Evangeline Lilly previously provided a little information about playing the role of Tauriel in The Hobbit. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Movies she elaborated on the preparation and training required for the role. In addition the article provided this great image of Bilbo with Bifur, Dawlin, Bofur and Oin at Bag's End.

Working on "The Hobbit," though, has radically changed how she readies herself for a role. "I can't just be spontaneous, because there is nothing natural about being an elf," Lilly said. "It's not human, so I have to study to learn what it means to be this other creature."

This means Lilly has had to train to walk, talk, and, of course, fight like an elf. She said, "So, on top of my stunt training -- which I need to learn how to be proficient with the bow and arrow, and with daggers, and in fighting orcs that are, you know, ten feet tall -- I also have to learn the language of Elvish, and I have to learn an RP [Received Pronunciation] neutral English accent for when I speak English." When you add in learning to move and gesture like an elf, Lilly figures she has spent "four times as much time preparing as I do actually shooting."

Also discovered the RSS Feed link in the top right was wrong and fixed it. No telling how long it was point to the wrong blog. Sorry about that.

More from Lilly, New Hobbit Image. There are any More from Lilly, New Hobbit Image in here.

Last week, Lego revealed at the UK Toy Fair, their first wave of Lego The Lord of the Rings sets and the minifigs they come with. However, since pictures are not allowed, we really had no idea what the minifigs might look like beyond the posters that have been released. Now we know thanks to the images below which show off the Fellowship along with some of the bad guys. There is also the next poster, this time for Gollum. The links to the other posters are also below.
Aragorn | Bilbo | Legolas
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Lego Gollum Poster, Fellowship Minifig Images. There are any Lego Gollum Poster, Fellowship Minifig Images in here.

I'm nixing the Roundup for 1-22-12 to 1-28-12 because it would have only consisted of two movies. Hey, I was tired from work and all I wanted to do was lounge on my bed and watch episodes of Law and Order: SVU that I've already seen a million times instead of having to concentrate on a new movie, okay? I did get some new ones seen this week so I'm going to review both of them. Yay, right?


Reading the "Critical Reception" section on Wikipedia's entry for Final Destination 5, I'm wondering if I saw the same damn movie as everyone else who apparently gave it such high praise. Frankly, this installment of a franchise that is now getting very old was a big letdown. I absolutely love the first two Final Destinations (the second one ranks a scant bit higher); I don't even remember the third one; and the fourth one was a little bit better, with some awesome kills.

The formula is basically the same. The main guy is Sam who while traveling on a bus with some coworkers to a business retreat has a vision of a bridge collapsing and everybody dying horrible and gruesome deaths. He gets a bunch of people to get off the bus in time to save them, but guess what? Days later, they all start dying anyway, one by one. The one big thing added to the equation is that Tony Todd implies to them that if they kill someone before Death can get them, then they can take the years that person has left.

The film starts off rather dull and uninspiring, introducing us to our main group of characters whom we already don't care about right from the beginning. There is of course the clashing of personalities and instantly unlikable people like the boss, who can never remember Sam's name and is generally just an uncaring douchebag. The guy playing Peter looks and act a little too much like Tom Cruise a lot of the time, which was disconcerting. Sam, Molly, and Olivia are the only ones we get to know, but only in a very minimal way.

Okay, so then after we meet all these people, we get to what is supposed to be the most exciting part of any Final Destination film - the inevitable huge catastrophe that will kill a bunch of people. When I first heard about this movie, I was stoked that the accident in question was going to be a bridge collapse. The idea seemed like it was going to be awesome because it is on a much larger scale - literally - than any of the incidents from the previous films. However, I was mightily disappointed at the final result here. I read some critics' reviews that said that this scene rivaled the highway pile-up from FD2 in how well it was executed. Shenanigans! Nothing can rival that sequence, which is one of the best (and my favorite) crash or action sequence from any horror film. I love that scene! But this bridge collapse was too focused on what happened to the individual people rather than on making a really cool, huge, catastrophic collapse with cars and bodies going every which-a-way. It was just not as exciting as I pictured, I'm sorry. Maybe my standards are too high.

Now, after a kick-ass premonition sequence, the other thing a good Final Destination film needs to have is of course the awesome kills of the survivors. Here again, FD5 fell short for me. These scenes are known for delivering the most elaborate setups for the characters' deaths and then shocking the audience by killing them in way unexpected from the setup. The setups here are less elaborate and the payoffs only leave you yelling at the screen, "That's it?!" Although I do give the filmmakers props for the gymnast's death, as that was rather nasty. The human body is not usually allowed to bend that way. Also, the FD series seems to have fostered a strange addiction to deaths by eye trauma - fire escape ladder to the eye, rock to the eye, and now laser to the eye. But then that scene ends with the chick just crashing out of the building's window. Not gruesome enough by Final Destination standards.

