A Week of Thanks

5 Films About Thanksgiving

Day 5

Film #5

~ Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale ~

Director:  Xavier Koller
Year:  1994
Cast:  Adam Beach, Irene Bedard, Michael Gambon, Mandy Patinkin, Eric Schweig
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  102 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: PG

An American Indian named Squanto (Beach) is kidnapped by British traders, where he is returned to Europe to be a slave.  He manages to escape, however, and comes upon a monastery of monks, where he learns English and devices a way to get back home.

Revisionist inaccuracies abound in this jumbled mess of a film.  Other than the name of the main character, the filmmakers of this “docudrama” make a mess of the true well documented story of the most influential American Indian in his relevance to the survival and founding of the country by the Pilgrims.

Sadly, the direction of the film doesn’t fare much better than the storyline.  The monks are portrayed as legalistic buffoons, save the one monk who befriends Squanto.  The Europeans are all shocked at this “savage” in their midst, all the while Squanto is a loving and accepting who is taken advantage of because of his naiveté.

I could go on and on with this review, but I’ll cut it short so I can get to another film before the weekend.  Sad to see such lush production values wasted on a film such as this.

My Rating:  ** / D

Available on Amazon: Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale

I am happy to say that I now can say with conviction that I’ve not only seen this film, but will put it in my que of must see films every Thanksgiving from today forward. I was only saddened when I thought of the passing of the director not too long ago. A true talent, and one whom I’m sure will be missed by many.

A Week of Thanks

5 Films About Thanksgiving

Day 4

Film #4

~ Planes, Trains and Automobiles ~

href=”http://creativesaloon.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/20120427-151422.jpg”>Director: John Hughes
Year: 1987
Cast: Steve Martin, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean, Laila Robins
Language: English
Country: United States
Specs: 93 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: R

Neal Page (Martin), an overworked stressed out businessman, is traveling from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving to be with his family. When he misses the plane, he meets Del Griffith (Candy), a jovial traveling salesman who happens to also be traveling to Chicago. They agree to team up to get back home by way of any means possible. Unfortunately, the entire trip turns into one big error-prone adventure, testing the patience of Neal, and giving new meaning to the term “friendship”.

Hughes, Martin and Candy deliver a laugh a minute in this hilarious slapstick comedy of misfortunes. It truly is sad that both Hughes and Candy were taken from this realm at such early ages, leaving a void in their place.

Martin shines as the straight man, and the duo bring back memories of other great comedic talents such as Laurel and Hardy, and Abbott and Costello. The timing of the dialogue is impeccable, with the expressions of both Candy and Martin to match. Rarely does such controlled humor play well, and as deadpan as these craftsman were able to pull off. The one liners, many of which I have been familiar with even without having seen the film, are truly classic, and deserving of their “fame”.

It’s no wonder the recent film “Due Date” attempted to copy the formula seen here. Sadly, that film is a testament to the talent found here. A great way to spend Thanksgiving, apart from the obvious….Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

My Rating: ***** / A-

Available on Amazon: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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A Week of Thanks

5 Films about Thanksgiving

Day 3

Film #3

~ What’s Cooking ~

Director: Gurinder Chadha
Year:  2000
Cast: Mercedes Ruehl, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Julianna Margulies, Dennis Haysbert, Estelle Harris, Victor Rivers, Douglas Spain, Francois Chau, Will Yun Lee, Isidra Vega, A Martinez
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  109 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: PG-13

Four ethnic households in Los Angeles gather together in their respective homes to celebrate Thanksgiving, each with their own ethnic recipes. Each learns some important aspects of family, friends, and giving thanks.

The first thing I noticed about this balancing act is that director Chadha pulls it off with aplomb. Being able to effectively tell four different parallel stories that all intersect at various points in the film, while holding the interest of the viewer is no easy task, yet Chadha proves that she is more than capable.

