Why All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is a Much Better Film than I'd First Thought!

Okay so the other week John Squires wrote a blog regarding All the Boys Love Mandy Lane over at Freddy in Space, about how much he loved the film, but also more to the point, asking the question as to why it has never actually been released in the States.  Now when this film first came out and was touring the film festivals, I have to say, I was majorly geeking for it.  I loved the premise of it and everything about it was looking pretty darn sweet!  When it was released here theatrically it was out for about a week or something and I was gutted to have missed it.  Thankfully though it was released a few months later on DVD and so yay, I was finally getting to see this modern horror, one that I was so looking forward too.  So on the day of release I run out to Blockbusters, all excited and stuff...got my DVD before running home to watch it...AND...

...I hated it!  :(  

Now the point of this blog is to retract some of the venom that I spat after my first viewing.  I might have just ever so slightly over-reacted when I said it was the most over-rated piece of shit in recent history.  Now my initial problem was I didn't get just why all the boys loved Mandy Lane.  I was expecting this incredibly quirky character, one who was not only beautiful outside but on the inside too.  I'm not a huge fan of Amber Heard and I've always found her a bit average...I just don't get all the love for her.  The only reason I could get why they would all love her was that she didn't put out, and so in that respect she was a challenge for them...which she kind of was.  

Supporting cast wise, I thought the teenagers were all beyond douchebaggery levels, which I know would have been the point, but even amongst douchebags there is always at least one that you don't want to be brutally murdered...right!?!  The only character I actually liked was Garth, the groundsman.  

What I did like about the film the first time round was the final act, that was very well done and a great surprise.  My opinion at this time though was that this wasn't enough to save the film and I still thought it was crap.  And I was sure to vent my opinion when I took the DVD back to Blockbusters and I have always been sure to share this opinion whenever the subject came up over the years.  

So anyhoo, it's about 3 years later and I thought about the film again when I read Squires blog, still genuinely annoyed at how much I hated it.  Feeling crap after having spent the day throwing up I'm channel hopping and the film is about to start on Film4 as part of their Frightfest season.  So I think, what the hell, let's give it another shot.  Besides, I felt too ill to argue...even with myself.  

Visually I think the film is great.  The characters are still annoying.  I still don't get exactly why the boys love Mandy Lane...apart from reasons stated above.  The final act is brilliant...and a total surprise.  And you know what...the film didn't suck.  I actually kind of enjoyed it second time round.  I have to admit that I like Amber Heard a little bit more nowadays, maybe that helped.  I still think that the character needed more substance, something to make us root for her more.  Something that would have made the end act all that more satisfying.  Even I'm not that sure what exactly I wanted more from the character but there was definitely something!

So yes, the point of this blog is to admit that I was wrong.  Amongst a slew of wank-munchery films that we are so often subjected too...this is actually one of the better ones.  Maybe time will tell if I grow to love it.  All I know is that I'm a lot happier NOT hating it.  As freaktarded as that may be.  So thank you Squires for inspiring me to give it a second chance, and to softening my opinion on the film.  It's not often that I admit that I am wrong but I kind of was a bit harsh on this one.  Haha.  

And ooh, FYI, if you're a fan of the director Jonathan Levine then I totally recommend you check out his follow up film to All the Boys Love Mandy Lane...The Wackness, it's a brilliant film with an ace soundtrack! :)

I Just Got Nominated for an Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award! The Question is...Who Will I Choose!?!

Why big thank yous to Sean Thompson over at Spooky Sean's Sinful Bloggery for nominating me for The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award!  Mmmmm, look at all those strawberries, nom nom nommmmms, I do like strawberries I do. ;)  And donuts (see pic below, haha!)  So anyhoo, on with the show...

Here are the rules:
1) Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2) Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3) Pass the award to 12 of your blogging buddies.
4) Notify the recipients

7 Random Facts about moi! - 


1. I am completely 100% obsessed with Beagles!!!

2. The first girl I ever had a crush on was a girl that I worked with on an archaeological dig when I was 16, her name was Rosie and she was 23.  She was amazing and not only did she introduce me to Portishead and the awesomeness of Lavender.  She was a Vegetarian who taught my already opinionated self that being true to yourself was what was important.  I lost contact with her but have never forgotten her, she is truly awesome! <3

3. I have an overactive imagination and used to think I was a lizard.  I was convinced I'd bleed green.  Sneakily watching V as a child probably wasn't the best thing for me, haha.  

