From Dusk Till Dawn: YOU Be Cool

by Justine

As I delve deeper into the Tarantino sphere I find myself watching the strangest, craziest films in existence. One such film is vampire cult classic, From Dusk Till Dawn. While Mr. Quentin Tarantino both wrote the screenplay and starred in the film, he did not in fact direct it. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez. You may be wondering why the name of this film sounds familiar. It's probably because Robert Rodriguez has decided to remake the classic into a TV series by the same name which aired this year. Admittedly, that's how I heard about the film in the first place.

This isn't your typical complex storyline, genius art that we normally see from Tarantino. In fact, it may be the complete opposite. While the dialogue certainly has that Tarantino-esque flavour to it the actual plot of the film is very much "let's slay some vampires". It's frequently labelled a B grade film and for good reason. It's sloppy in terms of storytelling. There's no character development (unless you count Kate becoming a badass) and there seems little purpose to it at all.

The film stars George Clooney (I know right...) as recent prison escapee Seth Gecko who along with his unnecessarily violent and rape-y brother Richie (played by Tarantino) robs a bank and tries to make it across the border into Mexico with the help of a travelling pastor (Harvey Keitel) and his two children. All appears to be going well until the Gecko brothers are instructed to meet drug lord Carlos with their money at a nude bar called "The Titty Twister", tasteful, I know. Unbeknownst to the brothers, the bar is actually a haven for endless blood-thirsty vampires who feast on the truckers and bikers that wander in. The second half of the film is predominantly staking and killing vampires. And no, not the sparkly, Edward Cullen kind, I'm talking grotesque, horrific THINGS. I don't know if it's just me but somehow I feel like that's how vampires are supposed to look.

The most iconic scene, and perhaps the films only redeeming quality, is Santánico's snake dance. She's played by a very scantily clad Salma Hayek who dances with a snake wrapped around her neck. She saunters over to an awestruck Richie Gecko and does the whole "I'm going to pour whiskey into your mouth using my foot" thing. Not quite sure what that's about but other than Clooney's "Be cool" line, it's probably the most memorable moment in the film. I'm not going to post a clip here but you'll find it on YouTube no doubt.

I have a few questions regarding this film:
1. Why, when writing the script for a character you are playing, would you make him a violent rapist? I know Tarantino's twisted and everything but yikes.
2. Why does no-one explain why Richie is so psychotic? Fortunately, this is something that is explored in the TV series so kudos to Mr. Rodriguez.
3. Why are the vampires so easy to kill? Now I'm not saying they didn't put up a fight but Seth pretty much dropped a chandelier on Santántico and boom, dead.

Rodriguez sort of has a second chance with the TV series. From what I've seen of it so far, it certainly takes its time around character development and backstory which I think is incredibly important. If drawn out and re-written properly plot-wise, I think this film could have some real, solid, material. However, as it stands, the film doesn't seem particularly impressive or special to me.

If you're not easily offended by violence and nudity then I'd check it out but it's definitely not a must-see. In fact, if you're going to watch anything, I'd watch the TV series. I've only seen two episodes thus far and it's already better than the film. No offence Tarantino! I still love you!

CUT

4/10 

Gone Girl: Hollywood's Redemption

by Justine

As the years go on, the quality of movies seem to decline. When we look at iconic years like 1994 that produced world renowned classics like The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction or even Forrest Gump, what we have begun to produce in the 20 years following seems trivial and completely unoriginal. I'm tired of being able to sit in a movie theatre and be able to predict the entire plot from start to finish based solely on the first five minutes (*cough cough* Pitch Perfect). We've all seen the oh-so-predictable girl meets boy, boy screws up, girl hates boy, boy redeems himself and boom, happily ever after. I am NOT a fan. I'm also not such a great believer in happy endings, somehow I feel that more realistic endings have a greater appeal.

