Sunday, January 28, 2018

The 'Burbs (1989)

The 'Burbs (1989)

PLOT - A bored man who's taken a week off from work, slowly begins to suspect along with his neighbors that the people next door might be killers who are hiding bodies in the back yard.

LOWDOWN - I really enjoy Joe Dante films. (Piranha, The Howling, Gremlins, ect) I was actually surprised back around say 7 or so years ago when somebody asked me if I had ever seen this movie. Now it seemed pretty shocking since I love Tom Hanks, love Joe Dante movies, and back in the day I had a major crush on Mr. Corey Feldman. I couldn't believe that there was actually a movie in the 80's with Corey that I had never seen. It seemed like a pretty cool movie. It had a great cast (Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, ect) and sounded like Rear Window meets an episode of The Twilight Zone. I love dark comedies, and this looked right up my alley. 


Around 2014 I ended up buying a cheap DVD of this, and settled down watching it. This was right before I started a new job, and I remember finding this movie very comforting. There are just some films out there that really takes your mind off things. This was a cozy, feel good, zany, crazy movie that I instantly fell in love with. Tom Hanks has been in countless great movies, and his 80's movies are some of my favorites. This film almost acts out like a play. It takes place all on on street, where we watch these bored suburbanite neighbors with a little too much time on their hands durning one summer. I really loved the colorful characters, all living side by side to each other. You have Corey Feldman, the stoner young teenager Ricky, then the late Rick Ducommun who plays Art. This guy played basically the same likable role as the buddy and best friend in a handful of films in the 80's and 90's. There's Bruce Dern who's Mark the ex-vet, Gale Gordon as Walter the old man with the dog who constantly shits on Mark's lawn, and of course Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher as Ray and Carol Peterson.  This is what I love about this movie, a great cast, all taking place in one location, where they all slowly begin to get into more crazy adventures together. I just re-watched this movie to fit in as a double feature with The Lost Boys since I've been trying to re-watch all of the Corey Haim/Corey Feldman movies. I actually got the urge to re-watch this movie after a great scene on set from this movie was shown in the Lifetime movie A Tale Of Two Coreys. Here we watch how awful Feldman performed due to his drug habits in 88/89. I read about Feldman's struggles in his book, and I find this really being a shame since it was really his last successful movie. Here we watch as they begin to suspect due to a chain of bizarre events. It's a dark comedy meets mystery as we watch these bored neighbors begin to spy and and watch the rundown house where a new family has moved into a month before. The house looks run down, and haunted. They are rarely seen, and the only times they are seen they are always acting strangely.

This family the Kolpeks have been seen here and there, but slowly everyone starts to suspect they are the people responsible when other neighbors start going missing on the street. Why are weird noises and bright lights coming from their basement windows? Were they really seen digging graves in the backyard? What exactly are they throwing away in their garbage? Here the neighbors team up to figure out.


The film has slapstick moments, dark humor, memories line "The pizza dude is coming!", action, and a pretty crazy ending, but it's the perfect example of a dark black comedy with likable characters, and hilarious moments. I love the nods to horror movies (Race With The Devil, The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, ect) It's the perfect comedy for any horror lover. In fact, I was just watching it last night and dying whenever Tom Hanks throws himself into the back of the ambulance with the stretcher. 

I honestly can't wait for Shout Factory's release this spring, where I'll be "digging" into ASAP!

3 1/2 stars!!!




Saturday, January 27, 2018

Best Feldman and Haim themed artwork!!!

Best Feldman and Haim themed artwork!!!

In closing out our Two Coreys themed week, I decided to showcase some pretty awesome themed artwork based off heartthrob duo who ruled the box-office durning the 1980's. Been tossing around a few ideas for next month to go along side with my IG (staystillreviews) Feldman February anyone? Hummm...think about it.

So here are some killer pieces by some pretty talented artists. I don't know about you guys, but that Lost Boys piece shown above is total tattoo goals.

Amazing artwork by my friend Stacy Davis. Love her jewelry! 
(Pretty cool when you see an edit of your own on Google for Two Coreys artwork, he he he...)

So 3 cheers to The Two Coreys! Remember to check out A Tale Of Two Coreys, based off the insane rollercoaster life by these two teen titans on Lifetime ASAP!













Monday, January 22, 2018

A Tale Of Two Coreys (2018)

A Tale Of Two Coreys (2018)

"Hollywood loves to put people up on pedestals. Admire them, worship and then abandon them. I should know. My name is Corey Feldman and I've been acting since I was three. How could kids like Corey Haim and I ever have had the chance to be normal?"

