Totally Tubular Trailers: The Frame

It’s been quite some time since I last did a Totally Tubular Trailers post, but I decided to dust off ye ol’ segment for a special occasion, that being the release of the first trailer for Jamin Winans’ The Frame.

If you are a long-time reader of CNAMB, you may recall myself being quite vocal about my enjoyment of a little science fiction fantasy film titled Ink. Not only did I give the film a rave (and poorly written) review, Ink made it onto my list of the best films of 2009, ranking at number 4, no less. So I think it’s safe to say that anything that comes from Jamim and Ink producer Kiowa Winans will be firmly on my radar.

That brings us to The Frame, which looks every bit as promising as one would hope in a follow up to Ink. Being described as a “mind-bending science fiction mystery,” the plot details of The Frame will, at least for the time being, remain a mystery. To further this shroud of secrecy, the 2 minute trailer gives little information as far as plot goes. With that said, however, the trailer is absolutely captivating and features more than enough visual prowess to have me drooling in anticipation for the slated fall release. 

Take a moment to give the trailer a look for yourself, and please feel free to share your thoughts below!

My Science Project (1985): Fantastical Metamorphosis

All throughout the 1980s, moviegoers were bombarded with a number of films that contained elements of science fiction, fantasy and adventure, and more often than not these movies were set in the real world and filled with regular people. Though the lines were very blurred, these films varied in both tone and in their target audience, with some being more for children (Goonies; E.T.) and others being more for adults (The Terminator; Robocop), while there were those that sort of met right in the middle (Ghostbusters; Back to the Future). And then there were movies that targeted the teen audience, such as Real Genius, Weird Science, and of course writer/director Jonathan R. Betuel’s My Science Project.

What makes movies such as My Science Project and others from that era so enjoyable is the way in which they captured youthful imagination. There’s a true sense of wonderment and curiosity to be found in these types of films, and often these feelings come from putting characters in situations that challenges them to embrace either adulthood or the child within them. In the case of My Science Project, it’s the former, as the film’s lead character, Michael (John Stockwell), is at a point in his life where he really needs to grow up.  

Form a heart-to-heart conversation with his teacher (played by Dennis Hopper) early in the film, it becomes apparent that Michael is a smart kid. Within this same scene, it also becomes very obvious that Michael's not living up to his potential, as he's far more concerned about his car (which he lovingly refers to as his GOAT) than he is in his own future. Michael’s a brilliant kid who lacks drive, and at this integral point in his life as a high school senior, he needs to turn things around or face some heavy consequences.

Michael's lack of motivation and love of his car is not only hurting him scholastically, it has taken a toll on his relationship as well. Again, Michael is more concerned with his car than he is romancing his girlfriend, who breaks up with him for those very reasons (to be fair, though, her expectations are a bit much). The breakup bothers Michael, as he doesn’t seem to think there were any issues with their relationship, which shows how little he has paid attention to anything other than his car. At this point in Michael’s life, the world is simply moving on without him, and he will be left behind if he doesn’t step things up.

Michaels immature nature become the catalyst for the events to come, as his lack of focus on school work has put him in a position where he needs to do well on his science project. If he doesn’t, he will not receive a diploma. Since Michael has not been putting much effort into his studies, he has no science project. As a result, Michael, very characteristically decides to take the easy way out by going to an old junkyard that was once used for military testing in the hopes that he can find something to pass off as his science project.

Joined by the class nerd and eventual love interest, Ellie (Danielle von Zerneck), Michael stumbles upon a hidden underground bunker at the military complex where he finds a strange orb. It's mesmerizing glow immediately captures Michael’s attention, making it an obvious item to turn in as his science project. Due to the film’s opening scene involving a military discovery of a UFO, it’s already apparent that this orb is not of this world. This is further cemented in the next few days, as every time Michael and his best friend, Vince (Fisher Stevens), mess with the contraption, something bizarre happens. It isn’t long before Michael and Vince learn that the orb can manipulate time, and through a series of fantastical events, the orb opens up a time portal in their high school.

