House...surreal horror film by director Nobuhiko Obayashi screens at New Beverly!

House, which is currently screening at the New Beverly Cinema - although a must-see film - is difficult to describe in words (for they do no justice to the unique intriguing visuals which captivate audiences for starters).

Some have tried, though.

Joshua Rothkopf  (Time Out New York) lauded the flick with four stars and gushed:

"Like a stream of conciousness nightmare sprung from a troubled head resting on a hot-pink pillow."

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Meanwhile, Jim Ridley (The Nashville Scene) urged that filmgoers:

"Run. Wake your neighbor. Slap your children. Eye your cat with suspicion. Every once in a blue-screen moon, a movie will remind even the most jaded of cult-film aficionados that, no, in fact, they have not seen everything."

"Delirious, deranged, gonzo or just gone, baby, gone - no single adjective or even a pileup does justice to House, " underscored Manohla Dargis (The New York Times).

One of my favorites critiques was penned by Matt Singer @ IFC.com:

"This phantasmagoric head-trip has to be one of the strangest and most surreal movies ever made."

In the final analysis, HOUSE is steeped with all of the above, and so much more.

A film by legendary filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi.

In particular, I was enthralled with the imaginative mix - and interplay - of sets.

Remarkable!

In one moment, characters are traipsing with great gusto through a breathtaking forest - the next - they are chit-chatting in front of a panoramic scene that has been artfully (and surreally) etched on man-made backdrops with  startling effect.

Moments of pure whimsy, outlandish impromptu "burps" of sheer genius - and a storyline that goes way beyond bump in the night - mesmerize (to put it mildly!).

In a nutshell, the plot goes something like this.

Oshare ("gorgeous" to her friends) becomes annoyed with her father who has begun dating a younger overbearing woman she finds offensive.

Furious about the prospect of having to share precious vacation memories with the dragon woman, Oshare invites a handful of her close friends to take a jaunt through the countryside instead,  to visit an old aunt she hasn't set her eyes on in years.

Shortly after their celebrated arrival at the dilaphiated estate deep in the words, eerie events signal all is not well with Auntie and her living arrangements.

In fact, no one is keen to the fact, that the mysterious relative is secretly a spirit who feeds on the flesh of unmarried women.

Pique your wicked curiosity - and taste for the bizarre - yet?

Get thee to the New Beverly Cinema.

You'll be glad you sprung the seven bucks (just betcha).

Along with works by auteurs such as Shuji Terayama and Donald Richie, director Obayshi's unique original ideas greatly influenced experimental cinema throughout the 1960s in Japan.

In fact, Obayshi's avant garde techniques ended up impacting the mainstream for years to come.

In the 1970s, he began lensing a series of Japanese ads featuring well known American stars such as Kirk Douglas and Charles Bronson.

Obayashi began directing feature films in 1977 with the horror-comedy House.

The features employed a mixture of trick photography and artsy-fartsy techniques calibrated to achieve startling distinctive surreal realms beyond this or any other dimension!

 He has become particularly well-known for his coming-of-age movies such as Exchange Students (1982) and Chizuko's Younger Sister (1991).

http://www.thetattler.biz

Donovan Leitch Jr. and Ione Skye...attend screenings of "The In Crowd" & "The Blob"! New Beverly Cinema...

Donovan Leitch, Jr.

Charismatic Donovan Leitch Jr. appeared last night at West Hollywood's New Beverly Cinema for a screening of two of his classic films from the eighties.

"If it wasn't for 'Dirty Dancing'," theorized Leitch, "'The In Crowd' - which isn't even available on DVD - may have become a hit."

Well, not likely!

While Donovan Jr. is engaging in the upbeat feel-good teen flick - and turns in some surprising moves that enthrall fans who literally rock on the edge of their seats - "In Crowd" is essentially a piece of fluff that basically melts in the mouth much like cotton candy after consumption without much weight or substance.

For me, the "In Crowd" was kind-of a deer in the headlights experience," chuckled Leitch unabashedly to a rapt audience.

"Forget about texting and technology; this was before all that. In the safe eighties," the articulate actor noted with tongue firmly-in-cheek before the film sprang to life on the silver screen.

Ione Skye (Leitch's sister) attended the cozy gathering, much to the delight of fans, who waded through a celebratory crush in the lobby later to nab an autograph or two after the screen faded to black.

Skye is a fresh-faced actress with a down-to-earth outgoing personality.

A role she is relatively well-known for is that of "Diane Court" in the entertaining John Cusac film "Say Anything".

Ione also played the title character in "The Rachel Papers".

