muda is POV/handheld/found footage with the requisite shrieking, weeping and headless chicken running. Film arrives with an added gimmick: the 79 minute duration is in one shot. That has got to be seen to be believed and I don’t believe it.

Americans Chris Kentis and Laura Lau made Open Water 2003. They’ve already remade La Casa Muda (The Silent House) as Silent House 2011 with the same gimmick: one continuous shot.

Why didn’t they remake it in 3D?

La Casa Muda opens in the UK 8^th April. No US release date available.

Thrill Fiction recommends: 25 Books Every Cinephile Should Read

Technorati Tags:la casa muda, the silent house, silent house 2011, horror films
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Apollo 18 [trailer]

Some films tick all the boxes – or at least they promise to.

Apollo 18 2011 fills its trailer with such promise. If anything it over delivers. The premise is in the tagline. The story is culled from historical events. The trailer builds the setup. It even reveals the monster.

Does it reveal the monster in its entirety?

Some have likened this trailer (film unseen) to Alien 1979. To have that impact the actors will have to carry more than the weight of their words. If so then I will compare Apollo 18 to the forthcoming The Thing 2011. That’s the movie I want to see this year.

Judging from the trailer Apollo 18 is the must-see movie of the year.

Mark out.

Ignore the date on the poster. Apollo 18 opens in the US on 22^nd April.

Read more Thrill Fiction: Trick ‘r Treat

Technorati Tags:apollo 18, horror films, trailers
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

We Are What We Are [international & domestic trailers]

The Horrorfolk crave originality. Due to its infinite possibilities the horror genre is best placed to deliver the original. Regardless of the inspiration Freddy Krueger is an original. As is Pinhead and the Candyman. The Horrorfolk also crave original takes on familiar material; Let the Right One In 2009 is beloved amongst fanboys as well as the critical mainstream.

Cannibalism has got to be one of the most horrific things human beings can do to each other. Horror films have never seriously told the story of the cannibal. To wit zombies are not human. Yet the mere mention of the word can create an icon – The Silence of the Lambs 1991. This is a well waiting to be tapped.

Perhaps that well has now been tapped: Perhaps We Are What We Are 2011 will delve into the psychosis of perversion that can make a human being turn on another and devour at pleasure. This act of inhumanity that takes place outside of a war zone, a disaster zone or a famine; this is pure evil.

The Horrorfolk know that the best expectation for horror comes from abroad. Apart from the usual Hollywood reasons there is also an exoticism re foreign languages and cultures. They have folklore to share, mythos to explore. Even the mundane can be marvelled at.

There is a reason cannibalism has not been examined in horror. It is repugnant. It is anti-human. It is not something commercial cinema would dare take seriously. It is the subject of We Are What We Are.

Trailer: We Are What We Are | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

It helps there’s a hot chick in the cast.

We Are What We Are is available in the US from 23^rd February via Video On Demand. Thrill Fiction would like to thank Bloody Disgusting and Spike TV for use of their exclusive content.

Read more Thrill Fiction: Re/Made The Last House on the Left

Technorati Tags:we are what we are, horror films, cannibalism, trailers, somos lo que hay
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

The Tapes [trailer]

In the UK we like to say Britain is 10 years behind America. It’s self-deprecating. It means we copy the US for good for bad. The Blair Witch Project 1999 birthed a new sub genre. Though that film was sneered at over here Britain is belatedly jumping on its bandwagon.

Brand UK likes to present itself as hoity-toity exemplified as Hugh Grant with a plum in his mouth. There is another Britain. It’s a more accurate one. It is the working classes and the underclass. It is Scotland, Wales and the north of England. It is racism, poverty and crime.

The Tapes 2011 is what happens when a camera is pointed at this other Britain; a land where feral kids rage against the machine. It’s a machine that cannot be penetrated so the kids spend their rage against soft targets. The soft targets being other citizens more affluent than they are: the middle classes. So HG Wells’ prophecy comes true. The Morlocks feed on the Eloi – because they can.

The Tapes 2011 could go either way. It could be a terrifying indictment of crime and horror or a derivative clone of the worst type of found footage. Whichever one will be apropos for the other Brand UK.

Release dates to be announced.

11-11-11 [teaser trailer]

Numerology is pseudo-science or as I like to call it voodoo science. Human beings have a tendency towards numbers as a means of adherence to an order; most of the world uses the metric system. Commerce uses ‘the top 10’ list. So do bloggers.

