Monday, March 2, 2009
Blood & Spooks Now in Print!
Download Price:$6.45
Print Price:$13.95 $11.86 In Stock
Pages: 56
Size: 3.02 MB
Format: Landscape (screen viewing), Portrait (for printing)
Writer: Mike "Talien" Tresca
Cover:
SKU: RPO3013
ISBN: 978-1-935432-24-1
Game Lines: Modern System
Systems: Modern d20
Product Type: Supplement
Media Type: print, PDF
Ghostbusters: Who Ya Gonna Call?
Print Price:
Pages: 56
Size: 3.02 MB
Format: Landscape (screen viewing), Portrait (for printing)
Writer: Mike "Talien" Tresca
Cover:
SKU: RPO3013
ISBN: 978-1-935432-24-1
Game Lines: Modern System
Systems: Modern d20
Product Type: Supplement
Media Type: print, PDF
Do you want to make more money hunting ghosts?
Sure, we all do! With our easy to read Ghost Hunter's Guide, you too can become a Ghost Hunter in just under one hour. That's right, one hour!
Armed with the Ghost Hunter's Guide, you can learn such professions as antiques dealer, circus performer, escape artist, fortuneteller, ghost hunter driver, ghost hunter president, ghost hunter secretary, ghost hunter tactical leader, ghost hunter technician, ghost hunter treasurer, ghost hunter vice-president, journalist, mystic, psychic, psychic investigator, or stage magician. You can also earn your degree by taking one of our advanced classes, including arcanist, clairvoyant, exorcist, geomancer, ghost hunter, medium, parapsychologist, and skeptic.
Everywhere, people are dying and rising up as ghosts. These ghosts are in desperate need of capturing and only you can help. Thanks to the International Center for Ethereal Containment and Control (ICECC), we now have the technology to trap ghosts and can lend it to you for a very low fee. With your purchase of the Ghost Hunter's Guide, you can rent our amazing electron packs for just five dollars an hour and start hunting ghosts in no time!
Blood and Spooks: The Ghost Hunter's Guide is a d20 Modern supplement that includes:
- five new allegiances
- a new organization, the International Center for Ethereal Containment and Control (ICECC)
- 16 new occupations
- 10 different ghost hunter backgrounds
- the joy of playing a victim
- 8 new advanced classes
- over 50 psionic powers
- five ghost types and the spirit advanced class, just for ghosts!
- and of course, lots and lots of equipment to capture ghosts
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
Buy a copy of the Ghost Hunter's Guide and we'll also include a ghost container. With ghost containers, ghosts check in, but they can't check out.
Ghosts are the enemy that we all must fight. So please, call and buy your copy of the Ghost Hunter's Guide today!
Labels: Ghost Games
Download: ICECCAuthors: Michael Tresca, Matthew D. Riddle, Fritz Baugh
Type: Role-Playing Game (D20 Modern Supplement)
Suggested Retail Price: FREE
Format: .pdf
Pages: 51
Description:
What if ghosts aren't really supernatural concepts, but creatures with their own biology? And if ghosts have their own biology, then using scientific principals, they can be thwarted - if not destroyed, at least captured. And if ghosts can be captured...well, then somebody can get rich doing it. Enter the Ghostbusters. Hobbled together by a group of misfit scientists, they attempted to use parapsychology for profit and, at least some of the time, succeeded.
In the 80s, Ghostbusting was a novelty. The end of the world brought on a lot of supernatural phenomena and, thanks to a lot of strange science and the Ghostbusters, was narrowly averted. By the end of the 80s, Ghostbusters were dealing less with the supernatural and more with problems like New York "not giving off a good vibe." The Ghostbusters were called upon again to do something about it and they moved pieces of NY's monuments to do it.
Life as a Ghostbuster is never predictable. The wax and wane of supernatural activity seems to vary without rhyme or reason - the 80s was rife with supernatural phenomena but there were entire years that were actually quite boring. At least, for a Ghostbuster.
As the world changed, so too did the nature of Ghostbusting. With a heightened awareness for global terrorism, the psychic energy matrix of the Earth is boiling with anger, fear, and hate - ghosts are more common than ever before. And what do you need when the world is gripped in fear and suspicious of everything that moves? You need a Ghostbuster: a man or woman who, backed by nuclear weapons, blasts a stream of barely harnessed energy at whatever you're afraid of, and do it with a smile and a small service fee.
Ghostbusters: Who Ya Gonna Call? is a d20 Modern RPG supplement that contains: 5 new allegiances, 7 new occupations, one advanced class (the elite Ghostbuster), new uses for old skills, 2 new feats, a bevy of new weapons and equipment (including proton packs and ghost traps), action point rules, planar travel, and monster classification.
Labels: Ghost Games
While researching the "Cemetery Safari" chapter for his upcoming book Weird Oklahoma, the author came across an unusual burial site west of Tulsa that was entirely enclosed within a strip-mall parking lot. Once sacred ground, it's now a conspicuous patch of grass in a sea of asphalt, a quirky spectacle to the shoppers forced to drive around it on their way to Radio Shack.
The handful of graves had become an absurd sight gag that punctuated the often indiscriminate momentum of American progress. And there are others like it! [MORE]
Labels: Ghost News
In Dante's Inferno, Dante, on his quest to reach Heaven, is thwarted by three beasts. Each beast represents a particular category of sin -- the lion of violence, the she-wolf of waste, the leopard of malice. Finally, Virgil, the famous poet who had also detailed Hell's terrain, rescues Dante from the Dark Wood. He explains that the only way to see Heaven is to go through Hell. Beatrice, Dante's lost love, sent Virgil to guide Dante through the darkness. And boy is it dark down there.
Dante's Inferno has everything. For one, it was written in the vulgar Italian rather than Latin. In other words, it was one of the first dime novels, written with both the educated reader and the novice in mind. Not unlike Shakespeare's approach. This is most evident in the alternating allusions to Roman and Greek history vs. the base (and funny) fart that the malebranche use as a form of salute. Only Dante would create a work where you have to know a vast body of Greek works to truly appreciate the references -- and then conclude it with a devil's fart.
Dante also plays up the base horror factor. In one canto, Geryon comes swooping towards them as a mysterious shape...a cliffhanger! Although Dante is no modern writer, he paved the way for a very modern style of writing.
And oh yeah, all of this RHYMES. Dante rigidly sticks to a particular rhythm; a man truly obsessed with numbers, every line, every phrase, means something.
Are there flaws? Absolutely. Mostly, Dante's knowledge is spotty -- he confuses references to Cassius and other famous characters, although other writers at the time were equally confused (usually, it's a poor translation or another legendary character with the same name that causes the confusion). But we can forgive Dante for all that, because in some sense he's crafting an entirely new mythology. Certainly, Dante shaped the images of hell in modern culture today, be it the joke about the guy who has to stick his head in shit in hell or the idea that hell is a place where everybody burns -- it's all in the Inferno.
One particular passage is especially evocative:
Reminds me of Alien.
Dante's Inferno is a classic. It contains everything from Minotaurs to Medusa, Cerberus to Cocytus, Charon to Dis. It was required reading for my forthcoming Abyss book. But anyone who has any interest in fantasy or hell should take a look.
