ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, DEC. 13, 2006 By Steve Newton Only hard-core fans of Robert Plant’s post-Zeppelin output should invest in the 10-disc Nine Lives set, which includes his nine solo albums—from 1982’s Pictures of Eleven through last year’s Mighty Rearranger—plus bonus tracks and an hourlong DVD. Nine Lives isn’t Christmas music, obviously, but that … Continue reading Nine Lives box set best suited for hardcore Robert Plant fans only
Tag: 2006
The Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is freakin’ hilarious
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, OCT. 4, 2006 By Steve Newton When the Trailer Park Boys debuted on the Showcase channel in 2001, I couldn’t get enough of it. A mockumentary-style series about the day-to-day exploits of three pot-loving trailer-trash buddies and their assorted idiot friends and rivals, it was a raucous, taboo-blasting gas. The sight … Continue reading The Trailer Park Boys: The Movie is freakin’ hilarious
Horror review: Turistas
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 29, 2006 What Hostel did for the Slovakian tourism industry—which was basically to drag it into a backroom and torture it to death—Turistas should do for the backpacking-in-Brazil set. But while Hostel director Eli Roth’s controversial 2005 shocker was about as subtle as an electric drill to the eye, Turistas … Continue reading Horror review: Turistas
Horror review: The Return
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 15, 2006 The Return isn’t a great horror film by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, there’s a fair whack of imagination-stretching required to make it through the movie’s 85 minutes. But it’s just so damn refreshing to see a modern fright flick that isn’t bursting with hyperkinetic edits, … Continue reading Horror review: The Return
Horror review: Saw III
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, NOV. 1, 2006Saying that the newest Saw movie is better than the last one is a bit like saying that your latest root canal was better than your last one. Either way, it’s all about the pain and suffering. Mind you, I had a root canal once and it didn’t hurt that much; … Continue reading Horror review: Saw III
The Descent is in the running with The Hills Have Eyes as top horror flick of the year
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON AUG. 10, 2006 By Steve Newton A few weeks ago, we went camping at a lake near Powell River, and by camping I mean sleeping in a camper. I chose to crash at the very back of the rig, against the wall in the little bunk above the truck cab. Maybe it … Continue reading The Descent is in the running with The Hills Have Eyes as top horror flick of the year
Horror review: Bloodrayne
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, APRIL 6, 2006 After his last movie, Alone in the Dark, director Uwe Boll had nowhere to go but up, and I mean that most sincerely. That shot-in-Vancouver stinker earned a record one of out of 100 at Rottentomatoes.com, with terms like "dreadful", "terrible beyond belief", and "worse than you can … Continue reading Horror review: Bloodrayne
Horror review: Slither
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 30, 2006 By Steve Newton Before breaking through in the horror realm as the screenwriter of 2004's excellent Dawn of the Dead remake, James Gunn spent years toiling for Troma Entertainment, the New York company famous for campy, no-budget shockers like The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke 'Em High. … Continue reading Horror review: Slither
Slither director James Gunn loves horror movies
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 30, 2006 By Steve Newton James Gunn had no intention of waiting until he was a Hollywood director to helm his first horror flick. Inspired by George Romero's pioneering zombie opus, the young Gunn made his splatter-film debut at the tender age of 12. "Night of the Living Dead scared … Continue reading Slither director James Gunn loves horror movies
Horror review: Stay Alive
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 30, 2006 The video-game industry has spawned several action-oriented horror flicks in recent years, ranging from the mediocre (Resident Evil) to the pointless (House of the Dead) to the downright putrid (Alone in the Dark). Stay Alive takes a different tack than those in that its plot isn't built around … Continue reading Horror review: Stay Alive
Horror review: The Hills Have Eyes
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 9, 2006 Wes Craven must be the most inconsistent horror director of all time. He created Freddy Krueger, who ruled the genre in the '80s, then Craven reinvigorated the '90s slasher scene with the whip-smart and stylish Scream. But he's also responsible for his fair share of turkeys, Deadly Friend … Continue reading Horror review: The Hills Have Eyes
High Tension director Alexandre Aja tackles Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, MARCH 9, 2006 By Steve Newton The French are famous for a lot of things, but making horror movies isn't one of them. Just try to name one French fright flick that has caught your attention lately-besides Alexandre Aja's terrifying 2003 effort, High Tension. As Aja explains on the line from … Continue reading High Tension director Alexandre Aja tackles Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes
Horror review: Final Destination 3
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON STRAIGHT.COM, FEB. 16, 2006 You can't cheat death. Director James Wong made that point in 2000 with Final Destination, David R. Ellis drove it home in 2003's Final Destination 2, and now Wong is back to remind anyone who may have forgotten. But the former X-Files producer and staff writer needn't have bothered, … Continue reading Horror review: Final Destination 3