M.R. Gott's Blog, page 8

From Still Watching Cartoons in my Batman Boxers; What if Roman Polnski directed Ender's Game?

This is an interesting thought from another person who has been boycotting Roman Polaski...Click to jump over to the article.

The Unseen

This was an oddly watchable movie, that I never thought of turning off (I do that a great deal) yet it was unquestionable shit, derivative, predictable, with laughable melodrama and incredibly poor direction as well as acting.  But I kept watching, and I can't figure out why.

Riddick Review at Ravenous Monster

Vin Diesel returns to his cult favorite role as Richard B Riddick in a lean, gritty flick that returns to the franchise’s roots.  This movie is very much Diesel’s project and he reportedly worked for scale in order to get the project green lit. 
We first met the convict Richard B Riddick in Pitch Black a small sci-fi horror flick with a cool premise that came out of nowhere. Diesel’s performance as Riddick won audiences over if not in theatres but on DVD, paving the way for the inflated Chronicles of Riddick.  Though making in more money theatrically (though not enough to warrant a direct sequel), Chronicles of Riddick felt almost nothing like Pitch Black.  Riddick was no longer a cunning killer, but someone who lunged headfirst into danger while relying almost exclusively on his brutality to vanquish his foes.  Chronicles of Riddick ends with Riddick accidentally becoming the ruler of a violent alien race and beginning the search for his home planet of Furya.
Click either image to jump over to Ravenous Monster for the full review

Top 10 X-Files episodes at Ravenous Monster

The X-Files debuted on September 10th 1993 and to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary we’ll be counting down the top 10 episodes here at Ravenous Monster.  How can I choose just ten from the series 203 episodes?  Very slowly and painfully cutting many of my favorites and you can be the judge of how well I fared.  The main criteria for this list was the strength of the specific episode, not necessarily its importance in the overarching mythology.  Most fans admit that by the end the overarching mythology was incredibly convoluted and the series finale fails to wrap it up in any satisfying way.  To remedy this (and score some money) a new comic series is currently being sold and billed as season 10.  I was very excited about this until four dead characters were resurrected in the second issue and this concept totally lost me in the process. 
Click either Image to Jump Over to Ravenous Monster for the list. 

Ghosts in the Attic by Mark Allan Gunnells

Mark Allan Gunnells’ Ghost in the Attic is a new collection of short stories released from Bad Moon Books and Evil Jester Press.  I would categorize the collection as more darkly supernatural as opposed to straight up horror as a whole, though at no point did I feel Gunnells was writing with kid gloves and worried about going too far.   
The most impressive element from the stories in Ghosts in the Attic as whole was the successful combination of eerie atmospheres and genuinely deep emotional characters.  Gunnells writes with a sincerity, that almost feels old fashioned in our world of meta humor and ironic winking. 
If you like old school style supernatural horror without restraint in the content I would strongly recommend Ghosts in the Attic.   

No One Lives Review

No One Lives is a difficult movie to review because there is a pretty cool plot twist about 20 minutes in that drastically changes the entire dynamic of the movie.  If you go with the twist the film is pretty enjoyable, however there are some serious detractors from this movie living up to its full potential.  While the performances are solid across the board, none of the characters are likable in the least.  This would be fine if the plot was a bit tighter, but the script requires a few great moments of suspension of disbelief to work.  Again this would be fine if some of the twists were a bit more clever.  If any two of these complaints were addressed I would put the film at highly recommendable as opposed to an enjoyable B Movie that is never boring with some solid actions set pieces that you will probably forget about in a few days.   

Kiss Of The Damned Reviewed at Ravenous Monster

Writer director Xan Cassavetes's film Kiss of the Damned is a beautifully intriguing film guaranteed to divide its audience.  The vampire tale is equal part horror and romance, with a strong focus on internal conflict.  Each of the main characters is the greatest danger they face. ...click either image for the full review. 

Where the Dead Fear to Tread 40% off

All Untreed Book 40% off at the Untreed Store Click below to jump over.  Discount will be taken at Check out.

Seductions by Ray Garton

Overview;The lover of your dreams has come...and that lover is not alone. They are everything we desire...and we are their prey. They feed on our passions...gorge themselves on our lust...and they know exactly what we want...what we crave.

Only a few people know they exist, and even those who know aren’t sure what they are, why they have come...or how to stop them. They blend in by taking the forms we love most, and they make of death an unimaginable ecstasy. You may know one of them. You may love one of them. But you will not survive one of them.
Review; Ray Garton’s debut novel Seductions is a clever little book, taking one of the most difficult monsters to use incubi/sucubi and creating a very cunning, briskly-paced supernatural mystery around multiple parties investigating missing persons cases where massive amounts of blood and nothing else was found at the site of disappearance.  One of Seductions strengths is a lack of clear fodder characters, the cast of the novel is small, but that allows for more character building and personal arcs.  Garton’s novel starts small and builds toward an incredible climax.  He slowly ratchets up the tension page by page, as the reader discovers with the characters what exactly is happening. In the End;
Seductions by Ray Garton is a solid paperback page turner.  While it doesn’t re-invent the genre, it is a satisfying read, with bloody kills, clever reveals and well-drawn characters.  

The World's End Review

I didn't really enjoy Shaun of the Dead when I first saw it.  The tonal shifts between comedy, drama and action were too abrupt for me.  A friend (Hi Pat) talked me into re-watching it, and now its one of my most watched films.  Hot Fuzz is also a frequently viewed film in my life.

The World's End is more akin to Shaun of the Dead.  The humor is dark, combining slapstick and verbal fare.  Many of the characters we come to care for die horrible deaths.  Edgar Wright's direction is inspired and the action sequences are near perfection.  You can easily follow each and every blow, no jump cutting here. The story surrounds Simon Pegg's incredibly unlikable Gary King, manipulating his old pals into a pub crawl  to try and recapture past glory.  All does horribly and fantastically awry and the less you know the more you'll get out of it.
While I enjoyed The World's End I feel like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (and even Paul, there I said it) it will get better with each viewing.  Cheers mate.