Author: S. Christian Roe

The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu – Movie Review

A review of the film, The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu following the premiere last night.

“Don’t take this too seriously, we didn’t.”

Those were the first words out of Devin McGinn(writer, producer and actor) who brought about the creation of the film The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu.

For those of you unfamiliar with any of the mythology of Cthulhu, I’ll break it down for you. There was an author by the name of H.P. Lovecraft who specialized in the ideas of the dark, twisted and supernatural. Specifically the old god Cthulhu who is supposed to bring about the end of days. Typical giant scary monster being story arch. So what does The Last Lovecraft bring to the table that’s any different? It combines that mythology, with outrageous comedy, dark situations, and an enjoyable viewing experience.

Taking place in present day California (one would assume) a pair of guys who seemingly despise one another is set forth on the task to guard an ancient relic of Cthulu from the dark forces that wish to resurrect him. Very simple LOTR storyline here, they attempt to bring about this “you are the chosen one deal” but it putters out after a few short jokes about who knocks on a door. After being entrusted with this quest they seek out help from two other unlikely men. An extremely awkward nerdy guy that can only be described to as a nerdier version of Allen from The Hangover, and an old Captain(who was the best part of the film) in order to protect the relic.

Of course there are minions and of course there are varying troubles along the way to safety but all in all it never seems like the troupe hits any real danger. This is a big problem. While I can understand the idea that this is a quirky comedy horror film, it had a low budget and was shot in 21 days(I can’t believe it either) that’s no excuse for not building up a little bit of suspense in the mix. That aside there are only a few other problems with the film.

The main character, Jeff, supposedly the last descendant of H.P. Lovecraft is unlikeable to the most obnoxious level. He treats his friends like garbage and seems like a much whinier Frodo Baggins. His little quips that were supposed to garner laughs from the audience were met with mostly crickets, while it was all carried on the humorous backs of Paul and Charlie.

Lastly, and this was the worst thing out of them all, was the dialogue. I understand how modern people speak but let’s be realistic. Not everyone drops an f-bomb every other word. I appreciate the attempt at realism and at times the use of the word was hilarious and fit really well with the situation, but the writer really didn’t need to have over fifty (and no I’m not exaggerating) f-bombs throughout the entire film. Not to mention the other expletives.

Overall the film is good though. I know it seemed like I was being knit picky I’m just dissecting it for your pleasure. Was it worth going to see? Of course, it was your classic 80’s horror movie with really bad CGI but awesome make-up(props to that crew by the way it looked incredible). Cheesy dialogue a plenty, hilarious characters and outrageous situations really help make The Last Lovecraft an enjoyable movie over all. As for a sequel(yes the film ends on a cliffhanger) there are hints at the possibility of a trilogy depending on how well this film does. And considering it’s $180,000 budget on 21 days of shooting, I feel like it has a good chance of being picked up somewhere along the line. Let’s just hope Cthulhu doesn’t awaken and enslave humanity before then.

The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu hits shelves February 15th

Super 8 Looks Super Spectacular

We take a look at the new teaser for Super 8.

So with no surprises today Green Bay won the Super Bowl! Yay, now that we have that boring stuff out of the way let’s talk movies. Today during the Super Bowl a plethora of different commercials and advertisements showed throughout the duration of the game. However it seems one in particular (no we are not talking about the Darth Vader Volkswagen commercial) is on everyone’s mind. That being J.J. Abram’s (Star Trek, Cloverfield, Lost) new film, Super 8.

While nothing is deeply revealed about the film as a whole J.J Abrams did release a bit of the story to tantalize us along with the stunning looking teaser.

“The Paramount Pictures release is set in Ohio in 1979 and introduces a troupe of six youngsters who are using a Super 8 camera to make their own zombie movie. One fateful night, their project takes them to a lonely stretch of rural railroad tracks and, as the camera rolls, calamity strikes — a truck collides with an oncoming locomotive and a hellacious derailment fills the night with screaming metal and raining fire. Then something emerges from the wreckage, something decidedly inhuman.”

Sounds interesting right? Now check out the trailer below to let me know what you think.

My first thoughts are The Goonies meets E.T. and of course The Thing. Overall I love the idea of a period monster movie and I feel this will be a big hit over the summer. J.J. Abrams I bow to you as summer blockbuster king, don’t stop now and don’t stop rolling the film on Super 8.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Top 5 Releases for February: Film

This months top 5(good and bad) releases for film in theaters!

1. Just Go With It (In Theaters February 11th, 2011) – Adam Sandler throughout the years has either enticed us with his comedic value or turned us off completely (see Happy Gilmore as opposed to Eight Crazy Nights) It seems though this time he will be returning to his roots of charming romantic comedies. With a plethora of those already under his belt Just Go With It looks to be another fun trip to the theaters with a date. The basic story is a man uses a fake wedding ring to pick up women. When he finally meets the girl of his dreams he must pretend with his friend that he’s getting a divorce. Simple enough yes? Things become more and more complicated as well as more and more ridiculous (you can judge for yourself in the trailer). With what I’m sure will be a predictable ending, it will at least be another film you can appreciate on Valentine’s Day with your date. Whether you are forced to go or not you’ll probably have some fun.

