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Showing posts from December, 2012

Jason versus Looper

Finally! I get to end the year catching one of the movies I was most looking forward to in 2012. A sci-fi/action/drama from one of my favourite writer/directors, Rian Johnson, and starring three of my favourite actors -- Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt. So how does Looper rate? In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self. But that's just the beginning of this thrilling, funny, heart-breaking and mind-bending flick. Leave it to the man who made a pulp P.I. film set in modern high school to take the tired old time-travel genre and make it fresh and interesting. And very, very exciting. Looper isn't a straight-up action flick though. It asks some uneasy questions and doesn't present us with any easy answers. How far would you go to protect your son? Wha

Ten movies to watch for in 2013

One of the things Shawn and I get a lot of props for is finding those diamonds in the rough -- the movies that are likely not on everyone's radar -- and bringing them to the public's attention. Some are C-grade indie, others mainstream flicks that still don't get the attention they may or may not deserve. Below are 10 movies I'm looking forward to seeing in the new year, in no particular order. But first, the obvious runners up, those blockbusters that can't be ignored: A Good Day to Die Hard, Man of Steel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Iron Man 3, The Lone Ranger, Fast and Furious 6, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Pacific Rim and Star Trek Into Darkness. Now for the list proper: The Conjuring (July 19) Saw and Insidious director James Wan's latest horror flick reveals how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star

Jason's Top 10 of 2012

This was supposed to be a Top 5 list -- 'cause that's what we do here in The Basement -- but I quickly realized we'd watched a lot of cool shit during the last 12 months. As in years past, this list is based strictly on what I was able to see during the year and is genre heavy. Duh. It's what I do. Note, the list is far from complete. I have yet to catch Skyfall, Looper, Dredd, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty, all flicks that'd have a decent shot at making this list. If only I could be all things to all people. Anywho, on with my thoughts on the best of 2012. 10 - Kill List This movie ruined my day in the best possible way. I'm still left reeling from it, like I'm punch drunk. Or just drunk. You decide. I can't say I enjoyed this movie, although I know I will watch it again and would recommend it to horror fans in a heartbeat. Yes, it's a horror film. But not in the traditional sense. It's frightening and surreal, but oddly f

Jason revisits Mimic

It's been a good 15 years since I'd watched Guillermo del Toro's Hollywood debut Mimic, which starred then hot young stars Mira Sorvino and Jeremy Northam. Seeing as del Toro is the only one involved who's still around, I figured it was time to give the flick a second viewing. Three years ago entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease, now the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind. Dimension Films is notorious for editing and re-editing the shit out of a director's movie and, apparently, that's also the case with Mimic. Not that you'd really know. It's a bit smarter, darker and edgier than the average Hollywood horror movie, and that's what keep the viewer engaged. That and the acting. Sorvino was fresh off her Oscar win when she made this and Northam, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton and F. Murray Abraham all do good supporting turns, especially when you consid

Guillermo del Toro introduces short film that inspired horror feature Mama

That headline is pretty much the story. The Guillermo del Toro production Mama opens next month and below is the short film that inspired the great director to turn it into a movie. Del Toro introduces the short. The short and the feature are directed by Andres Muschetti. Given that the short is about two-minutes long, one can expect a lot of ideas will be expanded upon in the feature film. All I can say is click to full screen, turn out the lights, and crank up the volume. I shit my shorts at least once. Mama opens Jan. 18. Video by way of Ain't It Cool News.

Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace get Dead Man Down

Colin Farrell is doing his damndest to get back on top in Hollywood, and thankfully he's chosen the action-hero route to do it. His Total Recall redo wasn't half bad and the trailer for his latest, Dead Man Down, looks mighty impressive. Doesn't hurt that he's recruited the director of the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Niels Arden Oplev, and the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo herself, Noomi Rapace, to take him for the ride. In a nutshell, a crime lord's right-hand man is seduced by one of his boss's victims, a woman seeking retribution. Terrence Howard plays the crime lord. This looks pretty damn dark and edgy. And there's a fair amount of violence on display here too. Me likey long time. If you're going to make a bleak action movie, you can do far worse than hire the dude who made the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Dead Man Down opens March 8. Thanks to JoBlo.com for digging up the trailer.

