Remember Vitamin C?
Remember Sam Goody?
This music video is a really a product of a world that doesn’t exist any more. Vitamin C is now an executive at Netflix and there’s only Sam Goody store left. It’s in a mall up in Oregon. I’m depressed now. This music video did not make me smile.
Enjoy!
We could all take a lesson from Katy Perry. Get out there and enjoy life, despite all of the people who are determined to keep others from doing just that. We live in a world where some people are addicted to spreading misery and, fortunately, Katy Perry is not one of those people.
Enjoy!
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films. I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.
Today, we conclude by taking a look at 2020, 2021, and 2022!
8 Shots From 8 Horror Films: 2020 — 2022
A Quiet Place Part II (2020, dir by John Krasinski, DP: Polly Morgan)
The Invisible Man (2020, dir by Leigh Wannell;, DP: Stefan Duscio)
Army of the Dead (2021, dir by Zack Snyder, DP: Zack Snyder)
Halloween Kills (2021, dir by David Gordon Green, DP: Michael Simmonds)
The Black Phone (2022, dir by Scott Derrickson. DP: Brett Jutkiewicz)
Smile (2022, dir by Parker Finn, DP: Charlie Sarroff)
Nope (2022, dir by Jordan Peele, DP: Hoyte van Hoytema)
X (2022, dir by Ti West, DP: Eliot Rockett)
To be absolutely honest, I would probably be dismissive of the trailer for Smile if not for the effort that Paramount Pictures has put into promoting this damn thing. Apparently, this weekend, they sent people out to sporting events and had them sit motionlessly in the stands and smile for the entire game. Not only did it look creepy but it probably ruined the experience of everyone who was sitting near them. Of course, the people sitting near them actually paid money to get good seats for the game. Imagine spending a few hundred dollars, just to have to deal with this:
Or this:
I mean, seriously, that’s a bold move! I thought re-releasing Morbius just because people on twitter were making fun of it was going to be the boldest studio move of 2022 but Paramount might take the title. Now that we’ve annoyed you, come see our movie. That’s an interesting gimmick.
Anyway, here’s the final trailer for Smile. The movie comes out on the 30th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJFbt8jOLCA
One of the most often repeated stories about the tribes that live along the Amazon River is that, when they first met “civilized” explorers, they refused to have their pictures taken because they feared that that the camera would steal their souls.
Now, I’m not sure if I believe that story. It sounds like one of those stories that’s just a little bit too perfect and metaphorical. But, it’s still a neat idea because, when you think about, cameras really are fascinating devices. They literally freeze time and they produce images that are full of details that you might have originally missed.
To me, a camera with supernatural powers seems like the natural subject for a horror movie. Obviously, Italian director Francesco Gasperoni agreed with me because he directed Smile, a 2009 film about a camera with supernatural powers.
Smile deals with a group of European college students who are taking a road trip through Morocco. Our eight friends are all equally attractive, equally shallow, and equally destined for a bad end. Seriously, as soon as they first appear, driving through the desert in a jeep and doing bong hits, you know that they’re all doomed.
Clarissa (Harriet McMasters-Green) is determined to photograph the entire trip but, when her camera is stolen, she’s forced to search for a replacement. Luckily, she comes across a mysterious man (played by veteran actor Armand Assante) who is willing to give her an old camera. Of course, Clarissa accepts his offer and, needless to say, the camera is like totally cursed. It turns out that Assante is a former crime scene photographer and anyone who has his or her picture taken with the camera will subsequently die…
Smile is hardly a perfect film but I enjoyed it for what it was. The characters are just shallow enough that it’s not upsetting when they all start getting killed and Gasperoni makes good use of the desolate Moroccan setting. The idea of the haunted camera is a clever one and Assante is properly menacing. While the film might occasionally be somewhat predictable and the film’s plot is pretty much dependent upon every character doing the stupidest thing possible, the film does feature an effectively mean-spirited ending.
(Again, it helps that none of the characters in the film are all that likable.)
As much as I was hoping that it would be a throw back to the classic Italian horror films of Bava, Argento, and Fulci, Smile really can’t begin to compare. That said, Smile is entertaining for what it is. At the very least, it won’t steal your soul.
Through the Shattered Lens 