Monday, April 9, 2012

BIFFF Day #2 (Saturday, 4/7)


Despite going to bed at around 3am the night before, I found myself awake at 8am Saturday morning, my mind cooking up questions to pose to my first solo interview efforts of the fest, that of Michael Sauter (co-writer of Sennentuntschi) and bad boy Frenchman Xavier Gens, who made big horror waves in 2007 with his contribution to the avalanche of French horror that emerged in the latter half of the decade, Frontier(s). Both were held in the previously mentioned "Jameson bus," both went quite well. Got a picture alongside Gens, as well as one of him holding up an issue of HorrorHound that I could send along to Nathan for posting on the HHW Facebook wall.

Then it was time for more movies and more chatting with my ever-growing social circle. In addition to my press room gal pals, I made the acquaintance of Sven Soetemans and Thierry Wybauw, two of the many contributors to HORROR 101 that I had never yet met face to face, as well as Gert’s friends Barbara, Nicolas and Sabrina. By the end of the night, our group had taken over a full half row of seats in the epic BIFFF screening room – yes, the despicable habit of “saving seats” is alive and well in Belgium and I’ll be playing by the whole “When in Brussels” rulebook while I’m here, I guess. Saturday was also the BIFFF zombie walk, so lots of undead drippings surrounded us throughout the day.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) - Day #1 (Friday, 4/6)


My first day at the festival, hereafter to be referred as BIFFF, was a rewarding and enjoyable one. The night before, when Gert was off at the opening night ceremonies, I spent my first real solo time in the city, managing to navigate my way around the myriad of twisting, turning, inner-GPS defying streets.

Seriously, you know how when you’re out in the forest and you decide to go off-trail for a while and lose your way, but then stumble upon a field of psychedelic mushrooms, chow down on them, trip out for the rest of the day and after waking up in the middle of the night in a pile of your own sick, try to navigate your way back to the car in the dark but just keep passing what looks like the same pile of rocks over and over again? I mean, we’ve all been there, right? Right?

Fool's Views (4/2 – 4/5) (pre-BIFFF)



Can you smell it, my friends?

In the days preceding the 30th annual Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival’s kick-off, my good friend and unassuming host Gert Verbeeck served as tour guide – not only to the countless sights and tastes that Belgium’s capital has to offer (of which there are many), but also unveiling the treasures of his rare and storied videotape collection (of which there are even more). With the exception of a certain Rondo-nominated documentary, all of the following Views are courtesy of the man, the myth, the legend known around the IMDb horror boards as Vomitron_G – one whose generosity and good humor are seemingly boundless. Glad to be spending the next couple weeks by his side and under his roof.

So, before we unfurl the madness that is BIFFF, we’ll indulge in a mini filmfest known as G-VHS. Hope you like…

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Fool's Views (3/19 – 4/1)




Bonjour, my friends,

I’ll warn you right at the start, this is a healthy batch of flickers, assembly for the most part in preparation for (or viewed at) the 2012 HorrorHound Weekend held in Columbus, OH, March 23-25. Knowing I had Q&A panels with Stuart Gordon, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Barbara Crampton, Tippi Hedren, Julie Adams, the cast of the 1985 Day of the Dead, as well as the aforementioned Pam Grier, I knew I had work to do. Truth be told, I didn’t get to see near as many as I planned to, but I think I did more than passable work in my role as moderator. I also got to view four of the five features screened there (Monster Brawl had to take a rain check in favor of a late night diner meal with my IMDb horror board pals), followed by an array of CPL (Chicago Public Library) rentals prior to zipping off to Oshkosh for the world premiere of Dead Weight.

Warning #2: I am writing this on the eve of the Opening Night of the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), where I am currently shacked up with fellow fiend Gert Verbeeck and preparing to view anywhere from four to seven flicks EVERY SINGLE DAY for the next 14 days, as well as interview several of the filmmakers. It’s like the October Challenge, only on the big screen and with a lot more beer, chocolate and waffles. Thus, it was imperative that I wrap up the past two weeks’ Views and clear the slate. Shite is about to get very, very real…maybe even surreal. Hope you dig the upcoming ride as much as I expect to.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Fool's Views (3/12 – 3/18)




