Chronicle – Blu-ray Review
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Chronicle
Director: Josh Trank
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan
Review by Brian M. Sammons
First, yes this is not a horror movie, but it is a found footage flick (you know; first person POV shot with a shaky cam) which has up until now been practically the sole domain of horror movies. Second, while not horror, it is sci-fi, the kissing cousin to our favorite genre. Third, not only is this one of the best and most realistic superhero flicks ever (yes I’m aware I just used “realistic” and “superhero” in the same sentence), it is also a great example of how good found footage films can be if the person making the movie has passion and skill, and first time director Josh Trank has both of those in spades. So while not scary, it is damn good and besides; a horrorhead cannot exist on fright films alone. So grab your video camera, we’re going to soar through the air and move things with our minds. It’s superhero time!
This film chronicles (ah, see what they did there) how three average high school boys get near God-like powers of telekinetics that allow them to fly through the air, lift huge objects with their mind, and even wrap themselves in impervious fields of force. How this is accomplished, I shall not spoil here, but I will say that it remains tantalizingly mysterious even until the end of the movie. I really liked that, as I often feel that too many movies suffer from over-explanation-itus when the characters in the film would really have no way of knowing what the filmmakers desperately want to shove down the audience’s throat. And before you ask, no that’s not the realistic part if this movie I mentioned earlier. That comes from how the three kids act once they become super powered.
At first the trio behave like almost anyone (young or not) would when given strange new powers that at first begin small and only grow in power the more the kids use them. By that I mean they mess around with them. They chase little girls around stores with floating teddy bears, move people’s cars in parking lots, blow up ladies’ skirts (something I’ve always wanted to do ever since seeing 1982′s Zapped!) and even soar through the clouds for a little mile high football. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have fun if they got superpowers?
But soon all the good natured hijinks take a very dark turn.
In what I thought was a very good move, Chronicle asks the question; what would happen if you took a very sad boy, someone mercilessly picked on at school by bullies and at home by a drunken father, and suddenly gave them unlimited power? Would they do the Spider-man thing and become a hero? Or in this world where bullied kids go to school one day packing guns and pipe bombs, would they want revenge and the respect they’ve always been denied, no matter how they had to get it? That’s where Chronicle really shines as it shows not only the birth of a possible superhero, but also the genesis of a sympathetic, but still selfish and deadly villain. Few films have approached the realm of comic books so seriously (M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable being the only other one I can think of) and it was a nice departure from guys running around in brightly colored spandex.
Lastly, special mention must be made for the movie’s great looking special visual effects. Now if you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you’ll know that every third or fourth one I do I complain about CGI and how much I hate it. Well this is what CGI should be used for: to realize the otherwise impossible, not just to do things quick and cheap like simulating blood spurts and bullet hits. Also this movie doesn’t go for the bargain basement, “just barely good enough for TV” CGI production house like so many films do. That’s always my main complaint with computer effects; how horribly fake and cartoonish they look and how they all but smack you out of the movie watching experience. In Chronicle, every CGI effect is well done and also adds to the story. They’re not just explosions and eye candy a la Michael Bay for the sake masking a ho-hum story with lots of computer generated pretty. I only wish all moviemakers had such restraint.
Now as cool as the movie is, the Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox has only a smattering of extras. Honestly, things are a bit thin here. For one, there are no commentary tracks of any kind. For two, there are no behind the scenes, making of, or any real featurettes either. There is something called “Pre-Viz” which is a seven minute collection of very rough drafts of some of the CGI effect used in the movie that look as graphically compelling as PlayStation One visuals. To round things off there’s a camera tests of the dinner scene, a single deleted scene that adds nothing to the movie, and a theatrical trailer. This release isn’t exactly bare bones, but it’s very nearly that. The only “extras” worth noting is that both the theatrical release and the director’s cut are on the BD disc and that it is a combo disc release, meaning that it has the DVD, Blu-ray, and digital copy of the movie in one package. So there’s that I guess.
Chronicle is a surprisingly serious, enjoyable, and well-made movie that takes off the mask, ditches the cape, and leaves the tights at home when it comes to being about superheroes. Both comic book fans and those who have never cracked open a comic in their life will enjoy this sci-fi cautionary tale about empowerment, revenge, and the end of innocence. If you’re looking for a very different take on people who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, this is the movie for you.
