Film Review: PROTEUS (1995)

Written by John Brosnan (and based on his novel) Proteus (1995) comes off as your typical ‘90s sci-fi-horror knock off of John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982).  A group of heroin smugglers are stranded in a boat on the open seas and finds safe haven on what seems to be an abandoned oil rig in the middle of nowhere.  Upon closer inspection the oil rig isn’t completely abandoned as the drug smugglers begin to learn that the rig is really housing for a secret government lab doing strange experiments away from the prying eyes of the public.  It seems that the experiment got away from them and the monster that was created is roaming free on the rig killing everyone that it comes into contact with. 

It seems that the creature created in the labs of the oil rig can be anyone it absorbs (and kills).  Now the group of smugglers must survive against a seemingly indestructible foe that can be any one of them at any time.

Like true ‘90s horror film fashion Proteus doesn’t waste time getting to the point as the action starts off from the beginning and never lets up.  The oil rig is a maze in which the creature can hide anywhere and strike out at any time which actually makes for some entertaining moments in the film.  The film is bogged down with “character” faults inherent in all horror film cannon fodder (such as the fact that characters always disappear from the group to search out for loved ones obviously already dead) and there are very few suspenseful or horrifying moments but the ‘90s were not known for creating monster films that were actually terrifying.  The ‘90s were more known for creating entertaining and sometimes gory displays of horrifying glory.

Proteus is an easily forgettable film but it is not so bad that you won’t at least be entertained for about 90 minutes which cannot be said of many of the derivative films made today.

Film Review: DNA (1997)

The ‘90s were a huge time for straight to video action/sci-fi/horror films.  They were also a huge time for knock-off films of which the film DNA (1997) is guilty of.  The film stars Mark Dacascos (star of many ‘90s and ‘00s low budget action/sci-fi/horror films) as Dr. Ash Mattley, a jungle doctor who must do battle with an alien creature who was crafted in a lab using some of his knowledge unknowingly.  Jurgen Prochnow (also known for his association in low budget action/sci-fi/horror films) stars as a rival scientist Dr. Carl Wessinger, who has used Mattley’s technology to create an alien monster clone from the DNA of a skeleton (remnants of Jurassic Park).  

Years later Mattley and Wessinger cross paths again when Wessinger’s alien clone gets loose and starts killing people.  An agent by the name of Claire Sommers (Robin McKee) is sent in to clean up Wessinger’s mess and Mattley joins her on this mission.  Now in order for Sommers and Mattley to get to Wessinger they must also battle an alien clone whose only mission is a killing one as it will kill anything and everything that gets in its way and soon Mattley will become the hunted (remnants of Predator) and only one will survive.

Now, for those looking for anything original and ground breaking, this is definitely not the film for them as there is not an original bone in the film’s entire make-up and in fact it borrows most of the third act wholesale from the more well-known first Predator film.  Despite this, the film is entertaining.  Writer Nick Davis and director William Mesa have crafted a film that hits all the required marks of a low budget indie film designed to entertain on a grand scale.  Dacascos has never been an actor that had a huge breakout hit but he does know how to carry a movie which is why his career lasted as long as it did and his talents shine in the third act of this film where he must face the alien clone one-on-one.

The film also scores points for the villainous Prochnow who has made it a business of being a villain in low budget action/sci-fi/horror films.  If he didn’t relish playing villains so much we wouldn’t enjoy the films he’s in as much as we do.  DNA will never get points for being an original film by any means but it is one of those ‘90s entertainment extravaganzas.

Book Review: DARK BANQUET by Bill Schutt

Bill Schutt is an associate professor at C.W. Post College of Long Island University and a research associate in Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History in New York whose non-fiction book Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures at first allows him to discuss his main research subject with is the vampire bat but also allows him to delve into all the other world’s blood feeding creatures which includes leeches, bugs, and even a bird that feeds on blood.  

 

An entire book about blood-feeding creatures may not be for everyone but Schutt keeps the style very user friendly dropping the entire technical pretense that could have bogged down the information or made it too informal to enjoy.  It is very apparent that his true expertise is in the vampire bat as his spends more time in the book with these creatures than any other and he has more personal stories to tell (which are sometimes very humorous).  What Schutt really wants to do is dispel all the misinformation about bats and all blood-feeding creatures as there is a lot of information out there that is incorrect.