The previous films have given other possible ways to cheat Death - intervening when another person is about to die, bring new life into the world - but this one introduces a new way that is so obvious you wonder why it took them five movies to think of it. If you can appease Death by killing someone else in your place, then you can be safe. But then again the movie sets up this scenario and doesn't quite follow through with it all the way. Plainly, it doesn't seem to work all that well for our "survivors." And actually the ending of the movie explains maybe why they didn't try this method before.

Speaking of the ending, that was the only part of FD5 that I really enjoyed - and not in a sarcastic way either, like I was happy it was over or something. Throughout the movie, there is constant mention of Sam possibly going to Paris for an chef internship. I was thinking in the back of my mind that somewhere, somehow, they were going to connect that to the first Final Destination. When the plane blew up in that movie, the kids were heading to Paris for a school trip, right? The only thing I couldn't figure out was what that could have to do with this flick, four sequels later. So in the last scene, the very second they showed Sam and Molly on a plane, I freaked out. Why? Because I immediately knew that they were on the same plane as in the first movie! I actually kind of loved that. And this turn of events actually does make sense and doesn't feel like a forced twist ending.

Hopefully the credit sequence for Final Destination 5 was an indication that this might be the end of the series. The formula is definitely starting to wear thin and when the last good installment was three movies ago, I'm thinking it's time to put the franchise to sleep. FD5 was a nice attempt at something different, but in the end was only a big disappointment.

Movie Review: Final Destination 5 (2011). There are any Movie Review: Final Destination 5 (2011) in here.

According to the Noldar Blog, it seems that the casting call Saturday in Wellington, New Zealand got an unprecedented response. So extreme that local authorities had to shut it down after just an hour and a half due to to excessive traffic and car accidents. The call was to get people of various sizes to probably play extras in the Battle of Five Armies that will be filmed sometime in the next five months. It seems the production expected around 1200 to show up between the scheduled times of 1pm to 4pm but instead at least 3000 showed up with estimated 4500 bt the time it was over. All to a location that only has room for 150 people. Around 800 people made it through before the casting call was ended at 2:30pm. Not sure what will be done now but probably some online process to fill out whatever additional casting the production needs. More details on the day's events can be found here.

The Hobbit Casting Call Gets Overwhelming Response. There are any The Hobbit Casting Call Gets Overwhelming Response in here.

Okay, I've found another Masters of Horror episode that I love! Family is getting moved quite close to the top of the list of the best ones. It was quirky and fun, with a fantastic story and some great acting by (almost) all involved. It's fairly campy and has the sadistic black humor of a Tales from the Crypt episode but it's all done extremely well and makes for a fun hour of horror.

Harold Thompson is a robust, lovable but lonely serial killer who kidnaps and murders people to make them a part of his "family." When a young couple, David and Celia, move into the neighborhood, Harold takes to the young woman and wants to make her his new wife - not knowing that these two might have something up their sleeves as well.

The "Master" behind this tale is John Landis, who is another director that was kind of an odd choice for this series because his claim to horror fame basically consists only of An American Werewolf in London (and maybe Michael Jackson's Thriller video). But I think Family was the perfect choice for this guy because it shows his immense talent at satire and dark comedy. This episode could easily become a feature-length film which I no doubt would enjoy just as much as this hour-long awesomeness.

So right off the bat, we know what's going on with Harold - that he's a serial killer and all - with the great opening sequence going from the perfect little American neighborhood into the perfect little American house, with it's cute and clean decor and an upbeat Jesus-y song playing... then down into the basement where Harold is up to some nasty business.

You see, Harold has got a bit of a Norman Bates thing going on with what he does with his murder victims. He has this whole elaborate routine where he burns the flesh away from the body with acid, bleaches the bones, then puts the skeletons back together and dresses them up. They hang out in one room of Harold's  house that looks like a Leave It To Beaver living room and seem very alive to Harold, as he can easily carry on conversations (and arguments) with them. These scenes with Harold's family were hilarious to watch, probably more so when they make it look like the skeletons are talking than when they bring in real people to act out Harold's hallucinations.

Celia and David also seem like the dream couple. They're young and successful, making a cushy life for themselves in the Midwest so that they can start a family and be even more disgustingly happy. Sure, they seem to have had some rough patches in the past but they've obviously moved on. Harold is attracted to Celia almost right away (he has some funny hallucinations of her saying stuff like how she's not sexually satisfied with David and how she wants to, uh... orally copulate Harold) because he thinks he'd be a better husband for her than David.

All this plays out in a wickedly funny fashion, interspersed with some brilliant scenes of Harold both getting new members added to his family and getting rid of one to make room for another, i.e. Celia. George Wendt plays this character almost perfectly as he becomes the most likable and charming serial killer I've ever seen portrayed. And he's not charming in the creepy way that most actors play bad guys. He's charming in the way that, when he's normal, he's just a really nice guy. Not standoffish or creepy or pervy at all. He's not good-looking or hot, but rather is like the guy you talk to at the bank or meet in the line at the grocery store. Completely nice and trust-worthy.

