Hasa quotes

So this is pretty much a filler post, since real life has been getting in the way of my blogging life recently. I still have two Project Terrible to watch (though I will probably have time for one tonight - FINALLY) so I'm going to miss the July deadline. Sue me.

Anyway, this is something I've been wanting to put out there to all the bloggers for a while, simply for my own curiosity. On a recent post I did for the Liebster Blog Award, this was one of the questions I asked of the people receiving the award from me. It looks like Craig at Let's Get Out of Here! is going to be the only one answering that question, although I already had kind of an idea of how he came up with his blog name!

So here's my question for anybody that wants to answer: How did you come up with or where did you get the idea for the name of your blog? And, as a follow-up, are you still happy with that choice now?

I guess I'll answer the question, too. I started my blog not really thinking that anything would come out of it or that I would keep up with it, so I came up with the title pretty quickly and didn't really have any other options. I knew I was going to be writing about horror, and I also wanted any readers to know that I was a female - because I guess it still surprises some people that girls actually watch horror movies. So then the question was, what title will convey that this will be a site about horror movies, written by a girl? The Girl Who Loves Horror. Easy, breezy, beautiful.

Am I still happy with that hasty choice now? I used to wish that I had taken more time to come up with something more witty or clever, like a fun play on words or something, but I love the title now. It looks good up there on my blog banner, rolls off the tongue nice, and of course, conveys that I am a girl who loves horror movies and loves writing about them. I think I'm going to keep it.

So please leave a comment and share with me and the rest of the blogging community how you decided on the name for your blog and if you still like it now. Inquiring minds want to know!

How Did You Come Up With Your Blog Name?. There are any How Did You Come Up With Your Blog Name? in here.

What began as a mention from Peter Jackson at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, then moved into talks has now become official. Jackson has posted that The Hobbit will now become a trilogy with a third film. The name has not been announced for the film or the exact release date except that it will break from tradition with a summer 2014 release date instead of the expected December 2014 date.

The third film essentially splits The Hobbit: There and Back Again into two films by adding and expanding on stories from the Lord of the Rings' Appendix. It is expected additional films will be shot in summer 2013. The announcement comes early enough that it is probable that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (out 12/14/12) could be further edited to account for the new trilogy plan.

The expectation is the third film will get the title of "The Hobbit: There and Back Again". As for the second title, Fusible has found several web domains owned by Thge Hobbit production company that reveals two potential titles. One is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" which refers to burned, dead land around Smaug's mountain base. The other potential title, "Riddles in the Dark", is based on a chapter title from The Hobbit book that is about the riddle match between Gollum and Bilbo just before he finds the Ring. If the Riddles title is used, Journey would need a whole lot of new material to push back that meeting to the second film as it occurs early in the novel.

The Riddles title fits the other two Hobbit subtitles better but the Smaug title makes more sense based on natural big action sequence breaks in the novel for movie making purposes that matches what Jackson did for the Lord of the Rings. In that trilogy the action escalated from a battle with group of Uruk-hai (Fellowship) to Battle of Helm's Deep (Two Towers), to huge Siege of Minas Tirith (Return). While The Hobbit mostly made references to other battles, natural breaks include the Dwarves vs Elves (from the book) or White Council vs Necromancer (part of LOTR Appendices), the second could end with fight against Smaug (very brief in novel so assume more added to it) while the third film will definitely end with the Battle of Five Armies (the battle itself was skipped over in The Hobbit book, expanded a little in Appendices).

Below is PJ's note and the press release announcement of The Hobbit Trilogy. Read more »

The Hobbit Trilogy Officially Announced, Possible Titles. There are any The Hobbit Trilogy Officially Announced, Possible Titles in here.

Below is an amusing video that sings a summary of The Lords of the Rings trilogy using the score as inspiration.

The Lord of the Rings in 99 Seconds. There are any The Lord of the Rings in 99 Seconds in here.

In time for Empire Magazine's September issue, E! has posted images from the issue that depicts the younger look of Gollum with more detail to his face and body thanks to advancements in CGI and motion capture. Its a subtle change as Gollum was already a long lived creature but once he lost the ring he did start to age a bit faster (and nevermind the stress of being tortured by Sauron's minions).

First Look at Younger Gollum. There are any First Look at Younger Gollum in here.

Last week Peter Jackson floated the idea of turning The Hobbit into a trilogy by splitting The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Heat Vision blog is reporting that the idea has turned into a firm decision for Peter Jackson as he and Warner Bros have begun talks for two months of filming in the Summer of 2013. The new footage would be added to existing using material from The Lord of the Ring Appendices (something the films already do but assume Jackson wants to add even more).

WB is on board with the idea but there are financial hurdles to clear. The cast would have to be rehired, a group that is in a much stronger negotiating position than they were a year ago (can't exactly recast after all). Then there is making sure the rights are cleared for certain aspects of the story, made difficult by the Tolkien estate who loath the movies for not strictly following the books yet torn by the huge financial windfall the movies have brought them.

After that you have the cost of the cost that comes with making the film with additional cast, crew, location shoot, probably rebuilding of sets and so forth. While the cost might land slightly less than the cost of doing an entire new movie, it probably will not come cheap once the dust settles. It is safe to assume that if all works out, the third movie (with new subtitle?) would be released for December 2014.

Jackson, WB In Talks for The Hobbit Trilogy. There are any Jackson, WB In Talks for The Hobbit Trilogy in here.

As Peter Jackson promised during the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, the production video #8 has been released. The video provides a behind the scenes look at The Hobbit panel held that Saturday. The video teases some of the bits shown during the con (mostly the cast/crew greetings) while the rest focuses on the final days of production with look at the sets, Andy Serkis last day directing 2nd unit, final day of principle photography and a whole lot more. If interested, I have compiled video links to more then 100 panels that were held during the con here.

Video #1 | Video #2 | Video #3 | Video #4 | Video #5 | Video #6 | Video #7

The Hobbit Production Video #8 - Final Days of Filming. There are any The Hobbit Production Video #8 - Final Days of Filming in here.


