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It was announced late last night that Wes Craven died from brain cancer. He was 76 years old.
Craven was one of the top living legends of horror. Many of his films were very groundbreaking at the time and helped usher in a new wave of ideas and gimmicks to the horror genres, from the rise of vicious exploitation to the slashing murderer being an iconic figure to the idea of being set in a world that is self-aware of the tropes in horror films.
Craven left behind a blossoming career as an university teacher in order to follow his dream to work in the film industry. Paying his dues in the porn industry under many pseudonyms, he eventually met up and befriended Sean S. Cunningham. After helping out his new friend on a film called Together, starring a then-unknown Marilyn Chambers, Craven finally got a chance to direct a film and it would be quite a doozy. The Last House on the Left was an American re-telling of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, focusing on a group of degenerates brutally humiliating and killing a pair of girls before unfortunately ending up boarding at the house of one of the victim's parents. The low budget and the usage of handheld cameras help make the film a visceral experience to endure through; this was further helped by the now-legendary marketing campaign that asked the audience to keep saying to themselves that "it's only a movie,..." The film was a big hit with horror fans and generated some critical notices, the biggest one coming from future-slasher-hater Roger Ebert. Though the film does have some merits, it does greatly suffer from the inclusion of some comedic elements, most notably a go-nowhere subplot with two bumbling sheriffs. Its success also led to the creation of the rape-and-revenge template that other horror-makers would adopt and exploit, for better or worse. Additionally, the uproar over its harsh violence and attitudes of its villains would cause it to be banned in many countries and be a cornerstone of the "video nasties" in Britain.
It took five years for Craven to follow up his noteworthy start in film and he delivered another harrowing tale with The Hills Have Eyes. A road-tripping family are stranded in the desert and become the latest plates of food for a group of cannibals. It did well at the box office and developed a growing cult following; nowadays, it is considered a top-shelf piece of 70's horror. The film made a star out of Michael Berryman and continues to shock people with its infamous "attack on the camper" scene.
Craven's career would then fluctuate after this one-two punch. The Linda Blair-starring TV movie Stranger In Our House was mildly received and discarded rather quickly, later leading many horror fanatics to desperately search for it. Deadly Blessing, a slasher set in Amish territory, had an early appearance of Sharon Stone but was widely mocked upon release. He rebounded a bit with Swamp Thing, one of the most noteworthy comic book adaptations pre-Batman and a movie that allowed him to mix in his horror expertise into the material. But then he would again falter a bit with the TV movie Invitation To Hell.
1984 would a big turning point for his career. He became interested in a series of newspaper articles about some Cambodian refugees who would suffer from terrifying nightmares and suddenly die in their sleep. Coupling this with own personal experiences of strangers outside his house and a child bully named Fred Krueger, he crafted A Nightmare on Elm Street. A group of teenagers all realize that they are being haunted by a burnt-up aggressor in their dreams and that the figure has something to do with the town's buried secret. Loaded with demented scares, pretty teens in peril, star-making turns for Johnny Depp and Robert Englund, and a story that had you guessing whether you were in the real world or the dream world, the film was a bonafide success with audiences and critics. It also was a nice checkmate to his best friend Cunningham, who made Friday the 13th a popular horror film but was trashed by many critics. Nightmare was financed by New Line Cinema, an independent film company that would later dubbed itself as "The House That Freddy Built" due in part to the film and its future franchise.
Sadly, the next couple of years would be a rocky road for Craven. He continued to do some work in TV, including another forgettable DTTV film (Chiller) and a couple of episodes of the 80's version of The Twilight Zone. His follow-up feature film was the ill-advised sequel The Hill Have Eyes Part II. The film was savaged by critics and even by fans of the original, causing it to be one of lowest rated works of his entire career. His next feature Deadly Friend was hampered by a terrible marketing campaign; the modern sci-fi take on Frankenstein was promoted as another surreal slasher where the girl-next-door is actually evil. The movie is best remembered for a popular out-of-context viral clip, where Anne Ramsey's head explodes in a gory mess after being pelted by a basketball thrown by Kristy Swanson. Craven would return to Elm Street in 1987, co-writing the third entry in the series (Dream Warriors), considered by many to be the best of the sequels.
