Non-Horror Roundup: Mud, The Frozen Ground, and A Fantastic Fear of Everything

Been a bit distracted from my horror duties as of late. Much of it has to do with finding this incredible piece of awesomeness at Best Buy for only $20:

I know it's old news now to those savvy in videogamedom, but for me it's pretty great because I LOVE Tomb Raider and this new game is so freaking good. So that takes up a lot of my time.

I also found me a couple of non-horror movies that I really liked, so let's change things up for one post and talk about them a bit.

Mud (2012)
Did I watch Mud mostly for Matthew McConaughey? Um... yes. I would say that is a fair guess. My friend and I used to have fantasy celebrity husbands in high school and he was one of mine, okay? I had also heard that Mud was actually a good movie, too, so I wanted to check it out. It turned out to be a really wonderful coming-of-age story that centers around 14-year-old Ellis and his best friend Neckbone. They come across Mud, played by McConaughey, hiding out from some bad guys on a little island down river from them and they decide to help him out. There's actually a pretty good cast all around here - McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard, Ray McKinnon, etc. - not to mention the two young boys in the lead roles. They are truly fantastic and, in many scenes, they manage to stand far out from some of the big name actors they are working with. The movie's story is about love, trust, and friendship and Ellis learning about all these things the hard way sometimes through the various relationships he has in the movie. The setting is perfectly rural Arkansas and looks like most of the towns around here that I am used to, and the cinematography really shows off the downhome and woodsy beauty of the location.

The Frozen Ground (2013)

Seeing Nicolas Cage on a movie poster has made me a bit weary lately (still have horrible memories of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans), but John Cusack also intrigued me, and the Alaskan setting, and the fact that The Frozen Ground is based on the true story of a serial killer in Alaska in the 80s. Robert Hansen murdered up to 20 women - keeping them chained in his home and raping them before using his plane to take them to remote regions of the state and shoot them. Cage plays the detective on the case, and Cusack plays Hansen, which surprised the hell out of me. Never thought I'd see him playing a rapist/murderer, but he does great here, especially in his interrogation scenes with Cage. And Cage... hell, he's not bad either. The story they both have to work with is pretty typical of movies about the pursuit of a serial killer - dual storylines showing the killer out doing his thing and killing, and showing the police work that eventually leads to his capture. Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame makes a turn as Cindy Paulson, the 17-year-old prostitute who was a victim of Hansen's but escaped. The Frozen Ground definitely gets into the gritty realism of a case like this, and doesn't spare the viewer from any of the horrific details of Hansen's crimes. There's one scene with Hudgens and Cage where she's giving him details of her ordeal... really hard to take in that kind of stuff, especially knowing that it really happened. Really interesting and beautiful film here, one to check out for sure.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012)
Now what the hell was this? Again, it was the star of the movie that attracted me to A Fantastic Fear of Everything, and this time it was the wonderful Simon Pegg in that role. The movie itself is beyond weird and fantastical, with Pegg playing a children's author now writing about serial killers and becoming more and more paranoid that somebody (or everybody) is trying to kill him. He also has a strange fear of Laundromats that eventually manifests in one of the oddest and most incomprehensible chain of events that I have ever seen put on film before. This movie is reminiscent of others like John Dies at the End where the story is so removed from reality but it presents itself in a way that lets you accept it for the time being. For one thing, Pegg is of course a comedic genius and has no trouble at all dealing with the insane script. Watching the movie was an interesting time to say the least, though I think it is one that might be a bit too much for some people to handle! Even now trying to accurately describe it is really difficult, but I still can't help but have a strange affinity for the movie, if only because I love Simon Pegg. Give it a go if you think it will be your quirky cup of tea.

Weekly Movie Roundup: 1-15-12 to 1-21-12

Bad Teacher (2011)
I'm seriously digging on Cameron Diaz after watching Bad Teacher. With this and The Sweetest Thing, it's not a stretch to call Diaz pretty much a comedic genius. This role was perfect for her and she plays it without fear and just goes balls out. The movie was so much more funny and raunchy than I expected, because really all I was expecting was a stupid comedy about a bad teacher who probably turns good at the end, you know? Not at all what I got! There's f-bombs and sex jokes and pot smoking and it was all hilarious - no joke. I've also had to admit in recent years that Justin Timberlake is actually NOT a horrible actor - I at least like him better in movies than that other thing he does. So I would definitely recommend Bad Teacher if you guys are looking for a good ol' dirty comedy - would also recommend that you keep the kids out of the room while you watch it!

House on the Edge of the Park (1980)

Okay, um... WOW. This movie was rather... interesting? Weird? Disturbing? Stupid? I really haven't quite decided yet. David Hess (R.I.P.) is playing the same character that he did in Last House on the Left except he's changed his name to Alex and gotten himself a simple-minded friend to boss around. They go to some rich people's house for a party and hold them hostage and torment them for a while, but it was so frustrating and retarded because the victims never once acted liked they were scared or even the least bit concerned about anything that was happening to them! Sure, you learn the reason for all that at the end, but come on. The first two-thirds of the film is so unbelievable that watching this movie for the first time is akin to actually being tortured yourself. I know lots of people defend this movie and find hidden meaning in it or whatever, but this one is going to have to stew for a bit before I get there. Did love the Cillian Murphy look-alike, though.

That Thing You Do! (1996)
So I've got this movie pretty much memorized by now, but when I saw it was available for streaming on Netflix while I was perusing around the other day, I couldn't help but immediately start watching it again. It's so good, you guys! It's that feel-good movie that says that dreams really can come true and, short-lived or not, that's a good feeling to have. It's a love story, it's a comedy (Steve Zahn really shines here and Ethan Embry in the background is just genius), and it's a freaking musical with some songs that are so "snappy" that they just put you in the best mood you've been in all year. Am I praising this movie too much? Who cares! I completely love it. And yes, I totally purchased the soundtrack when it first came out, you better believe it.

Megan Is Missing (2011)

This film takes a little bit of a different approach to the found footage genre, in that the story of two teen best friends that go missing weeks apart is told through the use of web cam footage, personal video footage, and fake news reports. This film is quite graphic not only in the last part of the film that shows what happened to the girls but also in its depiction of teen sex, partying, drinking, etc. It reminded me a bit of Kids, a movie that made me want to jump into the screen and beat the snot out of every one of those dipshits in the movie. Megan Is Missing is supposed to be a (yet another) cautionary tale for kids and parents alike about the dangers of the internet, but should the movie be lauded or condemned for going perhaps too far? Those pictures of Megan were pretty fucking messed up, I'll give them that. I might have more to say on this movie in the future, but for right now I'd say this one might be worth a look because it is rather interesting and different.

Tomb Raider Trilogy

Now is as good a time as any to declare my love for Lara Croft. I have already played and beaten all of these games several times but when I saw that I could get Legend and Anniversary AND Underworld (which I traded in several months ago) in one game for 30 bucks, I figured I should get my raid on again. Gaming in general takes up so much time that even though I love it, I hardly ever do it, but Tomb Raider is my kind of game! Third person shooter, puzzles, climbing about on things, and using your brain (or in my case, cheating and reading walkthroughs)... it's all here in all three of these games. They don't have much replay value and they're not terribly exciting or enthralling, but the graphics are awesome, the locales are beautiful, the puzzles are elaborate, and Lara Croft is hot. What more do you want?