The second thing I noticed about this entertaining comedy is the wonderful editing by Janice Hampton (also editor of “Rocky II”). It’s amazing how effective a skilled cutter can be to a films overall enjoyment, and proves that this woman’s touch was just what Chadha needed to bring to this fun comedy peppered with dry humor in the most appealing of ways.

That isn’t to say the film is perfect, or without fault. It does contain elements that prevent this film about families from being a family film (hence the PG-13 rating), but I imagine it has enough to heart to appeal to many adults, to whom the film is targeted.

The most exciting aspect of this pseudo chick flick was the appearance of two of my favorite presidents: President David Palmer, my favorite hero president, and President Charles Logan, my favorite villainous president (both from the Fox TV Show “24”, of course!).

All in all, a nice little treat as we head into the big day. Tomorrow, I’ll focus on the granddaddy Thanksgiving film of them all!

My Rating:   **** / B-

Available from Amazon: What’s Cooking?

or

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Amazon Video on Demand: What’s Cooking?

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A Week of Thanks

5 Films about Thanksgiving

Day 2

Film #2

~ Home for the Holidays ~

Director: Jody Foster
Year:  1995
Cast: Anne Bancroft, Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., Claire Danes, Charles Dunning, Cynthia Stevenson, Geraldine Chaplin
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  103 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: PG-13

Claudia Larson (Hunter), upon being fired from her job, decides to return to her parents home for a family gathering during Thanksgiving.  Upon arriving, she soon realizes what a misfit dysfunctional family she has, and attempts to find sanity in the midst of the madness.

I guess it’s true what they say, comedy is subjective.  In the case of “Home for the Holidays”, I must have left my sense of humor at the checkout at the local video store.

For some, incestuous brothers, pot smoking as cool and normal, and an entire family of uninteresting caricatures may be knee slapping hilarious.  For me, however, its the recipe for a bleak and dull film that feels more bland than Aunt Petunia’s giblet gravy.

The film is rescued from the pits of the doldrums by the always excellent acting from Downey, Jr., (one of the most underrated actors of the current era, in my humble opinion), and Chaplin as the crazy Aunt.  (Interesting note: Downey had played Geraldine’s real life father, Charlie, in the 1995 Richard Attenborough film, “Chaplin”).

Sadly, even their performances help little with interest in their characters.  I stated before that it’s hard to get behind the film if the characters are uninteresting, and that is the case here in droves.  I believe I’m not alone, as the film was a box office bomb, and the last for director Foster in the helmers chair.

Hopefully, there are more interesting films to be “thankful for” coming.  For now, on this Thanksgiving post, I give to you….a turkey…

My Rating:   ** / D

Available from Amazon: Home for the Holidays

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Amazon Video on Demand: Home for the Holidays

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A Week of Thanks

5 Films about Thanksgiving

Day 1

Film #1

~ The Ice Storm ~

Director: Ang Lee
Year:  1997
Cast: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  112 mins. / Color / OAR 1.37:1 / MPAA Rating: R

Ben (Kline) and Elena (Allen) Hood are in a miserable marriage, and have two children (Ricci and Maguire) who are negatively affected by the marital situation.   All are involved in extramarital affairs or drug use of some sort, and find that those they are involved with are equally as troubled as they, to disastrous results.

It’s tough to get behind a film where none of the characters have any redeeming qualities.  In such a situation, I find it hard to like any of them, thus find myself numb to any “hardships” they may suffer throughout the film.  This, sadly, is the situation with “The Ice Storm”.

The film is shot well, features a beautifully somber musical score, and is stocked with an excellent cast that any director would welcome.  Unfortunately, the story just wasn’t engrossing enough for even this caliber of talent to rescue.  The film, for starters, could have been set during any time of the year.  There is nothing in the film that makes it a Thanksgiving film, other than the mentions a few times here and there.  Furthermore, the ending that was supposed to be a heart wrenching finale, was seen from a mile away (actually about the halfway point of the movie, to be precise).  Lastly, other than that unfortunate incident, there is nothing else as far as consequences left in the film, with one nagging question regarding Maguires character left unresolved.

