Introducing Guest Blogger Graeme Carr - Three Little Words, Part One!

Okay, so out of all the guys I went to school with, very few and far between were as nerdy as myself.  One particular nerd and film fanatic was Graeme Carr, who coincidentally happened to be our year "hottie" as well...who'd have thought the two would blend so perfectly together, bwahaha!?!!  Anyhoo, all these years later, Graeme still remains one of my favourite geeks...so it is with great pleasure that I introduce him as my guest blogger on Musings of a Morleysaurus. :)  He's a geek, he loves films and he's one sarcastic as fuck son of a bitch...what more could you ask for!?! ;)  So without further adu...

Three little words....that's how it started....

Three. little.words.

But I'm getting ahead of myself..come on, hop on into my mind Delorian, kick back and head back with me to  7th of may 2009.

Now, I'm a film geek, I love them, I can happily watch film after film and a rarely turn even the worst of them off. And as such I have acquired over the years,a vast DVD collection. ...And this had become the root of my problem.

On this day in 2009 I found myself with a little time to spare...aha! Film time  I thought to myself....I checked my love film DVDs....hmm....must have forgot to send these back... Balls!....so I checked Sky movies.... Absolute Hee haw!... That's ok let's raid the collection. So off I trudge to the cupboard...swing back the door.....and gazed at the tower after tower of loose DVDs....and there I stood...for 45 minutes...undecided...confused...LOST.

Did I want to watch an action movie, a horror, maybe a thriller .. No, a drama.... No wait, there's one still unwrapped....oh crap I watched that the other nite on tv. By the time I had come to a conclusion...and emerged..triumphant from the cupboard like a house bound indiana jones clutching my prize aloft....I was out of time... I had won the war but lost the race.......dejected I got ready for work....and in that dark hour...I vowed....NEVER AGAIN.

And so it was born........(insert cheesy game show music) Three .Little. Words.

Simple game with three simple rules.

Rule 1

Pick 3 random words. ( I use a word generator online, but the old open a book,close your eyes, put your finger Down...that's word one!..repeat x 2 works just fine.)

Rule 2

Now  I open the DVD cupboard and try and find a film that contains all 3 words. If not then try for 2... And finally 1... Now admittedly the smaller the collection the more difficult it becomes.  But out of three words I can normally find at least one film!

Rule 3. .... The golden rule

You must watch that film...no deviation,no swapping, no last minute bonus words...YOU WATCH THE DAMN FILM.

If its shit you've only got yourself to blame!!... After all you probably bought it! But you'll find you watch some long forgotten gems and remember some long forgotten associated memories.

If you find yourself In a similar position...remember. Three. Little. Words.... I hope you play!

So after my next game, I will review the film. I hope you tune in.

Anyway, I have a bit of time on my hands.....So let's get it on.....

1st word... The.      2nd word....real.       3rd word....Mcoy... AWWW!!  F*#%!

:))Joke

 My real words for this game are..

Trouble/chess/ bear.... Hmmm let me think.....

American Mary - First Pictures Released Before Going All the Way to Cannes!!!

Okay so it is with super fucking totally rad~core over the top excitability that I wander into my email to discover this little beauty of a picture...the first promotional pic from my Canadian twinnie sista's in crime, Jen and Sylvia Soska's 2nd feature, American Mary! <3  The first pic features Katherine Isabelle in the title role of Mary, meeting two potential clients...with bad ass fucking awesome as fuck back~deco! :P  I want my back to look like that! :D  Also featured is Twan Holliday, looking all bad ass and biker boy...mmmmmmm.  I freakin' love everything about this photo, it truly is an epic first picture!  Well, next to THAT picture that Jen accidentally leaked before, mwahahaha.  Now that was a bad ass picture! :D

Next picture to be released is one of Antonio Cupo in the role of Billy Barker, Jen and Sylvia's tribute to horror legend Clive Barker, a tribute I have a feeling Mr Barker will fucking love!!! <3

Now I am one of the lucky few to have read the script and I can tell you now, it's fucking beyond all quantities of fucked up awesomeness!!!  And looking at these stills is making me wet with anticipation!!!  

Now these pics aren't the only exciting things happening in the world of Mary...Jen and Sylvia are actually headed to the Cannes Film Festival for the World Market Premier of American Mary on the 17th May!  I am so excited and proud of my sisters, they have accomplished so much, and in such a short period of time.  I can't wait to be able to share more pics...and I'm especially looking forward to seeing Tristan Risk as Beatress Johnson.  Sooooooo looking forward to her! :D  I mean, just check her out with Jen and Sylv! ;)

In the meantime, please check out my blog on the full cast of the movie where you can view the teaser trailer as well.  And also, in celebration of Jen and Sylvia talking Mary to Cannes...take some enjoyment out of these pics... ;)

New Avengers Trailer Has Me Super Geeking Out!