I can't say that I completely expected the twist ending, but I knew that there was something going on with David and Celia, I just couldn't figure out what it was. Celia was way too bubbly and upbeat around Harold, even though there did seem to be something else brewing behind her eyes, especially in the scene when she tells Harold that they had a daughter who died of cancer. And while Meredith Monroe delivered a surprisingly excellent performance as Celia, Matt Keeslar as David was a bit of a disappointing, as he often seemed very fake. Although, in retrospect, I guess that could have just been his character's apprehensiveness about what he was going to do.

Also in retrospect, I'm wondering if Celia and David actually planned everything they did from the moment they moved in. Was hitting Harold's mailbox part of their plan to get close to him? If it was, then that could have messed things up because it could have caused bad blood between them and Harold. Anyway. Another thing I wasn't too keen on was that one effects shot of Harold pouring the acid on Grandpa's head. While on the one hand it was awesome to see this effect in full view without cutting away, it was disappointing that the CGI was so obvious (do I complain too much about "obvious CGI" on here? Maybe I should make it a new label so you guys know to stay away from those particular posts). Then again, this melting-people effect is one of my favorite/most hated way to see someone die in a movie because seeing melting flesh kind of makes me want to vomit. Strangely, that is a big compliment for horror films, so there you go.

Family is another one of the few highlights I've discovered in the jumbled mess of episodes in the Masters of Horror series. Though the horror part is fairly minimal, I think fans will still enjoy the wicked sense of humor and appreciate the effort put forth by the main actors who make this episode a must-see.

Review: Masters of Horror: Family (2006). There are any Review: Masters of Horror: Family (2006) in here.

While promoting the recent release of Real Steel on home video, Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel) spoke with Entertainment Weekly about her role in The Hobbit films. Specifically she provided a few more details on what role her character of Tauriel has in the film since it is not based on one in the books. While she did not say exactly what her character does, she is reporting back to New Zealand for the last half of five months of filming which a recent casting call strong indicates will be to film the Battle of Five Armies. The Hobbit portions are below, the full interview can be found here.

Speaking of small and little, I’d be remiss not to bring up The Hobbit. You’re playing a new character named Tauriel, who’s a Mirkwood elf, and that would lead me to believe that she is a warrior of some kind. Did you have to learn archery and swordplay?
Yes, she is a warrior. She’s actually the head of the Elven guard. She’s the big shot in the army. So she knows how to wield any weapon, but the primary weapons that she uses are a bow and arrow and two daggers. And she’s lethal and deadly. You definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in a dark alley next to Tauriel.

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Lilly Evangeline Provides More Tauriel Details. There are any Lilly Evangeline Provides More Tauriel Details in here.

Recently the UK Toy Fair 2012 was held and with it comes news of the upcoming Lego sets based on the Lord of the Rings films. As the picture shows, the entire Fellowship will be represented but the cost of getting them all will not come cheap as will need to buy 7 sets with a price range of $11.99 to $99.99. The Lego sets are environment sets that attempt to re-create moments from the film, which has been the norm for Lego movie properties(exclusing Star Wars). Below is a description of each of those 7 sets thanks to From Bricks to Bothans. The sets are expected to arrive in the UK around August, probably about the same for the States. Read more »

Lego Lord of the Rings at UK Toy Fair 2012. There are any Lego Lord of the Rings at UK Toy Fair 2012 in here.

It seems that Andy Serkis is getting a little more attention lately thanks to his buzz surrounding his award worthy turn as Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." While critics loved his performance, it seems the often older crowd of the Academy still does not understand motion capture technology; most still believing it is taking away actor's jobs. This was evidenced by todays' Oscar nominations which snubbed the actor and only gave the film one nomination in the Visual Effects category. In an interview with Hero Complex (from a few days before), the actor talked about the Oscar buzz, winning a Critics' Choice Award, playing Caesar and returning to Middle Earth. Below is The Hobbit related portion, the full interview can be found here.

On returning to Gollum for “The Hobbit”: Gollum’s never really gone too far away from me because he’s indelibly kind of printed into my DNA now, I think. I’ll tell you what was weird is going back and playing a character that has been so sort of absorbed into public consciousness that you almost don’t feel like you own it anymore. And to sort of gather it back — I mean, I did feel, I think, probably in the first couple of days going back into it that I was sort of doing a weird impersonation of him rather than being him because there have been so many spoofs and people’s impersonations and so on, and some people’s impersonations are really great. And I’m kind of thinking, “Oh gosh, that’s how to do it, yeah.” And you know, then you get back into it. … Meaningfully getting back into it was really exciting.

