Okay, raise your hands if you owned a train set when you were a kid. Okay, now you parents out there, do your kids watch Thomas the Tank Engine on a regular basis? I ask these questions to prove a point: despite its reduced use in our transporation system, almost all of us have a fascination with railroads. Maybe it’s the big powerful locomotives, or the intricacies and puzzle-like nature of the railroad tracks themselves, but somewhere deep down inside of all of us (yes, even you Moe) is a love for all things related to trains. Yet, when we look at popular culture, there have been very few films on the subject. Runaway Train (a great film in its own right) comes to my mind as the last decent film I have seen on the subject and that was a long time ago. So I was excited when I first saw the trailer for Unstoppable, Tony Scott’s latest film about a runaway train. The trailer had me hooked and I couldn’t help but get excited watching it. Luckily for all of us, the excitement in the trailer is about one-tenth the excitement you will experience on-screen.

Unstoppable is based on the true events of the “Crazy Eights” unmanned train incident in 2001.  The train left its Walbridge, Ohio rail yard and began a sixty-six mile journey through northwest Ohio with no one at the controls. Apparently, the engineer left his slow moving train in order to switch a line. However, this genius didn’t set the train’s dynamic breaking system and he watched in horror as the train sped away. Two of the train’s tank cars contained thousands of gallons of molten phenol, a toxic ingredient of paints and dyes. Attempts to derail the train failed, and police were unable to shoot out the fuel release valve. For two hours, the train traveled along at speeds up to forty-seven miles-per-hour until the crew of a second train coupled onto the runaway and slowly applied its brakes allowing railroad employees to eventually stop the train. 

Aside from some exaggerated tension and unique plot twists, this is essentially the story behind Unstoppable. What brings this story to life however is the incredible directing by Tony Scott and brilliant performances by both Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. We should all have a good feeling about this film going in, as Tony Scott is a master at placing us in surroundings and making us feel like we are there. He made us feel like we were in an F14 in Top Gun, and later took us several hundred feet below the sea in Crimson Tide. His movies generally leave me on the edge of my seat and Unstoppable is no different. Scott uses a variety of camera angles to build tension and give us a perspective of the raw power behind this speeding locomotive. The train itself becomes the main character and that’s not an easy task to accomplish. 

This is not to say that Washington and Pine merely phone it in and let the train do all the work. Their performances are equally as powerful. Washington plays an old-timer who is forced to share his shift with Pine, a rookie conductor who has apparently been promoted in the union because of family connections. Pine has his own problems to deal with as he’s been kicked out of his house by his wife. The tension in the cab between the two of them is very believable, and yet they must put their differences aside in order to stop the runaway train. Denzel and Pine work very well together in this film and, in a way, their characters are reflections of where they stand in Hollywood (the aging stud performer vs. the up-and-coming new guy).  Hopefully, as in the film, Pine can learn a thing or two from Denzel, because I can’t remember seeing him in a bad film. 

All-in all, Unstoppable is simply two hours of non-stop fun at the movies. Sure it’s a bit over-the-top, but what good popcorn movie isn’t? My wife and I were on the edge of our seats the entire time, and there was tons of applause at the end of the film. Unstoppable probably won’t win any Academy Awards, but I will say that is is by far the best film I have seen this fall; and I’m sure it’s better than a lot of the foliday films that are about to be dumped on us. So grab a friend or significant other and get on board for one hell of a ride!

Rating = 4.5 buckets-o-popcorn

When I was in college, we would often have special screenings of new release movies and serve as a “Marketing Test Audience”.  I got to see a whole bunch of cool movies before they came out, and the one that sticks out in my memory the most was Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  I remember telling all my friends how amazing this film was and how they should all go and see it. Since then, I have become a road warrior for my job (hence the lack of posts recently, sorry about that) and the antics of John Candy and Steve Martin as they deal with business travel still ring true today. So when I heard that Warner Brothers was releasing a similar travel buddy film, I ran out to the theater with high hopes. 

