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Showing posts from June, 2014

No more school, no more books . . .

The Basement is closed for the summer. -30-

Silent Retreat and the Lucky McKee/Chris Siverston interview

Jason and Shawn are back for one last podcast before taking a two-month break through July and August. That's right -- The Basement is going on hiatus for the summer! But The Basement Boys leave you with an episode chock full of cooliosis, including the return of Game Time with Greg and a lively discussion about the creepiest of horror movie creatures. How bad ass is that? Pretty damn bad ass actually.

Pacific Rim 2 hits theatres in 2017

This is a surprising bit of good news for fans of Guillermo del Toro 's Pacific Rim , a flick much loved by geeks that didn't go over big with the North American moviegoing public. There's going to be a sequel, bitches!

Shane Black's Predator flick a sequel, not a reboot

A quick update on a story we posted yesterday, it sounds like that Predator reboot that'll be co-written and directed by Shane Black isn't a reboot at all. It's a sequel! The talented folks at Collider caught up with Black after yesterday's announcement, and he told them he and co-writer Fred Dekker see no point in starting the franchise over. Black adds he "really gets behind inventive sequels ."

Some bad ass Mad Max: Fury Road images

We've still got a whole year to wait for George Miller's latest instalment in the Mad Max saga, but the marketing is finally gearing up for the much anticipated Fury Road. I say finally because the movie has been done for a while and us Road Warrior fans wanna see some cool shit, dammit!

From The Corner: Dead Noon

I'm back again- with yet another swim in the horror genre- this time around, we take a shot at  "Dead Noon " (2007) An old west outlaw rises from the grave in modern times, bringing death with him ...

Shane Black takes on the Predator reboot

Alright, here's one reboot I can actually get behind. And it's not because I think Predator needs to be remade. No sir. It's about as perfect an action/sci-fi/horror flick as we're ever likely to see. Period. What has me excited for the new Predator is the man 20th Century Fox has tapped to co-write and direct the movie -- Shane Black .

Evil Dead 2 producer helms Easter horror tale Wrath

Here's a cool bit of horror news delivered to The Basement by way of Bloody Bombshell Entertainment and Fatality Films: Scott Spiegel , he who produced Evil Dead 2 and Hostel, has a new flick headed our way that promises to cast Easter in a whole new light. Well, actually, it's Swedish Easter he's casting in a whole new light, not our Easter. Which means I've learned something new today. I always figured Easter was Easter. But it's not.

Monday Retro Review: John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness

Having John Carpenter 's name above a movie title means something. It's a sign of quality. It's an indication that you, as an audience member, are in the hands of a master storyteller. Sure, some of his movies are better than others, but a John Carpenter movie is more than the average genre picture. Or at least it should be. So how does Prince of Darkness measure up when compared to Carpenter's other classic flicks? Stick with me.

Tag-team review: Dreamcatcher

Because our last tag-team review went over so well, Matt Bellamy and I decided to take on another movie for your reading pleasure. This time, we opted to tackle a flick we know isn't Good, just so we could provide some entertaining insight on a production that had everything stacked in it's favour -- including an uber talented cast and crew and first-rate source material -- yet literally and figuratively shit the bed . . . I mean toilet . . . I mean shit in the toilet . . . Yeah, we watched Dreamcatcher .

Brick, Looper director will helm Star Wars: Episode VIII

It's a good time to be a geek in Hollywood, as word has it  Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII and possibly Episode VIX . He takes over from JJ Abrams once the director wraps the Episode VII . Johnson is, of course, the man responsible for the brilliant high-school set detective story Brick and 2012's awesome sci-fi action flick Looper with Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt . Neither movie played by the rules, which makes the man an exciting choice for Star Wars.

An evening with Kevin Tenney

Just a bit of info Shawn thought Basementites might be interested in, and I agree: our former hosts over at The From Dusk Till Con Network have invited esteemed cult film director Kevin Tenney to join their weekly round table . That's right, the same Kevin Tenney who directed the Witchboard films and the original Night of the Demons .

Uwe Boll dishes up another Rampage

Believe it or not, Dr. Uwe Boll has made one decent movie in his career. That's right, the man behind House of the Dead , Alone in the Dark , and countless other crappy  video game adaptations has made one good flick. One. That film was Rampage, and I'll wait for you to pick your collective jaws up off the floor before I continue.

Suzanne Cappelletti versus Doctor Who: Dark Journey Episodes 1 and 2

I started off listening to this at work and humorously realized how high the volume was on my phone with the opening scream. Needless the say everyone's head in my cubicle area popped up like meerkats and asked what I was watching. They were surprised when I said a radio play .