More sci-fi gold for my next Project Terrible movie! I got fairly lucky during my first round of PT with the unlikely gem Death Machine, but this pick from Robert at Gaming Creatively - Hardware - was not entirely my favorite. And it is terrible in many ways, despite the fact that the movie actually has a pretty loyal fanbase - if anything on IMDb can be believed. Which it can't. So I don't know. Maybe some people like it, but not me.

Hardware takes place in the future (of course) where Earth has become really shitty looking. The temperatures are hot all the time, the water is polluted, and most of the population has radiation sickness or some crap. A drifter finds the remains of a robot head in the desert and takes it to a junk dealer, where it is picked up by Moses (Dylan McDermott) and his friend Shades (because he wears sunglasses all the time - how freaking clever). Mo takes the head back to his girlfriend Jill, who spends all her time locked in her apartment smoking dope and making sculptures out of metal trash. The robot head rebuilds its body with pieces of her sculptures and then it just kind of hangs around until they find a way to kill it. The end.


I don't think sci-fi movies are really my thing. I love the really good and popular ones like Alien, Event Horizon and Dark City, but I always seem to have a hard time getting into these types of movies. Maybe it's because they make me feel a little stupid sometimes with all the technology- and space-talk that is so hard to understand, even if most of it is made up. So Hardware does get a few points from me there for not making me feel stupid and keeping all the futuristic stuff easy to follow. Actually, there doesn't seem to be all that many advancements in technology in this time period. All they have are vid-phones and door locks controlled by computers, supposedly. Oh, and some people, like our hero Moses, have robotic limbs. 

My main gripe with Hardware is that it perhaps could have been better if it wasn't on such a small scale. Once the movie gets to Jill's shithole apartment, it never leaves there. I was thinking that a movie about a killer cyborg robot thing would be at least a little on the epic side with some grand ole fight scenes and whatnot, but not so much here. I wanted to see the thing rampaging around on the streets killing people; instead, he just stays in this chick's apartment and doesn't really do much of anything.


And this is where the movie gets unbelievable and hard to follow. After the robot first comes to life and tries to attack Jill in her bed and she gets away, the robot... just kind of disappears. Um, where did it go and how could a big hunking piece of metal move around all stealthily in such a small space? After the first guy is killed, the robot disappears again, popping up later, unseen and unheard. 

For as boring and slow as most of the movie is, it does manage to throw in some good kill scenes. Okay, there are actually only two good kill scenes but I guess beggars can't be choosers. When Jill's pervy neighbor comes over to "check up on her, the robot is hiding outside her window. He goes to open the blinds (so he can spy on her while she's nekkid some more), the robot grabs him, jabs two metal fingers into his eyes, and drives a drill through his torso. Some good blood spurtage. Later, another dude gets deliciously cut in half by the automatic door in a really nice effects sequence. 


Also disappointing about Hardware is the ending. Both the hero and the robot get anticlimactic and unceremonious death scenes; the former when he is injected with the robots cytotoxin, as it's called, and just sort of sits down and dies. After being blown up and shot numerous times fails to end the robot, Jill finally figures out its weakness and leads it into the shower where it is killed... with water. WATER. You'd think a military-grade weapon like this would have some sort of safeguard against this kind of thing but I guess not. 

For a movie with such a small budget, though, I'm very impressed with the overall look of Hardware. It truly feels like a futuristic wasteland where everything is hard and cold and metal, and nothing is soft or comfortable. The costuming leaves a little to be desired, but the sets are very detailed and believable. The dystopia of this landscape is evident in the fact that everything is rundown and old, with people scraping by with what little technology they have. The overuse of red lighting was a bit annoying, however. It was like, how can we make this look even more bleak and depressing? Red lights! Put red lights everywhere!

Hardware tries, but it didn't really try hard enough for me. Much of the film was very confusing and disjointed and the robot itself was quite disappointing in its abilities and its onscreen actions. There are much, much better sci-fi movies out there than this - but obviously you shouldn't take my word on that since I don't watch a lot of them in the first place. 

Project Terrible: Hardware (1990). There are any Project Terrible: Hardware (1990) in here.

The next chapter of Lego's video series promoting the upcoming release of Lego The Lord of the Rings Video Game is now out. The first two parts covered The Fellowship of the Ring, part 3 was the end of The Two Towers with "The Siege of Helm's Deep" and this final chapter just blows through The Return of the King. Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Lego Lord of the Rings Video Final Chapter. There are any Lego Lord of the Rings Video Final Chapter in here.

In an interview with the AV Club that kind of acts as a mini career retrospective, Hugo Weaving (Elrond) answered various questions about the movies he was in including The Hobbit. He spoke about how filming on The Hobbit didn't really feel that different from his Lord of Rings experience since it often involved much of the same cast and crew. The Hobbit segment is below, click here to read the entire interview.
AVC: How different was making the Hobbit movies from doing the Lord Of The Rings trilogy?
HW: Well, tonally, I think the film is slightly different, but the experience didn’t seem radically different, to be honest. If anything, it was slightly more green-screen and slightly less set. But a lot of the same people, both in the crew and some of the cast. Going back and standing with Ian McKellen on the set again 10 years later, we felt very much at home, in a way, and very much like no time had passed at all. A lot of the other cast were different from The Lord Of The Rings, but it felt like a very similar experience. Actually, I was back there just the other day doing some post-production and went onto set, and I was just thinking, “Well, it’s been a year since I’ve been here—10 years, really, since we started—but it feels like the same family group has been making films there for that long.”

AVC: In the trailer, Bag End looks exactly as it does when we see Bilbo living there in the trilogy. Is it the same set?
HW: You know, I’m not sure. I would hesitate to say it was. I would think it wasn’t. But there may be some elements. I would have thought not, but possibly, yeah.

Hugo Weaving Comments on The Hobbit Filming Experience. There are any Hugo Weaving Comments on The Hobbit Filming Experience in here.

This is your last chance to turn away because this post is going to be - as the title suggests - really long and self-indulgent because I have to answer all these questions about myself for this here award. I can't help it, I love these blog awards and answering random questions. It's fun times for me.


