Sif you want to scream for me . . .Jaimie Alexander on the horror genre

With Thor giving Fast and Furious 5 a panel beating at the global box office, what better time to look back on my chat with one of the films stars; Jaimie Alexander. The US actress is becoming a bit of a genre superstar, getting her start in horror flicks such as Rest Stop, Hallowed Ground and The Other Side before heading over into equally fanatic fan territory with sci-fi work in cult show Kyle XY and now Thor. But Alexander hasn’t forgotten her roots and the starlet was more than happy to give the horror genre the kudos it deserves. She also didn’t rule out a return to scare-fests, once she finishes up work on dramas Loosies and Savannah that is. Here’s what she had to say:

“They’re almost superheroish characters and the leads in the films…they’re looking for someone to carry that. It’s a good starting ground and because they’re made for not a lot of money, they take a risk on actors without much on their resumes. I never say never and if I thought the script was decent, then I’d say yeah (to being in another horror).”

There you have it. To read my exclusive chat with Alexander where we talk girl power, body image and she-warriors click here. For my Thor review, here, and the best Thor poster you will ever see, here.

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Scream 4(got)

So, I’m a massive tool and forgot to post this back when, you know, a Scream 4 review was relevant. Anyway, better late than never I guess and with that I present my Bloody Disgusting review of Scream 4:

What’s your favorite scary movie? After sitting through Scream 4, you may have found it. A big statement, I know, but after a decade of remakes Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson have done what no one dared think possible; made a reboot of the genre defying franchise that is just as witty, original, self-aware and arguably smarter than the originals.

The Scream movies are known for their literally killer openings and without spoiling it, number four delivers a double knockout in that category with a layered first act that will leave you laughing, gasping and, if your audience was anything like mine, shouting with approval come the opening title. Our heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) happens to return to Woodsboro to promote her new book during the aftermath of the introductory murders, which also occur on the 10-year anniversary of the original Woodsboro massacre. Barney Fife, sorry, I mean Dewey Riley (David Arquette) is now sheriff and the once fiery Gale Weathers is now Mrs Riley (Courtney Cox), resigned to small town married life. The original trio are again at the centre of a spree of vicious murders by the Ghostface killer/s who’s also interested in a bevy of hot young things led by Sidney’s niece Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), the spunky Kirby (Hayden Panettierre), babe Olivia (Marielle Jaffe), Jill’s creepy ex Trevor (Nico Tortorella) and film geeks Robbie (Erik Knudsen) and Charlie (Rory Culkin), proving it takes twice the effort to make up for Randy. With the veterans and the new generation working together, they begin to decipher the killer/s key medium and establish some new rules. For instance, the unexpected is the new cliché and, most importantly, for the killer to take it into the next generation they need to film their kills and stream live.

In the Scream 4 production notes Wes Craven said the only way he would come back to the franchise was if Scream and Scream 2 scribe Williamson wrote a script that was worth coming back for. Well, congratulations Wes because although My Soul To Take mightn’t have been worth it, this certainly is. As horror buffs, we think we know the genre better than the insides of a teenage babysitter, but Craven and Williamson succeed in providing an abundance of plot twists and creative kills. Gore hounds be excited, because they certainly up the entrail-ante in what is easily the most gruesome Scream flick yet. The series is infamous for being self-aware and Williamson has done a brilliant job of turning this expectation on the audience, diffusing the element with gags so far in cheek you expect a tongue to come out the other side. It could have backfired terribly, but they pull it off. Just.

The performances too are solid, with the leading trio doing what they do best and standout turns from Panettierre and Roberts especially. Culkin is amiable as a Hanson-haired movie buff, but there’s something about those Culkin siblings that makes me think they’d be good as a nerd in anything. A lot of the supporting cast’s appearances are fleeting, but Marley Shelton leaves a lasting impression as a female version of Dewey aka Deputy Judy Hicks.

