I got up early so I could cash in on my double header. I started The Innocents, a black and white Victorian horror from Britain. It wasn't as mesmerizing as other movies I've seen from the era. A large part of my lukewarm reception has to do with the lead. She's naive to a fault and has no idea what she's doing, but halfway through, she starts making illogical leaps in thinking. It tows that line that makes us wonder, is she going crazy or is there really a ghost? I like that type of questionable horror but it really depends on the lead. She became irrational much too quickly for my taste.
Next up on the plate was Dead Alive, also known as Braindead, by Peter Jackson. It's funny to see this movie, which probably represents the height of practical gore effects, in the filmography of today's most excessive employer of CG. Budget really does make a difference. One of the things that stand out are the abundance of close ups in B-movie fashion.
It takes place in New Zealand, so everybody speaks with that quirky accent. The plot deals with a rat monkey whose bite turns people into zombies. Someone on IMDB once said it was a reverse zombified version of Norman Bates story in Psycho; it's quite an apt description. In typical Peter Jackson fashion, the movie drags near the end with obscene excess, but every frame is filled with such energy that it's hard to fault him for it. This is probably one of, if not, the most gory movie I have ever seen.
Most gore movies restrict themselves in some way, either because of budget or limitations on creativity. You might get a decapitation here, a dismemberment there, and some intestinal play, but I've never seen a movie go the full nine yards in terms of gore. Dead Alive is the first movie to go the distance. The entire human body is subject to evisceration. You've got splitting faces, rib cage removals, spinal extractions, head blenders, facial peeling, and even crawling organ monsters. The sheer creativity and inventiveness makes me wish Peter Jackson would go back and make a horror comedy with his new CG toys. I can't even imagine how that insanity would look like on screen.
Dead Alive is a new inductee in my zombie movie hall of fame. It's disgustingly brilliant.
With all my movies finished, it was time to go drinking with friends. It started out with dinner at Twin Dragon, a Chinese fast food joint. I got an orange chicken bowl. Having satisfied my appetite, we went to Cafe Tu Tu Tango for drinks. There were four of us in total. We hung out and drank outside to the tune of weird "Moroccan" music, complete with a roaming belly dancer. She tried to get a gentleman to dance with her, but he didn't seem to have any idea of what was going on or what to do. Don't you hate it when people can't let loose and have a little fun at their own expense?
We tried to hit up Dave and Busters but the overpriced three dollar cover put the kibosh on that plan. We went to El Torito instead, which was nice, since they offered complimentary salsa chips. I had the mango mojito which wasn't too bad. It's unfortunate we started the night so early because I missed out on meeting another friend who couldn't come because he got off work late.
I went home and played Destiny as I listened to my friends chat over Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. I got a little carried away in PVP and didn't get to sleep until 5. Since I've got interviews on Monday and Tuesday, I only have Sunday to prepare for everything. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow.
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