In this regular feature we go places few others dare… by spoiling the twist from some great (and not so great) films. So if you haven’t seen the film in question… don’t look!
No really. Don’t.
They’re all a bunch of homicidal racists.
Blog: 17 Unexpected Things you didn’t know about your Favourite Horror Films
Other Cr*pDid you know that the radiologist’s assistant in The Exorcist was a convicted murderer who dismembered and killed gay men in the late ’70s? or that the Babadook became a a gay icon and was even the symbol for Gay Pride month in parts of America? Here’s a list of our Our 17 unexpected horror facts…
- The Exorcist (1973)
Paul Bateson played a radiologist’s assistant in The Exorcist. He was a convicted murderer who dismembered and killed gay men in the late ’70
- Alien (1979)
The actors were not informed that the xenomorph was going to explode from Kane’s chest. This enabled genuine reactions from the cast. Veronica Cartwright even passed out
- Psycho(1960)
It was the first movie to ever show a toilet being flushed
4. Poltergeist (1982)
Four of the cast in the original film died within six years of the film’s release data. One of those was Heather O’Rourke (the girl in the gif) and because of this, the belief that the film was cursed arose.
5. Night of the living dead (1968)
The Night of the Living Dead was shot in black and white. This means that they didn’t have modern film challenges to make the fake blood look realistic. When Karen Cooper (Kyra Schon) takes a bite of her dad’s flesh, she’s actually biting into some leftover lunch.
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Anthony Hopkins was only on camera for just under 25 minutes. He was barely in the movie but he still took home the Oscar for Best Actor that year.
7. The Shining (1980)
The carpet is the same design in The Shining and the second floor landing of Sid’s house in Toy Story.
8. The Amityville Horror (2005)
The cast and crew of The Amityville Horror kept waking up at 3 am while filming. That’s the same time the original murders took place.
9. Split (2016)
James McAvoy broke his hand while filming Split in 2016. The incident occurred after he hit a door that he thought was fake. It was actually solid metal.
10. The Conjuring (2013)
During filming, Vera Farmiga experienced several instances of paranormal activity, including finding claw marks on her thighs.
11. Get Out (2017)
It’s no secret that Get Out has many references about American slavery. The teacup is symbolic to slave masters that summon house slaves using teacups.The use of a silver spoon can be seen as meaningful because of the term “born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth”.
12. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Jules kisses the wolf head on the wall. The wolf’s tongue was covered in powdered sugar to make it look dusty but also to make the scene more tolerable for Anna.
13. Saw (2004)
Saw was actually inspired by a news story. The idea came about when James Wan saw a news report that described a man who would break into people homes and tickle the feet of sleeping children. Once the man in question was caught, he revealed that he was forced to do it by someone else & was sent a jigsaw piece. This is where the idea of the jigsaw killer forcing characters to do unthinkable things flourished.
14. Halloween (1978)
Due to its limited budget, the prop department used the cheapest $2 mask they could find in the costume store. That mask happened to be of the Star Trek actor William Shatner. They spray-painted the face white, teased the hair out and reshaped the eye socket.
15. The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick created all 500 pages with the words “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Kubrick didn’t go to the prop department with the task and instead he used his own typewriter to make the pages.
16. Candyman (1992)
Real bees were actually put into lead actor Tony Todd’s mouth while shooting the finale.
17. The Babadook
The Babadook is a gay icon. It started at the end of 2016, when a Tumblr user started a thread about how he thought the Babadook was gay. The joke lead to the Babadook becoming a symbol for Gay Pride month in parts of America.
Podcast: The Smoking Lamb #097 – A Quiet Place, Ghost Stories
The Smoking Lamb PodcastIt’s The Smoking Lamb Movie Podcast. A weekly, no-holds-baa-aa-arred, and R-rated look at the world of movies.
On this episode: Join us in our Horror-ish themed episode as we discuss two new released Horror films in; Ghost Stories and A Quiet Place. We also go over our Top 5 Movie Characters Who Would Make Horrible Dads.