Scream 4 marks a return to the quality of the first film (and the first two thirds of the second) by achieving a rare feat; it doesn’t rehash old territory or repeat tired formulas, it makes a pun about them then boldly carves its way into new territory. This is largely thanks to the Planet Captain-esque combined powers of Craven and Williamson. The former knows how to make a contemporary horror classic that looks the part, while the latter knows how to write one. Williamson’s pen is sharper than Ghostface’s blade, integrating social media, pop-culture, film and serial killer references all within a single conversation. But his most powerful message is in the faux final act where, through a villain, he provides his most poignant commentary on a generation who will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame, as long as they don’t have to work for it. More interested in fans than friends, it’s a generation of Kardashian and Jersey Shore worshippers who I’m now convinced are all serial killers in waiting. Come one, like you didn’t think that already? Although the filmmakers are willing to point out the rule of remakes through Sidney – “don’t fuck with the original” – Scream 4 proves that you can fool around with a classic and conceive something altogether new and relevant.

P.S. Keep an eye out for the Robert Rodriguez shout-out in Stab’s opening credits.

(Left: Me, grinning like a delirious nerd at the Scream 4 premiere.)

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How much is that (Snoop) Doggy in the window?

This is a post with the sole purpose of shamelessy self-promoting my story on Snoop Dogg talking about a Hood Of Horror on BloodyDisgusting.com here. So go, read it, comment on it, join the horror buff discussion.





Also, here's a picture of me on Snoop Dogg's throne. Yes, he has a throne and YES I am sitting on it. Ya dig?

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Movie Mazz gets disgusting

(Above) Me, on the weekend, as a Bloody Bride to a friend’s B themed 21st. I lost my Bjork costume.

But in a good way, I promise! To readers of this blog it’s no secret I’m a huge horror buff. So it’s with huge excitement I can reveal I’m now a contributor for Bloody Disgusting.com, the world’s most popular horror movie website! In fact, I believe they call me their Australian correspondent but that tends to have Crocodile Dundee connotations so I will stick with contributor.

I guess life really does come full circle. When I was in Grade 9, high school, I got in trouble in English class for looking at BloodyDisgusting.com I believe my teacher said it “wasn’t appropriate” which, of course, made me an even bigger fan.

If you don’t already check their site regularly *scold* I tweet my stories regularly and you can follow me here.

Here’s a collection of my yarns so far:
-Charisma Carpenter on Sibling Rivalry
-Denis O'Hare talks American Horror Story
-Bad Behaviour trailer
-Charisma Carpenter on Human Target
-Katee Sackhoff on Growl
-Katee Sackhoff on Haunting In Georgia

I've also got a Scream 4 review and interviews with Snoop Dogg and Tom Felton to be posted on there soon, so stay tuned.

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"I'll have the Craven crunch with M&M's mixed in please."

Above: a potential Scream 4 poster, as designed by Movie Mazzupial

Hot damn y’all! Wes Craven seems to be the flavour of the month. You may remember a post I wrote back in August, 2008 titled `Scream 4’ about, would you believe, the possibility of a fourth film in the Scream franchise. Turns out the rumours are true (for once) and the film is in the early stages of development. As usual bloodydisgusting.com had the latest info on the horror-satire project including the news Kevin Williamson is going start writing a draft in the coming weeks. Williamson wrote the first two films and had a character credit on the third. He’s well known for writing the brooding teen series Dawson’s Creek as well as killing off the stereotypical characters he created in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Halloween H20 which he also wrote. Whether Craven will be back to sit in the directors chair is uncertain but there’s a strong likelihood he will return to the project one way or another. Finally, and what I feel is the most important aspect of the new film, is Scream 4 will be made up of a newer, younger cast. However financial offers are being made to Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox Arquette and David Arquette to appear in cameo roles. Yowza. I can’t wait to hear more news from the wacky kids creating this project. Lets hope Scream 4 lives (or dies) up to the brilliance of the previous three films, particularly the first two.

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