PLOT - In the 1980's Corey Feldman and Corey Haim two teen actors on the rise of stardom meet and instantly become not only co-stars, but best friends. As the two begin to work together, it's revealed both are struggling with personal demons. Abusive, molestation, partying, and addiction. This story recounts the rocky and toxic friendship and the hardships they met along the way.


LOWDOWN - On January 6th, it was my late mother's birthday. January is a pretty tough month for my sister and I. Not only is it my mother's birthday month, it's also the month she suddenly passed away now nine years ago. I felt the best way to try and raise our spirits was to do something our mother would have loved. So, the two of us had a little viewing party for the Lifetime movie A Tale Of Two Coreys. With plenty of drinks in hand, we didn't want her birthday to be depressing. We wanted to get together with friends, laugh, and watch this film that looked like it was going to be a lot of fun. Now I'll be the first to admit. Lifetime hasn't always exactly hit the mark with movies based off famous TV shows, stars, and films. (The Full House one, the 90210 one, the Saved By The Bell one, the Brittney one, the Whitney one, ect.) but every once in a while Lifetime surprises you. I actually really like the channel, and enjoy for the most part the movies they make. Sure a lot of them seem stereotypical (Crazed stalker, crazed cheerleader kills friends, crazed babysitter, crazed abusive husband, crazed obsessive friend, ect) but some of them are actually really decent, most of all the thriller ones, and was one of my mother's favorite channels. I have so many great memories watching these cheesy 1980's/90's films with her, and laughing over how over the top they were. As for the ones based off true events, so far the only one that seemed half way decent was the Brittany Murphy and Anna Nicole Smith stories. Sure the casting isn't always on point, but these films didn't crank up the cheese factor, and actually told tragic tales over people who died much too soon. When I discovered they were making one based off Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, I knew this would have been a film my mother would have loved to see. The two Corey's were a HUGE part of me and my sister's childhood. One of my mother's favorite movies was The Lost Boys. This was one of the first VHS movies I watched growing up. I was obsessed with Corey Feldman (Friday the 13th The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand By Me, ect) I still remember my mother and sister buying me the two Dream A Little Dream films on VHS, and the soundtrack. I would crank this movie, swooning over Mr. Feldman, and even vaguely remember my mother even trying to get me his black spike jacket he wears on the cover. (Little did I know a guy actually bought this jacket from a flea market in Boston a few years back after it got stolen from Feldman and was returned to him) I was always the odd kid growing up, having crushes on heartthrobs from the decade before (Michael Biehn, C. Thomas Howell, and yes the two Coreys.) I loved Haim in films like Firstborn, Silver Bullet, and Lucas. I found his movies with Feldman highly enjoyable, and was thrilled back in 2008 when I went to a horror convention in NJ and was lucky enough to meet the two of them.


I met Haim again that far with my mother which was such a big deal since she was the one who introduced me to The Lost Boys. I still remember how bad Haim looked, and how heartbreaking it was. Mind you the man was a total sweetheart, as he was the summer before. Even though he didn't have the best history, he was very kind to his fans. I still remember waiting in line for him at the convention the summer before and how he was supposed to go to lunch but he saw 20 of us still waiting outside and said "Fuck it, I'm here for my fans, let them in and out of the sun." He was super funny, and seemed sincere when I thanked him as he sighed my Lost Boys VHS copy. Feldman was also really nice despite the LONG wait to meet him. Very kind, and made sure he signed everything and that it looked good. When I met Haim with my mother a few months later he wasn't looking good at all. He was still nice, but shaking, and too thin. As we walked away I'll never forget my mother sighing, shaking her head and whispering to me "That poor boy, he has at least a year left to live." My mother passed a few months later, and Haim did a year or so as well. Heartbreaking. What really sucked was me and my mom loved watching the scripted A&E show The Two Corey's right around all the Lost Boys 2 drama was happening. It killed me to see Haim die so young and suddenly. The really strange thing about the day Haim died, I was wearing my Corey Haim Vs. Corey Feldman shirt, and a few friends of mine commented on how funny it looked. A few hours later, we learned Haim had died. Spooky. 


