Halloween Buddies: Maynard Morrissey's Horror Movie Diary

I thought it was only fair that after all the hard work that was put into his Halloween Buddies interviews someone should put the same questions to our very own "weird but nice" Maynard.

Maynard may be addicted to horror but the only thing scary about this dude is that he is a secret Hugh Grant fan.  The term addict by the way is an understatement!

He is an absolute powerhouse in the blogging world which is impressive in itself, but he does it all in his second language.  He has lately taken an interest in Northern Irish slang which I approve of.

If I have a question about a horror film Maynard can answer it. If I am looking for something different to add to my dvd collection Maynard will recommend it. The guy is without hesitation my absolute favourite Australian Austrian.

 Maynard Morrissey's Horror Movie Diary

- Who are you and why do you blog?
Heya, I'm Maynard, a weird but nice geek from Austria who's completely obsessed with everything Horror, everything Morrissey/Smiths-related (Moz is God!) and the mighty Bret Easton Ellis.
I blog because it's a fun way to keep track with all the stuff I watch, and I love to share my thoughts with similar-minded nerds and geeks who are about as addicted to cinema as I am.

- What are your all-time favourite horror movies?
1. Halloween (1978)
The very first true horror-film I've ever seen and the one that made me the horror-fan that I am. Seen it more than 40 times and counting. One of the greatest movies ever made.

2. The Shining (1980)
A visual and atmospheric masterpiece that manages to thrill, to scare, to unsettle and to impress me at the same time. I adore this movie!

3. The Thing (1982)
Probably the most flawless, most intelligent and most suspenseful movie in history, including the most awesome practical special-effects I've ever seen.

4. High Tension (2003)
The movie's unbelievable amount of glorious gore, stunning suspense and amazing atmosphere is simply mind-blowing, plus: a super-sensational soundtrack and fabulous acting.

5. Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
The only movie that scares the bejeesus out of me every single time I watch it! A work of art in terms of tension and scariness.

- Do you prefer watching horror movies at home or at the theatre?
As much as I love to go to the theatre, I prefer to watch my horror at home in front of my PC. Curtains closed, lights out, cookies and a cup of tea or coffee - action! :)

- Who is your favourite horror icon? and why? (Michael, Freddy, Chucky etc.)Michael Myers - always was, always will be. The look of his mask, his movements, his invincibility, the evil aura he spreads... aaahh, I love this guy!

- What was your favourite Halloween costume as a kid?[note: we don't celebrate in Austria, but we have the somewhat similar "Fasching"]
I've never been a big fan of dressing up and stuff. Don't know why. Mostly, my mom picked a costume for me and dressed me up - much to my chagrin. The only costume I ever really liked was a Zorro costume, complete with moustache, sombrero, cape and foil.

- What are you up to this Halloween?
A few horror flicks, lots of beer and popcorn at my best friend's pad.

- Tell me the first 3 things that come to your mind when you think about Ireland?U2, The Pogues and Guinness beer

What, if any, horror film scared you the most?
Next to the afore-mentioned "Ju-On", the US remake of "The Ring" definitely scared me the most. Saw it at the theatre with two of my classmates where Samara turned us into shivering wrecks. I was scared beyond belief :)

Who is your favourite horror director?The mighty, mighty John Carpenter, creator of uber-masterpieces like "Halloween", "The Thing", "The Fog", "Prince Of Darkness", "Vampires", "In The Mouth Of Madness", "Christine", "Cigarette Burns" etc. etc.

If you had to recommend one supernatural, one gory/violent and one comedy horror what would they be?Supernatural - Asian stuff like "Ju-On 1 & 2", "Shutter" and "Pulse".
Gory/Violent - The awesomeness of brutal French stuff: "High Tension", "Martyrs" and "Inside".
Comedy Horror: "Shaun Of The Dead", "Braindead" and "Fright Night".

Bonus round - What is your favourite romantic comedy and why?Believe it or not: I'm a huge fan of Hugh Grant rom-coms and I've seen "Notting Hill", "Love Actually" and "Bridget Jones 1 & 2" countless times. I love these movies because they come off as way more "realistic" than most US rom-coms - oh, and I adore Hugh Grant and his clumsiness :-)
Still, my fave romantic comedy of all time is the German "Train Birds" (1998) about a beer-truck driver who falls in love with a girl during his train journey to the International Time-Table contest in Inari, Finland. An absolutely wonderful movie!