The first six minutes of Maniac

That's the one starring Elijah Wood and written by Alexandre Aja, not the notorious 1981 slasher pic from William Lustig, because that would be oh so retro. All involved seem to be fans of first-person slasher movies, as the entire sequence pretty much focuses on Wood's stalk and kill of a victim from his point of view. It's good. Nothing new, but I dig this kind of thing. Can't say it's sold me on the whole movie, but I mind not posting it here. What's it all about? The owner of a mannequin shop (Wood) develops a dangerous obsession with a young artist . . . one that sends him on a killing spree. No word yet on when Maniac hits our shores, but it's scheduled for release some time next year. Thanks to Arrow in the Head for digging up the video.

A clip and TV spot for Texas Chainsaw 3D

We interrupt your holiday cheer for a few moments of pure terror. At least that's what the makers of Texas Chainsaw 3D promise when the film is released Jan. 4. With that date fast approaching, we present for you the below TV spot and clip from the film. You know, 'cause film marketing doesn't take a vacation. And neither do we, as it turns out. The latest Chainsaw tells the story of a young woman (Alexandra Daddario) who travels to Texas to collect an inheritance. Little does she know that an encounter with a chainsaw-wielding killer is part of the reward. This movie could be fun or it could suck. However, the presence of the lovely Daddario guarantees we will see it at some point. What say you? The TV Spot The Clip Thanks to Horror-Movies.ca for the vids.

Jason versus Jack Reacher

Much ado has been made about Tom Cruise playing Lee Child's action hero Jack Reacher. Now, with the film adaptation of One Shot in theatres everywhere, us fans of the Reacher books have the chance to put the Scientologist's interpretation of the ex-military cop turned drifter on the chopping block. As in the novel, Reacher digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five seemingly random victims. Seemingly being the key word here. First off, Cruise as Reacher = yes. Sure, he doesn't fit the physical description from Child's novels. But Cruise has the confidence, charisma, and gift for explosive violence nailed. I bought him as long as I didn't let Child's description -- which essentially paints Reacher as a young Dolph Lundgren -- slip into my mind. He works, and it's a good performance. Next, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie follows the plot of the book, keeping the integral story beats while discarding about four or fi

Jason versus Saint

Opting to break from tradition -- I'll catch the original Black Christmas tomorrow night instead -- I decided to tackle a holiday-themed Dutch movie I'd had my eye on for some time instead. Hey, a man's gotta mix it up from time to time . . . Saint, AKA Sint, is a horror film that depicts St. Nicholas as a murderous bishop who kidnaps and murders children when there is a full moon on Dec. 5. And it comes from writer/director Dick Maas, who made the pretty damn good thriller Amsterdamned back in the day. But how does it rate? Actually, it's entertaining as a whole. Think John Carpenter's The Fog meets Dead Snow and you kinda get the idea. Only with a really pissed off St. Nicholas and an army of murderous Black Peters instead of Nazis and leper pirates. We've got some decent gore and a few exciting set pieces, plus a scare or two. Nothing shorts shitting mind you, but still an effective enough 90 minutes. And there's a couple of hot Dutch chicks, but

A Christmas wish from The Basement

It's that special time of year again. A time when black cats and goblins, witches and ghosts . .  . Sorry, wrong holiday. In all seriousness, Shawn, Mike S and the rest of  The Basement crew want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Eat too much food, get a bit tipsy and, most importantly, stay safe and spend time with the people who matter. We'll be taking a short break from this site because, really, nobody cares about B-movies at Christmas. Regular updates will resume on or before Jan. 2. And we return to 92.5 FM CFBX Kamloops and thex.ca Thursday, Jan. 10, at 10 p.m. PST. The podcast will now launch on Sunday mornings. On that note, I leave you all with my favourite Christmas song and head off to enjoy a fourth coffee and Baileys. Have a Merry Ho-Ho, Basementites!

Jason versus Total Recall (2012)

Gotta hand it to Colin Farrell, the dude has been lucky enough to star in two of the most unnecessary remakes of all time, yet both have been better than film fans deserve. Props to you, sir. And this time you get to make nice with two of the hottest women on the planet -- Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel. Well played, Colin. Well played. A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall -- a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led -- goes wrong and he finds himself on the run. As far as remakes go, this is pretty decent. It holds true to the original film -- which was itself an adaptation of Philip K.Dick's We Can Remember It For Your Wholesale -- while bringing new elements to the table, including an Earthbound resistance plot and bad to the ass set design. Did I mention it stars Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel, two of the hottest women on the planet? It does. Well pla

