tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post5895317463588411241..comments2024-03-15T20:14:57.052-04:00Comments on Direct to Video Connoisseur: Monsters in the Woods (2012)Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-38490314045819319422012-02-22T21:44:33.453-05:002012-02-22T21:44:33.453-05:00There were definitely a lot of parts of it that I ...There were definitely a lot of parts of it that I liked, just others that didn't work. But I agree, it's good to support independent film makers, and I wanted to make sure that, even though it didn't work for me, I at least went into why.Direct to Video Connoisseurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-3193461992460511392012-02-22T19:37:29.957-05:002012-02-22T19:37:29.957-05:00I love independent filmmakers and supporting them!...I love independent filmmakers and supporting them! This film didn't really seem that bad!Real Queen of Horrorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786342064401390635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-13311632831637556782012-02-08T22:32:32.826-05:002012-02-08T22:32:32.826-05:00I see where you're coming from Jason, and I gu...I see where you're coming from Jason, and I guess I can see where other people enjoyed it because it was unexpected, but to me it always feels like the easy way to get rid of a character, which isn't what I come to horror films for. Maybe that's part of the problem too, that I don't watch horror films as much as some of the other critics who maybe specialize in horror. When I think of a bad action movie or a bad Film Noir, the hit the head and die is usually a cop out. I guess that's part of it too, that we all bring our own baggage to the table when we watch something.<br /><br />And Aaron, use that link to the official website that I put in the closing paragraph for more information on release dates. I'll try to keep things up-to-date on the Facebook page too if I get any info on it.Direct to Video Connoisseurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-26189952513334699262012-02-08T21:00:36.306-05:002012-02-08T21:00:36.306-05:00Fair enough.
I can totally see your point. Your p...Fair enough.<br /><br />I can totally see your point. Your point about Janet Leigh's death is right on. <br /><br /> I suppose the problem is when I make a movie I think more about what I like and want to see than the audience. I thought it was both unexpected and funny to have him die in an inconsequential manner. If I had been an audience member, I'd have been expecting a gruesome monster death. I gave them the exact opposite. I personally would've loved that. And a few of the other critics have pointed out the scene as a plus too. That's kind of the cool thing about movies in general. One man's cop out is another's gold. <br /><br />And no, I took no offense. I totally get where you're coming from. The other guys on the commentary are very nice folk, but they don't exactly speak with filters. <br /><br />****I didn't like Executive Decision at all, except for the scene where Seagal died. And I like Seagal.J. Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06654904447648206756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-60999752302824690622012-02-08T20:34:14.077-05:002012-02-08T20:34:14.077-05:00WOW! I'm sold just on that first screenshot al...WOW! I'm sold just on that first screenshot alone. Thank you!Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02153426751208051792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-19909959091008033462012-02-08T08:33:54.527-05:002012-02-08T08:33:54.527-05:00Hey Jason, thanks for stopping by, and thanks agai...Hey Jason, thanks for stopping by, and thanks again for giving me the screener of your flick.<br /><br />I can't let you off the hook that easily with the Plummer death being a cop out though, and I'll tell you why. Psycho killed it's top billed star with one of the most iconic death scenes of all time. Even when Drew Berrymore is killed off in Scream it's a really intense scene. Had you at least had one of the monsters kill Plummer, I wouldn't have been as quick to write it off. But that death, where he just hits his head off-screen, was a cop out. It was similar to the way Richard Gere killed off the guy that was doing his wife in Unfaithful. It was worse in that film, because it was also a cop out, but then they based the whole second half of the film around it; but still, when you're talking about known cinematic conventions, the sudden fall and hit the head and die is a classic one too, and it's often a cop out-- at least I think so. By all means, emulate Hitchcock, but not Richard Gere formulaic cash-grab thrillers. Also, on the Seagal Executive Decision thing, I was angry that Seagal wasn't in it more, and they still had Kurt Russell, who was the main star in all the commercials. (Also, I think the critics lauded that more because they don't like Seagal.) Finally, Plummer's character wasn't very nice either, so I expected him to bite it at some point. 30 minutes in might be a little soon, but not totally unexpected. It's just, in a horror film, I want some good deaths. Maybe you were going for irony there, but it felt like a cop out.<br /><br />I should clarify too that I didn't think your usage of Plummer was a bait-and-switch, I just didn't like the comment the guy in the commentary made about the practice. As someone who's consumed a lot of DTV flicks, I've seen it a lot, a name like Rutger Hauer on the cover, and then he's in the movie for five minutes. I'm sure it was a comment that just came off the cuff, and didn't mean any harm, but what it was saying still irked me, especially in the case of your film where, like you said, you used your name, not Plummer's, to sell the film, and he was in it quite a bit. In a way he undermined what you were saying about how great Plummer was to work with. Anyway, I didn't want you to think I was impugning your integrity as far as that goes, and if it came off like that, I apologize. I stand by the cop out opinion, but I never thought you were trying to deceive the audience<br />with Plummer's role in the film in order to sell more copies, and I hope you or anyone else didn't think that.<br /><br />And that's great, I'm glad you loved Brainsmasher! Good luck to you in all your future endeavors, and hopefully you'll let us check out whatever you have next, whenever that happens.Direct to Video Connoisseurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-39089493833343654442012-02-08T04:10:12.494-05:002012-02-08T04:10:12.494-05:00Good review.
I got no bones with anything you sai...Good review. <br />I got no bones with anything you said except for the killing Glenn Plummer being nothing but a cop out.<br /><br />There are several precedents for killing of the “star” of a movie in many successful Hollywood films, the most famous being Psycho. Now I’m in no way comparing MITW to Hitchcock, but at the time Janet Lee was the only “star” in the movie, headlined all the posters and was killed 10 minutes in. <br />Vamp is another. The movie set up Robert Rustler (who at the time was more a name than the other characters, save for Grace Jones who was playing the bad guy.) His character just screamed “horror action lead.” Yet he was suddenly killed off around the 30 minute mark and the dorkier friend Chris Makepeace took over the protagonist duties. And who can forget Steven Seagal’s untimely exit from Executive Decision. Not a great movie, but many critics lauded the producer’s stones in killing off Seagal. He was by the way credited as a “star” on all the adverts. I could go on and on. <br />What these films did, Hitchcock especially, they did to subvert expectations and to show that “anything can happen.” This is no different than what I did with Glenn; expect that I had the double purpose of not being able to afford him. Yes, the money is the number one, but it makes the former reason no less valid. I used a proven convention to get around a budget issue. And unlike some other DIY flicks that have done the same, my name was still a major part of the movie (appearing in over 30 minutes of the feature). It wasn’t like he was in it for only a scene. He was a major character.<br /><br /><br />*****loved you Brainsmasher review. I love that movie.J. Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06654904447648206756noreply@blogger.com