Shocktober: Day 29

Child’s Play (1988)

What’s scarier to a kid than one of their own toys coming to life and killing people? That’s why Child’s Play has persevered over the years. That and it’s charismatic villain Chucky. Child’s Play is most memorable to those of us that saw it as children. Not only because Chucky was a child-sized villain, but because his primary target was a child. We’ve probably all stared into the dead eyes of a doll at some point and thought “Maybe that doll is just pretending to be inanimate.” Child’s Play explores that fear and although it rarely rises above typical slasher fare, it definitely has some solid scares.

The film opens with Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon) chasing serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) through the streets of Chicago. Making their way into a toy store, Ray is shot and mortally wounded. Then with one last ounce of strength Ray grabs a Good Guy Doll and recites a voodoo chant. By the time Norris finds Ray he appears to be dead, but of course that’s part of the game. Later, we are introduced to Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), an innocent 6-year old that wants a Good Guy Doll for his birthday. Andy’s single mother Karen, (Catherine Hicks) unable to afford a doll instead buys one from a bum off the streets. When presented to Andy the doll introduces itself as Chucky. Of course we already know that he ain’t a child’s play-thing.

The early half of the film is surprisingly suspenseful. The voodoo stuff is stupid but the slow buildup to when we first see Chucky alive is very effective. We see strange things happening but whenever the camera cuts to Chucky he’s just sitting there lifeless. It reminds me of the classic Twilight Zone episode “Living Doll” about the killer doll that wont stop tormenting Kojak. Every once in awhile you’ll here the pitter-patter of feet or Chucky wont be where a character thought they put him. All that is great, but once he’s moving around and calling Andy’s mom “A stupid bitch” it loses the suspense and becomes more of a dark comedy. Which is the direction writer Don Mancini took with most of the sequels.

As for Chucky I have to say, he is indeed a memorable character. Of course you have to give credit to Brad Dourif and his maniacal vocal performance. Although I forgot how good the animatronics were in this film. Chucky’s expressions and movements hold up fairly well. Never did I think, “Oh that looks hokey or fake.” Maybe it’s because Chucky is technically an inanimate object, so his abilities should be limited. What doesn’t hold up in this film is the logic.

Over time Chucky finds his new form becoming more and more human. Of course no one wants to be a doll forever so he must find a new host. Abiding by voodoo bullshit, he must find the first person he revealed himself to. Not the first person who found him as a doll, but the first person he revealed himself to be a living doll to. This means he must capture Andy and perform more voodoo bullshit. It doesn’t make sense why these Voodoo rules are so specific. It seems to me they just needed to find a reason for Chucky to go after Andy. Also, why is Chucky so strong? He’s a child’s play-thing! Yet he strangles people and pushes them out windows. Spoiler Fortunately there’s no tacked on ambiguous ending to Child’s Play. Chucky gets burned, shot, and killed.. Game Over. There wasn’t any loose ends, so I’m not sure how they managed to spawn so many sequels. That being said when it comes to Child’s Play, just play with it once and then move on to another toy.

Child’s Play is a movie about a toy that comes to life and has an owner named Andy. What does that remind you of?

Argo F#@k Yourself

Some Kind of Movie – Ep 1: Argo F#@k Yourself

I wanted to try something different with movie reviews here at Mildly Pleased. So here’s a podcast review I like to call “Some Kind of Movie.” You know, like Some Kind of Monster, but with more Ben Affleck. I am joined by my friend and fellow film aficionado Michael Sevigny. This week were talking about the latest political-thriller Argo from actor-director Ben Affleck. We’ll also be talking about Oscar gold, other Ben Affleck roles, and why David O. Russell is insane. Were still finding our footing with the format of this segment, but I think it’s nice change of pace from written reviews. The podcast runs about 30 minutes. Enjoy it or Argo F#&k yourself.

To listen, just click this nifty little button below.

Shocktober: Day 28

They Live (1988)

On the surface, John Carpenter’s They Live appears to be your typical 80s action flick. A story about a violent loner, played by a professional wrestler, fighting aliens? Doesn’t sound great. Which is why it may come as a surprise when you discover through the power of magic shades that it’s so much more than that. They Live is in fact a dark satire about how greed and advertising has brainwashed modern society. Naturally, this is all realized through the power of sunglasses.

WWF superstar “Rowdy” Roddy Piper plays “Nada” a homeless man drifting through the slums of Los Angeles. Here he finds construction work and befriends Frank Armitage (Keith David) a tough as nails laborer who has also fallen on hard times. Traversing his way through slums and shantytowns, Nada discovers a mysterious box of sunglasses. Who would of thunk that these sunglasses have the ability to reveal the world for what it really is? Signs and advertisements are now revealed saying things like “OBEY” and “THIS IS YOUR GOD”. Nada also discovers skull-like aliens disguised as humans. How can this problem be solved? Killing spree!

