MOVIE REVIEW: "THE WOLFMAN"

    Of all the re-makes of classic horror and sci-fi movies in recent years, there are very few who truly capture the essence and impact that those classic movies possessed. Since I was young, I have been a huge fan of the classic Universal Monster movies of the 1930's and 40's, particularly the original "Dracula" (1931), "Frankenstein" (1931), "The Mummy" (1932) and of course "The Wolf-Man" (1941). For anyone who denies these movies impact on popular culture and film do not realize  where our fascination for monster movies came from. Very rarely has studios sought to remake these classic films and in-turn become successes, such as "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992) directed by Francis Ford Coppola and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994) directed by Kenneth Branagh are among those triumphs. However, the recent "Mummy" franchise from director Stephen Sommers left much to be desired. Now, Universal has resurrected another of their greatest monsters in the tradition of the original films with the release of "The Wolf-Man (2010) directed by Joe Johnston.
    I went to this with high hopes that Universal would renew my faith in my old favorites thus dispelling their failures with "The Mummy" and others. This new incarnation the Wolf-Man delightfully draws directly from their sources in presenting a new adaptation of the Wolf-Man story which references both the original 1941 classic as well as the 1961 British Hammer film "Curse of the Werewolf". Set in 1891 England, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), an American raised Shakespearian actor, returns home at the bequest of his brother Ben's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt) who explains Ben's mysterious disappearance and when Lawrence arrives, of Ben's gruesome death at the hands of an unknown creature. Upon returning to his ancestral home he is reunited with his estranged father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) once an adventurous world-traveling hunter, now a disheveled aging man who appears to be falling apart along with their now crumbling and cob-webbed mansion. As Lawrence tries to discover the truth behind his brother's fate he must face terrible childhood memories long repressed concerning the death of his mother. Soon he himself is attacked and bitten by the creature and is now cursed to roam on a full-moon night searching for victims as a werewolf! When prominent police inspector Abberline (Hugo Weaving) arrives to solve the murders he suspects Talbot to be involved and seeks to capture him and if necessary, destroy him.
    "The Wolf-Man" marks a long-time coming return to the gothic style of the classic era of Universal Monster movies complete with its turn of the century European setting, foggy forests and graveyards, to dark, foreboding mansions and lets not forget one the most terrifying monsters to come out of the Universal pantheon, The Wolf-Man himself, reborn with amazing special make-up effects from the master himself, Rick Baker! For anyone who loved the classic monster movies as I did or wants a truly horrifying experience in true horror, "The Wolf-Man" is an impressive movie, with an amazing cast! This is the best horror film I've seen in a long time and the best remake since the 1990 versions of Universal's Monsters! I'd say it's about time, now if you'll excuse me I have to go bark at the moon...