The most interesting thing about the film was the constant reference to “The Fantastic Four” with Maguires character (who himself was Marvel’s other comic book star, “Spider-man”.)  Of course, director Ang Lee would later direct that other Marvel film “Hulk” a few years later.

Not a horrible film, but not a memorable one either.  I can understand why this was a bomb at the box office upon its initial release.  Nobody wants to commit suicide during Thanksgiving week, or see a movie that is akin to that.

Aye, I need a drink.  Wait a minute, then I’d be like every character in the film.  On second thought…

My Rating: *** / C-

Available from Amazon: The Ice Storm – (The Criterion Collection)

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Amazon Video On Demand: The Ice Storm

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The deceptive lie. Can you spot it?

Sony recently announced that they would be carrying the Vudu On-Demand movie service on the PS3, thus joining the week old announcement that HuluPlus would also be joining the PS3’s digital media features which already include Netflix Streaming and the PSN store.

My first reaction of the HuluPlus news, according to the press release, was that of joy.  Advertising that “ALL Playstation 3 owners” would have access to the media that is available on HuluPlus for the small monthly fee (which when announced was $9.99/month, but was wisely dropped to $7.99/month mere days ago) was a welcome option to those of us residing outside the U.S.  That joy, however, was quickly diminished once visiting the actual website, where it was clearly noted that any ISP from outside the U.S. would be blocked.

The screen users outside the U.S. are greeted with upon entering the Hulu site.

The same thing goes for both Netflix and the PSN store itself, even though my PS3 is an American console with a U.S. based PSN account with a U.S. based credit card.  True to form, yesterdays announcement regarding Vudu followed suit, and will only be available to those living inside the U.S. of A.  In fact, the only option I have to legally obtain content comes from Apple via iTunes.

What is wrong with you, content providers?  Why must you block people who want to LEGALLY obtain your content, thus lining your coffers with cold hard cash, from viewing the media so many people have worked so very hard to create?  As an artist myself, I would much rather know that people around the world can see my work legally, easily, and pay for it than have them search the internet for a torrent of the film, thus likely never paying for the film once it does reach their market.

I believe that by installing such ridiculous crippling policies you are “hurting” those systems that carry your service (PS3, Xbox 360, TiVo, etc) from selling the machines they are attempting to unload by carrying your service.  Any person that resides outside the U.S. will forgo purchasing their unit for any reason beyond the obvious main use the device serves, opting instead for a device that will allow them to view the material you are trying to sell.  Don’t believe me?  Check any dozen of forums out there pertaining to those devices to see the flaming taking place.  (I will avoid using this space to write of the simply foolish act of charging $7.99/month and then putting commercials into the stream (HuluPlus), nor to write of the baffling charge of $5.99 per movie (Vudu) when sites like Amazon and the aforementioned iTunes offer the same content for $1.99!, as that would be a whole blog in itself.)

Even more baffling, I’ll point to the recent wonderful practice of offering films for rent via On Demand, Amazon VOD, and iTunes pre-theatrical release for the price of a movie theater ticket.  Recent films “Freakonomics”, “Client-9”, “Monsters”, and “[REC]2”, were all available for me to view via iTunes, yet were unavailable in my region on the other platforms mentioned.  What the reasoning could possibly be has left me bewildered, to say the least.  I’m confident many more with iTunes accounts around the globe gave money to Magnolia Pictures, as I did, through Apples wonderful program.  Sadly, much more could have been made had Amazon and On Demand not been region locked.

I’m simply writing this to tell you that you would easily earn my hard earned money were these silly restrictions lifted.  As you can imagine, I’m not the only person who holds these views.  There are scores of people who would pay for the instant convenience these platforms provide, as opposed to the hassle and unsafe practice of downloading suspicious torrents.

Take some advice from yourselves, and pay heed to the old proverb, “If you build it, they will come.”

The whole process was an enjoyable one for me. I am going to do a marathon all-night’r to watch a few more that I wasn’t able to fit into the blog! I hope that you will watch a few of the films that you haven’t seen, or re-watch those that you’ve long forgotten but were reminded of in these pages.

