The Arena

Wow, lots of news since the last time I posted. My first semester of graduate school classes really depressed the level of nerd activity that I normally (or abnormally as the case may be) function at. I know it's been awhile and we've got some catching up to do.

A couple of additions to the blog itself:

I added three new lists to the little sidebar. The first is a list of my top 10 favorite horror flicks from the 1980's. They're not necessarily in any particular order, but John Carpenter's The Thing very obviously deserves 1st place out of that list (at least in my opinion). I can't think of a more effective psychological/confronting-the-unknown type of horror-thriller that has ever been made.

The second is a list of my top 15 favorite Cthulhu Mythos stories that were not written by Lovecraft. Some of the authors are well known Lovecraft Circle authors, folks who went on to bigger careers (such as Robert Bloch, author of 'Psycho'). Some of the authors are people who have made a name for themselves as writers without Lovecraft's name, but who occasionally come back to the Mythos to pen a story or two (notably Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell). Others are just folks like you and me who like to scribble out a yarn or two every once in awhile and sometimes they manage to toss off a really effective one.

The last list is just a compilation of my top 10 favorite grind records ever committed to vinyl, or digital audio, or magnetic tape, or whatever. I think people who are in the know will be most like to argue with me over this particular list, but whatever. I still like 'Misery Index' more than 'Anticapital' and that may have more to do with sentimental reasons than with merit, but it's my list. Go start a blog and make your own damn lists if you don't like mine.

Now for news, or more accurately, my wish list of crap that is soon to hit the fan.

Number one: Quentin Tarantino's extended and unrated cut of Death Proof has been announced for release on DVD on September 18th. That date lines up nicely with the date that has circulated the Internet rumor mill for the past couple of months, which provides me with some hope that Robert Rodriguez's extended and unrated cut of Planet Terror is on it's way as well, which has been rumored to hit shelves some time in October. Now, I know there are folks out there who are a-bristle with fury that the Weinstein Company is splitting Grindhouse up into its component flicks and releasing them on DVD separately, enough that there is a veritable clamour of Internet voices saying that we consumers should boycott the DVDs and force them to "do the right thing."

I have to be honest and say that I don't really care; I'm going to buy both movies any-fucking-way. And judging by the pre-order ranking Death Proof has over on DVD Empire (i.e. it was number one out of the top 100 pre-orders the week it was announced), there are probably many more people who agree with me. Seriously, Bob and Harvey and friends lost so much damn money on Grindhouse, I'm happy for any opportunity to pay them back for the chance they took on the project (and there's that part where I get to watch LONGER versions of both movies in the...not luxury...of my own filthy den). Plus, if they make enough money back on the DVD sales, there's always the chance they'll consider a sequel. Let's cross our fucking fingers and start budgeting the requisite 19.99 plus sales tax out of our paychecks.

In other DVD news, we've got Day Watch, the long-awaited sequel to Timur Bekmambetov's completely out-of-left-field fantasy horror hit Night Watch, coming to DVD in October, along with Jake West's ultra-gory sci-fi/horror/comedy Evil Aliens (this one I'm looking forward to in particular, based on all the hype I've heard about it), AND New Zealand director Jonathan King's Black Sheep, in an unrated version (fucking finally!). Lastly, I should remind you that the unrated director's cut of Stuart Gordon's From Beyond hits shelves in just a bare couple of days. Coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally), From Beyond is included in this round of reviews. EDIT: I also just saw that Shogun Assassin 3 is supposed to hit shelves next week as well.

In a final bit of movie news, check out the fucking R-rated (!!!) trailer for Aliens VS. Predator Requiem! Google it and check it out on IGN. Seriously. This trailer has more gore in it than any of the previous Alien or Predator movies combined. Someone is finally trying to make up for that sad mess that was 2004's Aliens Vs. Predator. http://media.movies.ign.com/media/746/746237/vids_1.html

Lastly, Bioshock just came out for the Xbox 360. I haven't picked it up yet, but let me tell you, as soon as I can tear myself away from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for 5 minutes (and cough up the requisite cash...69.99$, ouch!), I'll be hitting up the local video game retail outlet for this bad boy. Or not. I may have to save that cash for Halo 3, which also makes landfall this month, and I've already plunked down 5 bucks on a pre-order for that sucker. One thing is for certain, I'm going to be real fucking broke this month, but real fucking happy. And really, really not doing my homework. Or not sleeping. Or both.

Ah, fuck it. Here are reviews:

Title: Deepstar Six

Director: Sean Cunningham

Year: 1989

Deepstar Six is the other undersea action/horror monster movie of 1989, generally overshadowed by the bigger-budgeted Leviathan. Director Sean Cunningham has producer credits on movies like Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, and Freddy Vs. Jason. So, you know that means that he really likes Friday the 13th movies.

That was humor.