After learning that Ellie is trapped inside the school, Michael is now in a position where he has the opportunity to man up and save her from this hostile situation. As a result, Michael, Vince and the school geek, Sherman (Raphael Sbarge), enter the high school to rescue Ellie, only to find themselves facing off against a number of deadly antagonists from various points in time, including Vietnamese soldiers, dinosaurs and aliens from the future.

Now, this is where things get interesting for Michael as a character, as his route towards becoming a man involves acting out the fantasies of almost every young boy (and some young girls, too, I assume). Killing aliens and dinosaurs with machine guns, without any consequences, is the stuff that dreams are made of when you’re a kid (well, at least me). it’s this fantastical situation, however, that forces Michael to think about someone other than himself and, more importantly, his car. Saving Ellie is all that matters to Michael, as she is the one person who has inspired him to, quite simply, be more concerned with something other than his car.

Michael and Ellie’s relationship is truly what drives his transformation towards becoming an adult. What I find most enjoyable about the way in which their relationship is portrayed is how different Michael and Ellie are from one another. As previously noted, Michael is a gearhead with a reputation as a cool dude, while Ellie, on the other hand, is a glasses wearing bookworm who has absolutely no interest in cars. The two characters are true opposites, yet the fact that they are opposites is never made to be a big deal by the characters or the film itself.

While My Science Project is a lesser-known film from the era, it shouldn’t take away from the value that the film provides in terms of its characters. It’s a movie I greatly enjoyed as a child, and now, as an adult, I still find it to be a fun, nostalgic romp that echoes back to the days of yesteryear; where movies weren’t afraid to be sincere and innocence was embraced by adults and children alike.

Splice's Flawed Finale

As much as I enjoyed Vincenzo Natali's Sci-fi Horror hybrid, Splice, the film is littered with a number of minor issues that, for me, can be overlooked in the big scheme of things. However, one major problem I have with the film - and something that truly holds it back, in my opinion - is the final act where the viewer is given the long awaited opportunity to see what the man-made monster, Dren (Delphine Chanéac), is truly capable of. Obviously, this will be a complete spoiler, so go away if you've not already seen the movie. Don't get all pissy about it…you can come back later on after you've seen the movie. Anyway, as you know, Splice ends with a scene where it is believed that Dren - the creature created by Genetic engineers, Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) - is dead. Clive and Elsa take Dren's body and bury it outside of their secluded farmhouse where they had been hiding Dren from the always-pesky pesky-people that love to do pesky things. You know the type.   

Soon afterwards, Clive and Elsa's poorly fleshed-out boss, William Barlow, shows up along with Clive's brother and co-worker, Gavin, when Dren - who underwent a metamorphosis that transformed her from a female, to a male - suddenly attacks both men. After killing both Barlow and Gavin, Dren goes on to rape Elsa and kill Clive after he stabs her with a branch. Elsa delivers the final blow with a rock to the head and that would seem to do it for Dren. Now, I should mention that this whole scene is very well put together - outside of the ridiculously handled rape, of course - and should work in a way that is a sort of a payoff for the slow moving, character driven time spent leading up to this action filled finale. The wooded setting is absolutely gorgeous, with how the moon's rays cast ominous shadows, illuminating the snow-covered ground to make for quite the incredible backdrop for a scene of violence and action.

So, where exactly does my problem lie with the ending of Splice? Well, as I mentioned earlier, before Dren attacks she makes a drastic transformation into a male. She becomes a different creature (despite being played by the same actress), and it's very clear that the monster known as Dren is not present in any real way that translates to film (because her internal thoughts and feelings clearly do not translate to celluloid). All of the time spent with Splice is time spent with Dren as she is. A female. We watch her grow and mature into what may be one of the finest looking monsters I have seen in quite some time. A truly original creature that is almost, dare I say it, sexy (I know, gross), but in a way that is dangerous and frightening at the same time. Dren has a horrifying elegance as a monster that goes well beyond Splice as a film, and it's a complete shame to sit through an entire movie with this wonderful creation, only to have it taken away at the last minute for the sake of a plot device.

