150 Movies You Should Die Before You See - Miller Steve [23]
The movie was Jonathan R. Skocik's only solo effort to date.
Trivia Quiz
Which of the following featured two O scar A ward — winners in the roles of torturer and torturee?
A: A Bucket of Blood (1959)
B: Last House on the Left (2009)
C: Marathon Man (1976)
D: The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
Answer: C. In Marathon Man Laurence Olivier plays a sadistic Nazi who tortured Dustin Hoffman, an innocent bystander caught in an international conspiracy.
URBAN FLESH: REBIRTH EDITION
Helltimate Studios, 2007
PRODUCERS Jeff Grenier and Alexandre Michaud
WRITERS Jeff Grenier and Alexandre Michaud
DIRECTOR Alexandre Michaud
STARS Martin Dubreuil (Kane), Mireille Leveque (Samantha), Marie-Ève Petit (Sally), K. M. Lavigne (Inspector Blake), Anthony Pereira (Zack), and Marc Vaillancourt (Ygor)
Four thrill-killers (Dubreuil, Petit, Pereira, and Vaillancourt) prowl a Canadian city by night in search of victims to kill … and eat raw. As a homicide detective (Lavigne) closes in on them, he and his wife (Leveque) are added to the menu.
Why It Sucks
If you're looking for terrifying and gory violence, this is a film for you. Time and again, it goes beyond anything you can imagine. Of course, it you like that sort of stuff, then that's a strong point of the film. What isn't, however, is the way the blood-splattered urban cannibals can wander city streets unnoticed. Or the way the film just sort of dribbles off into the credits at the point where it feels as if it's about to reach a climax.
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Special Award for Exceptional Achievement in Operating Nanny States goes to … England, Germany, and Alexandre Michaud's homeland of Canada for banning this film when Michaud starting selling the original cut of the film through mail-order catalogs in 1999.
And the Worst Auteur Award goes to … Coproducer/Cowriter/ Director Alexandre Michaud for failing to recognize that this movie should not end in midaction with the fate of the final surviving protagonist and the villains completely unknown.
They Really Said It!
Zack: My name is Oblivion.
Betcha Didn't Know
Although filmed in 1997, the movie took Michaud two years to edit, working in his spare time. The original version wasn't released until 1999.
According to Michaud, the 2007 release of the film is ten minutes shorter than the original cut. However, if it's any comfort to gore freaks, no blood was left on the cutting-room floor.
Trivia Quiz
Which of these movie madmen is a cannibal?
A: Harvey Dent
B: Hannibal Lecter
C: Richard Vollin
D: Michael Myers
Answer: B. Hannibal Lecter, featured in Manhunter (1986), Red Dragon (a 2002 remake of Manhunter), Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Hannibal (2001).
CHAPTER SIX
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Want to put a damper on the Christmas spirit or pull the cinematic equivalent of an April Fool's joke? Maybe the films in this chapter can be helpful.
APRIL FOOL'S DAY
Paramount Pictures/Hometown Films, 1986
PRODUCER Frank Mancuso Jr.
WRITER Danilo Bach
DIRECTOR Fred Walton
STARS Deborah Foreman (Muffy/Buffy St. John), Ken Olandt (Rob Ferris), Pat Barlow (Clara), Deborah Goodrich (Nikki Beshears), Jay Baker (Harvey “Hal” Edison), Griffin O'Neal (Skip St. John), Leah King Pinset (Nan Youngblood), Amy Steel (Kit Graham), Clayton Rohner (Chaz Vyshinski), and Thomas F. Wilson (Arch Cummings)
Muffy St. John (Foreman) invites several of her good friends from college to spend the weekend of April 1 partying at her isolated family home. Fun turns to fear when the guests start to fall victim to a murderer.
Why It Sucks
This is such a weird film: a murderer-free murder mystery in which there's no murder and a slasher film that's almost violence free. In fact, the entire movie is a cheat, revealed in a twist ending that pissed off a lot of fans of the genre. Once we know the ending, it becomes obvious that the writers and director have been manipulating the audience and laughing at us for