Anyway, Deepstar Six, despite its smaller budget, and more modest notoriety next to Leviathan, is probably the superior of the two films. In terms of storyline, it's certainly less cliched (although to say that about what most people regard as undersea re-makes of Alien would seem contradictory). I enjoyed the deep-sea-exploration-theme of this film a little more than the runs-into-monster-while-on-the-job-for-a-parasitic-multinational-corporation-theme of Leviathan, which definitely parallels Alien a little too closely for comfort. The idea of exploring gigantic caverns beneath the sea floor was kind of intriguing, and Cunningham successfully brought some sense of wonder to that portion of the film.

Overall, Deepstar is definitely more of an adventure story with a monster than just a straight sci-fi/horror set-'em-up and knock'-'em-down type. This works, because it allowed the storyline to use the ocean as more of a character than in Leviathan, which all but ignores its setting except as a way of substituting it for outer space. In fact, now that I think of it, Deepstar employs the hostile-setting card much earlier on, whereas Leviathan for the most part only employs it in the end in a scene which basically replays the Nostromo self-destruct sequence from Alien, except with water and Peter Weller.

Then we have the monster. Rather than being the major set piece for the storyline, the monster in Deepstar is more of a wildcard. It essentially remains a total unknown until the last half of the movie, and then it comes out of left field wreaking havoc. The idea that I like is that the movie could work just as well without it, but we do have it, and it's sort of like an extra bonus. "New: Undersea Adventure Now Featuring Monster!" Obviously, in contrast, Leviathan's story revolves entirely around the monster, its origins, and the characters' relationship to it.

Speaking of characters...The folks we got in Deepstar are pretty well-developed, by b-movie standards. Miguel Ferrer's character sort of steals the show as the archetypal tragic nervous wreck who heaps about as many problems on his comrades as does the harsh environment and the monster. You'll probably remember Miguel as the greedy up-and-coming corporate scumbag who gets blown up by Clarence Boddicker in Robocop.

As far as special effects go, it's a toss up in my opinion. Leviathan of course has the advantage of budget, and of Stan Winston's creature effects, which manage to pull the monster out of the realm of the mere Alien rip-off and make it a combination Alien and The Thing rip-off, which works pretty well, and satisfies any goo-and-gross-out creature lover. But Deepstar still makes an excellent showing, and even though its budget is smaller, its scale is much larger. There are a lot more sweeping vistas and epic effects here than you might expect. The set design between the two films is pretty comparable, but because Leviathan spends so much time wallowing in metallic pipe-lined corridors and futuristic medlabs, and Deepstar varies it up a bit more, I'd definitely say Deepstar is once again the more effective film.

The monster is great, unique, and totally non-anthropomorphic, which is a lovely twist. I thought it was very well-designed and cool looking, and because you don't really get to see it at all until the last part of the movie, it's actually kind of a nice shocker when it does its big reveal, because you have no idea what to expect

Lastly, I better mention that if you're looking for a good splattering of gore, Deepstar Six is the clear winner. I'll just say that. There are some excellent kills. This movie isn't shy when it comes to carnage.

So, I'll apologize if my review just turned out to be a compare/contrast between Deepstar Six and its rival counterpart Leviathan, but I think it was sort of an inevitability, plus I managed to get you two reviews for the price of one, and in that sense, everyone wins.

However, with the DVD, everyone loses because the goddamn thing is only available in an ultra-murky full frame edition. Someone, please get on this.

Title: Contamination (sometimes Alien Contamination)

Director: Luigi Cozzi

Year: 1980

This film is a total classic. I would venture so far as to say that it's the best corrosive-alien-spores-causing-people-to-spontaneously-explode flick ever made.

And of course it's Italian.

I'm not sure how the plot germ for this movie came about, but I'm hoping it went something along the lines of this: (heavy Italian accents here) "How can we top Alien?" "Alien had that guy's chest exploding and the alien comes out." "Yeah, we can't just do that. Everyone will think it's just a rip-off." "What if we have the alien eggs blow up in peoples' faces?" "Didn't they already do that in Alien?" "Kinda." "Wait, I've got it. What if the alien eggs blow up in peoples' faces, and instead of some crab thing coming out, they just get showered with slime. And then, instead of it taking a 3rd of the film for the thing to bust out of the dude's chest, we have their chests explode instantly...and here's the shocker...there's no alien inside!" "You know what? Work in that the slime is corrosive like the alien blood in Alien, and you've got yourself a filming budget."

And then, add that the alien eggs are being distributed through an illegally-operated Columbian coffee cartel, and throw in a plucky Italian female lead, and you've got a recipe for INCREDIBLE.

There's almost no more that I can say other than that you have to see this movie to believe it. Everything about it is great. The story, the excellent bad acting, the even worse over-dubbing of abominally excellent dialogue, the over-the-top effects, the ridiculous gratuitousness of said effects, the alien creature, the plethora of settings--it's everything you love and expect from Italian b-cinema.