All The Lonely People
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David B. Silva has sent out a reminder that his novel, All The Lonely People, is available on the Kindle for only $4.99.
Description: Chase Hanford owns and runs The Last Stop, a little bar with sawdust on the floor and pine paneling on the walls. It, like the jukebox next to the front door, didn’t get much play, but it had its regulars. Until one night, when a stranger appears with a peculiar rosewood box. A box that possesses a strange symbol: a circle within a circle inside a crescent. The stranger calls it a spirit box. Something Native Americans once used to trap the souls of their enemies within. As the bar regulars become curious, the stranger opens the box. And unleashes a hell like no other. Chase Hanford awakes from the aftermath, soon realizing bits and pieces of his life are being taken away. Fallen to mental lapses and witnessing strange occurrences, he fights to save his life, his soul and his sanity…
You can pick up a copy for the Kindle and be reading in minutes: All The Lonely People
Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo Teams With Elvira
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Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo, the largest multimedia pop culture, comic book, horror and gaming convention in Los Angeles, has announced a partnership with Cassandra Peterson, best known for her character, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
Like Stan Lee, Cassandra Peterson was a Guest of Honor at 2011′s inaugural Comikaze Expo. Impressed by Comikaze’s success, and Stan Lee’s role, Peterson wanted to be involved. The Elvira creator is taking a very active position in the planning of the pop-culture expo. Peterson and Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo plan on creating interactive content unlike any other convention.
“Elvira is part of our pop culture history. Not only is Cassandra Peterson a pretty face, but she is also brings so much to the table. She’s one of the most brilliant businesswomen of our time, and has some fantastic ideas. I am so proud to call her our partner. I like to think of her as Mistress of the Board,” said Stan Lee’s Comikaze CEO Regina Carpinelli.
Peterson and the Stan Lee’s Comikaze team are launching an interactive webseries & film festival for the show, taking place September 15-16th, called Elvira’s Horror Hunt. Aspiring and amateur filmmakers will submit their videos to Comikaze. A team of judges will evaluate them, and the top 10 will be picked – or panned by Elvira and her co-host, Peaches Christ, on the hilarious new web series, Horror Hunt. A final winner will be chosen and flown out to LA. The winner will receive a red carpet premier at the historic Vista Theater, as well as an official screening at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo. They will also be featured as a guest at Comikaze.
Tickets are now available through pre-sale at $15. Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo presented by POW! is also offering a unique ticket that enlists fans into the Stan Lee’s Comikaze Army. This interactive ticket includes a weekend pass, armband, dog tag, military ID for discounts on merchandise and select vendors as well as collector’s edition posters (children under 12 are free) through the website Comikaze Expo.
Comikaze Expo is the largest multimedia pop culture convention in Los Angeles. The brainchild of Southern Californian Regina Carpinelli and her siblings, this unique event brings together the best in comics, gaming, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, anime and all other cult programming.
In 2012, Carpinelli partnered with comic book legend Stan Lee and horror icon Cassandra Peterson to rebrand as Stan Lee’s Comikaze Presented by POW! Entertainment.
Comikaze takes place September 15-16, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and offers a slate of innovative programming, panels, contests and other activities that provide fans access to their favorite artists and creators in this adventure-packed weekend.
FR Press Announces Slices of Fate
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Matt M. McElroy, Publisher of FR Press, has announced that Slices of Fate, the collected works of author Eddy Webb, is now available in eBook and print formatsp.
“Slices of Fate is a collection that spans the depth and breadth of Webb’s work,” said editor Monica Valentinelli. “Arranged chronologically, this is a beautiful representation of the stories and voices Webb has to offer his readers.”
About Eddy Webb: Hired on with CCP/White Wolf in late 2007, Eddy Webb (with a “y,” thank you) is a writer, game designer, transmedia developer, and the voice of the White Wolf Blogcast. His RPG works includes Minds Eye Theatre: The Awakening, New Wave Requiem, ICONS: Jailbreak, Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition and many more. He lives a sitcom life with his wife, his roommate, a supervillain cat, and two pug dogs.
Description: a unique collection featuring the works of Eddy Webb. Stories within range from the author’s nod to literary tales as in his piece “A Sheepish Trip to Yorkshire” to his more speculative work such as “The Battlefield.”