He then had somewhat of a hot streak in film starting in 1988. The Serpent and The Rainbow was a loosely-based adaptation of a non-fiction book about an ethnobotanist (Bill Pullman) that gets caught up with Haitian voodoo, premature burial, and the creation of zombies. It received a mixed reaction at the time but has grown in popularity and terror since. Craven tried to recreate the Freddy Krueger formula with Shocker, a bizarre little movie about a serial killer who dies on the electric chair and begins to possess people with his electric powers. Ruthlessly eviscerated by critics, it stalled any hopes of a potential franchise but was a small success at the box office and its poster art is semi-legendary. His next film The People Under The Stairs was more warmly received by critics and audiences and is a true hidden horror gem. A satire in disguise, the film follows a group of black individuals breaking into the house of their corrupt landlords only to find that the whitebread, Reagan-loving-and-lookin couple are actually demented murderers.
But it was his film in 1994 that brought him the most acclaim with the critical body. Wes Craven's New Nightmare was the then truly final entry in the main Elm Street franchise. Instead of bringing Freddy back from the dead in the movie world, Craven brought the slasher icon in the real world. Heather Langenkamp (playing herself) begins to experience nightmares featuring her on-screen adversary only this time, she, her family, and former co-stars (including Englund) are in mortal danger. The metaness of the movie proved to be a bit fatal with general audiences but it would later be a crucial element to Craven's future success. His film streak would end with the disastrous Vampire In Brooklyn. The unfunny comedy turned the tide on the popularity of Eddie Murphy and was overshadowed by the death of a stuntwoman during shooting.
Craven bounced back with what can be wisely described as the top horror film of the 90's, Scream. Written by Kevin Williamson and brilliantly vision by Craven, the slasher followed a group of teens who have seen all of the horror movies and know all the tricks yet still fall prey to them when a "Ghostface" killer starts to bump them off. From its incredibly shocking prologue to its wise-cracking satire on movie tropes and cable news, the film was a huge success all around; It helped kick-start the horror genre again, created a rippling effect in Hollywood, and caused producer Bob Weinstein and his Dimension Films subdivision to stand toe to toe with his brother Harvey and his direction at Miramax. Though many diehard horror and slasher fans drew ire at its meta factor, the film was a new landmark feature to talk and write about and would help lead to other popular 4th-wall-breaking movies.
Starting in his on-screen role in New Nightmare and further enhanced by the publicity for Scream, Craven began to be seen by the public as a wise grandfather of horror. He would be routinely interviewed by MTV and other outlets for his nice and intelligent opinion on the horror genre. Though he continued directing the Scream films, including the great second film and the best-left-buried third one, Craven started to move towards producing credits. The most notable examples of his name being attached to bring attention to new works include Wishmaster, Dracula 2000, and Feast. He also did something very shocking in 1999: he directed a non-horror film! Music of the Heart told the true story of Roberta Guaspari and how she fought for the education of music in Harlem. The film gave lead actress Meryl Streep another Oscar nomination and is better remembered for its Diane Warren-penned theme song, sung by Streep's co-star Gloria Estefan and *NSync.
As per usual with his life, the final chapters of his movie career were bumpy. 2005 allowed him to have two features come out but both were poorly handled by the studios. Cursed reunited him with Williamson and was to be the Scream take on modern werewolves. Unfortunately, though it is entertaining to watch, the whole project was and is an absolute mess. It suffered from many years of reshoots and casting cuts and by the time it came to be released in theaters, Dimension Films suddenly asked for a PG-13 rating. It bombed very badly. Craven would quickly turn around with his second film Red Eye, a taut thriller starring Rachel MacAdams and Cillian Murphy. Unfortunately, though it did reasonably well at the box office and critics mostly adored it, the film is infamously remembered for its marketing. The first trailer cut for the film implied that Murphy had a literal red-eye (the film's title of course comes from a late-night plane ride) and is some kind of vampire or something.