2. Cedar Rapids (In Limited Theaters February 11th, 2011) – For those of you who don’t know, Sundance Film Festival came to an end a few days ago, and it seems one of the already buzz worthy films is being released. Cedar Rapids is about a meek insurance salesman and his unique transformation from the boring mundane existence he once had to an ultimate party animal all thanks to one man and one location. Through drunken parties, “straight up gangster” situations, and rock climbing adventures. Cedar Rapids is shaping up to be a great trip to the theaters akin to The Hangover and Get Him To The Greek. If you’re looking for a great comedy movie that probably has some significant heartfelt moments, this one is for you (and maybe your lady for a Valentine’s date). Let’s just say this film has two bags of super awesome coming our way.

3. Unknown (In Theaters February 18th, 2011) – Liam Neeson. Even when you say his name you can’t help but feel awesome. Covering all kinds of different genres, there is one thing that links them all together. Liam Neeson is awesome and Unknown looks to be like his other film Taken but with that extra cerebral umph! Upon waking up from a coma, Liam discovers that someone has taken his identity. Though he struggles to recover who he is, it seems it’s much deeper than anticipated when even his wife doesn’t know who the good Doctor is. All with mindboggling twists abounding, Unknown looks to be either a fan favorite or a big flop (similar to The Box) of last year. Let’s hope Neeson can pull it out of the bag and give us a Taken 1.5 as we patiently await its sequel.

4. Drive Angry 3D (In Theaters February 25th, 2011) – Oh boy! From the director of the classic American cinema film My Bloody Valentine, comes a film to equally shatter the world of filmmaking as we know it. When a con breaks out of hell to go seek vengeance on someone who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter, there will be hell to pay. But who could pull of such a feat? Who is the man with the grand master plan to exact his red hot revenge? Why none other than the Ghostrider himself, Nicholas Cage. With all these new supernatural action films under his belt it seems that Nicholas Cage has jumped off the boat that was once “serious acting” and is now going for the ridiculous. I’m going to admit something though; this looks to be like a lot of fun. With puns aplenty, terrible dialogue, explosions and ALL IN 3D? You can count me in for this spring’s sure to be box office flop. And really, I’m not kidding.

5. Hall Pass (In Theaters February 25th, 2011) – Out of all the other comedies coming out this month, this one is looking to be the weakest. Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers and Zoolander) plays a married man who believes he and his friend can get anyone they want if given the opportunity. Lo and behold that exact situation arises and they are given a “hall pass” (an exemption from the rules of marriage for one week). Upon hearing this they go out exploring, looking for that long sought after forbidden fruit. Shenanigans ensue and some low brow jokes are thrown in, but it seems this film will be carried mostly on the shoulders of the once great comedic actor Wilson. Paired with a no name this film doesn’t look to impress that much, but it may be good for a few laughs here and there. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been married or maybe it’s just that January and February are slow months for the film industry; who knows? Might be one to check out for a few bucks, but don’t pay full price or I’ll have to reimburse you.

StuffWeDislike: Christopher Nolan Snubbed for Oscar Nomination

Christopher Nolan once again is snubbed by the Academy by not being nominated for Best Director for his latest film Inception.

Today as most of you may know is the day that the 83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations were announced, at 5:30 a.m. PST. While for the most part a lot of selections were obvious (The King’s Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter, etc.) there were quite a few surprises dappled across all 24 categories. Not many have heard of the film Blue Valentine and yet Michelle Williams is up for a Best Actress award; the same can be said for the film, The Wolfman. For the most part this movie was abhorred by audiences but it is up for a Best Makeup award. But I feel the greatest surprise of all lies in the category for Best Director. The following is a list of the nominees for said category:

1) Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
2) David O. Russel for The Fighter
3) Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech
4) David Fincher for The Social Network
and finally
5) The Coen Brothers for True Grit.

Now I’m not saying these selections are bad, having seen all but The King’s Speech ; I can tell you they all do a fantastic job with bringing everything to life. However, the academy seems to have looked over one individual in particular. That man is Christopher Nolan.

This year Christopher Nolan brought us the groundbreaking film Inception, which is up for 7 Academy Awards, but not directing. Everything that it is nominated for it should be, except for directing. Earlier this month it was announced that Nolan was nominated for a DGA (Director’s Guild of America) Award for Best Directing. Normally when it comes to that kind of nomination it means the Academy will honor the same; however this is not the case. Seems as though Nolan was snubbed out of the competition and this is just something I cannot abide.

Soon enough fans will be lining up for Nolan’s next installment of the Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises, the follow up to his previous Batman film, The Dark Knight. It seems this film was also unanimously snubbed two years ago when it missed the opportunity to earn Best Picture nomination as well as everything else. Now I may be one of the few people who actually didn’t think it deserved a Best Picture nomination that year, but it was quite a film and one that is going down in the record books for sure. But these two examples are not the only thing the Academy has overlooked.

Nolan’s only other Academy Award nominated film was Memento, and even that was only nominated for Best Screenplay. But throughout the years, Nolan has proved himself time and again to be a very capable creator who can take a story and bring it to life in the most magical and inventive of ways. Speaking of magic what about the acclaimed film The Prestige another Nolan film that swept audiences away and yet little to no recognition?

All in all it seems that Christopher Nolan will continue to be snubbed until he does a film about British Royalty back in some long forgotten time period with terrible dialogue that is carried well with brilliant actors. Nolan showed his brainchild to the world with Inception. After over a decade of hard work he finally created his work of art. He has been very humble about all the praise he’s received, unlike other nameless directors (James Cameron – a director that for some strange reason the Academy embraces), and will continue to do so sharing his talent with the world. And while the world may not forget his name anytime soon, it seems the Academy has and will continue to leave him on the side of the road to the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

Nolan discussing Inception at The Hero Complex Film Festival in Los Angeles (photograph by S. Christian Roe)