He also goes into the historical background of blood-feeding creatures especially in the chapters on leeches which have had medicinal usage for centuries.  He also delves into the ecological balance that these creatures have which goes a long way in explaining to the general populace why we need blood-feeding creatures and why they are so important and beneficial.

Dark Banquet is an eye opening book that explains both the negative and positive impact of blood-feeding creatures that will change your ideas on them while also dispelling the fears that you may have.

Book Review: AUDITION by Ryu Murakami

When the title “Audition” is mentioned the first thing that usually comes to mind is the acclaimed cult film from director Takashi Miike.  You are forgiven if you did not know that Miike’s film is based on the popular novel by Ryu Murakami.  Murakami is the author of several renowned novels such as Almost Transparent Blue and In the Miso Soup, to name a few.  With the success of the film version of Audition, Murakami’s novels were translated into even more languages and his popularity has grown even here in the US. 

In Audition, Murakami decides to tell the entire story from the point of view of Aoyama, a lonely widow who decides that it is finally time to enter back into the dating game in hopes of finding a new wife.  With his best friend Yoshikawa, he hatches a scheme to find a new wife by conducting a series of auditions for a fake film that he and his company never plan on ever making.  It is through these auditions that Aoyama becomes infatuated with a timid young actress by the name of Yamasaki Asami, a former ballerina with a mysterious past.  Aoyama begins to draw closer to Asami as he realizes that they have more in common than he originally thought leading him down a path of ecstasy that leaves him blind to all of Yoshikawa and his son Shige’s warning about a woman with too many questions without answers.

Aoyama slowly delves into a relationship that threatens to unravel should he learn too much about Asami’s mysterious past and Asami is not a woman to be taken lightly as she has ulterior motives that may run contrary to Aoyama’s.

Those looking for the quirky atmosphere and impending dread of Miike’s film will be disappointed as since Murakami’s novel is told from only Murakami’s perspective you only see events unfold as he witnesses them.  This actually works in favor for Murakami’s story as the reader is just as anxious for Asami to return to the story as he is and like Aoyama, we know that there is a slight mysterious allure to Asami but it doesn’t override the story until those final moments which pack just about as much punch as the film does (although in a slightly different manner).

Murakami is very adept at creating mood and atmosphere which Audition is very much filled with which is why his work is so popular and well regarded.  He is an author worth taking a look at.

HORROR UPDATE AT THE BOX OFFICE 2013!

October is usually one of the more active months for horror film releases and now that it has finally come and gone we should take a look at how the horror genre is faring in 2013.  It should be noted that this October was a very light month for horror which only had the release of the high profile Carrie (2013) remake since this will be the first year within the last four that a Paranormal Activity film has not been released (it should be noted that Paranormal Activity 5 will be back next October along with the spin-off The Marked Ones in early 2014). 

THE BEST.

Zombies are the tops both at the Box Office and on the small screen (with the ever growing success of The Walking Dead).  World War Z managed to be the highest grossing horror film of the year so far with over $202.4 million in its coffers.  This is terrific for the horror genre as it proves that horror films can have mainstream success.  Now I know there are many of you out there who still can’t get over the fact that this film has almost absolutely nothing to do with its literary source material but you have to hand it to Brad Pitt and the film makers that they did deliver a pulse pounding action and suspense filled zombie film.  Regardless of your opinions on the film it was a massive success both domestically and abroad (another $337.6 million) guaranteeing a sequel to be in the works.

Next up is the one-two punch from director James Wan with The Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2 ($137.4 and $83.1 million, respectfully).  He delivered one of the biggest word of mouth successes of the year with The Conjuring.  This haunted house film based on a true story was one of the big success stories of the year both at the domestic and foreign box office (worldwide gross at $316.7).  Insidious Chapter 2 took what was popular with the first film and expanded upon it delivering a sequel that grossed more than the first one.  It is hard to produce a successful horror sequel (just look at the dismal returns of The Last Exorcism Part 2 and Texas Chainsaw 3D) but there is no denying the popularity of this franchise with audiences.

