Kevin Smith's Tusk

I know that in the time since the fire I have been struggling to get back to my feet and I really miss Austin and I still have not decided where or what I am going to do now but I will keep sending all of you flicks to watch here on the Video Creep.

Sadly once again I am going to have to miss out on the festivities that we in the genre call Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse down in Austin and I have a promise to you all that I will return someday if not just for the festival.

I miss the talented genre filmmakers that you get to see in the lounge as well as hanging out with all the other bloggers in the Austin area as well as the reporters that come from across the country.

Despite the fact that I am not able to go to the festival this year The Alamo Drafthouse was nice enough to have their premiere of the film Tusk and ABCs of Death at all of their theatres to be followed by a QnA by  Tusk Star Justin Long and The director himself Kevin Smith.

Now there may be some of you out there that are asking me “Didn’t Kevin Smith get out of directing movies?” Well the answer to that statement is not really.

Yes Kevin Smith is now primarily a Podcaster but his venture with Smodcast has opened far more doors for him than he could have ever expected.

Hollywood Babble-On is currently being picked up as a program on AMC and will join Comic Book Men in the near future but the real story for now is TUSK.

The story of Tusk began on Smodcast 259 where Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier were discussing a mock news story in Canada where a man was asked to pretend to be a Walrus to a man that loved walruses and the comedic discussion between the podcasting duo which was influenced by the Human Centipede ended up becoming a pitch for a horror movie on the air and in the end Smith asked his internet audiences if they wanted to see him make the film.

Asking them to tweet #WalrusYes or #WalrusNo Smith received only one no and the man admitted that he he did so simply for the democratic process and Smith soon secured funding for the film.

Now it is no secret that I am in fact a fan of Kevin Smith so I was not about to miss this screening.

Tusk follows a Podcaster named Walter (Justin Long) who after heading out to Canada to interview the star of a viral video only to find out that the subject has taken his own life. While waiting around looking for another person to interview he sees an add in abar by a man that was looking for another man to tell his stories to.

After responding to the add Walter heads out to meet the man (Michael Parks) who tells him that while he was out to sea hunting a 25 Ft Long 3 Ton Great White Shark his ship sank making him the only survivor and his life was saved by a Walrus who became his friend.

The reality is that this man has been kidnapping people to make them into his own Human Walrus where he surgically sews him into his own flesh made Walrus suit with tusks and all.

While all of this is happening Walter’s Girlfriend and business partner are scouring through Canada searching for him and being aided by former inspector Guy Lapointe (Johnny Depp in an uncredited role).

I am quite amazed at many things about this film. The First being that it did in fact get made. Secondly fact that it has the cast that it has, With Justin Long, and Michael Parks alone but Haley Joel Osment as well.

Smith revealed during the QnA that he had known Johnny Depp for years since their daughters attended school together and Depp was more than eager to play the role as the eccentric detective.

Johnny Depp and Kevin Smith’s daughters have a small role as convenience store clerks and will have their own spinoff in the near future.

The main thing that I am surprised by this flick is in fact how good it actually is. There are going to be some detractors to the film due to the subject matter alone but genre fans will love the film especially fans of the Human Centipede as it is in fact lighter in tone than the popular series of films.

The Walrus alone is amazing.

This film was loaded with references and Easter Eggs for the Smodco followers. Ponder rock, The Hollywood Helper, Ralph Garman are just a few of the references that fans of the many shows on Smodcast will catch.

3 Dead Bodies

0 Breasts

2 Beasts

Severed Legs

Severed arms

Drowning

Decomposed Walruses

Walrus Eating

Mackerel Eating

3 Stars

May not be for everybody but still Check it out

  

The Lone Ranger

I know that when I started this blog my mission statement was to bring you positive reviews. Now there are some movies that I have chosen not to review because everyone and their brother are reviewing them on the internet. Finally there are flicks that I choose to review here on the Video Creep because I feel that the flick is receiving a bad rap.

The Lone Ranger is in fact one of those flicks that I feel does not deserve the hate that it has been receiving.

Now first off this flick could be 100 times worse. Does anyone recall the Legend of the Lone Ranger which was far too afraid of the legacy of their title character that they sued Clayton Moore to prevent him from appearing at events to sign autographs fearing that it will take attention from their film.

Also I’m sure that there are some of you that remember the 2003 Lone Ranger film on the WB that was an attempt at a pilot for a new Lone Ranger TV series.  They actually found a way to screw that up.

Let’s talk about the history behind this character.

It is believed by many that the inspiration for the Lone Ranger is Texas Ranger John Hughes who after the ambush and murder of Texas Ranger Captain Frank Jones, Hughes pursued his murderers eventually bringing them all to justice. Author Zane Grey dedicated his 1915 book the Lone Star Ranger to Hughes.

The Lone Ranger began in 1933 as a radio program eventually being joined by his famous sidekick Tonto who was created so that the Lone Ranger would have someone to speak to during the program explaining his actions and expanding upon the story.

From 1949 to 1957 was the most famous incarnation of the Lone Ranger in the Television Series, Clayton Moore most famously portrayed the role however a dispute during the 3rd season led to Moore departing the series being replaced by  John Hard before returning one year later.