I really don't deserve any kind of award or recognition because of my total lack of commitment lately but I'm thinking that the Liebster Award is for those blogs that you love because you love the person behind them and support them in their blogging endeavors. So I have to give a mega-thanks to the people who passed this on to me - The Screaming Goregasm at Jenny's House of Horrors, Alex Jowski of Alex Jowski Movie Reviews, and Kaijinu over at Sticky Red: A Bodycount Compendium. Mushy stuff to follow: Your sites are all great and you all bring something really interesting and fun to read to this large blogging community that makes you stand out and makes others keep coming back for more. I appreciate all you do!

Rules for the Mutated Liebster Award:
1) Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2) Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
3) Create 11 questions for the people you have tagged to answer.
4) Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
5) Go to their page and tell them.
6) No tag backs.


11 Facts About Michele, The Girl Who Loves Horror 

1. I have a secret desire to be an interior decorator. 
2. I recently started riding a bicycle for exercise and now have these visions of becoming one of those hardcore cyclists that ride for like, 11 hours a day or something.
3. It seems to be physically impossible for me to sleep past 7:30 am on my days off. 
4. I'm a girl and I have never had a massage, facial, pedicure or manicure. And I really don't want to do any of those things.
5. I have a small collection of $1 bills that have been signed by the bands Gravity Kills and Ludo, and one signed by comedian Bill Engvall.
6. Fall (or "autumn" if you want to get sophisticated) is my favorite season.
7. I love Ancient Roman history.
8. At an amusement park one time, this pregnant lady stopped the ride we were on because she was worried about her baby because I had supposedly pushed her earlier while we were in line. Draaaaaammmmmmmaaaaaaa.
9. I absolutely hate it when people paint the walls in their house yellow.
10. I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist.
11. I am really hungry right now.



Now since three different people passed this award on to me, I thought it would be fun to answer EVERYBODY'S questions that were set up for the people they tagged. Oh gosh, here we go...

11 Questions from Jenny's House of Horrors

1. Which horror situation would you least like to be stuck in?
Um, all of them?! Probably anything in the Animals Run Amok category that includes an animal that could eat me alive. Not the way I want to go. 

2. What grosses you out the most?
Vomit. I hate the smell, the taste, the sound of someone vomiting, I hate the feel of doing it myself where you have no control over it and you have to just let it happen... UGH... so disgusting.


3. What is your dream job?
Actually, I kind of already had my dream job. About six months out of college, I got a job at a local TV station directing the 2 hour morning newscasts Monday through Friday and I LOVED it and I was good at it. But then the economy tanked and I became a victim of "downsizing." Ever since I started doing the blogging thing, though, I'm thinking that this would be a dream job - getting paid to watch movies and give my opinion of them. I'm pretty sure all bloggers are thinking this way, though! Admit it!

4. What do you think was the best decade for horror?
I think most fans would probably say the 1970s because of the change it brought about to the genre, but  I'm going to say the 2000s. This decade showed the genre really reinventing itself again and becoming yes a bit more graphic and in-your-face but also a lot more artistic and respected amongst fans.

5. Describe your personality in three words.
Sarcastic, fun-loving, unmotivated. 

6. Do you have an idea that you would like to see made into a horror movie?
You know, for the longest time I did have a great idea that I thought would make such a fun horror movie and I'd never seen that idea in a movie before. And then I watched this random movie one night that was almost exactly my idea. Needless to say, I was pissed.

7. What is your favorite non-horror movie?
Oh gosh, seriously? You're asking a movie buff to name their favorite movie? Why not just ask a mother which child she loves the most? 

8. Who is your favorite author?
No surprise here - Stephen King.

9. What was your biggest fear when you were a kid?
The dark. 

10. What's your biggest fear now?
The dark.

11. Describe your dream home.
Okay, I've known the answer to this for years - My dream home is a huge old Victorian style with a wraparound front porch and some kind of turret on one or both sides. I will have a library with bookshelves that go floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall on three sides and in the middle of the room will be the comfiest chair in the world. My dream home will also have a movie theater, of course. And to highlight my quirky and fun-loving side, I would love to have secret passageways in my dream home even if I have to gut the place and build them myself. Wouldn't that be awesome?!


11 Questions from Alex Jowski

1. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Honestly, what I enjoy the most about blogging is having a place to voice all my thoughts and analyses about movies because I don't really have anybody in my real life that I can talk seriously about movies with. To everyone else, movies are just entertainment to be forgotten about after you've watched them, but I really get into them and I love that there's a place where I can talk about and discuss them with other fans. 

2. What movie do you end up recommending to people more than any other movie?
Revolutionary Road. It's really uncalled for how much I love that movie.

3. What celebrity or artist have you met who has inspired you the most in your life?
There was a girl in my sorority in college who was an art major and I just loved her personal style, her dedication to her art, and the unique voice she had in her art that was all hers. She inspired me to find my niche in the world and go at it full force with no fear about what others thought.

4. What is your favorite "bad" movie?
Pieces. Such a huge turd in terms of good movie-making but also ridiculously awesome at the same time.

5. What is a movie that offends you - a movie you hate for moral reasons.
I cannot in good conscience say anything nice about the movie Deadgirl. The situation is horrible, the characters are horrible, and I felt so wrong after watching that movie. I hate it.


6. What are two of your favorite books that have NEVER been adapted into a movie?
I've said this before I think, but I would freaking love to see all four of the MEG books made into movies. They are these insanely entertaining stories about a gargantuan prehistoric shark coming back into our world and the scientists that fight it. The scale of the story just gets bigger with each book and I think all of them would make fantastic summer blockbusters.

7. Whose opinion do you trust more in deciding if a movie is good or not? Critics in magazines/newspapers, fellow bloggers, or the general public (like imdb scores, etc.)?
I trust my fellow bloggers the most to let me know if a movie is at least worth a look. Now, whether or not I like it based on what they say is always different than what I think, and vice versa, so I'm still a little iffy, even though I respect their opinions a lot more than professional critics. You just never know what movie is going to affect you and you can never judge what you think another person will like even if you think you know their tastes inside and out.

8. Which game from your childhood do you wish you could play again? (Could be a video game or a playground game like Tag.)
Four Square was my game! We played it on the playground and with our neighbors at home and I miss it so much! Great memories.

