Musicians:
Will Maher (Vocals), Joe de la Hoyde (Guitar), John de la Hoyde (Bass), Josh Baissari (Drums and Backing Vocals)

For some odd reason, when I put Monks of Mellonwah’s STARS ARE OUT on my iPod, it switched up the track order.  Not sure why, but for whatever reason when I was previewing the EP for this review, my iPod decided that tracks 1 & 2 (“Fire in the Hole” & “Swamp Groove”) were now tracks 4 & 5.  So when I listened to SAO, my listening experience started with the title track, and I have to say, I was a bit unimpressed.

Monks of Mellonwah, all tangled up in black

“Stars are Out” is not a bad song, in fact, I’m sure that it could be a radio friendly unit shifter on alternative rock radio, and if it had a video on MTV (do they still play videos on MTV?) then Monks of Mellonwah would have a ton of tweenie groupies.  This track is good, as far as regular old radio stuff goes.  Light rock, reminiscent of mid to late-90’s rock in the vein of Collective Soul or Soul Asylum, but with less “bite.”  I’m sure this song would do very well on the radio; this would explain why it didn’t speak to my tastes: I don’t like most of what I hear on the radio!  So my intro to SAO was a little… well… underwhelming.

This feeling immediately took a sharp left turn as (what my iPod decided would be) track 2, “Stampede,” kicked in.  A big, ballsy riff with some distinct fuzz to it jumps in right away, and my interest piqued.  Alternating from the big-rock riff and some smooth, near-funk jam, “Stampede” really drew me in.  Up next for me was “The Calling,” which goes back a bit more to the late-90’s feel, but with more oomph than what “Stars are Out” brought.  The track builds from a laid-back, spaced out intro to a big, pounding chorus, and back again.

“The Calling” was the first track where the drums really caught my attention.  Monks of Mellonwah are obviously talented musicians; Maher has a pleasant voice and good range.  He never goes too “rough,” at most there are a few near-screams, but the majority of his delivery is smooth and easy on the ears.  The brothers de la Hoyde both hold their own, but the guitar really stands out.  The bass does its job of supporting the rhythm, but the guitar shines, and even brings up some 80’s style tapped-solos, which has been conspicuously absent in most rock for quite some time.  While it was on “The Calling” that I first really noticed the drumming, “Fire in the Hole” made me stand up and pay attention.

Did we mention we live in 1972?

“Fire in the Hole” has got to be my favorite track on SAO.  It kicks off with a funky drum groove, and the guitar slides in, sexy and seductive.  This track really makes me think of 70’s southern rock, but with a funky backbone; what I would imagine might happen if Lynyrd Skynyrd had collaborated on a track with Funkadelic.  This track was followed by my close 2nd place track on the EP, “Swamp Groove.”  While “Fire in the Hole” has a very mid-70’s feel, “Swamp Groove” takes it back a bit earlier to the late 60’s and kicks in with a riff that could easily have appeared on a Hendrix album.  This late 60’s groove builds to a much more modern chorus, and then goes back into a very Hendrix-esque solo.  “Swamp Groove” is just a really nice musical journey, and I enjoyed the ride.

The EP finishes with a bonus track, “The Neverending Spirit,” which is reminiscent of the title track.  This track is a bit more radio-friendly than my personal taste, but it is slightly more aggressive than “Stars Are Out.”  It begins with a pretty little piano line, and builds into something that would (again) do well on the radio or wherever they play videos these days.  Eventually the track builds into a much greater crescendo than “Stars Are Out,” but it still didn’t do near as much for me as the rest of the album.

Also included in the materials sent to me was the first single off their upcoming release, KYOTO.  The track, “Neurogenesis,” is a bit more laid back than some of the heavier stuff on SAO, a bit easier on the ears, but yet it connected with me better than “Stars Are Out” or “The Neverending Spirit” did.  The track begins with a light, harmonic-driven guitar riff, but builds to a much heavier chorus and break than either of the other lighter tracks had done, and when it gets to the solo, Joe de la Hoyde’s guitar prowess shines.  This track certainly makes me look forward to hearing the rest of the album.

Josh Baissari, John de la Hoyde, Joe de la Hoyde, Will Maher

Overall, I think SAO has a lot going for it.  Big rock riffs, spanning decades of influence, with the ability to play both in the radio-friendly arena and with the heavier hitters as well.  There is a lot of talent in Monks of Mellonwah, and I expect that they will do well.  Likely their best bet to get “out there” would be to rely on the strength of one of their radio friendly unit shifter tracks, make a video that speaks to the little girls and shows off their mass appeal, then once the attention of the music world is focus on them, blow everyone away with a funky jam like “Fire in the Hole.”  At least, that’s what I’d hope they do… can’t wait to hear the rest of the new album.

Overall 7 / 10

SAO for sale: http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/stars-are-out/id456490850

SAO site: http://www.monksofmellonwah.com

Monks of Mellonwah: Stars Are Out EP

The “Swamp Groove” video:

Musicians:
Ian Cooke (songwriting, vocals, cello, piano, percussion, package design), Ian O (drum programming on tracks 10 & 11, guitar on tracks 3 & 7), Justin Ferreira (drums on tracks 4,6,7, & 8), Sean Merrell (drums on tracks 1 & 12), Jme (everything but vocals & strings on track 4), Kelly O’Dea (violin on track 4), Whit Sibley (bass, muse)

So, for you that actually follow this blog, the above may seem very familiar.  Yes, I have already reviewed Ian Cooke’s THE FALL I FELL (here).  However, the physical copy of that release also comes with a DVD, which is the subject of today’s TFIF review.  As you may remember, I LOVE this album.  If someone ever asked me to put on the best “pop” music I could, well first off I’d give them a weird look for asking for pop music, then I would put in TFIF.  It is a shining example that pop music, easy to listen to music about love and loss, can actually be GOOD music.  However, you can go back and read that other review if you’re not already familiar with TFIF.

Ian Cooke, solo

The DVD for TFIF is made up of several parts, and I am going to touch on each through this review.  It includes the entire TFIF album in surround sound (your choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS) with accompanying lyrics and images posted on screen, a selection of live tracks, The Story – a bit of a “making of” for TFIF – two videos (for “Vasoon” and “Kursk”), and some additional bonus items.

