From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

On the run from the law, Seth and Richie Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) take a lapsed preacher (Harvey Keitel) and his family hostage. Once safely in Mexico, they decide to await the dawn in a wild strip club. This is when shit gets real crazy...

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In 1988, makeup and effects wizards Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger came together and formed K.N.B. EFX Group. Though each individual member came to the table with an impressive body of work, the struggling start-up was looking for a way to showcase what they were capable of. Through friends of friends they met the perfect screenwriter to pen their exhibition, Quentin Tarantino. Though the film wasn't made until 1996, it was worth the wait. This film is one hell of an effective effects calling card!  Blood, guts and creatures-o-plenty! Today K.N.B. is one of the most reputable effects houses around with credits ranging from the current TV hit The Walking Dead to their Oscar win for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Not bad for a trio of gore-hounds ey?

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

This one has become something of a cult classic, and I remember watching it in horror as a kid. Mostly because of Bette Davis's face (sorry, Bette!). This movie is creepy, a little campy, and, oddly enough, kinda fun!

Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) was the biggest child star in vaudeville while her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) watched from the sidelines. As the years passed, Blanche became a beloved actress and star in her own right and the alcoholic Jane became jealous and bitter. Blanche became paralyzed in a car accident that everybody blamed Jane for, and the two aging sisters now live together. Blanche is completely dependent on Jane and Jane, clinging to her youth with golden curls and caked on makeup, gets scarier and more demented every day.

This film has a lot of crazy behind-the-scenes stories attached to it. Apparently Davis and Crawford hated each other, and went out of their way to make the other miserable on the set. Did you know Davis really kicked Crawford in the head? And Crawford put weights in her pockets during a dragging scene so that Davis would hurt her back! Oh, Hollywood drama.

Whether you're Team Bette or Team Joan, give this one a watch and make sure you eat the din-din that Baby Jane made for you...but not if it's cooked rat or parakeet, eww!

How BAD do you want it?

If you weren't already aware, we here at Cinema Nerds love cinema in all of its' various forms. One of our favorite forms is CAMP. The more over-the-top the better. And you can't get much more over-the-top than the Paul Verhoeven/Joe Eszterhas magnum-opus Showgirls...or can you?

Rena Riffel (Penny/Hope from the original Showgirls) has taken it upon herself to write and direct a sequel, Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven! Check out the full trailer!

If any of this seems up your alley, may we suggest attending the film's RED CARPET WORLD PREMIERE Wednesday November 9th at the Art Theatre in Long Beach!

MONTAGE!

I'm not sure if it's the economy or what but people seem to have a lot of free time to make video montages of film clips these days. Here are two recent awe-inspiring faves that span the entire history of cinema.

Attack The Block (2011)

When monstrous aliens descend upon a South London tenement, it falls to a band of street kids to stave off otherworldly domination.

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Judging by this film’s US box office, I’m pretty sure you did not see Attack The Block when it was in theaters. Well here’s your chance to correct that because today it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray! No more excuses. This movie has the goods: laughs, scares, eye-candy and a kickin’ Basement Jaxx soundtrack. All of that packed into a tight and tense 88min! Don’t let the accents and slang scare you off. By the end of the film you will be fluent. Believe!

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Probably the funniest movie on my October movie list, Young Frankenstein just gets better every time I watch it. It's a loving homage to the Frankenstein films of the 1930s and it's hilarious.

Frederic Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) (oh, and it's pronounced Fronkensteeen) has inherited his famous grandfather's castle, discovers his lab, and decides to try his hand at reanimating the dead. Marty Feldman is Igor, the hunchback, Teri Garr is Inga, the sexy lab assistant, Madeline Kahn is Elizabeth, Frankenstein's ditzy fiance, and Peter Boyle is the monster! Also featuring Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman (in a very funny tiny role), this film has top-notch performances from some of the most hilarious actors ever. I can't even begin to explain some of the gags, but they're non-stop. If you've seen this film before, you already know what happens if you say "Blucher" around the horses, you know why Inspector Kemp can light his "hand" on fire to light a cigar, and you know that the castle doors have a pretty impressive set of knockers. You know how to put on the ritz, and you know how to "walk this way." If you haven't seen it, please do!

Young Frankenstein is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I have fond memories of watching it when I was younger, and while I may not have understood all the jokes, I was being exposed to all the songs and other films it was referencing. How Mel Brooks managed to release this and Blazing Saddles in the same year I"ll never know!

Give this one a go, and don't forget to PUT! ZE CANDLE! BACK!

Double Bill: Big Long Bogus Bogeys

The Long Goodbye and The Big Lebowski

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1987)

Ash (Bruce Campbell) and Linda (Denise Bixler) head to a secluded cabin in the woods. While there, they happen to unleash an evil force that is hell bent on swallowing their souls.

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Growing up I didn't really watch horror films. The poster/box art for Child's Play 2 scared the shit out of 7-year-old me so I steered clear of that part of the video store. All of that changed the summer before high school when my friend Graham decided it was finally time for me to experience the Evil Dead Trilogy. Over the course of maybe 2 nights I was rapidly introduced to the lo-fi world of tree-rape, blood-geysers and chainsaw-hands. From here there was no going back.

As much as I love the whole trilogy, I find myself loving the 2nd film a little bit more. In the first film you get a lot of scares with a few giggles and in the 3rd film you get lots of giggles and an occasional spook. Porridge too hot, porridge too cold. But with the 2nd film they got the mixture, "just right!" It's like an insane tennis game between horror and comedy. Back and forth, back and forth. As the poster clearly states, "kiss your nerves good-bye!" Is this a remake? Is this a sequel? Does it really matter? Groovy!

Dracula (1931)

Today is Bela Lugosi's birthday, which means of course I have to write a little blurb about Dracula. I don't know where to start...I watch it every year on his birthday because I'm a huge nerd. It's not a perfect film by any means, but it's got a mesmerizing quality to it that keeps me coming back year after year.

The plot isn't important...vampire stalks victims, basically. But it's got such style! Bela Lugosi is perfect...he's so refined and creepy and peculiar. Definitely a step up looks-wise from the human rat Nosferatu. He slinks around with his shiny hair, gives the best dirty looks, and can turn into a bat. Or a wolf. Or mist! I never saw or read Twilight, but I'll bet Edward doesn't have those mad skills! The film relies a lot on the audience's imagination...we don't see any actual attacks, and some of the creepiest moments aren't seen but described by a character. It works very well and I wish more films would let the audience create their own images.

Can we talk about Dwight Frye, who plays Dracula's deranged henchman Renfield? He's fantastic. I wish he was better known! He also appeared in Frankenstein as Fritz, the lab assistant. He has the best crazy laugh, and he's funny and scary and pitiful. He makes this movie for me.

This film has stayed a classic throughout the years for a reason. It's spooky and entertaining and doesn't get old for me. If you're open-minded I suggest giving the version with the Philip Glass score a watch. And if you really want to get in the spirit of things, read the book (it's awesome)! Don't forget the garlic and the crucifix!

Suspiria (1977)

American Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) just arrived in Germany to attend a prestigious dance academy. Gradually she comes to realize that there might be more going on behind these walls than just pirouettes.

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With a style as ornate and over-the-top as Dario Argento's, you need your story to be a simple as possible. The characters can't even be realistic or they would stand out like sore thumbs in this world of pink and purple lights. Oh and what gorgeous lights they are. Suspiria is easily one of the most beautiful looking horror films you will ever encounter. The whole film is beautiful, which works in perfect contrast with the grand-guignol killings on display. Oh and then there's the music!