The more simple minded amongst us are easily deceived into belief there is divinity in numbers. The reality is the most important numbers are seemingly random: the days in a year, the days in a month. Human beings have a tendency towards numbers – so when an order appears people take notice.

11-11-11 means the same thing to the English and American calendar – just like 10-10-10 did. And look what happened then. However this year sees the release of the eponymous film. It’s directed by one of the Saw franchise alumni. Perhaps the sequel will be 12-12-12.

Hollywood can always create a new prophecy. The more simple minded amongst us will believe.

Thrill Fiction would like to thank Bloody Disgusting for use of their exclusive content.

Read more Thrill Fiction: [●REC]²

Technorati Tags:horror movies, movie trailers, 11-11-11
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

The Wicker Tree (trailer)

The last shot of Planet of the Apes 1968 is the most shocking in cinema. The last sequence of The Wicker Man 1973 is the most shocking in horror. Neither instances has ever been replicated – Cloverfield 2008 and The Wicker Man 2006 notwithstanding.

The Wicker Man 1973 is one of the best horror films ever made. It is a grateful victim of the internet. Many a horror film found its feet on home video in the 80s (eg Zombie Flesh Eaters aka Zombi 2 1979); The Wicker Man found its new fan base in the 21^st century on Youtube. The doom of the end sequence is worthy of its uploadings.

Unfortunately this renewed interest attracted a Hollywood remake. Fortunately director Robin Hardy has made a sequel. What’s remarkable is that The Wicker Man is Hardy’s debut. The Wicker Tree 2011 is the 81 year old Hardy’s fourth film (yet Dominic Sena continues to make movies).

The Wicker Man is based on the novel The Ritual 1967 by David Pinner. The Wicker Tree is based on Cowboys for Christ 2006 by Robin Hardy himself. Clearly his first film means a lot to him. It will be revealed what his fourth film means to the rest of us.

The Wicker Tree release date is to be announced.

Read more Thrill Fiction: A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984

Technorati Tags:the wicker man, the wicker tree, robin hardy
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Insidious (teaser trailer & clip)

Saw 7 The Final Chapter 2010 is the epitaph of the franchise created by director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell. With worldwide revenues (box office and DVD sales) of over $1billion it can be assumed that both men have made bank from their creation. They continue their partnership but now they do not work for food.

The well fed artist can work for art or for prestige. Wan and Whannell can put Saw behind them and grow as artists or they can try to recreate their box office success with another franchise – for the prestige.

Demonic possession is a trending topic in horror releases. This current wave started with the phenomenal success of Paranormal Activity 2009. Said film pulverised Saw 6 at the franchise annual box office spot. Lesson learned. Wan and Whannell have made their ‘devil inside’ picture. The variant from the yardstick Exorcist 1973 is that the possessed is a little boy.

Saw 2004 was a great movie – the rest of the franchise not so much. Wan and Whannell may be one-trick ponies destined to be remembered as a pair of asses – or they may be growing artists.

Insidious is released 1^st April.

Thrill Fiction would like to thank Bloody Disgusting for use of their exclusive content.

Scream 4 (2nd trailer)

It is impossible to ignore the growing noise of the impending sequel. Some of us are old enough to remember a similar noise the first time round. Wes Craven was coming off the critically applauded commercial failure of New Nightmare 1994. Kevin Williamson was unheard of. The title was explicit and succinct. The curtain raiser had (then) major star Drew Barrymore die in a thrilling horrifying sequence.

It was lifted from When a Stranger Calls 1979.

1996 was a long time ago. The wave of studio horror that Scream started has dissolved into homogenised pap. Originality is dead in the genre. Typical of such is My Soul to Take 2010 – one of the worst films of last year.

Wes Craven is coming off critical and commercial derision. Kevin Williamson has to tell a story with more wit intellect and satire than the first time round.

The verdict will be in the viewing.

Scream 4 is released 15^th April.

Read more Thrill Fiction: Re/Made: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Technorati Tags:scream 4, wes craven, kevin williamson
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

The Divide (Trailer)

In a music world dominated by American Idol and The X-Factor where do the captured audience escape to find good music? They go looking for it.

This is no secret; nightclubs and pirate radio have been around for years. On the visual storytelling side of the same world dominated by corporate horror and low budget clones where can the audience discover the films to frighten them? This quest is harder but genuine horror movies are out there.

This may be one of them.