After partaking in the anthology film Paris, je t'aime the next year, he waited four years until stepping into the director's chair with My Soul To Take. It was another bomb to his name and mocked heavily by critics for its strange plot. His very last film was 2011's Scream 4. The reunion of the beloved characters of the franchise, coupled in with a new flock of internet-savvy teens and a new Ghostface, was a polarizing movie, with some fans calling it a return to form while others like myself hating it for what it brought to the table.
Wes Craven was one of the few big names of horror that everyone, from young to old, can remember, thanks to his large career of films and his minor involvement currently with MTV's Scream television series. He brought true scares to your senses and your nightmares.
He will sorely be missed.
Want to find out what movies are heading to Netflix Streaming? I got your back.
Upcoming Netflix Streaming Titles
8/28 - Inspector Gadget (Netflix Original Series, Season 2), Narcos (Netflix Original Series),Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
8/29 - Ride (2015)*
8/30 - Muffin Top: A Love Story*
9/1 - First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III
9/2 - Black or White
9/10 - Keith Richards: Under The Influence, Longmire (Season 4)
10/16 - Beasts Of No Nation
11/6 - Master Of None (Netflix Original Series)
12/11 - The Ridiculous Six
What to Watch This Week
Narcos is the latest Netflix exclusive show and takes a close dramatic look at the lifestyle and criminal antics of former drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Kids, on the other hand, have the worst luck today: the decision between the not-requested second season to Netflix's ill-conceived Inspector Gadget or the commercially successful but heavily ridiculed 2014 reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Of the two, I rather go with a movie that would be perfect for a bad movie party than a show that is utterly boring.
New Streaming Titles I Previously Forgot to Mention
Star-studded and super popular Bollywood melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham; the return of food doc Jiro Dreams of Sushi; one of 2015's most embarrassing action flicks, the Milla Jovovich vs. Pierce Brosnan terrorist non-thriller Survivor.
I'll see you again next Friday.
Want to find out what movies are heading to Netflix Streaming? I got your back.
Upcoming Netflix Streaming Titles
8/21 - Grantham & Rose*, Transcend*
8/27 - Byzantium, White God
8/28 - Inspector Gadget (Netflix Original Series, Season 2), Narcos (Netflix Original Series)
8/29 - Ride (2015)*
8/30 - Muffin Top: A Love Story*
9/1 - First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III
9/2 - Black or White
9/10 - Keith Richards: Under The Influence, Longmire (Season 4)
10/16 - Beasts Of No Nation
11/6 - Master Of None (Netflix Original Series)
12/11 - The Ridiculous Six
What to Watch This Week
Again, we have a very slim, very paltry week of new titles. Is this a sign of things to come? From the four titles that I'm aware of, I'll go with the Cannes curiosity piece White God. The foreign movie has a huge cast of canines and uses the furry animals as a metaphor for Europe's on-going issues with racism. Not for everyone (expect some dogs to be killed of) but worthy enough to take a glance.
New Streaming Titles I Previously Forgot to Mention
Goofy Nicolas Cage action flick (which one?) Next (oh!).
I'll see you again next Friday.
