"Dog Soldiers" is fast becoming my symbol of what's right and wrong with modern
horror movies.
By right, I mean it's a good film that shows how it should be done. This film
has genuine scares based on mounting tension, not just gore. It has a lot of
good actors, actors I've seen in other dramatic fare, so I know they've got the
chops. It has a solid plot, balances moments of lulls in action with those of
high action. It even has a good musical score. When the soldier sacrifices
himself near the end, I actually noticed how his acting and the music in the
background worked together to make the scene work. It's a horror movie done
right.
By wrong, i mean it showcases how crappy most of the US fare is. I mean, "Dog
Soldiers" is a horror film dealing with the supernatural, it's got tons of gore
and violence, and it was made in modern (post-2000) times. In those areas, it
shares kinship with the likes of the recent "Friday the 13th" remake and a host
of other films that have assailed us recently. So why is it that the vast
majority of those American horror films suck and pale by comparison?
Is it this recent trend of "torture porn", where the focus of many flicks is
simply to be as disgustingly graphic as possible, sacrificing real suspense and
tension in favor of gut-churning shock? Is it that most American horror film
directors nowadays are young guys in their '20s, and their video game, music
video sensibilities make them incapable of crafting films that have intelligent
plots and suspense? Is it that the directors and their young target audience
are so used to gore and violence, that the films *have* to focus on topping
what's come before, building shock on shock to poke an increasingly
desensitized audience? (And if so, why doesn't this apply to the UK, Mexico,
South Korea, etc?)
I'm not sure. It just seems that there's a lot of remakes of classic horror
films --from The Haunting to Friday the 13th--where all they do is up the gore
factor. But then, even original movies also seem to focus on gore. There are
some good ones. I admit to laughing at the well done camp of "The Cave",and
some of you say the first couple of "Saw" movies, while gory, did have real
suspense (I remain doubtful). But I'm still not getting how Britain has good
stuff like "Twenty Eight Days Later"--done by the likes of Danny Boyle, no
less. But in America the kids flock to see movies that still focus on
heightened gore, loads of bared breasts, throwaway plots, and a suspense built
not on genuine scares, but on wondering just what new method or household
device the bad guy will use to behead, disembowel, skewer, or flay the idiotic
actors.
What is the deal?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Aubrey Leatherwood" <aubrey.leatherw...@hotmail.com>
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2009 1:57:20 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
You know, I actually watched that movie when it came out on "HOLY STARS!"
VHS... I do like that one as well.
Aubrey Leatherwood
www.aubreyleatherwood.com
FaceBook * MySpace
The People You Know, The Sex They Have
ROMANTIC TIMES NOMINEE FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY EROTICA 2008
ISBN: 978-0-9818905-0-0
Lyrical Press. Inc
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
From: keithbjohn...@comcast.net
Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 16:21:05 +0000
Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Give "Dog Soldiers" a chance if you've never seen it. It's pretty good,
especially for a show that's become a SciFi regular...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Aubrey Leatherwood" <aubrey.leatherw...@hotmail.com>
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2009 11:59:35 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Oh no... Here we go again! ROFLMAO! I swear I turned over to the Beast of Bray
Road after finishing Dungeons and Dragons on Plex. I saw a blonde girl giving a
throaty squall as she was consumed by what look like a slimy hair mess. I'm
trying to figure out why, genetically, the slime *and* the hair, but I digress.
Man I am glad I did not watch this movie. I, instead, played more Heavenly
Sword (old game but I have not mastered the crossbow which is of major
importance to my ego). I may watch the Ginger Snaps movies, I acatually don't
mind those.
I've never seen this movie of which you speak starring
he-who-shall-not-be-named. I will watch it and--if I live--I'll let you know
how it is :) that is assuming basketball is off and I am drinking. Here is what
my TV guide has to say about Never Cry Werewolf, "A hunter and a delivery boy
help a 16 yo investigate her mysterious new neighbor" Sounds like something I
saw once in the back room of Movie Gallery.
Aubrey Leatherwood
www.aubreyleatherwood.com
FaceBook * MySpace
Imperfection
A story of perfect committment, perfect love... and perfect sex.
