Imagine if you will a steely television executive, whom we’ll call Hank, sitting in his plush office across from an equally intimidating man in a fitting black suit chain smoking his life away. The year is 1960 and the cigarette smoking man has just come off the successful first season run of his show “The Twilight Zone”. “Mr. Serling”, the TV exec says with a steady voice, “while your show is a major hit for the CBS Corporation it is greatly taxing our money reserves. At $65,000 per episode you have greatly exceeded your, if I may say so, generous budget.” Mr. Serling just stares at Hank with his piercing brown eyes. “So what do you propose?” he asks as he takes another drag from his cancer stick. The exec replies that he is willing to slash the cost per episode by filming on videotape rather than the usual film. Serling...
- 12/15/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
CW’s Arrow has shown that DC Comics characters can work on the small screen. This season has gotten positive attention from both fans and critics and continues to build its world and introduce more characters and concepts from the comics. As well as Arrow, DC Entertainment has announced that there are Jim Gordon, John Constantine, and Hourman shows in development at Fox, NBC, and CW respectively. The first two characters are relatively popular, especially Jim Gordon, who was portrayed by Oscar-nominated actor Gary Oldman in the Dark Knight trilogy, but who outside die-hard Justice Society fans knows who Hourman is? In this articles, the Sound on Sight writers will show what DC characters and comics series should have their own series instead of Hourman and whatever his superpowers are.
Deathstroke by Lol Craven I’m not going to lie and say I’m nominating Deathstroke because I’m a long term fan,...
Deathstroke by Lol Craven I’m not going to lie and say I’m nominating Deathstroke because I’m a long term fan,...
- 11/20/2013
- by Logan Dalton
- SoundOnSight
A fight is breaking out in a suburban middle class home one night between a father and his ten year old son Billy. You see Stan, Billy’s father, has just found out that Billy has been reading horror comics (particularly one named Creepshow) against his wishes. Stan is furious and admonishes his son for reading such “rotten crap”. When Billy tries to tell his father that Creepshow is no worse than the girlie magazines he keeps hidden in his dresser, Stan slaps his son and calls him a snoop. Billy is soon ordered to bed in defeat where he sits nursing his still stinging cheek. “I hope you rot in hell”, Billy whispers as lightning strikes outside his window, illuminating his face in a blue glow. Moments later, after throwing the comic into the trash, Stan returns to the living room where his wife asks if maybe he was...
- 10/30/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
After the surprise success of A Nightmare on Elm Street, there was no doubt in the studio executives’ minds that a sequel had to be made. After Nightmare’s creator, Wes Craven, dropped out (citing his belief that the film didn’t need a sequel), David Chaskin was brought on board to write the script and Jack Sholder (Alone in the Dark) was tapped to direct. Set a couple of months after the original, the sequel revolves around teenager Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) and his family, who have just moved into the troubled house that belonged to Nancy Thompson, the previous film’s heroine. Freddy, far from being defeated, soon pays Jesse a visit in his dreams, telling the teen the many plans he has in store for him. Freddy wants to come out of the dream world and into reality and Jesse is the perfect tool; just weak-minded and...
- 10/16/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
Even if you don’t watch or like horror movies you still know who Freddy Kruger is. Same goes for Michael Myers, Ghostface, Leatherface and Jason Voorhees. Yet while these demons and madmen figure greatly into horror mythology there are a whole slew of worthy villains that, either because they starred in lackluster movies or failed to ensure a box-office franchise, have not been given their due. This list will attempt to right those wrongs and shine a spotlight on the unsung monsters, those that give us nightmares and elicit a fear of the dark that Freddy and Jason just can’t do.
1o. Dr. Giggles
Appeared in Dr. Giggles (1992)
Don’t let the name of the movie throw you off, Dr. Giggles is no sequel to Patch Addams but a deeply disturbing, if a bit cheesy, little slice of medical horror. Its titular villain is the crazed son of...