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In the general definition of the term, I'm a gamer. I enjoy wasting a few hours here and there in front of my PS3, but my problem is that I'm a very picky gamer. I only like third person shooters, and nothing fantasy like dragons or magic or stuff like that. To give you an idea, the only games I still own right now are The Godfather 1 and 2, Red Dead Redemption, The Tomb Raider Trilogy, Resident Evil 4 and 5, and Uncharted 1, 2, and 3. See? The same games over and over. But I'm cool with that because I love all these games and they are exactly what I want out of my gaming experience. 

Michele is in Resident Evil Heaven. There are any Michele is in Resident Evil Heaven in here.

If you live in the Wellington, New Zealand area, then good news for you as Peter Jackson's The Hobbit is on hte hunt for extras. Based on the height descriptions it seems they are looking for their Five Armies extras as the requirements would cover Dwarves, Goblins, humans, and Elves. Details can be found here. (via AICN)

Casting Call for The Hobbit. There are any Casting Call for The Hobbit in here.

Emil Johansson has recently started the website LOTR Project that attempts to put together all the relationships in Middle-Earth that goes beyond The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and includes everything Tolkien wrote. The result is an impressive family tree table that isn't even completed as he continues to work on it. He tells The One Ring, "The first family tree I made was probably six years ago and consisted of two huge papers, 1 by 1 meters. I quickly realized this was something I wanted to share, but my knowledge of the web was too poor to allow it. I was not until November last year that I decided to give it a try. Even though much of the research already had been done, programming the site and adding the characters into the database have taken a lot of time. Too much for me to want to think about it." It is a must view site for any die hard Tolkien fan. Click here to check it out.

The Middle-Earth Family Tree. There are any The Middle-Earth Family Tree in here.

In an interview with Collider, Elijah Wood comments on his month long return to New Zealand to film his scenes for The Hobbit. He spoke about the sense of family since many of the crew members worked on the Lord of the Rings, working in 3D, and how he enjoyed the trailer. No specific filming details were revealed but he clearly enjoyed returning to Hobbiton. The full interview can be found here.

You guys all commemorated your experience on The Lord of the Rings by getting tattoos. Did you do anything to commemorate your experience on The Hobbit, or was it just too short?
WOOD: It was too short. My involvement is so small. It was a gift to go back and return. I was in Hobbiton again, for the first time in 11 years. I turned 19 in Hobbiton. I’m 30 now. That put a lot of things into perspective. It was beautiful. It was just beautiful to go back. I only worked a small amount when I was there. I was there for a month, and the majority of my time was just going to set every day and meeting a lot of the new cast members, catching up with old friends, and being in Wellington again. It feels like home, and those people feel like extended family to me. It was such a treat to go back. It was awesome!

Elijah Wood on Filming The Hobbit. There are any Elijah Wood on Filming The Hobbit in here.

In a MTV interview, Peter Jackson comments on making The Hobbit movies and his attempt to make sure that the Hobbit films have a continuous look and feel to create essentially a five film series. He also said that the final block of filming will start in early February and conclude by July. (via TOR)

Jackson on Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Consistency. There are any Jackson on Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Consistency in here.

Bad Teacher (2011)
I'm seriously digging on Cameron Diaz after watching Bad Teacher. With this and The Sweetest Thing, it's not a stretch to call Diaz pretty much a comedic genius. This role was perfect for her and she plays it without fear and just goes balls out. The movie was so much more funny and raunchy than I expected, because really all I was expecting was a stupid comedy about a bad teacher who probably turns good at the end, you know? Not at all what I got! There's f-bombs and sex jokes and pot smoking and it was all hilarious - no joke. I've also had to admit in recent years that Justin Timberlake is actually NOT a horrible actor - I at least like him better in movies than that other thing he does. So I would definitely recommend Bad Teacher if you guys are looking for a good ol' dirty comedy - would also recommend that you keep the kids out of the room while you watch it!

Okay, um... WOW. This movie was rather... interesting? Weird? Disturbing? Stupid? I really haven't quite decided yet. David Hess (R.I.P.) is playing the same character that he did in Last House on the Left except he's changed his name to Alex and gotten himself a simple-minded friend to boss around. They go to some rich people's house for a party and hold them hostage and torment them for a while, but it was so frustrating and retarded because the victims never once acted liked they were scared or even the least bit concerned about anything that was happening to them! Sure, you learn the reason for all that at the end, but come on. The first two-thirds of the film is so unbelievable that watching this movie for the first time is akin to actually being tortured yourself. I know lots of people defend this movie and find hidden meaning in it or whatever, but this one is going to have to stew for a bit before I get there. Did love the Cillian Murphy look-alike, though.

