Sure, they are supposed to be terrifying, carnivorous aliens bent on eating their way through the planet. But these handmade Critters from Critters are just too adorable to hate. About 5" high, they are not quite pocket-sized, but they are the perfect size to put on a desk.
New comic book Wednesday has come and gone. The dust at your local comic shop has settled. An eerie silence descends as you finish reading your last superhero book of the week. Now it's time for something a little more sinister. Welcome to Bagged and Boarded: comic reviews of the sick, spooky, twisted and terrifying!
House of Gold and Bones Pt. 2 of 4
In the eagerly-awaited new film from the Soska Twins, American Mary, Katharine Isabelle plays Mary, a med student whose tremendous debts and unethical teachers leave her disillusioned with a career she thought she could do good with. But she puts her surgical skills to good use, performing surgeries that traditional doctors would never do, for those in the body modification community.
We spoke with the lovely Katharine about working with Jen and Sylvia Soska, and how American Mary respects those in the body mod community.
How did you get involved with American Mary?
I was sent an email saying that writer-director-identical-twin-horror-movie-chicks are interested in me for their movie. I thought it was a cute schtick but I figured they probably sucked and their movie was terrible. I was just going to read the first couple of pages to say I read it then say “no thanks.” I ended up reading the entire 180 pages on my Blackberry - twice. I was fascinated. I looked up and was like, “What the fuck did I just read?” I was immediately sucked in. It was so well-written, and the character of Mary was so unique to me. It is rare to see a character like that - especially female - that is so intriguing. I immediately said I would do anything.
I met the girls for sushi at like 6pm, and ended up up hanging with them until like 3am. We just became instant best friends. They are never allowed to do anything without me ever again!
Was it difficult working with two directors?
No. They are such a good team, they are always 100% on the same page. If you have a question, as long as you can find one of them, you know the other will be in total agreement. I have worked with co-directors before, where one will say something and the other will say something different, and it can be a little tricky. But they were always on the same page. They will sit at the monitors and someone will ask them a question and they will answer in unison, without talking about it. They inspired everyone with confidence. They are like magical unicorns - they are amazing.
Without sounding too cheesy, American Mary is very empowering. When shit doesn’t go your way, you make it go your way. Was that fun to play? Is it still difficult to find roles like that?
Yeah, it’s not all that common to find a female character in film who is that strong, that independent, doesn’t take people’s shit, who just walks around looking hot and fucking people up, but actually has a lot of depth and a lot of character. She is darkly funny and charming in a totally unconventional way. I think she smiles like once in the film. Mary is fairly fake with people because she doesn’t know how to interact with “normal” people normally. It’s hard to find characters like that, and it is scary to play them. I was in love with Mary so much because I understood her, and I wanted everyone else to. We had 15 days to shoot, and I didn’t want to fuck it up. I didn’t want to be given this opportunity, given this character, and fail because I wasn’t able to get across what I felt for her, how much I liked her, and how much I thought other people should like her - even though she has no redeeming qualities! She’s really not that nice. She doesn’t do anything where, on paper, you should like her. But at the end of the day, most people end up loving her.
Were you familiar with the body modification scene before taking on the role?
No, I wasn’t any more familiar than the average person on the street. Thankfully, the girls were very kind and brought me everything I needed. They showed it to me and explained it to me instead of letting me wander through the scary world of the internet, where I might be traumatized instead of learning the true art and the true culture of it. Sylvia said, “Whatever you do, do not go home and Google ‘subincised penis.’” I did, and I was immediately like, “Okay, from now on I am going to listen to them when they tell me not to Google something.” [Ed. Note: Of course I had to Google it too. It is most definitely not safe-for-work.]
The Church of Body Modification was awesome. They were very generous with their time and their skill and their craft, explaining everything to me. I think they were really impressed with how respectful the movie is towards body mods. A lot of times they have been marginalized and pointed at in society, and not treated as artists. I think they were happy to see that [being treated as an expression of art] in a film.
It does seem that body modification is a really touchy subject for “mainstreamers” so it hasn’t always been portrayed positively.