1o. Dr. Giggles
Appeared in Dr. Giggles (1992)
Don’t let the name of the movie throw you off, Dr. Giggles is no sequel to Patch Addams but a deeply disturbing, if a bit cheesy, little slice of medical horror. Its titular villain is the crazed son of...
- 10/5/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
It has long been a known fact that Hollywood’s well of ideas has run dry. The box office success of countless retreads, remakes, reboots and updates (whatever you want to label them) only serves to condemn the movie-going public as accomplices in this crime of imagination. Yet for every rule there is an exception and, while some would be reluctant to admit it, Hollywood has indeed produced some remakes worthy of their original’s legacy. This list counts down the top five horror remakes that achieved the impossible: they did not suck…
5. Dark Water (2005)
Directed by Walter Salles
Written by Rafael Yglesias
American filmmakers are obsessed with remaking foreign films in their own image (it’s like they’re afraid we’ll fall asleep from having to actually read subtitles). In the case of Japanese Horror Cinema the American versions tend to eschew the quiet tense dread that is...
5. Dark Water (2005)
Directed by Walter Salles
Written by Rafael Yglesias
American filmmakers are obsessed with remaking foreign films in their own image (it’s like they’re afraid we’ll fall asleep from having to actually read subtitles). In the case of Japanese Horror Cinema the American versions tend to eschew the quiet tense dread that is...
- 10/5/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
Director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Session 9) loves to probe into his character’s inner psyches. In each of his films he shows humans for what they really are: feeble little creatures that fall prey to their emotions and that their grasp of reality is tentative at best. This is nowhere more evident than in Sounds Like, his contribution to the second season of Showtime’s Masters of Horror television show.
The episode concerns itself with Larry Pearce (Chris Bauer) whose son has recently died of a rare brain disease. Instead of taking time off to grieve Larry quickly returns to his job as a supervisor at a tech call center where it is his duty to listen in to the conversations his workers have with the many people who dial in with technological queries. He soon finds out though that his already acute hearing has somehow been magnified to...
The episode concerns itself with Larry Pearce (Chris Bauer) whose son has recently died of a rare brain disease. Instead of taking time off to grieve Larry quickly returns to his job as a supervisor at a tech call center where it is his duty to listen in to the conversations his workers have with the many people who dial in with technological queries. He soon finds out though that his already acute hearing has somehow been magnified to...
- 9/8/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
“You can’t stop being afraid just by pretending everything that scares you isn’t there.”-Michael Marshall
Imagine your worst fear; it could be being buried alive, the number thirteen, creepy crawlies, spiders, airplanes, clowns with squids atop their heads brandishing giant bazookas that shoot molten popcorn (which is a perfectly reasonable fear if you ask me, you never know what those clowns are up to). Now take that fear and imagine it becoming a reality. To really be on the edge of a tall skyscraper, to really feel your oxygen slowly give way as the dirt is shoveled over your face, to feel a million little spiders crawling all over your body. That is what the victims of one Dr. Jonathan Crane experience before they go completely and utterly mad.
A thin (almost skeletal) and frail man, Crane was raised by his demanding grandmother who had no...
Imagine your worst fear; it could be being buried alive, the number thirteen, creepy crawlies, spiders, airplanes, clowns with squids atop their heads brandishing giant bazookas that shoot molten popcorn (which is a perfectly reasonable fear if you ask me, you never know what those clowns are up to). Now take that fear and imagine it becoming a reality. To really be on the edge of a tall skyscraper, to really feel your oxygen slowly give way as the dirt is shoveled over your face, to feel a million little spiders crawling all over your body. That is what the victims of one Dr. Jonathan Crane experience before they go completely and utterly mad.
A thin (almost skeletal) and frail man, Crane was raised by his demanding grandmother who had no...