Check it out and BLEAT THE WORLD and don’t forget to follow up on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
#TheSmokingLamb #MoviePodcasts #Podcasts #FilmPodcast
The Best & Worst Of 2017 – Motion Picture Maniac
Motion Picture Maniac Year In ReviewRemember when the disappointment that was 2016 ended and we all toasted to 2017 hopefully proving to be better? Didn’t exactly meet expectations did it? Last year many of our favourite celebrities passed away, this year many of those left have turned out to be sex offenders – go team. But anyway, just like last year I’ve had to stretch my film lists out from top 10’s to top 20’s, which could be seen as a good thing, an indication that there were enough good films to warrant a longer list but then, you remember, the same goes for the bad list.
What can I say; this year was long and depressing, the year before it was long and depressing and, realistically, the next year will probably be long and depressing also; happy days! So here we go, the best films of the year and… the other list, along with some other fun considerations because why not? Of course there were some well-regarded films I was unable to see like Call Me By Your Name and Brigsby Bear and I do hate that I missed them but hey, what can I do?
Best Films Of 2017
- Dunkirk – (Film of the year, a perfectly shot single feature length action sequence rife with lethal intensity, brutal sound design and gargantuan production value; all of which transpire to do justice to real life heroes)
- Blade Runner 2049
- Wind River
- A Ghost Story
- Wonder Woman
- Loving Vincent
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Song To Song
- War For The Planet Of The Apes
- Mother
- American Made
- It Comes At Night
- Lego Batman
- John Wick Chapter 2
- Logan
- Battle Of The Sexes
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- It
- The Disaster Artist
- Atomic Blonde
Honourable Mentions
The Beguiled
The Killing of a sacred deer
Detroit
Double date
Only the brave
T2 Trainspotting
Okja
Get Out
Baby driver
Spiderman homecoming
Special Sympathy Mention:
Justice League
Worst Films Of 2017
- The Shack – (Worst film of the year, one of the most morally bankrupt, self satisfied, arrogant and offensive pieces of propaganda garbage I have ever seen in my life, it’s not just bad, it’s hurtful and dangerous)
- The Bye-Bye Man
- Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
- Unforgettable
- Everything, Everything
- Girl’s Trip
- The Snowman
- Flatliners
- The Zookeeper’s Wife
- The Sense Of An Ending
- Hampstead
- Unlocked
- The Emoji Movie
- The House
- Daddy’s Home 2
- CHiPS
- Bitter Harvest
- Overdrive
- Transformers: The Last Knight
- Fifty Shades Darker
Dis-Honourable Mentions
Geostorm
The Star
A Bad Mom’s Christmas
The Space Between Us
Wish Upon
Fist Fight
Table 19
The Book Of Henry
Snatched
Rings
15 Favourite Action Sequences
Pretty much everything in “The Air” – Dunkirk
Silo Hostage Rescue And Subsequent Battle – Justice League
No Man’s Land – Wonder Woman
Bifrost Bridge Battle – Thor: Ragnarok
Stairwell Fight – Atomic Blonde
Helicopter Swatting – Kong: Skull Island
Hocus Pocus – Baby Driver
The Battle Of Crate – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Drill Sight Massacre – Wind River
Art Gallery Shootout – John Wick Chapter 2
Aero Baby Rescue – Fate Of The Furious
Throne Room Slaughter – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Steppenwolf In Themyscira – Justice League
K VS Luv – Blade Runner 2049
Opening Sequence – John Wick Chapter 2
Favourite Villainous Performances
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Ciaran Hinds as Steppenwolf – Justice League
Jamie Foxx as Bats – Baby Driver
Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster – Thor: Ragnarok
Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise The Dancing Clown – It
Sylvia Hoeks as Luv – Blade Runner 2049
Will Poulter as Krauss – Detroit
Woody Harrelson as The Colonel – War For The Planet Of The Apes