First off, the album, in 5.1 Surround Sound as mixed by Bob Ferbrache, is just amazing.  I love TFIF through my iPod earbuds, and I love TFIF played through a CD player, but good goddamn, this albums sounds incredible when played through surround sound.  Ferbrache’s mix makes the album come to life: bits and pieces of the songs swirl around the background while Cooke’s voice takes the forefront, and the sound envelops the listener.  Trippy bits, like the intro to “Flood,” sound especially trippy, and the parts that rocks, like the beginning of “The Rot,” rock even harder.  This especially fine take on the music is perfectly accented by the visuals.  The lyrics flow on the screen to match Cooke’s delivery, and while it is not hard to understand his voice, the lyrics make more sense when you can actually read them while listening to the song; reading them just makes them more concrete, more real, and more meaningful.

Ian Cooke, playing with Uphollow

The live tracks were a nice bit.  Again, mastered in surround sound they are a delight to the ears.  Some of the tracks show Cooke in his solo form, just a man, his cello, and a groovebox, which was what first caught my attention.  I saw a video on YouTube of Cooke’s solo performance of “The Rot” which I now know is actually an excerpt from this DVD; I was amazed at how amazing his performance was for one man.  Cooke also proves live that not only does he have the musical chops (when you’re playing live with a groovebox, you only get one take to get it right) but he also has the voice.  His voice is just as rich, just as kind to the ears live as it is on his studio releases.  This man is über talented, and the live videos on this DVD only make me think that even more so.

The making of TFIF was very informative and entertaining to someone like me that really wants to get inside an artist’s head and understand where they are coming from.  I wish I had watched it before reviewing the CD, because it really explains a lot about TFIF.  It goes into how Cooke got involved in the Denver music scene, talks a bit about his passion for origami (which is evident through the packaging of the physical album), where the music videos came from, and more.

The origami cover to TFIF, unfolded

The videos were a nice touch as well.  “Vasoon,” directed by Zach Putnam, was a fun exercise in low-budget filmmaking, in which a little planning goes a long way.  The video is made up of shots of Cooke designing an origami cello, folding a life-size version of the paper instrument, and then “playing” it.  It was a great example of how you can make a really interesting visual piece with no money when you take the time to plan out what you are going to make.  Vincent Comparetto’s video for “Kursk” was more intricate; a full set was built to imitate the inside of a Russian submarine (the subject of the song is the sinking of the Kursk submarine in August of 2000), and children were hired to play the sailors.  This video also included some simple but effective animation and various video effects throughout.  While this was by no means a “big budget” video – I’m sure it’s budget was less than the craft services budget of most things seen on MTV – there was much more put into this video than “Vasoon;” while different, both were enjoyable in their own ways.

Finally there are some “Bonus Features” that include the making of the videos and also Cooke talking about “idea storage,” a bit more into how he creates his music.  Interesting information for those people that want to know as much as they can about this album and this artist.

Ian and his origami cello, from the Vasoon video

Overall, I just can’t say enough about how much I dig TFIF, and the addition of begin able to enjoy the entire album in exquisitely mixed surround sound can only elevate my adoration of this release.  The live components serve to show just how truly talented Cooke is, the videos are a great exercise in low-budget filmmaking, and the other bits in-between are just icing on the cake.  To anyone that is thinking of purchasing just the digital download of TFIF, I would say that you are doing yourself a great disservice; Cooke’s bandcamp page only charges $3 more to receive the full package: the CD, the DVD, and the incredibly original origami packaging to hold it all.  Don’t cheap out, spend the extra $3, you won’t be disappointed… I wasn’t.

Overall 9.5 / 10

TFIF for sale: http://iancooke.bandcamp.com/album/the-fall-i-fell

TFIF site: http://www.iancookemusic.com/

The video for “The Rot” as mentioned above:

Major Cast:
Lauren Myers as Laura, Spencer Wright as Rick, Merritt C. Glover as Camille, Phil Duran as Arnie, Billy Garberina as Jimmy, Megan Pribyl as Britney

Special Features:
Alternate Ending

Written and Directed by Phil Duran

MISSING YOU is a rarity in independent film.  Not only is it a romantic comedy – which, for whatever reason, is not often attempted at low budget even though it is perfectly suited to it – it is a romantic comedy that is not completely sappy and predictable.  I mean, yes: they’re going to get together in the end.  No spoiler there, unless you’re completely naïve and have never, ever, ever seen a romantic comedy before.  What makes MY different is the fact that it is not this sappy, “missing you” kind of romantic weepfest; it is a story of two people that really truly want to find someone to love, and keep missing out on each other.

One of "those days"

What I really liked about MY was the structure of the film.  It is the story of Laura, turning 30 and nowhere close to where she wanted to be in life, and it is the story of Rick, a nice guy with a nice job that doesn’t want just the cheap lay his pal Arnie would easily settle for.  MY sets up the characters through a series of scenes that alternate between Laura and her friend Camille discussing what Laura wants, and Rick and his horndog friend Arnie talking about what Rick should want (according to Arnie, all men want is women, beer, and football… or more specifically women that will serve them beer while they are watching football, and sleep with them at halftime).  As the plot progresses, we continually see Laura and Rick almost meeting each other, almost getting set up on a date, almost frequenting the same travel agent, almost… but always missing each other.

MY is a fun, funny film that can live in the “romantic comedy” realm without ending up in the “mushy and annoying” area that so many romcoms inhabit.  It is filled with a bunch of real people, with real issues, and real lives.  There was nothing about MY that made me feel I had to suspend my disbelief (except for the scenes that are in “the south of France,” I had to suspend a little disbelief for that).  It was a very realistic look at love in the life of a couple of near-30-somethings.

The "South of France"

The acting in MY was good overall; my focus was on Lauren Myers who I felt was the standout on the acting front.  Laura was a completely believable character, cute and funny, and just fun to watch.  Spencer Wright also held his own; though his performance was not quite as natural and believable as Myers, it was much better than many a low-budget performance.  All of the main characters were well performed, and I also enjoyed a few of the Albuquerque regular cameos.  Billy Garberina was fun as the slimy blind date to Laura, Megan Prybil as the vacant, vapid date for Rick, and I especially enjoyed Jeremy Owen as a flamboyant travel agent.

Billy Garberina, used car sales... er, desirable dating material

The production of the film was good overall.  The camera work was nothing special, but it was enough to keep the film visually interesting and was regularly composed of images and angles that are pleasing to the eye.  One would not expect a romcom to have sweeping, fluid camera work or quick jump cuts, so MY had a solid, expected performance when it comes down to the composition.  The technical aspects were pretty well done too; the lighting was natural and the sound – while not the best aspect of the movie – was passable.  I should temper these statements by telling you that the version of the film I watched was the almost-done version, as Duran put it “there are still a few (4) tweaks to be done, and we are waiting on the remastered music.”  I especially enjoyed the music in the film; it was a nice compliment to the story on-screen.