Shen Yun in Dallas

      I consider myself a reasonably cultured person. I have seen my share of art exhibits, museums, theater, opera, musicals as well as more multi-cultural performances. On the subject of religious tolerance I am very open, I respect most religious beliefs and practices, although I am not a religious person myself I can respect the wisdom of whether it be Jesus, Buddha or Mohamed. However, when someone tries to shove their religion in my face, we have a problem.
 Tonight I went with my family to see The Shen Yun Performing Arts Group at the Dallas Fair Park Music Hall. I love most Asian cultures, especially Japanese and Ancient Chinese, but my knowledge of current events regarding the current state of Communist China, I must admit, is somewhat lacking. The Shen Yun group is a dance group from New York who perform traditional Chinese dances and tour all over the world. Although that is, until recently...The other day I read an article before seeing the show that Hong Kong had denied their travel Visas and cancelled their performances.
 I did not think very much about this until I actually saw the show and realized that the show although featuring traditional Chinese dance does present a very religious and political message. I must commend the Shen Yun group for being bold enough to present their ideals as part of their art but I myself do have some issues in how they presented them.
 The Shen Yun group did put on an amazing performance with very talented dancers, singers and musical performances. I myself love the sound of the traditional Chinese fiddle-like instrument called the erhu. There is a surprising amount of technical wizardry involved as there is a sophisticated theater sized video screen background featuring animated scenes of the heavens and breathtaking Chinese landscapes. There is a somewhat ulterior motive to this performance as it is a way for art to protest the oppression of the Chinese Communist Government. I had no idea just how authoritarian the Communists regime in China was, especially after Hong Kong was reclaimed from British Control in 1997 and gained sovereignty. As I do support the Shen Yun's defiance of Communist rule however their show also presents their strong religious beliefs in Falun Dafa a recent and growing, yet controversial Buddhist sect or even "cult" as some may call it.
 While most of the show presents very traditional music and dances featuring lanterns, fans and drums. A few of their vignettes during the course of the show blatantly present their religious and political views. Two of their plays were very unusual, if not disturbing. One of their pieces entitled "Nothing Can Block the Divine Path" depicts a group of Chinese citizens engaging in Falun Dafa exercises, when a group of Communist "police" arrest a young mother, separating her from her child and beats her with clubs while the child watches. When the mother is then dragged to a detention center and killed, the father and child watch as Buddhas come down from the "heavens" and take her and destroy the detention center with lightning.
 This episode depicting "divine intervention" is not the first as in a later segment titled "Astounding Conviction" depicts a solitary Chinese man standing in Tienanmen Square holding a banner which reads: "Falun Dafa is Good." Soon the police show up again and mercilessly beat and imprison him leaving him physically broken. Soon after, although he is healed and freed by a host of Buddha like figures who bestow him with superpowers and defeats the police.
 The operatic musical performances are also not without less than subtle religious and political overtones especially from soprano Haolan Gong who continuously sings the lyrics "Centuries we have waited, Millenia have we longed, Divine beings now walk among men, Creation joyously follows along."
 I went to the Shen Yun expecting the typical drums, fans and dragons but instead got more like "Buddha Christ: Superstar"! I enjoyed most of the music and dances with the more traditional Chinese mythological and Buddhism aspects but I question the use of Shen Yun to promote and publicize Falun Gong, which from what I have read is more like a Chinese version of Scientology. Do not misunderstand me, I appreciate art in all its forms and appreciate all cultures. Art is often political or religious in nature and I hope Shen Yun will continue to enlighten those who are unaware of the oppression of the Communist regime on the Chinese people. I only see fault in using it to "advertise".

Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Celebration in Baltimore, Maryland



Poe Monument



I have been a devoted reader of the works of Edgar Allan Poe for a long time and this weekend I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to make a literary pilgrimage to Baltimore, Maryland, to the grave site of Edgar Allan Poe. On my arrival in Baltimore I stayed at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel overlooking the Oriole's Stadium and traveled to the graveyard at Westminster Hall on West Fayette Street and visited both the original gravesite and the monument. The inspiration for this journey came from a special issue of Rue Morgue Magazine featuring Poe.
 

Since 1982, The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum has sponsored "The Annual Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Celebration". With such talented actors such as John Astin portraying Poe in the past, this years celebration will be unique. Popular cult/B-horror movie actor Jeffrey Combs ("Re-Animator", "From Beyond", "Frighteners") portrays Poe in a new one-man show called "Nevermore...An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe", previously performed last summer at the Steve Allen Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Having also played Poe recently in the Showtime series Masters of Horror in the episode "The Black Cat" (Available on DVD), Combs was the perfect choice to portray Poe in this remarkable 90-minute performance. Writer Dennis Paoli and director Stuart Gordon, who also worked with Combs previously on "The Black Cat" and other films collaborated on the development of this incredibly unique theatrical performance. Make-up artist Kayla Barry was responsible for transforming Combs into Poe by adding a nose-piece and wig to turn him into the poet for the show. "Nevermore" recreates the public appearances and recitals Poe presented during the last years of his life. Set in 1848 a year after the death of his beloved wife (and cousin) Virginia from Tuberculosis and a year before his own mysterious death in Baltimore. Jeffrey Combs presents an all-too real portrayal of the troubled and alcoholic writer by reciting several of Poe's tales and poems wile in period costume and with only limited props. The play is performed without intermission or interruption. During the performance Combs/Poe also discusses his philosophies on writing and poetry along with some biographical information and some of his views on various peers (i.e. Walt Whitman).