This version is useful (if somewhat sparse on analysis) because it provides plenty of diagrams.
Dictionary of Angels
Dante's Inferno has everything. For one, it was written in the vulgar Italian rather than Latin. In other words, it was one of the first dime novels, written with both the educated reader and the novice in mind. Not unlike Shakespeare's approach. This is most evident in the alternating allusions to Roman and Greek history vs. the base (and funny) fart that the malebranche use as a form of salute. Only Dante would create a work where you have to know a vast body of Greek works to truly appreciate the references -- and then conclude it with a devil's fart.
Dante also plays up the base horror factor. In one canto, Geryon comes swooping towards them as a mysterious shape...a cliffhanger! Although Dante is no modern writer, he paved the way for a very modern style of writing.
And oh yeah, all of this RHYMES. Dante rigidly sticks to a particular rhythm; a man truly obsessed with numbers, every line, every phrase, means something.
Are there flaws? Absolutely. Mostly, Dante's knowledge is spotty -- he confuses references to Cassius and other famous characters, although other writers at the time were equally confused (usually, it's a poor translation or another legendary character with the same name that causes the confusion). But we can forgive Dante for all that, because in some sense he's crafting an entirely new mythology. Certainly, Dante shaped the images of hell in modern culture today, be it the joke about the guy who has to stick his head in shit in hell or the idea that hell is a place where everybody burns -- it's all in the Inferno.
One particular passage is especially evocative:
"For suddenly, as I watched, I saw a lizard come darting forward on six great taloned feet and fasten itself to a sinner from crotch to gizzard. Its middle feet sank in the sweat and grime of the wretch's paunch, its forefeet clamped his arms, its teeth bith through both cheecks. At the same time its hind feet fastened on the sinner's thighs: its tail trhough through his legs and cloised its coil over his loins. I saw it with my own eyes!"
Reminds me of Alien.
Dante's Inferno is a classic. It contains everything from Minotaurs to Medusa, Cerberus to Cocytus, Charon to Dis. It was required reading for my forthcoming Abyss book. But anyone who has any interest in fantasy or hell should take a look.
This version is useful (if somewhat sparse on analysis) because it provides plenty of diagrams.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
There's a lot of angel books out there, all claiming to give knowledge of "all the angels" that exist (or don't exist, depending on whom you ask). But upon taking a closer look, they're all either viewed from an obviously biased religious view, or a New-Agey view, hinting at aliens and other nonsense. The Dictionary of Angels takes the scientific approach, objectively examining all the sources and contributing little in the way of personal commentary. Whether or not they exist, this reference work has yet to be topped as the guide to angels, fallen or otherwise.
Ghost Rider
Labels: Ghost Reviews
On the surface, Ghost Rider is a cool concept. I mean, a biker that's a flaming skull--the same skull that is on a lot of bikers' belt buckles? How could you go wrong with that?
The thing is, Ghost Rider looks cool, but he's a comic book character, so he needs to be more fleshed out than just an iconic burning skull. That's when things get weird.
I've always been a fan of modern Ghost Rider, but I never knew how wacky his background really is. It involves the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and demons from hell. Surprisingly, the Ghost Rider movie taps into the weirdness and seems to even revel in it.
Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) makes a deal with the devil Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda, the original Easy Rider): in exchange for saving his father from cancer, Blaze's soul is Mephisto's property. Of course, the deal turns sour and Blaze discovers that an interesting quirk of his contract: Since Blaze's soul is spoken for, he's nigh indestructible, a trait that's particularly useful in Blaze's career as a daredevil. Eventually, Mephisto comes calling on his debt, and it's a doozy: Mephisto's son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) is attempting to usurp his father by absorbing a thousand souls. And that's when Blaze discovers he actually bursts into flames, his skin melts off, and he becomes the walking skeleton known as Ghost Rider.
The plot is reminiscent of Blade in that the bad guy is rebelling against his destiny, filled with a grand plan that basically translates to: "I'll do everything the other bad guys do, only ten thousand times bigger!" In Blackheart's case, it's a town that sold its collective souls to the devil in another contract. If Blackheart can collect, it will be enough to help him take over the world. MUAAHAHAHAHAH.
Ahem. Anyway, there are some other characters, like Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendez, who can rock a dress like nobody's business), and a former Ghost Rider himself, Caretaker (Same Elliott). They're mostly window dressing really for Ghost Rider to strut his stuff. Ghost Rider (actually a demon bound to Johnny's soul, but why quibble) is a CGI marvel of chains, flames, and a demonic motorcycle that defies physics. The Four Horsemen have been replaced with three elemental demons (Gressil, Wallow, and Abigor) instead, who are really just special effects rather than actual characters.
What's interesting about Ghost Rider is that the film takes a leather-wearing bike-riding demon to its logical conclusion, complete with SWAT teams and a shootout in the middle of the city. Then it shifts to a supernatural battle with the demon family, interspersed with Johnny Blaze's comedic struggles with his nightlife. Occasionally, Ghost Rider does that thing that drove me crazy about the Spawn movie - random shots that suddenly appear in the middle of the film, disrupting the flow, just to show a cool shot. In this case, it's the two Ghost Riders (modern and western) riding side-by-side to Ghost Riders in the Sky. Fortunately, it's cool enough to watch that I forgave the director (Mark Steven Johnson).
Cage handles most of the heavy lifting. Next to cage, Mendez just can't keep up. The rest of the crew are interesting, but it's the special effects that really make the film. Unlike the Hulk, the CGI effects are flawless.
Overall, Ghost Rider was a lot more enjoyable than I expected. If you can get on board with the idea of a demonic biker of vengeance working as a bounty hunter for the devil, you won't be disappointed.
F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon
The thing is, Ghost Rider looks cool, but he's a comic book character, so he needs to be more fleshed out than just an iconic burning skull. That's when things get weird.
I've always been a fan of modern Ghost Rider, but I never knew how wacky his background really is. It involves the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and demons from hell. Surprisingly, the Ghost Rider movie taps into the weirdness and seems to even revel in it.
Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) makes a deal with the devil Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda, the original Easy Rider): in exchange for saving his father from cancer, Blaze's soul is Mephisto's property. Of course, the deal turns sour and Blaze discovers that an interesting quirk of his contract: Since Blaze's soul is spoken for, he's nigh indestructible, a trait that's particularly useful in Blaze's career as a daredevil. Eventually, Mephisto comes calling on his debt, and it's a doozy: Mephisto's son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) is attempting to usurp his father by absorbing a thousand souls. And that's when Blaze discovers he actually bursts into flames, his skin melts off, and he becomes the walking skeleton known as Ghost Rider.
The plot is reminiscent of Blade in that the bad guy is rebelling against his destiny, filled with a grand plan that basically translates to: "I'll do everything the other bad guys do, only ten thousand times bigger!" In Blackheart's case, it's a town that sold its collective souls to the devil in another contract. If Blackheart can collect, it will be enough to help him take over the world. MUAAHAHAHAHAH.
