Alice in Wonderland Review

I don't get to go to the theaters to often, but when I do, I wanna see a good film. This, my little reaplings, was just fun to see. The premise of the film is this :19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny; to end the Red Queen's reign of terror. The film is directed by the great Tim Burton and stars both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and when I say stars, I mean it. These two gave the most entertaining performances of the film. Johnny's Mad Hatter has such a sympathetic, yet totally insane feel to him. When he has a flashback to the way Wonderland used to be, his emotions are so strong and you really feel for him. But when he goes mad, its funny and amusing, as Depp always is. Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen is just wicked. Animal hating, mean, angry...the perfect Red Queen. I thought her acting was spot on and this is probably my favorite role of hers ever. Miss Anne Hathaway played the White Queen, and she was just funny. You can tell the White Queen is a bit crazy like her sister just by the way she moves. It was very cute and fun. And of course, you have Alice herself, played by Mia Wasikowska. I thought she did a pretty good job here. She wasn't too crazy and was strong in the role.
The film itself was visually stunning with a simple plot theme; good verses evil. The effects were absolutely amazing to the eye and brought out Burton's dark and funny feeling of Wonderland. The 3D was there to pretty much enhance those effects, and for the most part did it's job. There were a few parts of the film where I wished the 3D did more, but it was still enjoyable. A lot of critics didn't like how basic the plot was compared to the original Lewis Carrol books, but I don't wanna see a film that confuses the hell outta me (like those books did when I was younger!) I liked how the movie was easy on the mind because it makes it good for children to watch it, while the visuals and strong acting performances give the adults something to love (The moat with the floating severed heads though, you might have to explain that to the kiddies). Overall, this film was fun to watch and I would absolutely recommend you go see it!

Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight - Tony (Screener Review)

A week in the life of Tony, an alienated psychopath with severe social problems, an obsession for action films and a horrible moustache. Unemployed and unemployable, Tony prowls the streets, his nervous attempts to make human connections rebuffed by laughter or contempt. Occasionally he snaps, and violence is the result…

This film is in one word, haunting. The film isn't really a horror film, but more in the way of a thriller that makes you feel for the main character, even if you don't want to. Tony is just a pathetic man with no real friends, no social skills, and no life. His only real contact with the world are a few crack heads and prostitutes. Theres a scene where he goes to a whore and just wants to talk with her that really makes you feel bad for the guy. Then, you see what happens when he snaps, and realize this guy is a ticking time bomb, just waiting to explode. The scenes that are the most gruesome is him siting on the couch or lying in the bed with corpses of his victims; his only real human contact. It's overall well made, but could use a bit more sound editing before it's April release date; some of the words are hard to hear and the music in the gay bar he goes into is too loud to make any impact. Other than these few flaws, this movie is really good and really dark. Check out more about the film HERE

Splurge Of The Week : Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Pop-Up Book

A young girl gets lost in the woods, and the only link to the outside world is her radio and her love of the Boston Red Sox.

Adapted by Peter Abrahams, this book is the perfect way to introduce the younger kids to the wonders of Stephen King. The feel of the book is still here, but the context is re-worded enough that young kids (9-12) can read and understand it. Plus the pop-up aspect of the book, illustrated by Alan Dingman will grab them and keep them interested. It's still scary and haunting, like the original novel, but it's not too over the top. I love the whole concept of a Stephen King pop-up book, and this is definitely a must buy for King fans both young and old. And just to give you and idea of the amazing artwork in the book, here are a few images of the pages popped up.

Dollar Bin Film - "Hack!"

Wanting to raise their grades, a handful of college kids are randomly selected for a field trip to study wildlife, but don't get the chance as cliché horror film-style murders occur.

Heres what In thought when I first bought this film, "Sweet! A film with William Forsythe, can't be that bad, can it?" My thoughts after I watched the film, "I want the last 89 minutes of my life back!" Everything in this movie is a bad horror cliché, and I mean EVERYTHING. From the character's names (Mary Shelley and Vincent King), to the horror movie-style killings, to the teenagers themselves (the jock, the black guy, the gay guy, the slut, the dork...must I continue?) The story itself is weak. Take away all the stupid horror movie ripoffs, and your left with a bunch of kids getting killed by a crazy couple...that's so original. Yes, this is supposed to be a horror comedy, but it's just not funny at all.

This Should get the "Coolest Image of the Year Award!"

The amazing artist over at Izombie Lover just made my day. If you didn't know, Im a HUGE fan of the Big Bang Theory, and have a huge crush on Raj. I requested a Raj zombie...And here it is!!!!

The caption to the pic was also awesome..."I need more brains, Leonard... Penny's is too small..." I LOVE it! Please go over to Izombie Lover and checkout all the other artwork!

Dollar Bin Film - "Baby Blues"

On a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protect his sibling from the mother they have always known and loved.

I got this film at Walmart in a 3 pack for $5. I didn't really have any expectations, but this movie was really good. The film grabs you and pulls you into the story. It makes you feel for the children and the mom scares the shit outta me! Speaking of the mom, her acting was absolutley spot on. The only thing I didn't like about her was she looked like she had about as much work done as Heidi Montag! (don't know if she has, just saying it looks like it). It was very well shot, the dark blue hue of the film really put you in the mood of the situation. I would absolutely recommend Baby Blues for an enjoyable horror movie night.

Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight - Patrick Campbell

He describes himself as "a semi-hermit who watches too many horror movies and likes pop music", but Patrick Campbell is a horror blogging fiend. He runs the blog Stabbing Stabbing Stabbing, which is full of funny, clever posts that are sure to entertain. Not only is he an awesome blogger, but a good friend and he sat down with me to do an interview for the Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight!

Q: How did you get into horror?

A: I had a combination when I was a younger of being absolutely terrified of some books (Phone Call From a Ghost, Daniel Cohen, The Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz. Both had freaky pictures) and then really enjoying others (anything by R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike). Eventually I started reading Stephen King and Michael Crichton. At some point my brother bought a used copy of Poltergeist, which absolutely scared us to death. In high school I watched horror movies with friends on and off. After high school I become religious and watched horror movies but sometimes felt bad about watching one of them or was criticized by people working for the church. In 2007 I guess I just decided forget that and it's been a ride further and further into horror movies since then, :)

Q: Why did you start horror Blogging?

A: It was like a weird puzzle coming together, got friended by the guy behind The Vault of Horror, which to me was like being friended by a rock star, then friended another blogger and then friending and being friended continued on and on with different horror folks and all of a sudden I knew all these nice horror people. Then all of a sudden one day I decided, what the heck, I'll make my own. So I did. With great assistance from my brother, he's the tech guy.

Q: What are your future plans for Stabbing Stabbing Stabbing?

A: The goal of my blog is to have a place where I can write whatever I want and hopefully get other people interested in my writings. If they're offended, annoyed, amused, or really dig my work, that's all cool.

Q: What are your favorite and least favorite horror films?

A: My favorite horror film is the entire Friday the 13th series including the remake. Collectively they jut form an amazing crazy roller-coaster ride I love.
My least favorite horror film is Howling: New Moon Rising, the seventh movie in that series. I love the first and some of the sequels are better than others but Howling New Moon Rising is horrible humor, horrible acting, not nearly enough werewolf action...that movie is the ultimate limit of suck that a horror movie can be. Never, ever, watch that movie. Eegads.

Q: Where can we learn more about you and your blog?

A: At http://patrick.wonderal.com/blog/, hope anybody who visits it gets a smile or some reaction from it that doesn't involve decapitating me. I like my head where it is.