Yeah, I think that has happened to them a lot so they are a bit wary to allow people in. Every screening we go to there are body modders there, rooting, and glad to see their subculture reflected to them in a way that is smart and interesting and fun and respectful.
Can you talk a little bit about working with the eclectic cast?
Tristan Risk, who plays Beatrice, is the greatest. She was originally on as the choreographer for the dance sequence. They were having a really hard time casting Beatrice. She had to work until 3am [choreographing] then came in early to audition for them, and she did a full-on burlesque striptease. She might have lit her nipple daisies on fire. She is so perfect in the role. The poor girl had to be there four hours earlier than anyone else to get her prosthetics on. She was also my coach for the fantasy sequence where I do the striptease. I’m terrible at dancing, burlesque, striptease, anything like that. So she was perfect: “Crawl like a tiger! Little Mermaid hair flip!”
Paul Anthony, who plays Rat is one of my dear friends; one of my best friends, Sean Amsing, played the security guard. Twan Holliday, who played Lance is one of those guys that a lot of people would cross the street if they saw him coming. He’s huge, tattooed, has a lot of hair, and is just really intimidating. Onscreen and off, he is the most genuine, sweet, and adorable teddy bear of a human being. We had an amazing cast come together for it.
Was it hard to keep that dark atmosphere once the cameras started rolling? It sounds like you were all one big happy family.
We were. We only had 15 days to shoot. Everyone was there for little to no money, everyone was busting their asses to do what they could for the girls. The moment you meet them, you just fall head-over-heels in love with them and you want to do everything you can to help them. But I don’t think the movie is that dark, or depressing or upsetting. I think it is charming and hilarious! If people don’t laugh, we get upset!
Oh, I agree with you. I just think that the subject matter is something that people are so uncomfortable with.
Yeah. I remember at the beginning, in a production meeting, Sylvia stood up and, in a very commanding voice said that not a single person, whether it be the dancers or the body modders, they were generous enough to work on our film and allow us into their subculture, not a single derogatory statement was to be made or even thought about them. No matter what the person’s position was, they would be off the fucking set sooner than you could snap your fingers. There was absolute, zero-tolerance for that. If you read the script and had any kind of asshole-ish thing to say, you probably wouldn’t have done the movie. No one was disrespectful.
We were rehearsing the dance sequence stuff in an old strip club in Vancouver. Tristan strips down to a thong and nothing on top, and the poor crew guys are trying so hard not to look! “Oh yeah, look at this nail in the corner, we really have to jam it back in!” Tristan is fabulous and she wouldn’t have been offended, but everyone was trying so hard to be respectful.
Creative, entertainment-types - especially in horror - are much more relaxed about that kind of thing.
They are definitely not a repressed group of people. The girls and I... we don’t know where our offensive limits are. We don’t know what anyone could do to offend us. They treat everyone with so much respect that no one ever felt anything but completely loved and accepted.
It is hard to get excited about Sleepy Hollow when you hear the premise: Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman are transported to modern-day Sleepy Hollow, where Ichabod teams with a local cop to uncover a National Treasure-like mystery in order to stop the apocalypse. It sounds pretty ridiculous. With only the pilot to judge on, I am not prepared to make a final call, but I will admit that I was more engaging and less ridiculous than the logline would suggest.
Ichabod Crane wakes in a cave, 250 years after being wounded during the Revolutionary War. The Headless Horseman has been “resurrected” too, and wastes no time killing the sheriff in his pursuit to get a horse. Ichabod, found wandering in the street, is immediately considered the prime suspect. After an interrogation and polygraph leave the police no closer to an arrest, it is pretty clear that Ichabod is insane and needs to be committed. The sheriff’s partner, Abby, is the only one inclined to believe Ichabod after relatively minor unexplained incident in her childhood eventually turned her sister insane.
