Inside Episode Nine you’ll see, The Atomic Clock Gene Hoglan, Vancouver Metal band Auroch, European Vacation in Hell at Hellfest 2010, and the Hard Core band Fucked Up! Screening at Hardcorefest #6 at 5pm at The Da Vinci Centre 07/31

Check out the trailer for The Last Exorcism:

The Last Exorcism is reminiscent of what Harry Houndini did after his mother died. He sought to expose the frauds who claimed that they could bring her back so he could talk to her one more time. His desire to start debunking the paranormal was a turning point in his career, and it gets reflected in this film.

With Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian), the roles are almost similar. As an evangelist, he has enough tricks up his own sleeve to make congregation believe anything, and he uses them on the road too. For where he lives, out in New Orleans, it’s the Devil’s playground, and the movie begins justifyingly so, giving viewers enough information to play along. They know right away who Marcus is, and there’s plenty of character development to make him the sudden hero.

He’s also about to make a documentary about himself and the last exorcism he’ll ever perform. When asked to help a farmer’s daughter out in the bayous of Louisiana, there’s more than just that ol’ black magic going on. With a cameraman who’s hardly ever seen and a sound engineer, Iris (Iris Bahr) by Marcus’ side, what they find is downright creepy than horrible when they arrive.

Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum) is the farmer who believes his daughter, Nell (Ashley Bell) is afflicted with a demon. He sends a letter to the Reverend to plea with him to help exorcise the creature away. And with Marcus’ arrival, what’s found is not immediate. Eventually, things build in a slow crescendo. The movie pretty much gives the shock value away in foreshadowing what’s to come, and the terror is not disturbing enough when revealed.

But at least this movie doesn’t try to outdo the classics of the horror movie genre.

Instead, it mixes in the best of what three decades worth of terror has to offer. In style, it can be compared to Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity and the Exorcist. To mention the fourth film to which Last Exorcist may have drawn inspiration from would simply be giving the whole story away.

There’s recognizable elements all the way through and the movie thankfully doesn’t bill itself as wanting to outdo these older films. One good thing about this movie is that it has a larger cast and it integrates very well with modern times to make it believable. There’s no hocus pocus needed to create true terror.

All it needs is a curious cat. And we all know where that leads.

*** out of 5

In this episode, The Misfits, Dayglow Abortions, Foquored, Plotdigger Films (Ryan Nicolson), The Haunted Boat

In this episode, Twisted Sister, Victoria’s 1st Bacon eating challenge, Overkill, Punk Rock Bowling, Mama Innk, and a special tribute to Ronnie James Dio.

Check out the trailer for The Trotsky:

by Ed Sum
Absolute Paranormal Investigator & Movie Critic

No prior knowledge is required to see The Trotsky. However, if you know anything about this Russian revolutionary, this film is worth seeing for an echo of what this man did.

Perhaps with a sense of irony, the world of the historical figure is reflected in modern times and in high school. Before one can say waitaminute, hasn’t this idea been done before? The difference here is that everything starts the morning before and it’s reminiscent of Ferris Brueller’s Day Off. But this movie doesn’t talk to audiences or be silly. It’s quite serious about the subject matter and the shit hasn’t hit the fan yet. When it does, that’s when this film gets interesting.

Audiences see where the life of Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) is heading, and this actor’s performance is spectacular. Baruchel plays the character as though he was the former Marxist, but there are also some unsettling moments that just makes people wonder if he is just a young teen with a neurosis. That’s the part that’s worth paying attention to.

And another aspect to note is the career leap Baruchel is making. From Hollywood style flics like Tropic Thunder, She’s Out of My League and How to Tame Your Dragon, this one is a radical departure and this can only mean good things for this actor.

Even the supporting cast stood out, and that’s a rarity in any film. There were solid performances through-out and the only weakness is in the film’s flow. It’s slow to start, but once when audiences are caught up in Russian History 101, there is more of a solid direction in the tale. And what audiences see is a young Trotsky as he struggles into young adulthood.

There is a message in this film, and that’s to find meaning in one’s life.

For young Leon, that’s to find a destiny in the life he chose to emulate.

*** out of 5

Check out the trailer for Ink:

by Ed Sum
Absolute Paranormal Investigator

Once in a while, when the moon strikes blue, there’ll be a movie that’ll weave a unique world of dark fantasy for audiences to visit. In Ink, that realm is one of daydreams and nightmares. It’s a style that both Neil Gaiman (writer of The Sandman comics) and Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) can appreciate.

With denizens from the underworld looking like trendy ghosts donning white sunglasses, they come through as genuinely creepy. These dark lords of the Dreamtime are Incubi (with no relation to the creatures in folklore) and they are a stark contrast to the guardians of hope, better known as the Storytellers. That is, they represent the good stuff people like to dream of but can ever remember when they wake up.