Why the world should have ended yesterday

Hi there. Did you miss my DOOOM and GLOOM "Countdown To Extinction?" Yeah, as foretold by Prophet Shawn, in the Basement, the "end" fell short and disappointed conspiracy theorists everywhere. Put your "bug out" bags back on the shelf, and get your asses back to work. Lol. Yesterday, was prophesied to be THE END. Not a rapture, (X2 because of bad math), not a second coming, or massive floods. THE END. Armageddon. Some people thought that they may even escape death and actually prepared, for surviving this "end". When I think of this whole idea, I think of atmosphere stripping solar winds, planet smashing collisions and other absolute Earth ending, nothing survivable, events. At all. By anything. So the idea of stocking up on ammo, food, water etc . . . never crossed my mind.  Those "preppers" aren't entirely crazy, though. The time they will "need" their stockpiles won't be from natural extinction level events (e.l

A first look at Eli Roth's Aftershock

Don't let that headline mislead you though, the horror maestro doesn't direct the new thriller Aftershock. But Eli Roth did co-write it and he does co-star in it. So we're not totally bullshitting you. In Chile, a group of travelers who are in an underground nightclub when a massive earthquake hits quickly learn that reaching the surface is just the beginning of their nightmare. Nicolas Lopez directs while Selena Gomez, Andrea Osvart, and Ariel Levy join Roth for the mayhem. Aftershock hits theatres some time next year. Thanks to Collider for the heads up and IGN for the preview.

A Christmas wish from Trick r Treat

Well, it's actually from Fear.net, but the video below features everyone's favourite Halloween mascot Sam from Michael Dougherty's brilliant Trick r Treat. I don't want to spoil things, but the video -- entitled Happy Holidays -- features everything we've been bred to love about Christmas: snow, snowmen and children having a joyful good time with everything Basementites have grown to love about Halloween: murder, mayhem and a morbid sense of humour. But enough of my idle chatter. Have yourself a merry little Christmas the Halloween way! Cheers to Arrow in the Head for digging up the video.

Jason and Shawn review The Hole and Airborne

The Hole Jason: In many ways, The Hole is more of a tribute to 80s cinema than J.J. Abrams' Super 8. For one, it's directed by one of the finest purveyors of 80s movie making -- Joe Dante. You know, the guy who made Gremlins, Explorers, and Inner Space? Hell, when it comes to horror, this is the dude who made the original Howling and Piranha But is this movie any good? Yarp. The creepy kid and creepy doll sequences are beau-coup scary. Actually, this movie really took off for me when the ghost of the dead kid AND the creepy clown were introduced, almost simultaneously. Actually, every horror sequence in this movie works. Flawlessly. I admit, I'm a bit too old to fully enjoy The Hole. This would be a perfect flick for someone in his early to mid teens. Hell, even the jail bait that is Haley Bennett is cast strictly to entice young male viewers.  That said, my son will love this shit when he is old enough to fully appreciate it. And I know I will watch this a

~FIN~

The Hole and Airborne

Just in time for the Mayan apocalypse comes the mid-season finale of Film Reviews from the Basement, the official radio show/podcast of We Came from the Basement. And how do we bring 2012 -- and potentially the world --  to an end? With the return of not one, but two, icons from Jason and Shawn's youth! First up is The Hole, directed by legendary 80s filmmaker Joe Dante. The same Joe Dante who made Gremlins, The Howling and the original Piranha. This time, Dante tackles a Nickelodeon nightmare about two brothers who discover a mysterious hole in their basement. Said hole then unleashes their inner nightmares . . . and Haley Bennett. Is The Hole any good? Stick with us! And stick around for the return of Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, in the British thriller Airborne. Hamill plays an air traffic controller trying to save passengers on a transatlantic flight as they disappear one by one, much like his career. Then it's time to unleash the fury that is Jon Cross of t

James Franco and Seth Rogen say This Is The End

I think I just peed myself. This Red Band trailer for the upcoming ensembles comedy This Is The End is that fucking funny. It starts with a found-footage style introduction by James Franco and Seth Rogen that is hilarious to begin with. Then the trailer kicks in and things get . . . messed up? Written and directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Rogen, Franco, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Jonah Hill as themselves, the film finds six friends trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. Inspired to be sure but, if the whole movie is as funny as this preview, we're in for a comedic gem. If the world does end tomorrow, I can die knowing that I watched some funny shit during my last day on Earth. Now get ready to laugh until you pee yourself. This Is The End arrives in theatres June. 14.