Ichabod’s wife, Katrina, burned as a witch in 1792, comes to Ichabod in a dream and lays out the rest of the series’s plot. She was indeed a witch, part of a coven sworn to fight evil. When Ichabod beheaded the horseman, the only way she could save him was to bind him and the Horseman in blood. Ichabod was hidden in a cave for his protection. When someone resurrected the Horseman, Ichabod was part of the deal. Now he and Abby are tasked with protecting the Horseman’s pickled head, and the secrets to something-or-other lie in George Washington’s bible. If he doesn’t get his head, he can’t raise the other three horsemen and bring about the apocalypse. That’s right: the Headless Horseman is Death, the first of the Four Horsemen.
It’s like the more I describe of the show, the more ridiculous it sounds. And yet, after watching it, it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t great, but I have seen a lot worse. The biggest thing the show has going for it is the look. It is very cinematic, atmospheric, and “looks” expensive. Even with the pilot, which is not final and not ready for air, it was just nice to look at. Len Wiseman, of the Underworld franchise, directed the pilot, and I have always found him a solid director.
The other strong point Sleepy Hollow has is that its cast really sells the ridiculous premise. The cast, for their part, is made up of mostly unknowns (or little-knowns): Nicole Beharie, who plays Abby, was in the low-budget thriller Apartment 4E and the recent Jackie Robinson movie 42. British actor Tom Mison, who plays Ichabod, has largely played in UK television shows. They come with no baggage of well-known roles, and frankly don’t have much of a reputation to ruin.
The show is definitely flawed. I am not a fan of time-travel in general, but I especially can’t stand people from the past being dropped unceremoniously into the future (or rather, our present). This always leads to “comical” instances of the time traveler trying to come to grips with their new surroundings - but it is never actually funny. One of the cops actually answers Ichabod’s question of “Where am I?” with “The question isn’t where... but when.” I almost turned the TV off after that douchery.
I will tune in when the season starts (in part for you, dear readers) but I don’t foresee Sleepy Hollow being a runaway hit. If we can move away from the time-travel conceit and make it about a supernatural treasure hunt, I can get behind that.
Sleepy Hollow debuts this fall on Fox.
Injustice: Gods Among Us shares Mortal Kombat DNA in more ways than just its fighting mechanics: similar to Netherrealm’s last fighter, the game is being enhanced post-release with a quartet (possibly more) of super-powered pugilists to flesh out the experience.
The first of these is an absolute doozy, being none other than the Main Man himself, Lobo. First created in 1983, Lobo grew to massive popularity in the ‘90s where he was reimagined as a bounty hunting space biker who murdered, maimed, and mutilated everyone from his own bastard children to Santa Claus. His R-rated antics had to be slightly toned down for the T-rated Injustice, but the spirit of the character is as strong as ever.
Lobo sits in a strange place for the brawler vs. technical fighter, mixing up shotgun-powered ranged attacks with up-close grapples. He’s not quite Bane in his brutality, but he’s also not as nimble as Green Arrow. He’s very fun, however, and very balanced to play as, and his trademark attitude is in full effect. Executing Lobo’s super move shows the Last Czarnian running over his opponent in his “Hawg,” before catching them in the space-bike’s exhaust and flipping them the (censored) bird, a pitch-perfect gag that had my inner teenager laughing heartily.
Lobo is now available for Injustice:Gods Among Us for 500 MSP/$4.99, or as part of the Season Pass which includes all four DLC characters.
This charming little music video spoofs The Walking Dead and offers the walking dead some advice on how to get along in the world when there are "so many dumb ways to die." For example, if you need a meal, the song will advise you to follow Shane because "he'll shoot his friend and leave him as bait."
What makes it even stranger is that it is based on this adorable (and surprisingly graphic) animated video created by (of all people) Melbourne Australia's Metro Train system.
Coolest. Costume. Ever. Sure, anyone can dress like Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, with a striped sweater, fedora, and a knife glove. But now you can spice it up with this audio-animatronic sweater of souls.
The "Chest of Souls" sweater will apparently be available from UK costume supplier Signature Costumes at some point, but details are elusive. It will cost you about US$135 whenever it is available.
For more soul-torturing fun, check out the Nightmare on Elm Street soul pizza.