True to how real dreams work, this film cuts back and forth from the imagined to the waking as fast as a switch-blade. In true Tarintino style, events flash back and forth. It goes back to a few days previous where our hero John (Chris Kelly) is introduced. Before audiences could realize it, he’s injured and we enter his dreams. This approach may seem jarring at first, but there is a reason to it. The disjointedness shows how John’s world is divided. At work, he’s a cruel calculating businessman. At home, his life is non-existent. After his wife died, he fell into despair; as a result, his daughter goes to live with his in-laws.

And what director Jamin Winans developed is a Greek tragedy with Orphic undertones. When John’s daughter, Emma (Quinn Hunchar) is kidnapped, thus begins the descent to the Underworld not only to save one’s soul, but also another’s. The only shame is that Hunchar doesn’t get much screen time to show off her acting chops.

While no big studio has picked up this movie to distribute, the film-makers have taken it upon themselves to distribute this movie on their own. This film can be downloaded via bittorrent or bought at doubleedgefilms.com

**** out of 5

In this episode Mama Innk, The Amenta, SXSW 2010, SNFU and The 100 Chicken Wing Challenge with Glen Bitters

Check out the trailer for The Crazies:

by Ed Sum
Absolute Paranormal Investigator

With The Crazies being the latest entry to the horror genre, just how many zombie movies do we really need? The way they keep multiplying, at a rate of one per year, that’s far too infrequent. Dead Air was last year’s favourite and with it a new trend: Let’s not say that the mindless automatons are zombies. The virus, manmade or not, is cause of it all.

With the DVD and the Blu-ray release tentatively set for June 29th, according to Amazon Canada, stores stocks will most likely be contained than flooded.

And over the years, only some of these films will stand out in the mass plethora of zombie flics. Leading the charge for this film is director Breck Eisner and George Romero is on board only as an executive producer. Eisner is remaking Romero’s film by following a traditional formula that everyone is well aware of.

Any videogamer will recognize the narrative and that leads to some predictability. There will always be an individual catapaulted into the situation and there will always be a final boss fight.

But this movie also runs ahead of the pack by showing an entire township getting involved than by introducing a handful of people to face the problem. This film also gives audiences shifting perspectives, with Sherriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and his wife (Radha Mitchell) watching their small Iowa life get turned upside down. Just when they think they’re ready to settle, various people are behaving oddly, leading them to become ultra violent.

The best part of the film is in how Eisner depicts small town life. It’s convincing enough to create a sense of security and serenity, away from the hustle and bustle of a large city. And when people start showing up in a weird daze, that’s when the bubble bursts. Eisner goes from calm and relaxed to a fast paced race through a township that is rapidly falling apart.

Instead of a gory film that’s reminiscent of George Romero’s earlier works, it’s more realistic than fantastic. The scenario is something that can conceivably happen when a virus gets unleashed and there’s no way to control it.

And with the subtext of what government and military power can do, the next time you look up in the sky, just know you’re not alone.

**** out of 5

Check out the Shutter Island trailer:

by Ed Sum
Absolute Paranormal Investigator

On Shutter Island, there is no escape — only insanity and one man’s hopeless attempt at discovering the truth. But tough US Marshal Teddi Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) doesn’t realize what he’s getting himself into. With his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), what they uncover is far more sinister, and even more cerebral.

This film is a drama about Daniels’ descent to madness and is an effective adaptation of the bestseller by Dennis Lehane. Audiences are taken into huge mind-fuck of what is real and what is imagined, turning out to be nothing like what the movie trailers suggest it to be. This film is more of a psychological tension builder than a ghost story.

Director Martin Scorsese certainly knows the source well and masterfully choreographs the movie both musically and cinematically. The visuals are symbolic of one man’s journey to explore the very depths of his own soul, but the feeling one gets from this film is not quite terrifying — it’s actually more shocking and one has to wonder what lengths anyone will take in order to keep secrets hidden.

What Scorsese does is to guide DiCaprio’s performance well enough that this young actor can pull off a wide range of reactions, but sadly, veteran actor Max von Sydow is under-utilized. He’s a wonderful performer that deserves more screen time on Shutter Island. But instead, he’s a shadowy figure that not many people know about, or much less care.

At least Ben Kingsley shines with a mix of humor and seriousness. He’s like the ever mysterious Number Two from the British cult classic The Prisoner. Now try interpreting both products in one night—like Teddi, one would get a headache and wonder what’s hiding under the bed.

**** out of 5

Absolute Underground TV Episode 5
Featuring: Lesbian Fist Magnet, Funk Vigilante, Capital City Tattoo Convention, Warbringer and Airbourne

Absolute Underground TV Episode 4
Featuring Augury, Jason Rouse, Vader and D.O.A.

Watch our exclusive interview with The Triad In Blood, Ninjaspy!

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