The Woman in Black

(2012) ****

Yesterday on a whim I called Abduscias and said, “Hey, I’m bored wanna go to the movies?” One hour later we found ourselves waiting, popcorn in hand for The Woman in Black to begin. Just before the lights dimmed an old friend and co-worker came ambling into the theater, Peter the projectionist from our Showcase days. After exchanging warm greetings we settled into our seats as the previews began to roll. Abby and I awaited the feature film with little expectation, as our last theater horror experience was such a letdown (The Devil Inside). We became more hopeful when the Hammer logo appeared emblazoned across the screen.



So…
Harry Potter, still grieving over his deceased wife is sent to this creepy little village filled with weird folk to settle the estate of the infamous house in the marsh. The townsfolk are determined to run Harry out of town before he can discover the history of the house. What they don’t know is that Harry’s boss has threatened his job if he doesn’t do what he was sent there to do. He makes his way to the creepy old house and opens the proverbial can o’ worms setting off a curse that has plagued the town. The result brings on a chain of gruesome child suicides.



Call me nostalgic, but I’ll take a good old-fashioned haunted house flick any day of the week. The Woman in Black hit that mark quite well. It’s a Hammer through and through, from the period setting to the fog and grey overtones, the strange town filled with even stranger people and of course the dark foreboding house. The ghost is no slouch either, she gets right down to it without wasting any time. I would not have wanted to be in Harry’s shoes. At one tense moment of the film my arms actually erupted in goose bumps. I can’t remember the last time I had that happen. Although I have heard mixed reviews, mostly from some folks who got confused by the story, Abby, Peter and myself all agreed that this one delivered the goods. Just what the doctor ordered to cure a case of Horrorthon withdrawal. Once we left the theater, we discovered another former co-worker, Tony, who is still working for the theater and was on shift. We gabbed about things new and old like a bunch of old biddies then called it a night, not before getting this sweet snapshot in a cardboard picture booth display though.

At long last, 'The Simpsons' reaches 500th episode

From usatoday, With Sunday's episode — "At Long Last Leave" (Fox, 8 ET/PT) —The Simpsons, in its 23rd season, will hit 500, a nearly unheard-of milestone reached by only two other prime-time scripted series, Gunsmoke (635) and Lassie (588).

"I never imagined this," creator Matt Groening says. "I thought it would be a hit with kids. I wasn't sure adults would dig it."

But adults and kids have been digging it for decades. "In a business where things get tired in a matter of months, we were able to sustain for a whole generation," says executive producer Al Jean, who oversees production of the show.

There must be some reason for the longevity of the ubiquitous yellow family, which also has a hit movie, a theme park ride and mountains of merchandise, and has gone from being condemned by a president to being blessed by the Vatican.

Read the full article here.

'Ringu' Sequel Appears To Be Mid-'90s Anti-Piracy Ad

From iwatchstuff, Over in Japan, where haunted videotapes hold the kind of cultural significance America reserves for murderous, spiral-cheeked puppets, the sixth film in the Ringu series will open this year. It's called Sadako 3D, and judging by this brief teaser--oh shit, guys--THE RING GIRL IS IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL INTRANET (in 3D).

May this be the first and last time a 404 error is played for shock value. Unless we make another Fear Dot Com. Then all bets are off.

Famed 'MAD' and 'CRACKED' magazine illustrator John Severin dies at 90

From ew, John Severin, a prolific illustrator and comic book artist who was instrumental in creating the initial look of both MAD and CRACKED magazines, passed away on Feb. 12, according to a statement released by his family. He was 90.
Along with his work with MAD and CRACKED — both of which Severin helped to found in the 1950s — the World War II veteran also worked on Marvel comics like The Incredible Hulk and Kull the Conqueror. He was also a highly regarded illustrator of several western and historical titles for EC Comics. He was still working as recently as 2003, on a limited-run series that re-imagined Marvel’s western hero the Rawhide Kid as gay. That same year, Severin also was inducted in the Hall of Fame of the Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

If Movie Titles Were Honest

See the rest here

SPACE: 2099 (SPACE: 1999 Remake Series) In The Works

From hometheaterforum, SPACE: 2099 WEBSITE: ITV Studios America and HDFILMS announced an agreement today for the development of “SPACE: 2099” – a complete reimagining of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's award winning and popular franchise “SPACE: 1999” which originally aired in the mid 1970’s, it was announced today by Paul Buccieri, Managing Director of ITV Studios International and President and CEO of ITV Studios America and Jace Hall, President and Founder of HDFILMS Inc.

Hall, also Executive Producer, is at the helm of the creative effort and is working closely with ITV Studios America to realize the full potential of the story and franchise. HDFILMS Inc. focuses on creating premium online content as well as film, television, and videogames. As the development visionary and Executive Producer of the recently re-imagined "V" television series on ABC, Hall has been the driving force behind numerous creative projects across many media platforms.

Full press release here

Happy V-Day, people!

Don't Stop There -- Keep Going!: This Rock Rolled Across The Moon Some 50-100 Million Years Ago

From geekology, You know what makes me sad? Nobody gives a shit about space anymore. When I was growing up space was exciting, now you can't have a decent space conversation with someone at the bar without them excusing themselves to go to the restroom THEN BLATANTLY NOT GOING AND STARTING TO TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE . That's how fights happen. This is a picture of a 30-foot rock that rolled across the lunar surface some 50-100 million years ago. You can still see it's tracks. The ones my truck left in the mud when I went to burn down my ex's house? I covered those. It's believed the rock got rolling from the impact of a meteor crash. Ugh, look at you -- you don't even care. Listen, here's what I want you to do: I want you to look at the moon tonight. And while you're staring at it, I want you to say OUT LOUD: "holy shit, we've put people up there". Then keep repeating it until you realize just how amazing that really is. Space: let's bring it back. Then start a cult.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Official Trailer)

YES.

Walking Dead is back!

Anyone else catch Season 2 Episode 8 (The "midseason premiere") Sunday night? I thought it was great. They're definitely getting out of that weird slump they'd been in for a great deal of of the season. The last ten minutes were awesome!

Box Office

From ew, Holy moly, America. For the first time since Christmas weekend in 2008, four movies debuted to more than $20 million each this weekend: The Vow, Safe House, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D.

The first three of those four films far exceeded industry expectations, helping to make this the biggest non-holiday February weekend ever. The box office was also up around 30 percent compared to the same weekend last year.

Read full article here