The film starts off innocently enough with Randall Peltzer, a bumbling inventor whose inventions are great except for the fact that they do not work, looking in Chinatown for a gift for his son Billy (our hero played by Zach Galligan). He discovers a small antiques shop where he discovers the Mogwai Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandell, of all people). The owner of the shop doesn’t want to sell Gizmo because of the responsibility he would come with, but his sneaky underhanded grandson has no problem selling the little dude. When Randall takes Gizmo home, Gizmo’s greeted warmly by the family, but Randall recites the rules of caring for a Mogwai.

1. It hates bright light. And sunlight will kill it.
2. Don’t get it wet, not even to take a bath.
3. Whatever you do, no matter how much it begs, no matter how much it cries, never EVER feed it after midnight.

Easy enough rules to follow, right? But don’t forget, this is a B movie, and some poor schmuck, usually the hero, screws up at least one of the rules. Well, the poor schmuck in this movie is, surprise surprise, our hero Billy. When Billy gets Gizmo wet, a bunch of new, very mean, Mogwai are born, and when the little meanies trick him into feeding them after midnight, they turn into viscious, slimy, scaly, pimply demons that send Billy’s sleepy little town into the Christmas from Hell.

This movie is one of my top five favorite non-John Hughes 80s movies. Joe Dante’s film took a hokey B movie concept and milked it for all it was worth until it was pure comedic/horror gold. The film doesn’t take itself seriously, instead relishing in just how old school (despite some of the language) it is. It was a true genre bender that made a mark. It was almost two movies, the first half being a family friendly Christmas flick, and then the second half being an excellent horror flick. The two together was like peanut butter and chocolate, but some people are allergic to peanuts just like there were some complaints about one half or the other of the film. Many said that baiting the audience with family friendly fare and then turning it on its head with horror was too risky, as the film legitimately scared some children. In fact, it was one of the movies that led to the creation of the PG-13 rating. But these people obviously didn’t get the point of the movie.

The movie is a fun, riotous piece of cinema, and belongs on the shelf of any movie fan. I won’t touch on the sequel, because that movie’s a whole other ballgame that you either love or hate, but there’s no hating the original. It is a definite must own. Oh, and it features one of the kings of B movies, Dick Miller!

If you want to pick up Gremlins, you can do so right here on Bluray and DVD! (BTW I don’t want any crap for using an image from Gremlins 2. It was too epic to pass up.)

You can pick it up here!

If you want to pick this movie up, you can do so here!

If you want to buy this movie and give it a much deserved shot, just click here! Remember, these items help to keep this blog going!

Ninja Assassin tells the story of Raizo (played by Korean pop star rain, after impressing the Wachowski Brothers with his martial arts work in Speed Racer), a rogue ninja who is seeking revenge on his former ninja clan who killed the woman he loved. Raizo is now protecting a Europol agent who has uncovered a link between Raizo’s former clan and political assassinations.

This is not the kind of movie to watch for the story. I say that because the story is extremely basic, and perhaps formulaic. But it somehow works. Raizo’s story is cliche, but is handled with style and resolve that makes it feel sort of new. The flashback scenes are handled well, also. But the real thing that makes this movie is action, action, action. Most action movies that put their fights predominantly in shadows fail, but Ninja Assassin manages to make it work. The movie is also EXTREMELY gory, in the best possible way. It’s over the top and I don’t think it could work any other way. Look, if you’ve seen the previews, then you know what you’re in for. This movie is not mismarketed, but all I can say is if it’s your thing, SEE IT.

This is a game that I can quite literally say has something for every kind of gamer. If you like the stealth of Metal Gear Solid, then you got it. If you like good free flow combat, like in Batman: Arkham Asylum, then you got it. You like to run and gun? Yup, it’s got that too. You prefer puzzle solving? This has it in spades. If you are a hardcore gamer, then you have to dig into your repertoire of various gaming skills, as this game requires you to use all of your know how to get through. But now it’s time to talk about the one thing that normally instantly break even the best of games: The camera.

The camera in this game, I can honestly say, is the best example of how to make a game feel as though you are playing a movie. Sequences of gameplay feel as though you are playing a cutscene instead of a mission. The camera is in constant motion, but unlike most games that have attempted this feat, this one not only pulls it off, but masterfully pulls it off in a way that makes you think that this is how all games should be made.

The game is also absolutely beautiful. You get all of the rich and detailed textures your eyeballs can handle, and then some. The design is wonderful, and the level maps are expecially great. This is the graphical power of the PS3 at its current personal best.

You should also know that the game has a pretty good story, with rich and witty dialogue and intriguing situations to propel the game forward. Unlike most games that have stories to propel forward the missions, it is the reverse in this case.

If you own a playstation 3, then there is no argument. This game is a MUST own. And if you don’t have a PS3, then I guarantee you that this is the game that should make you buy one.