Ruby Rose as Ares – John Wick Chapter 2
Robert Carlyle as Francis Begbie – T2 Trainspotting
Best On-Screen Couples (Romantic, Bromantic Or Otherwise)
David and Walter – Alien: Covenant
Thor and… his Hammer – Thor: Ragnarok
K and Joi – Blade Runner 2049
Hobbs and Deckard – Fate Of The Furious
Billie-Jean and Marilyn – Battle Of The Sexes
Greg and Tommy – The Disaster Artist
Rocket and Baby Groot – Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Wolverine and X23 – Logan
Batman and Superman – Justice League
Bryce and Kincaid – The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Special Awards
Best Opening Credit Sequence: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Best Use Of Music In Correlation To The Visuals: Blade Runner 2049 – “Sea Wall”
Pottymouth Of The Year: Robert Carlyle – T2 Trainspotting
Most Interesting Style: TIE – Loving Vincent/A Ghost Story
Best SFX: War For The Planet Of The Apes
Most Immersive Camera Movements: Justice League
Funniest Line (Intentional): “I’m gonna knock your teeth so far down your throat you’re gonna stick a toothbrush right up your ass to brush em” – Fate Of The Furious
Funniest Line (Unintentional): “Blow into the hole gently, I’ll do the fingering” – Alien: Covenant
Captain Obvious Award: Josh Duhamel, Transformers: The Last Knight – “Look, it’s a big alien ship”
Guilty Pleasure Of The Year: TIE – xXx: Return Of Xander Cage/Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Notable Face-Palm Of The Year: Fakest Sneeze Of All Time – The Bye-Bye Man
Done and dusted, recalling and sifting through the stuff I liked about the year was great fun, doing the same for what I didn’t like bloody hurt. Oh I wonder what the next year will hold, not just regarding the movies but the politics, the sociology, the very backbone of public opinion… who am I kidding, it’s gonna suck, it’ll all suck and we should probably all just save time by taking turns gleefully leaping into a giant deadly shit hole to boil and desolve to death.
Happy New Year.
Motion Picture Maniac
Phil’s End Of Year Awards 2017
Quick Review Year In ReviewSo 2017 is almost over and it’s that time a year again where everyone reflects back on their best and worst films of the year. So we’ve covered our best and our worst films of 2016, so before we look at the films coming up in 2017 here’s my ‘Alternative’ End of Year Awards for 2017…
The Most Entertainingly Bad Film Of The Year Award…
Geostorm
The Gerard Butler Award For Consistently Making Entertainingly Terrible Films
Gerard Butler (Geostorm)
Surprise of The Year Award…
That Any one’s left standing in Hollywood after the year of deaths and scandals…
Performance Of The Year Award…
Mark Kermode AGAIN… for his still oddly favourable reviews for his friends movies (see Murder On The Orient Express)
Just Fuck Off and Die Award…
Michael Bay & Transformers. Just stop. Now.
Least Deserving Commercial Bomb of The Year (Maybe EVER) Award…
Blade Runner 2049
Shit so I still can enjoy these films right, even though their lead/producer/co-star was a pervert/bully/ sex offender/Insert Crime Here Award
Baby Driver, Swimming With Sharks, Pulp Fiction, X-Men 2, Toy Story… agh almost ALL my favourite films. God damn you Hollywood.
Come In Your time is Up Award…
Zack Snider. You made two good films. EVERYTHING else has been deeply average. TIED with Harvey Weinstein – your a cunt Harvey pure and simple.
Trailer Of The Year Award…
Logan Redband Trailer
Let Down of The Year Award…
Hollywood. A seething industry of low lives and scum.
Yes it’s Good. But come on people its also a bit Emperors new clothes…
Get Out
Low Budget Straight To DVD Surprise of the Year!
Shot Caller
The ‘YES! See We don’t Always Fuck Up Award’
DC/Warner Brothers. They Made a Good Film! (Wonder Woman)
Fuck! We Spoke Too Soon Award
DC/Warner Brothers for Justice League
Let Down of The Year Award Part 2….
George Romero NOT coming back as a Zombie when he died.
Cameo of The Year Award…
Tim Curry’s original Pennywise The Clown in the 2017 version of IT.