Pacific Rim was neither a huge hit nor a failure with its $101.8 domestic haul.  It was a film designed to play better at the foreign box office which is did in spades (another $305.8 million foreign).  It was a huge success overseas but here in the states the film was a well received (and reviewed) oddity similar to director Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy films. 

Next up are a few sleeper hits which really mean films that weren’t expected to do well but surpassed expectations – Mama, Warm Bodies, and The Purge.  Mama was an early 2013 surprise hit taking in $71.6 million.  This film (produced by Guillermo del Toro) came out of nowhere and got great word of mouth and played very well to audiences in the early part of the year.  Warm Bodies became one of the few YA films to actual find an audience with a haul of $66.4 million.  It also played well overseas (another $50.6 million foreign) proving that zombies, whether they be the fast moving kind of World War Z or the romantic kind of this film, dominate the box office and audiences can’t get enough.  It also helps that the film was actually good and word of mouth helped it find its audience.  The Purge ended up being this year’s over achiever with a budget of $3 million yet it grossed over $64 million.  These are great numbers from a financial point but audiences were a little disappointed by the film and word of mouth for this film was not so great.  The investment for the film was indeed a great thing and a sequel is in the works so let’s hope that the next film actually delivers the goods.

Further down the list is Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters which grossed a so-so $55.7 million (but another $170 million foreign) which is nothing to brag about considering how much the film cost $50 million to produce but what should be noted is the fact that this film was one of the most entertaining films of the year made for a cult audience.  It may not have found its audience at the box office but it will as a cult movie.

The remake of Evil Dead is also a minor success story with $54.2 million (against a $17 million production budget) as it was a remake that was both a financial and critical success.  Dropping the horror-comedy trappings of the original franchise this remake decided to go for broke as a dead serious gore filled horror extravaganza that also happened to be well written, acted, and directed.  This will be remembered as one of the best remakes of the decade.

The re-release of Jurassic Park in 3D added another $45.4 million to its gross making it one of the more successful 3D re-releases (with an accumulated gross over time of $1.03 billion worldwide).  In a declining 3D marketplace it’s good to know that there are still a few films out there worth paying the extra few dollars for the upgrade and you can’t go wrong with this classic.

That concludes our list of the Top 10 grossing horror films of the year but let’s take a few moments to look at a few of the other films.

ALL THE REST.

Riddick, the third part of the Riddick saga, didn’t fare as well as expected with $42.03 million but it wasn’t as disliked as the previous film and it did return the character back to his roots.  It also did so-so compare to its actual production cost which was a meager $38 million (ending its theatrical run with $93.6 worldwide). 

  

A Haunted House was a huge low budget success story with $40.04 million (against a  $2.5 million budget) and a sequel is already in the works for 2014 proving that you can’t keep a good parody down.  The same cannot be said for Scary Movie 5 which is the lowest grossing in the franchise with an anemic $32.01 million.

Sequels also did not do so well as Texas Chainsaw 3D started well opening at number one at the box office with $21.7 million but then audience indifference only allowed the film to end its run with a meager $34.3 million.  The Last Exorcism Part 2 also did horrible at the box office with a non-existent $15.2 million (with a budget of $5 million).  The first film really should have been the first, only, and last.

R.I.P.D. was D.O.A. with only $33.6 million making it one of the biggest box office duds of the year (production budget at $130 million).  Also, the festival favorite You’re Next could not find its audience grabbing only a meager $18.5 million.  This was one of the few well received horror films that just could not catch a break (it sat on the studio shelf for two years).  Dark Skies was also non-existent at the box office never finding its audience with a so-so $17.4 million but since the film cost only a little over $3.5 million to produce it didn’t hurt as much.

With Carrie being the last horror film released this year thus far (at only approximately $34.5 million) it’s hard to determine the tastes of audiences as the success stories are so independent of one another.  Zombie films and any movie directed by James Wan were “in” while sequels were definitely “out”.  There were so many different types of films to choose from that it seemed like most audiences just waited for word of mouth to tell them what movies to go see.  It just goes to show you that the horror genre is far from predictable and that 2014 will be open season for everything to start all over again.

All info about film grosses and budgets were obtained from Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com).