2012. This. Is. It.

1  2012 This is it, Basementites, the end of the world. Yours and my LAST day, as we know it. 2012 is a movie specifically dedicated to tomorrow's date. 12-21-12. A lot of this movie was filmed in my back yard, here in Kamloops, British Columbia. Mostly the "Yellowstone" segments,  and Chinese labour camp. Cool indeed. So we in The Basement, are directly connected to this homage, to tomorrows DOOOOM. This movie was done by the Emmerich brothers, who love to make end-time movies (The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day and a whole bunch more), and also love to start by destroying the U.S. Haha. Lots of sciency, nerdy, explanations for this one. Neutrinos from the sun interact with the core, heating it, melting the mantle, causing all kinds of chaos and end-times shit. All the technology in the world and the Mayan's saw this coming, 5000 years agoish. The Mayan's. This movie ends the Countdown to Extinction. As tomorrow is D-day.  Will y

A first look at NECA's Aliens action figures

I know what I want under the Christmas tree next year, and I don't care if I'll be . . . too old for toys. Wanna fight about it!?! Toymaker NECA unveiled today the first images of their upcoming Aliens action-figure line, and they are bad to the ass! The figures include Hicks, who was played by Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton's Hudson and an alien warrior. Hicks and Hudson are nearly 7″ tall, feature over 30 points of articulation and come with multiple heads. I'm sooooo glad they included the "Game over, man. Game over" look! As for the alien warrior, it’s 9″ tall and has more than 30 points of articulation, including a bendable tail, hinged jaw, and sliding inner mouth. NECA's Aliens line is expected to hit a toy store shelf near you in the spring. Props to Collider for finding these bad boys!

The end is: The Day After Tomorrow

2 Two days. So, literally, the day after tomorrow. Where will you be? The Day After Tomorrow contains my favourite, relaxing, movie soundtrack of all time. I literally don't make it through the opening credits. Not because it is a bad movie, but because it is my comfort movie.   I've seen it a 'few' times. Basically, the premise is, that our "global warming" has forced the earth to repair itself. This repair comes from balancing out the atmosphere, by changing the Oceanic currents, that changed due to the amount of fresh water, from melting glaciers. This forms super storms. The super storms, basically, suck super-cooled air from the upper troposphere . . . etc . . . blah, blah . . . super-nerdy stuff.  Basically, new ice age. The entire northern hemisphere. Survive the cold? I can. I'm Canadian. Nothing new, except a bigger beer fridge for me, bitches. That's what I'll be doing, the day after tomorrow, if the Mayans were righ

John Dies at the End gets a Red Band trailer

Oh my God does Don Coscarelli's John Dies at the End ever look awesome! On VOD Dec. 27 you say? Sign us up! And nothing sells a cult movie from the maker of Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep like a Red Band trailer. Movies like this need to be sold on their merits -- gore, boobs and fucked up shit -- and that's what the Red Band trailer below does. Thank Jebus for that! And check out the plot, mofos! A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humankind from this silent, otherworldly invasion? I certainly want to find out! But enough said; give this bad boy a look. You know Shawn and I are watching this shit ASAP! Thanks to IGN for the trailer.

Universal will unleash Riddick next September

We've talked at length about the return of everyone's favourite sci-fi antihero. Now we can let you know when the latest Riddick arrives on the big screen. Sept. 6, 2013. In theatres and Imax. The fall release date is likely because of the movie's hard-R rating. And we're cool with that. Hard-R = awesome in our books, especially when it has to do with the further adventures of one Richard B. Riddick. What' it all about? Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction. Back for another round is Vin Diesel (duh) and Karl Urban. Joining t

Dead Shadows: The Countdown to Doom

3 Get your affairs in order.  The Mayan Calendar ends in just three days. Ours ends in 13.  Our buddy John Fallon introduced a trailer for Dead Shadows at our 2012 Dark Fest. Since then, we have watched, and reviewed this "end times" flick. We both thought it was great. This movie hits a number of nails on the head, with monsters, titty spider women, violence, gore etc and so forth. Everything the end of the world needs to have to truly, call itself the end. All at the hands of a rogue comet that pixie dusts earth, with monster transforming madness. I wish this movie had a HUGE theatrical release. Maybe a sequel would . . . if they make one. After all, they only have three days left. We are down to the last three days until the end. I wish we had more days, as there are so many more movies that could slide in and countdown to our extinction. Either way, crunch time, folks. 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

The end is 28 Days Later

4 Four days until 12- 21 -12. Can you handle the coming apocalypse????? Rage zombies. Huh. Took the fun right out of zombie movies. Anyone can run from a slow moving, decaying, deadite. But not these kind.  For me, this movie shut down my hankering for a zombie apocalypse. There are still those that wish it, morbid fuckers, but they will not survive RAGE ZOMBIES. Haha. Waking up from a coma right in the middle of the apocalypse, has got to suck ass too. I don't think I know many horror, B, or zombie fans, that didn't really like this flick. I give it a Good and HOPE this isn't what the Mayan's meant when they ended their calendar.  Maybe, hopefully, they just ran out of rocks to carve. Otherwise, four more days.                                                                                                                            4

