Back in April of 2011, a friend of mine and I decided to see Insidious. Arriving on time, the lines were short and per usual the service at the box office was friendly and smooth. Upon entering the theater, we chose our spot and eventually began to watch the previews. During the preview for the upcoming feature film Priest, the cotton burned and the theater acted promptly in order to for us to view our feature presentation. The theater even provided the entire viewing audience with a pass for the inconvenience. Continue reading “Insidious film review”
Today is your birthday
Today would have been your thirty-third birthday. This makes me think back to our last conversation we ever had. I often think back to that conversation. I was about to turn nineteen and I remember we were talking about palm pilots of all things. Continue reading “Today is your birthday”
Insomnia must be in a relationship with the devil
Hello sleep deprivation my old friend…I’d like you to go away again…
Every single Sunday I find myself lying in bed wondering when my body will let me actually fall asleep. Part of this is because I stay up later on the weekend than I should and sleep later in the day than I should. At least this has become a bit of a habit of mine for the latter part of the year. I feel like for a while I was on this schedule of going to sleep by at least eleven. The sad thing is for anyone who knows me they know that is actually early. I was in the habit of going to bed by ten most nights and laying there. I was able to relax some. Continue reading “Insomnia must be in a relationship with the devil”
Happy Death Day film review
Back in late July, before the trailer from Happy Death Day was plastered everywhere, I watched the trailer. I had immediate desire to view this film. A horror film version of Groundhog’s Day? Yes please! My desire grew when I realized that the film was slated for a Friday the 13th release. A horror film on Friday the 13th in October. Be still my horror loving heart! With all the hype surrounding the film though there was a small part of me that worried the film might be awful. I was starting to feel like the characters in Fanboys and wondering if I would be gravely disappointed by the end. Thankfully, I was beyond pleased when leaving the theater Friday evening.
Audiences open up on a college student, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe), in a random college guy’s dorm room, Carter Davis (Israel Broussard), on what turns out to be her birthday. At first she goes through her day like any other day. Audiences quickly realize that Tree is not a very nice person soon rather than later. Generally, the whole point of these films is that we are sympathizing and rooting for the lead character to survive, but after Tree’s first death takes place within the film audiences are left to wonder if we will feel bad enough for her to connect with her by the end of the feature.
Kevin Smith is simply amazing
On October 6th, I saw one of my favorite directors, Kevin Smith, talk for two hours downtown at Center Stage in Atlanta. I’ve found over the years that you are either a Kevin Smith fan or you are not. There is absolutely no in between. I have also found throughout the years that guys are always surprised when girls are fans of his. Maybe it is the crudeness in his films. Maybe it is the language. The truth is I have no idea, but I have enjoyed his style since viewing Clerks for the first time. And while working retail I often thought on the days I was called in that were rough ‘I’m not even supposed to be here today.’ Dante is the human spirit to anyone who has worked retail. The strange part is I was not even supposed to go to this show.
Friday the 13th film review
Friday the 13th is a film I was able to attain for free when I was younger. For some reason or another this was one of the movies that my cousin’s friend decided to give her despite the fact she hates horror films. A few years ago, I proceeded to pop in my VHS copy of Friday the 13th, though owning a VHS tape still was probably not the hippest thing about myself to admit, and realized that the tape was practically played out. In fact, even being able to actually make through the entire film was an amazing feat in itself.
Soon thereafter, my friend and I began to talk about upgrading the pitiful VHS. Thankfully about a year later I was able to upgrade with the uncut original Friday the 13th for $7.50! Now though, thanks to my aunt I know the entire franchise through the blu-ray boxset.
Friday the 13th is part of the slasher genre that was born after the original Halloween (1978). Part of what makes Friday the 13th so unique and so original is by taking a random day that most people dread anyway for superstitious reasons and amplifying those fears times a thousand. The other is by using limited screen time for who is behind all the murders at Camp Crystal Lake.
Happy Birthday to Me film review
When I was younger the desire to be a bit more grown-up was always there. When I was allowed to sleepover at a friend of the family’s house or that friend came to the house to spend time with me, I magically somehow felt more grown up somehow. This was helped by the fact that the friend of the family brought some horror movies that she thought I would like and boy was she right!