A yakuza boss' sex slave (Salma Hayek) tries to escape from his clutches, with a suitcase full of ill-earned money and her estranged daughter in tow, only to trapped in her apartment complex and forced to fight off wave after wave of baddies. EVERLY is a dreadful action exploitation movie through and through, producing far more eye-rolls than bullets fired. Director Joe Lynch tries to make his film pop with swooping digital camera tricks, practical effects and clear swipes from better auteurs (paging Edgar Wright...) but the entire picture is undermined severely by the pathetically heinous script he helped develop with screenwriter Yale Hannon. The story constantly flip-flops its tone and featured theatrics; one minute you are watching absurdist violence and deus ex machinas galore, the next you are sitting through extensive torture porn and sexual humiliation. Basic logic and reason can't even be fitted into the script, as many unanswered questions are generated and left completely in the open, including the simple one of how does the titled heroine have near-expert weapon training despite being under the thumb of a major control freak? Hayek is uttered wasted, unable to put any worthwhile effort into the would-be badass. How could she when she's playing a character that is utterly traumatized by an off-screen rape at the very beginning but then nonchalantly explains sex trafficking to her worried mother in a later scene. Unless you crave and are desperate for more sick, bottom-of-the-barrel action flicks, skip this completely.
FINAL REVIEW: 1 / 5
Want to find out what movies are heading to Netflix Streaming? I got your back.
Upcoming Netflix Streaming Titles
8/14 - DinoTrux (Netflix Original Series), Ship of Theseus
8/15 - Alex Of Venice
8/16 - Being Flynn, Pariah, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
8/17 - Lord Of War
8/19 - Jerk Theory
8/20 - 30 For 30: Angry Sky*, As Cool As I Am
8/21 - Grantham & Rose*, Transcend*
8/27 - Byzantium, White God
8/28 - Inspector Gadget (Netflix Original Series, Season 2), Narcos (Netflix Original Series)
8/29 - Ride (2015)*
8/30 - Muffin Top: A Love Story*
9/1 - First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III
9/2 - Black or White
9/10 - Keith Richards: Under The Influence, Longmire (Season 4)
10/16 - Beasts Of No Nation
11/6 - Master Of None (Netflix Original Series)
12/11 - The Ridiculous Six
What to Watch This Week
I think we finally reached a first: a week where I have absolutely no title to recommend. I can't even push the on-paper-it-sounds-cool DinoTrux because the new Dreamworks animated show is a toyetic borefest to appease wee little kids. So I just have to say that if you still haven't seen Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, you shouldn't definitely binge through the short miniseries this week.
New Streaming Titles I Previously Forgot to Mention
The demented horror take on the Cabbage Patch Kids, Patch Town.
I'll see you again next Friday.
The Hateful Eight
Official Trailer
Watch It Here
Person of Interest: Kurt Russell as John "The Hangman" Ruth, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue, Samuel L. Jackson as "The Bounty Hunter", and Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Demián Bichir as the unnamed fellow residents staying at the hotel.
Scene Pop: Jackson's entrance in the movie.
Effective?: Yes. It kinda goofily explains the plot through selected lines of exposition and doesn't fully explain the remaining five of the "Eight" (Bichir getting the worst of it) but the trailer showcases Tarantino's dialogue, the beautiful cinematography, and the suspense of the ordeal.
Check it Out?: Certifiably yes but the majority of America will have to wait till 2016. The film premieres on Christmas but only in NYC and LA. Furthermore, the only theaters in those two locations showing the film will need 70mm projection.
Want to find out what movies are heading to Netflix Streaming? I got your back.
Upcoming Netflix Streaming Titles
8/11 - Two Days, One Night
8/12 - For A Good Time, Call…; Leap Year, The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death
8/14 - DinoTrux (Netflix Original Series), Ship of Theseus*
8/15 - Alex Of Venice*
8/16 - Being Flynn, Pariah, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
8/17 - Lord Of War
8/19 - Jerk Theory
8/20 - 30 For 30: Angry Sky*, As Cool As I Am
8/21 - Grantham & Rose*, Transcend*
8/27 - Byzantium, White God*
8/28 - Inspector Gadget (Netflix Original Series, Season 2), Narcos (Netflix Original Series)
8/29 - Ride (2015)*
8/30 - Muffin Top: A Love Story*
9/10 - Keith Richard: Under The Influence, Longmire (Season 4)
10/16 - Beasts Of No Nation
11/6 - Master Of None (Netflix Original Series)
12/11 - The Ridiculous Six
What to Watch This Week
Two Days, One Night finally arrives on Netflix after being delayed a few times. The foreign film has Marion Cotillard stuck in a no win situation: her boss shamelessly has her company status be put up to a vote by her co-workers and she has a limited time-frame to try to talk them into voting "yes", even though they will lose out on holiday bonuses in the future. It was highly expected to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year and give its directors, The Dardenne Brothers, a hat trick. Unfortunately, the jury oddly left it out of its awards talk. Despite this setback, it was still heralded as one the absolute best films of the year and allowed Cotillard to earn a surprise Oscar nomination.