Film co-stars Michael Biehn (The Terminator 1984) Rosanna Arquette (Desperately Seeking Susan 1985) and Courtney B Vance (Hamburger Hill 1987). Perhaps this is not meant for kids.

The Divide will premiere March at the SXSW film festival in Austin Texas. General release dates to be announced.

Husk (Trailer)

In 2006 After Dark Films¹ held the Horrorfest 8 Films to Die For. The festival serves as venue for the theatrical release of 8 mainly American independent horror with the odd import. It has been an annual event since inception.

In its four years After Dark has distributed (in theatres and on DVD) Rinni 2005 by Takeshi Shimizu the director of Ju-On: The Grudge 2000, the French Frontier(s) 2007 and From Within 2009. Last year’s festival included The Final and Zombies of Mass Destruction both of which are feature in the TFi Top 10 Films of 2010.

This year sees a slight difference in their game plan. It’s a great leap forward for After Dark. Not only will they be distributing 8 new films but they produced them as well. This is what New Line Cinema used to be when they mattered.

In an era of carpet bagging that produces horror dross After Dark Films is on the side of the fans. Needless to say I’m a fan of theirs and Thrill Fiction offers its full support. Nevertheless each film will be judged on its own merits.

Not just by me.

Thrill Fiction would like to thank Bloody Disgusting2 for use of their exclusive content.

Husk is released 28th January.

Read more Thrill Fiction: ReMade: Halloween

1 After Dark Films - Originals
2 Bloodydisgusting.com

Technorati Tags:horror films, 8 films to die for, husk, after dark originals
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

John Carpenter's The Ward (UK trailer)

What does it mean when the UK gets an American film before the Americans? Are we a dumping ground or a testing ground?

Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994 is a British film first released in America. The producers chose that strategy because at the time the British critics were wont to destroy a British film on arrival eg The Crying Game 1992. Four Weddings was a success in America so that was alright then. It became a success over here.

Conversely it was the British that made Quentin Tarantino. Reservoir Dogs 1992 was ignored in the States but hit big on these shores. For good or ill we launched his career.

John Carpenter’s last feature film was Ghost of Mars 2001. It is an embarrassment. The consensus is he hasn’t made a decent movie in over 20 years.

Which begs the question are we a dumping ground or a testing ground? Time will tell but the trailer looks great.

The Ward is released in the UK on 21^st January. No dates have been set for North America.

Read more Thrill Fiction: Re/Made: Halloween

Technorati Tags:john carpenter's the ward
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Red State trailer

Kevin Smith is a sub cultural chronicler not to be confused with Richard Linklater¹. His generation – my generation – was confronted with the economic fact that we won’t have it as good as our parents did whilst we were still in school. Apathy became chic. The media called them slackers. Smith wrote films about them (ergo by definition he’s no slacker himself). He is their Pedro Almodovar².

Like the aforementioned Linklater as Smith grew older he entered the mainstream. In February Warner Bros released Cop Out 2010 starring Bruce Willis. It was a disaster³. Smith’s new movie is Red State 2011. It’s a horror film.

Smith is not the first visitor to test our waters. Neil LaBute remade The Wicker Man 2006. It was a disaster⁴. Martin Scorcese adapted Shutter Island 2010. That was a box office hit. It was a narrative disaster. Horror is best left to those who know what others are scared to.

The trajectory of the film seems to be that of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974. The difference deduced from the trailer is the finger pointing is less subtle. Hollywood rages like the devil against certain demographics: black people. Christians.

I’m both.

Red State premieres January 23^rd at the Sundance Film Festival. General release date is to be announced.

Forbidden House (Propriete Interdite) trailer

The pitch: a yuppie/bourgeois couple buy a house with status dreams of social mobility. The house turns against them. The house becomes their nightmare. Lesson learned: don’t be a yuppie.

This concept (or variants thereof) can be filmed as drama (Heartburn 1986), comedy (The Money Pit 1986), or thriller (Pacific Heights 1990). It is best served as horror (Black Christmas 1974, Ils 2006, The Strangers 2008, The Amityville Horror 1979/2005).

Each country has its own culture which defines its films. The French are the purveyors of cinéma vérité. Note how lead actress Valerie Bonneton performs with lack of self awareness. This is not Liv Tyler looking cute for the cameras.

Fear is always ugly.

Forbidden House is released in France today. No future word on its UK or North American release schedule but this is one to keep an eye open for hopefully in 2011.

Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for the share of their exclusive content.