That Thing You Do! (1996)
So I've got this movie pretty much memorized by now, but when I saw it was available for streaming on Netflix while I was perusing around the other day, I couldn't help but immediately start watching it again. It's so good, you guys! It's that feel-good movie that says that dreams really can come true and, short-lived or not, that's a good feeling to have. It's a love story, it's a comedy (Steve Zahn really shines here and Ethan Embry in the background is just genius), and it's a freaking musical with some songs that are so "snappy" that they just put you in the best mood you've been in all year. Am I praising this movie too much? Who cares! I completely love it. And yes, I totally purchased the soundtrack when it first came out, you better believe it.

This film takes a little bit of a different approach to the found footage genre, in that the story of two teen best friends that go missing weeks apart is told through the use of web cam footage, personal video footage, and fake news reports. This film is quite graphic not only in the last part of the film that shows what happened to the girls but also in its depiction of teen sex, partying, drinking, etc. It reminded me a bit of Kids, a movie that made me want to jump into the screen and beat the snot out of every one of those dipshits in the movie. Megan Is Missing is supposed to be a (yet another) cautionary tale for kids and parents alike about the dangers of the internet, but should the movie be lauded or condemned for going perhaps too far? Those pictures of Megan were pretty fucking messed up, I'll give them that. I might have more to say on this movie in the future, but for right now I'd say this one might be worth a look because it is rather interesting and different.

Now is as good a time as any to declare my love for Lara Croft. I have already played and beaten all of these games several times but when I saw that I could get Legend and Anniversary AND Underworld (which I traded in several months ago) in one game for 30 bucks, I figured I should get my raid on again. Gaming in general takes up so much time that even though I love it, I hardly ever do it, but Tomb Raider is my kind of game! Third person shooter, puzzles, climbing about on things, and using your brain (or in my case, cheating and reading walkthroughs)... it's all here in all three of these games. They don't have much replay value and they're not terribly exciting or enthralling, but the graphics are awesome, the locales are beautiful, the puzzles are elaborate, and Lara Croft is hot. What more do you want?

Weekly Movie Roundup: 1-15-12 to 1-21-12. There are any Weekly Movie Roundup: 1-15-12 to 1-21-12 in here.

Lego has released their next line of teaser posters for the upcoming Lord of the Rings line of Lego sets with Legolas. The previous images were Aragorn and Bilbo.

Lego Legolas Poster. There are any Lego Legolas Poster in here.

Director Rob Schmidt could hardly be called a "Master of Horror" at the time that he directed Right to Die because he only had one horror film under his belt. But seeing as how that one horror film was one of my favorites of all time, Wrong Turn, I was excited to see what he could do with this episode. Truthfully, I had been majorly disappointed by most of the Masters of Horror episodes so I stopped seeking them out after a while. However, since they're only an hour long I gave this one a shot the other day and I'm glad to say that this is one of the better ones.

After his wife Abby is left badly burned and in a coma after a car accident, Cliff Addison has to make the horrible decision of whether or not to "pull his plug" on her. The problem is that every time Abby flatlines, she visits Cliff in the most awful ways, hellbent on revenge for recent slights committed against her. Cliff then has to figure out a way to keep Abby alive, or risk becoming one of her victims himself.

The first thing that attracts me to this episode is that the plot is one of the most creative I've seen in a while. It is essential a ghost story (do you know what I'm going to say here?) and I loves me some ghosts, so I was impressed with the unique perspective they took on the typical ghost or haunting story. Abby basically has one foot in the grave with how nasty burned up she is, and whenever she "dies" in the hospital, she takes the opportunity to get back at her husband. The visits last only as long as it takes for the doctors to revive her. I really thought that was genius, especially when you consider Cliff's dilemma - it'll solve all his problems if she dies, but her spirit will mostly kill him if she dies, as well.

One place that the Masters of Horror have never disappointed me on is the gore factor and Right to Die has got some great gore moments. I have a pretty severe fear of being burned by fire so this episode did absolutely nothing to alleviate that. Abby has been burned basically over 100% of her body so she's bandaged head to toe but when she visits Cliff's mistress, Trish, and his sleazy lawyer (Corbin Bernsen rules) she is gored-out and bloody and oozy and I was very uncomfortable. But that scene where she's propped up on the table and the doctors are doing something like removing skin or whatever? YEESH. That was disgusting. Oh, and you know how when you pull a slice of pizza out of the pie and the cheese gets all gooey and sticks to the edges? Yeah, that's what it looked when the doctors use the defibrillator paddles on Abby while trying to resuscitate her.

The climactic scene comes when Cliff learns that the doctors only have a few hours to save Abby using skin grafts and they need a donor. Cliff finds a donor himself in the slutty Trish girl and proceeds to tie her down, dose her with laughing gas, and skin her alive - because, of course, the skin has to be fresh. The makeup effects here, and really throughout the whole episode, was very impressive and seamless. Everything is shown in all its bloody glory with nothing left to the imagination and it was fantastic. High five to those guys at KNB because they really know their shit.