New Streaming Titles I Previously Forgot to Mention
Tsui Hark returns with another CGI-filled epic, The Taking of Tiger Mountain; anime fans will be happy with Persona 3 The Movie: #2 Midsummer Knight's Dream, except for the fact that the first film is nowhere on the site; the movie that killed The Dark Knight for awhile and now comes off as quaint when compared to recent bad superhero movies, Batman & Robin; jazz comes to the stuck-up side of Britain in the acclaimed miniseries Dancing On The Edge; and the wonderfully goofy titled Scandinavian family film Captain Sabertooth and the Treasure of the Lama Rama.
I'll see you again next Friday.
Amy (Amy Schumer) leads a cynical and freewheeling lifestyle in NYC as a professional tabloid writer by day, drunk and pot-smoking anti-monogamist by night. But when she is assigned to do a cover story on a top surgeon for sports stars (Bill Hader), she begins to panic that she may be experiencing true love for a change. TRAINWRECK tries to sugar-coat itself as an edgy new look at the rom-com genre but much to my disappointment, it is just another boringly average rom-com through and through. For a film chiefly designed by Schumer herself to break out in Hollywood, the film oddly has her be upstaged by her co-stars in nearly every scene. The film shows that she can be a leading lady and a new voice for women in film comedy but all of the best bits and standout moments go to Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton, John Cena, Colin Quinn and the like. She also isn't really helped by director Judd Apatow, who once again shows his below average directorial skills. Examples of Apatow's poor handling include: Unending less than stellar improv, rapid story progression that comes out of nowhere, major characters are suddenly scuttled off, useless random cameos, a dreadful film-within-the-film, and a refusal to bring a coda or explanation for Schumer's snarky narration during the first half of the film. His severe lack of being a visual artist also hampers the picture, leaving cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes to constantly deliver flat mise en scene save for a beautifully crafted moment where we follow the main couple from a small bar to a taxi cab. However, despite these and other reservations, I do find the movie to be overall adequate for viewing. It has some nice moments of honesty and the dirty humor leads to some pretty good laughs. Plus, LeBron James easily steals the show by mocking his own life and how sports celebrities act in the real world.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
Deadpool
Official Red-Band Trailer
Watch It Here
Person of Interest: Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, Morena Baccarin as his girlfriend, T.J. Miller as Weasel, Ed Skrein and Gina Carano as nameless baddies, and Colossus of the X-Men.
Scene Pop: Triple Head Shot!
Effective?: Yes and no. The trailer does make the film to be the next Kick-Ass, bringing in the raunchy dialogue and bloody violence that teenage and older comic book fans would want as an alternative from the usual superhero films. On the other hand, save for the Miller's improv on the state of Wilson, the humor present is really not funny; that swipe at Green Lantern is pitiful and only plays to butt-hurt geeks who can't move on from a terrible 2011 film.
Check it Out?: I sadly have to say no, mainly because I don't see this film doing well come February. R-rated comic characters don't really work nowadays unless they bring some brand new to the table (mercenary supervillians, anyone?) or can play down a good chunk of their dark vision in order to work with general audiences. Even if you forgo this business thinking, the product just looks a like generic B-movie and a way too serious interpretation of a niche meta character.