If you want to pick it up, you can do so here! Remember, it’s you guys buying things here that keeps this blog up and running!

I wholeheartedly reccomend this to horror fans, especially those of classic films such as John Carpenter’s Halloween. If you want to pick it up, you can do so here! Remember, it’s everyone who buys something that helps keep this website up and running!

His first film was called, appropriately enough, Bad Taste, about an alien invasion. It feature an insane amount of gore and was considered very edgy.

And then he went on to do Meet the Feebles, a raunchy puppet based film that was basically a spoof of the Muppets and had some very adult situation.

And then there came the film that many people would consider the “splatterpiece” (criminally bad punning, I know). That movie would be Braindead. You say you haven’t heard of it? That’s because here in the US of A it was titled Dead Alive. Yeah, now you know what movie I’m talking about. I saw Braindead when I was about 4 years old, and I’ve got to say, I still occasionally get nightmares of an evil baby attacking me (although I’m able to laugh at it nowadays). It is seriously the goriest film I’ve ever seen, and my repertoire is pretty extensive.

So then in 1994 something happened. Nobody who could call themselves a fan of Jackson could have seen it coming, but it happened. He made a film without intentionally controversial material. It didn’t have splatter based violence. That movie was the drama Heavenly Creatures, for which Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh were nominated for an Academy Award for screenwriting. Jackson was shifting to mainstream.

Then, of course, he did the Frighteners, which has a large cult following. Then he did Lord of the Rings, which really doesn’t need to be elaborated on. And then he went on to do King Kong, which while I do think was just a little bit too long by about 30 minutes, I enjoyed.

And now his latest film is an adaptation of the novel The Lovely Bones. The film is about a teenage girl who is murdered and tries to help her family solve the murder from a Heavenlike world. The trailer for the film looks fantastic. Which you can watch here.

This could very well be Jackson’s next Oscar, but to all the fans who fear he may be a sellout, don’t worry. He has recently stated that he is interest in returning to his roots with a sequel to Bad Taste, although nothing official has been said.

Here are some of Jackson’s works on DVD if you think you’d like to pick them. I chose ones that are more memorable. Remember, if you buy a DVD here and there from me, it helps keeps this blog going. Keep in mind that Dead Alive (Braindead) is NOT for the faint of heart.

For one thing, in terms of graphics, it is the most powerful system out there. This was a machine built for gaming in hi-def, and hi-def is what we like to call in this profession “good.”

And speaking of hi-def, here’s another thing that I love about my PS3. BLURAY! The PS3 has a built in bluray player, as many people know. I found it actually kind of shocking when I first bought my PS3 that the Bluray players in the SAME STORE were more expensive than my PS3. Not to mention, Bluray is going to replace the DVD soon enough anyway, so why not go ahead and get one while the getting’s good? Besides, you won’t have to back up your DVD collection with Blurays anyway because the majority of bluray players support the DVD format.

Another reason is because, due to the Playstation store, there are several things on PS3 that are exclusive to the system, especially games that are already being considered instant classics, such as InFamous and Uncharted 2.

So yeah, PS3 had a rocky start. It was initially a third place seller, and stayed there. But now it’s either approaching, or already at the number 2 spot, mainly because the red ring of death, though a thing of the past is still looming in the heads of gamers, and the novelty of the Wii is starting to wear off. So if you’ve been thinking about it but hadn’t decided either way, take my advice and do yourself a favor: get a PS3. You won’t regret it.

PlayStation 3 120 GB

The film follows a family as they try to recover a little girl who has been taken by a river monster.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, no. First of all, this family is disfunctional at best. The main character, Gang-Du is “slow witted”. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, and it can be argued that his daughter’s, Hyun-seo, being taken is his fault. His slow wittedness is attributed to being beaten up and malnourished as a child. His brother is a college dropout and alcoholic. His father is somewhat of a pushover. His sister is an archery competitor, ashamed of only winning a bronze medal due to taking too long to fire. And to make it all worse, the US and Korean governments report that the creature is carrying a virus.

The thing that makes this monster movie stand above every monster movie since Jaws is simple: There’s a genuine heart and message behind it. The film shows how tragedy can bring a family together. Not only that, but there is also a biting political satire in it towards both the US military as well as (but to a lesser extent) the Korean Government. Director Bong Joon-Ho sets up some great shots to make this fim nice and atmospheric. Another great thing is that the monster only appears a few times in the film, instead choosing to focus on the main characters. And the monster itself is also a high point. Instead of a gargantuan, couple hundred foot tall beast, this monster is roughly the size of a large truck. Somehow that makes it scarier and more realistic to me. This movie stands as one of my favorite, if not my favorite, monster movies.

You can pick it up here!
The Host [Blu-ray]

The Host (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)