4. If I had been a boy my name would have been David, after the Rangers player Davie Cooper.  He was my Dad's favourite player and he wanted a boy so he could name him after him.  But hahaha, unfortunately for Daddy, he got 5 girls, lol!  The more amusing point to this story is that his twin brother Neil got 5 boys!!!

5. My favourite character out of the Batman comics is the Scarecrow.  I love Jonathan Crane.  I love the fact that he's completely insane and that insanity came from being horribly mistreated as a child.  He is incredibly intelligent and he uses that intelligence and downright madness to fuck people up.   Hallucinogenics and opening up a person's mind to the darkness that is inside is in my humble opinion the best way to mess with a person.  It is utterly terrifying and who knows just how bonkers you might just make them turn! :) 

6. I've been into Wicca since my teens and always thought that if there was a "religion" for me then that would be it.  I'm not so active with it nowadays but really want to get back into it.  I'm a very earthy person and am all about the tree people.  One thing I did learn though is that you never do something that your heart is not truly into, even if you think it is at the time.  You know how they say things come back threefold on you in The Craft...trust me, they do!


7. One talent that I have that lay undiscovered for years is how good I am at painting minatures!  I was playing loads of role playing board games at the time and decided that I wanted my own Orc army.  Just because.  So my boyfriend got me one of the Warhammer 40k Orcs with his nice big tank and stuff for my Christmas one year.  He offered to paint it for me and I though, what the hey, why don't I try this myself!  So I did, and it turned out I was actually really good at it.  Much to his frustration I was actually a better painter than him, haha.  It was a lovely surprise to me to know I had this awesome talent that I didn't even know I had.  I'm really proud of my painting and am happy to have randomly discovered that I had such a quirky talent!


Right, so now that I have got my 7 random facts out of the way, on to the awesomeness of my favourite blogging buddies!!!

The Bloggage of Miss Lianne Spiderbaby - Lianne is my gorgeous, intelligent, wonderfully amazing in every way, Canadian girlfriend!  Not only is this girl too beautiful for words, she is one heck of a writer!  Along with her blog, she also writes for Fangoria and has her own super fab webseries, Fright Bytes.  Her articles are insightful and interesting and you always come away with a wonderful newfound knowledge after reading them.  Following this girl is a MUST! <3

Penny Dreadful Diary - Or should I say, Jen and Sylviaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!  That would be Soska of course!  Jen and Sylvia ROCK, as does their blog!  On top of following news of their movie work, for example the downright wicked Dead Hooker in a Trunk, to news of their new feature American Mary. These girls are taking the horror world by storm with their deliciously macabre sense of humour, intelligence, and talent in every way.  Hell, they even make awesome stunt girls!  Too cool for words, as is their blog!

Margeretbird/FORTYFPS - CJ Wallis is a fucking star!  He proved to us how fab he could be as an actor with his brilliant turn in Dead Hooker in a Trunk, but not only that, this guy makes one bloody amazing director!  The third part of the Soska Triangle, CJ has done some amazing work both with and for the girls, and on top of that, he is now an award winning music video director!  Pretty fab if you ask me! His video for Sarah Slean's The Rose won the Best Music Video of 2010 at the Leo Awards.  All of his amazing videos are on his blog, as well as articles and information on all the fab stuff he's up to!  He might be a boy but he is definitely a feminist's best friend! :)

A Safer Injection - Joel 'Ratty' Wells, the man behind A Safer Injection is one of the coolest, worldliest, downright freakin' amazing guys you could ever have the pleasure of knowing.  This guy has literally seen it all, and survived to tell the tale!  When most people would give up on life, this guys keep striding on, all with a ton of amazing humour and wonderful stories.  He is the kind of spirit that the world would benefit from having more of.  Ratty is a real inspiration and a wonderful friend...and a wicked writer to boot!  Reading his blog always puts a big smile on my face and I think it will do the same to you too!  So yes, all hail the Ratty! :P

Kid Sis in Hollywood - The bloggage of Miss Elisabeth Fies, the wonderful woman behind The Commune and I Hate L.A.  Lis is also responsible for getting the work of so many amazing women out there with her monthly film festival in L.A. - Bleedfest!  If ever there were a woman who could call herself a wonderful feminist, it's Lis!  She is an amazing actress as well, and her writing is somewhat fab!  As you can see for yourself at her blog.  She's not updated in a while so me thinks that we should be encouraging her to share more of her thoughts and awesomeness.  I do [heart] this woman a whole heck of a lot!  I can't wait to finally get to meet her in October as well, along with her ever so fab sister Brenda (pictured above with Lis and Lance freakin' Henriksen!!)!  The Fies sisters are a duo to be reckoned with and all the women in the horror industry would be good to be friends with these girls.  And the boys too.  Everyone in zee whole wide world should support Team Fies, yup yup yup!!! :P