Is Friday the 13th returning to the third dimension?

That's the latest rumour circling the newest edition to the Friday the 13th film franchise . Yup, there's a chance we'll be getting another Friday the 13th in 3D. Be still my beating heart.

Time is running out for The Rectory

Well, for the Indiegogo campaign that is. In fact, efforts to raise money for John Chance's haunted house story The Rectory are now in the final 48 hours, and we encourage Basementites to throw a little money at this great project. Based on the real legend of the The Borley Rectory , John's script is about disgraced paranormal investigator Harry Price and his year-long experiment that explored psychic phenomenon at the most haunted house in England .

No more Paranormal Activity until 2016

Just a quick bit of movie news this eve, as word broke out of Hollywood that might shock absolutely nobody and actually make some folks cheer. Not me, as I'm indifferent. But some. Paranormal Activity 5 has been delayed until 2016. That is all.

From The Corner: The Fog (1980)

It's time again for another horror review " From the Corner "- and this installment sees us stepping into John Carpenter's " The Fog " (1980)... Antonio Bay is celebrating it's 100th birthday ... with some unexpected- and deadly, party crashers ...

Reload with The Expendables 3 trailer

Not a teaser . Not a teaser for a teaser. This is the real deal. A full-on trailer for The Expendables 3 and let me tell you it's . . . . Well, let's let you watch it first and we'll continue from there. Me English read good.

Matt Bellamy versus How To Train Your Dragon 2

I really do wonder how kids' minds are affected by the impressive state of animation these days. I was raised on classic, hand-drawn Disney animation, which to my young brain was a fantastic world that I was always keen to disappear into. When I see a movie like How To Train Your Dragon 2 in theaters, I am absolutely blown away, and even overwhelmed at times by the stunning, and let's be honest, brilliant technical wizardry on display. I can't even fathom how these images are made, how long it must take to complete a single frame, or the army of amazingly talented people who work around the clock getting it all done--it's mind boggling! The kids these days who are now being raised on movies like this though, do you think they even realize how special these films are? Again, from a purely technical standpoint, the entertainment being released for today's youth is spectacular, and I hope they appreciate it.

Monday Retro Review: The John Carpenter Edition

Alright Basementites, it's time once again to cast your ballot and decide what next Monday's retro review will be. And you're three choices come from the film library of one of the best genre filmmakers cinema has ever know. That's right, this is the John Carpenter  Edition.

Jessica Cameron's Truth or Dare scores a gruesome Red Band trailer

Twenty seven awards and counting. That's how much acclaim scream queen Jessica Cameron 's directorial debut Truth or Dare has earned thus far. Twenty seven. Wow. We've been pimping the flick for a while now, and Jessica talked about her movie on our show earlier this season. Yet Truth or Dare isn't anywhere near done making the festival rounds and the marketing push continues.

Monday Retro Review: Outland

Outland is a movie I vaguely remember watching on TV with my dad. He was a huge fan of westerns and Sean Connery , so this sci-fi flick was right within the old man's wheelhouse. I remembered it being good, so when Basementites voted it as this week's retro review, I was pretty pumped. Was my enthusiasm justified? Stick with me! In the distant future, a police marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy, and gets no help from the populace when he later finds himself marked for murder.

Jason versus Edge of Tomorrow

Fellow Basementites Matt Bellamy and Lachlan Labere already sounded off on the latest Tom Cruise sci-fi epic Edge of Tomorrow. They've talked at length about the Groundhog Day aspects of the movie and the love/hate thingy audiences have for Cruise. I'm gonna hit this movie from the only angle I know -- the gut. An officer finds himself caught in a time loop during a war with an alien race . His skills increase as he faces some brutal combat scenarios, and his union with a Special Forces warrior gets him closer and closer to defeating the enemy.

Lachlan Labere versus Edge of Tomorrow

Thank you Matt Bellamy for convincing me to get out the other night and see Edge of Tomorrow at my local theatre. Because of a terrific partnership between said theatre and my employer, I got to enjoy this latest Tom Cruise sci-fi spectacle fro $2. And in 3D no less. The price was a bonus. Because of Bellamy's review here on WCFTB, I was prepared to pay the full cost of admission. And now I can admit, I don't feel I would have felt ripped off if I had.

Matt Bellamy versus 22 Jump Street

I have been a fan of the writing-directing duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller since the days of MTV's animated series ' Clone High '. These are guys who are so in tune with their own comedic sensibilities that it's honestly exciting how they continue to impress, and even show exponential growth with every single effort so far. When ' Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs ' was originally announced, many balked at the idea of yet another children's storybook getting the big screen treatment, and that it had to be a money-driven business decision over anything resembling artistic, or creative direction. I learned that these two guys were going to be behind it, and right then and there I knew the property was in good hands. 'Cloudy' turned into one of the best, and easily funniest animated features to be released in years.