Official Program



As the play begins, there is a somber single cello providing mood setting music as Poe emerges from the darkness onto a dark stage. As he lights a candle the spotlight comes up and illuminates as Poe recites his poem "Alone". After a brief introduction Poe then reads his short-story "The Tell-Tale Heart". After this, Poe addresses a fictional member of the audience his short-lived fiancé, widow Helen Whitman and recites both poems entitled "To Helen" and others. All the while, Poe has been drinking from a small half-pint whiskey (tea) bottle in his jacket pocket and becomes increasingly intoxicated. As he follows by explaining his views on writing and poetry he begins to rant, criticizing authors such as Washington Irving and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Soon he follows with "The Bells" in an incredibly manic display to the point of actually falling off the stage in a drunken stupor. Soon as he apologizes to the audience and composes himself he talks about his departed wife Virginia while holding a pressed flower he found in his book and recites "The City in the Sea" and "Annabel Lee". Soon he finishes the performance by reciting his most well-known poem, "The Raven" and closes with "A Dream Within a Dream" and ends the show by blowing out the candle...While some may expect any portrayal of Poe to be somber and solemn, Combs performance depicts a more eccentric and often unstable version as Poe's intoxication worsens throughout the show until the ultimate climax when he literally collapses on stage.

L to R: Paoli, Gordon, Combs, & Host

 After the performance there was an indepth interview with Paoli, Gordon and Combs. During the Q&A both Gordorn and Combs mentioned rumors of possibly taking the "Nevermore" performance on tour and the release of a DVD! I also had the pleasure of meeting Paoli and Gordon before the performace and met with COmbs after the performance and got their autographs! I had the priviledge of meeting Combs at the Texas Frightmare Weekend Convention in 2007. Where he also signed my DVD of Re-Animator! 

Original Burial Place of Poe



This was defintiely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I shall not forget it. I spent most of my time exploring the old graveyard at Westminster Hall and left a pen on the Poe monument. This was a deeply fulfilling experience and my only regret was I was unable to visit the actual Poe House and Museum due to their irregular hours. 

Afterthouhts: Edgar Allan Poe's 201st birthday (born January 20, 1809) also marks a perplexing end to a long year old tradition as the mysterious Poe birthday toaster. For the last 60 years, a mysterious robed figure had been leaving roses and a half bottle of cognac at the grave site of Poe in Baltimore, Maryland, early in the morning. This year marks the first time in the long unbroken tradition that the Poe toaster failed to appear! Nevermore...

MOVIE REVIEW: "DAYBREAKERS"

    With all the hype from the vampire craze in recent years from "True Blood" to "Twilight" it's nice to have a little originality! "Daybreakers" is a unique twist on the vampire movie that starts out with a great idea, but...some of the plot points are significantly lacking and ultimately make little sense in the end. The world is recovering from a major viral outbreak in the near future and the only way to survive is for the population to become VAMPIRES! Although they may be the blood-sucking living dead for the most part, people go about their daily lives, they work, they play, children go to school even...but, only at night! Anyway, Edward Dalton, a hematologist, played by Ethan Hawke (WOW, ETHAN HAWKE!) and his boss Charles Bromley played by Sam Neil (The Dinosaur Man from Jurassic Park!) work for a major corporation who harvest blood from the remnants of the human population who are kept (naked!) in giant "milking" facilities where they are drained of every last drop for the ever thirsty vampire population. Problem is, there's a "drought" and they're running out of blood! And those vampires who don't get enough blood in their diet soon mutate into bizarre rat-like, bat-winged FREAKS! Ethan Hawke, unlike his brother Frankie (Michael Dorman) is tired of being a vampire and seeks to find a cure. He soon finds an underground resistance of humans led by 'Elvis' (Willem Dafoe), a former vampire who through a freak accident was miraculously cured and with Edwards help tries to develop that cure to be reproduced. The only problem is vampires like Sam Neil, LIKE being vampires and they don't want a cure. Well, too bad!
    "Daybreakers" is a fairly exciting and original vampire movie with some very "Blade-esque" qualities, the only annoying aspect is that although the world is full of vampires, there's really nothing interesting about them until they start mutating. They even still drink Starbucks coffee...just, with blood in it. "I'll have a Grande Mocha Frappuccino topped with whipped cream and AB+, thanks."