Tonto in this series was played by Native American actor Jay Silverheels who’s other credits included Key Largo and True Grit.

Aside from the earlier mentioned issue Clayton Moore continued to make appearances at conventions and County fairs in the Lone Ranger Costume until his death in 1999.

Now what many people don’t know is that The Lone Ranger’s nephew grows up and has a child who becomes the Green Hornet according to the creators of both the Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet.

And as I mentioned earlier there had been a couple of other movie adaptations that didn’t do too well either so let us move on to the 2013 incarnation on The Lone Ranger.

Now first off there are some issues with this flick.

I love the fact that we have a previously established franchise getting the full length theatrical treatment that takes place in the past with Johnny Depp having top billing and Helena Bonham Carter in the movie…and Tim Burton did not direct this?

Now the flick definitely has Gore Verbinski’s look and the movie looks amazing. I have to admit that I love the American Southwest and I’ve flown over it many times.

Now I do feel the need to point out that the film takes place in Texas but it looks more like Monument Valley in Utah to me.

I know that many people are mad that Johnny Depp plays the role of Tonto but that really doesn’t bother me.

That being said apparently Captain Jack Sparrow hooked up with a Native American woman in the past and Tonto is their descendant.

I was definitely reminded of this in the scene where Tonto rides the latter onto the train.

I do admit that The Lone Ranger had received the full Disney treatment with much of the supernatural elements and the behavior of the animals particularly in Silver and the Rabbits.    

I defend this fact by pointing out how many classic tales received this treatment from Walt Disney Studios. Just look at Snow White, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and countless other stories. The only difference is this film is in live action.

Guys that is Disney and are you really wondering why there is a film released about the conflict between Walt Disney and the author of Mary Poppins.

I was a little aggravated by the  fact that Johnny Depp had top billing because Tonto should not be billed before the Lone Ranger as a matter of fact I had issues with much of the marketing of the film.

There was a series of posters for the film that took the X-Men approach showing a different cast member for each poster when all of the posters should have had the Lone Ranger with Tonto standing behind him. But did we really need all of the posters. This I feel was a failure in marketing for the film.

All of that aside I liked the movie. The story kept me interested for the entire flick yes the beginning is slow but that is what happens when we have an origin story. I did not see anyone complaining when Man of Steel and the Amazing Spider-Man took this approach because those are origin stories that we all know and there is a generation that is being introduced to this character that is almost as old as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and Zorro.

Now personally I like Westerns and this is not your father’s Lone Ranger and I like the fact that the entire film is from Tonto’s point of view as he is telling the story to a young fan.

Now some would also complain that The Lone Ranger was treated more like a clown than a heroic character but as far as I am concerned that is the best part of the origin story and bear in mind the tale is in fact told from Tonto’s point of view

The BluRay comes with a amazing amount of Special Features, There is a great making of feature Following Armie Hammer on location while the movie was being filmed as well as a great look at the actor's cowboy boot camp experience and a funny blooper Reel.

There however is a delieted scene that was not shot so it is badly animated and leaves the viewer wanting more. 

I honestly feel that the film has received a bum rap and does not deserve the amount of hate that has been coming at it.

I do have to admit that a friend of mine has a small role in the film and I want to give a shout out to Steven because I have worked with him In the past and he is a good friend of mine as well as his family.

Definitely check out the flick it is worth a look.  

Halloween Picks:The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

For my second entry in my Halloween series I have decided to cover one of my personal favorite Halloween stories in three of its incarnations.

Now I Have to say three of the Incarnations because I have seen other incarnations and frankly some of them are ok but others I really don’t want to acknowledge.

As I have stated many times in my blogs as well as Podcasts that I only want to promote positive reviews because there are too many haters here on the net.

Now the story that I am talking about is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

 

Now I have to admit that in my youth that was obsessed with this story and I found out that I wasn’t the only one.

 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story written by Washington Irving who is referred to as the first great author in America. It is debatable what Irving’s most famous work is. My vote personally goes to Sleepy Hollow.

Now Sleepy Hollow is a real place however the legend isn’t. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the story of a school teacher Ichabod Crane who has just moved into the small town of Sleepy Hollow and soon begins courting the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel the daughter of the wealthiest farmer in the countryside. Also vying for Katrina’s affections is the tough “Brom Bones” who after realizing how superstitious Ichabod is, tells a tale at a Halloween party about the Headless Horseman. The Horseman is the spirit of a Hessian soldier who’s head was taken off by a cannon ball during the American revolutionary war.

That night while Ichabod travels alone on his horse he encounters the spirit who chases him through the woods and Ichabod runs across a bridge after hearing that the Horseman can’t cross. The horseman then throws his own severed head across the bridge striking Ichabod and knocking him off his horse.

 

The next day Ichabod’s horse and hat are found at the bridge however there is no trace of him. In the end Brom who was "to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related” marries Katrina and Ichabod is never seen again, though rumors persist that he was still alive and was now a judge. In the novel it is highly implied that Brom is in fact the Headless Horseman, though this is never proven in the novel.