9. Do you have a nickname? How did you get that name?
Honestly, I don't have a nickname other than people playing with my first name - "Michele-y," "Meeshell," that kind of thing. I put a stop to people calling me "Shelly" right quick, though. I've always hated that nickname. 

10. What was the first thing you posted on your blog and why? (Initial "Welcome to My Blog" posts don't count.)
The first thing I posted was about Stephen King, specifically about one of my favorite books of his, The Long Walk. Not original at all, I know, but I felt like I had to start with something I knew pretty well so that I would sound confident and like I knew what the hell I was talking about.

11. What is your favorite beverage?
I love a good, hot cup of Colombian coffee with hazelnut creamer. 


11 Questions from Kaijinu

1. Have you ever daydreamed about something and what's the most memorable one you ever had?
Honey, I daydream every day. The daydreams of late usually involve me finally getting a place of my own and having somewhere to display all my shit. *Sigh* It'll happen soon, I know it.

2. Who's the one comic book hero you NEVER want to see made into a movie out of respect and fear of flopping?
Sorry, dude, but I'm the wrong person to ask about this! I have no idea!

3. Will you try to dance Jamie Lee Curtis' disco scene in Prom Night (1980) with a partner?
Haha, this is funny because that is actually the only thing I remember from that whole movie. So, yes, I would love to try to see if I can get jiggy like Jamie Lee did.

4. Name one of the least likely movie franchise entry that suddenly became your number one fave?
I have a hard time getting into any of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies (aside from the first one) because they are so ridiculous a lot of the time, but I completely love Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Definitely my favorite of the whole franchise, even more than the first film.

5. What's the weirdest experience you had involving a movie? (theaters, DVD releases, etc.)
Weirdest experience was going to the movies with my sister's ex-boyfriend (scandal!) to see Star Trek: Nemesis (his choice, not mine). We're sitting there watching the trailers which are weird themselves because they're all for like, kid's movies, and then when the movie itself was supposed to be starting, the theater started playing The Wild Thornberry's Movie instead of Star Trek! So then we had to wait for them to get the right movie and everything and it was just a mess, but kind of fun at the same time.

6. Did you ever have a crush on a fantasy character in your teen years? If yes, who?
I'm not sure what you mean, really, but I've only had crushes on normal guys so I guess the answer is no!

7. If a movie character out of one of your fave flicks suddenly appeared on your doorstep, who would it be and what'll you do?
It would be Miss Scarlet O'Hara from Gone with the Wind and she and I would get gussied up in the biggest hoop dresses we could find and get twirled around the dance floor at a grand ball by all the beaux in the county. Because sometimes, I want to feel just a little bit girly.

8. WATCH OUT! EXTRA TERRESTRIALS! And you have a tool shed behind you! What'll you do?
I'll invite them to play with the croquet set that I keep in the shed.


9. With all the news on rocket launches, disease outbreaks and people killing each other, how close do you think we are before things go 28 Weeks Later?
I'm very surprised that it hasn't happened yet, to be honest. 

10. If you had the power to change yer appearance, who's face yer gonna try first?
Angelina Jolie. Not just because of the lips, either, but because her face has such awesome angles that photograph so beautifully - completely different from my face which is just plain and flat and boring.

11. Worst tasting delicacy you ever encountered?
I am not a fan of oysters. Yuck.


I'm thinking it's going to be impossible to keep track of who has already received this award and who hasn't, so if I tag you and you've already done this or you just don't want to do it at all, that's totally cool. BUT, if you do want to do it, here are my 11 questions for you (and how did the number 11 get to be the magic number for this award anyway?):

1. How did you come up with the name for your blog and are you still happy with it now?
2. You decide on where you're going to go for a 3 week vacation by throwing a dart on a map. Where do you hope the dart doesn't land?
3. Can you trill, or "roll your r's"?
4. What is your favorite breakfast food?
5. What celebrity of the same sex do you think is totally hot?
6. Have you ever had a horror-movie related dream? If so (and if you can remember), describe!
7. I'm getting my new Poltergeist movie poster framed and I have limited wall space. Which poster should I take down to make room for the new one: Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Resident Evil, The Evil Dead, or Saw?
8. What was Robert DeNiro's best movie role?
9. Do you think children should be allowed to watch horror movies and why?
10. What is the most visually stunning film you have ever seen?
11. What was the last thing you ate?


And my Liebster blogs are!:

Cinema Du Meep
CineMarvellous! Movie Reviews by Nebular
Gaming Creatively
Horror Movie A Day
Let's Get Out of Here!
Mandy's Morgue of Horror
Porkhead's Horror Review Hole
Ramblings of a Honk Mahfah
The Film Connoisseur
The Horror Digest
The Zed Word - Zombie Blog


Okay, somebody SHUT ME UP.

The Liebster Award!... Or, An Insanely Long and Self-Indulgent Post. There are any The Liebster Award!... Or, An Insanely Long and Self-Indulgent Post in here.

While Lego's official Helm's Deep set is so-so, this diorama created by Daniel Z isn't. The detail and how well it is scaled to the mini-fig provides an Legoized look at the Battle of Helm's Deep. Almost makes you wish Lego would do their own Lord of the Rings masterpiece type line like they did for Star Wars. The full gallery of this diorama can be found here.

Lego Helm's Deep Diorama. There are any Lego Helm's Deep Diorama in here.

The next chapter of Lego's video series promoting the upcoming release of Lego The Lord of the Rings Video Game is now out. The first two parts covered The Fellowship of the Ring while this skips right to the end of The Two Towers with "The Siege of Helm's Deep". While that battle was deadly serious, the Lego depiction is not. Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Lego Lord of the Rings Video Chapter 3. There are any Lego Lord of the Rings Video Chapter 3 in here.


And we're back with more Project Terrible fun! This selection is courtesy of my good blog buddy Maynard of Maynard Morrissey's Horror Movie Diary and he has a pretty good rep of giving me some really awful movies in Project Terribles past. He keeps saying that I should love Anatomy of a Psycho because I love both Psycho and Anatomy of a Murder (oh, how clever they were, mixing the titles together like that). And though the title is great if not incredibly misleading, Anatomy of a Psycho was not that bad. I kinda dug it in the way that I dig a lot of these random 50s and 60s black-and-white thrillers.