Overall, I really enjoyed MY more than I expected to.  In general, I am not a romcom kinda guy.  Sure, there are exceptions (see my review for GEEK WAR here), but in general it’s just not a genre I enjoy.  MY was a romcom I enjoyed.  It was funny, intelligent, filled with real people, and stayed away from the sappy end of the film spectrum, and I especially appreciated that it was a low-budget entry into a genre that just seems to be avoided by low-budget filmmakers.  A fun flick all around.

Overall 7 / 10

MY is not on the IMDB yet.

MY is not for sale yet.

MY site: http://www.missingyoumovie.com/

Missing You (2012)

Musicians:
 Produced by Doc Delay (T. Shiner), Co-Produced & Mixed By Jeremy Page, Vocals Performed and Written by Godforbid (C. Oppel), Additional Vocals on “Sodapop & Bubblegum” by Thirtyseven (J. Boland), All Scratches by Doc Delay, Mastered by Kevin Blackler

I’m a big fan of hip-hop… and before someone gets all uppity and feels the need to try and explain to me that hip-hop is a combination of four elements (five if you include beatboxing, which some people separate out), and what I’m talking about is just two of those elements: yeah, I know.  I choose to say “hip-hop” because it is a lot more recognizable term than “MCing” or “emceeing” for most people, it’s easier than saying “emceeing and DJing” over and over again, and if I say “rap” that conjures up the wrong images in my brain.  For me, rap means commercial, it means heavy thumping boring beats with someone that may or may not be skilled rapping on it, probably talking about bitches and hoes and gangbanging.  And again, before anyone feels the need to school me, I know that not all commercial rap is gangsta rap, and not all commercial rap is bad; that’s just the image that comes up in my mind.

Doc Delay

With all of that being said, it makes sense that most of the hip-hop I really enjoy gets little to no play on the radio or airwaves.  AMERICAN STYLE CARDBOARD, I assume, will continue that trend, and that’s truly too bad because if “the masses” could get a little taste of what really good hip-hop is like maybe the drivel out there might be a little less popular.  But, likely, unfortunately, “the masses” wouldn’t get ASC… the bar is set too high for the average jumper.  So, quality entries into the genre will be doomed to never be too big, because their target audience is just too small.

Doc Delay, along with help from Jeremy Page aka Germ, has created one of the most interesting hip-hop albums (EPs?  Eight tracks is such an awkward length, I’m not sure how to describe this release…) I’ve heard in a very long time.  ASC has beats that make your neck sore, but at the same time it has beats that tickle the brain.  This is complex hip-hop.  So many hip-hop productions suffer from finding one good hook, then repeating it over and over and over and over, then adding a little something on top and calling it a chorus, or taking a little something away and calling it a break.  Not ASC.  The tracks vary from very soulful (“Pity Party”) to glitchy, almost Squarepusher-esque electronica (“Idle Worship”), to earlier DJ Shadow styled instrumental (“Baltimore to Buenos Aires”), to dirty, grimy, neo-noir (“Selling Sleep”).  There is no lack of creativity to be found on this release.

Godforbid and Germ (aka Jeremy Page)

Over the course of the last few years, Godforbid has become one of my favorite vocalists out there.  I was introduced to his work through That Handsome Devil (see my review for their most recent release here), in which he mostly sings; I say “sing” but it is really more like a grungy crooning, tinged with cigarette butts and whiskey breath.  In a beautiful way.  After discovering That Handsome Devil, I found out that Godforbid was originally known for being an emcee in a group called Alaskan Fishermen, so I searched out their album.  He was one of a trio of emcees, and I felt stood out on that release.  Upon hearing that he had another release back as an emcee, I was immediately interested to check it out.

Godforbid has an odd flow, but not in any sort of bad way.  There’s a calmness in his delivery, I can see him at the studio in a La-Z-Boy, feet up with a beer in his hand as he delivers his vocals.  Godforbid is a great storyteller, and that is as evident on ASC as on any of his other releases.  The fact that Godforbid can sing adds to his vocal prowess; there is no need to bring on a guest to sing the choruses, and this adds to the cohesiveness of the album.  The only guest on the entire release, Thirtyseven, appears on the last track, “Sodapop & Bubblegum.”  His delivery is actually quite reminiscent (at least on this track) of Godforbid’s; if he wasn’t listed I might have even noticed that there was another emcee on that track.  On “Selling Sleep” Godforbid is his own back-up, as this track has a verse with call-and-repeat lyrics and Godforbid does both the calling and repeating – which is nicely accentuated by the fact that there are two versions of his chorus playing, one over the other, so the “two Godforbids” come together in the chorus – and on “Sodapop & Bubblegum” Thirtyseven steps in for Godforbid #2 in nearly the same capacity.

Godforbid, rocking it live

Overall I greatly, greatly enjoyed ASC.  This is a great underground release from a well respected DJ and emcee, both of whom should be more famous than they are.  ASC shows that head-rocking hip-hop doesn’t have to be made up of boring bass-heavy beats and braggadocio; it can be intelligent, introspective, creative, musically challenging, and different, and still make asses shake.  Doc Delay and Godforbid prove the fact with ASC.

Overall 8.5 / 10

ASC for sale: http://docdelay.bandcamp.com/album/american-style-cardboard

ASC site: http://docdelay.bandcamp.com/album/american-style-cardboard or http://docdelay.com

Doc Dealy & Godforbid: American Style Cardboard

Major Cast:
Benjamin Lutz as Brewster, Windham Beacham as Cary, David Alanson as Vogel, Krystal Main as Chickula, Stephen Geoffreys as Walsh

Special Features:
None (Screener)

Written and Directed by Mark Bessenger

Like zombie flicks, the vampire genre is one that has been making a solid comeback the last few decades.  And like zombie flicks, vampire movies each have their own sets of rules, their own ways of doing things.  I like the vampire genre – not as much as zombie flicks, but I have at least 15 bloodsucker titles in my collection, and I’m sure I’ve watched 3 or 4 times that amount over the years – and like the zombie genre, the thing that makes or breaks a vampire movie is its originality.  If you look up the keyword “vampire” on IMDb, there are 1639 titles marked, not to include the other 77 sub-keywords (like “lesbian-vampire,” “vampire-vs-vampire,” “nazi-vampire,” etc.) worth of vampire movies.  One of the many sub-genres listed is “gay-vampire,” and there are only 7 titles in that particular category (of course, the IMDb is in no way a fully comprehensive list of everything out there, but it’s the best I know of), and BITE MARKS is not listed there.  Which makes sense, and if you look at the keywords listed for BITE MARKS they include “gay” and “vampire” but not “gay-vampire” since the bloodsucker isn’t really gay, the prey is.

