Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Inspired by: Guillermo del Toro

["Every now and then I'll post about someone or something that inspires me. To read a previous entry, see the entry about Darren Lynn Bousman. And for now please enjoy this little snippet about Guillermo del Toro."]

Reading del Toro's book that Craig gave me for my birthday ("Cabinet of Curiosities"), I am reminded how important it is to a creative person to keep notebooks. I used to keep one with me at all times and have started writing many a short film in those very notebooks. Then in 2011 the iPad came out. And while I absolutely love the fact that I've transferred all my writings and notes to plain text so that I can access them anywhere via Dropbox, I find that I don't do as much creative writing on my iPad. I do type a lot. And have typed several short film scripts on it. 

But there is something about pen to paper that gives my brain a jump start. It's like the creative process in my brain is physically connected to that paper. And I tend to brainstorm more and more efficiently when writing versus typing. So, in the spirit of del Toro and creative artists everywhere, I'm going to go back to carrying a notebook. 

Luckily my OCD did not have time to kick in and force me to go in search of the perfect writing notebook, because I found an unused composition book buried in my closet. I'm more than content with that!

Happy writing!

Monday, January 13, 2014

RIP 2013 - My Favorite Movies

Between giant robots, ghosts, evil spirits, killer dolls, aliens, possessed trees, zombies, and crazed murderers, 2013 was a solid year for horror movies.


The odd thing for me, though, is that while there were several that were great, there really wasn't one that stood out. That's a little disappointing and I'm not sure why that is. Whether it was the less-than-ideal theater going experience or if those really great movies were great technically, but just didn't touch me on a personal level, I don't know. Or maybe it's because there were so many great ones this year - which certainly isn't a bad thing. But here's the funny thing - I can't name 10 movies. I can name 8. Please understand that I see a lot of movies every year, but many of those are from previous years (recent and old).  So, I'm gonna do something a little different and list several of those really good movies and then list my two, yes TWO, favorites of 2013. 


Dark Skies - This one surprised me. It takes the haunted house theme and adds something to it to mix things up, and I liked it. 


Evil Dead - I was real surprised that I liked this one. I think it's because it was so different from the original Evil Dead. I liked the underlying premise as to why these kids were at the cabin, which I could argue has more substance than the original, and it definitely brought the gore. 


You're Next - A good movie with a great female lead. My only gripe is how the filmmakers explained the girl's survival prowess. Not spoiling anything, but the fact they threw that bit in there kinda bummed me out. 


The Battery - Great, great indie movie about two people surviving the zombie apocalypse. Horror needs more character driven pieces. 

Curse of Chucky - I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the newest sequel to a movie that made me a horror filmmaker. We also got an amazing performance by Fiona Dourif, another great female lead for horror. Curse is a solid effort and I hope we see more. My only gripe is that the CGI sucked. Seriously. Some of Chucky's expressions look terrible. 


Insidious: Chapter 2 - A good sequel to an amazing original. Yes, I am a BIG fan of Insidious. If you liked the first Insidious, there isn't any reason you won't like this one. I can't wait to see where they go next. 





And now for my two favorites of the year... 


Pacific Rim - Giant robots and huge monsters! What's not to love? This isn't really horror, but I included it since it is a genre picture. The story could have been a little tighter, it's nothing we haven't seen before, but... Giant robots and huge monsters! Pacific Rim was definitely a favorite. 


The Conjuring - In ten years we will still be talking about this one. It's without a doubt the best made horror movie of the last decade. Heck, dare I say, it's the best horror movie since the original Scream. It's almost hard to believe this is a studio picture. An instant classic. James Wan really blew us away this year and I can't wait to continue watching his career even if he does claim to be leaving horror. And let me just say, I am so glad they cast Lily Taylor, because no one, NO ONE, could have pulled off the part of the mother like she did. Amazing.