Chet Marco's brother Duke has just been executed in the gas chamber for murder. While their sister Patty has come to terms with what he's done, Chet continues to have a hard time with it and gets his friends to help him beat up the prosecutor's son. But things get more complicated for everybody when they find out that Patty's boyfriend (and soon, fiance) is the son of the man whose eyewitness testimony helped put Duke away.

Though I say I kind of liked the movie, it's really only because of the story which is a good one, and perhaps would have made a better movie in different hands. Though the description on Netflix promises a revenge tale, and the title of the movie itself promises a tale of a man's descent into madness, none of this happens. Chet does seem to be going a little crazy but not overtly so - the actor, Ronnie Burns, just gives the audience a little of the wild eye to make us think he's crazy. Plus he gets that cool scar on his cheek, and crazy people always have scars, right?

The action scenes are fairly cheesy what with all the obvious fake punches and choreographed stunts. The part where Chet and his gang go after the son of the prosecutor was interesting because of the creepy sack masks that the boys were wearing. Chet also later burns a house down, so that makes for a cool shot, although the whole scene before that is very confusing and seems quite out of place.

Though I do have an affinity for movies from this time period, one thing that always bothers me is the lack of ingenuity with the camera and sets. In Anatomy of a Psycho, the sets are minimal, almost bare, and the actors just sort of stand around in them. The camera work is boringly static and there is nothing imaginative or innovative about the overall look of the film. Lighting is mediocre and the whole first couple of minutes are way too dark to even see what is going on.

The acting is also pretty cheesy, though some of the minor players do a better job than some of the major characters. The guy playing Chet was actually my least favorite, as he was often over the top and laughable. Everybody else was much more natural despite having to deliver some pretty bad dialogue in almost every scene.

So I'm sorry, Maynard, but Anatomy of a Psycho wasn't too terrible! It is actually pretty standard fair for movies of its time and genre so it worked for me on some level. The story isn't boring, so it at least kept me interested until the end - which comes quickly, as the movie is only about 75 minutes long.

You can get the DVD through Netflix as a double feature ("Killer Creature Double Feature" according to the menu) with another movie called Hatchet for the Honeymoon, but I didn't get a chance to watch that one before I sent it back. The DVD is also entertaining because of a random trailer for a Roger Corman movie called Creature from the Haunted Sea. I'm seeing a future Project Terrible movie for some unlucky blogger (or lucky, I guess, if you like Corman).

Project Terrible: Anatomy of a Psycho (1961). There are any Project Terrible: Anatomy of a Psycho (1961) in here.

More cast and crew interviews have been posted online from the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con (1st wave here). In an interesting (but hard to hear) video interview with Richard Armitage as he discussed his role and the Tolkien novels with The One Ring. In addition the SDCC cast and crew spoke with Collider about the movie. Hit the links or watch video and read highlights below.

Highlights
- Peter Jackson: Very early in discussions with studio about shooting more material from the LOTR Appencies to either add to There and Back Again, for extended editions are break into third movie.
- Peter Jackson: Movie tone is in between the darker Lord of the Rings trilogy and the children's amusing tone of The Hobbit.
- Martin Freeman: Became aware of the Hobbit size scale once started filming at Lake Town which is populated by normal sized humans. Read more »

SDCC 2012: More Cast, Crew Interviews. There are any SDCC 2012: More Cast, Crew Interviews in here.

Below is the full The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey panel that was held Saturday at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. The video does not include the 12 minutes of movie footage (summary here) that was shown due to copyright but it does show the Q&A that followed.

SDCC 2012: The Hobbit Panel Video. There are any SDCC 2012: The Hobbit Panel Video in here.

In a new interview with Deadline as part of his trip to the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con to promote The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Director Peter Jackson looked back at the events that lead to him directing the films including the technological choices he made. The interview turned out to be pretty long because Jackson provided some pretty detail answers to the questions. Below is a summary but worth reading the entire interview here.

Summary:
- After Guillermo del Toro left due to other projects and lack of a green light after 18 months of development, Jackson felt "...as producer that I had to do the smart thing here and step up."
- His initial feel at directing was he would be competing against himself, that "I’ve got to shoot this scene better than the one I did 10 or 12 years ago" but turned out that never happened.
- Tonally the Hobbit is lighter due to initially being a children's book but by incorporating The Appendices (from LOTR novels), it was moderated so it does more closely match the trilogy then the books do.
- "It's still a question mark" on whether Lord of the Rings trilogy will be converted to 3D. It has been discussed but the commercial failure of Star Wars: Episode I 3D release put a damper on things.
- By December, there should be many theaters that can show the film in Jackson's preferred 48fps 3D format.
- He said "I think frame rate is a really important issue for the future of the industry" but to take it seriousily have to see 48fps as a full feature film, not just a clip.
- "Why, as an industry where we have dwindling audiences especially among the kids, should we be content to sit back and say that we got it right in 1927? [when 24fps became the standard]. ...It’s an experiment, but I personally think it looks fantastic."

SDCC 2012: Jackson On Return to Middle-Earth. There are any SDCC 2012: Jackson On Return to Middle-Earth in here.

Saturday was a big day for the San Diego Comic-Con as lots of movie panels were held including the panel for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey where 12 and half minutes of The Hobbit footage were shown. The footage has not been posted online but Peter Jackson indicated that at least some of it would be used in an upcoming production video. The info below is culled from Heat Vision, Collider and The One Ring.

Footage Description
- Shot of the Shire as voice over of Gandalf saying "Far to the east lies..."
- Gandalf, Bilbo and dwarves at Bag End discussing goal of recovering their treasure from the dragon Smaug with Thorin saying "Rumors have begun to spread,” he says, “The dragon Smaug has not been seen in many years… Perhaps the vast wealth of our people lies unprotected … perhaps it is time to take back Erebor!"
- Discussion of a plan with need of a burglar to steal a map from Smaug that will help with taking Erebor. Something Bilbo agrees with not realizing that is his purpose in the adventure. Read more »

SDCC 2012: The Hobbit Panel with Movie Footage. There are any SDCC 2012: The Hobbit Panel with Movie Footage in here.