- 9/3/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
The newest home production from horror-themed cable channel Chiller is an adaption of W.W. Jacob’s classic horror tale The Monkey’s Paw. Directed by Brett Simmons (Husk) and written by Macon Blair, Paw tells the story of Jake (Cj Thomason), who comes upon the titular talisman that will grant him three wishes. The similarities between the short story end there, though, as Jake inadvertently reanimates his dead boss Tony (Stephen Lang). Jake must then decide what to use his third wish for all the while dealing with the manipulative Tony, who tries to take the wish for his own purposes. Also stars Charles S. Dutton, Corbin Bleu (really?!?) and Michelle Pierce.
Premiring On Demand on October 8th and in select theatres:
New York City - Cinema Village, Oct 8-13
Los Angeles, CA – Aero Theatre, Oct 4
Chicago (Rosemont), Il – Muvico Rosemont 18, Oct 11-12, Oct 18-19
Pelham, NY – Pelham Picture House,...
Premiring On Demand on October 8th and in select theatres:
New York City - Cinema Village, Oct 8-13
Los Angeles, CA – Aero Theatre, Oct 4
Chicago (Rosemont), Il – Muvico Rosemont 18, Oct 11-12, Oct 18-19
Pelham, NY – Pelham Picture House,...
- 8/24/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
When Universal’s Dracula was released in 1931 vampires were a relatively underexplored creature of genre films. Sure you had Nosferatu, which was released a full nine years before, but Dracula was the first film to feature a blood sucking fiend that made a killing at the box office. Universal was quick to capitalize on the surprise success of Dracula and several sequels (some in name only) were made. There was Son of Dracula (‘Alucard’ is all I need to say about that one), Dracula’s Daughter, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein (which featured all the Universal monsters) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. While most of those films are disposable fodder, Dracula’s Daughter stands out from the pack as not only being entertaining, but also being the one sequel that had as much influence as its predecessor.
Released in 1936 and written by Garrett Ford and directed by Lambert Hillyer,...
Released in 1936 and written by Garrett Ford and directed by Lambert Hillyer,...
- 8/19/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
(Warning: Spoilers are in here. Beware!)
Religion is a strange beast; it has the power to unite us, yet also has the power to destroy and segregate. It was originally created as a way to help humanity overcome its greatest fear, the fear of the unknown, and it served that purpose well and remained the unquestioned truth for about a millennia. Then along came science and reason, which offered their own explanations for the universe that resulted from observable data and had the added bonus of proof on its side. Now a growing number of people are leaving religion behind and turning to science for the answers to their pressing questions and moving towards a more secular world. Yet, when shit goes down people are willing and desperate enough to believe in anything that promises them salvation. The Mist (directed and adapted from a classic Stephen King novella by Frank Darabont...
Religion is a strange beast; it has the power to unite us, yet also has the power to destroy and segregate. It was originally created as a way to help humanity overcome its greatest fear, the fear of the unknown, and it served that purpose well and remained the unquestioned truth for about a millennia. Then along came science and reason, which offered their own explanations for the universe that resulted from observable data and had the added bonus of proof on its side. Now a growing number of people are leaving religion behind and turning to science for the answers to their pressing questions and moving towards a more secular world. Yet, when shit goes down people are willing and desperate enough to believe in anything that promises them salvation. The Mist (directed and adapted from a classic Stephen King novella by Frank Darabont...
- 8/6/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
There are, at the time of this writing, ten Friday the 13th movies, one remake (another in production) and one featuring Freddy Kruger. The plot of every movie follows the same construct: a group of really dumb ass kids go into the woods for some nookie and recreational drugs when they get lost and encounter a seemingly unstoppable and mute mongoloid who wears a hockey mask and goes by the name of Jason Voorhees, who then proceeds to stalk and kill them one by one. (The exceptions being Part 1, where Jason’s mother does the killings, Part 5, where a copycat killer goes berserk and Part 9 where Jason’s soul is transferred to whoever eats his heart.) While the movies do feature bucket loads of gore and an ample amount of T & A and debauchery, the Friday the 13th series (and slasher films in general) follow the rules of Christianity and the Bible very closely.