A first look at A&Es Psycho inspired Bates Motel

We've already teased you about the upcoming TV series Bates Motel, which explores the life of young Norman Bates and his relationship with his mother. Now we can unleash upon your asses some real footage with the preview/featurette below. The casting is key here. I'll pretty much watch anything with Vera Farmiga in it, and Freddie Highmore looks like he'll be a decent Norman. Vera plays mom, by the way. How they're gonna milk a TV series out of the premise remains to be seen. Tune in to A&E in March and find out. And thanks to Bleeding Cool for the preview.

Jackie Chan on for The Expendables 3

At least that's what Cinema Online is reporting. And we're willing to take them on their good word. Actually, the article claims that Sylvester Stallone offered the legendary martial arts star a role in the second film, but Chan had a prior commitment. However, in the Drunken Master's own words . . . "But he did extend his invitation to the third movie, which I agreed on the condition that I will be appearing as more than just a minor role with a few scenes," said Chan. Chan also expressed an interest in seeing The Expendables 3 be more of a buddy-buddy movie, whatever that means. All I want is these legendary action guys to blow shit up. As long as that's going on, I'm cool. There you go. The Expendables 3 continues to rock and roll forward. And yes, Nicolas Cage is still on board. Shawn died a little inside with that bit of casting.

A full trailer takes Star Trek Into Darkness

A couple or weeks ago Paramount Pictures released a teaser for the Star Trek sequel, and there was much rejoicing. Now get ready to rejoice some more as the studio has unleashed a full trailer offering more . . . of everything. Still no official word on who Benedict Cumberbatch's villain is. There's a lot of speculation, which we've engaged in on this site and the show. But really, do we need to know? Don't we want to be surprised and excited when Star Trek Into Darkness hits theatres May 17? I know I do. I miss the days when movies were something I could get excited about. I haven't been truly excited for a movie since . . . I don't know when. But I'm feeling an inkling of excitement for this. And I am happy for that. After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. Paramount keeps killing our

A Good Day to Die Hard poster brings The Bruce

The Bruce and things that go pop, as that old Outland comic strip once said. Did I just date myself? If so, I hope I put out. Yes, this appeared in Entertainment Weekly a couple of days ago. But, in the interest of good taste following the Newtown shootings, we figured we'd hold off for a day or two before posting anything with a firearm on it. And, being an action movie, guns figure big in A Good Day to Die Hard. I actually dig this poster for the fifth Die Hard film. It gives supporting player Jai Courtney a bit of the short shift, but this franchise still belong to Bruce Willis, dammit. So he deserves to be front and centre. This time around John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.  A Good Day to Die Hard opens Feb. 14.

War of the Worlds: Countdown to Extinction 5

5 As we get down to the nitty gritty, the last 5 days of doom, we're gonna get serious. How serious? Scientology . . . er Tom Cruise serious! War of the Worlds. Aliens come, kick our asses, leaving little hope for our survival. Stephen Hawking, from his chair of prophecy, thinks an outcome such as this is possible. Why not the Mayan's? That is WHY their calendar ended, right?  Doooooom. Too bad for the aliens that our boogers are toxic to them.  Anyways, really dug this 2005 version, the remake of the movie (1954) based on Orson Wells' panic-inducing radio broadcast, in 1938.  I think, I would have enjoyed the radio broadcast, more than I enjoyed either movie. Not knowing it was a hoax, would have tested my psyche, would have let me know whether I was a true shorts shitter or brave!   I watched both the 2005 and 1954 version, more than once, giving both a Good in their own right. I'm POSITIVE that the Mayan's are straight up "shorts

Our watery end . . . Waterworld

6 After the tragic events in the U.S. yesterday, I decided to take a day off from reminding the world that it is ending in under a week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.  Kevin Costner. Some would say that Waterworld was not only an "apocalyptic" ish movie, but the beginning of the end of Costner's career. Perhaps the Mayan's saw that one coming.  I don't think Waterworld was the end of his career. I liked it. Polar ice caps melted, turning the world as we know it, into one big ocean. Swell. (heh)  It has been sooo long since the "flood," people are evolving gills. Cool.  I dug Waterworld, and admire Costner for accepting a role like that. It must have been tough. Haha. The Mayans give us six more days. Will we flood? Stock up on oil, bitches. For it is your savior. hahaha