Available March 16, 2009 from Lyrical Press
The People You Know, The Sex They Have
ROMANTIC TIMES NOMINEE FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY EROTICA 2008
ISBN: 978-0-9818905-0-0
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
From: truthseeker...@lycos.com
Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 11:44:11 -0400
Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Keith, just finished off "The Beast of Bray Road", and loathing myself
for the self-abuse it took to do so.
As for the Ricci flick? NO. Your words here explain why it's so horrid.
And, prithee, let us never speak of Cap'n Herc again...
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Date : Sun, 8 Mar 2009 14:12:25 +0000 (UTC)
>From : Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>
To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
I see it's a werewolf day all day long on SciFi. The silly and laughable Beast
on Bray Road is on now. Later, "Dog Soldiers" is on, which is actually a decent
werewolf thriller. Then there's the "Gingersnaps" movies, and much later, a
werewolf flick starring Kevin Sorbo.
There's also that much troubled film "Curse", from Wes Craven, starring
Cristina Ricca. That movie was delayed quite a bit, and I read about all kinds
of rewrites and stuff. Is the finished product any good?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Baxter"
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2009 7:43:07 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
It airs tonight. Forgot that Skiffy's switched its premieres to Sunday. I plan
on watching it, because I need something to rip apart.
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Date : Sun, 8 Mar 2009 03:16:00 +0000 (UTC)
>From : Keith Johnson
To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Forgot about "War Wolves" . Was it any good?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Baxter"
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:14:43 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Tracey, I liked the show as well. I'm inclined to feel that it must be a good
show at least, because Skiffy farmed it out to Last Call hours for viewing. We
all know that they keep the crap (Those Wond'rous Skiffy Originals :P) in the
primo time slots. I'll be watching.
Speaking of Those Wond'rous Skiffy Originals, who's down for some "War Wolves"
action tonight?
(crickets)
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : RE: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 15:14:29 -0800
>From : "Tracey de Morsella"
To :
I loved the premise, I wanted to like it, but could not get into it.
I liked to hear your views
From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of Keith Johnson
Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 3:12 PM
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [scifinoir2] "Charlie Jade" Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
We spoke very briefly a year or so ago about the South Africa-produced series a
year or so ago. I'd noticed it was aired on SciFi really briefly, maybe one or
two shows on a Saturday afternoon, then a couple aired in the middle of the
night. I only caught an hour or so, and it was obvious that the full plot
didn't unfold for several eps. But I never got to finish watching, as SciFi
pulled it. Since then, I've heard lots of good things about "Charlie Jade" from
various sources, so think i will check out the marathon next week.
Anyone see this series? How was it?
*********************************************************
http://www.scifi.com/charliejade/about/
Charlie Jade is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy
multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young
woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, which is
inconceivable in Charlie's world.
While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert
facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces
him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences.
Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one
he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and
pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart.
The show's creators are Robert Wertheimer (Bollywood/Hollywood, Due South,
Robocop: The Series) and Chris Roland (Stander, Man to Man, The Bone Snatcher).
Charlie Jade is written by Guy Mullally (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost
World, Little Men), David Cole (Cold Squad, Due South), Stephen Zoller (Anne of
Green Gables, The Windsor Protocol) and Alex Epstein (Galidor). Executive
producers are Wertheimer, Roland, Izidore Codron, Robin Spry and Jacques
Pettigrew.
Series regulars include: Jeffrey Pierce (The Others, West Wing, JAG) as
Charlie, Marie-Julie Rivest (Savage Messiah), Michael Filipowich (Starhunter,
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Tyrone Benskin (Deacons for Defense, The Long
Island Incident), Michelle Burgers (The Schoolmaster, Sinbad), Danny Keogh
(Citizen Verdict, Sinbad) and Patricia McKenzie (Stardom, No Alibi).
A cross-section of directors from both Canada and South Africa provide the
series' highly cinematic, cutting-edge signature style. Directors include T.J.
Scott (Hercules, Xena, La Femme Nikita), Darrel James Roodt (City of Blood,
Sarafina!) Jimmy Kaufman (Due South, Stargate SG-1) and Neal Sundstrom (Inside
Out, Homeland).
Post-production and state-of-the-art CGI were handled by CineGroupe in
Montreal, who in the last year produced two U.S. series — Galidor: Defenders of
the Outer Dimension and Tripping the Rift.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Windows Live™ Contacts: Organize your contact list. Check it out.
Hotmail® is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. Find out more.