Psychological thrillers are one of my favourite genres of film. Why? Because in order to totally mess with your mind, the writers actually have to sit and think of clever twists in the plot. They have to find a way to lure you into a false sense of security and then turn everything upside down. Admittedly, it has been a LONG time since Hollywood produced a good psychological thriller. Standouts for me have definitely been Primal Fear, Fight Club and of course the unforgettable Silence of the Lambs. It's pretty much impossible to dislike Anthony Hopkins. That being said, Hollywood finally decided to prove to itself, and the world, that they still have it in them to produce something original and hence, Gone Girl.

Now for those of you who are more sensitive viewers, there is a certain amount of nudity, sex and violence so be aware. If you're easily offended by this kind of thing, you're probably not going to want to watch this.

I went to see this film in the theatre with my family. I had high expectations given the hype surrounding it and the fact that David Fincher was the director, myself being an unaware fan of his work (Fight Club (duh!), Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - all of which I only recently discovered her directed). Given my experience with Fight Club I was expecting some kind of crazy twist and the film did not disappoint. I'm going to try my very best here not to give away any spoilers!

Track-by-Track: 1989 (Deluxe) by Taylor Swift

by Daniela

On the night of the October 27th I was going mad. Why you may ask? Because I didn't realise that 1989 was going to be released on iTunes that night, the 28th was the official NZ release date. So I spent that night listening to the three tracks I already had on a loop to mentally prepare myself. But a few hours later, on the 28th, I woke up early and walked in the rain to go get my physical copy of the deluxe album. You see, I really wanted those Polaroids, bonus tracks and songwriting voice memos. Did I overreact? Probably. But here I am, having listened to the album for about a week, and ready to tell you dear reader, if it was all worth it.

The two year mark since Red has passed and Taylor Swift is back and ready to start the 1989 era. Which means it's time for me to put the fangirl glasses down (but keep my regular glasses on) and get ready for a new track-by-track review. Bear with me because I'm still figuring out how I like to do these. I like to rate the songs individually based on what I like and what they are like musically (instrumentation, rhythm etc.). Also, bear with me as it's hard to find unpitched versions of new songs.

1989 is Swift's first official pop album, no matter how much iTunes tries to label it as country. For some reason mine was categorised as Country & Folk... okay iTunes. It's a massive gamble for someone to switch genres but Taylor has been toeing that line between country and pop for a long time. If you take a look at Red (2012) there were still some elements of country with twangy guitars but the same record toyed with elements of dubstep. So I guess it was only natural for the official switchover to happen. But let's see if it paid off. Hold on tight people, it's a long one!

Album cover for 1989 (Deluxe)

ParaNorman: Stop-Motion Continuing To Blow Your Mind

by Daniela

Year: 2012
Studio: Laika

Happy Halloween lovely reader(s)! You're probably having a better Halloween than me because this girl has an exam on Saturday! Hooray for the university student life! Now, a lot of you may have expected me to write about The Nightmare Before Christmas, and even I thought I was going to for the longest time. But I thought I'd shake things up a bit and not talk about something non-Disney related for once in my life. I mean, Nightmare could also be a great movie to talk about around Christmas time, just sayin'.I remember one summer when I was trying to decide between ParaNorman and Frankenweenie. Up to that point I had often mixed the two up. Eventually I went for  ParaNorman and to this day, I still haven't watched past the first 15 minutes of Frankenweenie. I blame myself for being easily distracted.

Norman isn't a normal young boy. In fact, Norman can see and communicate with the dead. It's tough being the weird kid in the town of Blithe Hollow when you're considered an outcast even in your own family. But one day Norman comes across his uncle who informs him about the witch's curse that has been placed over the town. Suddenly, the undead have come out to play. Zombies begin to crawl out of their graves and seem to be targeting the town. Along with a troupe of unlikely companions, Norman must use his abilities to save the town. In his attempts he discovers the shocking truth about the curse and must find a way to stop it from haunting them ever again.

Would you trust this gang to save you from a Zombie Apocalypse?