Back again, my friends. Crankin’ ‘em out, crankin’ ‘em out…

The Netflix gods smiled on me this week, as did the Chicago public library, and it is to them that I raise my figurative hat. I had discovered an array of older horror features that had somehow been overlooked in my travels on the Little Red Website, and was enjoying a pleasant nostalgic float down the black and white river (when I wasn’t deep in the shooting of pal Jason Coffman’s short film TAPE, that is. http://vimeo.com/38677838)

It was right about then that I got the call from Nathan Hanneman, editor of HorrorHound magazine and the brains behind their HorrorHound Weekend conventions, that I would be hosting several of the Q&A panels in Columbus the weekend of March 23-25, including the one featuring headliner Pam Grier. Needless to say, my priorities got switched in a hurry, and the Views changed gears from forgotten horrors to a deep dive into the blaxploitation pool. See me complaining? No, you don’t.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (3/5 – 3/11)




Oh, man. Willie sung it best when he asked, “Ain’t it funny how time slips away…?”

So, catching up on the last three weeks, absolutely of the essence since things are about to get truly bonkers in the Foolish World of Dr. AC (which is saying something, considering the normal state of affairs). This week saw me catching up with several fright flicks from 2011 that slipped by, as well as a couple more that are about ready to break bad. Toss in a pinch of Polanski and a colander of Cahn and a tasty cinematic stew was ours for the slurping. Keeping it short and sweet, hope you like.

If you want more blathering, you know what to do… (cue the tagline)

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Fool's Views (2/20 – 3/4)



Hello my friends,

Didn’t forget about you last week, it was just that come the final tally, I’d only amassed a half dozen flicks – only two of which were vaguely horrific in tone (although The Help was pretty damn horriBLE).

So, we dived back in the oceans to see what else we could harvest, emerging with bushels overflowing with pearls, seaweed, an old boot and the occasional pirate’s doubloon. Needless to say, we’re now saddled with an embarrassment of riches, so I hope you’ve brought your appetites. Before you lies a banquet of ghostly lasses, Hammer classes, glitzy disco glasses, and a wealth of other tasty treats. Hope you like.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Fool's Views (2/13 – 2/19)



Say hey, you wonderful warped wackjobs! Thanks for stopping by for yet another go-round with the Fool.

Well, wrapped up my run of A Wrinkle in Time with Milwaukee’s First Stage Theater this past weekend, and while I’m happy to be back home in the Chi-town groove, I confess I’ll be sorry to not find myself tesseracting around geodesic domes with nearly as much frequency. Due to the final stretch also including a nasty head cold in the mix, there was little to do but answer the siren call of the many DVDs hauled up north with me as I convalesced, pleased at the various “theme nights” which presented themselves (not to mention a certain excursion to the wilds of Oshkosh for another bout with the beloved House of Horrors). From bugs going boom to fistfuls of fu, from Blair gone bad to beating the Streets, we hope you dig it too.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Fool's Views (2/6 - 2/12)


Ah, gentle friends, gather ye ‘round while I spin tales of the journeys mine eyes have seen…

In other words, AC’s back with some more blithering blathering, y’all. The Views erred a bit more on the non-horror side this time around, although there was plenty of wild and woolly viddying and the term “civilian” deserves its quotations when one realizes that this is far from your everyday multiplex fodder. Nay, it was babes behind bars and narcissism run amok, Soviet sci-fi and satiric biopics. But while the horror menu was slim, it was prime…as you shall see.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Fool's Views (1/30 – 2/5)



Well, whaddya know, more or less on schedule and with a truckload of flicks as well. Gotta love it.

January came and went without me getting to the cinema once. However, I was finally lured out into the wilds last Friday in order to see one of my favorite trashy horror flicks on the big screen, and it was a magical night. Thanks to Mr. John Pata for scooting his fine behind down to Brewtown and making it happen. Other than that, though, it was all new first-time viewings courtesy of the magic window on the wall or on the desk, and considering the richness of the dishes, I have no complaints at all. Special shout out to fellow fiend Dave Kosanke for hosting one of my favorite synapse-sizzling Views of the week – details below.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Fool's Views (1/16 – 1/29)


Wow, where the heck did January go?