The comedic opening credits set the tone for BITE MARKS

Another shared characteristic between the zombie genre and the vampire genre is their ability to play in both the horror and comedy realms, sometimes both at the same time.  When filmmakers choose to go for horror-comedy, it is not the easiest task to accomplish.  If there is too much horror, the comedy seems out of place; if there is too much comedy, the horror elements are not actually scary.  It’s rare that a film can straddle the lines between the two successfully.  BITE MARKS tries, but does not complete that balancing act very well.

The plot of BITE MARKS revolves around three characters: Brewster, a disgraced truck driver that is called in to work when his brother fails to show up, and Cary & Vogel, a gay couple on the rocks who are trying to reconnect by hiking across the country.  Quickly their stories intersect, when Brewster picks up Cary & Vogel, because Vogel’s feet hurt and he doesn’t want to walk anymore.  Brewster happens to be carrying a load of coffins, and when the semi breaks down at a truck stop, they group finds out what the true payload is… a group of shirtless vampires.  Together the group must try to make it through the night without getting eaten by the pale pretty-boys (with the exception of the gore around their mouths) surrounding the cab of the truck.

I'm a scary vampire with a severed head!

BITE MARKS does a few interesting things with the genre.  First off, it has a bit of a SCREAM approach to things; once the guys realize that their wanna-be attackers are vampires, they wax intellectual about the vampire genre, talking about the fact that different movies have their own rules, what can kill a vampire, etc.  It also takes a different approach to the “mirror” trope; the vampire(s) can be seen in a mirror, but when you see them in a mirror they are seen as they truly are.  The bloodsucker is a bit of a psychic vampire, making the characters see what the vampire WANTS them to see, which while not completely original this was a nice, underused vampire power that worked well in BITE MARKS.  Unfortunately for me, all of the originality that the story did include was heavily overshadowed by other factors within BITE MARKS.

First off, BITE MARKS did not pull off the horror-comedy mix.  It is a comedy, and not really even that dark of a comedy, with some gore.  I was never scared for the characters at all, and the fact that there are scenes with very cheesy music and effects to emphasize the comedy elements made just feel that the filmmakers should not have tried to go scary at all.  The opening credits set the tone that BITE MARKS is a comedy, and there are reinforcements of this feeling throughout, so when there are scenes that are obviously supposed to be scary, they just felt really out of place.  Secondly, while the writing was pretty good, the acting was not up to snuff.  Vogel felt like the very stereotypical caricature of a gay guy that has been in so many movies before, and I was not at all (NOT AT ALL) surprised when sneaking a peek at Cary & Vogel in the throes of passion excites Brewster.  Not to say that I’ve got this incredibly accurate sense of “gaydar,” but it was pretty obvious right from the beginning that Brewster was playing for Cary & Vogel’s team.

Which one's the straight one?

On the technical side, there were good elements, and not-so-good elements.  The audio was well recorded and easy to hear, and the music was fitting and never too loud.  The production design and production scouting was successful; there were a lot of good locations in BITE MARKS and it never felt like the filmmakers had to try and dress up a set to look like something else, which is often a telling sign of a low-budget.  The video was very digital, and not nearly as crisp and clean as it could be.  This could be because it was not shot HD, this could be because of issues with either importing the video into editing software, or the final render from that editing software, but it was all too apparent that BITE MARKS was not a “film.”  The lighting was also a sore spot for me; some scenes had harsh, bright lighting that could not be explained by the environment the scene was inhabiting, and other scenes were way too dark.  Though, as a caveat to the lighting statement, there is a very nice orange light that is thrown across the group of vampires (as shown on the poster) that I really did like.

Overall, I just couldn’t get into BITE MARKS.  If it had gone full bore with the comedy aspects, I think it would have been a much more on-point flick, but by trying to make some parts truly scary, BITE MARKS missed.  It did have some interesting takes on the vampire genre, and for a gay themed film it was pretty restrained in its sexuality (except for Vogel, that character just screams “stereotypically gay and proud to have sex with any dude I can!”), but overall I just did not feel like it brought anything exceptional to the already heavily represented vampire genre, and it did not do anything for the burgeoning gay film scene.  Not a bad film; BITE MARKS just missed its mark.

Overall 5 / 10

BITE MARKS on the IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1697878/

BITE MARKS for sale: http://www.amazon.com/Bite-Marks-Windham-Beacham/dp/B005JZBPFU

BITE MARKS site: http://www.blakkflamingopictures.com

Bite Marks (2011)

Major Cast:
Kevin Santry as Frank Creed, Daniel T. Cornish as Keno Bondi, Phil Duran as Milton Rivera, Jamison Jontry as Chloe Tate, Paul Alsing as Detective Orser, Jason Witter as Randy, Joseph West as Officer Romero, Devin O’Leary as Rupert

Special Features:
Commentary, Making Of, Interview with Billy Garberina, Dan and Bill Get Nerdy, Trailers

Written by Devin O’Leary
Directed by Billy Garberina

As has been discussed (quite a few times) before, I am a fan of the zombie genre, in general.  I’m not one of those zombie fans that will love any film – no matter how big the pile of crap it may be – as long as it has undead in it, I am a bit more selective.  I don’t discriminate between horror or comedy, since zombie movies can be either (though they’re pretty-much-always gonna be violent, even if they are not truly “horror”), and having seen so, SO many – I have 57 in my collection as of today – I am grateful when I see a zombie movie that is not just the same ol’ same ol’ undead story.  STIFFED is not that average zombie story, by far.

Billy Garberina has tried to do “different” genre films as a director.  Yes, they are within established parameters – no 60-minute black & white dialogue-free experimental films or anything like that – but he tries to slip in something that the genre fans will not have seen before.  On his last directorial effort, NECROVILLE (review here), he promised me he had “killed a vampire in a way you’ve never seen in a movie before,” and he came through with that promise.  On top of that pivotal death, NECROVILLE was a fun mash-up of various horror genres (it had vampires and werewolves and zombies, oh my!) all presented via a Kevin Smith-like approach to the dialogue and humor; when I heard Smith was making his own horror film, the incredible RED STATE, I expected to be in the same vein as NECROVILLE (and man, was I wrong).  STIFFED is a zombie film, but to be more specific, it is a zombie-supernatural-crime-comedy, which is a different spin on a familiar trope.

Keno, Milton, and Frank, not looking so good for the wear

STIFFED jumps right into the action, opening with the main trio of characters looking for their absent bank robbery getaway car, and moves into a nice non-linear introduction to the characters.  Frank, Keno, and Milton are low-level thugs into a little light bank robbery and spend much of their non-working time at the local strip club, where Frank has gotten the attention of stripper (and black magic priestess) Chloe.  They’re not overly bad guys – as Frank explains, the “gun’s just a negotiating tool… things are much more clear with a gun” – but on the other hand, boy scouts don’t plan heists in strip clubs.  When their getaway car finally arrives, they think they have made it… until the untimely explosion of a dye packet causes a head-on collision with a semi-truck, and the demise of the trio.