All Good Things - All Good Things is indeed a bloggage of plenty of good things!  The blog of one of my total geeklings in crime, Monty Hawes not only talks about all things nerdtastic, comic bookeee and modern, he pays tribute to ye films of old!  What drew me to his blog in the first place was his classic movie actor polls.  Which FYI, Cary Grant won, WOOT WOOT!!!  Anyone who loves Cary Grant as much as me is always pretty darn cool in my book!  So yes, as a huge fan of the golden age of movies, Monty's blog is always plentiful of the stuff I love and relish!  We share a major love of Idris Elba and the fact that his favourite movie of all time is His Girl Friday just makes me love him all the more!  So yes, check out his blog NOW, there is loads of great reading for everyone. :) 

Back To Frank Black - Why should you follow the Back to Frank Black blog...because we need a Millenium movie NOW dammit!!!  The Back to Frank Black campaign is also followed by the man himself, Mr Lance Henriksen...how freakin' cool is that??  The blog is now basically going to be run on the Back to Frank Black website but this blog has plenty of awesome posts and information on this AWESOME campaign!  Personally, more Frank Black and Peter Watts with the ultimate GOD's at the helm, that would be Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz...it just sounds like a match made in heaven!  It WAS a match made in heaven, which is why we need more Frank Black dammit!  So yes, join the campaign and help us pimp this Frank out!  And Peter...we can't forget Peter Watts...[LOVE]

Quirk Films - One of my favourite feminist horror chickadee's, the morbidly macabre, snuff movie fascinated Maude Michaud!  :)  With her super awesome webseries Bloody Breasts, Maude is educating the world to the way of GIRL POWER!  She realises just how many amazing women are out there kicking arse in horror and Bloody Breasts is her way of documenting all of this awesome!  Maude is also a wicked filmmaker and her shorts Hollywood Skin, The Portrait and Snuff are major proof of this.  I expect big things from this Canadian filmmaker - Hollywood LOOK OUT!!! 

The Clumsy Eater - Jennifer Pasquill, my GORGEOUS foodie Sons of Anarchy, Jax loving partner in crime!  This woman is like a chef from heaven...just looking at her food pictures has my mouth watering and me wishing I could apparate to Florida to be with her and stuff my face with her yummy cooking!  Her blog not only features articles by Miss Pasquill herself, but also guest posts from peeps she deems perfectly wonderful and totally suited to her blog, and she does pick them well I'll have you know!  She is hot, she can damn well cook...AND she has great taste in movies and music....pretty damn perfect if you ask me!  Oh yeah AND she's a total witchy chick with an awesome name, therefore it equals TRUE LOVE!  Yup, yup, yup!

Viewer Discretion Advised - Viewer Discretion Advised's Heather Seebach (above with Kane Hodder), gorgeous, geeky and a GREAT writer to boot!  This isn't technically a blog but in my eyes it kind of is too...plus, this is my list so I can choose whoever I want, haha!  Heather is a MASSIVE horror nerd and trust me, this girl knows her stuff!  This is a site to keep yourself up to date with up and coming horror/geek movies as well as to read Heather's ramblings about the films she loves.  So yes, check out her site NOW...just don't tell the parents! ;)

The Spooky Vegan - What could be more awesome than another horror nerd who's a Vegan as well?  Sarah Jahier is the owner/founder of website Fatally Yours which is this excellent horror review site!  Her blog, The Spooky Vegan blog is super quantities of fab, you get great reviews and interviews and all the kinds of things that make a spooky vegan nerdoid most happy!

Freddy in Space - Last but by far not least, how I could I forget to mention Freddy in Space!?!  This is a great blog run a supernerd who's geekiness could be seen all the way out in space by the Killer Klowns...he's THAT nerdy!  That nerdtastic man that I'm talking about is Mr John Squires and his blog is an essential read for all ye horror devoted geeks out there!  Here you'll find loads of entertaining articles, cool shit to win and general all-round fabness and tomfoolery!