Although a majority of They Live may be Roddy Piper kicking ass and running out of bubble gum, the message isn’t lost. If we don’t rebel against the tyranny of corrupt governments and corporations, then we’ll be forced to live as slaves. I never thought I’d describe a movie starring Roddy Piper as “Thought provoking.” You can thank John Carpenter’s well-constructed adaptation of Ray Nelson’s short story “Eight O’Clock in the Morning.” Carpenter captures the political edge without sacrificing any of the action. Just look at the film’s legendary fist fight between Roddy Piper and Keith David. It’s like six minutes long!

Considering Roddy Piper is not an actor he does fine. He’s not great, but somehow oddly memorable. Keith David is Keith David, he’s awesome. I can’t think of anyone else who can swear like him and still be as cold as ice. Actress Meg Foster tags along later, but this is mostly a buddy picture. A buddy picture about two guys taking on an alien conspiracy with magic sunglasses. It’s a tale as old as time.

The best political slogan since Walter Mondale’s “Where’s the Beef?”

Shocktober: Day 27

Monkey Shines (1988)

Monkey Shines in my mind is the most terrifying premise there’s ever been for a horror movie. A man becomes paralyzed, gets a helper monkey, and said helper monkey kills people. If you can imagine not only being immobilized but being tormented by something you can’t reason with. Not to mention monkeys have always kind of scared me. I don’t know if they’re as scary as face-ripping-off chimps, but theres’s something brewing behind those black beady eyes. Monkey Shines explores those fears in an over-the-top thriller from Horror legend George A. Romero. I say over-the-top because come on, it’s about a killer monkey!

Alan Mann (Jason Beghe) is an athlete who after being struck by a truck becomes a quadriplegic. This tragic accident turns him into the biggest douche in the universe. Friends and family try to help him but he’s now bitter and despondent. Luckily, Alan’s scientist friend Geoffrey (John Pankow) has been experimenting with transferring human brain tissue into monkeys. This in turn has created a super smart monkey named “Ella” that Geoffrey gives Alan to help in his day-to-day life. It’s great at first, Alan and Ella form an almost romantic relationship. Though we all know what happens when you insert human brain tissue into a monkey… Telepathic powers!

Alan is an angry man and it’s through his telepathic link with Ella that his beloved helper monkey starts acting out. Ella attacks Alan’s friends and family in horrifying scenes that one could only describe as “Hilarious.” At the same time, Alan has formed a relationship with Melanie (Kate McNeil) a specialist in quadriplegics and helper monkeys (Two for one, jackpot!) Naturally, this makes Ella jealous and all hell breaks loose. It just happens to be a hell populated by an adorable little monkey.

I don’t think there’s anyway Monkey Shines could have avoided being stupid. Romero’s execution of Michael Stewart’s novel is most likely spotty at best. Still, I liked this film. Spoiler I actually felt sad when Alan had to trick Ella to kill her. He plays the same music they used to initially bond together, gains her trust, and then bites her neck, swinging her back and forth until she dies. The latter half of that sequence is ridiculous, but the setup is actually quite hearbreaking. All this monkey wanted was companionship. It’s just a shame that it had to be injected with experimental human brain tissue that gave it a telepathic link to its owner.

Monkey Shines is not held in a high regard. It was Romero’s first picture for a major studio and it failed both critically and commercially. Still, I think it’s an inventive concept that does have some inspired moments. Yeah it’s silly, but somehow it still manages to be scary. I can only pray I never end up in the same situation. I just have to make sure I don’t monkey-around from now on when crossing the street.

P.S. Here’s Alan and Ella’s final confrontation. A scene that rides the line between saddening and unintentionally hilarious.

Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.

Shocktober: Day 26

Bad Taste (1987)

Bad Taste is like something a 12 year-old would come up with while playing in his backyard. Everything about it just screams prepubescent gore-hound. The simplistic storytelling, the nonstop violence, and the cast clearly made up of the director’s friends. Did I mention the director of this film was Peter Jackson? Known today as the Oscar winning director of such blockbusters as Lord of the Rings and King Kong. It’s astounding this film came from the same man. Then again, I suppose everyone has to start somewhere.

Bad Taste is as mind numbingly simple as it gets. Aliens come to New Zealand (out of all places) to capture humans for an intergalactic fast food chain. Sounds clever enough, but this is never thoroughly explored. The aliens don’t even reveal their true identities until the last 15 minutes or so. The rest of the time they masquerade as humans running around with various weapons. Humans that I can only assume were locals from Jackson’s hometown or even relatives. Jackson himself has a handful of scenes as a zombie-like henchman that meets a gory demise. Basically everyone in this film suffers a gory demise. That’s because the violence is only thing that moves the plot forward.