The character of Ichabod is “Lean and Lanky” with an long nose often mistaken for a crane with an enormous appetite. Ichabod is also a social climber and despite his admiration of the beauty of Katrina he is also aware of her father’s massive wealth and is also interested in that as well. He is also highly superstitious and knowledgeable of witchcraft and fears the ghost stories that he is hears from the local ladies.  

There has been many screen adaptions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Arguably the most famous adaptation of the story is the animated Disney movie produced in 1949. Released with the animated adaption of the Wind and the Willows the feature is known as the Adventures if Ichabod and me Toad though it has been released alone with its literary title.

The cartoon is loyal to its namesake featuring quotes form the story narrated by Bing Crosby who also provides the voice for both Ichabod and Brom Bones.

 

With true Disney fashion the cartoon does feature much slapstick humor, over the top features and cartoon violence in particularly in the famous chase scene. The part where the horseman throws his severed head it is instead a carved Jack o lantern.

 

I have spoken to many people my age who work in the genre and many of them cite Ichabod and Mr. Toad as their introduction to the genre and many speak about the fear that they felt during the scene with the Horseman and there have been many other animated incarnations of the Headless Horseman even making an appearance on the Scooby Doo cartoon show in the early 80s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There have also been Live Action versions of The Headless Horseman such as the Tale of the Midnight Ride episode of are you afraid of the Dark on Nickelodeon. Not to mention the made for television movie starring Jeff Goldbloom.

 

Then in 1999 after much hype filmmaker Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow was released.

 

Now first off I have to say that this flick took the Irving story and threw it out the window because there is few things in this movie that are in the original incarnation of the story.

That being said this is still one of my favorite movies as I enjoy watching it every time I see it.

 

If I recall Sleepy Hollow had some issues with production or post production and was not released at Halloween and instead Sleepy Hollow’s opening weekend was the weekend before Thanksgiving in 1999 opening alongside the 19^th James Bond film the World is not Enough. Needless to say I went to both movies that weekend and while 007 had all of the attention Sleepy Hollow still had a big crowd.

 

I think that the reason that I am such a fan of this incarnation of the legend is that I am a fan of the old Hammer films and Sleepy Hollow is a tribute to them.

 

Hammer films is a production company based in England featuring low budget gothic style horror movies. Sleepy Hollow even features appearances of Hammer Alumni Michael Gough and Dracula himself Christopher Lee.

 

Sleepy Hollow with the amazing production design of frequent Burton collaborator Rick Heinrichs and outstanding cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezkian the fact that the film was shot on both location and in the studios in England the picture has both the look and feel of a Hammer Film.

Ichabod Crane who is played by another frequent Burton collaborator Johnny Depp even plays the role like the characters that Peter Cushing played for the studio.

 

That brings me to Ichabod and the differences in the movies. First off in this flick Ichabod is not a school teacher but rather he is a city constable from New York City and he is sent to Sleepy Hollow by his superiors to use his scientific investigation techniques to apprehend the killer. While Ichabod maintains the superstition of his literary counterpart he also maintains the squeamishness as well. However the character is less of a gold digger and is far more in a position of authority.

 

Also the story is completely different. As I stated earlier in the blog Ichabod is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the murders and while he is aided by the Young Masbeth who is the son of a man killed by the Horseman played by Marc Pickering who was 14 years old at the time of filming and I read in a horror magazine that he wasn’t allowed in the England Premiere of the film as they deemed that he was too young to see the movie.

 

Also aiding Ichabod is Katrina, who is played by Christina Ricci who Ichabod falls for and she him despite the fact that the investigation surrounds her father Baltus who is played by English character actor Michael Gambon who is the centerpiece of a secret conspiracy involving the other town elders including other character actors Ian McDiarmid, and Richard Griffiths along with other frequent Burton actors Jeffery Jones and the late Michael Gough.

 

Brom has a much smaller role in this film and he doesn’t last too long being played by Casper Van Dien. Even though the tension between him and Crane still exists the character’s role is distinctly lowered and he is eventually killed halfway through the film.

The Headless Horseman is played by two distinct actors. For the actual Headless action sequences The Horseman is played by Actor/Stuntman Ray Park, best known to sci-fi audiences as Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode 1 and the evil mutant Toad in the first X-Men movie. Burton said in the commentary of the film that when they filmed the fight scenes he thought that they were filming Mexican Wrestling as Park had to fight with a Blue Mask to remove his head in after effects.

 

The scenes where the Horseman has his head is played by Christopher Walken with sharp teeth and utters no lines which makes him far more frightening than ever before.

 

Sleepy Hollow is one of the best versions of the story but the original is by far one of the greatest stories told in America and is America’s first horror story.

 

23 Dead Bodies

0 breasts However we have allot of cleavage

1 Beast

8 Heads Roll

1 Explosion

1 Bashing

3 slashing

1 impaling

 

4 Stars CHECK IT OUT

There will be other versions of the story as well as unofficial sequels to the Legend in many decades and centuries to come and as long as there is a Halloween in America the Headless Horseman will always stalk Sleepy Hollow searching for his head.

 
Man I'm gettin out of Here!!