Ms. Skye received nods from the critics for a small part she played in the Zodiac, a film - by the way - that featured one of her father's haunting tunes - "The Hurdy Gurdy Man".

Skye and Donovan are the offspring of Enid Stulberger and Leitch, Sr.

In addition to his acting pursuits - he's quite photogenic by the way - Leitch Jr. is currently a member of the band Camp Freddy.

The handsome performer was also a founding member of the neo-glam group Nancy Boy - a band he formed with Jason Nesmith - the son of Monkee band member Michael Nesmith.

Although Donovan dies early on in "The Blob" - in horrific ghoulish way - the special effects film is a scary bill-of-fare (which also stars a young Kevin Dillon in a break-out role) worthy of catching next time around at the Theatre in the event well-executed films in the horror genre are your cup-of-tea.

Ione Skye

Camp Freddy

http://www.julianayrs.com

Night of the Living Dead...midnight screening at New Bev! Creepy 16 mm edition...

Zombie screamers tantalize filmgoers at the New Beverly Cinema

One of my squeamishly fave horror films is "Night of the Living Dead" which will be screening at midnight on Friday February 6th at the New Beverly Cinema.

I expect there will be a long line snaking around the block since folks in this neck of the woods tend to crave for a little blood, guts, and gore around the witchin' hour!

Horror Drunx and Sid Terror are screening George Romero's vastly entertaining (and engrossing) "DEAD" which was initially released as a 1968 black & white independent feature.

The dark plot focuses on the mysterious reanimation of the recently dead and bold-faced efforts of a valiant posse of heroes to survive the night while trapped in a rural Pennsylvania townhouse.

The original budget was $114,000.

Initially, the midnight screamer didn't realize a profit, though.

The stick-to-it attitude of Romero paid off eventually, after a long stint of releases popularized the ragged entry, in the world of cinema.

To date, the fright-night thriller has grossed over $12 million dollars domestically.

Obviously, the scary mainstay savored a more lucrative market overseas with the popcorn crowd, where it has grossed about $30 million dollars Internationally to date.

When it was first released, "Dead" was strongly criticized for explicit controversial content.

Even still, the little film that could, was registered at the Library of Congress in 1999 where it was listed in the National Film Registry as a motion picture that not only reflected the essence of the genre but one that was singled out as "historically, culturally, and aesthetically important."

While film historians note that it was not the first zombie film that caused fans and critics to sit up and take heart-pounding notice, "Night" did influence the modern pop-culture archetype of the zombie as a mainstay in that intriguing film arena.

See 'ya at the New Bev tomorrow night, eh?

http://www.julianayrs.com

Friday 13th..."30 years of Jason" screens at New Bev! DVD release party at Delicacies...

If you are a fan of the Horror Genre, chances are you stood in line at the New Beverly Cinema at midnight on Friday (January 31st) to catch "30 Years of Jason".

The documentary-style project takes an up-close and in-depth ghoulish gander at the astounding Friday 13th franchise phenomenon which has spanned over thirty years now.

A handful of the creative minds behind the tribute were on hand in an informative Q & A to field questions, offer up juicy film clips of their fave moments from the "Jason" legend - and quite generally - stir up a heap-load of bloody interest in the latest episode due to splash mayhem on the silver screen Friday February 13th.

The host of the doc promised that the upcoming wide-screen release will be sleek, very cool, and - of course - feature a lot of sex!

After all, Jason usually struck unsuspecting nubile young women (and their studly dates) while in the throes of passion.

"Yeah, he took their sex and usually put a machete through it," he chortled with glee!

In these blood-curdling films, noted the film biographer, it was also important that the plot line drop the teens into a creepy isolated place like Crystal Lake which was one of the main settings for a number of the popular dice-and-splice features.

And, another golden rule?

"There must never be parents or authority figures to interfere with the spine-tingling suspense thrashings."

On screen Friday in "30 Years of Jason", a parade of directors from a number of the sequels - and subsequent stars from the best-selling entries - offered up bloody behind-the-scenes production tid-bits sure to entice the avid film buff.

By the way, did you know that Jason was originally named "Josh"?

Not Joshin' 'ya, dude!

For most who participated in the squeamish - albeit entertaining foray into the world of blood and guts and gore that has been Friday 13th - it was pretty much in agreement that Jason never really came to life - or into his own, if you like - until he slipped that Hockey Mask over his face.

Yes, at that precise moment, the slasher was truly born!

There is a lot of precise detail about how the mask was fabricated, how various frightful scenes were set up and executed, and daunting hair-raising clips of the best "kills" of the series.

A couple of actors - though few in number at last count - boasted about escaping Jason's wrath.