Ahem. Anyway, there are some other characters, like Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendez, who can rock a dress like nobody's business), and a former Ghost Rider himself, Caretaker (Same Elliott). They're mostly window dressing really for Ghost Rider to strut his stuff. Ghost Rider (actually a demon bound to Johnny's soul, but why quibble) is a CGI marvel of chains, flames, and a demonic motorcycle that defies physics. The Four Horsemen have been replaced with three elemental demons (Gressil, Wallow, and Abigor) instead, who are really just special effects rather than actual characters.
What's interesting about Ghost Rider is that the film takes a leather-wearing bike-riding demon to its logical conclusion, complete with SWAT teams and a shootout in the middle of the city. Then it shifts to a supernatural battle with the demon family, interspersed with Johnny Blaze's comedic struggles with his nightlife. Occasionally, Ghost Rider does that thing that drove me crazy about the Spawn movie - random shots that suddenly appear in the middle of the film, disrupting the flow, just to show a cool shot. In this case, it's the two Ghost Riders (modern and western) riding side-by-side to Ghost Riders in the Sky. Fortunately, it's cool enough to watch that I forgave the director (Mark Steven Johnson).
Cage handles most of the heavy lifting. Next to cage, Mendez just can't keep up. The rest of the crew are interesting, but it's the special effects that really make the film. Unlike the Hulk, the CGI effects are flawless.
Overall, Ghost Rider was a lot more enjoyable than I expected. If you can get on board with the idea of a demonic biker of vengeance working as a bounty hunter for the devil, you won't be disappointed.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
Someone was most assuredly playing Halo one day and then, after watching The Ring, said, "You know what would be cool? If we combined Japanese horror with a first-person shooter!" And thus FEAR was born.
FEAR (First Encounter Assault Recon) is Halo without the power suit and vehicles in tightly confined, spooky urban environments. Your character is anonymous behind his faceplate, like Master Chief, and you possess powers beyond mortal men, including the ability to slow down time in Matrix-esque fashion. The usual weapons of mass destruction are present as well: pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, and of course the obligatory futuristic energy rifle.
What makes FEAR different is its adherence to a disturbing plotline. Project Origin has created a series of telepathically controlled clones (think clone troopers from Star Wars). They are the perfect warriors, led by their powerful telepathic commander, Paxton Fettel. Only Paxton has been driven mad by the ghost of a little girl, Alma, and transformed into a cannibalistic mass murderer. Cue our point man (that'd be the player) and the FEAR team.
What ensues is a creepy romp through garbage-filled alleyways, poorly lit warehouses, abandoned office buildings, and weird underground laboratories. We learn the story through more than dialogue alone; there are various opportunities to overhear answering machine messages, slowly unspooling the plot.
FEAR is an interesting experiment in horror. Horror is largely scripted, be it in a novel or script, thereby dictating when and where bad things happen. In FEAR, although events are scripted, they don't necessarily play out the way the creators probably intended. I was often looking the wrong way when a creepy ghost appeared, ruining the effect. Conversely, some creepy moments wear off quickly when you've died twelve times and have to replay the scene over and over again. Nevertheless, the game has its moments, not in the intentionally creepy horror but the subtle: a lone photocopy machine illuminated in the darkness as it photocopies nothing, the rattling of underground pipes ready to burst, and the accidental bumping of debris all kept my nerves frayed.
And there is a LOT of debris. Everything in the game can be hit, bumped, knocked over, moved, and blown up. Except for the cast of characters. This is a bit of a let down when some key cast members (who we just know are BAD (tm)) cannot be harmed with a pistol to the forehead, yet you can accidentally blow yourself to bits by shooting a fire extinguisher from a distance. The game chooses when to be realistic at its creators' whim.
FEAR has one of the most realistic artificial intelligences in recent FPS memory. The clone soldiers work together, throwing grenades at the right moment, looping back around to catch you by surprise, and running and gunning when under heavy fire. They leap over barriers and duck under cover, scream for backup and loudly declare their intentions over their walkie-talkies. In fact they act a lot like...
People. It's so strange that a game fixated on the terror of cloning has the most human-like enemies ever to grace the Xbox 360. The panic in a clone soldier's voice is almost pathetic when you eliminate his entire team: "I can't stop him!" When a soldier thinks he has the drop on you, he swears like a sailor.
FEAR is bloody, violent, and foul-mouthed. Sometimes the cursing seems a little egregious; sometimes it makes you wonder who taught the clones these potty words. But the blood, especially in slow-mo mode, is glorious to behold, especially when a shotgun blast at point blank range tears through a clone soldier and the bookshelf behind him.
FEAR has its flaws. The collision detection isn't always right, snagging your character on strange parts of the board. Bad guys fall all over in rag doll fashion thanks to the Havok engine, but they also sometimes fall in weird poses (on several occasions, a clone soldier fell and hung in mid-air). And the voice acting is so-so.
But FEAR does one thing right, and that was enough to make me play it obsessively until I beat it. You WILL learn the meaning of FEAR.
Hellraiser: Inferno
FEAR (First Encounter Assault Recon) is Halo without the power suit and vehicles in tightly confined, spooky urban environments. Your character is anonymous behind his faceplate, like Master Chief, and you possess powers beyond mortal men, including the ability to slow down time in Matrix-esque fashion. The usual weapons of mass destruction are present as well: pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, and of course the obligatory futuristic energy rifle.
What makes FEAR different is its adherence to a disturbing plotline. Project Origin has created a series of telepathically controlled clones (think clone troopers from Star Wars). They are the perfect warriors, led by their powerful telepathic commander, Paxton Fettel. Only Paxton has been driven mad by the ghost of a little girl, Alma, and transformed into a cannibalistic mass murderer. Cue our point man (that'd be the player) and the FEAR team.
What ensues is a creepy romp through garbage-filled alleyways, poorly lit warehouses, abandoned office buildings, and weird underground laboratories. We learn the story through more than dialogue alone; there are various opportunities to overhear answering machine messages, slowly unspooling the plot.
FEAR is an interesting experiment in horror. Horror is largely scripted, be it in a novel or script, thereby dictating when and where bad things happen. In FEAR, although events are scripted, they don't necessarily play out the way the creators probably intended. I was often looking the wrong way when a creepy ghost appeared, ruining the effect. Conversely, some creepy moments wear off quickly when you've died twelve times and have to replay the scene over and over again. Nevertheless, the game has its moments, not in the intentionally creepy horror but the subtle: a lone photocopy machine illuminated in the darkness as it photocopies nothing, the rattling of underground pipes ready to burst, and the accidental bumping of debris all kept my nerves frayed.
And there is a LOT of debris. Everything in the game can be hit, bumped, knocked over, moved, and blown up. Except for the cast of characters. This is a bit of a let down when some key cast members (who we just know are BAD (tm)) cannot be harmed with a pistol to the forehead, yet you can accidentally blow yourself to bits by shooting a fire extinguisher from a distance. The game chooses when to be realistic at its creators' whim.
FEAR has one of the most realistic artificial intelligences in recent FPS memory. The clone soldiers work together, throwing grenades at the right moment, looping back around to catch you by surprise, and running and gunning when under heavy fire. They leap over barriers and duck under cover, scream for backup and loudly declare their intentions over their walkie-talkies. In fact they act a lot like...
