Randall Lotowycz
Where to begin with Horns? The new movie has quite the pedigree: It’s directed by Alexandre Aja (of The Hills Have Eyes remake fame), based on a novel by Joe Hill (the famed author and son of horror titan Stephen King), and stars Daniel Radcliffe (the Harry Potter dude) in a performance removed from his acting legacy.
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There are few things as satisfying as a fresh and exciting new horror film. It’s rare these days to find one with a story that stands on its own, one that honors its influences without falling back on post-modern meta genre commentary, and one that genuinely gives you the creeps. With David Robert Mitchell‘s new indie horror flick, It Follows, we find such a rarity, with well-placed, jump-from-your-seat scares and bona fide unsettling chills that sink in and stay with you long after the credits have ended.
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Welcome back, Kevin Smith.
We just finished the Tusk screening at this year’s Fantastic Fest, and I’m filled with the warmth I can only liken to a lapsed Catholic being moved by mass. Once a die hard Kevin Smith fan (and, as such, a Kevin Smith apologist), I enthusiastically wore Jay and Silent Bob t-shirts every day, tracked down every international Chasing Amy movie poster I could find, attended every Vulgarthon film festival, and many, many other nerdy endeavors. Over the past decade that enthusiasm waned as Smith’s output declined in quality. When I heard he was retiring from filmmaking, my reaction was little more than a shrug.
Read MoreIf there’s one thing I love as much as horror movies, it is an awesome t-shirt. So when those two loves align, I bring out the credit card and make a purchase without hesitation.
Needless to say, this Leatherface t-shirt triggered my nerd lust. I had to buy two copies, one for me and one for a friend who would never forgive me for not getting him one. I ventured to website of artist Eli Neugeboren and a grin overtook my face. I wanted to buy all of his shirts! This guy was Ink & Code material and I knew I had to reach out for a chat. He’s someone I wanted to get to know and certainly someone everyone should also want to get to know. Eli Neugeboren is one to watch.
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Let’s just get it out of the way: Rocky is a milestone in America cinema. It’s a flawlessly realized character study that balances a somber tenderness with moments of humor and a visceral finale with every element seemingly in place. Every frame is marked by an aching sincerity. This sincerity was carried over into the first sequel, but unfortunately largely absent until the sixth entry in the series, 2006’s Rocky Balboa. It is the sequels in between the decades where the legacy of Rocky was constructed around training montages, the Rocky III introduction of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and the overall cheesiness and jingoism of Rocky IV, losing sight of what made the original film so powerful.
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by Randall Lotowycz
The first time Penny was pinched, she was on the men’s floor in a crowded department store mere days before Christmas. Dozens, if not hundreds, of shoppers were buzzing by her, heading to the registers or some clothing rack. She was looking for a particular type of tie for her boyfriend, Morris. It didn’t need to be a specific brand, pattern, or color; Penny was in fact searching for a tie of a specific length and width to suit her boyfriend’s occasionally obsessive-compulsive tendencies. He preferred his ties to stop precisely at the middle of his belt buckle when tied in a Windsor knot and insisted that the widest part of the tie be no wider than 2 3/4 inches.
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What’s in a throwing game? Or rather, more specifically, what’s in a dart game? The player launches sharp sticks at a cork-board in an attempt to hit the bullseye for points. Winner takes glory. Sometimes, the game is played drunkenly. Often times, I would say. But what makes darts fun? Unique? Weird?
A good friend and collaborator here at The Ink and Code just might have some answers for you, valued reader.
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An adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune by filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky was perhaps too bold, too incredible to ever come into existence. The jovial and boisterous Jodorowsky, the director behind the surreal cult classics El Topo and Holy Mountain, set out to make a film he believed could change the world, perhaps the cinematic equivalent of the monolith in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, heralding the birth of a Star Child in our reality.
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When a strange alien creature falls from the sky, a group of inner city kids in South London react they only way they know how—they kill it and plan to get rich off their find. The group, lead by the stoic Moses (John Boyega), are soon in over their heads as more aliens, larger and fiercer than the first one they encountered, begin encroaching on their apartment complex. Soon, the teens are in a fight for their lives, forced to partner with Sam (Jodie Whittaker), a nurse they just mugged earlier that night if they’re going to survive, not just the aliens, but also cops who are out to arrest them and Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter), a spurned local drug dealer who wants them dead.
Welcome to Attack the Block, a debut feature by British comedian Joe Cornish.
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For his entire life, Prince Thadeous (Danny McBride) has been overshadowed by his older brother, the handsome and heroic Fabious (James Franco). He’s held in little esteem by his father King Tallious (Charles Dance). Never to become king, he squanders his time getting stoned and causing trouble, joined by his loyal servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker). After Fabious’s bride-to-be Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) is kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), Thadeous is ordered by King Tallious to join Fabious on his quest to rescue her, or face exile. Woefully unprepared for the dangers of the journey, Thadeous and Courtney are more of a hindrance to Fabious than an asset as they race to get to Leezar before the wizard sleeps with Belladonna in a ritual to birth an all-powerful dragon. Along the way, they are joined by the mysterious and beautiful Isabel (Natalie Portman), who seeks Leezar herself, aiming to exact revenge for the death of her family.
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