Movie over.  Main characters are dead.  What a nice 10 minutes.  Oh, I almost forgot, Chloe happens to pray to Baphomet, and has her own coven of stereotypically-goth witches.  Enter zombies.  Chloe and her coven bring Frank and co. back from the dead, to do her bidding as zombie slaves; but they are not your average zombies, and certainly nowhere near the idea of the voodoo zombie slave.  At first they do not even realize that they are dead, they have no craving for human flesh or brains, they are completely cognizant, and they are not physically impaired by the fact that they are dead.  They are basically the same old Frank, Keno, and Milton… except a bit paler, and they are impervious to pain.  What a perfect “machine” for going out and committing some crime!  Since STIFFED is a crime movie, there has to be the story of the police that are trying to solve the case.  Enter Detective Orser and Officer Romero (which, while an obvious George A. reference, also is an incredibly popular name in NM, so very fitting), at first trying to solve the case of the “Garbage Bag Bandits,” then trying to figure out how his dead crooks are still continuing their crime spree.

Chloe in prayer

I’m not going to get too much more into story, because I’d rather leave that for you to enjoy on your own.  Let’s just put it this way: things never work out the way they are planned when crime (or the undead) is involved.  The script by O’Leary is well written; the plot moves along at a steady pace and the dialogue is decently witty.  There is obviously a bit of a Tarantino/Rodriguez/Smith influence on the speech, it is often snappy and at time there are even lines that made me laugh out loud (“First no zombie slaves, then no smoking. Tonight sucks!”)  O’Leary does a good job of minimizing the expenses associated with producing the story; there aren’t too many locations to deal with (but there are enough to keep the film from seeming cheap), there aren’t a ton of characters to have to cast, and there are not any huge action sequences to deal with, besides a few beatings and shoot-outs.

For a low-budget “local” production, the overall quality is very good.  The gore effects by Ben Chester are extremely well done and sufficiently squeam-inducing, and the limited CGi effects are put to good use without being distracting or making the film cheesy (as they often do with low-budget CGi).  Garberina is a strong director with a good eye and the composition of the shots and movement of the picture works well; the camera is static when it benefits the movie to be, but frantic when the action on screen requires it.  I did notice that a lot of the shots seem to be a bit too close to their subjects, and I could not figure out if this was done intentionally for some reason, or if it was because of the difference between what is seen on a monitor compared to what is the final output in the TV screen, but a lot of the shots are very up close and personal.

Keno, starting to fall apart

All of the major characters are well portrayed by the actors chosen to do so, some of the minor characters are a bit weaker, but that is truly to be expected in a low-budget production.  None of the minor characters are so badly played that it takes away from the film, they just don’t stand up to the performances put in by the primaries.  Santry feels very natural as Frank, as if this might be his day job (I hope not!), and Jontry as Chloe is also very believable in her evil.  While Duran does a good job portraying Milton, I was confused why some who really does not appear Hispanic would be playing such a stereotypically Hispanic character; I kept waiting for that moment when someone in the movie called him out on it, but it never happened.  For me, the highlights of the film were Cornish as Keno – he just really perfectly fit this character, and I had no problem believing anything he had to say – and Alsing as Detective Orser.  I may be a bit biased in this opinion (as Alsing played the main character in my film, DEFECTIVE MAN!), but I truly felt that he stole the show as the cool, collected, and a bit naïve Detective Orser; his take on this character just truly resonated with me.

On the technical side, STIFFED does pretty well overall.  The video quality, while in true 16:9 instead of the 4:3 the information included said it was, seems a bit “digital,” and I don’t know if that is because the film was shot on a SD digital camera or if that quality was imparted in either the import or export into the editing software, but the picture quality is just not nearly as crisp as I thought it would be.  The lighting is also a bit choppy; in some scenes it is very natural and non-apparent, while in others it is more harsh and unforgiving.  The audio, the downfall of many an independent picture, is overall very good.  There are a few bits here and there where the dialogue could have been recorded louder, or the background hiss becomes more noticeable, but overall the sound is a strong aspect to STIFFED.  The production design of the film is overall strong for a low-budget outing, especially in Chloe’s room and in some of the locations that were procured (such as the hospital and funeral home) which allow for good design just by the fact that they are what they are.  Some scenes are not as strong (like Detective Orser’s office), but overall the production design helps instead of hinders.

Detective Orser, confronting the undead crooks

Overall, STIFFED is a strong film.  It is a funny, different mash-up of the “crime” and “zombie” genres, that has zombies pretty much unlike any I have ever seen.  Truthfully, it took me a while to even click that this WAS a zombie movie, STIFFED is that different.  Sure, it has some drawbacks, but nothing that is so glaring that it makes STIFFED a bad movie.  The good (the script, the performances, the effects) definitely outshines the not-so-good (the video quality, the lighting), and overall I greatly enjoyed STIFFED and am really looking forward to seeing Garberina and O’Leary’s next film together.

Overall 7.5 / 10

STIFFED on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478835/

STIFFED for sale (as of February 21st): http://www.amazon.com/Stiffed-Daniel-Cornish-Jamison-Jontry/dp/B006HH618K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325645315&sr=8-1

STIFFED site: http://www.stiffedmovie.com/

Stiffed (2010)

41

Description (from the IMDb):
In the winter of 2003, a catastrophic fire erupted in a Rhode Island concert club, ultimately claiming 100 lives. For this state of just over a million residents, the devastation was profound, leaving unanswered questions and deep scars in its wake. But out of the ashes of the tragedy arose an equally profound story of hope. One year after the fire, a community theatre in the small city of Woonsocket gathered together to perform a play written by the fire’s youngest victim close to the end of his life – a play that many felt could only be described as prophetic. “41″ tells the story of Nicky O’Neill, the young actor, writer and musician who left the world at age 18 but who left behind a message. “41″ weaves together the story of a life cut short, the saga of a community in mourning, and a family finding its way out of the darkness.

Special Features:
Deleted Scenes, February 20^th 2006, Trailer

Directed by Christian de Rezendes & Christian O’Neill

41 is the sad tale of the life and death of Nicky O’Neill, one of the youngest victims of The Station Fire in 2003.  I remember hearing about this fire when it occurred, and had completely forgotten all about it until watching this film; what a horrific event.  I could not imagine what it must have been like to be stuck in a small, dark, crowded club and to watch the stage erupt into flames, more so I can not imagine how the band manager for Great White thought that pyrotechnics in a small, dark, crowded club would be a good idea.  While the fire is the event that caused the death of O’Neill, 41 is not about the fire, it is about Nicky’s life and legacy.

