Triple Bill Mini Musings: Animal Instincts, Bunker Troubles, and Organic Gore...

Zootropolis:
What's it about?
The animal kingdom has evolved beyond its base instincts and created a world where predator and prey of all sizes can live side-by-side. However, when fourteen mammals go missing under suspicious circumstances, it's up to the first rabbit in the Zootropolis Police Department and a sly fox to figure out what's going on.
Who would I recognise in it?
Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Jenny Slate, Idris Elba, Nate Torrence, Tommy Chong, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Shakira, and others (voices).
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
With a strong and clear message at its heart, Zootropolis (otherwise known as Zootopia) still manages to avoid coming off as preachy, because the message is intrinsically lodged into the well-constructed story...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue the reviews...

Claycat's DOOM...

Do you like Doom? Do you like Lee Hardcastle's gleefully gory style of claymation? Then sink your chompers into this like cracker!

Double Bill Mini Musings: Trolls and Doppelgangers...

The Boxtrolls:
What's it about?
From stop motion animation studio Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman), this latest outing revolves around the titular box trolls - essentially scruffy little goblin handymen that live inside cardboard boxes - and the human populace of the world above who believe them to be vicious, man-eating ghouls after a small child is apparently kidnapped.
Who would I recognise in it?
Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Elle Fanning, Maurice LaMarche, Nick Frost (voices).
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
As per usual, Laika's visual style is superb - the setting here being a rickety Victorian-esque coastal town that rises up on a large hill - and the story doesn't seek to safely illuminate its darker recesses. The Boxtrolls themselves appear both demonic and lovable, depending on the perspective, with a similar mix applied to the human characters - particularly the main antagonist and his goons. The former is a class-obsessed Boxtroll chaser called Snatcher, weighed down by the weight of the chip on his shoulder and his obsession with cheese (a delicacy reserved for the rich 'white hat' folk). His goons, meanwhile, vary between monosyllabic creepiness and complex introspective musings on whether or not they truly are the 'good guys' (as they have been told by their increasingly sadistic boss). If ParaNorman didn't quite hit the high watermark of Coraline, The Boxtrolls certainly manages to attain the same level of intelligence, wit, fairytale whimsy, and darkness. Good.

Click "READ MORE" below for a double dose of Jake Gyllenhaal...

"Zhombeez!" (2000)...

I dug this out of my vaults today and uploaded it to YouTube.



Many years ago now - during the summer of 2000 - I made a simple stop-motion experiment with zombies that I crafted out of clay. Inspired by George A. Romero's "Day of the Dead", I also created an army figure styled somewhat after Captain Rhodes and did my own - rather basic (it was my first, and pretty much only, attempt at stop motion animation) - re-enactment of the infamous scene from Romero's landmark horror flick.


Click "READ MORE" below for more information about "Zhombeez!"...

Quadruple Bill Mini Musings: Wolves, Muppets, Hoover, and Pirates...

The Grey:
What's it about?
A handful of Alaskan oil workers survive a plane crash that leaves them stuck in the frozen wilderness surrounded by wolves - and so they must head south, hunted every inch of the way.
Who would I recognise in it?
Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, James Badge Dale, Frank Grillo.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Director Joe Carnahan burst onto the scene with his tough and gritty cop drama Narc, and then went on to breezier and more bombastic fare like Smoking Aces, and The A-Team, however the serious heart behind Narc was always lingering in the background with a dramatic sense of flair. With man-versus-nature action drama The Grey, Carnahan has allowed himself to show his maturing and more serious heart - there's even a poetic sensibility weaved throughout the film that speaks of loss and those raw emotions that are buried to ensure your day-to-day survival. This all said, action fans will still get their fill as a dwindling rabble of bearded, half-frozen men face-off against ravenous wolves - at one point going all MacGuyver and fashioning 'bang sticks' out of tree branches and shotgun shells. The Grey is a tense, gripping and altogether very strong outing from all involved - Neeson and his cast sink their teeth into the material which allows back stories to unfold in subtle snippets of dialogue, hallucinations, and slowly-unveiled memories. There's no shortage of action flicks out there, but while rambunctious outings such as Safe House ultimately prove to be forgettable, The Grey goes for something deeper, more satisfying, and far more memorable. Easily one of the best action/drama/survival films of the last several years, although some might not agree. Stick around to the very end of the credits for an extra snifter of footage, too. Generally pretty great.

Click "READ MORE" below for Muppets, Hoover, and Pirates...

Adam Buxton's "Bug"...

If you've not been watching Adam Buxton's "Bug" show on Sky Atlantic, here's a taste of what you've been missing...



Check out some more at Buxty's YouTube Channel.

Evil Dead II, in clay, the Lee Hardcastle way!

Evil Dead II ... in clay ... with cats ... from Lee Hardcastle. Nuff said, now ruddy well watch this!

Well worth a read (claymation article)...

I came across this article on www.fastcocreate.com - it's a piece about claymation animator Lee Hardcastle (one of my "Stuff I Dig" links down there on the right of this blog), and it's well worth reading.

Hardcastle is the demented genius behind the likes of Pingu's The Thing, Claycat's The Raid, and Chainsaw Babe 3D. If you're not familiar with his fantastically graphic claymations (he's currently animating a version of Evil Dead II, which I'm eagerly awaiting), then head over to his website or YouTube and get watching!