FEARnet’s REAPERreunion special was shot on Wednesday, April 24, at the Medusa Lounge in Los Angeles. In attendance for the special—hosted by TV and web personality Angie Greenup—were series stars Ray Wise, Tyler Labine and Bret Harrison, as well as Rick Gonzalez, Ken Marino, Christine Willes and series creators Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas.
The reunion special will air tonight, Tuesday, May 28, setting the stage for REAPER’s FEARnet debut on Tuesday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, as part of the Network’s Twisted Comedy block, which also features the FEARnet original half-hour comedy series HOLLISTON. Additionally, the special will be available for viewing on the FEARnet website starting Friday, May 31st, and VOD on Saturday, June 1st. It will air again on the Network on Tuesday, June 4, at 8:30 p.m. ET. FEARnet has licensed both seasons of the hour-long series, for a complete 31 episode order.
Four years later, the wildly popular cult hit still enjoys a rabid fanbase—many of whom feel the series was cancelled much too soon. These same fans will be delighted to see their favorite stars brought together, once again, as the amiable cast openly discusses many behind-the-scenes anecdotes and stories from their time on set. The cast’s favorite memories—such as Sock’s lusty encounter with Gladys; the creators’ insider info that comedic icon Louis C.K. originally auditioned for the part of the Devil; and whether or not the team would be open to a Kickstarter campaign to resurrect REAPER, are just a few of the things fans can expect to glean from the special.
“I’m so happy that FEARnet is doing this,” said Ray Wise, who played the Devil on REAPER. “It really warms my heart having us all back together again.”
The quirky series focuses on the life of Sam Oliver (Harrison), a college drop-out who, on his 21st birthday, learns that he now must work as a bounty hunter for the Devil (Wise), as part of a deal made many years ago when Sam’s parents offered up their firstborn son in exchange for good health for the ailing father. Tyler Labine (TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL) and Rick Gonzalez (COACH CARTER) play Sam’s slacker friends who help him in his new secret double-life of ‘reaping’ souls, using a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner, as well as other modern household items.
Sure, most nerds are foaming at the mouth for the new Superman movie, but for me (and I am guessing a lot of you) it is all about Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro's giant robots vs. giant monsters epic.
In their newest issue, British movie magazine Empire has a huge spread on Pacific Rim, including an article penned by del Toro, behind-the-scenes photos, and some beautiful concept art. ComicBookMovie.com was kind enough to scan a few images for those of us who don't know where to buy paper books and magazine anymore.
Pacific Rim hits theaters July 12th.
I'm not sure which part of this story is stranger: the fact that someone is remaking Leprechaun or the fact that it is being made by someone whose biggest claim to fame is appearing on a reality TV show.
First, the remake. Lionsgate and WWE Studios have teamed to reboot Leprechaun, the insane cult classic which launched sequels that sent the leprechaun to space and da hood. Newcomer Harris Wilkinson is writing the script, and WWE superstar Hornswaggle will star as the leprechaun. Details on the reboot are being kept under wraps, so I am assuming that it will be more serious than the original.
Next, the director. Zach Lipovsky. Lipovsky started as an actor in a handful of Canadian TV shows (including an episode of Goosebumps) before transitioning to digital and visual effects. In 2007, he won On the Lot, a short-lived Fox reality show in which aspiring filmmakers compete for a development deal with DreamWorks. Lipovsky won and has made a handful of TV movies for DreamWorks.
Now he is remaking Leprechaun. It remains to be seen whether or not this will be a boost to Lipovsky's career, or merely a lateral move.
Source: The Wrap
Lobster Johnson No. 13
True Blood No. 13
Half Past Danger No. 1
In 2011, BOOM! put writer Christopher Monfette together with Clive Barker and gave them a new venue to explore the Hellraiser mythos – a new, ongoing comic book series. They were joined by artist Leonardo Manco, and together the trio sought to tell a story that would incorporate elements from the original novella and the creatively successful entries of the film series – i.e., the first two movies – while creating something new that would continue to fulfill that mythology’s potential. 