A drawing from one of Nicky's notebooks

O’Neill was a very talented young man.  He was a guitar player, a songwriter, and even wrote a play.  The strange thing was, in retrospect, he seemed to know that he would die young, and wrote about it often.  His play even seemed to about his own tragically short life.  The number “41” was a significant number to him, and after his passing many of his friends and family began to see/hear/notice this number in many places that seem to be connected with Nicky.  Though many of his family felt this was Nicky’s way of communicating from beyond the grave, I tend to agree with his half-brother who does not feel that the number is meaningful.

Nicky O'Neill and his band, Shryne

Apophenia is “the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data,” or basically your mind will find the connections that your mind is looking for.  There are a ton of examples in the movie of O’Neill’s friends and family seeing something with the number “41” or having something happen at the 41st minute of the hour, or whatever, that they then attribute back to him.  Maybe it is him, and maybe if I were in the situation myself I would agree, but I really feel that they just notice the random “41” because they are subconsciously looking for it.  Either way, it is kind of creepy how much that number occurs in this story.

Paranormal occurrences aside, 41 was a great documentary.  Weaving together interviews, home movies, news footage, and written pages from Nicky, 41 builds a greatly tragic story with a true emotional connection.  It’s been a while since a documentary actually made me tear up; I don’t know if it is because I am a dad and I could not imagine this happening to my family, or if it was the raw power of the story itself, but 41 touched me.  I was actually pretty sad for the rest of the day!

The Station Fire

On the technical side of things, 41’s quality varies.  With much of the movie being home video and older broadcast footage, it is easy to understand why the video and audio in these sequences vary.  The audio of the interviews had a bit a variance to it as well; in most places it was good, but there were a few instances where it was either too loud or too soft.  In the grand scheme of things, this is a very minor complaint.

Overall, 41 was a great film.  Emotionally moving, thought provoking, and well made, I really don’t have a lot of negative to be able to say about it.  I highly recommend 41 to anyone interested in the event (The Station Fire), the person (Nicky O’Neill), or just looking for a gripping documentary.

Overall 8.5 / 10

41 on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053792/

41 for sale: http://store.nehst.com/42.html

41 site: http://www.41themovie.com/

41 (2007)

Revealed: Portraits from Beneath One’s Surface

Description (from the IMDb):
Photographer Scott Indermaur creates one-of-a-kind portraits of 11 individuals who have been given the unique challenge of symbolically capturing their essence and spirituality in a small box.

Special Features:
3 extended photo session films by the director, 1 NEW session with a subject not included in the film, Previously produced This I Believe REVEALED short films by Scott Indermaur, 2 NEW short films about the work of REVEALED subjects from the film, “Revealing REVEALED,” a short film from Director Rod Weiner about previous REVEALED sessions held in Kansas and New York City, REVEALED Trailer, Trailers of previous films by Christian de Rezendes

Directed by Christian de Rezendes

Scott Indermaur’s concept for “Revealed” is quite interesting: give a person a box, have them put in it whatever they want that represents them, and then take some pictures (in the dark).  The images that come from the photo session vary from funny to sad, from very obvious in their meanings to very obscured.  Christian de Rezendes chose this art project as the focus of his documentary REVEALED: PORTRAITS FROM BENEATH ONE’S SURFACE, which sheds more light on what went on behind the scenes.

The "Revealed Box"

While 41 connected to me on a deep, emotional level and made me truly care about the people involved, R:PfBOS did not.  Don’t get me wrong, there was still some drama to be had in the stories told by the subjects, but it just didn’t move me.  I think this can be easily explained by focus: 41 is 112 minutes all about Nicky, while R:PfBOS is 42 minutes in which a multitude of subjects stories are presented.  Their stories were still interesting and dramatic, but there was too many of them in too little time to really “feel” much for the people presented.  R:PfBOS seems more like a television show, more of a journalistic piece about a local artist than a full-fledged documentary in its own rite.

Kenneth Chabert's Portrait

The production quality of R:PfBOS is much higher than 41; there is no home video to deal with and the camera used appears to have been upgraded since the interviews for 41 were shot.  The audio is great, there is never an issue hearing or understanding anyone, and it is extremely well mastered.  I really enjoyed the editing as well; de Rezendes does a great job of moving between the various people’s stories, Indermaur’s story, and his own take on what the project is.

A close-up of the interior of one of the boxes during the shoot

Overall I really enjoyed R:PfBOS.  It was a well-made look at a very interesting art project, and a small glimpse into the lives of several of the subjects of that project.  I wish it had been longer, more in-depth, but I did enjoy the entire 42-minute peek it provided behind the scenes of “Revealed.”

Overall 7 / 10

R:PfBOS on the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1924360/

R:PfBOS for sale: http://www.revealedproject.com/the-revealed-film/

R:PfBOS site: http://www.revealedproject.com/the-revealed-film/

Revealed: Portraits from Beneath One's Surface (2011)

Musicians:
Ian O’Dougherty  (vocals, piano, guitar, recording, mixing, production), Sean Merrell (drums), Adam Edwards (bass), with: Julie Davis (additional harmony vocals), Chris Fogal (additional harmony vocals), Bob Ferbrache (organ, recording, mixing, mastering)

Eolian’s EGG is hard to classify.  As their bio info says, EGG is a concept album, and it certainly has the prog-rock influences as well as the 90’s guitar rock influences apparent, but yet, it is more than that.  If I had to try and explain EGG to someone, I guess I’d call it “prog-punk-pop” and hope they didn’t ask me what that meant!  As far as the concept, yes it is about birds, but it is about much more far-reaching issues.  It is about death and birth, and heavily about the toll people are taking on the world; on “Season” Ian sings “People making problems… Something must be done, or else / No more coastal cities… These are the problems we can’t ignore / changes must be made right now, or / No more coastal cities.”  So yes, the album is about birds and flight, but more it is about life and death, and specifically about the consequences of our decisions.

Adam Edwards, Ian O'Dougherty and Sean Merrell

EGG is more prog than punk, more rock than pop, but it has little bits of many influences showing up.  Guitars and pianos dominate the music, the vocals are harmonious (never guttural or screamed), and the lyrics are easy to understand.  EGG rocks, but it never gets so heavy as to be unappealing for the average person, and it softens in places, but never long enough to turn off your average rock fan.  Musically, it is a very well balanced album, and a very accessible album.