People. It's so strange that a game fixated on the terror of cloning has the most human-like enemies ever to grace the Xbox 360. The panic in a clone soldier's voice is almost pathetic when you eliminate his entire team: "I can't stop him!" When a soldier thinks he has the drop on you, he swears like a sailor.
FEAR is bloody, violent, and foul-mouthed. Sometimes the cursing seems a little egregious; sometimes it makes you wonder who taught the clones these potty words. But the blood, especially in slow-mo mode, is glorious to behold, especially when a shotgun blast at point blank range tears through a clone soldier and the bookshelf behind him.
FEAR has its flaws. The collision detection isn't always right, snagging your character on strange parts of the board. Bad guys fall all over in rag doll fashion thanks to the Havok engine, but they also sometimes fall in weird poses (on several occasions, a clone soldier fell and hung in mid-air). And the voice acting is so-so.
But FEAR does one thing right, and that was enough to make me play it obsessively until I beat it. You WILL learn the meaning of FEAR.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
The last movie I saw in the Hellraiser series was "Hellraiser in Space"-Hellraiser: Bloodline. I enjoyed it, mostly because I've never been too attached to the Hellraiser series anyway and the science fiction twist made it interesting. It was especially amusing to see the Cenobites confused by advanced technology (though they catch up fast).
Anyway, although Hellraiser: Bloodline was technically the end to the series, it's obvious we're now in franchise life-support territory. That said, I wasn't expecting much from Hellraiser: Inferno.
The first thing that's surprising about Inferno is that it's a movie that takes itself very seriously. This is not about gore or even physical horror. It's a film noir with a good dash of psychological horror.
Detective Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer) is a beetle-browed thug masquerading as a police officer. He sleeps with prostitutes, he snorts drugs, and he frames people who get in his way. He's also a highly effective cop in an underworld gone mad. He has been inexplicably teamed up with Tony Nenonen (Nicholas Turturro), a goody two-shoes partner who is completely clueless.
Thorne has a beautiful wife, Melanie (Noelle Evans) and daughter (Lindsay Taylor, I think). How he ended up with his wife or producing such a sweet child is a mystery. In essence, Thorne's a big jerk and everybody but Thorne knows it. And maybe the writers (Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derickson).
Eventually, Thorne meets his match in a psychopath known only as The Engineer, who cuts the fingers of a child and leaves them at the scene of various crimes. Thorne becomes obsessed with the fate of this little boy, seeing a reflection of his own family in the tortured child. He's closer to the truth than he realizes.
There are a few other characters, notably Thorne's elderly parents and a police psychologist (James Remar). But in the end, nobody can help poor Detective Thorne...not even himself. Everyone pretty much exists to be gruesomely tortured, so the characters aren't particularly well-developed.
This movie is a lot like Jacob's Ladder, down to the medical practitioner being the symbolic Good Guy. Except Hellraiser is the No Exit version. And the movie ends on a real down note.
The problem is that Thorne's descent into sin isn't really believable. He's already a sleazeball, so it's difficult to feel sympathy for him. Sheffer has such a massive forehead that it seems incapable of conveying much else besides rage and scorn. Unfortunately, the role requires a much wider range of emotions than the actor is able to provide.
The movie's entire premise hinges on a plot twist. Once you figure out the plot twist, it then drags on for another 20 minutes before revealing what we already knew. Sounds great on paper, but it doesn't make for a compelling movie.
And yet, the director (Scott Derrickson) works hard to convey the right mood. Through a lot of green lensing, we know when Thorne is in the underworld. The gore is suitably gruesome, if understated. Derrickson knows that horror is far worse in the mind than on screen and makes a point of providing a ghastly array of sounds, screams, and tortured wails just on the other sides of doors and on videotape to freak out the audience.
Pinhead (Doug Bradley) shows up briefly in a role that can only be described as judge, jury, and executioner. The DVD extras talk about how this is a new role for Pinhead, like it's an Oscar-winning turn for the fictional actor. Newsflash: It ain't.
In the end, Inferno is too long, too filled with self-loathing, and too obvious to really be a great entry in the Hellraiser series. Although it's not a jump-up-and-scream kind of film, Inferno does have its creepy moments.
Gothika
Anyway, although Hellraiser: Bloodline was technically the end to the series, it's obvious we're now in franchise life-support territory. That said, I wasn't expecting much from Hellraiser: Inferno.
The first thing that's surprising about Inferno is that it's a movie that takes itself very seriously. This is not about gore or even physical horror. It's a film noir with a good dash of psychological horror.
Detective Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer) is a beetle-browed thug masquerading as a police officer. He sleeps with prostitutes, he snorts drugs, and he frames people who get in his way. He's also a highly effective cop in an underworld gone mad. He has been inexplicably teamed up with Tony Nenonen (Nicholas Turturro), a goody two-shoes partner who is completely clueless.
Thorne has a beautiful wife, Melanie (Noelle Evans) and daughter (Lindsay Taylor, I think). How he ended up with his wife or producing such a sweet child is a mystery. In essence, Thorne's a big jerk and everybody but Thorne knows it. And maybe the writers (Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derickson).
Eventually, Thorne meets his match in a psychopath known only as The Engineer, who cuts the fingers of a child and leaves them at the scene of various crimes. Thorne becomes obsessed with the fate of this little boy, seeing a reflection of his own family in the tortured child. He's closer to the truth than he realizes.
There are a few other characters, notably Thorne's elderly parents and a police psychologist (James Remar). But in the end, nobody can help poor Detective Thorne...not even himself. Everyone pretty much exists to be gruesomely tortured, so the characters aren't particularly well-developed.
This movie is a lot like Jacob's Ladder, down to the medical practitioner being the symbolic Good Guy. Except Hellraiser is the No Exit version. And the movie ends on a real down note.
The problem is that Thorne's descent into sin isn't really believable. He's already a sleazeball, so it's difficult to feel sympathy for him. Sheffer has such a massive forehead that it seems incapable of conveying much else besides rage and scorn. Unfortunately, the role requires a much wider range of emotions than the actor is able to provide.
The movie's entire premise hinges on a plot twist. Once you figure out the plot twist, it then drags on for another 20 minutes before revealing what we already knew. Sounds great on paper, but it doesn't make for a compelling movie.
And yet, the director (Scott Derrickson) works hard to convey the right mood. Through a lot of green lensing, we know when Thorne is in the underworld. The gore is suitably gruesome, if understated. Derrickson knows that horror is far worse in the mind than on screen and makes a point of providing a ghastly array of sounds, screams, and tortured wails just on the other sides of doors and on videotape to freak out the audience.
Pinhead (Doug Bradley) shows up briefly in a role that can only be described as judge, jury, and executioner. The DVD extras talk about how this is a new role for Pinhead, like it's an Oscar-winning turn for the fictional actor. Newsflash: It ain't.
In the end, Inferno is too long, too filled with self-loathing, and too obvious to really be a great entry in the Hellraiser series. Although it's not a jump-up-and-scream kind of film, Inferno does have its creepy moments.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
Gothika is the latest from Dark Castle Entertainment, specializing in horror movies with updated special effects, including House on Haunted Hill and Thir13en Ghosts, two of my favorites. So I wasn't expecting much, but I figured a movie like Gothika would be, well, gothic. I was not disappointed.
Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a monotone-voiced psychiatrist consulting with a patient (apparently, she only ever talks to one), Chloe Sava (Penelope Cruz), in a sanitarium. Chloe believes she is being raped by the devil in prison. Miranda is the wife of Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles Dutton), a blubbery man that you can't believe is married to such a delicious package. Doug is also the mental hospital's chief psychiatrist. When the two kiss, it's squeamishly unnerving-kudos to the director (Mathieu Kassovitz) for telegraphing the awful while filming something as mundane as a spousal embrace.
Miranda works with another psychiatrist, Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.), a mumbly, ferret-like character who lusts for her from afar. The three characters casually discuss psychological problems as if they were discussing the weather. There's no warmth in any of the relationships, even though a storm rages in the background, crackling with thunder at appropriate moments.
Then weird stuff happens. Miranda crashes her car in an effort to avoid running over a woman (Kathleen Mackey) she sees standing in the road. The woman touches Miranda's face and the two burst into flames...
Miranda wakes up in the same mental hospital she once worked at. She's now a patient, accused of hacking her husband to death with an axe. Pete is her psychiatrist. And just like that, Miranda's world falls apart.
The movie strains credibility with the absurd notion that Miranda would be placed in the very same mental facility that she worked at. No effort is made to explain this particular plot point, so integral to the horror Miranda experiences. Similarly, Miranda doesn't act particularly professional or even argue her case very well. She collapses into a shrieking mess and pretty much stays that way throughout the film.
Complicating matters is the ghost that haunts the facility. In a refreshing horror movie turn, this is no Capser the Friendly Ghost. She possesses people, she uses said possessed people to do awful things, and beats the crap out of anyone who doesn't do what she wants them to do. In fact, she's so powerful and intrusive that you can't help but wonder why the ghost just doesn't do everything herself.
Unfortunately, there are lots of problems with Gothika. Halle Berry is too pretty for the role and lacks sufficient warmth to bring any real emotion to the screen but shrill hysteria. Pete is so mush-mouthed, so wandering in his conversations, that he seems more like a patient than a doctor at the hospital. But the real villain is the writer (Sebastian Gutierrez), who filled the plot with holes (security guards hand over their car keys to Miranda for WHAT reason exactly?), ridiculous punch lines (think Trinity from the Matrix's maxim "Dodge this" thrown into a movie that's supposed to be all about psychological horror), and awful dialogue.
Gothika is one of those movies that is defined primarily by its lensing; everything is a bluish gray. This is obviously intentional to set the mood of a dreary psychological horror. The relentless blue is punctuated by are occasional flashes of red-red lights, a red nametag, red outfits. But unlike Sixth Sense, the red doesn't have any real symbolism behind it (except, perhaps, "DANGER!"). It's as if Kassovitz liked the idea of putting a blue lens over the film but didn't know what to do with the technique.
And yet, Gothika has genuinely creepy moments that caused my various family members to jump out of their seats. The horror, both of role reversal (the psychologist becomes the patient) and of the capacity of normal people to commit acts if horrible violence, is striking. The insane asylum is its own character, a gaping series of hallways with wide-open spaces and cold glass walls.
Gothika is no Sixth Sense or Stir of Echoes, and a little too slickly produced for its own good. It's hampered by high-minded goals, burdened with a patchwork plot, and really, really blue. But it's just scary enough, just freaky enough, and just interesting enough to make it worth watching.
Spirited Away
Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a monotone-voiced psychiatrist consulting with a patient (apparently, she only ever talks to one), Chloe Sava (Penelope Cruz), in a sanitarium. Chloe believes she is being raped by the devil in prison. Miranda is the wife of Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles Dutton), a blubbery man that you can't believe is married to such a delicious package. Doug is also the mental hospital's chief psychiatrist. When the two kiss, it's squeamishly unnerving-kudos to the director (Mathieu Kassovitz) for telegraphing the awful while filming something as mundane as a spousal embrace.
Miranda works with another psychiatrist, Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.), a mumbly, ferret-like character who lusts for her from afar. The three characters casually discuss psychological problems as if they were discussing the weather. There's no warmth in any of the relationships, even though a storm rages in the background, crackling with thunder at appropriate moments.
Then weird stuff happens. Miranda crashes her car in an effort to avoid running over a woman (Kathleen Mackey) she sees standing in the road. The woman touches Miranda's face and the two burst into flames...
Miranda wakes up in the same mental hospital she once worked at. She's now a patient, accused of hacking her husband to death with an axe. Pete is her psychiatrist. And just like that, Miranda's world falls apart.
The movie strains credibility with the absurd notion that Miranda would be placed in the very same mental facility that she worked at. No effort is made to explain this particular plot point, so integral to the horror Miranda experiences. Similarly, Miranda doesn't act particularly professional or even argue her case very well. She collapses into a shrieking mess and pretty much stays that way throughout the film.
Complicating matters is the ghost that haunts the facility. In a refreshing horror movie turn, this is no Capser the Friendly Ghost. She possesses people, she uses said possessed people to do awful things, and beats the crap out of anyone who doesn't do what she wants them to do. In fact, she's so powerful and intrusive that you can't help but wonder why the ghost just doesn't do everything herself.
Unfortunately, there are lots of problems with Gothika. Halle Berry is too pretty for the role and lacks sufficient warmth to bring any real emotion to the screen but shrill hysteria. Pete is so mush-mouthed, so wandering in his conversations, that he seems more like a patient than a doctor at the hospital. But the real villain is the writer (Sebastian Gutierrez), who filled the plot with holes (security guards hand over their car keys to Miranda for WHAT reason exactly?), ridiculous punch lines (think Trinity from the Matrix's maxim "Dodge this" thrown into a movie that's supposed to be all about psychological horror), and awful dialogue.
Gothika is one of those movies that is defined primarily by its lensing; everything is a bluish gray. This is obviously intentional to set the mood of a dreary psychological horror. The relentless blue is punctuated by are occasional flashes of red-red lights, a red nametag, red outfits. But unlike Sixth Sense, the red doesn't have any real symbolism behind it (except, perhaps, "DANGER!"). It's as if Kassovitz liked the idea of putting a blue lens over the film but didn't know what to do with the technique.
And yet, Gothika has genuinely creepy moments that caused my various family members to jump out of their seats. The horror, both of role reversal (the psychologist becomes the patient) and of the capacity of normal people to commit acts if horrible violence, is striking. The insane asylum is its own character, a gaping series of hallways with wide-open spaces and cold glass walls.
Gothika is no Sixth Sense or Stir of Echoes, and a little too slickly produced for its own good. It's hampered by high-minded goals, burdened with a patchwork plot, and really, really blue. But it's just scary enough, just freaky enough, and just interesting enough to make it worth watching.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
First, Spirited Away is about a little girl, but it is NOT A MOVIE FOR LITTLE KIDS.
This is something I feel should be stated up front for all the folks (*cough*mundanes*cough*) who think that anything that's animated is for kiddies. It ain't. Welcome to the world of anime.
