Films We’ve Watched: Evil Dead (2013)

The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness form one of the greatest trilogies of all time. They encapsulate a certain 80s zaniness, the bizarre and the baroque, full of blood and guts and, yes, sometimes real horror, but driven along with a wry wit all their own. With Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, you kind of know what you’re getting into. They’re technically horror movies, it’s true, but horror movies in the same sense that Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and Cabin in the Woods are horror movies. All have the same wink-wink nudge-nudge that lend the films a quality beyond your typical genre fair. They are gory, but it’s cartoonish gore, which fits in perfectly with the subversive, comedic tone they all have. I say subversive because without a doubt they all work as horror movies, but horror movies that go beyond the norm and bring genuinely fresh ideas to the table.

It has been 32 years since the original movie, and everything else under the sun has been rebooted or remade. We’ve had Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and now somebody has decided it was time for Evil Dead to rise again. The same trifecta of Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Robert Tapert, who went into the woods with $90,000 in their pockets and emerged with the first Evil Dead have grown up and now share a producer credit, while newcomer Fede Alvarez is given directing duties this time around.

Facial Hair Friday, #76: BEFORE YOU GO SEE BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Before Midnight is director Richard Linklater’s latest installment in his Before series starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.  If you’ve already seen Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, then you already know and love these characters.  In fact, you’ve probably been counting down the days till you get to see the next snapshot of their lives.  And if you’re part of the Lara and the Reel Boy, you’re excited to see what Ethan Hawke’s facial hair looks like too.  And if you’re one particular part of Lara and the Reel Boy, you got to see that up close and personal.

The Pull List #4

The Pull List is Nico’s ongoing recommendations for what to pick up at the comic shop this week.  Check back each week for the best of brand new releases.

Dark Horse Comics

Lobster Johnson: Satan Smells A Rat by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Kevin Nolan

Mike Mignola is perhaps best known for his epic (and still going) run on Hellboy, but he’s also down a lot more for Dark Horse, including a wonderfully bizarre pulp filled series starring Lobster Johnson. Don’t know who that is? That’s ok, because this month we are getting a one shot starring everybody’s favorite vigilante. The solicit says that somebody is killing bums in Skid Row, and you can guess that with Johnson on the case, somebody is going to get a lobster claw burned into their head (because fuck it, that’s why). But in all seriousness, it should be a great one shot and a nice introduction for people who may not know much about the world of Dark Horse’s BPRD.

Our Unbiased Opinion: Disability and Ability in Science Fiction

In my classroom this past semester, we’d been talking about Nancy Farmer’s The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, and I was really nervous about being observed for the first time – as a student I never had to deal with evaluations & I’ve literally never been in a teaching situation before now. My students were probably the best they’ve ever been this week though with thoughtful discussion and full engagement with the text. I am so glad they picked this week to make me look good (but really it’s all their doing).

 

The Pull List #3

DC Comics

Aquaman Vol. 1: “The Trench” TBP by Geoff Johns, art by Ivan Reis

A few years ago, Geoff Johns completely remade the Green Lantern mythology bringing Hal Jordan back and fleshing out the emotional spectrum. Now, with the New 52, he’s doing the same thing for Aquaman. Yes, the guy who’s superpowers include “can-talk-to-fish”, who has frequently been the butt of comic book jokes for years, got the Geoff Johns makeover and now Aquaman is one of the best books DC is putting out each month. Collected in this TPB is the new introduction to Aquaman and his partner Mera as they struggle against a threat from deep below the sea. But more than that, it is simply a fantastic new take on an old DC character, one that is full of moments that show how in the right hands any character, even Aquaman, can be powerful and conflicted and utterly relatable, and without a doubt one of the most badass characters in the new DC Universe.

Don’t Miss These Netflix, Week 18

Hey baby, how have you been? Oh is that so? Really? I told you, Becky is a huge bitch. Look I’m going to cheer you up right now. You ready for this? Good. Turn on Netflix and type these words into the search field, ‘The Cabin in the Woods’. Now hit play.

That’s right; the glorious sorta kinda horror movie The Cabin in the Woods is on Netflix. If you didn’t catch this in theaters you are in for a treat. Sadly, I cannot go into more detail as I don’t want to spoil the goodness, but just trust me, there is much goodness.

Visible Quotes #6: The Octagon

Visible Quotes is our attempt to share some of our favorite lines in film, in their original context.  They’re always better in the movie, especially when the other option is your friend endlessly saying them.

I will admit, without any shame, that I love Chuck Norris movies.  The action is great, the villains are always over the top, and Chuck’s characters are endlessly entertaining (maybe not always for the right reasons, but that’s beside the point).  But its definitely a fact that his earlier films were better than his later ones.  The 70s and 80s were Chuck’s heyday.  And there are some excellent examples out there.  Today, our quote comes from one of my absolute favorites: The Octagon.

In The Octagon, Chuck plays a retired martial arts champion who decides to go after a secret ninja clan after they do enough damage to his personal life that he can’t ignore them any longer.  For some reason, there is a ton of voice-over narration that allows us to hear Chuck’s inner thoughts through all of this action.  Which is awesome.  It also features Lee Van Cleef as a man who murders terrorists.  That is actually his profession.  He finds terrorists as they come into the United States and murders them.  He’s a fascinating character and I really wish there was a sequel to The Octagon that just focused on him.

Anyway, our quote comes from the scene where Chuck is trying to convince his disbelieving fried that ninjas are behind all of the recent crimes.  Its great not only because of the way he phrases his argument, but because his mustache is simply amazing.

 

Oh man, he’s just such a role model.

- david