Change Your Image
Elliott Patrick
Reviews
How to Make a Monster (2001)
Swimming with A Monster
"Swimming with Sharks" was one of those great 90's movies. It was my first real introduction to Kevin Spacey who just lit up the screen with his performance. The director of that film now brings us "How to Make a Monster." In the same vein as "Sharks," HTMAM is all about the downward spiral that happens when people are trying to get ahead at any cost. This story, set in the world of video game development, throws in the very reality TV element of a million dollar prize to the designer who can push a new game over the top. While everyone's competing and fighting over the money, a creature begins to pick them off one by one. It kind of dawned on me days after watching the movie that the creature represented the designers -- as if their id became manifest -- and began to kill, fueled by what was secretly inside each member of the group. Not to get too philosophic, but watch this movie and you'll see what I mean. This movie makes a lot of statements about consumer culture, targeting violent games for kids and the American fascination with becoming an overnight millionaire. But forget about all of that. At its core, HTMAM is just a good ol' monster movie with lots of biting dialogue, good performances and some tasty horror sequences.
Earth vs. the Spider (2001)
The Arachnid Avenger!
As a fan of superhero comics, hard-boiled pulp stories and old school monster movies, this film was a lot of fun. Yes, there are immediate comparisons to David Cronenberg's remake of "The Fly," but I think there are a lot of other cool influences here as well. The movie has an interesting "retro" feel. The thugs are like 50's era baddies, the female lead always looks like she's dolled up to go swing dancing and the music has a kinda hep-cat jazz flavor. And it works. The main character "Quentin" is in that mold of hero/villains, like Sam Raimi's "Darkman." You like seeing him get even, but then it starts to go too far and he just can't help himself. The way he learns and deals with his transformations is also really well done. Another solid entry in the Creature Features film series. There's even a cool homage to the original "Earth vs. The Spider." See if you can spot it.
Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature (2001)
A new horror icon.
I had been reading quite a bit on the internet about Cinemax's "Creature Features" series. The goal was to remake a lot of those old AIP horror films with the same kind of spirit as the originals (short shooting schedules, independent directors, feature a really cool creature, etc.) "She Creature" was a great kick-off. I never saw the original "She Creature" but I'm sure this is a huge departure. A traveling carnival kidnaps a mermaid and tries to take her back to America... and of course everything goes wrong once they are out to sea. It reminded me of Ridley Scott's "Alien" -- a group of people trapped with a scary monster. But the turn of the century period was a great take for this movie. The atmosphere was super creepy and there was something about being out at sea, stuck with simple weapons that added to the danger. As a fan of movie monsters, I thought the "Queen" was amazing. It reminded me of some of the great Ray Harryhausen creatures but with Stan Winston's contemporary flair. I always love movie monsters that evolve over the course of the film, and there's plenty of surprises here. If this one's any indicator, I'm looking forward to the rest of the film series.
Man of the Century (1999)
why isn't this FANTASTIC movie on video?
If this movie ever plays at your local art house... or you happen to find a screening copy on video -- do yourself a big favor and check it out.
In this day and age when most young directors get their first shot, they make some wannabe post-Tarantino gangsta film. But the filmmakers here decided to take their shot and create a celluloid love letter to a bygone era. Their vision is much like the main character of Johnny Twennies, a man literally out of time with the modern world. But like the movie, Johnny has more style and charm than anything that came out of the 90's. The homages to Harold Lloyd, the Marx Brothers and black and white film noir in general are simply brilliant.
This is the kind of charming movie that Woody Allen USED to make. Too bad "Man of the Century" isn't more widely available. Whoever owns the video rights to this is sitting on a gem.