- 7/24/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
The Invasion 2007
The fourth and latest film to be made from Finny’s story takes the pod people and plops them right into post-9/11 America. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and written by Dave Kajganich, The Invasion follows psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman), whose ex-husband Cdc director Tucker Kaufman (Jeremy Northam) is infected with a fungus that controls their host while investigating a space shuttle that has crash landed on Earth. Carol’s first inkling that something is wrong is when one of her patients, Wendy Lenk (Veronica Cartwright), claims that her husband has “changed”. Carol’s son, Oliver (Jackson Bond), then finds a strange spore while at a neighbor’s kid’s party. Thinking it might be related to the recent spate of flu outbreaks that have been reported on the news, she sends the sample to Doctor Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) to have a closer look. Ben finds out...
The fourth and latest film to be made from Finny’s story takes the pod people and plops them right into post-9/11 America. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and written by Dave Kajganich, The Invasion follows psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman), whose ex-husband Cdc director Tucker Kaufman (Jeremy Northam) is infected with a fungus that controls their host while investigating a space shuttle that has crash landed on Earth. Carol’s first inkling that something is wrong is when one of her patients, Wendy Lenk (Veronica Cartwright), claims that her husband has “changed”. Carol’s son, Oliver (Jackson Bond), then finds a strange spore while at a neighbor’s kid’s party. Thinking it might be related to the recent spate of flu outbreaks that have been reported on the news, she sends the sample to Doctor Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) to have a closer look. Ben finds out...
- 7/18/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
Hello and thank you for choosing 616 Tours. My name is Peter Parker and, since this is the only job I could get besides the Bugle, I’ll be your guide today as we explore the finest and sometimes weirdest Manhattan has to offer.
With that being said, if you look to your left you’ll see our first stop on the tour: The Baxter Building, home to the world famous Fantastic Four (Located on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue). Built in 1949 by the Leland Baxter Paper Company, the Baxter Building was originally used to print paper materials and was rented out to Stretchy –err, I mean Reed Richards in the early ‘60’s. Utilizing the first five floors Richards began to redecorate the place in his own brainy image; building vast laboratories that housed tons of lab equipment, techno gizmos and strange portals to who-knows-what dimensions. As is de rigor of superherodom,...
With that being said, if you look to your left you’ll see our first stop on the tour: The Baxter Building, home to the world famous Fantastic Four (Located on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue). Built in 1949 by the Leland Baxter Paper Company, the Baxter Building was originally used to print paper materials and was rented out to Stretchy –err, I mean Reed Richards in the early ‘60’s. Utilizing the first five floors Richards began to redecorate the place in his own brainy image; building vast laboratories that housed tons of lab equipment, techno gizmos and strange portals to who-knows-what dimensions. As is de rigor of superherodom,...
- 7/16/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
Body Snatchers 1993
While the first two movies stayed mostly true to each other and the novel they were based on, Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers greatly deviates from the established blueprint. Written by Nicholas St. John, Dennis Paoli and Stuart Gordon, the 1993 Body Snatchers eschews the small own motif and is instead set on a military base in an undisclosed location somewhere in Alabama. Our hero this time is Steve Malone (Terry Kinney), an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency (Epa), who is assigned to the base (with his family in tow) to see what effects the military outpost has on the neighboring flora. When they get there everything seems normal except for the MP who corners Malone’s daughter Marti (Gabrielle Anwar) and threatens her with a knife. Relieved that she shows emotion the MP warns her “they get you when you sleep”. The soldiers are also seemingly unemotional...
While the first two movies stayed mostly true to each other and the novel they were based on, Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers greatly deviates from the established blueprint. Written by Nicholas St. John, Dennis Paoli and Stuart Gordon, the 1993 Body Snatchers eschews the small own motif and is instead set on a military base in an undisclosed location somewhere in Alabama. Our hero this time is Steve Malone (Terry Kinney), an agent of the Environmental Protection Agency (Epa), who is assigned to the base (with his family in tow) to see what effects the military outpost has on the neighboring flora. When they get there everything seems normal except for the MP who corners Malone’s daughter Marti (Gabrielle Anwar) and threatens her with a knife. Relieved that she shows emotion the MP warns her “they get you when you sleep”. The soldiers are also seemingly unemotional...