While severely lagging behind last year’s totals at this point, we managed to make a stronger showing in the second half of the month, populating the magic picture frame with a combo of obscure 70s horror (and one oddly obscure recent release), awards bait, and a bevy of civilian flicks ranging from gold to garbage. And really, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Among these, we took in three more Christopher Lee flicks, making a total of seven for the month. With Kitley’s Kryptic Army focusing on Hammer this month, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bit more of ol’ tall, dark and gruesome before 2012 is out.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Fool's Views (1/1 - 1/15)


Welcome to 2012, my friends. It’s been a bit of a slow start for the old Fool, or rather, I’ve been operating at what might be considered “normal” speed for most. Chalk it up to a combination of acclimating to a new schedule, rehearsals for a new play, and writing a new HorrorHound article, the subject of which might be immediately apparent based on the brunt of the films below. Plus, there was all that tallying and discussions about everyone’s top 10, 20, etc. of 2011 – plenty to keep the Doc a-hoppin’.

But back in the saddle we are, and it’s finally feeling like winter, so there should be plenty of good Viewing ahead. Hope you enjoy what we’ve got in store for you this week, and as always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Civilian 2011 Wrap-Up and Year-End Stats!


Back again!

Having addressed the horror genre in the previous entry (hey, the title of the blog is HORROR 101 after all), it seems only fair to give the civilian flicks their moment in the sun, seeing as how they composed nearly half the total Views this year. As before, all of the films listed were encountered for the first time from January 1 to December 31, 2011 (i.e. no repeat viewings were eligible), with my top picks denoted with an asterisk.

FOR PREVIOUS YEARS' RECAPS, CLICK HERE


2011 TOTALS: 640 films, 419 1st time views, 355 horror, 59 cinema
(2010 Totals: 364, 253, 242, 45)
(2009 Totals: 472, 276, 289, 38)
(2008 Totals: 384, 278, 226, 39)
(2007 Totals: 409, 284, 260, 40)




TOP CIVILIAN 2011 RELEASES
Adventures of Tintin, The (2011)
Another Earth (2011)
Bridesmaids (2011)
Drive (2011)*
Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Hugo (2011)
Margin Call (2011)*
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Moneyball (2011)
Tree of Life, The (2011)*
War Horse (2011)





Dr. AC's 2011 Horror Wrap-Up Extravaganza!


Howdy troops,

Greetings, fellow lovers of the moving image,

First off, let it be duly noted – this year was INSANE. 2011’s total of 640 films represents the 3rd highest I’ve ever amassed in a single year. As a result, narrowing things down to a simple Top 10 just didn’t seem in the cards, and with an abundance of worthwhile cinema to be tallied, why impose such an arbitrary limit? Why indeed.

CLICK HERE FOR PREVIOUS YEARS' RECAPS 

Therefore, after much deliberation, below is my assessment of the horror year that was. All of the fright flicks listed herein were encountered for the first time sometime between January 1 and December 31, 2011 (i.e. no repeat viewings were eligible). To accommodate and acknowledge as many films as possible, I've broken them down into various categories in alphabetical order, with my top pick denoted with an asterisk. (*)

If you are curious about or want to celebrate/debate why a certain title landed in a certain category, please leave a comment and we’ll go at it. Also, if you’re interested in reading the original reviews of the films in question (and really, who wouldn’t be?), you can easily access them via the Blogger search function in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

Thanks so much for the past year of rapping and chatting - looking forward to more of the same in 2012!






BEST HORROR RELEASES IN (OR AROUND) 2011
Attack the Block (2011)
Chillerama (2011)
Chop (2011)
Dream Home (2010)
Exorcismus (2010)
Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), The (2011)*
I Saw the Devil (2010)
Kidnapped (2010)
Last Circus, The (2010)
Let Me In (2010)
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)
Rammbock: Berlin Undead (2010)
Red State (2011)
Red White and Blue (2010)
Stake Land (2010)
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Fool's Views (12/26 – 12/31)


Boom. There it is.

The last week of 2011 featured no fewer than seven current theatrical releases, as well as a bevy of recent video releases and a continued game of catch-up from the decade gone by. Hope you like, and I’ll be seeing you very soon with the year-end totals!