The two of their movies, good and bad always remained favorites of mine. In fact just this past summer my sister, her husband, and I went to this bar a few towns over to watch Corey Feldman perform. I have to say as much of a shit show was the night was, Feldman blew me away as did his angels. They actually did a really good job, and we all got to meet him afterwards. I may of had a few drinks in me and just pointed to him and yelled "THE ORIGINAL TOMMY JARVIS!" Corey as always remained a class act and just nervously smiled. Man oh man! This past Christmas my sister got me his book, and I read through the whole thing in less than a weekend, just in time for the Lifetime movie. Now I'll be the first one to say, I thought this was going to be a complete train-wreck. Still, Feldman was a producer, so I felt even though it was going to mostly be told through his P.O.V painting him in a better light, I knew it would dig into the recent stories he's been talking about going into how both Haim and him were molested/raped years ago, which Feldman is convinced resulted in Haim self-destructing, leading to his death. Corey has been trying to gain money/support in finally revealing the names (even though rumors have been flying and some major star's names have all ready been dropped.) As of recently the sexual harassment war is at an all time high. Have I always agreed with what Feldman has said/done. No. But I do believe despite it all, he is trying avenge his friend who I believe he really did love, and this movie may have been the first tiny step in the truth finally coming out.

The biggest plus in this film were the four actors playing the teen and adult version of Feldman and Haim.

First off Elijah Marcano who played the teen Feldman nailed it. I really don't understand why they went with the look they did with the poster since in the actual film he nails the look 100% on Feldman in seriously every scene. From The Goonies days, all the way to The Dream A Little Dream era, he really knocked it out of the park. This kid has great talent, and it should be really interesting to see where he goes from here. Am I the only one 100% down to see a remake of Dream A Little Dream with him as the star? Come on now!


Justin Ellings who played the younger Haim did a wonderful job beside Marcano. He had the innocent look down, and capture that perfect likable cocky charm that Haim possessed in the 1980's. What really made it for me was when he did the scene reading for License To Drive. I myself felt like those casting directors. It was as if I was watching Haim himself reading those lines. Major chills! The two boys had great chemistry and played wonderfully beside each other. One thing I would have loved to see if Haim with red dyed hair in the Dream A Little Dream era. Come on people! Pay attention to detail!


As for the adults, both Scott Bosely and Casey Leach did a great job as the adult versions of the two. They had the look down 100%, but it was Leach who stole the show as the adult Haim. He really truly brought Haim back to life in a sense, and it was heartbreaking seeing how well he captured Corey's little ticks, gestures, ect. All in all, I did enjoy the teen versions slightly better, and my only true problem was I wish the movie had been longer. If it was maybe the last half an hour wouldn't have felt so rushed. Maybe it would have been better just focusing on them as teens (even though they did pair up together in the 90's three other times, and this was when a good portion of their downfall began, with several arrests, many stays in rehab, careers taking nose dives, and finally them in the early to mid 2000's them slowly getting back on track and what appeared to be the start of a comeback with the shitty Lost Boys II. I feel maybe either the film could have been longer, split into parts, or maybe even a mini series. There was TONS of stuff they could have explored. These two certainly did have a very rollercoaster like relationship. It would have been interesting seeing them re-team for Blown Away, Last Resort, and Dream A Little Dream 2. I just felt the ending with them as adults seemed a little tacked on. Some things of course were changed and added which didn't make sense, but the ending did tug on my heartstrings, and took what could have been a cheesy mess, into an actual bittersweet film. I mean this film dealt with a lot of heavy issues. We showed the difference in both households. Feldman came from a broken home, filled with abusive (his book broke my heart, and in this we just saw a glance of it all), Haim's first encounter with getting raped on the set of Lucas (I have my own theories about that one and who did it.) how it began the beginning of his struggle with drugs to numb/black out what happened. How his perfect sweet family got broken up via divorce, and how much he loved his mother who was too sweet to really see how her son was destroying himself. We watch two young men, on the verge of stardom, with really nobody responsible to be there for them, to say no, to guide them. Instead they had each other, and in so came the fame, the fans, the partying, and the drugs.

Lots and lots of drugs.

We watch how these two stars legit burn themselves out, with the constant partying, going into heavier and heavier drugs. We see both getting taken advantage by older men, the real scummy side of Hollywood, and how this friendship sadly became so toxic by the end, they needed to drift apart to survive. Now Like I said, this is mostly told in Feldman's P.O.V. We weren't there, we'll never know what happened. I'm sure he wasn't completely innocent (Him wanting to run lines while Haim takes bong rips made me laugh) but hey, we'll never know. Maybe Carrie Fisher really did have a sit down with him, maybe she didn't. Whatever the case is, it skims just over the surface of how when they were at the height of their fame, and how drug addiction made what could have been two promising careers, fizzle out to nothing. We all know it took Feldman many stays in rehab to stay sober, and the second downfall between both Coreys durning the reality show didn't exactly so the way they showed. Still, it has been proven both patched things up at the end, and Corey Haim's tragic death wasn't the ending we all wanted.