TOP 10 VIDEO GAMES OF THE DECADE

    For the most part I play mostly PS2 and PC games so I may be somewhat one sided but most of these were available on Xbox too...Amazingly 2001 was a great year for games!
#10 - Aliens VS. Predator 2 (2001) - A great shooter that came out even before the AVP movies. The game play was great incorporating the players ability to be either a Marine, Predator or Alien! Great!

#9 - Star Wars: Battlefront (2004) - Take any squad based war game and put it in the Star Wars universe and you have a great game. Battlefront 2 was even better by adding Jedi characters. Playing both rebel and Empire was great!

#8 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006) - This is a fun game especially for comic fans where you have a huge array of super-heroes to play with.

#7 - Spider-Man 2 (2002) - Even for a comic book movie tie-in game this was one of the best. The completely interactive New York City is fun by-itself as you web-sling your way through the Big Apple!

#6 - Grand Theft Auto III (2001) - This is probably THE most controversial game of the last decade, but it is still a fun experience, forget all the violence and the hookers, it's fun just to drive around in the city. Vice City goes hand in hand with this one too.

#5 - Resident Evil 4 (2005)- This redefined the Resident Evil series, which is still my favorite video game series ever since the first one! 2 is still my favorite but 4 brought Leon back and made him better.

#4 - Rock Band (2008)- Although I put "Guitar Hero" before this, it is still a fun music game and even better when you get friends together for the whole band!

#3 - Guitar Hero (2005)- This is still the best music rhythm game. I was a novice guitar player to begin with and I shamefully admit spending more hours playing this series than actually practicing my own electric guitar! The first was great, 2 was the best, 3 was good, but my favorite recently is Guitar Hero: Metallica! It rocks!

#2 - World of Warcraft (2004) - This is the best MMORPG of all time! I may not have been as engrossed in it as a lot of people and may have not leveled up as much, most of my playtime was spent just exploring the world! "For the Horde!"

#1 - HALO (2001) - This is the best first-person shooter ever! This changed everything. I spent a LOT of time playing multiplayer with friends and online. HALO 2 improved on the game play immensely and three was awesome. But I feel the first one deserves the #1 spot because it defined this decades gaming!

TOP 10 MOVIES OF THE DECADE (2000-2009)

   The beginning of the 21st century was a great decade for movies everything from epic trilogies to superheroes these are the best movies of the decade:

#10 "Kill Bill" Vol.1 & 2 (2003-2004) - I wasn't that big of Tarantino fan until I saw "Kill Bill", but it changed my opinion of him forever! Part 1 is like all those old 70's kung-fu movies and Part 2 has a touch of Clint Eastwood westerns to it. Fun and exciting, both innovative and often imitated, this is first on my list!
#9 "The Incredibles" (2004) - if you think Disney/Pixar movies are just for kids, you're fooling yourself! This is an amazing movie, the animation is impressive and the superhero/James Bond story is great! A must see!
#8 "X-Men" (2000) - This sparked the new era of the super-hero movie proving that what was thought could never be done. This also made Hugh Jackman the unlikely star turning an Australian Broadway star into the hairy, ill-tempered Wolverine! Thank you Bryan Singer, but WTF happened to you?
#7 "Spider-Man" (2002) - Another milestone in super-hero movies, Tobey Maguire was perfect and Sam Raimi is a genius!
#6 "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003) - If you think a Disney theme park ride can't be turned into a movie, you thought wrong! Johnny Depp is awesome and this started one of the best trilogies of the decade.
#5"Iron Man" (2008) - They took a Marvel second stringer and turned it into one of the best super-hero movies ever and brought Robert Downey Jr. back from the brink!
#4 "The Dark Knight" (2008) - Absolutely amazing! Unfortunately for Heath Ledger who died shortly after making it. Christopher Nolan knows Batman!
#3 "Watchmen" (2009) - This is the single greatest graphic novel/comic book movie EVER!
#2 "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" (2001-2003) - All you fellow Ringers out there know that this trilogy defined the decade and changed movies for all time and turned a whole new generation of fans onto Tolkien!
#1 "AVATAR" (2009) Need I say more!

