Great Movie Scenes #020: The Warriors (1979)

I got introduced to The Warriors later in life than I should have. Walter Hill’s 1979 cult classic was lauded at the time for being an out of control action film. Watching it today it isn’t as violent or “dangerous” as it could be. But I am surprised any producer green lit this considering how silly some of the movie gets. Moments like this:

This Week in Soundtrack: Frank (2014)

WARNING! Spoilers to follow so if you want to see this film, watch it, then come back to read.

Great Movie Scenes #019: Snowpiercer (2013)

Snowpiercer is a crazy town movie. From start to finish it does not let up on just how bananas it is. The concept alone of a train continuously running during an ice age AND there is a caste system in play is more than enough to pique anyone’s interest. There are just too many scenes and too many small moments to cover in a series like this. However, one moment stuck out to me immediately after the first viewing:

Today in Photoshop: WHM Podcast Presents The Wolverine 4

For today’s Photoshop it is another fandom piece. But this time instead of Funhaus I am going to another amazing set of comedians with the We Hate Movies podcast. They are a podcast that loves to cover bad movies and their most recent episode in The Shadow they talk about unrealistic body types in superhero movies. This, in turn, led to them discussing how they would like to be involved with another Wolverine sequel where Eric Szyszka will play Sabretooth and Stephen Sajdak (and their third partner in Andrew Jupin directs). So you know where this is going…

Great Movie Scenes #018: 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (1995)

Michael Haneke is a very frustrating man. His films never have a cheery disposition and every time you finish one of his movies you need to take a nice, cold shower. From his first film to what he’ll bring the rest of his career I very much doubt we’ll use the word ‘happy’ in a review. But there is no denying he is a brilliant filmmaker and one of the things I personally like about him is how he loves to keep the frame on one place for long stretches of time. For example check out an excerpt from an early feature of his called 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance:

Today in Photoshop: The Great Kovic

NEW SERIES!

A few days ago I finally got my hands on Adobe Photoshop. If you aren’t aware, Photoshop is software where you can manipulate any image of your choosing. Think of it as a Picture Editor in the same way Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro is a Video Editor. It might seem like an oddly specific thing to master but Photoshop is HIGHLY regarded in the field of production today. Heck, a lot of jobs I miss out on because I am not really a slight master of it. So with this new series I will periodically showcase my creations to you all. In hopes that A) You find them entertaining but B) to show my evolution with this program.

Favorite Films: Crumb (1994)

Last year I did a year long feature on my top twenty five favorite films (or at least as of 2016). There was a lot of contenders and it did take me a long time for figure out what is the best of the best. Luckily even with a list finalized that means there are more films to discuss in the future. So this post starts a semi-new series of discussing what are my favorite films outside of the top twenty-five.

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Review: The Horde (2010)

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen these days. Thanks to The Walking Dead we have seen a resurgence of this horror genre like never before. So it comes no surprise that a lot of films and TV series have come along to get in that z-train of money. Most of these attempts I find to be pure garbage and have the lowest of special effects involved. One day while cruising through Netflix I stumbled upon another z-title but we go international as this is a French attempt at cashing in on the undead craze. Starting it up I honestly had no expectations what so ever. By the end I had a smile going from ear to ear and wish The Horde could keep going.

The premise is as simple as it gets. A bunch of corrupt cops storm a building to get revenge on a gang for killing one of their own. It goes south incredibly quickly but before our “heroes” bite it the undead suddenly emerge and now both have to work together if they want to survive. Again, not much of a story here as it is just a simple premise to get the ball rolling. You would think with the gruff characters and bleak setting this would be a harsh movie to watch. That would be a correct statement for the first twenty minutes but if you stick with it long enough you have one hell of a fun movie.

I could not tell you who these filmmakers are or what their previous filmography is. But I want to go find these people and thank them for making one crazy film. This zombie movie is basically The Raid but with zombies and what makes that even more ridiculous is that The Raid wasn’t even conceived until two years AFTER this film. The Horde is a very low-rez action film as we get the most basics of fight sequences and even the gore is hardly squeamish but that’s where this film finds its charm. It finds beauty out of scenes like a middle aged gangster literally sucker punching his way against two zombies. If that isn’t making you want to go out and find this film let me describe this in a few more sentences.

You got some pretty okay CGI along the way which somehow enhances the goofiness. So when you see a row of zombies get blasted by a heavy machine gun it comes out like jam rather than blood. Then you have some ridiculous characters involved including the aforementioned fist fighting gangster. Nothing can top a man named Rene however; who is a senior citizen, racist spouting, and Santa gut wielding coot who practically steals the film with his antics. If this film somehow lost the rest of this cast and just focused on Rene this could easily have turned into the greatest French film since The Rules of the Game. Top that with some truly entertaining action set pieces including a final stand in a garage that is honestly well paced and shot.

If you are a fan of horror films I recommend watching The Horde. It does have an incredibly awkward start and it you would be pressed into thinking this isn’t a good movie. But stick with it once the zombies come in and I promise you are going to have a wonderful time. Again, not a great movie in a technical sense by any stretch of the imagination. But The Horde stands out from a lot of the clones and competitors which makes all the difference.

The Best Films of 2015

And now for the thrilling conclusion! Here are the five, best films of 2015. Let me know how you guys think in the comments below or go to my Facebook page for any insights.

25 Favorite Films: Mad Max-Fury Road (2015)

Why can’t a movie like Mad Max: Fury Road win Best Picture?