While at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, Peter Jackson revealed to HitFlix that he is in discussions with the studio about shooting additional footage for The Hobbit: There and Back Again. The shoot, that the studio would have to pay for, could potentially split the film into two, creating a Hobbit trilogy or it could be used as additional footage for the extended editions of the two Hobbit films. Quote and video below.
Well, we've been certainly talking to the studio about some of the material we can't film. And we've been asking them if we can do a bit more filming next year. Which I don't know what would come of that, whether that would be extended additions or not. But those discussions are on going… I'd like to shoot a bunch more material that we can't shoot. There's so much good stuff in the appendices that we haven't been able to squeeze into these movies. That's a discussion that we're having, yeah.
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SDCC 2012: A Third Hobbit Film?. There are any SDCC 2012: A Third Hobbit Film? in here.

Saturday was the panel for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Before it was held, Peter Jackson and company held a series of interviews with media outlets. The longest was the Andy Serkis one (see here) with a full panel cast doing an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The rest were around a few minutes in length as each person talked about various aspects of the film.

Peter Jackson and Phillippa Boyen commented on their approach to writing The Hobbit film and adapting the book (with appendices). Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield) spoke a six foot person being cast as a dwarf and that making people who have gravitas and size helped when the actors are "shrunk" for scenes along with new techniques used to film since 3D meant force perspective (used for LOTR) was not possible for most scenes. Sir Ian McKellen spoke about how returning to a "younger" Gandalf makes no difference for a 7000 year old character, his surprise that he was asked to reprise the role, and enjoyment of working in New Zealand.
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SDCC 2012: Cast, Crew Video Interviews. There are any SDCC 2012: Cast, Crew Video Interviews in here.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter while at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, Andy Serkis discusses his role as Gollum and being 2nd unit director for The Hobbit films. He spoke looking forward to The Hobbit panel, his first scene as Gollum with Bilbo, how he was hired to be 2nd unit director, the amount of trust put in him by Jackson, motion capture and a whole lot more. The 10 minute video of the interview is below.
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SDCC 2012: Andy Serkis on Gollum, Directing. There are any SDCC 2012: Andy Serkis on Gollum, Directing in here.

Peter Jackson is on his way to the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Before he hopped on the plane, he added a surprising long post to his Facebook page (below) about his visit. He starts by letting us know that a new trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey can be expected sometime in September and that a new production diary is being prepped. The diary may include footage from the reel that he is showing at Saturday's The Hobbit Panel indicating the reel will not be released online afterwards. The main topic of the post was to address his decision to show The Hobbit reel at the 'Con, citing how bad press undermined his attempt to show off the movie, not the new filming technology.
Just about to jump on the plane to Comic Con

Looking forward to giving fans a glimpse of the Hobbit, answer questions and share a few stories about our return to Middle-earth.

For those of you who won't be attending Comic Con, we have several things in the pipeline to share with you over the next few weeks. Our new video will be ready very soon - in fact our video blog crew has already left for Comic Con, and we'll be capturing a behind the scenes look at our experiences there. We're talking about possibly including a few clips from our Hobbit reel in the blog.
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SDCC 2012: Peter Jackson's Post on Con. There are any SDCC 2012: Peter Jackson's Post on Con in here.

Today Elijah Wood spoke with I Am Rogue about his reprisal of Frodo for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He was there to promote his TV series Wilfred and I would not be surprised if he pops up for tomorrows The Hobbit Panel. In the video (below) he spoke working with Peter Jackson again and how it was a no pressure role is small, and hinted that he might actually appear in both movies when he indicated he bookends the series. The actor also stopped by the Weta booth with Andy Serkis and Richard Taylor (visual effects guru). Those pictures can be found at The One Ring.
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SDCC 2012: Elijah Woods Talks The Hobbit. There are any SDCC 2012: Elijah Woods Talks The Hobbit in here.


I am slightly uncomfortable about going into my review of Bereavement still a little unsure about how I really feel about it, but there was something going on with this movie that I really enjoyed and thought warranted some attention here. It seems at first to be a tad redundant and formulaic (even though it is much more stylized than similar films), which made me think that I knew exactly where the story was going. However by the end, I was nowhere near where I thought I would be, and that surprise makes me want to give Bereavement at least some props.

In a small town in Pennsylvania, a young boy named Martin is kidnapped by a brutal and psychotic serial killer, Sutter, who is intrigued by Martin's strange demeanor and decides to keep him in order to teach him his killing ways. Five years later, teenager Allison is sent to live in the town with her uncle's family after her parents are killed in a car accident. Allison's curiosity about the abandoned meat plant where Martin and the killer live soon turns about to be a very grave mistake.


Okay, so the reason that I'm not sure that I completely like this film is simply the fact that I don't get the film. I don't get what it's saying or what the point of the whole thing was at all. Mostly, I don't get what was up with Sutter and just what he was trying to "teach" Martin. Basically he is your average psychotic killer spewing out quasi-religious ramblings to a large steer skull hanging on the wall, but why don't we get any kind reasoning behind all this? What the hell is he talking about? I'm at a loss, really.

Well, as it turns out, that just may not be my fault. Not only do the filmmakers make no attempt to give even a fleeting explanation for Sutter's behavior or psychosis, they also fail to mention in their limited advertising that this movie is actually a PREQUEL. It's a prequel to a movie called Malevolence, in which Martin is the main killer, and Bereavement exists as a sort of origin story for Martin. And get this: creator Stevan Mena told everyone when Malevolence came out that the movie was intended to be the middle part of a trilogy. So he makes the second movie first, doesn't make the first movie until six years after the second movie, and as of this date, still has not made the third movie. Does this make any sense? How can we as an audience be expected to follow a story like this? I'm confused.