The Rite Trailer #2

Adjusted for inflation The Exorcist 1973 is one of the top 10 highest grossing¹ films ever made. Discard Jaws 1975 as a horror film (as I do) and it is the industry high grossing horror film ever made.

91% of Americans believe in God² (88% of people worldwide³). Belief in God is a belief in the existence of the devil. This applies to Christians, Muslims and Jews. As in 1973 these are fertile days for the religious film (Passion of the Christ 2004), novel (The Da Vinci Code pub. 2003) and horror.

The last 15 months has seen the release of three independent productions: Paranormal Activity 2009 has a domestic gross of $108million on a $15k production budget; its sequel grossed $84m on a $3m budget; The Last Exorcism 2010 has grossed $41m on $1.8m. There be gold in them thar hills.

Enter the studios. The Exorcist was made by Warner Bros. It is based on the eponymous novel by William Peter Blatty. The Rite 2011 is made by New Line Cinema a subsidiary of Warner Bros. It is based on the eponymous novel by Matt Baglio⁴. Horror films are sold on the power of the story. None of the aforementioned blockbusters have a single movie star between them (Ellen Burstyn wasn’t a star in 1973 and her name didn’t sell the picture). Despite this Warner Bros are taking no chances. Sir Anthony Hopkins is the headline of this picture.

Ever since The Silence of the Lambs 1991 Hopkins has been an overrated movie star. He should have remained a respected character actor like Robert Duvall. Hopkins’ blustering in Dracula 1992 is identikit to his bellowing in The Wolfman 2010. Without Hannibal Lector his ability to open a movie is questionable. However after watching the trailer it looks like his role is the second lead – and this is where he excels. Like in The Silence of the Lambs.

The Rite opens 28^th January in the US and 25^th February in the UK.

Read more Thrill Fiction: The Walking Dead finale

1 Wikipedia Top 10 highest grossing films adjusted for inflation

2 Digg 91% of Americans believe in God

3 WikiAnswers 88% worldwide believe in God

4 The Rite by Matt Baglio

Technorati Tags:the rite, horror films, anthony hopkins, warner bros, new line cinema, matt baglio
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Rare Exports - trailer

The Americans call him Santa Claus. The British call him Father Christmas. Anglos be aware. That jolly fat old white man with matching beard is a Coca-Cola™ invention¹. What is common knowledge to some is revelation to others.

This year American horror cinema is 100 years old (Frankenstein 1910). To celebrate the centenary Hollywood released A Nightmare on Elm Street and My Soul to Take amongst other bilge. That is not to say the genre is bankrupt – Hollywood storytelling maybe but not horror films. The aficionados have learnt to look elsewhere for their scares: Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain. There are other finding places – other countries and cultures each rich with legend and myth.

One of Hollywood’s great inventions is the zombie; an inspiration from Haiti. Hollywood should go to Africa the oldest and richest of cultures. In Nigeria there is the tale of the mermaid. A temptress, a seductress, a demon dressed in female skin to lure men to the depths to their deaths. The Europeans have mythology too. In Finland Santa Claus is derived from the pagan Yule Goat. Not that jolly.

Rare Exports is more fantasy than horror. As was The City of Lost Children 1995 and Pans Labyrinth 2006. If it’s as good as the latter two or as its trailer suggests then our rewards will be at Christmas.

¹ Coca-Cola and Santa Claus

² UK release date

³ US release date

Read more Thrill Fiction: Re/Made: The Thing

Technorati Tags:horror films, rare exports, trailer
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

The Walking Dead 102 sneak peek

The cliffhanger from the weekend premiere was the message radioed into the tank. Who is this zombie (above) and why did the camera linger on him?

If he’s the one who sent the message then this opens dramatic parameters. The rules of the living dead are not set in blood. In this story can humans mimic the walkers thereby avoiding detection? The readers of the comics already know this. The rest of us shall see.

The preview for episode 102 is a thriller/horror sequence. It is well delivered – dramatically and thematically. This early in The Walking Dead has already established its action and thriller credentials. It is the soft spots – those scenes of human drama – which flailed in 101.

Whereas most of the internet is praising Caesar I say lend me your ears. The dramatic arc of this series seems to be the hero’s quest: to walk on broken glass to reunite with family. It is simplistic, condescending in a nation with a 40% divorce rate and trite.

Despite the disappointment of 101 I reserve judgment on 102 but I am not deceived. Like the trailer for the premiere this preview looks great.

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

William Shakespeare

Read more Thrill Fiction: The 20 Best Horror Films