The Prove That ‘You Can Come Back from Horrible Shit’ Award (Aka The Future Kevin Spacey Award)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge, Daddy’s Home 2)
The Oscars only like REALLY famous dead people award for missing out other stars who died Award…
Garry Shandling, Florence Henderson, Alexis Arquette, Doris Roberts and Robert Vaughn
The Proof That Award Shows Suck Award…
Snubs (Didn’t wins or Not Nominated) for I Daniel Blake, Hunt for The Wilder People, Sing Street, Hell Or High Water, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kubo And The Two Strings, Silence, Amy Adams and many more
The Poof That Award Shows DONT Suck Award…
It’s La La Land… No Moonlight… No Titanic… No it’s me. The awards themselves offered few surprises, The Oscars even less, but the best picture cock up at the Academy Awards was pure gold!
The Audience Wins! Award. 2017 Sees LESS remakes/Reboots than ever before. Some still sucked.
Flatliners, The Mummy
Not ALL remakes & reboots suck Award…
IT 2017. Just awesome.
Yup we just made it for the money award (aka The Sequels Suck) Award…
Transformers Age Of Extinction
Films That SHOULD have been on my 2016 List’s but I Hadn’t Seen…
The Edge Of Seventeen, The Girl With All The Gifts, Train To Busan, Deepwater Horizon, Kubo & The Two Strings, Sing Street, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, 13th, I Daniel Blake
Next time: Phil’s Look at 2018 and a look back at my 2017 predictions…
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review & Friends: The 25 Must See Films Of 2017
Other Cr*p Year In ReviewSo this is it… Phil’s Quick Capsule Review & Guests (including podcasters Mike Parkin & Josh Morris, Filmmaker Ross Boyask and Phil’s Quick Capsule Review writers Will Strong & Matt Duddy) LONG list of the xx must see films of 2017
This list will also form the basis of our vote for the Essential Films of 2017.
So how many have YOU seen?
Wind River
Paddington 2
Beauty and the Beast
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
La-La Land
T2 Trainspotting
Baby Driver
Raw
Happy Death Day
Elle
The Triangle
Spiderman: Homecoming
Operation: Mekong
Let Her Out
Despicable Me 3
Dunkirk
A Monster Calls
Star Wars The Last Jedi
Thor Ragnorok
Get Out
Lady Macbeth
Brawl in Cell Block 99
The Fate of the Furious
Hacksaw Ridge
Shot Caller
Check back in the next few days for our final list or take the QUIZ HERE To see how many you have seen!
Phil’s Best & Worst of 2017… So Far! FINAL Edition (1st December 2017)
All Things Film Blog Other Cr*p Year In ReviewSo this is my semi-regularly updated of the BEST and WORST of 2017’s movies, as well as the best films I missed from last year and the Phil’s Quick Capsule Review Sharknado Award.
This will be the LAST Edition until our final end of year Wrap up.
All in my very humble opinion…
BEST Films Of 2017… So Far:
- Baby Driver (9/10)
- T2 Trainspotting (9/10)
- Paddington 2 (9/10)
- Raw (9/10)
- OJ: Made In America (9/10)
Honourable Mentions:
Blade Runner 2049 (8/10), La La Land (8/10), IT 2017 (8/10); Thor: Ragnarok (8/10), Shot Caller (8/10); Dunkirk (8/10), Spider-Man Homecoming (8/10), Logan (8/10), Prevenge (8/10), Logan Lucky (8/10), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (8/10), Counterpunch (8/10), Jawbone (8/10), Silence (8/10), Hidden Figures (8/10), War For The Plant of The Apes (7/10), Wheelman (7/10), Happy Death Day (7/10)
WORST Films Of 2017… So Far:
- Fifty Shades Darker (2/10)
- Transformers The Last Knight (2/10)
- Sleepless (3/10)
- Assassins Creed (3/10)
- Underworld Blood War (4/10)
Dis-Honourable Mentions:
The Mummy (4/10), The Circle (4/10), Power Rangers (4/10), A Cure For Wellness (4/10), Gaga: Five Foot Two (4/10), Leatherface (4/10), Hacksaw Ridge (5/10), King Arthur Legend Of The Sword (5/10), Live By Night (5/10), Sing! (5/10), The Boss Baby (5/10), The Dark Tower (5/10), The Limehouse Golem (5/10), Justice League (5/10)