The gore effects are admirable for amateur filmmakers. It’s always interesting to see what alternatives amateurs will turn to without a budget. That aside there’s little to offer in Bad Taste. I never had a good grasp of who the characters were or what they stood for aside from basic survival. The film has some minor technical problems as well. Almost all of the dialogue was recorded in post and they clearly didn’t have the best gear, but hey… It’s New Zealand. I’m surprised anyone over there was even capable of making a film.

Bad Taste has that youthful ambition that makes a first film feel exciting. Is it underdeveloped? Yes. Does it drag? Sure, but it has passion. Peter Jackson wanted to express his love for horror movies and filmmaking and he did it. I don’t know how but he made it happen. Not only that but it gave him the boost to go forward and to keep making films. Jackson would return to horror several times again after Bad Taste. Most notably he directed the 1992 cult classic Braindead. A film overflowing with creativity and possibly the most disgusting gore sequences I’ve ever seen. So for that I tip my bow to you Mr. Jackson and my axe.

I can smell the Oscars already.

Sinister Purpose

Sinister

Discovering a new horror movie that’s not only good but released in October is like finding a curly fry in a batch of regular fries. Sinister is the latest film from Scott Derrickson, director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and ugh, The Day the Earth Stood Still remake. Fortunately, I can proudly say that this is his most effective movie yet. Even more effective than the cloudy gaze of Keanu Reeves.

Eliison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) is a true crime novelist who hasn’t had a hit in years. As a last gasp attempt to save his career, Ellison has moved his wife and two kids unknowingly into the house of a former murdered family. If that wasn’t creepy enough, Ellison discovers a box full of old Super 8 home movies in the attic. What Ellison discovers is not only recorded footage of the family that was murdered, but footage of other families meeting their grisly demise. Ellison finds that these cases can be tied together by the fact that each family had a young child that went missing after the family was murdered. He also discovers a mysterious dark figure that seems to inhabit the films.

Without spoiling too much, I can tell you the dark figure is a demon-like creature called a Bagul or Mr. Boogie that lives in images. This means he only exists within the movies. Still his influence is great and soon takes hold of Ellison’s family, notably his children. Thus it’s up to Ellison to unravel the mystery and meaning of the footage. This leads to a horror film that follows all your typical beats but with far more creativity.

The film’s opening Super 8 footage of a family being hung sets the tone perfectly. Sinister is a twisted mystery connecting tragedies of the past to the present. The Super 8 footage scenes are what make this movie. Combine that with an unconventionally dissonant soundtrack, a terrifyingly simple monster, and you have a horror movie hit.

I don’t have much to say about Sinister because it speaks for itself. It has an inventive premise with a retro charm and a competent lead. Ethan Hawke, who I don’t see very often, delivers as both an obsessed writer and concerned family man. Even former presidential candidate Fred Thompson shows up as a no-nonsense sheriff. Though the formulaic last half of the film never quite equals the bone chilling beginning, I’d still recommend Sinister. It’s the perfect movie for this horrific Halloween season.

Love, Love, Love

The xx – Coexist

I don’t know what I can say about The xx except that they seem to have figured out how to hit exactly the frequencies that resonate in my brain. Their mellow, barren sound is one I know simply will not be appealing to some people, especially since I feel like they gone even more minimal since their somewhat self-titled debut. This approach seems like it would leave listeners desperate for more, but, and again I don’t really know why, it works for me.

You could probably guess it without paying attention to the lyrics, but this is an album about heartbreak. Like a lot of great music, Coexist is a chronicle of a relationship, although it sounds like this one won’t work out. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim share vocal duties and they play off each other really well, if you’re into this sort of thing. In the post-Adele world, I hope people have an open mind about listening to young British kids with nice voices waxing romantic.

The rest of what you’ll hear is hard to write about. Silence, or at least quiet, is an instrument on Coexist. Everything echoes and pulsates, oftentimes you will only hear one instrument at a time. This lends an intense fragility to the entire record, like a candle flickering in the darkness. And now that I have written that lame simile, this paragraph is over.

On the one hand, what The xx have done here is continue to develop their sound, one that somehow found the cracks in my ears and filled them. On the other, they’ve made an album that’s even less poppy and accessible than the last. It’s damn near spartan. Try it out, maybe it will work out for you. Maybe it won’t. But if it does, you’re going to wonder how you lived without these kids before.

Favorite Tracks: “Angels,” “Chained,” “Missing”