Toy Story of Terror!: Why Your Toys Disappeared On Your Holiday

By Daniela

Year: 2013
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios

Halloween is just around the corner so I thought I'd get a headstart with the spooky posts! The toys are back with an all new adventure in this special that follow the events of Toy Story 3. I'm still getting over that ending. this 21 minute T.V. special is Pixar's way of building on the mega-successful franchise without having to release another full length film. I would also suggest watching the Toy Story shorts like Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry and Partysaurus Rex. They're cute and still manage to contain everything we loved about the films in just a few minutes.

Car troubles during their road trip force Bonnie and her mother to stay at the Sleep Well Motel for the night and things escalate quickly for the toys. Woody and the gang find themselves in a frightening situation where one-by-one they are captured by a mysterious figure lurking in the motel. Together they must overcome many obstacles to survive the night and hopefully return to Bonnie before she leaves in the morning. And for one toy, the obstacle may just be facing their biggest fears.

Glow in the dark Buzz lights the way for Woody and Jessie

Kings of Suburbia: A Track-by-Track Analysis of Tokio Hotel's New Album

by Justine

FIVE YEARS! It's been FIVE YEARS! Tokio Hotel have sure taken their time in producing their latest album Kings of Suburbia but just one listen through the album will tell you why. The twins, Bill and Tom Kaulitz, relocated to LA not long after the release of their previous album, Humanoid. Contrary to what normal people may believe about LA, it seems the city provided them with a much more "live-able" lifestyle. In Germany it didn't seem like they had much chance to leave their homes or live like everyday people (I'm guessing that's what World Behind My Wall was about). The G's, Georg and Gustav, remained in Germany but the twins seem to have found a more comfortable and free lifestyle in the US. Undoubtedly, this fuelled a new kind of creativity of which the product is Kings of Suburbia. The boys have certainly shocked with their drastically different sound but once over the initial "what the hell?!" this album is actually quite good.

Feel It All

The song starts with a soft electric sound followed by a drum beat and a rather different sounding vocal from Bill. It's not nearly as auto-tuned as the other songs on this album and you can actually hear Bill's voice. It has a fairly simple structure with a very electric and "studio produced" feel rather than their trademark "live rock band" sound. While it's not exactly a stand out on the album, I find it easy to listen to and quite likeable. It's a good opening track as it's a subtle introduction to the new sound.

Stormy Weather

SO MUCH AUTO-TUNE! I sometimes wonder how on earth Bill is going to perform some of these songs live! Not that I don't doubt he can hit the high notes (he did manage to get that extremely high note in Love and Death on their Welcome to Humanoid City Tour after all). BUT, that being said, I actually really like this song. I like the low tones at the beginning of the song and the fact that the electric guitar actually plays a role in the song. The beat is great and it has a lot of power. It's one of my favourites on the album. My only criticism would be the lack of inventive lyrics in the chorus and the poor grammar (It is "a" stormy weather? Just no...). I can imagine them rocking out to this in concert - in fact I think it would be a great opening number for their tour (*hint hint*).

How to Make Adults Cry: The Saddest Scenes of Your Childhood

by Daniela

Disclaimer: Daniela is not responsible for anyone not being able to "control their feels" or any hysterical crying that may occur. These include ugly sobbing, sad faces, and hitting anyone right in the childhood. You have been warned.

We have all fallen victim to the trap that are so-called "children's movies." They lure you in with their colourful and cheery appearance but once you realise that it was all a facade... it's too late. You're too invested and there's no turning back now. Fun fact, I actually don't cry in movies (Justine on the other hand) but I have come very close on a few occasions. I'm just the person who just gets really sad who just can't shake that gut wrenching feeling afterwards. Over the past day or two, I've been putting together a list of all these heart wrenching scenes from these movies from our childhood. I even asked my friends and very helpful tumblr followers. So please take note that this is only a part of that ever-growing list. In other words, I'll be writing a part 2 at some point. So grab your box of tissues and tubs of ice-cream and let's get started. *deep breaths*

Be prepared for a lot of dying