As always feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (12/19 – 12/25)



Hey kids,

Welcome to 2012! But, before we dole out the year-end goodies, we need to commune with the remaining 2011’s Views. Wouldn’t you know it, since they were the final weeks, and since I had little to do after placing my meager offerings to the femalien under the tree, I dug out the eyelid toothpicks and again drank deeply from the cinema pools. The Chicago public library continued in my catch-up of notable civilian films gone by, Netflix kept the horror blood pumping, and the penultimate Cronenberg features in our year-long examination unfurled before us. Good stuff.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Fool's Views (12/12 – 12/18)

My friends,

It was a great week for movie watching, although the circumstances were less than ideal (monster head cold accompanied by a wicked 3-day migraine). As a result, I was pretty much immobilized and remaindered to the couch, but the Netflix and public library gods were there to comfort me with their celluloid balm. As you can see, my TV-remote fingers transported me across continents to experience a multitude of worthy foreign nightmares, as well as a dip into the De Palma Pool.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend – may your gatherings of family and friends be rich and plentiful. The greatest gifts are still the ones that come for free/cheap: a friendly word, a warm embrace, a surprise phone call, a random act of kindness… I feel incredibly blessed to be allowed to live this life, surrounded by friends and fiends both corporeal and virtual. Thank you for sharing your time and comments with me over yet another blogging year – it’s a pleasure to know that someone’s actually out there reading these blithering and blithe missives.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll be sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Fool's Views (12/5 – 12/11)


Hey kids,

Huge week for movies as we head into the final stretch. This is when I start looking at the calendar and think to myself, “You know those movie projects you’ve been meaning to knock out before the end of the year? Yeah, need to get on that.” Of course, this is also just as Hollywood starts turning out its awards bait, and also when it occurs to me that I need to get in another Share the Scare or two before the end of the year… Bottom line, it means the Views start coming fast and furious - no rest for the wicked wickeds out there.

The good news is that I was able to further indulge in my Peter Jackson 2011 lovefest as well as making a sizable dent in Bob Clark’s filmography, as well as picking up three recent mainstream releases topped by a five-flick StS involving great friends, great chow and a variety of first time views seen in the company of fellow adventurous souls. Talking about you, David Schmidt, Adam Meredith, Sharon Gissy, Jason Coffman, Tery Gallagher, Dan Kiggins and Brian Kirst. Thanks for, well, Sharing the Scare – screaming is always better with company.

There’s plenty more to come, with an array of international horror on the horizon, so let’s get to the week that was. As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Fool's Views (11/28 – 12-4)...with MORE Turkey!


Welcome back, peeps and peepettes,

As promised, following the spirit and excess of a certain Thanksgiving holiday, the feasting that began at Chateau de Kitley spilled into the next week as I continued to gobble the cinematic gobblers. Most of said beasties were provided courtesy of Netflix’s streaming service, although I was not above digging into my own private stash to round out the dishes. (In the spirit of full disclosure, IMDb’s Turkey Challenge earns an additional 5 points for “trifectas” featuring the same director or turkeys from a franchise, hence the comedy team of Uwe, Larry and Noriaki.) But, after the calendar page finally flipped, we also indulged in some “legit” horrors, all of which delivered the goods in their own individual fashion – not a stinker in the bunch…although according to some of my fellow blood brethren, that assessment might not be universal. Check ‘em out, see what you think.

As always feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll be sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Fool's Views (11/21 – 11/27)...with Turkey!


Hey there, freaky freaks,

Hope everyone had an amazing holiday. Sorry for the delay in serving up the goodies; I had my hands full with celluloid turkeys, (although I managed to take a few breaks from drowning in cinematic tryptophan to catch up with a certain Boy Wizard and some old school Muppet action). But mostly, it was all about the gobblers, and the eight consumed here - all but one consumed in the presence of the good Jon Kitley & Co. of KITLEY'S KRYPT fame - composed only the first course as you’ll see in next week’s installment.

Much like the October Challenge, the IMDb horror boards host their annual Turkey Challenge, where contestants are invited to indulge in as much of the lowest of the low as they can stand. The “winner” came away having viddied a whopping 142 films (all ranked 5.0 or lower on IMDb) over the course of November’s 30 days. I’ll let you do the math on that one, but suffice to say – that’s a lot of dreck. (I settled for a mere 15 and was more than full.) I’ve revived the Fool’s Views Haikus format for the occasion because hey, seriously critiquing Turkeys seems akin to counting calories on Thanksgiving – contrary to the point, yes?

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!