I think Lifetime did the best they could, and dealt with some heavy material. I would have loved to see the same actors in a HBO or Showtime mini series. We know they could have gotten much more graphic with that. Hey, with all the money Feldman is raising, who knows maybe it can be done. I think some really truly messed up stuff happened to these two, and we were unable to really see it all. We did get to see many montages of crazy drug use (those coke lines through...) or Feldman's relationship with Michael Jackson. (I somehow believe their friendship was pure, and as two abusive survivors, he looked up to him.) There were some great scene as good songs on the soundtrack (My favorite being them visiting the Playboy mansion together.) I would have loved to see more of them on set durning their 3 big movies in the 80's, but like I said they got the looks down, and this despite it's moments was a really well made film for TV. The actors were amazing, and even though a few scenes made me laugh, it was a cautionary tale of the dark side of Hollywood. 


So as a massive fan of these two, I have to say I highly enjoyed A Tale Of Two Coreys. Besides a few cheesy moments, it was a very well made film, that I know for a fact my mother would have loved. So to any fan of Lifetime, the 80's, or these two actors, go check out this film! It's a tragic tale of friendship, and the hardships that get in the way. To hear more of my thoughts, me and my friend Chad will be posting a link to our Podcast as we talk turkey over this film. Until them, head on over to Lifetime.com and check this movie out for yourself. It's a real treat!

4 stars!



Saturday, January 20, 2018

15 times the two Coreys were fashion icons.

15 times the two Coreys were fashion icons.

Two weeks ago I witnessed the EPIC otherwise known as the Lifetime movie A Tale Of Two Coreys. This brought all the feels since Mr. Corey Feldman and Haim were a major part of my childhood growing up. I watched this famous duo's movies constantly growing up, had crushes on both, would crank The Lost Boys and Dream A Little Dream soundtrack in repeat, and was even lucky enough to meet both on several different occasions. I watched the staged drama unfold on their reality show back in 2007, witnessed the cringe-worthy sequel to The Lost Boys, was stunned when I learned of Haim's passing, and got to experience Mr. Feldman and his angels perform at a little hole in the wall bar this past summer where I was so shitfaced when I met him yet again I yelled "THE ORIGINAL TOMMY JARVIS!" #coolbreeze. So I really wanted to point out one thing I always loved about these two. The very "original" fashion choices they rocked when they were at the height of their shared fame. So to celebrate this zany pair, here are 15 times they proved they were kings of the fashion world!

















Long live the two Coreys!

and remember to check out A Tale Of Two Coreys via Lifetime!





















Thursday, January 18, 2018

30 horror movies that are turning 30 this year...

30 horror movies that are turning 30 this year...

Not only is 1988 my birth year, it's also in my eyes one of the most killer years for horror. It's crazy to think that this year myself, along with these 30 killer classics will be turning...well 30! Yikes! Here are some killer classics that are celebrating a pretty massive milestone in 2018!

Child's Play
- A single mother from Chicago tries to prove to the local police that the person responsible for several murders in the city are by the hands of her young son's doll that he received for his birthday.

Hellbound Hellraiser II
- Picking up directly after the original, Kristy is convinced her father is trapped in Hell seeking rescue while her step-mother returns from the underworld, showing the twisted man who brought her back the labyrinth of horrors from where she came. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street 4 The Dream Master
- A year after Dream Warriors, Kincaid, Joey, and Kristin are trying to move on living normal life's. It isn't until Kristen begins suffering from strange dreams that she tries to convince her friends that Freddy has returned.

The Blob
- A remake of the 1950's classic with mind bending effects on the flesh eating goo from space!

Killer Klowns From Outer Space
- Evil aliens from space take the form of circus clowns and slowly take over a small town.

Friday The 13th Part VII The New Blood
- Jason is accidentally woken from his watery grave by a young girl with unexplained powers. While she returns to her father's lakeside cabin, Jason decides to crash a birthday party full of horny teens next door.

Waxwork
- Several teens are invited to a wax museum one night where they soon discover that if you enter the display, you become trapped in a different dimension.

Night Of The Demons
- Several teens decide to throw a Halloween party at an old haunted house one night. When they accidentally awaken evil spirits, some of the teens becomes possessed, trapping the remaining guests to fight them off until dawn.

Pumpkinhead
- A farmer seeking revenge conjures a monster that kills everyone who has harmed him. One by one, he begins to see the terrifying unstoppable power he's released.

