We Came from the Basement: 2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The Raid 2: Berandal promises epic violence

Writer-director Gareth Evans crafted one of the best, if not THE best, action movies of all time with The Raid: Redemption, and now it looks like he's prepared to take it to the next level with the sequel.

No, I didn't think a follow up to The Raid was possible, but this international trailer for The Raid 2: Berandal proves me wrong. And boy oh boy, does it look bad ass.

Sure, the first minute is yap, yap, yap. Then the pain is brought, and there is much rejoicing. Observe:

In the sequel, Rama (Iko Uwai) infiltrates a ruthless Jakarta crime syndicate in order to protect his family and uncover corruption within his own police force.

The Raid 2: Berandal opens in March. We can't wait!

Happy New Year, bitches!

Source: JoBlo

Anthony Michael Bosa versus Storage 24

I don't usually disagree to much with my friends at The Basement. However, I have to on this one. I haven't seen a decent monster movie in a while. Well, this was it. Yes, the idea of the weenie guy was annoying at first, but he stepped up quite quickly when the shit hit the fan. All the characters played there parts well and I actually wanted to see them survive. Granted, this was a token monster movie, but it makes it up with some good gore and a few tense scenes. The monster (alien) was mostly done with a real fx and not much CGI. Anyways, enough rambling, this gets a Good from me. I would consider watching it again with some friends and beers. Carry on, Basement Dwellers.

Monday, December 30, 2013

A bloody good trailer for Dead Snow: Red vs Dead

We've seen the posters and gazed at the images, now it's time to watch some footage for Tommy Wirkola's much anticipated Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead. And yes, Mike S, we see how Martin gets his arm back. Spoiler alert.

Watch, and learn:

If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you'd have to assume that things couldn't get much worse. In Martin's case, that was only the beginning.

Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead makes its North American debut at the Sundance Film Festival. It stars Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Martin Starr, Ørjan Gamst, Ingrid Haas, Jocelyn DeBoer.

Source: Film School Rejects

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Shawn and Underworld: Awakening

Kate Beckinsale. In tight leather. With sharp fangs. Yup.

Another installment in the underworld series. This one, man, discovers the truth of Vampires and Lycans, treats it as a disease and attempts to eradicate both. Then set 12 years after the 'cleansing'.

Obviously, that didn't work and we get to see Beckinsale in the tight leathers, kick some ass, both human and lycan.

Most of these Underworld movies run quite parallel, in my opinion. Not one standing out as better than the other...could really just be one long-ass movie.

That said, these are all a Good to me. This one included.

But this one rides a bit finer line..Vampires, Werewolves and gore. Leave the lovey dovey stuff to "Twilight" and it's fans...

Friday, December 27, 2013

Jason versus Insidious Chapter 2

The first Insidious was a surprise hit that delighted mainstream audiences and polarized horror fans. Some in The Basement dug it, others were left with mixed emotions. I'm one of the ones who dug it. How does Insidious Chapter 2 stand up? Stick with me!

The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Whatever you felt about James Wan and Leigh Whannell's Insidious will likely stand with this second film. If you dug the scares, quirky humour and dark journey into The Further, then you'll feel the same about Insidious Chapter 2. If you didn't like what they were slinging then, you probably won't now.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a solid sequel that does everything right, improving on the first by fleshing out the back story and continuing the tale of the Lambert family in much the same way that Poltergeist II: The Other Side did with Poltergeist. But I'd say Insidious Chapter 2 does a better job.

How so? It's scary, the quirky humour is toned down, and Wan and Whannell bring a human menace into the fray. Plus a couple of plot threads play out simultaneously, so there's not one dull moment.

Most importantly, I like the characters. All of them. Even Specs and Tucker. And Rose Byrne is always easy on the eyes.

This is a Good. No, it's not The Conjuring, but Wan is the best horror director working today. Bar none.

Jason and Shawn versus Saturday Morning Massacre and Storage 24

Saturday Morning Massacre

Jason: This is Scooby Doo for grownups. How so? Well, a group of meddling kids drive around in a van with their dog and debunk hauntings etc. One's a stoner, another's a rich dude, his hot girlfriend and there's a nerdy cute girl. Sounds pretty Scooby Doo to me! How much you enjoy Saturday Morning Massacre depends on how much you dig what it's selling. I liked the nods to Scooby Doo – including a chase scene ripped right from the cartoon – and enjoyed the massacre portion too. And yah, Josephine Decker has great legs. Worth the watch as a curiosity. And it helps to like Scooby Doo too! Good.

Shawn: I thought this was alright. It didn’t really leave a lasting impression. Legs. Man, she had great legs….Anyways, was a pretty well made Scooby adventure for adults with all the things you sorta hoped would happen in Scooby Doo, as you aged and began understanding….stuff.. I could almost watch this movie again, and as I think about it, for fun sake, might incorporate this into the Halloween season watchables. Gonna have to give this one a Good. Thanks for the titties, violence, scares sand drug-enduced Scooby Doo…

Storage 24

Jason: This could have been a great, low-budget monster flick, but instead we ended up with a boring, talky relationship movie with a monster in it. Epic fail! All the good stuff – except for the hot chicks – is in the second half of the movie. To get there we wade through 45 minutes of some whiny dude complaining about his failed relationship and fighting with his ex. If I'd wanted all this bullshit, I'd of watched a chick flick. This is an Ugly. The first Ugly I've watched in a long time. Even hot chicks and gore couldn't make it a Bad.

Shawn: I fucking hated this movie. I can’t even tell you. Holy shit. Translated without profanity, I loved Girl with the Dragon Tattoo more…and if you are a long-time Basement fan, you know how much that hurts. I don’t know if it was the story, the relationships, the lack of monster…even the final payoff…was more a of a letdown. Dunno. Hated this. UGLY.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Saturday Morning Massacre and Storage 24

The end is nigh . . . for 2013 that is. But Jason and Shawn still have one more podcast to share before the new year is ushered through the door.

And what better way to shrug off a turkey coma and ease that holiday hangover than a couple of horror movies?

First up is Saturday Morning Massacre, a dark and bloody parody about a Scooby-Doo-like team of paranormal investigators and their devoted dog. Dark. Bloody. Scooby-Doo? I says pardon!?! What do Jason and Shawn have to say about this one? Stick with us!

And stick around as The Basement Boys tackle the British sci-fi-horror flick Storage 24, which finds a group of people trapped inside a storage facility with a highly unwelcome guest. Ten bucks says the highly unwelcome guest isn't Santa Claus. Just sayin'.

Plus, Jason and Shawn share their Top 5 seasonal movies, some music for your ear holes, and the latest movie news. And, if you're lucky, Shawn will dazzle you with his Kermit the Frog impression. If you're lucky.

Find out when the latest episode of Film Reviews from the Basement lands in the a.m. Until then, check out these previews.

Saturday Morning Massacre

Storage 24

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Tuesday, December 31, 2013