The part of EGG that really shone for me was the lyrics.  They are not enigmatic – O’Dougherty tells you exactly what he is talking about, there is no need for translation – and that is a really good thing because he has a lot of important stuff to say.  As I mentioned previously, EGG is about a lot more than birds and flight.  The overarching theme of the album is “we need to make changes now before it’s too late.”  EGG is very much an album about climate change, about human ignorance, and about waking up; and EGG repeats its warnings throughout the eight tracks, using different ways to make the same point.  Stories of loss of habitat, loss of life, and loss of chances to make a change if a change is not made soon dominate EGG.  The overall message: wake up, now.

The "Nest," Unfolded

So, on top of the great music and production Eolian brings to this release, I need to comment on the packaging.  Eolian is part of the same scene as Ian Cooke, and shares the feeling of importance put upon the packaging of the music.  In addition to the digital download, EGG is available on CD, and vinyl (purchasing either of which entitles you to a immediate download of the album while you wait for the physical copy to arrive in the mail).  The CD comes in an origami “nest” designed by Ian Cooke, which is really appropriate for the nature of this album.  The real visual standout is the vinyl, which also is nested in similar origami packaging (and if you get the CD/vinyl combo, the CD’s package sits nicely within the vinyl’s nest!), and is available either on clear wax, or on beautiful translucent blue with white splashes.  I purchased a copy of the vinyl for my father, who told me, “even if I don’t like the music, I can hang it up on my wall,” and I completely agree; the album its self is art on its own.

Egg's Translucent Blue Vinyl

Overall I really enjoyed EGG.  For the casual listener it is a rocking 35 minutes filled with harmonious vocals and extremely well-produced melodies; this album does not sound “independent,” its production is as crisp as any major label release.  For the person that takes the time to truly listen and absorb the message, EGG is a prophecy of things that may happen, a warning of what we are doing to our planet and to ourselves.  I hope people will take the time to listen, not only to support a great independent music release, but to truly listen to what EGG has to say and to take heed… or no more coastal cities.

Overall 8 / 10

EGG for sale: http://eolian.bandcamp.com

EGG site: http://eolian.bandcamp.com

Eolian: Egg

Credits:
Written by Scott S. Phillips

They say “write what you know,” and I feel that SQUIRREL EYES is an example of that notion working perfectly.  Scott S. Phillips has a long history in and around the film scene; he spent time in L.A. as a writer, and has since moved back to Albuquerque where he continues to write – and has also moved into directing – films.  His protagonist, Alvin, is a struggling L.A. screenwriter who decides to clear his head by coming home to Albuquerque, and in doing so revives his failed film production from many years earlier.  Now, this is not an autobiography (at least I hope not!), but it is close to the truth, and having lived a very similar life as Alvin, Phillips is able to make the story feel very real; and very funny.

Poor Alvin, for all his time in L.A. struggling as a writer all he has to show for it is one horribly produced low-budget train wreck of a film (set in the Northeast, but shot entirely in and around one L.A. home) and a hole in his heart where his ex-girlfriend used to be.  Coming home doesn’t start out too much better; his arrogant prick of a brother is succeeding in the local auto parts business he runs, his mother continues to smoke way too much, and his friends are still the semi-losers that they always were.

The only exception is Kelli, Alvin’s teenage girlfriend, who is a single mom to a cool little girl, and in his absence has become a bit of a mythic figure in Alvin’s head.  Alvin figures that he can get his life back on track if now, as an adult, he can consummate the relationship he had so many years ago.  Alvin blurts out his plan after a nice night of catching up, seemingly ruining his chance to succeed at his once chance to restart his flailing life, but to his surprise Kelli offers one bastion of hope: finish The Blue Man, the silent short film they had begun years ago.

Like many (most? all?) low-budget films, the original production of The Blue Man was filled with strife, the most devastating of which was the eventual loss of the stock the film was shot on.  With his eye on Kelli’s “prize,” Alvin sets out to recruit his best friend and former filmmaking cohort to dig out his Super-8 camera, suit up as The Blue Man, and make a new (old) movie.  Kelli, now a mother, does not want to reprise her former role, and Alvin also needs a lead mutant, so together they begin the casting, and eventual production process.

I don’t want to make this into a book report, so if you want to know the rest of the story, read it.  SE was a ton of fun; the dialogue was snappy, the plot was twisty, and had the requisite amounts of humor and strife required, making the book an engaging read.  As a matter of fact, there were several “laugh out loud” moments, as well as times that I really, truly felt bad for Alvin and his situation(s).  Phillips knows his turn of phrase, and does a great job of painting pictures with his prose.  I felt that SE could easily be a film, and it would be a movie I’d want to watch.

I always try to show the good and the bad in my reviews; there’s not a whole lot of bad I can say about SE.  My biggest issue with it was that it was too short!  When it was over, the ending snuck up on me; that is not to say it’s not a good ending to the story, I just didn’t want it to be over yet.  I hope that there will be a follow up, so that I can find out what happened next for Alvin and his crew.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed SE.  It was a fun, quick read, that would be good for anyone looking for a entertaining novel, but is especially gratifying if you, like me, happen to be a “wanna-be” film maker like Alvin.  The prose is expressive, the dialogue is sharp-tongued, the characters are fleshed out, and the story is engaging.  Overall a really enjoyable book, I just wish it was a bit longer… I wasn’t ready for it to end!

Overall 8 / 10

Scott’s site: http://scottsphillips.com/  

SE for sale (paperback): http://www.amazon.com/Squirrel-Eyes-Scott-S-Phillips/dp/1460939263/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_10
(Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Squirrel-Eyes-ebook/dp/B004E3Y0V4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326068254&sr=8-1