I chose today’s film, as you’ll see, simply because of the title. I’m perfectly aware that there was a similarly titled film, “Trick ‘r Treat”, released in 2009, but today’s film is a classic. Any fan of the 80‘s, heavy metal hair bands, or “Family Ties” will find something to like in today’s entry.

If you enjoy what we are doing here at Creative Saloon, then you can help show your support by clicking on our links, or visiting our donate button.

Lastly, I hope you have a wonderful and safe Halloween, and get all the treats you love and desire. Now sit, back, dim the lights, pop the Jiffy Pop, and crank up the surround sound to 11.

31 Days of Howl-oween

A Review of Films Filled with Frights

Day 31

Film #31

~ Trick or Treat ~

Director:  Charles Martin Smith
Year:  1986
Cast: Marc Price, Tony Fields, Lisa Orgolini, Doug Savant, Glen Morgan
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  98 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: R

Heavy metal fan Eddie Weinbauer is an outcast at his high school, often finding himself the butt of the local jocks (Savant) antics. After receiving an unreleased vinyl album from his recently deceased idol, rocker Sammi Curr (Fields), he plays it backwards, calling forth the demonic reincarnation of Curr. When Curr exacts vengeance on those who keep down the underdog, Eddie retracts and attempts to save the lives of those who hurt him, destroying and sending the demon Curr back where he came from, before it’s too late.

In a formula seen in other films, such as “Karate Kid”, the outcast boy who likes the popular girl gets picked on by the school jock, only to have a mentor help him to defeat those who persecute him. In this case, however, the mentor is a very brief appearance by Gene Simmons, of Kiss (and “Family Jewels”, natch) fame. Any person who was ever the downtrodden, looked down upon, heavy metal loving misfit in high school will certainly enjoy the opening moments of the film.

Myself, however, felt the opening moments were the strongest in this otherwise average “revenge” sci-fi/horror film. The movie becomes a little long in the tooth after the first act. I felt the actions of Skippy, I’m sorry, Eddie, didn’t make much sense once Curr is resurrected. In would have played better had he actually started to exact revenge himself, until things got out of hand. Instead, we get one act of “revenge”, then once it turns physically dangerous, he chickens out and we get the rest of the film.

The appearances by Simmons, and Ozzy Osbourne (don’t be mislead by some ads, etc. for the film. Both “actors” are only in the film for a few minutes, tops. They both do turn in impressive performances, however small that may be, but too short to be labeled “starring”.) In fact, I rather enjoyed seeing Osbourne before the years of abuse took it’s toll on his speech and motor functions.

The film features entertaining heavy metal music from Fastway, and scores of album covers, references to, and posters featuring the likes of Anthrax, Judas Priest, Osbourne, and Megadeth. Fans of that genre will get enjoyment on that alone.

In closing, not a horrible film. Sadly, not a great one neither.

PS. Make sure to watch after the credits! And don’t dare to play the soundtrack backwards.

You’ve been warned.

My Rating:  *** / C+

Coming in November….Films to Be Thankful For???

Instead, I chose two films that were films I had never seen before, but heard of.  I did watch a few more films than needed, as I desired to get as many films in as possible.  Of course, “Suspiria”, “[REC]” (an excellent film from Spain, which was remade here as the equally impressive “Quarantine”), “Paranormal Activity” (another excellent film which, as did the previous film, saw a sequel this year), and “Zombieland” were films I could have reviewed, as I watched those as well.  In the end, however, I decided to stick with a theme of sorts.

With that, I give you…

31 Days of Howl-oween

A Review of Films Filled with Frights

Day 30

Film #30

~ Night of the Creeps ~

Director:  Fred Dekker
Year:  1986
Cast: Jason Lively, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow, Tom Atkins, Allan Kayser
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  88 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: R

A large group of alien brain parasites escape from a space ship in space and land on Earth, where they infect many humans in a small town, turning them into zombies.  When college student Chris Romero (Lively) meets Detective Ray Cameron (Atkins), he learns the horrible truth behind is towns secret.  It’s up to the two of them to stop the menacing leeches, and save the remaining members of their community, before they all become members of the walking dead.