Important, if you want to return in a sequel, eh?

There will be a party for the release of "30 Years of Jason" at Delicacies (Burbank) on Tuesday, February 3rd.

A dozen or so of the actors and directors will be on hand to sign the DVD, chat up fans, and what-have-you!

See 'ya there!

http://www.julianayrs.com

"Chaos" and "Murder-Set-Pieces". Shocking "snuff" films disturb filmgoers at New Beverly Cinema!

Some might say that the purpose of a film is to entertain, enlighten - provoke thought, perhaps - or reflect the heartbeat of a culture

Two films that I caught last night - "Murder-set-Pieces" and "Chaos" - had very little redeeming value in the great scheme of things.

Of course, there were a couple of excellent acting turns on screen - Kevin Gage in "Chaos", for instance - and special effects that were riveting.

But - ultimately - a lot of guts, gore, and mutilated bodies standing alone do not a good film necessarily make.

Years ago - when "Caligula" first alighted in an Art Film House in Vancouver (B.C.) - the seats were basically empty opening night. After all, many filmgoers in the picturesque seaside town were unfamiliar with the Guccione project.

But, once the word got out about the graphic sexual images and gut-wrenching violence on screen, religious fundamentalists parked out front of the theatre to protest.

Bingo!

The lines started forming down the street and around the block the next night and "Caligula" became a knock-out box-office success selling tickets for weeks on end.

Nonetheless, a controversy swirled over the explicit nudity on screen. Did Guccione go too far? Also, many were outraged by the shocking brutality which was damning - so realistic - and in-the-face.

In the case of "Caligula", I was inclined to side with the those who supported the film on the basis of its "artistic merit".

Although the producers went over-the-top - and to use an old cliche - stridently "pushed the envelope" - the filmmakers succeeded in making a valid statement about the decadence of the Roman Empire in the final days.

In the case of "Murder-Set-Pieces", the director failed to meet any standard.

When I asked Nick Palumbo - "What was the purpose of this film?" - he noted that friends with the Las Vegas Police force who investigated brutal serial killings were his inspiration for "Murder".

"I wanted to make a film about true crime, about the mind of a psychopath, without pulling any punches. I wanted realism."

Well, he got that in spades. The scenes were so gory - that on occasion - I was forced to hide my face behind my hands. In spite of my attempts to block out the revolting images, I still felt queasy and half-expected I'd throw up at any given moment.

Actresses couldn't even stomach the idea of playing the roles, the director noted, almost gleefully. So, he was forced to hire a couple of prostitutes to inhabit the tender skin of the characters on screen.

Another part of the problem - for me, anyway - was the lead actor. Although he had a powerful build, which suited the role, his acting was uneven. One moment his performance resonated with a kernel of truth; a few moments later, the acting was stilted, laughable, and unconvincing.

The problem may have been due to the script.

When a filmgoer in the audience asked about a Nazi storyline, for instance, the soft-spoken director confessed that story idea was thrown in last-minute.

And, clues he dropped like lead balloons here and there in flashbacks, were never resolved.

"I wanted to leave it open."

As a result, "Murder-Set Pieces" ended up being - forgive me - a bloody mess!

In fact, William Lustig - the director of "Maniac" - chewed Palumbo out when the film was first released.

"You took the genre to a level it should never have been taken to."

Undoubtedly, that's why the slasher film - budgeted at 2 1/2 mil - bombed at the box office and was a financial disaster.

The producers of "Chaos" - on the other hand - attempted to give the impression that their film was a cautionary tale.

When the credits first rolled, the filmmakers harped that the film was intended to warn parents about what may happen if they neglect their children or their family responsibilities.

In view of the storyline that unfolded on the silver screen (splashed with generous buckets of blood, scraps of flesh, semen, urine, you name it) it was a flimsy excuse for making this revolting film.

In a nutshell, two teens venture into the woods in search of a rave party.

A trio of wacko deadbeats kidnap the nubile young ladies and proceed to wantonly "have their way" with them.

In "Chaos", the filmmakers were not content to rape, ravage, or even demean their characters.

After slashing the carcasses brutally, and debasing the human body in a myriad of disgusting ways, the attackers proceed to engage in wild sex romps with the dead bodies.

Ugh!


The minds that conceived "Chaos" are - undoubtedly - demented and the individuals obvious social misfits.

As Michael Moore would say,

"Sicko!"

If there was a stronger rating for a film than NR17, I'd highly recommend it.


The two films screen again tonight at the New Beverly Cinema for those keen (and brave enough) to determine on their own the merits of this "trash" masquerading as "art".