1. Night of the Demons (Adam Gierasch) 2. Special (Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore) 3. Operation: Endgame (Fouad Mikati) 4. Alive or Dead (Stephen Goetsch) 5. Dead Space: Downfall (Chuck Patton) 6. Vigilante (William Lustig) 7. The House of the Devil (Ti West) 8. Critters (Stephen Herek) 9. Igor (Tony Leondis) 10. Robot Jox (Stuart Gordon) 11. Repo: The Genetic Opera (Darren Lynn Bousmen) 12. Monster’s Inc. (Pete Docter) 13. Rock’n’Roll High School Forever (Deborah Brock) 14. Nightmare City (Umberto Lenzi) 15. Red Mist (Paddy Breathnach) 16. Infamy (Doug Pray) 17. Critters 2 (Mick Garris) 18. Inception (Christopher Nolan) 19. Critters 3 (Kristine Peterson) 20. Critters 4 (Rupert Harvey) 21. Poultrygeist (Lloyd Kaufman) 22. Taintlight (Chris Seaver) 23. Notorious (Director’s Cut) (George Tillman Jr.) 24. Dread (Anthony DiBlasi) 25. Klown Kamp Massacre (Phillip Gunn and David Valdez) 26. M.o.H.: Sick Girl (Lucky McKee) 27. Mystery Team (Dan Eckman) 28. Cars (John Lassater) 29. Nerdcore Rising (Negin Farsad) 30. Rock Fresh (Danny Lee) 31. May (Lucky McKee) 32. Daybreakers (The Spierig Brothers) 33. Deathbone (Chris Seaver) 34. The Karaoke Kid (Chris Seaver) 35. Geek War (Chris Seaver) 36. Mickey* (Dusty McGowan) 37. Machete (Robert Rodriguez) 38. 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan & Steven Greenstreet) 39. Frankie in Blunderland (Caleb Emerson) 40. Airplane II (Ken Finkleman) 41. Pornography: A Thriller (David Kittredge) 42. Obsolescence* (Jakob Bilinski) 43. Shade of Grey (Jakob Bilinski) 44. Chop (Trent Haaga) 45. Election (Johnny To) 46. Someone’s Knocking at the Door (Chad Ferrin) 47. The Other Guys (Unrated) (Adam McKay) 48. The Gruesome Death of Tommy Pistol (Aramis Sataorio) 49. The Unnamable (Jean-Paul Ouellette) 50. Beyond McNasty: Filthy McNasty 4 (Chris Seaver) 51. Drop Box (Anesty & Spiros Carasoulos) 52. Surf Nazis Must Die! (Peter George) 53. Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain) 54. Mother’s Day (Charles Kaufman) 55. The Ghouls (Chad Ferrin) 56. Waldo the Dog (Kris Canonizado) 57. The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner) 58. Feast (John Gulager) 59. Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (John Gulager) 60. Galaxy Quest (Dead Parisot) 61. My Last Day* (Marc Van Osdale) 62. Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Sacha Gervasi) 63. The Funhouse (Tobe Hooper) 64. Mom & Dad Save the World (Greg Beeman) 65. Midnight Melinda (Wilbur Scott) 66. Cropsey (Joshua Zeman & Barbara Brancaccio) 67. Ninjas vs. Vampires (Justin Timpane) 68. Brüno (Larry Charles) 69. Gentlemen Broncos (Jared Hess) 70. Psycho Holocaust (Krist Rufty) 71. Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky) 72. Bride of Re-Animator (Brian Yuzna) 73. Revenge of the Nerds (Jeff Kanew) 74. Feast III: The Happy Finish (John Gulager) 75. Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (Joe Roth) 76. Phantoms (Joe Chappelle) 77. The Faculty (Robert Rodriguez) 78. Joy and the Apocalypse (Daniel Black & Ryan Convery) 79. Taking Woodstock (Ang Lee) 80. Dawning (Gregg Holtgrewe) 81. The Green Hornet (Michel Gondry) 82. Night of the Demons 2 (Brian Trenchard-Smith) 83. Rubber (Quentin Dupleux) 84. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (Ben Ketai) 85. Iron Man 2 (Jon Favreau) 86. Hobo with a Shotgun (Jason Eisener) 87. Bloodlust Zombies (Dan Lantz) 88. The Burning (Tony Maylam) 89. Balls of Fury (Robert Ben Garant) 90. The Anniversary at Shallow Creek (Jon D. Wagner) 91. Tony (Gerard Johnson) 92. Rango (Gore Verbinski) 93. P.T.U. (Johnnie To) 94. Leprechaun (Mark Jones) 95. Leprechaun 2 (Rodman Flender) 96. Leprechaun 3 (Brian Trenchard-Smith) 97. Leprechaun 4: In Space (Brian Trenchard-Smith) 98. Cars 2 (John Lassater) 99. Leprechaun In The Hood (Rob Spera) 100. Role Models (Unrated) (David Wain) 101. The Baby’s Room (Alex De La Iglesia) 102. Friday the 13^th Part 3 (Steve Miner) 103. Strangers Online (John Huckert) 104. Beneath the Veneer of a Murder* (Angel Connell) 105. Super (James Gunn) 106. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Marcus Nispel)  107. Exit 33 (Tommy Brunswick) 108. TrollHunter (André Øvredal) 109. Paul (Unrated) (Greg Mottola) 110. Strigoi: The Undead (Faye Jackson) 111. The Coffin (Ekachai Uekrongtham) 112. Mimic (Director’s Cut) (Guillermo Del Toro) 113. Tangled (Nathan Greno & Byron Howard) 114. Jason Goes to Hell (Adam Marcus) 115. A Nightmare on Elm Street (Samuel Bayer) 116. The Boneyard (James Cummins) 117. Despicable Me (Charles Renaud & Pierre Coffin) 118. Predators (Nimrod Antál) 119. Piranha (Alexandre Aja) 120. Mirrors 2 (Victor Garcia) 121. Uzumaki (Higuchinsky) 122. Asylum Seekers (Rania Aja) 123. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Jonathan Liebesman) 124. Due Date (Todd Phillips) 125. Friday the 13^th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Rob Hedden) 126. Red (Robert Schwentke) 127. Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (Ellory Elkayem) 128. Splice (Vincenzo Natali) 129. Into the Mirror (Kim Sungho) 130. Mourning Wood (Ryan Convery) 131. Hellraiser: Bloodline (Alan Smithee) 132. Blade II (Guillermo Del Toro) 133. Red State (Kevin Smith) 134. Jason X (James Isaac) 135. Hellraiser: Inferno (Scott Derickson) 136. The Hide (Marek Losey) 137. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Edgar Wright) 138. iCrime (Bears Fonté) 139. La Horde (Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher) 140. Look* (Ryan Pickett) 141. Hellraiser: Hellseeker (Rick Bota) 142. Hellraiser: Hellworld (Rick Bota) 143. The A-Team (Joe Carnahan) 144. Young Guns (Christopher Cain)  145. Over Coffee* (Sean Meehan) 146. The Watchers* (Sy Cody White) 147. Gunderson’s* (Matt Porter) 148. The Machinist (Brad Anderson) 149. Giallo (Dario Argento) 150. JCVD (Mabrouk El Mechri) 151. The Prophecy (Gregory Widen) 152. The Ward (John Carpenter) 153. George: A Zombie Intervention (J.T. Seaton) 154. C.H.U.D. (Douglas Cheek) 155. Happy Feet (George Miller)  156. 16 Candles (John Hughes) 157. The Fog (John Carpenter) 158. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog* (Joss Whedon) 159. The Frighteners (Director’s Cut) (Peter Jackson) 160. [Rec] ² (Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza)