We always kick off the Horror Marathon with our headliner! This year is Saw in case you missed the announcement yesterday. If you did, you can get a sneak peek of a few upcoming entries as well. I’m still in the process of watching as I’m drafting this review up so even if you asked me for other titles, I might not be completely sure. So let’s all be surprised, right?
I’ve always had the impression that Saw was a gore fest and its one of the reasons why I’ve avoided it all these years however, I’ve also learned that gore and torture porn while may not always be my constant watch, they tend to not scare me so much either. They make me uneasy if done really well but no lingering effects for the most part. However, the first Saw had its surprises for sure.
Let’s check it out!
Saw (2004)
Director (and co-writer): James Wan
Cast: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whanell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell
Two strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there or why, and soon discover they are pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer. – IMDB
Cary Elwes and Leigh Whanell! Wow, it sure shows how little I know about Saw. Right off the bat, Saw starts off in tense moments showing us exactly the intricacy of Jigsaw’s plans. By the time, we get to Cary Elwes as the doctor and Leigh Whanell as the photographer trapped in the room with him, it starts being more psychological. If anything, Jigsaw and the Saw franchise is who started the escape room craze in an extreme way of working together and just with incredibly higher stakes. Saw is a psychological journey and a pretty tense and smart one at that. Jigsaw puts down these elaborate plans to reveal these characters’ secrets while using it as an extra layer of his obsession to push his captives to fight for survival to cherish their life.
Based on this entry piece for Saw, its not hard to see how this had a sequel. Jigsaw is still a huge mystery and that is mostly because his game gives his characters many layers to learn about and build up. Just like our two captives here. Both Leigh Whanell and Cary Elwes delivers some great performances. Sure, there are some over the top moments but somehow they all seem deliberate to either create some humor that could break the tension however, humor is definitely far and few here. On the other hand, the captives are also followed with a back story of sorts as we follow the detectives who try to track down Jigsaw played by Danny Glover and his partner played by Ken Leung. It is also through the investigation that we learn a little more about Jigsaw.
Perhaps here is the perfect place to talk about the story because James Wan and Leigh Whanell truly write a fantastic story. Its twisted and intriguing. Its characters are unraveled in a great pace and have enough depth to make them both mysterious and suspicous. As great as the actors here are, it does help that the script is very strong.
Overall, Saw is a great way to start a franchise and it will be interesting to see where the story goes next. Sequels rarely are as strong as their first part so I’m going to keep my expectations tame for Saw 2. However, for this marathon, its also an awesome to start with something both psychologically thrilling and disturbing all at the same time. I’m starting to feel a little silly that I’ve put off watching Saw for so long.
Have you seen Saw? Which is your favorite entry of this franchise?
We’re in Week 3 now! Next up, we have Zoe from The Sporadic Chronicles of a Beginner Blogger. She runs a fantastic blog full of reviews on movies, books and TV series. She participates in the Blindspot series and also Sporadic Scene segment which is absolutely fun! Head on over and check out her lovely posts! 🙂
Without further ado, let me hand it over to Zoe and her Ultimate 80s choice: Lethal Weapon.
“Well, I’ll tell you what. You make it through tomorrow without killing anybody, especially me, or yourself, then I’ll start trusting you.” – Roger Murtaugh
SYNOPSIS: Roger Murtaugh is an aging family man and sensible veteran police officer just trying to make it through the day unscathed. Martin Riggs is a suicidal loose cannon cop who doesn’t care if he even lives to see the end of the day. Reluctantly thrown together to solve the mysterious murder of a banker’s daughter, the unlikely duo uncovers a dangerous ring of drug smugglers employing ex-military mercenaries. After a tragic turn of events, the mission becomes personal and the mismatched investigators must learn to trust one another as they wage a two-man war against a deadly criminal organization. – via IMDB
You know, I might not be a fan of the 80s at all, but there is no denying that the 80s churned out some fantastic movies – A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Princess Bride, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aliens, Blade Runner, The Shining, The Thing, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi among others. There are countless movies, and picking a favourite is just, well… ouch. So I thought in terms of practicality, I would go with a feel good action comedy. Yep, narrowed down the list quite significantly. And what do I enjoy the most when it comes to that? Damn right, Lethal Weapon.
Lethal Weapon features an old school, pre-cuckoo Mel Gibson (though what the ever-loving hell is going on with his hair is beyond me – the freaking 80s, man), Danny Glover, a pretty great story from Shane Black, and good sense of humour and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Yep, this is that type of movie. The movie is just fun, plain and simple, and I think it has held up exceptionally well, considering it was released 29 years ago (yes, that actually happened). Seriously, it is older than me, but I love the movie!
While the majority of the movie is focused on action and investigation and spans of humour, it cannot be denied that there were times where it was serious. A prime example where this is demonstrated is Riggs and his deceased wife, Victoria Lynn. A particularly moving scene features Riggs in his trailer, gun propped up in his mouth, their wedding photo in his lap. He is wrecked and emotionally unstable, and ultimately fails to pull the trigger, crying that he will see her, one day. The whole scene just gives reason to pause because it is so incredibly well executed. We also get a dose of a day in the life of Riggs on the job, and the man is certifiable, and it is exactly what we need. Just checking him bust some drug dealers is classic, not to mention him taking down a sniper holding some kids hostage. Then there is Murtaugh, who is never involved with anything too crazy or rough, and a family man to boot.
I really like the pacing for this, because the movie actually took the time to set up the characters of both Riggs and Murtaugh before throwing them in together for their partnering. Nothing is really rushed. I think that Danny Glover and Mel Gibson worked wonders together – each was exactly the right age for their character, they both really got into their roles and had some awesome chemistry going on. You could totally buy into them being on opposite ends of the spectrum, seeing how they could find a way to work together, and ultimately becoming friends. They just worked. The movie is almost two hours long, yet that sentiment never really occurs to you while watching because you are so engrossed with what is going on. The dialogue is fast and witty, though it is undeniable that there are a few lines that fall quite flat (just think of the flock line nearing the end), but then there are conversations that simply shine (just think about their “pretty fucking thin” hunch), and I like the way that some of the jokes got carried through to other places in the film and it didn’t get old.
Alright, here’s a link to that crazy conversation at the shooting range between Riggs and Murtaugh, their pretty fucking thin theory, and their shot accuracy comparison. I find it to be a highly entertaining scene, and the dialogue is fantastically amusing.
Obviously, all I can say is that I have a lot of love for this movie – it’s great, it’s funny, it is super quotable, it looks good and is shot well and is carried by some awesome performances, and it never gets old. In fact, I am pretty darn sure I am going to end up rewatching them all now again, and it wasn’t even that long ago that I watched these films to start with!
The past weekend was Montreal Comiccon! I’ve never been to Comiccon in Montreal and although last year I wanted to go, I had to give it up because I had something more important in the form of TIFF for The Wind Rises and Rigor Mortis. I totally do not regret making that trip. However, this year, I’m working on the Montreal events and this one was right on the list and I bought the ticket right when they were released. I only got a 1 day pass. However, after Saturday, I’m positive that I’m going to be going back and maybe even for 3 days if they have great guests..we’ll have to see for next year.
Lets not get ahead of myself: here’s how Saturday went!
Shortly after running into Day’s Lee, we saw Spiderman perched on the railings on top of the escalators leading to the hall looking awesome.
Spiderman
The line-up was super intense. It was one line to get our tickets checked, then another line to get our tickets scanned and hands stamped then up the escalators and weaving all over the place to eventually get to the exhibition hall area. Apparently, starting this year, Montreal Comiccon took over all of Palais des Congres (the convention centre in Montreal) so it covered all the floors. We took a good look at the map to get to the first Q&A. The lineup took longer than expected so I didn’t get to Billy Boyd’s Q&A so we went straight to Star Trek with three lovely ladies, Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby and Gates McFadden.
Star Trek Q&A panel: Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby, Gates McFadden
I haven’t watched a lot of Star Trek. Only bits and pieces of it: a little bit of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine mostly. However, these ladies was absolutely a joy to watch. They were all extremely hilarious and entertaining!
Getting out of this one, we looked at the time and found it perfect timing to go straight to lineup for Sir Patrick Stewart’s Q&A in the main exhibition hall. We sat down to eat lunch while waiting an hour in advance. We chatted a little and before we knew it, we were moving inside. We managed to sit in the middle of the last row in the first section. Still, my zoom wasn’t great so this was the best I could get.
Sir Patrick Stewart Q&A Panel
There is something amazing about seeing Sir Patrick Stewart. It could be the whole crowd giving him a standing ovation as he entered the hall. Or just how completely classy he is while bringing in lots of funny moments. He is extremely charming to watch and so very much achieved. It was really something to hear him talk about how he didn’t take himself getting a role in Star Trek serious as his family didn’t either and how even when he got he role, he didn’t unpack the whole time because he wholeheartedly believed that they would realize they made a terrible mistake and would kick him out. When asked who was the best to work with in all of XMen, he thought for a second and said Ellen Page. He even explained in a funny way how he should be called Sir Patrick (as opposed to Sir Stewart) and even joked with someone who said Good Evening although it was clearly the afternoon. Regardless of the questions, he took each one and gave it his own twist and it made for an extremely lively and fun panel to listen to.
Plus, he gave us a quick 5 minutes update of what he is up to. Aside from the next X-Men movie, he is part of this Seth McFarlane produced sitcom called Blunt Talk. And he recited some Shakespeare which I didn’t record the whole thing.
After this panel, and finally finding our way to get back downstairs, we managed to get to the main area where there was tons of amazing costumes.
Warcraft (I think)
Silent Hill
Spaceballs
Frozen
There’s a whole bunch that I don’t know. If its part of video games (newer ones) or anime, chances are I won’t know them. However, the efforts are amazing. So amazing that Day’s asked me if maybe we should do it next year. I mean, I did a pretty quick version of Resident Evil before. With a year to plan, I’m sure I could ressurect that or do something else. Its always something to consider.
After a bit of shopping and photos, we had to get to Q&A panel for Danny Glover.
Danny Glover Q&A
Danny Glover is an actor that I’ve known more of his more recent roles. I know what he has done before and I really should get around to see those roles. You can tell that he’s a man with a lot of deep thoughts. Plus, he took a lot of time to give detailed answers to the questions. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay for the whole thing and had to leave, and even that apparently wasn’t soon enough for the next Q&A.
The next Q&A panel was in the main exhibition hall again and this time, although arriving 45 minutes in advance, we ended up lining up right at the entrance of the waiting area. That was pretty intense. This Q&A was for Stephen Amell 🙂 Its also my last Q&A for the day.
Stephen Amell Q&A panel
Needless to say, although I was only 3 rows back from where I was for Sir Patrick Stewart earlier in the day, it was far enough that you can’t really see much. Still, he had people lined up to ask him questions even before he entered the stage. There were two rules as he entered with the Comiccon host: No marriage proposals (because he’s already married and he touched his wedding ring at that same time) and no asking him to take off his shirt (because then the host would do it). I wasn’t exactly sure on what to expect for Stephen Amell because I am a newer fan of his and I haven’t followed his social media much either. However, everyone asks a lot about the stunts and asks him to recite lines like “You have failed this city”.
He talks about how he wants to get the chance to do all the stunts himself and sometimes he really works on a simpler but more realistic version to make it work. He did that for one scene where he tells the stunt crew about how they were robbing him of the opportunity to slide over the hood of a car and he argues to get it shot both ways and eventually his way works better and thats the one they used. A charming and funny guy to listen to. He makes a few jokes and talks about how he would love to have Arrow as part of the Justice League movie except with shooting schedules for TV series, it wouldn’t work for shooting a movie.
The best part was this part where they asked him to recite the lines for the opening of Season 2 or something (I couldn’t hear that question properly) but he gave it his own twist and decided to do the first opening of the pilot in Season 1 of Arrow instead.
After this last Q&A panel, we were ready to walk the exhibition hall and all the vendors and stalls. They had a few things for viewing and we took pictures here and there.
Indiana Jones
Ghostbusters
Doctor Who phone booth (100% of donations went to Montreal Children’s Hospital)
Piglet visiting the Comiccon
Little Big Planet 3 poster at PS4 booth
This may sound stupid but I’d totally get a PS4 JUST to play Little Big Planet 3. Thats how much I love it. Just to justify this picture a little.
Now, I was being extremely cheap and kept thinking about the photo op and eventually by the time I wanted to do it, it was full. So to end this post off, its not Stephen Amell but this guy has a fantastic Arrow costume.
And that was my first Montreal Comiccon! It was so much fun and I’m definitely going again next year. Whether in costume or not, I’ll think about that a little first 😉 However, next year’s Montreal Comiccon is now pushed into early July, set for July 3-5, 2015. If you are looking to check it out, jot that down on your calenders!
Also, please go check out Day’s post on the Montreal Comiccon right HERE!
Which costume up there do you find the most impressive? Out of curiosity, would you like to see Arrow as part of the Justice League movie?
There isn’t much to say about why I chose to see 2012 last night out of all the other nights but I guess I needed a bit of excitement since I’m still on cold meds and its making my brain rather dull. I’m not sure how many people like to watch apocalypse movies but I like them a lot. I’ll explain more after a little synopsis. Plus, what makes this one more appealing is John Cusack doing this sort of movie? Interesting, no?
Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover, Liam James, Morgan Lily
In 2009, Dr. Satnam in India urgently asks Dr. Adrian Helmsly (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to go see what he has discovered: that the Earth is heating up internally and that within a certain amount of years, it will cause the interior of Earth to melt and eventually displace the Earth’s surface causing the world to end. In 2012, word has broken out the end of the world is near as predicted by the Mayans. The world’s end is approaching. a divorced writer, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), takes his children Noah (Liam James) and Lily (Morgan Lily) out for a camping trip at Yellowstone National Park to realize that something is going on and US Army is patrolling the area. At the same time, giant crevices are developing back home in California and his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and her boyfriend are part of that. Through coincidence, he meets Charlie (Woody Harrelson), an apocalypse radio broadcaster (who seems a little crazy) and as events start matching up to Charlie’s words, Jackson fights against the elements to get his family away safely.
Such a long synopsis for such a simple idea. I’m still getting back into the review world. I’ve been taking it really easy in this area. There is no doubt that most of you would agree that when it comes to world apocalypse flicks, its pretty formulaic. You get the huge effects of mass world destruction usually on an uncontrollable environmental issue. The grandiosity of it could be one of the reasons that its enjoyable to watch. Usually, it comes with some cheesy dialogue and a lot of fancy terms explaining the scientific phenomenon thats happening. All that happens in 2012. It also points out that California will be its first target. 2012 was released in 2009 and around that same time, we all learned about the rising rumors of how December 27th (I think), 2012 would mark the end of the world. Some people believed it, some had their doubts and some just laughed at it. Personally, it didn’t affect me that much. I lived my life as I would, did the things I normally would because I already learned that making the most of everyday and being grateful was important. However, I get it. Its a scary concept to witness the end of the world.
Roland Emmerich is known (at least I know him that way) for all his big action and explosions and world apocalypse style movies. I mean, Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow and now 2012. All focus around some form of world ending, from aliens to environment. The man is good at what he does. I haven’t seen both of those other movies in a long time so I won’t be comparing it in this review.
Visually, this movie offers some over the top CGI and although a bit exaggerated, it does match up to the grandeur that this movie demands. Everything that happens is pretty captivating to watch. I can’t imagine the world crumbling like that. Its a bit crazy because things really turn south quickly. However, with a lot of these movies, the plot does lean on the thin part. I’m not saying that there are plot holes but things in these movies all end up with close to death but the most improbably situations always occur and most of the time, you can expect certain turn of events a mile away. Despite that fact, as it winded near the end, I felt like they had built it up to a good level of intensity. There was a sequence where it was pretty convincing.
2012 has a pretty impressive cast. For one, we have in the lead, John Cusack who is the guy on the run, figuring out what is going on with the world while trying to save his family and survive this crazy end of the world mess. As his ex-wife is Amanda Peet who I know I’ve seen somewhere but I can’t pinpoint where. The kids are not too bad actually. Sure, they both do some dumb things that movies like this like to lead the children to do but sometimes, it turned out to be intense but helpful, maybe leaning into the unrealistically brave. Plus, I just realize the son, Liam James, is the young Shawn from Psych (which I am currently binge watching) and the little girl was in one of my favorite movies, Flipped. So yeah, that really helped that I really liked the cast here also.
When we turn the table around and look at the political and government side, we have the leading scientist/environmentalist Chiwetel Ejiofor, the US President is by Danny Glover and we have the First Daughter with Thandie Newton, all of them are very good in their roles. Although, Thandie Newton had a very limited appearance in the movie, somehow she has a lasting image in my mind. However, I think one of the better roles was for Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Adrian Helmsly. He challenged the authority and fought for saving the world in the a more morally correct way. He was very human, just as the US President was portrayed as well. Its usually roles like this that shine through in movies like this.
There really isn’t much else to say about 2012. I have this feeling that I might have enjoyed The Day After Tomorrow a tad more but this one was done very well also. My expectations are never high for these because the premise is very simple even with all the fancy scientific terms. I enjoyed seeing the cast on screen carrying out their roles and as the movie builds up to the great finale and finding salvation for all humankind, it builds on the intensity and delivers a decent ending. Thats all I really ask for in a movie like this: to be entertained and to be swept into the whirlwind of crazy and intensity of over the top CGI. Its had all that. If you’re into this sort of thing, I’d say its worth the watch 🙂
Are you into these end of the world flicks? Which is your favorite? What do you think of Roland Emmerich?
Director: Roland Emmerich
Tranquil Dreams 