Putting all that aside for now, I'm still thinking that Bereavement is a pretty good movie for what it is. The actors are all a bunch of unknowns (except for the one woman playing the aunt who I totally recognized from an episode of Law and Order: SVU because I am obsessed with that show) and they're not horrible. Alexandra Daddario is definitely watchable and a pretty natural actress, not to mention that she has the most amazing eyes I've ever seen. I would say that the little boy playing Martin is also really good, except for the fact that he doesn't have much to do other than stand around and look slightly menacing for 90 minutes. 

The gore scenes are not too shabby. There is lots of great use of practical effects and in-your-face blood, especially toward the end when you consider just which characters are becoming the victim of this violence. What you think will happen and who you think will survive is drastically different than what actually occurs - which I of course now know is because this movie is a PREQUEL - but it makes for some pretty shocking revelations the first time through. Anyway. Gore is good. There is one great yet horrific death scene where a girl is hooked through the knee with one of those giant meat hook things, then hoisted up and pulled into a room where she ends up hanging over a very large pillar of fire. I can't think of anything that would suck more than that right now.


So despite the fact that the whole movie is slightly pointless on its own and hard to understand, Bereavement is an okay little horror flick. I might give Malevolence a chance now just to see what kind of killer Martin turns out to be but hopefully this little trilogy will feel more complete when it's actually, you know, complete. 

Movie Review: Bereavement (2010). There are any Movie Review: Bereavement (2010) in here.

Thursday was the first full day of the San Diego Comic-Con 2012. The official panel isn't until Saturday but there is still Hobbit stuff going on. Toys have been teased, new characters posters set up and Weta has a booth to show off their wares. Links to all this below.

The Hobbit Character Posters
In a corner of the exhibit hall, 16 new posters from The Hobbit were discovered. The 3D posters show off all the major characters from An Unexpected Journey with Bilbo, all the Dwarves, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Gollum.

Weta Booth (and show floor) - AICN | Collider | 1st Showing | Coming Soon
Above are links related to the Weta booth on the show floor. The booth served the dual purpose of promoting the Hobbit movies while showing off their latest collection of Hobbit related statues. One of the cool features of is the three Cave trolls (from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) that seemed popular. At the links are ton of images of many of the booths on display including the Weta booth.
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SDCC 2012 Weta Booth, Character Posters, Toy Teases. There are any SDCC 2012 Weta Booth, Character Posters, Toy Teases in here.

The San Diego Comic-Con 2012 official began yesterday with Preview Night that gives a chance to tour the various booths and dealer tables being set up at SDCC to promote upcoming products and the like. One of the movies that will be on hand is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The Hobbit panel is scheduled for 2:30-5:00pm PST on Saturday July 14th. While it was assumed something would be shown from the movie, Peter Jackson has now confirmed to Hero Complex that he will screen a reel during the panel. Of note is the decision to run the film in 2D at 24 frames per second after the huge amount of negative press he received when a 3D at 48 fps clip was show at CinemaCon. His reasoning on this decision is hard to argue with. Hopefully the video will be put online shortly after the panel ends for those of us that could not go the convention.
HC: How would you frame the Hall H appearance as far as the stakes?
PJ: I think it’s more about protecting the downside, rather than helping the film in any significant way. There is a huge audience waiting to see “The Hobbit,” and any positive press from Comic-Con will truthfully have little impact on that. However, as we saw at CinemaCon earlier this year, with our 48 frames per second presentation, negative bloggers are the ones the mainstream press runs with and quotes from. I decided to screen the “Hobbit” reel at Comic-Con in 2-D and 24 frames per second, so the focus stays firmly with the content and not the technical stuff. If people want 3-D and 48fps, that choice will be there for them in December.

HC: If you had one sentence — a take-away message — for the Middle-earth fans who don’t get a seat in Hall H, what would it be?
PJ: We’ve all loved returning to Middle-earth and now look forward to fans stepping back into this world with us.

Peter Jackson Confirms Hobbit Reel for SDCC 2012. There are any Peter Jackson Confirms Hobbit Reel for SDCC 2012 in here.

This year is turning out to be a big one for Lego, especially at the San Diego Comic-Con 2012 that started today. Lego will be providing sneak peeks at their upcoming lines of products. Things kick off with a look Lego The Lord of the Rings and Lego The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey play sets. As part of that they will show off their short videos that will soon air on Cartoon Network, have a scavenger hunt to build Bilbo Baggins, and a contest to build a scene from the Lord of the Rings trilogy for a trip to Legoland California. The company will also show off their upcoming Lego Lord of the Rings video game, Lego Superheroes line, and more. They will have multiple displays, one of which will include life size Lego versions of Gandalf and Bilbo (images with below press release). The Gandalf (Ian McKellen) model is over 6 feet tall, weighs 170 pounds, took 405 hours to complete and has 34,307 Lego bricks. The Bilbo (Martin Freeman) model is also over 6 feet tall, over 100 pounds, took 320 hours to build and has 21,112 bricks.
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Lego The Hobbit, LOTR and More at SDCC 2012. There are any Lego The Hobbit, LOTR and More at SDCC 2012 in here.

Why is Michele happy? Because today, after coming home from a rather uneventful day at work, I was greeted with a tube of cardboard that put an instant smile on my face and made me all giddy. But of course, it wasn't just the cardboard tube that made me happy, it was what was inside of it. And inside of it was this:




AAAHHH!!!! MY VERY OWN POLTERGEIST POSTER!!!

You see, it had not been lost on me that I still did not own a poster for my very bestest horror movie yet, and while I was contemplating a little redecorating and reconfiguring of all the other posters I have not too long ago, I suddenly was like, "Son of a bitch! I need to get that dang Poltergeist poster and I need to get it now!" So here it is.

And now I just need to shell out some more bucks to get it framed and then this glorious piece of beauty will be in my possession FOREVER. I will never let it go.

This Is A Happy Michele. There are any This Is A Happy Michele in here.