Actually, let me amend that. There seems to be some anime apologists who are afraid the film will get a bad rap if parents are told that it's not for children. Well foo on them too. This is not a movie suitable for young children. I'll explain more in a moment.
And what a world it is. A young girl named Chihiro travels with her parents to their new home and on the way, take a short cut to what looks like an abandoned theme park. Her parents wander heedlessly into the grounds and find some delicious-smelling food, which they consume.
Then they turn into pigs. It's not a blink-and-you-miss-it special effect. It's a slow, terrifying effect. Chihiro's parents turn into big, fat, squealing pigs. It's horrible -- it's meant to be. Remember the not for kids warning? This is one reason why.
Chihiro is not without her allies. She meets Haku, a river dragon who appears to her in boy form (most of the time). With his help and guidance, Chihiro manages to survive her transition into what turns out to be the spirit world. She makes friends with a moustached, goggled spider-like being who runs the boiler room and finds employment with Yubaba, the domineering old crone who runs the bathhouse.
Being that I've written a few fantasy books set in Russian fairy tales (see Tsar Rising and The Dancing Hut), words like "bathhouse," "crone," and "Yubaba" ring bells. I'm saddened that very few reviewers picked up on the movie's inspiration.
The movie takes many of its cues from Russian myth. Yubaba = Baba Yaga, the infamous hag. Just as Yubaba has a baby she fawns over, Baba Yaga alternately menaces and cares for children. She has a host of young girls working for her in some stories -- in others, she is a cannibal. The parallels are all there.
There's more: Yubaba has a twin sister, Zeniba. In Russian myth, there's typically three hags (all sisters), but the similarity is unmistakable. And of course there's the bathhouse itself. In both Russian and Japanese myth, the bathhouse is a magical place where the spirits take over at midnight. Which is precisely what happens in Spirited Away.
And oh yeah, there's a two-headed eagle (a symbol of old Russia) on Yubaba's tapestry. Of course, nobody pays attention to Russia these days for reasons I can only ascribe to the Cold War.
There are plenty of elements that aren't from Russian myth. No-Face, a strange demon that leeches off of other people's personalities, changes from a benevolent ally to a monstrous thing that tries to eat everyone in the bathhouse. It moans and wails, it eats people, it's really quite gross and scary -- not for kids.
What the movie does have is charm. Love, friendship, trust -- all these things help Chichiro to survive. Her good-hearted actions save her (just like in Russian myth...most of the time) and help her defeat Yubaba at her own game.
The animation is superb. The voice acting (including the dub) is excellent. Disney is giving Japanese anime the respect it deserves. See it.
This movie IS worth seeing with your tween daughter. As in, 10 years old and up.
Comment Comment | Permalink
Chinese Ghost Story III
This is something I feel should be stated up front for all the folks (*cough*mundanes*cough*) who think that anything that's animated is for kiddies. It ain't. Welcome to the world of anime.
Actually, let me amend that. There seems to be some anime apologists who are afraid the film will get a bad rap if parents are told that it's not for children. Well foo on them too. This is not a movie suitable for young children. I'll explain more in a moment.
And what a world it is. A young girl named Chihiro travels with her parents to their new home and on the way, take a short cut to what looks like an abandoned theme park. Her parents wander heedlessly into the grounds and find some delicious-smelling food, which they consume.
Then they turn into pigs. It's not a blink-and-you-miss-it special effect. It's a slow, terrifying effect. Chihiro's parents turn into big, fat, squealing pigs. It's horrible -- it's meant to be. Remember the not for kids warning? This is one reason why.
Chihiro is not without her allies. She meets Haku, a river dragon who appears to her in boy form (most of the time). With his help and guidance, Chihiro manages to survive her transition into what turns out to be the spirit world. She makes friends with a moustached, goggled spider-like being who runs the boiler room and finds employment with Yubaba, the domineering old crone who runs the bathhouse.
Being that I've written a few fantasy books set in Russian fairy tales (see Tsar Rising and The Dancing Hut), words like "bathhouse," "crone," and "Yubaba" ring bells. I'm saddened that very few reviewers picked up on the movie's inspiration.
The movie takes many of its cues from Russian myth. Yubaba = Baba Yaga, the infamous hag. Just as Yubaba has a baby she fawns over, Baba Yaga alternately menaces and cares for children. She has a host of young girls working for her in some stories -- in others, she is a cannibal. The parallels are all there.
There's more: Yubaba has a twin sister, Zeniba. In Russian myth, there's typically three hags (all sisters), but the similarity is unmistakable. And of course there's the bathhouse itself. In both Russian and Japanese myth, the bathhouse is a magical place where the spirits take over at midnight. Which is precisely what happens in Spirited Away.
And oh yeah, there's a two-headed eagle (a symbol of old Russia) on Yubaba's tapestry. Of course, nobody pays attention to Russia these days for reasons I can only ascribe to the Cold War.
There are plenty of elements that aren't from Russian myth. No-Face, a strange demon that leeches off of other people's personalities, changes from a benevolent ally to a monstrous thing that tries to eat everyone in the bathhouse. It moans and wails, it eats people, it's really quite gross and scary -- not for kids.
What the movie does have is charm. Love, friendship, trust -- all these things help Chichiro to survive. Her good-hearted actions save her (just like in Russian myth...most of the time) and help her defeat Yubaba at her own game.
The animation is superb. The voice acting (including the dub) is excellent. Disney is giving Japanese anime the respect it deserves. See it.
This movie IS worth seeing with your tween daughter. As in, 10 years old and up.
Comment Comment | Permalink
Labels: Ghost Reviews
I was prepared to really enjoy Chinese Ghost Story III, understanding that it was essentially a retread of the original two movies. Since the movie takes place 100 years after the second, there's plenty of good reasons for why the Chinese Ghost Story III would be disconnected from its roots.
Unfortunately, Chinese Ghost Story III suffers from exactly the opposite: it's far too much like Chinese Ghost Story II. Even more unforgivable, the actress who played the ghost in the first story (that was saved, to become reincarnated) and who played the physical twin of the ghost in the second story, is ANOTHER ghost in this story. Another ghost, but not the same ghost. Very annoying.
Back too is the villain, the wicked tree hag with the never-ending tongue and influence over tree branches. I don't know about you, but I didn't have a burning desire to find out whatever happened to the tree hag that dove into that hole in the second movie. I mean, really.
The plot is similar - instead of a tax collector seduced by a ghost, we have a monk seduced by a ghost. There's an old mentor who has supernatural powers and there's also a professional demon hunter. The only difference is that the demon hunter in this movie was the student of the old monk in the last movie.
So what does this movie have to offer? Not much. In fact, it's so much like the second movie that the parallels only serve to show just how inferior the second movie is. It's not as scary, not as funny, and not as romantic.
The ending even has a poorly introduced bad guy - the husband to be to the ghost (JUST LIKE THE SECOND MOVIE). In this case, it's the "Mountain Devil." The Mountain Devil is apparently a big puppet, and not in the "hey it's cool cause it's wacky" kind of way. He animates buildings that look like puppet buildings.
