Hello to all those faithfully reading and hopefully enjoying this effort to make even the worst horror movie more watcha... aw, screw that - I'm not that good. If a movie makes you cringe because yet another batch of unlikable teens that are pushing 30 are inching toward their deaths, having a party no one does anywhere ever, a paranormal movie is boring you to tears with unending pans of empty rooms, or thanks to CGI technology when people finally bite it, their blood squirts everywhere except on the victim, the ground, the people next to them... you're in good company and this is the right place for you.
NOT JUST ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE - NO SLASHERS, NO PARANORMAL CRAP, AND AN ACTUAL CONCEPT - WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
+1 aka Plus One (2013)
So I fell again today. With my fibro and all the meds I take this is not an unusual event. It happens a couple of times a week. How bad and how hard differ - and the reasons get downright stupid. This morning it went something like this: I'm in my chair (it's an office-type on wheels) watching MST3K and writing on Facebook - you know, totally wasting my time.
I feel a warm body start to slide down my back. This usually means one of my cats has fallen asleep on top of the chair and forgotten about gravity and so has rolled down the chair. This is no big deal, it happens a lot. I usually just keep them propped where they are - eventually they wake up and move on.
This time I had the bright idea of reaching behind me and tickling the chin of the kid who usually does that - she's a little bitty thing and forgets she's not somewhere she can roll over. Trouble was, it wasn't her. It was my huge cat Buddy and the tickle under the chin FREAKED HIM OUT. Just as he was scrambling to get away from me, another of my larger cats decided we were playing and she wanted in.
Needless to say (but I am anyway) bedlam ensued. The chair, which is very unsteady when the back is reclined, twisted and dumped all of us off. I slammed into... lots of stuff before I hit the floor. Every animal in the house disappeared. I sat there for a while <words were said, I won't say what> and saw that one of my hands was bleeding pretty good as two fingers were slashed up as well as the knuckle. Screw that. I took pain meds and went to bed.
I was not in a good mood waking up - I can barely move and my right hand hurts like a bitch. So I looked for a movie I wouldn't have to do any thinking to watch - teenage party movies work pretty good. To my surprise, not only was this a very different sort of movie, it might have fit better if they had put it in the sci fi horror type genre. In fact, in the IMDb it IS listed as a sci fi/thriller movie. That fits better.
The set-up was typical but I wasn't expecting anything. Three college friends go to a rich guy's party that happens nowhere ever. He's set it up where the first half is in the house, the second half is outside with a stage show. In other words, the typical teenage movie. We're just waiting for the mad slasher or the pissed off ghosties to show up and kill them one by one, right? Wrong.
It starts when something from out of the sky crashes to earth causing a big hole. It then sends an overload of electricity to the pole serving Angad's (the party host) house. This causes a temporary power outage. No big deal, it comes back on after a few moments. But something weird is happening.
That weirdness gets worse each time the surge cuts the electricity. What's happening? I usually don't do this, but this movie is worth a peek just for the hell of it. Just know that the situation gets more and more, uh, outside the box? Metaphysical? Moral questions come up and people make interesting decisions. I know, I know, how smart could college kids be? Especially when they're scared beyond any kind of reason?
That's for you to find out kids - 'cause this movie is not perfect. The acting isn't that great and the ending is kind of... confusing. But for a 'college party' movie, this one is definitely in the 'interesting' category and that is rare. Currently streaming on Netflix, I'm sure it can be found on other streaming services as well.
AND NOW, A LITTLE BREAK FROM REALITY - AND GOOD TASTE
Potpourri (2011)
No this isn't a sick movie about the infamous non-zombie potpourri drug incident that we all know the details well enough that I'm not putting them here. This movie is totally out of its ever-lovin' mind, but not because of the supposed 'salts' that make users hungry enough for... uh... unconventional foods. This movie, which includes a video reviewer to do my work for me, is about, and I quote: A drug induced time travel holiday fantasy musical comedy with zombies - based on a true story.
You can take that all as fact, except the last part of course. Since the movie reviews itself, I'm not going to work against their own criticisms. These are the basics parts you'll find: A group of psychology students have a term paper that will make or break them due in two days and like most students most haven't even begun them. So they do what all students do - blow it off and have a party.
Enter the party-maker. He's a dude with all the connections and gives each person their own party favor if you know what I mean, based on their personal preferences and convictions (one does not drink, one is a confirmed virgin and planning to stay that way). What that has to do with drugs, don't ask me.
But each student's trip with their specialized drug (I loved the one that's jelly you smear on your chest - kind of a Vick's VapoDrug) is vastly different, that's where we get the fantasy - musical - zombie aspect. Ultimately it's up to a boy they call 'Home School' to save the day with his (non-drug induced) powers of time travel.
The drugs are not named (and none looked like 'salts' so no screams of disgust please) but are plentiful as is alcohol use and the rest of their budget seemed to go to the gore used in the zombie scenes so...
Yup, it's THAT kind of movie.