He's also made a bunch of excellent 60 second shorts based on real movies - below are my favourite two of these:

YouTube finds - G.I. Joe meets The Thing...

From time-to-time, from now on, when I come across a YouTube video that really impresses me - I'll share it here. First up, a music video for the French duo Zombie Zombie (and their track "Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free"): while I've only just discovered it (via Lee Hardcastle's blog), this video was made in 2008 for a G.I. Joe filmmaking competition.



Superbly directed by Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann, the production design is tip-top, and the animation is amazing - for fans of the eponymous action figures, or John Carpenter's unbeatable sci-fi/horror film from 1982, this is a must-watch!

"Pingu's The Thing" - Lee Hardcastle claymation...

UPDATE: Click here to view the re-upload on YouTube.

What with my review, and twenty-point gripe-list, for the 2011 version of The Thing, it was a nice little co-incidence that Lee Hardcastle's latest YouTube video was his take on the 1982 version of The Thing.

If you're not familiar with Lee Hardcastle's clay animations, then you're in for a treat. I first discovered his work through Edgar Wright's blog when he was in-competition with "The Evil Dead in 60 Seconds" - it was an excellent, gore-filled clay animation, and from that point on I was hooked.

The above video is his latest - a typically humorous combination of Pingu (a claymation childhood favourite) and John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi chiller The Thing.

Check out Lee Hardcastle's website HERE and view many more of his fantastically gory claymations on his YouTube Channel.

Monsters VS Aliens...

The main problem CGI family-friendly flicks (produced by those other than Pixar) have, is that they aren't from Pixar. The gang that gave us such greats as Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and WALL.E really know what they're doing, and frankly everyone else is trailing in their dust (although Cars was a noticeable mis-step, and Ratatouille wasn't much better).

However, Dreamworks (who have given us the hugely successful Shrek films - none of which I've seen - and the two Madagascar movies - both of which I've seen and rather enjoyed) continues to do a stand-up job of walking in Pixar's shadow, while producing solid fare.

Monsters VS Aliens is such a film. It might be a little light on the laughs at times, and the plot can sometimes drag a little here and there (before feeling a bit rushed and undercooked in the third act), but the quality of the characters carries you through - especially the Seth Rogen voiced B.O.B, who steals every scene he wobbles through. Add in Keifer Sutherland's gravel-voiced W.R. Monger, Reese Witherspoon's cute-and-huge Ginormica, Will Arnett's cocky, Creature From The Black Lagoon-riffing The Missing Link, Hugh Laurie's mad, cock-roach-headed Dr Cockroach and a wide-eyed Insectosaurus, and you've got a good, fun movie.

It doesn't contain the same level of heart or originality that engenders Pixar's greatness (I'm really looking forward to checking out Up), but it's a really fun flick packed with references for sci-fi and monster movie lovers.

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto...

From the mind of Rob Zombie, this animated straight-to-DVD movie is a must-see for any self-respecting Rob Zombie fan.

While he's not reinventing any wheels with this sleazy little flick, he is having an absolute laugh - it's a veritable who's who of Rob Zombie film regulars, horror icons and horror movie references, nods, winks and prods - plus it's got tons of cartoon boobs in it and zombie Nazis.

If you'll remember from my thoughts on the bloody excellent Dead Snow, if you've got zombie Nazis in your flick, then you're pretty much golden, and fortunately El Superbeasto is bloody good fun.

Some of the gags stray wide of the mark, or feel a tad out-dated, but it moves at such a pace that any flaws are quickly paved over with another sleaze-filled scene of boob-surrounded violence. Plus the song during Suzi X's first big battle with the zombie Nazis had me laughing out loud as I sat there all on my tod watching this cheeky feature.

To be fair, it isn't all from the fevered mind of Rob Zombie - there's a variety of additional directors, writers and sequence-specific staff, but RZ is the lead writer and director, so regardless, it feels very much his baby, and as such there are a few nods to his own work.

Not only does Michael Myers (a la Rob Zombie) crop up at one point, but we also find Otis, Baby and Captain Spaulding hanging out in a hellish bar surrounded by monsters galore - and yes, Sid Haig and Bill Moseley return to their roles. Also, there's the inclusion of werewolf Nazis - like those in his ideal-for-a-trailer "Werewolf Women of the SS" for the Grindhouse project ... and that's just the tip of the ice berg.

Character wise, there's something for everyone - from Tom Papa's (who was also co-writer) ego-fuelled Beasto to Sheri Moon Zombie's sexy 'n' sassy Suzi X, from Rosario Dawson's foul-mouthed sex bomb Velvet Von Black to Paul Giamatti's tantrum-fuelled Dr Satan, and Brian Posehn's horny-as-all-hell Murray.

The voice talent throughout is top notch, and it's full of names - just a quick squizz on the IMDb page reveals some of the other aural treats that are in store for you: Danny Trejo, Harland Williams, Clint Howard, Dee Wallace, Geoffrey Lewis, John Di Maggio, and Ken Foree among others.

A bloody good laugh, it's only a shame the DVD didn't have a greater variety of extras - all you get are deleted scenes & shots, as well as alternate scenes (which at the time of writing I am yet to see) - but even still, it's a must-see for Rob Zombie fans, and it's highly recommended for those who enjoy a delve into RZ's craziest cartoon images ... it's almost like a White Zombie album cover come to life, come to think of it.