Due Date centers on Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) a traveling architect who is trying to get home to his wife Sarah, who is going to be giving birth to their first child. While arriving at the airport, he bumps into a fledgeling actor named Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis). The two accidentally swap luggage and through some very funny cirmstances end up on a “no fly” list. Ethan offers to drive Peter home in his rental car as Peter’s wallet has gone missing. Peter reluctantly agrees and the two of them share some zany adventures as they try to get home in time for the birth of Peter’s child.

This movie has some good things going for it. First, Zach Galifianakis is his usual funny self, plyaing the most annoying car mate you could ever imagine. Ethan is socially inept and completely unaware of how his actions and conversations make those around him uncofortable. In a large room, one could always walk away from such a person, but Downey is stuck in a small vehicle with him for a few days. It’s a similar to his role of Adam in last summer’s big hit The Hangover. Yet, underneath his annoying exterior we find a very humble and decent guy. One could say that Ethan is lost; dealing with losing his Dad and trying to define who is he is by going to Hollywood. It takes a lot of work to portray a guy who is so outwardly annoying and yet so inwardly fragile and Galifianakis pulls it off marvelously. Downey’s character is much simpler, and yet he manages to convince us of his inward struggle of wanting to strangle Ethan versus understanding who Ethan really is. 

Second, there are a couple of fantastically funny scenes in this film, including two that center on Ethan’s dog Sunny (who appearantly has learned a pretty nifty trick). But for me, these moments don’t come often enough as director Todd Phillips focuses on character-revealing dialogue to tell this story. I must say that this kinda caught me off guard, as I was hoping to see the ramped up crazy shit that we saw develop in The Hangover. But sadly, the movie doesn’t have the pacing or edge that made that other film work so well.  

John Hughes had success with Planes Trains and Automobiles by taking two opposite people and placing them into outlandish situations. These characters struggled to get along while battling what the travel world threw at them together.  It was overcoming these situations that created the friendship and the heartwarming reveal at the end of that film. In Due Date, we watch and laugh as the smart guy gets beat up and tortured by the antics of the dumb guy. This would be perfectly fine, except that we are asked to believe that some friendship is brewing out of that, and it didn’t quite work for me. 

Don’t get me wrong, Due Date is a funny movie, and there are just enough laughes to make your movie experience worthwhile.  But with the comedic talents of its stars and the pedigree of its director, this movie could have been so much more. It’s certainly a good date movie for a weekend matinee, but I would hesitate to pay full price or buy the DVD. 

Rating = 3 buckets-o-popcorn

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SHOWNOTES

00:00-Show Intro
04:15-Drunk Dials
06:04-Mailbag
10:03-Discussion Segment: Kinectapolooza
38:51-Retro Review: Toobin’ (NES)
42:39-Lightning Round
1:02:09-The Last Shot
1:03:18-Show Close

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DGR: 11.08.2010

Email Us: mailbag@drunkengamersradio.com
Voicemail Line: 612-424-3835
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SHOWNOTES

00:00-Show Intro
04:14-Drunk Dials
08:52-Mailbag
13:26-Discussion Segment: Spooky Games
39:33-Feature Presentation: Interview with Kris Steel from Fun Infused Games
57:33-Lightning Round
1:18:12-The Last Shot
1:19:18-Show Close

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DGR: 10.30.2010

We’re going to end this one with a bang; with a gift that’ll keep on giving long after Halloween is through. The twist, however, is that a) it’s a TV show, and b) nobody’s seen it. Yet. That’s because Frank Darabont’s (The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption) take on Robert Kirkman’s excellent comic book series premieres tonight on AMC.

Obviously, since I haven’t seen it yet, I can’t say much about the show. I can, however, tell you that the comic book series is absolutely phenomenal and one of the best zombie stories ever devised. Featuring Rick, an ex-cop who wakes up in a hospital to find the world around him destroyed and crawling with zombies, The Walking Dead is equal parts zombie flick and a story about human nature. You’ll follow Rick as he sets out to find his family while not just fending off hordes of zombies, but also those who survived the zombie plague.

AMC has been on a roll for the past several years with hits like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and with a guy like Frank Durabont at the helm, I have high, high hopes for this one. Plus, we have this awesome preview:

So tonight, after the kids have stopped knocking on your door, sit down with the family and watch the beginning of one of the great zombie stories. I can’t think of a better way to spend Halloween.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the second annual SHOCKtober! It really is fun to go through these movies every year. Despite the fact that after sixty-two movies now, the well is starting to run a bit dry, I’m hoping to come up with something for next year. Until then, Happy Halloween!