MOVIE REVIEW: "AVATAR"

   12 years! That's how long it's been since director James Cameron released his last feature film "Titanic" (1997), his sappy love story combined with the infamous ocean liner disaster which currently occupies the #1 All-Time World Wide Box Office spot having earned $1,835,300,000. Since that time Cameron has devoted his creative talent to IMAX documentaries such as "Ghosts of the Abyss" (2003) and "Aliens of the Deep" (2005). Now as Cameron admitted having to wait for CGI technology to catch up to meet his vision (i.e. George Lucas style) we finally get to see "Avatar" (Not to be confused with "Avatar: The Last Airbender", which comes out next year under the name "The Last Airbender", amusingly enough.)
    This epic Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Adventure takes place on the planet of Pandora, where crippled Marine grunt Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is given the opportunity to participate in a experimental project to transfer his mind into an alien body in order to help convince the native alien species, the Na'vi, a 10-ft. tall, blue-skinned, cat-like, humanoid race to move so the Earth corporation can extract a precious mineral. During his experiences as a Na'vi, he meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) a female, native warrior, who he falls in love with and ends up betraying his own race to save the Na'vi.
    The themes of "Avatar" resonate with the same man vs. nature and man vs. savage, not unlike "Dances with Wolves" or even "The Last Samurai", where a character is estranged from their own culture but finds happiness within another, whether it be a more primitive and/or "alien" civilization. The parallels of the story draw much from our own history with the annihilation of the Native-American people by our own ancestors. This message is anything but subtle but isn't necessarily over-done as the old adage of history repeating itself is clearly seen. Sam Worthington's character is very sympathetic but in his human form is often very dull which only perpetuates the idea that when he is a Na'vi, he rediscovers himself, finding meaning and purpose in his previously depressed and meaningless existence as a wheel-chair bound ex-grunt.
    With all the hype surrounding this movie, which apparently has been 15 years in the making, the incorporation of state-of-he-art computer generated animation makes this for an incredibly bold and innovative movie experience. With the increase of CGI special effects in movies over the years, skeptics worried that this movie would be more about the visual aspects and action than the actual story and performance. Although the CGI is visually stunning and amazing, the movie itself holds up rather well. I admit just in watching this, you lose yourself in the CGI and after a while you forget you're seeing CGI because it looks so real. Although it's hard to imagine 10-ft. tall blue aliens to look real but it is impressive just how real they look, down to the sweat, blood and tears. Most people forget that the whole reason behind special effects from the very beginning of the film industry is to make something look real. It's really our fault, the audience that we have become harder and harder to convince, ever since the early days of Ray Harryhaussen-style stop-motion to models and animated graphics of the first Star Wars films.
    "Avatar" is a return to what made James Cameron famous for my generation with exciting special effects Sci-Fi films like "Terminator & T2", "Aliens", and "The Abyss". I'm especially looking forward to Cameron's rumored "Battle Angel" anime adaptation in 2011. "Avatar" is truly a whole new level of movie experience, and not just because of the recent 3-D, craze. See it without the 3-D and it will be as equally stunning and beautiful as well as an exciting and compelling film experience!
Link: AVATAR Official Website