Entertainment Weekly has posted "The Scroll" which is 10 different scenes from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in one long impressive almost painting that teases some of the highlights of the first film. The One Ring has posted a breakdown of the 10 images. If you have read the book, then familiar with it but otherwise consider it spoilers. The scenes in order are Gandalf showing up at Bag End, dinner with the dwarves, Goblin dinner time, climb up Misty Mountains, White Council at Rivendell, Gollum and Bilbo about to meet for the first time, escape from the wargs, Gandalf with Beorn the Skinchanger, Bilbo in Mirkwood forest, and last is escape from elves via barrels. Click image below to view full size or here for image with built in magnifier.

Warner Bros has also created a Wallpaper Generator app so can create your own computer wallpaper from The scroll. The app can be found here.

The Hobbit Scroll with 10 Scenes. There are any The Hobbit Scroll with 10 Scenes in here.

The Hollywood Reporter has posted an image (below) that teases the upcoming release of Lego sets based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Sets based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy has already been released but this is the first look the next wave of sets Lego is planning based on films. Chances are another look might be provided later in the week for the San Diego Comic-Con. Below, in order, are Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Bilbo and Balin.

First Look at Lego The Hobbit Mini-Figs. There are any First Look at Lego The Hobbit Mini-Figs in here.

Peter Jackson has posted a new poster on his Facebook page to promote The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in time for the San Diego Comic-Con. Jackson and others will be appearing at the Con to promote the movie next Saturday.

New Hobbit Poster for SDCC. There are any New Hobbit Poster for SDCC in here.


Quite honestly, I could not have picked a better movie myself to help me back into the world of blogging. The credit for achieving that feat belongs to Alec over at Mondo Bizarro who apparently thought I could do with a good dose of the 80s. So he made me watch The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, otherwise known as Who The Fuck Thought THIS Would Be A Good Idea?. But that title was too long and inappropriate for children. Damn censors.

Anyway. Having still just been a rather small bundle of joy when The Garbage Pail Kids trading cards were at their (fleeting) height of popularity, I have no nostalgia to speak of for this movie. So I apologize to anyone who might love it, although I can't think of a reason why anyone would even remotely like The Garbage Pail Kids Movie because it is crap. Pure, Project Terrible crap.

Teenager Dodger loves to spend time in the local antiques shop with owner Captain Manzini when he's not pining for his beautiful neighbor Tangerine or running from Tangerine's greaser boyfriend Juice and his two cronies. One day Dodger knocks over a mysterious garbage pail in Manzini's shop and sets loose a group of ugly midgets from outer space (no, really). The Kids and Dodger become friends and they help each other and stuff. Ugh.

Now one problem I have with this movie (Ha! Just one?) is that nothing is properly explained for anything that happens. Why does Dodger claim to be "almost 15" when he's clearly no older than 12? Why does a group of tough teenagers apparently spend all their time finding and beating the crap out of a kid for no reason? The credit sequence implies that the Kids are aliens of some kind: How did Manzini get the garbage pail and what the hell kind of aliens are these? How do aliens know so much about fashion? Why does no one in this town seem the least bit affected when they see a talking midget alligator?

And on and on and on AND ON. Seriously, this was the stupidest plot that anyone could have come up with for a children's movie. I was expecting lots of gross-out comedy what with characters like Valerie Vomit, Messy Tessie, and Windy Winston. Messy Tessie does indeed have snot always running out of her nose and Windy Winston does fart a lot, but Valerie Vomit only vomits once in the whole movie at the end, and Nat Nerd actually is the only one to get the real gross-out play as he pees on himself several times... and never seems to clean it up. By the way, how is Greaser Greg a Garbage Pail Kid? There's nothing really gross about  him at all - he's just a 50s greaser guy with sideburns and a leather jacket. Anyway, there's a severe lack of gross-out goodies which probably would not have really helped the movie in any way but as it stands, the movie is so not funny EVER, only painfully stupid and at times seriously inappropriate for children.

The Kids are portrayed by little people wearing giant animatronic heads that don't ever seem to work properly and it really makes me feel bad for all the actors. The only really good part of the whole movie is English actor Anthony Newley as Captain Manzini who for some reason decided to take this role somewhat seriously and actually gives a pretty charming and endearing performance. It definitely helps the movie at least a little bit to have one person in the whole cast and crew who seems to know what the hell they are doing.

No wait, I lied. The best part of the whole movie is when the Kids go out on the town one night and Ali Gator and Windy Winston end up making some biker friends at


Bahaha! "The Toughest Bar in the World"??? You have to admit that that is slightly awesome because of its hilarity. 

No wait, I lied again. The best part of the whole movie in a really inappropriate (seems to be the word of the day for this movie, huh?) way is the whole thing having to do with The State Home for the Ugly. No, really. The whole time that Dodger and the Kids are making clothes and helping Dodger get in good with Tangerine, Manzini is working on a magic trick that will get the Kids to go back into the garbage pail. Now, he wants them back in the pail because they are in danger of being caught and taken to the aforementioned State Home for the Ugly. And when I say "caught," I mean caught, as an earlier scene shows two guards from the home in a truck cruising for ugly people. They actually throw a dog-catcher net over an ugly little girl and plan to take her away before they realize she was just wearing a Halloween mask. Wow. What kind of message is this for kids?

Eventually, the Kids are taken to the home by Juice and his friends. The place is strangely much smaller on the inside than it looks on the outside and is merely a warehouse with straw on the floor and cages along one wall that houses all the ugly people. So here is where some really non-PC stuff comes out. On the cages are signs for why that certain prisoner is in the State Home for the Ugly. Santa Claus is there for being "Too Fat," Abraham Lincoln for being "Too Skinny," Mahatma Gandhi for being "Too Bald," Albert Einstein (I think) for being "Too Old," and most shockingly, a hunched-over man with a cane is there for being "Too Crippled." Whoa. I'm really surprised the filmmakers were able to keep that little bit in there. 

In a way, I guess the guys behind this movie were actually trying to send some kind of message about people being prejudiced or something against ugly people, but um... they do a really bad job of conveying that message. They do a really bad job at everything, to be honest. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie is truly terrible and not worthy of anyone's precious little time on this world. Those Topps trading cards may have been fun to collect when you were a kid, but trust me, a live action movie based solely on trading cards is most definitely never a good idea. 

Project Terrible: The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987). There are any Project Terrible: The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) in here.