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news girls.  The good news is your dates are here” “What’s the bad news?”  “They’re dead”.  A great line delivered from Atkins’ Detective is just one of the many campy memorable lines delivered in this over-the-top zombie-fest of camp.  What works in addition to the snappy dialogue, is the impressive special effects and make-up, similar to the film Dekker would follow this one up with.

It was because of this film that Dekker was able to do “Monster Squad”, and it’s obvious what was seen in this talented filmmaker.  While the film never claims to be a serious horror pic, it delivers plenty of excellent moments, such as the zombie dog, and the lawnmower death (which Peter Jackson also used in one of his earlier films!).

Hailing back from when many films featured a blonde and brunette pair of gents, it was refreshing to see Dekker have a twist by making one of them a handicap.  It particularly made the phone call that character makes to Chris all the more dramatic.

The film is definitely gory, in typical zombie fashion, featuring striking special effects (particularly the way the zombies are killed!).  Seeing the bodies on the ground with the breeding nest that was their head isn’t for the squeamish or faint of heart.

Rounding out the enjoyment factor of the film is the music.  I’ve stated numerous times that music can help a picture, many times saving it from being an utter failure.  The time around, having both contemporary (for the time of the films production), 80’s synth, and classic rock is convivial and distinct.

One of the better zombie films that I’ve seen.  It would be interesting to see a revisiting of this material.

No bag of rocks here, nor handfuls of SMARTIES.  Only delectable treats.

My Rating:  **** / B-

Available on Amazon: Night of the Creeps [Blu-ray]

and to watch it instantly on your computer

on Amazon Video on Demand: Night of the Creeps (Theatrical Version)

Stay tuned…

In addition, I wanted to try to include at least a couple films in this 31 Days of 31 Horror Films blog, and there are very limited amounts of films that involve trick-or-treat festivities, other than the famous series of films titled “Halloween”.

I wasn’t sure if I should view the remake, as it’s very recent and likely to be a film movie fans haven’t see yet.  When it came down to the wire, however, I decided the original that started it all was the only way to go.

31 Days of Howl-oween

A Review of Films Filled with Frights

Day 29

Film #29

~ Night of the Demons ~

Director:  Kevin Tenney
Year:  1988
Cast: Amelia Kinkade, Alvin Alexis, Allison Barron, Lance Fenton, Billy Gallo, Hal Havins, Cathy Podewell, Linnea Quigley
Language:  English
Country:  United States
Specs:  90 mins. / Color / OAR 1.85:1 / MPAA Rating: R

A group of lascivious teenagers all invade an abandoned house to have a party on Halloween night.  Unfortunately, after performing a seance, they call forth a demon who decides to kill off the vapid crew.  It’s up to Judy (Podewell) and Roger (Alexis) to find away out, and escape with their lives intact.

Oh brother.  I didn’t think I’d get a chance to see any films that were in the slasher vein this time around.  This film is one large gratuitous fest of everything you can think of.  Think of it more like “Night of the T and A”.  The only thing enjoyable about this film was the make-up effects.

The casting was the first problem.  While Quigley is known as a “scream queen”, she simply doesn’t fit in this film at all.  For starters, she looks old and tired.  She was after all 30 years old at the release of this film, playing a young teenager who prances around in a pink ballerina type dress.

I was happy to see the film take place on Halloween, as contrary to what most may think, there aren’t a good deal of horror films that actually take place on the famous day.  As I stated earlier, John Carpenter seems to be one of the only filmmakers who actually gave this night the slasher status.

I only hope the next film that I view will be a step up.  I’ve got two stinkers in this week so far, and only a couple days left.  Perhaps I should have rented “My Demon Lover” with Mallory’s main squeeze instead?  Oh well…

My Rating:  ** / D-

Available on Amazon: Night of the Demons

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