Bad Moon Rising: Wolf Girl is Less of a Horror, More of a Tearjerker

This, too, is false advertising.

In celebration of the week of Halloween finally arriving, I decided that my last review in this month of my Tim Curry film exploration would be a horror film. Now, I could have easily picked something from his stint on Tales from the Crypt, but another film caught my eye. Labeled as a horror-comedy, 2001’s Wolf Girl (alternately named Blood Moon) sounded interesting due in part to the popularity of the recent fourth season of American Horror Story. I don’t follow AHS, but the “freak show” set-up is certainly one that works as well in horror as it does at presenting sympathetic character studies of the people behind the acts. However, don’t be fooled by the labels I listed earlier: I wasn’t prepared at all going into this film. Wolf Girl is a hefty dose of character study, a little bit of horror, and none of the comedy. This doesn’t make the film bad per sé, but by no means would I call watching it a comfortable experience.

The Secret of Moonacre: A “Legend” Worth Remembering

In looking through Tim Curry’s filmography, I was somewhat startled to stumble upon a film that bore more than a slight resemblance to Legend in terms of plot. A battle between light and darkness that must reach its conclusion before the cursed land is destroyed completely sound familiar? Yeah, okay, maybe I have a “type” for flicks, but I figured why the hell not. And in the twenty-five years between Legend and The Secret of Moonacre, the story had to have gotten better, right? Children’s movie or not, the storytelling had to have at least improved… right?

Yes. Oh god, yes. Yes it did.

Spoilers lay under the cut.

Are Some Legends Better Left Forgotten?: A Legend Review

October is knocking ever harder on our doors with cold weather and an abundance of pumpkin flavored goodies, and I think we’re all well aware of what that means.

Okay, maybe not specifically that. However, though his filmography seems to argue otherwise, Tim Curry is one of the actors I most associate with this spooky time of year. Honestly, he’s the only one. Something about his presence seems to scream to me “Halloween”. As such, what better way to prepare myself for the oncoming slew of costumes and trick-or-treaters than to indulge in some movies starring my favorite stage ham? None. There is no better way.

I spoke briefly about Labyrinth during my last Fanfiction Friday, and how it’s one of the most important movies in my life. Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that I also have a sort of sweet nostalgia for Ridley Scott’s Legend. Having come into possession of the director’s cut, I was pleased to discover that Scott was finally able to “restore [his] original vision for the film” and that he now considers Legend complete. I haven’t watched this film for several years, and even then I watched the toned down for TV version, so I was pleased to finally have the opportunity to sit down and watch it in full. Was this fantastical love story, entwined between a battle for light and the ultimate darkness, as good as I remembered?

No. Oh god, no. No, it was not.

Theatre Thursdays: It’s Just a Jump to the Left

This is our last Thursday before Halloween, so I feel compelled to talk about this amazing bit of musical theater before we get into boring old wintry November.

I see you shiver with antici

Pepperpots and Trouser Shocks: Cross-Dressing in Geek Culture

Cross-dressing is wrong? Riddikulus!

You’ve seen the movies, you’ve read the books; cross-dressing is a common theme in fiction. It’s in mythology, history, folklore, literature, operas, plays, movies, television, and even music. Most importantly though, it has caught the attention of the alternative and dare I say? nerdy aspects in the pop-culture experience that we call life.

There are a few different kinds of plot points based on cross dressing. A very popular one, especially by those such as Shakespeare is one I like to call: Girls in Caps and Trousers. Women dressing as men have been both a cultural and historical phenomena. Some are trying to find their lost loves, some to fight in a war, and some just want the same privileges and opportunities their brothers get. Since there are many of examples of this particular trope (Japanese anime has hundreds of them) I will stick to only a couple.