Scre4m

My first thought watching Scream 4 was, "Do this many people really still have land lines?" I finally picked up the new Scream film this weekend. I have been a long time fan of the Scream movies, to the point of near obsession during the life cycle of the first two. Needless to say, I was tentatively excited when I first heard they were making another film in the series.

The premise surrounds Sidney Prescott returning to Woodsboro as the last stop on her book tour. The night before her arrival the Ghostface murders start again. Sidney takes up residence with her cousin Jill while the murders are being investigated by none other than Dewey and Gail Riley. From there it is rather formulaic; people get picked off one by one, and eventually the killer is revealed to be the person you'd least expect.

So, is it any good? The answer, in my opinion, is, "It's not bad." I have a load of little bones to pick with this entry in the series. There is a complete lack of the song, "Red Right Hand," which served as a theme song, of sorts, for the first three films. There is an overabundance of the word, "meta." Add that to the obsession with social media and the aforementioned plethora of land lines, and you having me rolling my entirely too much to properly enjoy the film.

That's not to say that it's all bad. The film follows the Scream formula and certainly feels like a valid entry in the series. It stays interesting throughout and it was well cast. I think I would have preffered if it were a remake rather than a sequel. The old stars don't fit in with the new young cast so well, and nowhere near enough of the new cast survives. In my opinion the Scream series missed out on being the annualized franchise like the horror films it emulates. Series like Saw and Final destination have stepped up to fill that role. What is left is an interesting comment on the genre as a whole that seems to have a horror film rolled in as an afterthought.

Hello World

So I haven't posted in a while. The thing about the Ponder Couch, is that it is comfy and promotes naps and procrastination every bit as much as the viewing and reviewing of nerdy goodies. In my absence from the blog, however, I'd like to think that I have been amassing experiences and materials to write about. I watched a movie that I was warned not to see. It is currently considered one of the most offensive horror movies ever made, and it has certainly earned the hype. I won't call it the reigning champ, however, as I have faith in humanity to continue to make filthy movies that are more horrifying still. I assume that people may be irritated that I haven't said the title of said film, and I do this, because I don't want to risk actually publicly recommending in any way shape or form.

Since last I wrote, I attended a comic trade show, and participated in Free Comic Book day. Yes, I am a comic nerd. As a result I am quite fond of a new comic series (by which I mean new to me) Hack/Slash. The Basic premise of the series is that Cassie Hack hunts down Slashers, which are supernatural serial killers much like Jason Vorheez, with her partner Vlad, who resembles Jason. She fell into this business after surviving a run in with her first slasher, The Lunch Lady, who was her own mother. This isn't terribly new ground, as the scooby gang, amongst others, have been hunting down baddies for quite some time. That said, I love the books and highly recommend them. Cassie and Vlad are characters you will care about, and as a long time horror fan with a special fondness for slashers, I enjoy seeing the original slashers they come up with.

Something else I have gotten up to is a new tattoo. I have always had a love for be movies, and some years back, I had Freak, from the Washington St. Artistic Design tattoo the Army of Darkness painting on my left calf. As soon as that tatt was finished, I knew I wanted a companion to bookend it on my other leg. Just under two weeks ago I went back in to see Freak, and had him tattoo the Toxic Avenger on my right calf. Thus I cemented Troma Entertainment's place in my heart, with a permanent place on my skin. The tattoo, turned out amazing, and I cannot wait to show it to Troma President Lloyd Kaufman at the next convention I run into him.

I think that wraps up my post for now, but I have more to write about, and I hope to get a part 2 in here soon. Thanks for reading!