Return Of The Living Dead 2
- A zany follow up to the zombie classic shows the undead returning to a small town, munching away on neighbors!

Phantasm II
- Several years after the original, Mike is released from a mental hospital, where he convinces Reggie that all of this didn't in fact take place in his mind. That the Tall Man is real, and it's up to them to track him down, and stop him once and for all.

Poltergeist III
- Carol Ann now staying with her aunt and uncle in a high tech skyscraper in Chicago, begins to feel the same evil spirits that's haunted her most of her life.

Halloween 4 The Return Of Michael Myers
- Ten years after the original, we meet young Jamie Lloyd, only daughter to Laurie, the survivor back in 1978. After Lauire's sudden death nearly a year before, Jamie is staying with foster parents, and decides to celebrate Halloween. Unknown to her, Michael (her uncle) has woken from his decade long coma, and wants to end his bloodline once and for all.

Brain Damage 
- A young man in New York wakes up one night with an awful headache, and the back of his neck bleeding. After experiencing one of the best and surreal highs of his entire life, he discovers a small blue creature that strikes a deal with him. If he feeds him, he'll continue injecting him with the fluid that gives him this amazing experience. The only thing is...this creature loves brains. Human brains...

Maniac Cop
- A series of brutal murders plague the city, where a massive man dressed as a police officers is butchering innocent people. It's up to a few fellow police to try and solve the mystery and stop this terrifying and very powerful killer.

Spellbinder 
- A man meets a mysterious woman who he believes is the woman of his dreams. Little does he know...she may be the woman of his nightmares...

Fright Night Part II
- Convinced that everything that happened in the original was all in his head, Charlie is now away at college trying to move on. That's when a very sexy, and mysterious woman begins to appear in his life. A woman who's connected to his past, looking for revenge. 

Sleepaway Camp Unhappy Campers
- Years after the original massacre, Angela has served her time at a mental hospital, and got herself a sex change. Now with a new identity, she's working at a local summer camp (never a good idea) and judging who are the good kids, and who are the bad.

The Unholy
- An evil spirit continues to return over and over to temp men of God. It isn't until it sets it's sights on a man who was chosen to take part in the battle between good and evil, that it has finally met it's match.

Cheerleader Camp
- A young girl suffering from strange dreams decides to go to a local summer camp where fellow cheerleading squads are all up for a huge competition. Here the cheerleaders and teammates begin getting murdered by an unseen killer who has a hidden agenda. 

The Howling IV The Original Nightmare
- A re-telling of the original story, shows a young woman and her husband escaping up North after she suffers a mental breakdown. Here she begins to suspect that this small isolated town isn't what it seems.

They Live
- A drifter stumbles upon a pair of sunglasses that reveals a whole hidden world where the public have been blind to for years. The upper class are aliens, and they have been using everyone as slaves, programing them to stay asleep and serve them.

The Kiss 
- After her mother's brutal and sudden passing, a young teenage girl doesn't exactly trust her mysterious aunt from overseas who she's never met before. It isn't long before her aunt slowly takes over her life, with a dark secret from her past bubbling to the surface.

The Nest
- A small island is plagued by giant flash eating roaches. The only thing about these bugs are, they are very hard to kill, and can transform into whatever they last ate!

Bad Dreams
- A young girl awakes from a coma, being the only survivor from a mass suicide in the late 1960's. Now recovering in a hospital, she starts to suffer from vivid nightmares, where the leader of the cult she belonged to as a child as returned, killing all of her new friends, and continues inviting her to join him in the afterlife. 

Pin
- A deeply disturbed wealthy man becomes obsessed with his late father's medical doll who he's been fascinated with since a child. Here we watch his mental state slowly crumple, revealing a terrifying outlook towards his younger sister.

Slugs
- Flesh eating slugs slowly take over a small town and are unstoppable! 

Monkey Shines 
- After a terrible accident, a young man is paralyzed from the waist down. His good friend gives him a trained monkey, who is supposed to take care of most of his needs around his house. Here, after the animal is injected with a powerful drug, it turns on it's owner, trapping him, and becoming a complete monster.

Critters 2
- Bradley Brown returns to his hometown to visit his grandmother for Easter. Little does he know, some eggs from his family's farm has lasted over the years, and are now currently being used in the town Easter Egg Hunt!

The Watchers 
- A highly intelligent dog escapes a government compound and befriends a young teen. Here they go on the run as men try to track down this animal who knows horrible secrets. 

Happy 30th!!!