The Late Night Double Feature, Lone and the Mark Pellington interview

Return with us once again to those thrilling days of so-bad-it's-good -1950s- drive-in cinema . That's right, it's time for The Basement Boys to check out the latest from the Dean of Mihmiversity himself -- Christopher R. Mihm. This time Basementites are treated to not one, but two modern/retro classic with The Late Night Double Feature. How groovy is the sci-fi/horror tale X: The Fiend from Beyond Space and the creeptacular The Wall People? Does Mihm's latest expand his repertoire or provide more of the same? Stick with us!

From The B-Kingdom: The "Apollo 18 sucked" review.

Can we please get past the whole “Found Footage” thing already?   Please?

Old habits die hard in the full Equalizer trailer

Seems like just yesterday that Sony released the first, action-packed trailer for  Denzel Washington 's new flick The Equalizer . Well, the studio has unleashed another look at this adaptation of the 1980s TV show , and it's really something else. Yup, there's less action on display here, but we get more of a feel for the story and the elements which, I am sure, have test audiences going gaga for this flick.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For lands a new trailer

My hopes haven't been very high for the sequel to Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez 's Sin City . To me, the flick is several years out of style, and although the cast is stellar, the first trailer gave me a been there, done that kinda vibe. This second trailer, however, has me more than a little jacked for A Dame to Kill For.

From The Corner: Valentine

Mike S, back again with another installment of " From the Corner ".  This time, I visit, " Valentine " (2001) Valentine's day is a day of love- at least for one person.  For a group of friends, it's a day of revenge and death ...

The Dumb and Dumber To trailer

Yeah, we don't do slapstick comedy much in The Basement, but when it comes to the much anticipated sequel to Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels ' Dumb and Dumber , we'll make an exception. The trailer dropped mere minutes ago, and now we're going to share it with you fine people. Here yah go:

First look at Brad Pitt's WWII tank flick Fury

I love tanks, I love war movies , and I'm a fan of Brad Pitt . That makes the superstar's upcoming Second World War action/drama Fury a must see for this Basementite. We'll forgive the presence of Shia LeBeouf of course.

Shawn versus The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Hello Basementites, Shawn here. I'm a big fan of superheroes. Next life, I'm gonna be one. This life, I love being the villain. Spider-Man is one of my favorite "heroes". In order (not that this means anything but) Superman, Hulk, Spider-Man. The big 3. So here we are, with a rebooted franchise. My HUGE nagging question is: WHY?  I mean, there are no leaps and bounds made in the CGI tech from the last set.  Which started in only 2002 and ended in 2007 Sure, Tobey is old now. But why reboot from the beginning. Just replace him and continue on. I made absolute fun of the last Maguire 3 and call them the Mary Jane movies. With a little Spidey in them. You could take all three of the Tobey Maguire Spidey movies, cut out most to ALL, of the Kirsten Dunst scenes and make one epic Spidey. (minus Venom casting, but we'll get into that later)

Matt Bellamy versus Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow deals with the idea of not exactly time travel , per say but something more along of the lines of "time repetition"; re-living the same day/event over, and over, and over again. For the sake of scientific conversation though, let's take a trip back in time to a very specific date: Monday, May 23, 2005. In my very best Neil deGrasse Tyson voice: "Come with me..."

You decide the Monday Retro Review

Alright, I had my fun picking and choosing what Monday Retro Review movie I wanted to watch. Now it's time for you to decide. That's right, we're democratic here in The Basement. I know, I'm as surprised as you are.

Terror thaws in this Harbinger Down trailer

We've done the upcoming horror flick Harbinger Down a great disservice by not featuring it on the site until today. We have no excuses or apologies. But we're more willing to make amends, right here, right now. The trailer for this all-practical FX flick written and directed by special effects genius Alec Gillis premiered this morning on Lance Henriksen 's official Facebook page . Yeah, it stars Lance. This movie is a total win right out the gate.

Monday Retro Review: Leviathan

Lost among an onslaught of underwater-themed flicks, this 1989 creature feature was overshadowed by James Cameron's The Abyss and unfavourably compared to Deepstar Six when first released. How does it hold up a quarter of a decade after the fact? Stick with me! Underwater deep sea miners encounter a Soviet wreck and bring back a dangerous cargo to their base on the ocean floor, with horrifying results.