I hope that this review isn't coming off as snarky. I'm trying to express my very sincere enthusiasm for this movie. It is seriously great. It's not actually that funny or bad, it's just that it is an Italian sci-fi/horror movie, in English, from the 1980's so there are certain things to expect.

Actually Contamination ends up being much, much more original than many of its contemporary alien flicks. Sort of Pod People meets crime thriller meets Alien meets 1980's Italian gore, and I do mean gore. As in lingering, slow-motion shots of folks' thoracic cavities busting wide open and releasing all of their internal organs--that kind of gore. And somewhere in all this mess is a somewhat convoluted but pretty nifty plot, and some typically overblown characters, including the drunken ex-astronaut played by British B-flick great, Ian McCulloch (Zombi).

The effects are beautifully designed and executed. The big cyclops alien deserves a place on the shelf with many another more recognized movie creatures. Everything is done with typical Italian aplomb, from that tendency to film on location in exotic locales, to the culminating gun fight action sequences at the end of the film. There's really nothing about Contamination that dissappoints. It delivers on every level. And of course, all the exploding bodies and flying guts make for absolutely essential viewing.

Blue Underground's special edition DVD of Contamination is amazing. The transfer is so pristine, the movie looks like it was shot yesterday.

Title: H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond

Director: Stuart Gordon

Year: 1986

So, I've said it before, and I'm going to drive the point home yet again, when I watch this movie back-to-back with Re-Animator, I think From Beyond is the better of the two.

You want me to back that shit up? Well, you know me well enough by now. I've always got my shit backed up.

Let's start with source material. As Lovecraft adaptations go, source material plays a big role in the success or failure of the subsequent film. Any Lovecraft aficianado is going to have to concede that Herbert West: Re-Animator is simply not an example Lovecraft's better work. At the same time, trying to adapt and film something too ambitious, and possibly too obtuse, like The Call of Cthulhu is just as risky, especially when we're talking about the budgets and effects technology that was available during the 80's. So here we have Gordon moving from the somewhat superficial shock pulp that was Re-Animator to a relatively accessible but serious and representative example of Lovecraft's work. We're off to a good start.

What about the adaptation? You could be working with the greatest story in the English language and still fuck it up spectacularly. So how well did Brian Yuzna's adaptation work? In my opinion, remarkably well. I think Gordon and Yuzna probably learned a thing or two in their work on Re-Animator, and used it to full advantage for From Beyond. True, Lovecraft's original short story, being just that--very short--only makes up about the first quarter, perhaps less of the final film; it's how the story is extended that makes a difference to me. I may even venture far enough to say that Yuzna's adaptation attempts to more fully explore the underlying idea that Lovecraft basically hints at in the original tale, while also drawing from other ideas and creatures in Lovecraft's catalog (i.e. the implication that the creature that imitates Dr. Pretorius is actually a shoggoth).

The idea that From Beyond becomes a story of human transformation, both psychological, and physical, and that simply altering our sensations can lead to this transformation is kind of intriguing. Cronenberg might have been jealous. But I think what really stands out about the screenwriting here is how reverently and seriously Gordon and Yuzna try to approach Lovecraft's notion of the unknown and fear of the unknown.

That's not to say the film is without flaws, or is free of camp. It is, after all, a Stuart Gordon flick, a Brian Yuzna flick, and a 1980's horror movie--but when you consider the canon of good Lovecraft adaptations, From Beyond definitely earns a high status.

Of course, we also have Barbara Crampton in S&M gear, Ken Foree as...who else, Ken Foree (i.e. the same character he played in Dawn of the Dead), a healthy dose of 1980's gore, and some pretty excellent creature effects. Oh yeah, and decapitate me for forgetting: the incomparable Jeffrey Combs as Crawford Tillinghast.

The effects work is pretty damned good. A lot of goo, a lot of crazy creatures, and some pretty decent gore. I mean, you wouldn't expect less from Stuart Gordon, but I thought some of this stuff ranks at the top of the 1980's creature effects game. The designs are all great looking, the execution is excellent. I particularly enjoy the pineal gland popping out of Combs's forehead, as well as the effects for the Dr. Pretorius monster, some of the other random creatures that pop up, and the insane climax. I absolutely can't wait to see this in a nice new digital transfer, cleaned up, and in widescreen.

All in all From Beyond, in my opinion (and it's a weighty opinion to be sure), is the finest Gordon adaptation of Lovecraft, giving you the best of both worlds: some serious treatment of Lovecraft's fiction married to quintessential Gordon directing and Yuzna screenwriting--some ominous moments, some genuinely eery moments, some outrageous moments, some gross-out moments, and some great gory moments.

Yeah, this film has deserved some special treatment for a long time, and I'm sure that the decision to re-release this was based on the success of the Re-Animator special edition that just came out a few months back. MGM must have sat up and taken some fucking notice of Anchor Bay's high quality product. Next week, September 11th, after my Methods and Materials for Teaching the Sciences course, I will be standing in my local Best Buy thrusting my money furiously at some confused, zoo animal-like cashier.