The Apes of Wrath

Here's episode 4 of "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace", titled "The Apes of Wrath". It's a direct Planet of the Apes themed episode, and it's awesome. An easy 24 pts for anyone interested.

War for the Planet of the Apes

My first impression is that it's probably the best of the new trilogy. It's not entirely a "war" movie, though, but more like a "Battle" movie. However, that title is already taken, so we're left with something more extreme. WAR.

Actually, the movie is more like a prison / concentration camp movie, which reminded me of "Conquest". That was the most violent entry in the original series, scoring a whopping PG-13 rating, but this one is considerably darker. There's a lot of physical abuse towards these apes, which reminded me of the conditioning sequences in Conquest, but this is worse.

Woody Harrelson sure does hate those apes.


For fans of the series, they do throw in a couple eggs for us. Even though the old series isn't in continuity with the current series, it still leads up to a prominent concept of the original '68 film with people losing the ability to speak. There's also the inclusion of (versions of) the characters Cornelius and Nova.

Overall, it's a solid movie, and a solid end of the trilogy. That is... unless they want to milk it and make another, because hey... apes sell. They'll find any reason to continue if it makes them money. Hell, maybe they'll throw time-travel back into the story! (Probably not)

Part 2's (sequels) that are set in hospitals

This is such a no-brainer, as a way to set up a first sequel, in a horror or action franchise. Set it in a hospital! It's the most logical place to set a first sequel, because at least one or two characters that survived the carnage and mayhem of the first movie in whatever the franchise is probably end up spending at least a little time in a hospital.

What are some franchises that come to mind for you, which employed this device? It doesn't necessarily have to be horror, although that's best, of course. Also, the hospital could be either a regular hospital or a mental hospital. It doesn't have to be set entirely in the hospital, but at least a scene or two at the beginning have to be in one. Here are a few movies to get started:
--Halloween 2
--Terminator 2
--Hellraiser 2 (I did a typo there, and typed Hellraider... that could be a pretty cool movie, actually)
--Phantasm 2
--NOES 2 (no, 3... whatever, I'll sneak it in here)
--Grave Encounters 2 (well, duh)

Now, how about any franchises that SHOULD set a sequel in a hospital. Anything come to mind? I'll start:
--The Departed
--Commando
--Hot Shots (Part Trois)
--Robocop

Unfinished Movies

Do you know of any unfinished movies? And by 'unfinished', I mean movies that had some kind of footage shot but were never continued for some reason, leaving us with only images or clips.

One such movie that I can think of is Killer: Malevolence 3, the sequel to Malevolence and Bereavement. According to director Stevan Mena in a Blumhouse article https://www.blumhouse.com/2016/02/05/exclusive-whatever-happened-to-malevolence-3/ (which also features around 30 images), about 75% of the movie was shot when they had to go on hiatus due to a lead actor falling ill. Then after trying to reach the actor about returning to filming, Mena found out the guy committed suicide. Since he was already working with a shoestring budget, he no choice but to abandon the movie


Another that comes to mind is Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie. Filmed in 1986 as a promotional short to raise money for a feature length version, it again features Joe Spinell. His character this time would have been more of a vigilante than the straight-up serial killer he plays in the first movie. Spinell's passing in 1989 ended any chance of it going further. The footage itself is included as an extra on the DVD of The Last Horror Film. It's also on YouTube



(the actual short starts at 1:50).

How many movies do you watch per week (on average)

For me it varies greatly, there are times that i will watch 14 movies in a week and other weeks 0. I would say 4 per week sounds about right.

The Gore The Merrier!



During my years of raiding the old video stores for the perfect cult classic, some made a bigger impression than others. But none more than the films of Lloyd Kaufman, John Waters and Herschell Gordon Lewis. Three of the most influential B-movie directors of the 20th century. More specifically, Pink Flamingos, Tromeo And Juliet, and a film I think is long overdue for one of these reviews. Today, we're going to talk about Two Thousand Maniacs. A film which not only showcases Mr. Lewis' love for the South, but also what he could do with a little extra money, as well as a little extra motivation. With the successful first ever Gore film, Blood Feast, still fresh in everyone's minds, Herschell figured on following up with something similar, while a little more respectable in the way of story and budget. In 1964, Herschell Gordon Lewis, along with Dave Friedman, got started on what is now known as the second installment of The Blood Trilogy, and probably the greatest Beverly Hillbillies parody in existence.