Don’t forget! Tonight at 7pm CST, Ryker XL is hosting a special Sunday SHOCK Theater, featuring “Zombies of Mass Destruction”. Log into Xbox Live for our final SHOCKtober Netflix viewing party.

“They’re coming to get you, Barbra!

I know I said earlier that Dawn of the Dead is the greatest zombie movie of all time, and I stick by that. But part of me really feels that the original Romero zombie classic lords over them all. It establishes the Romero rules, has an incredibly spooky vibe, and to this day is creepy as hell. And this was in 1968, when this sort of thing normally wasn’t seen in theaters.

For the two of you who haven’t seen Night of the Living Dead, the film focuses on a group of survivors hiding out in an abandoned farmhouse while the walking dead are outside, waiting to feed. The group includes the noble and level-headed Ben, the practically catatonic (and most certainly useless) Barbra, the hot-headed coward Harry, his wife Helen and their daughter Karen, and young lovers Tom and Judy. Somehow, this group of people has to figure out how to not only barricade the windows and doors, but also how to survive each other. And, in what would become a signature trait of Romero’s zombie flicks, surviving each other proves to be more daunting than surviving the zombies.

Despite its status as a classic and revered film, Night of the Living Dead has been treated like a cheap, second-class flick throughout the years. Because it’s in public domain, countless copies of varying (read: shitty) quality abound. It’s been colorized (blasphemy!) and bootlegged to death. Romero even produced a remake a couple decades later. But if you’re interested in picking up a copy of the original (and you should), I highly recommend grabbing the George A. Romero authorized version. Not only has it been completely remastered, but it contains some really nice historical special features. And hey, Romero actually profits off of this version.

Like John Carpenter’s Halloween, the family and I watch Night of the Living Dead every year on Halloween night, it’s that good. So why didn’t I use it as the final entry for SHOCKtober? Well, we’ll also be watching something else this Halloween. Tune in tomorrow to find out what it is.

Yes, the rumors are true. Like that kick ass comic miniseries that just can’t seem to end in four issues, Sunday SHOCK Theater is back for one more evening of thrills, chills, and a shit ton of fun!  And oh do we have a killer flick to end this Halloween night: the HorrorFest classic Zombies of Mass Destruction!.  The title alone shows you just how epic of a film this is.

Port Gamble is a quiet little island town. Like many small towns it is struggling with how life is changing. The classic American small town values are slowly being replaced by political corrrectness. Even the Mayor is on a campaign to get back to Port Gamble’s roots. But this quiet little town is about to receive an even bigger problem: an infestation of zombies! Directed by Kevin Hamedani, Zombies of Mass Destruction is a comedy horror flick akin to the classic Shawn of the Dead. Be prepared for some gruesome effects and a ton of laughs as a small bunch of survivors attempt to defend their small town from a hoard of flesh eating zombies. 

Gather on XBOX Live for Sunday SHOCK Theater at  7:15 PM CST this Halloween night.  The movie will start promptly at 7:30 CST ending just in time for the premier of The Walking Dead on AMC. Those who want to can stick around in Party Chat to watch the premier of this fabulous series!

Technically, Rocky Horror isn’t a “horror” movie. Well, unless you’re a homophobe. Then I suppose this shit’s downright terrifying. But while it’s short on scares, this flick is a Halloween staple all over the world, and chances are there’s a theater near you playing Rocky Horror at midnight on Halloween. (Not for the faint of heart, mind you).

For the few of you who aren’t familiar with Rocky Horror, let me see if I can properly summarize the plot. After getting engaged, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss (played by a young, hot Susan Sarandon) are driving in the rain late at night when their car has a blowout. They walk to a nearby castle to ask for help and find themselves in the middle of an annual gathering of residents of the planet Transsexual (in the galaxy of Transylvania), hosted by the “sweet transvestite” Dr. Frank N. Furter, who is about to unveil his scientific breakthrough: a male sex slave he has created in his laboratory, Frankenstein-style.