On the whack-I-meter, the old monk manages to cover his eyes with his earlobes. And that's about it. Even the sword stunts and magic tricks can't top Chinese Ghost Story II.
If you've seen the second movie, you don't need to see Chinese Ghost Story III.
Soul Survivors
Unfortunately, Chinese Ghost Story III suffers from exactly the opposite: it's far too much like Chinese Ghost Story II. Even more unforgivable, the actress who played the ghost in the first story (that was saved, to become reincarnated) and who played the physical twin of the ghost in the second story, is ANOTHER ghost in this story. Another ghost, but not the same ghost. Very annoying.
Back too is the villain, the wicked tree hag with the never-ending tongue and influence over tree branches. I don't know about you, but I didn't have a burning desire to find out whatever happened to the tree hag that dove into that hole in the second movie. I mean, really.
The plot is similar - instead of a tax collector seduced by a ghost, we have a monk seduced by a ghost. There's an old mentor who has supernatural powers and there's also a professional demon hunter. The only difference is that the demon hunter in this movie was the student of the old monk in the last movie.
So what does this movie have to offer? Not much. In fact, it's so much like the second movie that the parallels only serve to show just how inferior the second movie is. It's not as scary, not as funny, and not as romantic.
The ending even has a poorly introduced bad guy - the husband to be to the ghost (JUST LIKE THE SECOND MOVIE). In this case, it's the "Mountain Devil." The Mountain Devil is apparently a big puppet, and not in the "hey it's cool cause it's wacky" kind of way. He animates buildings that look like puppet buildings.
On the whack-I-meter, the old monk manages to cover his eyes with his earlobes. And that's about it. Even the sword stunts and magic tricks can't top Chinese Ghost Story II.
If you've seen the second movie, you don't need to see Chinese Ghost Story III.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
Take Jacob's Ladder, put some hot chicks in it, some kickin' tunes, a lot of buff guys mumbling to themselves, and you have Soul Survivors. I could just leave the review at that, but for those of you who haven't seen Jacob's Ladder, I feel obligated to explain. This is Spoilerland, so run while you can...
Still here? Sorry to hear that. Okay, well Jacob's Ladder was about the process the protagonist goes through as he dies. In essence, the few seconds as he struggles between life and death are his purgatory. The movie follows the main character living out his life in those split seconds, and characters become symbols of heaven and hell.
Jacob's Ladder had a lot of sneaky hints, like...the guy in white is the angel. He also happens to be a chiropractor. In case you didn't figure it out in the film, the protagonist says stuff like, "You're like an angel."
Have you figured out yet that I wasn't too fond of Jacob's Ladder?
So you can imagine how much I didn't enjoy Soul Survivors, which is a direct rip off of that film. Only there's even more ridiculous symbolism from the school of M. Night Shyamalan - red is the sign of the bad supernatural guys. And yes, white's the sign of good supernatural guys. And there's a lot of sudden cuts and weird animal noises as the film hops around trying to freak us out.
Let me save you five bucks: Cassie is at a party with her other two friends Annabel (played by the I-can't-believe-anyone-hires-her-she's-that-awful actress Eliza Dushku) and Matt (her ex-boyfriend) and her boyfriend, Sean. Cassie gets caught kissing Matt, Sean gets mad, everyone piles into a car and they get into a car accident with two weird guys and a lesbian.
Follow me so far? The rest of the movie is like a funkier version of The Others, only without Nicole Kidman's infernal whisper-acting. There's a lot of confusion, a lot of symbolism, a lot of non-events that are supposed to be creepy but just end up becoming frustrating. After five minutes I figured out the Big Secret.
And the Big Secret is that Cassie's in the purgatory of her mind. Her boyfriend's actually alive (which is why she thinks he's dead) but the ex-boyfriend and girlfriend are dead and trying to drag her with them into hell. Fortunately, Saint Jude intervenes.
That's right. You read that correctly: Saint Jude. I'm not sure why. But he wears white, so we know he's a Good Guy ™.
This movie sucks. It's not as bad as say, Species 2, which was just in poor taste. It's just a poorly directed, poorly acted rip off of a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with. Soul Survivors tries SO HARD that I felt bad for the people involved in it.
And that's pretty bad.
Chinese Ghost Story II
Still here? Sorry to hear that. Okay, well Jacob's Ladder was about the process the protagonist goes through as he dies. In essence, the few seconds as he struggles between life and death are his purgatory. The movie follows the main character living out his life in those split seconds, and characters become symbols of heaven and hell.
Jacob's Ladder had a lot of sneaky hints, like...the guy in white is the angel. He also happens to be a chiropractor. In case you didn't figure it out in the film, the protagonist says stuff like, "You're like an angel."
Have you figured out yet that I wasn't too fond of Jacob's Ladder?
So you can imagine how much I didn't enjoy Soul Survivors, which is a direct rip off of that film. Only there's even more ridiculous symbolism from the school of M. Night Shyamalan - red is the sign of the bad supernatural guys. And yes, white's the sign of good supernatural guys. And there's a lot of sudden cuts and weird animal noises as the film hops around trying to freak us out.
Let me save you five bucks: Cassie is at a party with her other two friends Annabel (played by the I-can't-believe-anyone-hires-her-she's-that-awful actress Eliza Dushku) and Matt (her ex-boyfriend) and her boyfriend, Sean. Cassie gets caught kissing Matt, Sean gets mad, everyone piles into a car and they get into a car accident with two weird guys and a lesbian.
Follow me so far? The rest of the movie is like a funkier version of The Others, only without Nicole Kidman's infernal whisper-acting. There's a lot of confusion, a lot of symbolism, a lot of non-events that are supposed to be creepy but just end up becoming frustrating. After five minutes I figured out the Big Secret.
And the Big Secret is that Cassie's in the purgatory of her mind. Her boyfriend's actually alive (which is why she thinks he's dead) but the ex-boyfriend and girlfriend are dead and trying to drag her with them into hell. Fortunately, Saint Jude intervenes.
That's right. You read that correctly: Saint Jude. I'm not sure why. But he wears white, so we know he's a Good Guy ™.
This movie sucks. It's not as bad as say, Species 2, which was just in poor taste. It's just a poorly directed, poorly acted rip off of a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with. Soul Survivors tries SO HARD that I felt bad for the people involved in it.
And that's pretty bad.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
I don't remember why I decided to rent Chinese Ghost Story 2. It's probably because it's one of the best examples of a martial arts historical fantasy, and I use the word "historical" loosely.
It's hard to sum up the plot because it's a blending mishmash of several other plots. There's the reincarnated former long lost love, the bumbling tax collector, the clueless demon fighter, the grouchy monk, and a whole slew of bandits who dress up as ghosts.
But it wouldn't be called Chinese Ghost Story 2 if it was only about fake ghosts. There are real ghosts too - one is a hilarious big floppy monster with big fangs, big eyes, and big claws. The other is the main bad guy, who doesn't actually appear until the second half of the movie. And what a bad guy he is - a demon in the form of a false Buddha in the form of a giant centipede.