Okay so hot on the heels of the totally new bad~ass Avengers poster that was released the other day, we now have a new trailer...and it is FUCKING AWESOME!!!  I am so beyond psyched for The Avengers, so much so that Bruce Wayne has some serious competition, and I am all about The Batman under most circumstances!  This trailer is waaaaay badass though!  If you've not already seen it then I thoroughly recommend checking it out!  Over, and over, and OVER! :)

Holy Crap, New Avengers Poster!!!

Okay insert a major nerd~gasm!!! <3

How seriously freakin' amazing does Hawkeye look as well!?!  TOO MUCH LOVE!!! I CANNOT WAIT for this film, bwahahaha! :)

Guest Blogger Pete Birnie from The Cult of Alfie talks Hobo with a Shotgun!

Sooooo, it is with great pleasure that I introduce Mr Pete Birnie from The Cult of Alfie as my guest blogger today! Pete is a bit of a kung-fu nerd and from working at the local leisure center, is one of the guys responsible for helping my Parental's Roy and Gail Cooper into shape for their trek to the Mount Everest Base Camp this October. Anyhoo, when I heard he had just written a blog about Jason Eisner's Hobo with a Shotgun, I figured, what a perfect post to introduce y'all to this crazy young man! :) When you get a chance, please do check out his website, and the numerous video parodies that are on there! There are definitely a few belters...although you might be questioning his sexuality by the end of them, haha!

Without further adu....

Hobowith a Shotgun, this is now one of my favourite films. The beginning comes across as whimsy, bringing back memories of that great show the littlest hobo...honestly that’s what the music reminded me of. As the Hobo arrives in town making it feel like it's the happiest event in the world. Rutger Hauer was made for this role, acting perfectly as the tired old man, god I LOVE Rutger Hauer.

People’s heads get blown off, arms broken, hung, the violence is gruesome, someone’s head even gets mashed in by dodgems...this is where the movie turns into the ultimate revenge film. As people die left, right and centre, Hauer's face is concentrated on his trolley as it fly’s across the street, as if it's the most important thing in the world. Bottles fly and all his belongings lay spread around the floor. Watching Hauer turn into the angry revenge filled Hobo is a joy. As he realises the police are under the thumb of the bad guys, as they carve the word scum into his chest...the troma like violence within this movie suits it to a tee. With heads exploding and hands being ripped off, I didn't even flinch as it suited it so much. Hauer is amazing, his rugged I’ll do what I want charm is brilliant and being a huge fan of him, it's a guilty pleasure.

Watching it dawned on me what the following scenes reminded me, the old westerns I used to watch flashed through my head. You know the scenes where the good guy has had enough crap, the massive music letting him deliver justice one shell at a time! That’s the tagline to this movie.

I can't begin to express how much I enjoyed this film, the moral message obviously being don't stand and watch, help your fellow man. As the Hobo hooks up with a local prostitute, their relationship becomes more father and daughter. A favourite part of mine, when she tells him he can't fix everything with a shotgun, and then they dream to start a lawn moving business together. 

The bad guys are brilliantly cast, two brothers and their father, who watches them vie for his attention, preferring one son over the other, a sadistic little weasel who performs all sorts of horrific acts (watch out for the "dad he blew my dick off" scene!) Drake the father has the town under his spell of fear, calling it the Drake show throughout.

As always one last obstacle comes between the town being free or doomed to become hell on earth.  Two unstoppable brutal monsters, all metal clad, sweep into the action...watching as one brutally hangs people with what I can only describe a harpoon gun. He ropes their heads and hangs them by shooting them into the ceiling, showing no emotion. It's a classic scene as they hang twirling, and then Hauer enters the scene. The plot is light but what do you expect, it's called Hobo with a Shotgun!?! And it's AWESOME!!!

(And the ending song was taken from the cartoon the Raccoons, which is indeed also awesome!)

Review of Just Us by Lori Bowen

I love me some good old revenge flicks. I also believe that we are all capable of doing things that we wouldn't otherwise think possible.  But if something so vile happened to a person we loved, who knows what kind of dark places that would take us too?!!  Just Us is a wonderful short that addresses this matter, with beautifully macabre consequences. All too often in society people such as killers and rapists walk free after committing heinous crimes, and I think it is at the very core of us as human beings to want retribution for these crimes.  But the fucked up thing about the world we live in is, bad people walk, even after the most sordid of crimes.  Yet if someone was to take the law into their own hands and make sure the criminal get their just desserts...it would be that individual who was doing what any decent human being would be thinking, they'd be arrested and more than likely go to jail for a very long time. All whilst the actual bad guy walked! I think that's why revenge flicks have always sat to well with me...they're the films where you get to see the bad guys royally fucked up...and in cases such as Just Us, and my personal favourite female revenge flick, I Spit On Your Grave...I get to root like fuck for the girl whopping out a good old ass kicking and dick chopping!

