Probably My Only Post This Month

Things are hectic right now so Splice has been relegated I'm sorry to say.

I just wanted to post that you should go see Inception (incredible thriller that plays with the conventions of the genre but also works on whatever philosophical level your mind wants it to), Toy Story 3 (yup, it may be the best of the three), Black Dynamite (spot on Blaxploitation spoof that'll probably go over anyone who doesn't get what it's spoofing's heads. See it if you can as showings are limited), and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (a visual and audio experience that has to be seen to be believed. Oh, and ignore the fans of the graphic novel snivelling about it, it's a blast). After a fallow period four of 2010's best have come out in a few weeks.

Reviews will possibly follow at some point, maybe around DVD release dates.

I also saw Death Note 2 and it was good, although maybe not as good as the first one.

Next up Death Note 3, Triangle, and The Girl Who Played With Fire plus hopefully Lebanon if the DVD frees up.

Hopefully be back on the Splice trail soon. For now, toodles!

Update: Splice's Greatest...

...you know the rest.

I was just checking through older posts for this on/(mainly) off feature thanks to Ruud picking up the ball again with the wonderful Groundhog Day. I now realise that the last post I made about it was in February, not too long ago you're probably thinking. That's February 2009, and it was an update on the next films I'd be looking at.

Whoops!

I'll forego the Coen Brothers' films for now as I've already done Hudsucker Proxy and I'm not quite ready to sit down and watch them all again so soon so I'm going for something else, another quirkier addition to the list. Expect it next week, he says knowing that the last film he added to the list was in October 2008. But seriously, next week. Honest.

As far as the list system goes I can't really remember it or how it works so from now on I'm just going to add films to the list at the bottom and for me anyway it's not in any particular order, it's just great films from a decade that was pretty damn good.

So see you next week with a quirker, but great little film.

Aye-Or-Naw-O-Meter

I've joined Lovefilm so I can catch up with some stuff. Getting newer films is difficult but I'll review them as I get them. What you tend to get sent instead are the foreign or short films on your list.

Instead of writing big reviews of these I thought I'd start the Aye-Or-Naw-O-Meter. Put simply should you see the movie, aye or naw. I'll do it as a monthly roundup and include any other films or that I've watched on telly or elsewhere.

I'd quote an advertising meerkat right now but I bloody well hate him so I won't.

First one on Monday.

An Apology From Red

Look sometimes life just gets in the way okay?

Sorry I've started out a tad defensive here. A number of things have contributed to my absense from Splice for a while. A combination of a live stand up show that needed extensive writing and a computer that decided to pack in combined with not being able to get the laptop I picked out to replace it and work.

These things haven't only gotten in the way of writing stuff for the site but they've gotten in the way of me actually getting to the cinema to see anything so I can write about them on Splice.

As such 2010 is going to be the year of catching up on stuff through DVD and Xbox rentals and then reviewing them after you've no doubt seen them. There's a few films I've watched and will be reviewing henceforth and there's also the little matter of the newest Cinematic Titanic offering. It may start as a trickle as I still haven't got that laptop but full service shall return as soon as possible (on other words long periods of nothing followed by sudden bursts of posts, many of which are for films that have been out for so long they're already out of the pictures).

Again, sorry. Now let's Splice (that's not gonna be our new catchphrase)!

Santa With Muscles Live Viewing

Yeah we're watching this on Youtube at 10pm UK time:



We're going to have a live Twitter session and if you're a mate with either of us on Facebook we're going to create a wall post there too. Come join us in watching Hulk Hogan as a bearded basher of bad guys in Santa With Muscles. The entire film in ten parts can be found here.

Join us!

Splice Advent Calender Starts Tomorrow

What that there title above said:

Day 13: Beetlejuice

Well here we are, Hallowe'en. All Hallow's Eve.

So why is Beetlejuice my Hallowe'en night film? Because let's be honest Hallowe'en's for kids and Beetlejuice scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. And I'm one of those tits who tries to re-live his childhood every chance I get.

So just for you I'm going to re-live the childhood trauma and then list why it used to scare me. It doesn't now because I'm a manly man 'n' stuff (honest)...

Day 12: The Dark

It's the night before Hallowe'en, All Hallow's Eve Eve as no one would ever to refer to it. As such it's telly time. Traditionally the week of Hallowe'en has been scary movie central. Sadly that seems to be a thing of the past, maybe because of satellite and cable TV and their ability to show tons of the things on dedicated channels. As such looking through the terrestrial schedules for a scary movie proved to be a bit difficult.

Hallowe'en night itself proves to be a bit of a damp squib. Channel 4 is showing the rather brilliant The Host, but that's after midnight so it's technically a November 1st movie. BBC2 is showing the original Halloween and Halloween 2. The latter's guff whilst the former is just way too familiar, although as argued on Wednesday you could do far worse than download the Halloween Rifftrax and give the old film a new slant. Your best bet is on E4 which is showing Charlie Brooker's surprisingly brutal Big Brother zombie thing Dead Set. Of course it's a repeat from last year but it is pretty darn great.

The scariest thing on telly tomorrow night can be found on Five USA. No not a showing of Prom Night but rather the earlier screening of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. It's the most terrifying thing on telly by a long, long way.