Danke Maynard :-D

http://www.horrormoviediary.net/

**I apologise that Maynard's interview is almost picture and link free but this is due to my lack of computer skills. Sorry dude! :-( **

Taken2

Taken was one of those rare films that comes along and does better than anyone, including the filmmakers, could have predicted.

A film with that much success doesn’t go without a sequel. It’s the law.

PLOT: Bryan (Liam Neeson) is on holiday in Istanbul with his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) when they are taken hostage by the Albanians. Bryan must use his particular set of skills to save his family once more. END PLOT

If you’ve already seen Taken you will not be surprised to learn that Taken 2 follows the exact same formula with a “if it isn’t broke why fix?” attitude. The only difference between the two films is the rating.

I can’t complain too much as with a sequel the action was either going to be ramped up to cartoonish levels or dumbed down to cater for a wider audience. Guess which version will make more money?

The action is 12A grade and decent if unremarkable. It would appear that Bryan used up his spectacular set of skills in the first film and (literally) saunters around Istanbul occasionally looking for his ex-wife/failing to save her.

The humour in Taken 2 is mostly unintentional with Bryan's ridiculously complicated set of directions for his ex-wife being the most amusing. The overall sense of inconvenience his kidnapping causes Bryan Mills is funnier than any witty quip.

Liam Neeson is the undoubted star of this franchise. In the hands of Jason Statham or Clive Owen it probably wouldn’t have been on my radar but Liam Neeson scowls his way through the film half bemused/half mildly irritated and it makes for great viewing. The fact that he just radiates his Northern Irishness (I can see it) makes it all the more entertaining.

Kim Mills is placed very high up the Top Ten Damsel chart but Maggie Grace is very good in that role and puts in a better performance than she will get credit for.

The villains are all genetic, nameless Albanians and it worries me that my only knowledge of the country comes from the Taken films.

On a budget of $45million (IMDB) everything about Taken2 is distinctly average especially when compared to the $25million budget of Taken.  It's hard to see what the extra money was spent on unless Neeson upped his fee drastically.

Taken was a guilty pleasure that bordered on being a respectable choice and I know that Taken2 isn’t as good but I can’t help but like it. It is the Neeson factor! Taken2 gets a 7/10.

There is no need for a Taken3 but there will be.  I will see it on opening weekend.

Sinister

After a run of 12A horror films October finally gave us a more adult offering with Sinister.

PLOT: True crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) moves his young family into the house of the murdered family who are the subject of his latest book. After finding a box full of home movies in the attic Ellison finds that there is something much darker behind the murder than originally thought. END PLOT

As one can expect the plot of Sinister is minimalist at best and it relies on the downright unsettling home movies, most of which we had the pleasure of viewing on more than one occasion, and some cobbled together mythology to make the film appear much deeper than it really is.

The content of the home movies was very dark but thankfully they were well edited and cut away just at the right time. Simply knowing what had happened in several of the videos was enough.

The most glaringly obvious fault with the plot was the length and pace. Sinister clocks in at a mammoth 110mins which is, at the very least, twenty minutes too long. The time was padded out with endless repeats of the home movies and marital dramas which should have been left of the editing room floor.

Credible twists are hard to come by and the climax of Sinister was disappointing. The final act was dragged out far too long – horror films need to have a snappy shock ending but by the Gods, Frodo got on the boat at the end of Lord of the Rings with less faffing around.

Despite wearing a ridiculous cardigan Ethan Hawke was a fine lead although it was hard to like Ellison due to his selfish attitude. The soap opera family arc should didn’t do his character any favours either.

James Ransone deserves a mention as the local Deputy as he brought some humour to a clichéd role.

Sinister had some very dark scenes but the gore factor was surprisingly low given the high death count.

If my mobile phone bleeps beside me I will react as though I’ve just been shot – as I have said on many occasions I am a jumper in the cinema. Jumping at the screen and being scared are not the same thing and although director Scott Derickson created some decent tense moments I would say that Sinister isn't particularly scary.

Sinister is actually a fairly decent film and gets 6/10 but like most horror films, it will have nothing to offer on a second viewing apart from plot holes and annoyance.