- 7/15/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978
Philip Kaufman directed and W.D. Richter wrote the screenplay for this superb second interpretation of Finny’s story. This time we are in San Francisco in the ‘70’s when we meet health inspector Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) and his work partner Elizabeth (Brooke Adams). Elizabeth begins to notice that her husband Geoffrey (Art Hindle) is acting strange of late; he is aloof and distant. When Elizabeth tells Matthew this he refers her to his psychiatrist friend Dr. Kibner (Leonard Nimoy). Kibner is a renowned and popular therapist who has published many self-help books on a variety of subjects. He tells Elizabeth that she is making up this fantasy of her husband acting strange in order to justify her subconscious need to end the relationship. As time passes Elizabeth’s worries are proven right when Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), friends of Matthew, find...
Philip Kaufman directed and W.D. Richter wrote the screenplay for this superb second interpretation of Finny’s story. This time we are in San Francisco in the ‘70’s when we meet health inspector Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) and his work partner Elizabeth (Brooke Adams). Elizabeth begins to notice that her husband Geoffrey (Art Hindle) is acting strange of late; he is aloof and distant. When Elizabeth tells Matthew this he refers her to his psychiatrist friend Dr. Kibner (Leonard Nimoy). Kibner is a renowned and popular therapist who has published many self-help books on a variety of subjects. He tells Elizabeth that she is making up this fantasy of her husband acting strange in order to justify her subconscious need to end the relationship. As time passes Elizabeth’s worries are proven right when Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Nancy (Veronica Cartwright), friends of Matthew, find...
- 7/13/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
“Old man sitting there/he’s so fine in his chair/Watching him grow his hair/its so long he doesn’t care/…A pod is waiting for him.”
–I Monster “A Pod is Waiting”
Introduction:
What started out as a 120 page novella by Jack Finny published in 1955 has steadily become a quasi-film- franchise. The first film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, was released in 1956 which then went on to be remade three more times: in 1978 by Philip Kaufman, in 1993 (Body Snatchers) by Abel Ferrara and in 2007 (The Invasion) by director Oliver Hirschbiegel. While each version carries the same plot (an alien race that replaces humans with imposters) it is the political turmoil and current events and attitudes of the times that influence and change each interpretation of the story. Whether it be yuppie culture, McCarthyism or Militarism, each film carries its own agenda and spin on the matter and...
–I Monster “A Pod is Waiting”
Introduction:
What started out as a 120 page novella by Jack Finny published in 1955 has steadily become a quasi-film- franchise. The first film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, was released in 1956 which then went on to be remade three more times: in 1978 by Philip Kaufman, in 1993 (Body Snatchers) by Abel Ferrara and in 2007 (The Invasion) by director Oliver Hirschbiegel. While each version carries the same plot (an alien race that replaces humans with imposters) it is the political turmoil and current events and attitudes of the times that influence and change each interpretation of the story. Whether it be yuppie culture, McCarthyism or Militarism, each film carries its own agenda and spin on the matter and...
- 7/12/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
As one of the millions who suffer from depression and anxiety, Kinds of Blue disturbingly hits home. Published by Hive Mindedness Media, this anthology offers up a candid, almost voyeuristic, view into the lives of individuals battling depression and how each deal with the crushing feeling of melancholy. As is the problem with most anthologies, not all of the entries are up to caliber. This can be mostly attributed to the shortness of each piece as most run three to five pages and often fall on an anticlimactic ending. This is a minor quibble though as most of the stories explore in excruciating and heartbreaking detail what being depressed actually feels like. Highlights include opening story “Feeling”(written by Karen Beilharz, art by Mike Barry), which encapsulates the inner dialogue of a bed written depressive; “The Suit” (written by Guangyao Un, artwork by Fiona Darwin) is a bittersweet story that...
- 6/29/2013
- by Andrew Perez
- SoundOnSight
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