(Pictured above - Director Lori Bowen at work!)

Lori Bowen did a brilliant job on Just Us and I'd love to see what she'd do with a revenge feature. She most certainly a talented little lady with a bright future ahead of her!

And just a little afterthought, another personal favourite revenge flick is James Wan's Death Sentence, absolutely fucking amazing film!

Review of Jennifer Campbell's Short Film Hike!

As I mentioned in my interview with director Jennifer Campbell, I think one of the reasons why I instantly took such a liking to Hike, is the fact that it is without a doubt the kind of short I could totally see myself making!!  I mean, whenever I'm out and about walking, be it through the woods, or along the beach, or up in the hills...I always picture myself finding body parts...or a completely whole dead body!!  Sick I know, but I can't help myself, haha.  My mind just drifts off...and that's usually where it drifts to...limbs amongst the driftwood!! ;) 

With its stunning location and superb direction, what I appreciate most about Hike is how simple...yet wonderfully effective it is at the same time. It beautifully conveys the perfect image of some of the true horrors that are actually out there. As a girl with a total serial killer fascination, this is horror at its more shocking and perverse because it's so real!! 

Hike is the perfect example of the ultimate male monster. The one that blends into society. The one who despite all they may have, still needs that power play that comes from victimising a woman. One who is either physically unable to fight back, or one who has been so mentally abused, that they don't have the inner strength in them left to fight!! 

These are the men that everyone is always so shocked when they hear about some of the atrocities they have committed. They are the friendly neighbour, your kids scout leader, the boy next door...the kind of guy who we wouldn't even contemplate a danger when they ask us to go out for a hike in the woods! The best serial killers are usually the ones that blend in with society. And in the case of someone like Ted Bundy, they also happen to be some of the worst when it comes to the level and extent of violence committed!!

When describing Hike, Vancouver based director Jennifer Campbell had this to say - 

“Hike is about violence against women, being silenced and ultimately being victimized because someone is bigger, stronger and able to overpower.”

We live in a society where violence against women is shockingly high, and a lot of it is precisely down to this mindset.  Men need to show just how big and strong they are, and just how easily they can hurt their partners...or mothers, sisters, daughters...granmothers!!  

Shorts such as Hike are such an eye opener in that they remind us that whilst we may feel safe and secure in our day to day lifestyle...you never know what kind of evil may be lurking just round the corner!!  It is for this very reason that it is important for women to be self aware, and able to know that there is always someone they can turn to for help.  

I've said this before, and I'll say it again...I think the reason that women appreciate horror so much, and just why they're so good at making it, is that the levels of violence and rape against women, it's so much higher than anything against men.  Hell, childbirth is enough to give any woman an appreciation of horror, haha.  All joking aside though, I think it's wonderful that there are women out there such as Jennifer Campbell, who are making films like Hike, who are conveying the word about such topics, but in a way that opens insightful debate and understanding.  Not in a, "shove it down your throat" kind of way.  I'd just like to add on a separate note, that it's also quite appropriate that all of the funds from the Have a Heart for Horror Cook Book, a cook book filled with recipes and art from various female figures working within horror today (including yours truly!!), are going to Project Get Safe.  This is a non-profit corporation dedicated to preventing real life horrors such as victims of abuse, domestic violence, teen youth shelters, halfway houses.

Check out the trailer for Hike below and keep up with the news from Jennifer Campbell and her production company Whitebowl Productions at the Official Site and Facebook page.  

I would also just like to say I've edited this to say Congratulations to JC for her award for Best Women Director in the Shorts Category at the PollyGrind Film Festival in Las Vegas.  With shit loads of films showing over a massive 17 days, this is truly a well deserved honor for Miss Campbell.  So YAY....Go Jen!! :) 

Ooh, and it also took the award for most Over the Top Special FX at this year's Stiletto Film Festival as well.  The FX that it is referring to is one that when watching the Sons of Anarchy Season 5 finale, it made me giggle and think of Hike!!  BWAH! ;) 

So yes, expect great things to come from this fellow JC, who not only shares my first name...she also shares the initial of my second name...woooo, creep~tastic!!!  Bwahahahaha. :)