Get the picture yet? How about a freeze spell gone wrong, a guardian warrior who wields five katanas at once, and people flying around on swords like they were surfboards. The most hysterical part of the film is the tax collector's misuse of aforementioned freeze spell, managing to paralyze himself, the demon slayer who taught him the spell, and the ghost they're both trying to kill - so all three stand frozen for hours in a very awkward pose waiting for the spell to wear off. It's funnier than it sounds, trust me.
For all its wackiness, Chinese Ghost Story is serious stuff. Characters sacrifice themselves to save others, two sisters battle for the love of the tax collector, and the false Buddha chortles as he extols the virtues of fooling the peasantry with false deities.
In this movie, no one is who they seem and virtue ultimately rules above all. The tax collector is mistaken for a great sage. The bandit leader is mistaken for a reincarnated ghost. The demon is mistaken for Buddha. Ultimately, it is the measure of a man or woman that ultimately defines who they are, as demonstrated by the warrior who fights to the death to defend the honor of those he wronged.
Unfortunately, the subtitles of Chinese Ghost Story suffers from a lazy and inept translation. The spell chants are never translated beyond "Abracadabra, hocus pocus!" and some of the spellings are simply incorrect. Still, it wasn't so awful that it impaired my enjoyment of the film.
If Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon piqued your interest, this movie is the next step into Wuxia cinema.
Chinese Ghost Story
It's hard to sum up the plot because it's a blending mishmash of several other plots. There's the reincarnated former long lost love, the bumbling tax collector, the clueless demon fighter, the grouchy monk, and a whole slew of bandits who dress up as ghosts.
But it wouldn't be called Chinese Ghost Story 2 if it was only about fake ghosts. There are real ghosts too - one is a hilarious big floppy monster with big fangs, big eyes, and big claws. The other is the main bad guy, who doesn't actually appear until the second half of the movie. And what a bad guy he is - a demon in the form of a false Buddha in the form of a giant centipede.
Get the picture yet? How about a freeze spell gone wrong, a guardian warrior who wields five katanas at once, and people flying around on swords like they were surfboards. The most hysterical part of the film is the tax collector's misuse of aforementioned freeze spell, managing to paralyze himself, the demon slayer who taught him the spell, and the ghost they're both trying to kill - so all three stand frozen for hours in a very awkward pose waiting for the spell to wear off. It's funnier than it sounds, trust me.
For all its wackiness, Chinese Ghost Story is serious stuff. Characters sacrifice themselves to save others, two sisters battle for the love of the tax collector, and the false Buddha chortles as he extols the virtues of fooling the peasantry with false deities.
In this movie, no one is who they seem and virtue ultimately rules above all. The tax collector is mistaken for a great sage. The bandit leader is mistaken for a reincarnated ghost. The demon is mistaken for Buddha. Ultimately, it is the measure of a man or woman that ultimately defines who they are, as demonstrated by the warrior who fights to the death to defend the honor of those he wronged.
Unfortunately, the subtitles of Chinese Ghost Story suffers from a lazy and inept translation. The spell chants are never translated beyond "Abracadabra, hocus pocus!" and some of the spellings are simply incorrect. Still, it wasn't so awful that it impaired my enjoyment of the film.
If Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon piqued your interest, this movie is the next step into Wuxia cinema.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
I don't remember why I decided to rent Chinese Ghost Story 2. It's probably because it's one of the best examples of a martial arts historical fantasy, and I use the word "historical" loosely.
It's hard to sum up the plot because it's a blending mishmash of several other plots. There's the reincarnated former long lost love, the bumbling tax collector, the clueless demon fighter, the grouchy monk, and a whole slew of bandits who dress up as ghosts.
But it wouldn't be called Chinese Ghost Story 2 if it was only about fake ghosts. There are real ghosts too - one is a hilarious big floppy monster with big fangs, big eyes, and big claws. The other is the main bad guy, who doesn't actually appear until the second half of the movie. And what a bad guy he is - a demon in the form of a false Buddha in the form of a giant centipede.
Get the picture yet? How about a freeze spell gone wrong, a guardian warrior who wields five katanas at once, and people flying around on swords like they were surfboards. The most hysterical part of the film is the tax collector's misuse of aforementioned freeze spell, managing to paralyze himself, the demon slayer who taught him the spell, and the ghost they're both trying to kill - so all three stand frozen for hours in a very awkward pose waiting for the spell to wear off. It's funnier than it sounds, trust me.
For all its wackiness, Chinese Ghost Story is serious stuff. Characters sacrifice themselves to save others, two sisters battle for the love of the tax collector, and the false Buddha chortles as he extols the virtues of fooling the peasantry with false deities.
In this movie, no one is who they seem and virtue ultimately rules above all. The tax collector is mistaken for a great sage. The bandit leader is mistaken for a reincarnated ghost. The demon is mistaken for Buddha. Ultimately, it is the measure of a man or woman that ultimately defines who they are, as demonstrated by the warrior who fights to the death to defend the honor of those he wronged.
Unfortunately, the subtitles of Chinese Ghost Story suffers from a lazy and inept translation. The spell chants are never translated beyond "Abracadabra, hocus pocus!" and some of the spellings are simply incorrect. Still, it wasn't so awful that it impaired my enjoyment of the film.
If Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon piqued your interest, this movie is the next step into Wuxia cinema.
It's hard to sum up the plot because it's a blending mishmash of several other plots. There's the reincarnated former long lost love, the bumbling tax collector, the clueless demon fighter, the grouchy monk, and a whole slew of bandits who dress up as ghosts.
But it wouldn't be called Chinese Ghost Story 2 if it was only about fake ghosts. There are real ghosts too - one is a hilarious big floppy monster with big fangs, big eyes, and big claws. The other is the main bad guy, who doesn't actually appear until the second half of the movie. And what a bad guy he is - a demon in the form of a false Buddha in the form of a giant centipede.
Get the picture yet? How about a freeze spell gone wrong, a guardian warrior who wields five katanas at once, and people flying around on swords like they were surfboards. The most hysterical part of the film is the tax collector's misuse of aforementioned freeze spell, managing to paralyze himself, the demon slayer who taught him the spell, and the ghost they're both trying to kill - so all three stand frozen for hours in a very awkward pose waiting for the spell to wear off. It's funnier than it sounds, trust me.
For all its wackiness, Chinese Ghost Story is serious stuff. Characters sacrifice themselves to save others, two sisters battle for the love of the tax collector, and the false Buddha chortles as he extols the virtues of fooling the peasantry with false deities.
In this movie, no one is who they seem and virtue ultimately rules above all. The tax collector is mistaken for a great sage. The bandit leader is mistaken for a reincarnated ghost. The demon is mistaken for Buddha. Ultimately, it is the measure of a man or woman that ultimately defines who they are, as demonstrated by the warrior who fights to the death to defend the honor of those he wronged.
Unfortunately, the subtitles of Chinese Ghost Story suffers from a lazy and inept translation. The spell chants are never translated beyond "Abracadabra, hocus pocus!" and some of the spellings are simply incorrect. Still, it wasn't so awful that it impaired my enjoyment of the film.
If Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon piqued your interest, this movie is the next step into Wuxia cinema.
Labels: Ghost Reviews
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