Jason versus 3 Days to Kill

Sometimes all you wanna watch on a Friday night is a good, old-fashioned shoot 'em up . You know, guns, some shit blows up, and there's a hot chick or two. Fortunately, Kevin Costner and Amber Heard 's 3 Days to Kill showed up on my VOD queue and satisfied that need. But is it good? A dying CIA agent trying to connect with his estranged daughter is offered an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes on a Dark Journey

Here's something us Basementites don't get to talk about all that often -- podcasts! Which is funny given that we're, you know, a podcast. And fans of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes will be delighted -- that's right, I said delighted -- to know the characters join forces in a new series of podcasts called Doctor Who: Dark Journey.

Ghostbusters returning to theatres

Seeing Ghostbusters for the first time on the big screen during the summer of 1984 is still a vivid memory for this Basementite. I went with my mom, the No. 1 theatre at the Odeon was packed, and people laughed their collective asses off. Believe it or not, that was 30 years ago. To celebrate this milestone, the Bill Murray , Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis vehicle is headed back to the big screen later this sumer.

From The B-Kingdom: Ghost Shark

The problem with every movie about sharks is that you can be relatively sure that whenever the characters are on land, there is little to no possibility of danger.  And that's why Ghost Sharks are more dangerous, and more scary, than regular sharks.  Also, they can't be killed by conventional means. I originally thought that this movie was a mocumentary , and then I thought that it was just poorly and oddly narrated. As it turns out, I was watching it with the descriptive video function turned on for about half an hour, and by the time I figured this out, I was not willing to begin the movie over again. Incidentally, if ever you find yourself watching a movie that you feel you might not be getting the maximum about of enjoyment out of, and there isn't a Rifftrax track available for it, I highly recommend turning on the descriptive video. As it turns out, this can be quite amusing, and it is also a great way of remembering the names of characters whose significance

First poster for Jessica Cameron's Save Yourself

I believe we've said this before, but scream queen Jessica Cameron is one busy lady. Her directorial debut , Truth or Dare, is still making the festival rounds, her follow-up effort Utero is in post production , and here she is already on board another project as star and producer. Talented, beautiful and driven. The girl has it going on. And she's got good taste in podcasts.

Friday the 13th brings a Silent Retreat

Fresh off a Best Canadian Feature win at last year's Toronto After Dark festival, audiences are getting a chance to check out director Tricia Lee's supernatural horror film Silent Retreat in theatres. And you know you gotta support good Canadian horror, right!?! Well, you do! Especially when it opens on Friday the 13th.

From The Corner: Dementia 13

Welcome to the first installment of From the Corner , where I bring you my reviews of classic (and not so classic) horror movies .  First up, is a little bit of Francis Ford Coppola madness titled, " Dementia 13 "... The Haloran family has been under a cloud of darkness for decades.  The cloud pours down death as people start dying at the hands of a shadowy figure and their axe ...

Hold your breath -- it's the Submerged trailer

Steven C. Miller has generated a lot of buzz in horror circles, with his Silent Night , Under the Bed and Aggression Scale earning the director a sizeable following. You might also remember Steven was a guest on our show last year. With his latest flick, Submerged , Steven looks like he's ready to tackle the action genre . Given the strength of the preview below, I think he's up for the challenge.

Interview: Blood Widow's Kelly Kilgore

We've already seen the groovy little slasher flick Blood Widow, and Basementites can hear our thoughts by pushing play on the handy dandy podcast player to your right. One of the best performers in the flick, other than Blood Widow herself, is actress Kelly Kilgore, and The Basement scored a chance to interview her via email. Now we share that conversation with you just in time for the movie's home release.

Back in The Basement once more

The era of transition continues, Basementites, as Shawn and I have opted to part ways with The From Dusk Till Con Network. The separation was amicable, and we wish them well. Our show, and this site, will continue as its own entity, producing new content for you at least five days a week, an article or more a day. We've built up a good base of contributors, and the cooliosis is spreading.

Monday Retro Review: Hard Rain

For some inexplicable reason, a flick I watched in 1998 in the land Down Under popped into my head the other day, and just wouldn't go away. Damn you, Christian Slater . Damn you, Morgan Freeman . And damn you, Hard Rain . So is the movie any good? Stick with me. An armoured truck guard finds himself battling rising flood waters, a gang of thieves and a corrupt sheriff when an armed robbery goes bad.

Jason and Shawn and Lance Henriksen

Here it is, our -- as in Shawn and I's -- guest stint on the Millennium Group Sessions podcast hosted by our brothers in podcasting , Troy Foreman and James McLean. And yes, we got to talk to the great Lance Henriksen as well. Suffice to say, it's awesome.