Herschell and Dave found a pleasant little area in St. Cloud, Florida, to represent "the South". No city or state is ever acknowledged in the movie, however. With a town at his disposal, Herschell fills it with roughly 50 maniacs, who trick six Yankee travelers into getting lost in Pleasant Valley. A town full of the most enthusiastic Southerners you'll find anywhere. Not all of which are very good at sounding Southern. But what are they so enthusiastic about? Well, a Centinnial is about to take place, and in order to celebrate properly, this shin dig must include a bunch of Yankee guests. The more clueless, the better. And they sure do got them some clueless ones, this time.

Four of the six consist of two married couples, eager to do a little messing around with some friendly locals, making it easy to keep them separated. Most of these Yankees are welcoming the unexpected good time into their vacations. The Southern hospitality, the change of scenery, the hard drinks. All a distraction. These Pleasant Valley hicks only want one thing from these people. They want their own good times enhanced with Yankee screams, Yankee suffering, and some good 'ol Yankee gore. One cheating wife gets her arm chopped off, which shouldn't have immediately killed her, but did for some reason. One drunk idiot lets the hicks tie ropes to all his limbs, which are also tied to four horses. You can imagine how that ends. My favorite, however. The barrel role. A barrel with nails hammered right through it. The makin's for one painful death. Whatever these hayseed's problem is, it becomes clear that they are not fucking around.

The other two Yankee guests get wise to what's going on, at least on the surface. Terry and Tom, played by Connie Mason and Thomas Wood. Once again, playing love interests. Terry and Tom have very little problems outsmarting the bloodthirsty locals, as well as a cat killing little dicksniffer, named Billy, whose stupidity, and love of candy, just might ruin the Centenial. Although, these people still have no idea how deep the Yankee hatred runs in this town. If they did, they'd be moving much faster.

This one was always Herschell's favorite. It wasn't the goriest thing he ever did, and he'll always be known for the movie he made shortly before it, but when it' all said and done, Two Thousand Maniacs is Herschell Gordon Lewis' greatest cinematic achievement. Not a boring moment to be had, pretty much everyone is likable, and the killings have got to be some of the most creative to date. And the enthusiasm from the cast brought it all together. Off and on regular, Jeffery Allen, was as entertaining as ever as the Foghorn Leghorn-esque Mayor Buckman. Thomas Wood and Connie Mason still don't have much chemistry between them, but it was nice to see them back together, just the same. Connie looks noticeably older and classier with shorter hair, and for Thomas Wood, Two Thousand Maniacs proves how capable he was of carrying a film like this. It's a shame they didn't return for Color Me Blood Red, as it all would have seemed more like a complete trilogy.

With the success he enjoyed, and the fun he had on this movie, it didn't quite get the Hixploitation out of ol' Herschell's system. Not long after this, he made a movie called Moonshine Mountain, which was more or less a Horrorless, almost goreless Two Thousand Maniacs A movie I would recommend to HGL enthusiasts, only. The rest of Herschell's film career would be about as hit and miss as it gets, but Two Thousand Maniacs would eventually be topped in several areas, whether it be budget or gore, but this film still remains the most beloved, most quoted, and most hilarious film in the HGL filmography. A film, with a special something which naturally transcends the Exploitation roots from which it was conceived. Never mind the cult. Two Thousand Maniacs is a flat-out classic. 7/10



#Review

Looking For a Particular Recommendation

Criteria:

1. It must be on YouTube.
2. From the '70s-'90s only. That's what I'm in the mood for.
3. Gory, gory, gory! I want MAJOR gore here, guys.

So please, if you will, rec me somethin' awesome!

Smurfy

Basket Case or Brain Damage?

Which Frank Henenlotter classic is better?

The dilemma of sequels, in comparison to the first in the series

Say if someone asks you your favorite film of the [random franchise] series. The first film is usually always the best. Even if you enjoy the sequels, they still owe too much to the original entry. Obviously, they wouldn't exist without the original, but the story of the sequels tends to always be very derivative of the original.

Do you concur with this, or can you think of examples to contradict it?

For example, I'm here thinking which Planet of the Apes is my favorite. Sure, I voted the first one the highest, but that's just respecting of its impact on film in general. I might very well prefer one of the sequels, but damnit... I'm just not sure.