OPENS: Currently playing the art-house circuit and expected on DVD for Halloween 2009.
GENRE: Horror, Gay, Indie

CHILD FRIENDLY: NO
PARENTAL WARNING: This is a film for adults. It has graphic gore, violence, same-sex sexual situations, full frontal nudity . This is not a film you’d want to watch with any of your family members in the room – let alone children.

This film is not for the faint of heart – or the easily offended. It is full of gore, violence, seedy graphic sex (both heterosexual and homosexual) and language that would make a sailor blush.

But if that kind of stuff doesn’t bother you, Scab offers an original take on the vampire mythos.

Throughout the literary and filmed history of movies, the line between vampirism and sexuality has been blurred – at best. In Scab, the debut film by writer-director Thomas Jason Davis, who explains his own film’s matter-of-fact take on sexuality:

In my twisted little geek-boy fantasy, the lusted-for slut-boy Ajay finally admits that he loves the geek. It’s like Sixteen Candles with cockrings. Say Anything with fangs and lube and a touch more self-loathing.

- Thomas Jason Davis, Director

The Plot

The movie starts with a rather graphic and violent gay one-night stand where Ajay learns “no” doesn’t always mean no at the hands of a vampire.

We have our initial assessment confirmed in the following scene through his two friends, Teague and Floor, talk – unknowing what happened to Ajay – discussing how their good friend Ajay is a slut who is living an empty life. We also learn that nerdy Teague has an unrequited crush on Ajay and the hunky and straight Floor is a heterosexual version of Ajay who is not above flirting with anyone – men or women – to get advantage of a situation.

Needless to say, the next time we see Ajay, he’s woken up undead and is dealing with his new hunger for neck tartar and loses touch with Teague and Floor, who come over to check in on their friend.

This leads to a road trip to Las Vegas for the three, where their journey brings about some much-needed self discovery – with a body count. This is a vampire movie, after all.

The film crates yet another mythos of what vampirism is and how it spreads. In doing so, it eliminated the already blurred line between vampires and sex.

WATCH THE TRAILER

WARNING: Course language

Opens:

What do you get when you re-make a classic landmark of science fiction film history like the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still?

Better yet, throw in box-office favorite Keanu Reeves as the alien with the warning to humanity and replace the cold war message with one dealing with today’s obsession about environmental catastrophe.

Sound like a good idea?

Well, according to most of the mainstream critics, the result is an unqualified mess that may not appeal to anyone with a mental age over 12. And critics make a special note to point out to fans of the original film to skip this version altogether.

Of the few good comments on this update, critics point to a winning performance by Kathy Bates in a supporting role as a tough-as-nails politician. Also, the use of special effects and computer-generated imagery also got high marks.

But the lowest marks went to the story and script. More than one critic called the dialogue unintentionally laughable.

So, for those in fandom, this version it either destined for cult comedy status – or is headed to the dustbin alongside atrocities such as the remake of Planet of the Apes and the film version of Battlefield Earth.

WATCH THE TRAILER

{for=”San Jose Mercury News” value=”1″}

“… will probably resonate best with the preteens in the crowd, who might not necessarily care about the sluggish direction or the considerable gaps in logic. Everyone else would be much better off staying home and revisiting Armageddon or Deep Impact, which — compared to this movie — are models of intelligence, wit and complexity.” – Christopher Kelly

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“… Klaatu barada stinko. Pointless remake of the sci-fi classic is loaded with unintentional laughs.” – Alonso Duralde

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{for=”CNN” value=”3″}

“… The original movie is beginning to show its age, but at least it holds up as a story. That’s more than you can say for a preachy, draggy blockbuster that espouses a radical message of Luddite technophobia at the same time as it conspicuously plugs Honda and LG Electronics, and dresses up its half-baked thinking in blinding (but not that brilliant) CGI wizardry.” – Tom Charity

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{for=”Hollywood Reporter” value=”4″}

“… the best science fiction has always been about innovative ideas and challenging issues. In this regard, the updated The Day the Earth Stood Still falls far short of the original.” – Tom Charity

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Curious about this I looked up Origa. Apparently she is a Japanese woman of Russian descent. She has worked with Yokko Kanno in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Gundam (both of which are sci fi anime).