One of those films from that night soon became one of my favorites. Happy Birthday To Me (1981). The film has a certain camp quality to it, which is probably what attracted me to it at the time. This is a film that could be dubbed as a cult classic now and one of those films that I was beyond excited to find out had finally made it to DVD. In fact, I was so excited about this, I actually asked for the feature for Christmas that year!
Since then my goal has been to show it to as many people as possible. This has not occurred nearly as enough as I would like by now, but that is neither here nor there. Regardless, I enjoy watching this one from time to time to be reminded of the greatness that is slasher films of the eighties. In fact, it might not be a horrible idea to start watching it on or around my birthday every year. Enough of that though. Let me get down to the nitty gritty of the film!
Flatliners film review
Upon realizing they were remaking Flatliners with some of my favorite actors in it, I knew this was a feature I wanted to see on the big screen. The trippy part was going to check in with my Moviepass app Monday evening so I could purchase my ticket and seeing the original 1990 film poster starring back at me. For a moment I debated if my theater was showing the original feature. Truth be told, I would have been happy to see either one, but was happy to finally see the movie I saw part of the ending and beginning when trying to view Friend Request last week. My AMC theater was all sorts of confused, but I digress. Now those fleeting moments all make sense and I am not left wondering tidbits that gave me enough to be considered food for thought, but not enough to spoil too much. There are some tidbits considered to be spoilers in this review though. Readers be warned!
The opening sequence was rather intense, but did not dwell on the horrific moment in our lead character’s life. In fact the film quickly cuts to nine years later. Courtney (Ellen Page) is participating in rounds at a hospital and were audiences assume she is either a doctor or a medical student. Still hung up on her past, she begins to question a patient who flatlined earlier in the evening about the afterlife. Courtney is intrigued by the idea that there is more out there after we pass. Of course, anyone who has ever lost someone wants to believe in something. After all, we want to believe that we are reunited with our loved ones in death. The patient calls Courtney out on her past and audiences see her own research project begin forming the moment that Dr. Barry Wilson (Keifer Sutherland) foreshadows Courtney’s end game when insisting that all great doctors want to push boundaries and bring something new to the field.
Red hair dye is the gateway dye
Back in high school I begged my mother to let me dye my hair to look like Courtney Cox’s hair in Scream 2. No joke. This was one of my biggest desires in life at the time. Eventually, I talked her into this idea. Red streaks. I was so excited. She informed me that I could do it as long as it wasn’t like blood red. The funny part of this is because my hair is super brown, almost black, in order for the dye to show up it had to be brightened and looked blood red. My cousin and I made jokes about how red my hair would be when really it was the perfect shade of red. A brown and red mixture that looked more like black and red. I happened to think it was the best thing ever.
After a while, I let the red grow out. I also let my hair grow out. For years I kept my hair so long that I would make two braids and pull those into a ponytail to remain cool. I have to admit if I ever allow my hair to get that long again that is how I would maintain my hair. This made the curls and waves easier to tolerate and less painful to brush. And almost three years ago around tax season, I decided I was keeping enough money out to go to a salon and get a haircut and my hair streaked. I had no idea what I truly wanted besides red streaks once more and for most the inches to go as far away as possible.
The Selling film review
When walking along a video store wall and trying to pick a feature a couple of years ago, I found a movie that made me debate it for weeks. This was a common occurrence at the video store for me. And deep down, part of me knows the films I debate are either going to be cheesy in a guilty pleasure kind of way or cheesy in a bad way making me wish I had the last two hours of my life back. Thankfully, The Selling, also known as The Selling of Scarry Manor, did not fall into the latter category.
The film revolves around real estate Richard Scarry (Gabriel Diani). In order to pay his mother’s hospital bills, Richard purchases what is considered to be a prime property represented by fellow colleague Mary Best (Janet Varney). Soon, Richard discovers that the property is too good to be true considering the house is haunted by not one ghost, but twelve ghosts. In fact, as soon as Richard and his business partner, Dave (Jonathan Klein), enter the house the house informs them to get out. They promptly do of course, but this leaves them with a dilemma. What do they do with the house?
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