By the end of the episode, I couldn't help but be on Abby's side. Sure she's kind of a vengeful bitch, but when the truth about what happened to her is revealed, you realize that Cliff has gotten off easy for all the things he has done. He had an affair, basically murdered his wife, and though he shows remorse for it all, his reasons for wanting to save her are completely selfish. At the end, when Abby has finally died (for good), Cliff walks through the front door where his wife's ghost is waiting for him and apparently takes his punishment. I was expecting a more bloody end for Cliff with a big climactic battle with Abby's ghost but this ending was so much more effective. You don't really have to see what happens to Cliff to know that he is pretty much fucked in the hands of the woman he betrayed and killed.

Schmidt definitely has some talent in the horror genre with this and Wrong Turn, so I would be more than happy to check out anything else he has to offer. Right to Die had a great story and was delightfully and disgustingly gory. Gives me hope for some of the other episodes I'm still catching up on.

Review: Masters of Horror: Right to Die (2007). There are any Review: Masters of Horror: Right to Die (2007) in here.

Recently motion capture pioneer Andy Serkis (Gollum) commented about the developments in motion capture that have reached a point where it truly captures a full acting performance where "Every reaction, every emotion, every acting choice and beat happens there and then." Sadly most critics and fellow actors continue to believe that motion capture is the equilvant of animation where the actor is more of a guide then true acting. Someone who knows there is more to it then some dots, suit and computers is Return of the King camera man Evan Pugh who wrote about his experience working with Serkis on the Butchers Hook blog.

People who dislike the increasing use of CG in films should remember that movie making is about creating magic, about making make-believe. At the end of The Lord of The Rings trilogy, before the hobbits are able to have their overextended self-congratulatory epilogue, Frodo bites the ring from Gollum's finger, Gollum then falls into Mount Doom. As he flails backwards into a sea of fire we watch his horror, not at his impending demise, but at his loss of the ring and then as he falls his glee that the ring is going with him. This dramatic scene was all made possible because Andy Serkis contorted himself over the back of a broken office chair in a draughty warehouse in a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. As a member of production explained at the time this was a 'Kiwi job'. Who cares that the practicalities of shooting that scene - both for facial expression and motion capture -weren't salubrious, when the technology allowed it to be transformed into the magic that made the final cut.

Cameraman Talks Motion Capture on Lord of the Rings. There are any Cameraman Talks Motion Capture on Lord of the Rings in here.

Oh, joy! Another 80s horror classic! Did I love this one as much as most of the others I've watched while to play catch-up? Hell yes, I did! Night of the Creeps has again made me think that I've just been wasting my time with all the other shit that I've been watching lately and that I need to get my hands on more classics like this.

Night of the creepy plot (that's terrible I know): Two college friends, Chris and J.C., inadvertently release slug-like aliens onto their campus when they unthaw an infected man who has been cryogenically frozen since the fifties. Now with the help of a sorority girl that Chris is crushing on and an aging, cynical detective, they have to stop the slugs from infecting their friends before the whole campus turns into murderous zombies.

The thing I loved the most about Night of the Creeps is that it is a B movie, and it loves the fact that it is a B movie. In fact, it is quite clear that this is a B movie that actually strives to be the best B movie it can freaking be. This is evident in the first scene (well, the scene after the weird little wrinkly aliens are running around) which takes place in 1959 when the alien slugs first come to Earth and attack a boy out on a date with his girl. This part is shot in black and white and looks like the most cliche 50s drive-in movies ever. There are sweaters, ponytails, and words like "dreamy" and "neato," plus the main guy in this story is named Johnny, just like every other hunky stud was named in the 50s, apparently.

Flash-forwarding to the present (well, 1986) and we meet the two dorks Chris and his unexplainably handicapped friend J.C. One minute into this scene with these two and I knew I was going to love the rest of the movie. From Chris's line, "Her! The vision, the angel, the goddess!" to J.C.'s seemingly unending tirade of one-liners, this movie isn't just 80s awesomeness, it is actually well-written and entertaining all the way through and the actors are surprisingly good. Some of the dialogue might be intentionally cheesy and ridiculous but the way that the actors delivered them made it all highly enjoyable.

There are several elements of the horror genre alive and at work here in Night of the Creeps. It's a little bit sci-fi, a little bit creature feature, a lot horror-comedy, and even a little slasher at times. The final battle with the slugs also reminded me a little bit of Carrie, as it takes place on the night of the school dance and all the college kids are dressed up in formal wear. The gore was a little disappointing but there definitely a few great moments - zombie cats and dogs are definitely included in that!

And here again we have another movie that decided to show its horror chops by naming several characters after famous horror film directors. Cronenberg, Romero, Cameron, Miner, Raimi, Landis, Dante and DePalma are all in there, plus a double whammy since J.C.'s full name is James Carpenter Hooper. Perhaps in a future homage-y movie and somebody wants to do the same thing, they can include director Fred Dekker's name in there as well. Although he only has a few titles under his belt as the big cheese of the movie, Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad are enough for me to believe that this guy deserves a bit of recognition.

The characters are awesome. The 'Thrill Me' detective, Chris and J.C. are all hilarious and even the blonde-coiffed dickhead Brad is not as bad as he could have been. Cindy was not your typical girl-in-peril, which I liked very much. She put on that flamethrower and gave it to the alien-infected zombies with all she was worth.

This was quite a strange little movie but I'm always up for a movie that seems to love itself and what it is and Night of the Creeps is that kind of movie. Fun and entertainment are not far off with this gem so run to see it if you haven't yet! Though most of you probably have... I'm always the late bloomer.

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In an article about how Hollywood ignores the real acting that occurs with motion-capture, Andy Serkis commented briefly on how motion capture was used on the set of The Hobbit when he reprised the role of Gollum for the film. As for the image, it was first posted by Collider. It shows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) with Sting. Based on the webbing on Bilbo and in the background, this is a scene involving a fight with the giant spiders of Mirkwood.

What’s changed as a result of Weta's new active-LED system used for "Apes" is that there are no longer any breaks in the capture sequences: "Every reaction, every emotion, every acting choice and beat happens there and then," Serkis emphasized.

Indeed, that's what happened when Serkis revisited Gollum after a 12-year absence for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (December 14). Shooting live on set provided a more dynamic sense of play in his scene with the young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). "The way we approached the scene was very much to treat it like a chamber-theater piece, where we could experiment and try different things out," Serkis explained. "Of course, the other significant change now is that we're using facial capture, so my facial muscles are driving the facial muscles of the digital puppet."

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The Countess (2009)
Hungarian Countess Erzebet Bathory is either one of the most prolific serial killers of all time - or not. Many tales have been told about Erzebet supposedly bathing in the blood of virgins to keep her youthful looks, but this 2009 psychological drama seems to be a more accurate portrayal of Erzebet's life and psyche. She falls in love with much younger man after her husband's death, but when her enemies conspire to keep them apart, she becomes depressed and consumed with a desire to look younger. Julie Delpy portrays Erzebet in this wonderful movie and directed it as well. Although not as interesting in the bloody sense (there are no literal "blood bath" scenes, just Bathory dabbing blood on her face with a cloth) I enjoyed this movie from a historical perspective. The sets and costuming are spectacular to look at and Delpy's performance and directorial efforts show quite a talent that I didn't know she had.

Gosh darn, was this movie one of the biggest disappointments ever or what?! I was bored out of my mind the whole time I was watching this, looking for other stuff to do and not believing that this movie could be so ineffective and dull. And stupid! I didn't know anything about the plot really before I saw it and when the creatures were revealed, I just had about had it. Little mean tooth fairy creatures? Really? Sorry, I'm just not into it. The house was beautiful and it was the perfect setting for a spooky film, but apparently this wasn't the right film. The acting from Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and the little girl (who was great in this one episode of Law and Order: SVU) was fine and they did the best they could. The movie lacks serious scares and with that it also lacks a scary or believable villain.

Dead and Buried (1981)
One of the only good movies I watched this week, along with The Countess. My full review can be found here, but I'll say that I really enjoyed this one and thought it was an awesome 80s classic that needs more recognition and love.

The Bleeding House (2011)
This is one of those ones I'm still not completely sold on. The plot is interesting enough - mysterious stranger asks to stay the night at a family's house, the family stupidly agrees, the family has major problems and the stranger exploits those problems and messes with the family (in really weird ways, I might add). It's a dark, disturbing little flick and Patrick Breen is great as the stranger Nick, but the overall result was a little less than I expected. The teenage girl with serious issues is a confusing character who keeps pretending to want to go along with the stranger and then thwarting him. She has several opportunities to fight back if she wants to, but she doesn't until the end, which is frustrating because she could have done more to help. Nick's method and reasoning for collecting blood from his victims is never explained so I'm confused about the symbolism behind his acts. It's a movie some will enjoy and some will hate. Me, it left me a little underwhelmed.
Mum and Dad (2008)
Ugh, I didn't even finish watching this one. Well, I watched for the first 45 minutes or so and then fast-forwarded to the predictable ending. I thought this movie had a great premise for something really disturbing and disgusting and maybe it was in some of those scenes I fast-forwarded through, but either this movie was slow and boring or I wasn't in the mood to watch it. I'm passing it up for now and don't plan to try to watch it again any time in the future. And no offense to English people, but the accents were just funny in this movie and kind of took me away from the darkness of the situation. Dad is a gross bastard when you look at his acts (masturbating into a human organ???) but most of the time he kinda looks like this cute little plump English guy with glasses and not as menacing as he should be.

Weekly Movie Roundup: 1-8-12 to 1-14-12. There are any Weekly Movie Roundup: 1-8-12 to 1-14-12 in here.