Essays include a series on two of Webb’s oldest loves: wrestling and Sherlock Holmes. Combined with several pieces of microfiction, this debut collection is an in-depth representation of Eddy’s work over the course of several years.
About FR Press: FR Press is the publishing arm of popular horror and dark fantasy webzine FlamesRising.com. FR Press’s recent releases include Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror and Conventions for the Aspiring Game Professional.
Both digital and print editions of the collection are available now online at DriveThruFiction.com: Slices of Fate
Mirador Publishing Launches New Imprint
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In these days of falling book sales and record closures of high street book shops one publisher is bucking the trend. Mirador Publishing, an Indie publisher based in the West of England, has just launched three new books under its new Sci-Fi and Fantasy imprint, Netherworld Books.
The first title, A History of The Devil by Adrian Briggs is also a massive gamble for the fledgling publisher. The book asks the reader to take a sympathetic view of history’s greatest bad guy, Satan himself.
Commissioning Editor Claire Ashton said yesterday, “This book is already causing a huge controversy with some elements not seeming to understand it’s just a work of fiction.”
The second title. Lucid by Marion Grace Woolley is no less controversial, dealing as it does with the effects LSD and Shamanistic Magic. It has been described as, “A journey through the chaos of LSD and the magic of dreams into the darkest corners of the human mind.”
The third book Hell’s Secrets by F R Jameson is a more straight forward horror novel in the classic mould. Claire describes it as, “A sort of a cross between Stephen King and Dante.”
Asked why the company was taking such a gamble on these three books as the launch platform for Netherworld Books, Claire replied, “Netherworld was created to give new authors a chance. When the Big Six publishers are cutting back and only investing in established safe authors we felt there was a need to support the first time novelist.”
Netherworld was created on the back of the experiences of one author who was reduced to tears at the treatment she received when she tried to present her manuscript to a big publisher.
Mirador Publishing itself is a huge success story and despite the recession continues to grow year on year.
Mirador’s Marketing Manager David Luddington said, “The world of reading has never been healthier, it’s just the traditional publishing model of Agent, Publisher and High Street Bookshop that’s failing. We exist to support our authors, not the other way round. There are some quite excellent authors out there and they deserve to have their voice heard.”
Netherworld Books is currently seeking new authors and sees itself as the new light in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy publishing world. “We are looking to give a chance to bright new novelists who are getting a rough deal from the traditional publishing world,” said David.
The Priest’s Hole
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Damnation Books has released the digital edition of Ray Clark’s horror novel, The Priest’s Hole.
Description: If you’re willing to unlock the gates of hell, be prepared.
Four charred bodies in the middle of a field. The evidence suggested a ritual killing.
The body of a young constable with his head smashed to a pulp. He was investigating with his colleagues and he was on the other side of the oak tree from the four charred bodies. No one saw or heard anything!
A registered charity collector, bloodless and deflated, stretched out on the driveway of the house of a famous, well-known, local writer.
With each of the mysterious slayings, there are no clues, no motives, and no witnesses.
The police have no ideas, until their investigation takes them to Mark Farnham’s house, the author, a man who has everything … including more than enough secrets … and one of those is a Ouija-Board. Have the police found the answer to their problem?
Or have they found an even bigger headache?
Check it out on the Kindle: The Priest’s Hole
The Journal of Unlikely Entomology Issue #3
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The Journal of Unlikely Entomology has published its third issue, which is currenly available online for free.
The Table of Contents:
- My Day Came by Conor Powers-Smith, Illustrated by Eleanor Leonne Bennett
- War Beetles by J.M. McDermott, Illustrated by Linda Saboe
- The Performance by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Illustrated by Mariusz Siergiejew
- The Familiar Buzz of Gone by Cate Gardner, Illustrated by Kyle Conway
- Dragonfly Miscalculations by Steven L. Peck, Illustrated by Rhiannon Rasmussen-Silverstein
- Skitterings in Corners by Juliet Kemp, Illustrated by Svetlana Sukhorukova
- Drift by Amanda C. Davis, Illustrated by Natasha T-Z.
Check it out for yourself: Issue 3 of the Journal of Unlikely Entomology