Get all that?

Yeah, this flick is fucked up in a major way. But it’s also awesome. Tim Curry is absolutely genius as Frank, the premise is completely over-the-top and absurd (but so much fun), and – most notably – the music is nothing short of incredible.

I’m a guy who generally detests musicals because the music is usually schmaltzy, sappy, Liza Minnelli-style bullshit. You know, the type of garbage that only middle-aged uber-gay men and their mothers can possibly enjoy. But the tunes in Rocky Horror are bad ass. Hell, my old band Stone Nowhere used to cover The Time Warp because it rocks so damn hard. Yeah, there’s the occasional bit of sappy fluff thrown in, but it’s all done tongue-in-cheek and in parody. Plus, it’s hard not to laugh as Tim Curry exclaims that he’s a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” or get turned on as Susan Sarandon begs you to “Toucha, toucha, toucha, touch me!”

As the poster above says, Rocky Horror is filled with “lotsa larfs n’ sex” and is ridiculous fun. If you’re a fan, I highly recommend picking up The Rocky Horror Picture Show (35th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]. It’s only $20 and it looks and sounds amazing.

I’m not the type of person who cynically bags on remakes without giving them a chance. Hell, I’ve already expressed my love for the Friday the 13th reboot and admitted to liking Rob Zombie’s take on Halloween, despite the fact that the original is my favorite horror movie of all time. So no, you won’t find me in the Talkback section of Ain’t it Cool News furiously typing angry missives and death threats aimed at those who remake beloved films of the past.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here goes: Platinum Dunes’ remake of Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street is garbage and the worst widely-released horror film I’ve seen in years. It’s not scary, not interesting, and not at all a film worth a second of your time.

There.

But, since I like to be positive, let’s start with what they did correctly. The Freddy Krueger character was made famous by the wonderful performances of Robert Englund. Now that it’s 2010 and Englund is getting up there in age, they obviously needed someone to step into his shoes and put on the glove. They absolutely nailed it by casting Jackie Earl Haley, known for his remarkable performance as Rorschach in Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Watchmen. With this casting, they set my mind at ease, gave me confidence that they knew exactly what they were doing, and made me believe that this reboot would be just as entertaining as their Friday the 13th spin.

Wrong. That’s where the positives end. Everything else about this flick is abysmal. The “kids” (played by actors who are all obviously in their mid-to-late-20s) aren’t the least bit likable or worth rooting for. Their portrayal of the new “Nancy” as a mopey, mousy wallflower eliminates the strong female protagonist of the original flicks, and the rest of the cast is played by Barbie-and-Ken types that you can’t wait to see get picked off. And then there’s the guy who looks like a more doped-up Jeff Spicoli. He’s supposed to be our stong male lead? Really?

But the biggest crime is the handling of Freddy himself. Jackie Earl Haley is a gifted actor who is capable of so much more than what he was allowed in this train wreck. First of all, he’s barely given any screen time. And when he is, he’s limited to belched-out one liners without a hint of character. The beauty of Englund’s Freddy was that he was an almost likable monster. He was sarcastic, clever, and almost funny at times. In this film, Freddy’s never likable, and in fact is quite the opposite given their “TMI” explanation of how he came to be. Note to filmmakers: we don’t need every aspect of a character’s origin explained to us. Because in this case, it severely backfired.

Okay, this has turned into a rant, and I apologize for that. But Freddy deserved so much better. That said, I do hope they give this franchise – and Jackie Earl Haley – another shot. Like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a series that can easily continue to thrive as long as they’re handled properly.

So, in the end, if you’re a Freddy fan, I guess you can check this out just to see great potential squandered. But if I were you, just pick up the excellent original and watch how it’s supposed to be done.

Email Us: mailbag@drunkengamersradio.com
Voicemail Line: 612-424-3835
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SHOWNOTES

00:00-Show Intro
04:55-Drunk Dials
08:50-Mailbag
20:36-Discussion Sement: Kirby’s Suck n’ Blow Extravaganza
44:55-Retro Review: NFL 95 (GEN)
47:21-Lightning Round
1:08:15-The Last Shot
1:09:54-Show Close

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DGR: 10.23.2010