I have 3.9 hours worth of Origa in my iTunes, how did I not know this? I suppose it was something my husband purchased at some point and never got around to telling me about it. It’s all labelled as pop, but it’s not like american annoying pop. This is subtle.

Here is a wikipedia article on her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/>Origa She has a nice voice. Her music is not overly complex but is rich in its simplicity.

On youtube you can listen to “Rise” from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bOhI-P6de4

However, after listening to a few songs, thus far Aurora is my favorite, and if you are a Final Fantasy X (a sci fi/fantasy mix RPG for the PS2) fan, you’ll like the video as well. It was suprisingly good. Spot on. I want a hi-rez version of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_5JH49gsg

The song, “Yoru no Melody”, the one that caught my attention in the first place, is not on youtube or on playlist.com though a few of her other songs are, including the two mentioned above. This is too bad because “Yoru no Melody” really does have a nice melody. It caught my attention while I was in the middle of doing some cleaning and I’ve listened to quite a few times already. Though, admittedly not nearly as much as I have with “Aurora.”

OPENS: July 11, 2008

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro (director of three-time Oscar-winner Pan’s Labyrinth as well as Blade II and the original Hellboy) is on a roll, according to mainstream movie critics, who hail him as everything from the next Hitchcock to the next Ovid.

Although not all the critics loved the film – almost 9 out of 10 gave it positive reviews – which is an accomplishment for a genre film since the mainstream press seems hellbent on dismissing anything with an out-of-this-world imagination.

Not so with Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Critics universally praised del Toro for his unique visual style and ability to set a mood like not other directer working today. Also, the actor playing the title role, Ron Perlman (TV’s Beauty and the Beast) an unlikely action hero at age 58, was praised by most as being at the top of his game.

Of the few negative comments, some found fault with the story as too simplistic or unbelievable, as if they forgot they were watching a social commentary disguised as a horror comedy about a big red demon who cut off his horns, loves kittens and decided to fight for the good guys.

The absurdity of life is the message, guys.

Del Toro’s next films: Doctor Strange in 2010 and in 2012 – The Hobbit (official prequels to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy)

WATCH THE TRAILER

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• Outstanding special effects
• Great visuals in cinematography
• Genuine chills – and laughs
• Moody and original dark fantasy elements

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• Action, violence and language may be too harsh for children.
• A few critics found the plot too predictable.

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{for="Los Angeles Times" value="8"}

"Starting with characters created by Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics, writer-director Del Toro, whose one-of-a-kind Pan’s Labyrinth won a trio of Oscars in 2007, is almost alone in his ability to re-create on screen the wide-eyed exhilaration and disturbing grotesqueness that is the legacy of reading comics on the page.” – Kenneth Turan

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{for=”Seattle Post-Intelligencer” value=”8″}

“It definitely gives us our money’s worth in the sheer volume of its imaginative fantasy creatures and it’s that rare superhero-movie sequel that’s better than the original.” – William Arnold

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{for=”Slate” value=”8″}

“Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has started to look like a legitimate successor to Ovid. Del Toro is not so much a creator of myths as a collector of them, a transhistorical myth nerd whose pantheon of influences ranges from Hesiod to Harryhausen (with liberal helpings of steam punk and Catholic iconography).” – Dana Stevens 

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{for=”Kansas City Star” value=”6″}

“Here’s the problem: too much razzle-dazzle. Not enough Ron Perlman.” – Robert W. Butler 

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{for=”The Vancouver Sun” value=”9″}

“In a season of endless comic book superheroes, Hellboy II is a unique visual feast.” – Jay Stone

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{for=”Minneapolis Star-Tribune” value=”9″}

“Guillermo Del Toro’s stylish sense of wonderment makes for the best superhero movie of the summer. ” – Colin Covert

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{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”7″}

“in the right hands, digital effects, creature design and directorial elan can work together to give you the best sort of willies.” – Michael Phillips

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{for=”Rotten Tomatoes” value=”9″}

“Del Toro crafts a stellar comic book sequel, boasting visuals that are as imaginative as the characters are endearing.” Tomatometer

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Note to fen: This has very, very light K/S fanfic themes and is PG-rated.