Shouldn't have let this little gem sit in my queue unwatched for so long! Dead and Buried (I'm nixing the use of the ampersand in the title because sometimes they show up all funny on Blogger) is not without its problems - and really, what movie isn't? - but heck, was it a fun, gross-out good time. It has a surprisingly different take on the "zombie" film, is very gruesome at times, and seems to be quite underrated, despite the fact that its plot is so much different than other horror films that were coming out at that time.

Dan Gillis is the sheriff in the small Eastern seaside town of Potters Bluff who becomes increasingly suspicious and curious about his neighbors when several visitors are brutally murdered. Things get even weirder when the dead people start showing up around town, apparently alive and well and living amongst the townspeople.

The movie's opening scene is delightfully misleading. There is a photographer on the beach, "Freddy", snapping away at all the beautiful scenery, when he spots a pretty lady through his lens. The two start chatting and flirting, and Freddy starts taking sexy pictures of "Lisa," all while this annoyingly romantic music plays in the background. I thought the whole scene was ridiculous bullshit and that if it went on any longer I was going to turn the darn thing off. But just as Lisa is propositioning Freddy for sex, the scene suddenly changes and about a dozen people turn up, beat the snot out of Freddy, tie him to a pole with a big fishing net, and freaking set him on fire.

I couldn't believe it! This movie was going to be awesome!

Dead and Buried actually has some great talent behind it. I haven't seen anything else that director Gary Sherman has done but he seems competent with this one. Dan O'Bannon, creator of Alien, also co-wrote the film and the special effects come courtesy of none other than Stan Winston. The effects especially are a big part of why I think this film is noteworthy, not to mention the interestingly original plot.

The zombie mythology in Dead and Buried is more akin to the Haitian voodoo mythology of zombie creation and how all the zombies are under the complete control of their creator. The quirky mortician Dobbs uses voodoo and dark magic to bring bodies back to life after he has restored them, because he believes so much in the beauty of his "art" and can't stand burying people after he has worked so hard to make them look like they did when they were alive. The funny thing in this movie, though, is that the zombies are not brainless flesh-eaters but rather just rebuilt and reanimated corpses who then go on living their happy and quiet little life in a small town.

This film can boast that it gave me probably the biggest freak-out of my horror life. After poor Freddy has been burned at the stake, Sheriff Dan and others are at the scene investigating. Dan (oddly) asks the mortician to determine the cause of death and when he goes in for a closer look at the body, we are treated to a nice effects shot of Freddy's gooey and burned-up-beyond-recognition face. The freak-out comes when the obviously dead guy suddenly screams in our faces! HO-LY SHIT. I almost fell out of my chair. Little hard to believe that anybody who looks like that could still be alive, but that's obviously where the shock comes from. Later on, poor Freddy is also the victim of another freak-out scene when Nurse Lisa pays him a visit in the hospital and stabs a needle into his eye.

All the other effects are quite well achieved with the exception of one. One of the victims of the Potters Bluff Zombies meets his demise by having tubes full of acid shoved up his nose. The prosthetic head is way too obvious and almost ruins what could have been yet another great gross out scene - although the flesh bubbling and bursting is still rather disgusting. The real stand out sequence is when Dobbs is reconstructing the head of a young hitchhiker (who was bludgeoned with a big rock) and they show, layer by layer and using dissolves, how she goes from looking like a bruised and bloody mess to looking just as she did the day before.

The acting by all the main leads and everybody who plays one of the townspeople is pretty good - nobody is as "80s annoying" (as I like to call it sometimes) as I thought. Melody Anderson as Janet, Dan's wife, became my favorite in her final scene, when she's talking to Dan after Dobbs has revealed his secret to him. Did I mention there's also a young Robert Englund in a small role here? The random townspeople are great at acting zombie-like, or carrying out the wishes of their master, especially in the scene pictured to the right when they go after a vacationing family cruising through town.

The aforementioned scene also showcases the film's likeness to a movie that came out the previous year, John Carpenter's The Fog. The family is driving through a thick fog; the residents are walking down the dark street surrounded by fog (and perfectly backlit as well); and in the scene right after this, Dan chases after the man he hit with his car through the foggy and misty alleys. I just couldn't help but think of Antonio Bay during this part. And since Potters Bluff is in Rhode Island and Antonio Bay in California, we now know that there is a creepy fictional seaside town on both coasts.

Now the ending is a small problem. The "twist" at the end seems like it was just tacked on there last minute  just for shocks, without the filmmakers really thinking about it. It doesn't make any kind of sense with the rest of the story and essentially just ends the movie without resolving anything.

On the whole though, Dead and Buried was quite the surprise. I liked the plot and at times darkly humorous script, and of course I loved pretty much all the killing sequences. Give this one a look if you haven't yet!

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