So what to do. I say get a DVD in. Quite a few of the films covered for the 13 Days Of Hallowe'en are perfect as is the previously reviewed on Splice Drag Me To Hell which came out on DVD this week. Great fun and nicely old fashioned in its scares it's well worth your time.

If your going out, on the piss as opposed to trick-or-treating I'd imagine, then there's a couple of scary movies on tonight that take you past midnight and into Hallowe'en. ITV 1 has plumped for a remake of The Amityville Horror starting soon. More interesting is BBC 1's choice of The Dark, the one I'll be watching. I've went for this as it sounds decent, has a good cast and it's set in Wales. As such that should mean at least one scene of horrifying sheep*.

It starts at 11:40pm and I'll probably tweet on the Splice Twitter page during it, although it won't be of the level of the Dracula Vs. Frankenstein live Twitter session of last Friday. Mainly because I can't be bothered having to pause the film halfway through for two hours after posting too many tweets in a short time span.

If you're watching either film get in touch!

* If you want guaranteed sheep horror check out New Zealand's Black Sheep, another great film for a party tomorrow night.

Day 11: Death Note

Next up is Japanese horror/thriller Death Note. Death Note is the live action film based on the manga, anime, video game and breakfast cereal of the same name.

Day 10: Rifftrax Does Halloween

Well it's the most obvious film to watch at this time of year so here it is. Sadly it's probably not that shocking anymore, either because you've seen it a million times or because you're really young and it's all a bit tame. Well you can piss off and watch your rubbish Rob Zombie versions.

Anyway this is an attempt to shake things up a bit with the Rifftrax treatment of the classic film. If the terror has been too much to take so far Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy should make you laugh whilst cowering behind the sofa...

Day 9: Wasting Away

Right, next up is a zombie flick called Wasting Away. In all honesty I have no idea what this is. While I was sifting through the horror DVDs in HMV Ispotted the cover for this with happy looking zombies. It kind of reminded me of that rather entertaining original take on zombies Fido.

So reading the back of the DVD this sounds like it could be quite fun. Basically four friends become zombified but the story is told from their point of view so they don't realise it.

Looks like it won some awards at horror film fests as well so hopefully this turns out to be a wee gem.

On with the watching...

Day 8: Monsters Vs. Aliens

For tonight it's a bit of a lighter film after yesterday's intense one. Monsters Vs. Aliens has been recommended to me thanks to constant references to cheesy old sci fi/horror flicks. It's also the family Hallowe'en night film of the list. It's out today on DVD so I've just bought it and I'm away to watch it now. Review up as soon as possible afterward...

Day 7: The Mist

Let's continue on the classy front with the second killer bug movie on the list, Frank Darabont's third feature length, and first horror, Stephen King adaptation, The Mist.

I've heard many a good thing about this one, usually along the lines of "it's a travesty nobody went to see this yet Saw is on its fifth sequel".

If that isn't a recommendation I don't know what is...

Day 6: Devil's Backbone

Right, on to a classier affair. I know, you're thinking what could be classier than Dracula Vs. Frankenstein? Paris Hilton's sex tape maybe? That's just too ghastly even for Splice. Instead let's go with Euro ghost story Devil's Backbone.

Going to do something a wee bit different yet again for this one, keep your eyes peeled...

Back In Action

Right we can resume from Part 6 of Dracula Vs. Frankenstein. Hopefully I'll be allowed to finish the film this time. If not then I'll probably give up.

http://twitter.com/SpliceChuff

Start here with the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGdruhWsmIs

Live Twitter Session Continues Soon

Turns out there's a limit to how many status updates you can do in a certain period so with the first five parts of Dracula Vs. Frankenstein watched I've been cut off. I may resume again in a few hours if possible. If not then call this a glorious failure, much like any Scottish fitba team campaign!

Live Twitter Session

Less than one hour to go until the live Twitter session whilst watching Dracula Vs. Frankenstein on YouTube.

Splice's Twitter Page

Part One Of Dracula Vs. Frankenstein

Join me, if you dare!

Day 5: Dracula Vs. Frankenstein

Right enough of the decently well made films. Let's get stuck into a serious bit of utter chuff, Dracula Vs. Frankenstein. This stinky pile was recommended by batmite on the MST3K Discussion Board.

This one's available on YouTube and so I thought it would be fun to try something a little different. So as I'm watching Drac Vs. Frankie Boy on YouTube I'm going to Tweet about it on Twitter.

I don't know if it'll work but it's something new and thus supposedly exciting. I'll be watching the film about midnight UK time and anyone's invited to join in with the viewing and mocking on Twitter.

Splice's Twitter page is: http://twitter.com/SpliceChuff

The first part of the film can be found here.

I'll post again here as we get closer to viewing time and go mental on the ol' Twitter in the lead up.

Day 4: Infestation

Next up is Infestation. Kim Newman, who writes what used to be called the Straight To Video Dungeon until videos became obsolete, in Empire quite likes this one.

What tipped it over the edge into must-see is the fact that it features Ray Wise who played the Devil in what will be the much missed (by me) Reaper.

This one looks like it could be fun, and after yesterdays dour film let's see if Infestation can get us back on track...

Day 3: Urban Ghost Story

Right, up next is a wee Scottish film that was on the telly the other week there called Urban Ghost Story. I've never heard of it but I've picked it purely for the fact that you rarely see Scottish horror films. Even rarer is one set in the inner city.

Will it be any cop? Let's have a look-see shall we?