The 2017 Sharknado Award for Films So Good (!) They Cant Be Rated:
2 Lava 2 Lantula & Sharknado 5: Global Swarming
The 2017 Films I just couldn’t Finish…
The Ghoul, The Lost City of Z
Great Films Of 2016 That I saw In 2017:
The Edge Of Seventeen, The Girl With All The Gifts, Train To Busan, Deepwater Horizon, Kubo & The Two Strings, Sing Street, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, 13th, I Daniel Blake
Phil’s Best & Worst of 2017… So Far! 5th Edition (12th October 2017)
Quick Review Year In ReviewSo this is my semi-regularly updated of the BEST and WORST of 2017’s movies, as well as the best films I missed from last year and the Phil’s Quick Capsule Review Sharknado Award. All in my very humble opinion…
BEST Films Of 2017… So Far:
- Baby Driver (9/10)
- T2 Trainspotting (9/10)
- Raw (9/10)
- OJ: Made In America (9/10)
- Blade Runner 2049 (8/10)
Honourable Mentions:
La La Land (8/10), IT 2017 (8/10); Shot Caller (8/10); Dunkirk (8/10), Spider-Man Homecoming (8/10), Logan (8/10), Prevenge (8/10), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (8/10), Counterpunch (8/10), Get Out (8/10), Jawbone (8/10), Silence (8/10), Hidden Figures (8/10), War For The Plant of The Apes (7/10)
WORST Films Of 2017… So Far:
- Fifty Shades Darker (2/10)
- Transformers The Last Knight (2/10)
- Sleepless (3/10)
- Assassins Creed (3/10)
- Underworld Blood War (4/10)
Dis-Honourable Mentions:
The Mummy (4/10), The Circle (4/10), Power Rangers (4/10), A Cure For Wellness (4/10), Gaga: Five Foot Two (4/10), Hacksaw Ridge (5/10), King Arthur Legend Of The Sword (5/10), Live By Night (5/10), Sing! (5/10), The Boss Baby (5/10)
The 2017 Sharknado Award for Films So Good (!) They Cant Be Rated:
2 Lava 2 Lantula & Sharknado 5: Global Swarming
Great Films Of 2016 That I saw In 2017:
The Edge Of Seventeen, The Girl With All The Gifts, Train To Busan, Deepwater Horizon, Kubo & The Two Strings, Sing Street, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, 13th, I Daniel Blake
A Cure For Wellness – A Quick Capsule Review
Quick ReviewPhil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Gore Verbinski isn’t a terrible director. He can handle visuals, gets good performances from his cast and can make a compelling film. Sadly over the past 10 years or so he’s felt like a Michael Bay in waiting. Be it the pretty terrible Pirate films to the pretty terrible Lone Ranger, he’s delivered more than his fair share of junk. A Cure For Wellness falls very much in that category. Visually stunning, well made and yet totally vacuous and pointless and man its long. SO long. Simple put: save your life for something better.
Best Bit: Dane DeHaan is good.
Buy, Stream, Avoid: Avoid
If You Liked this Try: The Long Ranger, Get Out, The Autopsy Of Jane Doe
IMDB Rating:
Author: Phil Hobden
Berlin Syndrome – A Quick Capsule Review
Quick ReviewPhil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I can see why people dug Berlin Syndrome. It’s often tense, always well performed and looks great. I enjoyed it for a lot of it’s run time. But there’s my main issue with the film: It’s run time. Berlin Syndrome isn’t a long film but it does manage to repeat a lot of the same themes and ideas across making it feel a lot longer than it is. There’s great a sub one hour twenty minute film here but as it plays out with numerous escape attempts that fail time and time again and the will he wont he get caught moments, by the end I found myself getting more than a little bored. That’s aid It’s had great reviews so maybe it’s just me…
Best Bit: Teresa Palmer’s performance
Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream
If You Liked this Try: Get Out, Raw, Room
IMDB Rating:
Author: Phil Hobden