Category Archives: Articles

Ginger Snaps Trilogy Roundup & The Problem of Genre Distinctions (part 4)

Posted on June 1, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

Ginger Snaps: Complete Roundup

Though the final part of the Ginger Snaps trilogy is weak, it’s not Spider-Man 3 weak. Given the track record of horror film sequels, the entire trilogy stands up pretty well. The real strength of the series lies with the characters, specifically female lead characters. The male cast members are all supporting pieces to the story (though they play bigger parts in Ginger Snaps Back), so we get a fresh perspective as Brigitte and Ginger lead us through female territory: sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, sex, menstruation, relationships with men, etc. Continue reading →

Lost Gem: Ginger Snaps Unleashed (part 2)

Posted on May 29, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 3 comments

:you can read part 1 here:

Trying to compare Ginger Snaps to Ginger Snaps Unleashed (released in the U.S. as Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed) is like trying to decide between Alien or Aliens: they are both good, but different. Ginger Snaps Unleashed picks up where the first left off. And no, there are no silly gimmicks, there really is continuity between the two (even the same actresses return). Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles, Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged canada, Cinema, Comedy, Drama, Drugs, Emily Perkins, Evil Dead 2, feminism, feminist, Fright Night 2, Ginger Snaps, Ginger Snaps 2, Ginger Snaps 2 Unleashed, Ginger Snaps II, Girls, Hollywood, Horror, Katharine Isabelle, menstruation, Monkshood, Sex, Trilogy, violence, Werewolf, werewolves

Lost Gem: Ginger Snaps (part 1)

Posted on May 28, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 4 comments

Teenage girls battling werewolves. Nope, it’s not Twilight: it’s another horror gem like The Descent and Carriers.

Katharine Isabelle as Ginger (left) and Emily Perkins as Brigitte (right)

While I was working at a video store, Ginger Snaps was just another straight to DVD horror film: attractive girl, catchy title, some ominous background music, BOOM, you have a cover just like all the other straight to DVD features (right next to Lord of the G-Strings and Santa’s Slay). But as I’ve been working on my dissertation detailing “unsafe” horrors, Ginger Snaps came up enough times to merit a screening. Results? The best werewolf film since Landis’ An American Werewolf in London. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Articles, Filmsmith Faves, Reviews

Tagged An American Werewolf in London, canada, Carriers, Cinema, Comedy, Drama, Emily Perkins, feminism, feminist, Ginger Snaps, Girls, Hollywood, Horror, John Fawcett, John Landis, Katharine Isabelle, menstruation, Sex, Teeth, The Descent, Trilogy, vagina teeth, violence, Werewolf, werewolves

Lady Gaga vs. M.I.A.

Posted on May 5, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 4 comments

M.I.A. of “Paper Planes” fame isn’t a fan of Lady Gaga to say the least. So after Gaga’s “Telephone” mini-movie/music video received so much attention, it seemed fortuitous (though I wouldn’t say planned given the time it takes to make even a short film) that M.I.A. had a mini-movie/music video of her own released a few months after Lady Gaga’s, titled “Born Free.” For this piece, I’d like you watch the two back to back.

Here’s Lady Gaga’s “Telephone”

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Articles

Tagged analysis, Beyonce, Born Free, Lady Gaga, M.I.A., MIA, Movie, music video, Nudity, pop, pop music, Sex, short films, Telephone, Telephone music video, violence

Why Aren’t We Killing the Poor? Social class in horror films

Posted on March 20, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 9 comments

I’m doing a lot of reading for my dissertation on horror films and Wes Craven’s Scream (1996) recently came up. It’s been a while since I first saw it, and re-watching it prompted some thoughts about it and other films by Wes Craven. Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in Articles

Tagged A Nightmare on Elm Street, bourgeois, Capitalism, Drew Barrymore, Fiction, Halloween, Horror, John Carpenter, Matthew Lillard, middle class, Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Scream, Serial Killers, Slasher, The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left, Wes Craven

District 9: Not the same white guilt/Not racist against Nigerians

Posted on March 10, 2010 by The Filmsmith | Leave a comment

Back in December I published a review of/essay on Avatar which received attention as viewers discussed the racial and power dynamic subtexts to the film. One article from io9, entitled “When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like Avatar,” took a slightly different direction than my reading. The article’s discussion of films and white guilt mentions several films, including District 9. But they missed an important piece of the film. Continue reading →

The Oscars: What You Need to Know

Posted on March 5, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

Just so you know, the Oscars are not a good gauge for “Best Film” or “Best Director” since people who have no experience with a certain category weigh in on that craft (actors can vote for best set design; writers on directors). You also can’t join just by paying dues, but have to be voted in by other Oscar voters.

And of course, Oscar doesn’t like to give high marks to films coming from animation (other than slipping them into the “Best Animated Film” ghetto so they don’t usually get to compete for “Best Picture”), sci-fi, foreign, or horror.

Basically, it’s a giant publicity event where producers and distributors try to make some money in ticket and DVD sales before the summer blockbusters hit. Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles, News

Tagged Cinema, District 9, Film, Film Industry, Funny People, Inglourious Basterds, Movies, Oscars, Precious, The Blind Side, The Road, Up, Up in the Air, Where the Wild Things Are

Day of the Dead: Lebowski and Caligari References?

Posted on February 25, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

I saw Day of the Dead (1985) for the first time a long time ago and tonight was the first time I’ve watched it since.

In the first 30 minutes, I picked up on three references: Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles

Tagged 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Dr. Caligari, Film, George A. Romero, George Romero, Horror, Movie, Night of the Living Dead, Private Steel, The Big Lebowski, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Walter, Walter Sobchak, Zombies

Why is Clint Eastwood Performing Penance?

Posted on February 2, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

After watching several films directed by Clint Eastwood, I began to see patterns exhibited by each film’s main characters. This struck me when I watched Unforgiven. Continue reading →

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Posted in Articles

Tagged Clint Eastwood, Cool, Flags of Our Fathers, guilt, Lupe Fiasco, Penance, The Cool, Unforgiven, War, Western

Precious: Audience Responses?

Posted on January 18, 2010 by The Filmsmith | 1 comment

No full, detailed review for this one, folks. Instead, I’ll direct you to an in depth review here. Precious is fraught with even more political issues than Avatar.

My small review? If you do not have experience with blacks, poverty, or urban living, you’ll talk about the “realness” of the film and applaud its drama. If you do have any experience with any of these aforementioned items, you might be offended.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Articles, Reviews

Tagged black, Colorism, Film, Lee Daniels, Light Skinned, Mariah Carey, Movie, Oprah, Precious, race, Racism