And what was that plot device again? Earlier in the film, Clive and Elsa's purple booger experiment goes awry when the female hybrid creature they created turns into a male and the two purple boogers kill each other. This would seem to be the clue that Dren would also swap sexes, but the question is, why? Why does the purple booger have to change into a male to become volatile? Is it to show that the male is more aggressive than the female thus the male Dren attack scene at the film's end? Dren already showed intense signs of intense aggression and a lack of rational thought, so that throws that theory out the window. The only reasonable explanation to make Dren a man is solely to impregnate Elsa. Regardless of it serving the purpose of a cliffhanger/plot-twist, I really do not see any reason why Dren, as was, couldn't be capable of impregnating someone herself. 

To ask your audience to suspend their disbelief and accept the fact that a female gendered science experiment, complete with a serious phallic symbol, could impregnate a human woman, is not the tallest of orders. No one knows how this created creature would mate, procreate, or do anything for that matter. If anything, I find it more believable to just have Dren be able to do this because she isn't a human and can quickly adapt to move her new brand of species forward. Evolution for the sake of survival. Her aggression, as well as that of the purple boogers, can be as simple as that, an experiment that resulted in chaos, which is sort of the film's point, correct?! Therefor, this entire unnecessary plot point serves no real purpose but to try to be smart, but instead takes away a major piece of the puzzle from what is essentially a monster film. It takes away the monster.

What sayeth you?!

Moon: You Saw Me Standing Alone

Duncan Jones nostalgic sci-fi space romp, Moon, is a mostly well known film in certain circles, with those circles mainly consisting of people who are passionate fans of cinema in one form or another. Outside of those too cool for film-school film fans, Moon is not a recognizable name (unless you're talking New Moon, of course), and the general public has little to no clue about the movie. At least that is what I assume but my assumption is more than likely spot on.

That alone somewhat speaks for how the film was completely neglected by the Academy this year - in a ceremony that applauded ten films instead of five - so they could make room for movies more along the lines of the summer blockbuster. Or, to put it in simpler terms, make room for films that the general public know about, thus, drumming up better ratings from the "average person." Basically, popularity over substance becomes even more prevalent.

Most passionate film buffs that have seen Moon have applauded actor Sam Rockwells' performance as Sam Bell, often saying he was criminally snubbed by the Academy. After finally seeing the film for myself - with abnormal expectations mind you - I could not agree any more. Rockwell's performance is a multilayered one, and his range makes him more than capable of pulling off such a complex and well written character. If he couldn't, the film would falter greatly.

Sam Bell is a character that faces tough questions about his actual being and is forced to do so with only himself to try and answer them. He is incredibly sad in many ways, and the bleakness that comes from ones questioning of their own existence when one lacks that existence is more than simple food for thought. However, the average moviegoer would prefer comfort food as opposed to something made with a complex recipe and foreign ingredients. Not that there's anything wrong with a little comfort food, but a good and healthy diet it certainly does not make when that is all that one consumes.

Robbed of an Oscar nod, sure, but Rockwell is not the only crater on Moon's surface that was more than deserving of some golden love, and I'm not talking about the R. Kelley kind. Moon is astonishingly made on every technical level with an eye pleasing 'aged future' set design that harkened back to the Science Fiction cinema of yore – the smooth and engulfing emptiness that is captured by the film's DP, Gary Shaw, is top notch – and the story, originally written by Jones, has the capability to rope in the viewer, giving just enough slack so that the narrative remains captivating until the film's reveal and ultimate conclusion. And all of these things were achieved with a $5 million dollar budget?! Wow, who would have thought that a wonderful film could be made for less than $50 million dollars. But it wasn't about the money (what?!), instead, it was about using the muscle in most everyone's head (neglected or not), the brain, to transcend budgetary restraints.

If you ask me, and you did by reading this, Moon - based off the other films that I have seen that also were awarded the prestige of being recognized by the Academy - was deserving of a Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Director and Picture nomination. Shit, the very subdued but powerful score by Clint Mansell may even be worth at least a thought for Best Score. Getting back to the "big award," though, I just don't understand how with ten spots for Best Picture, there is no room for a film like Moon? I mean, it was smile inducing to see District 9 on there - it was a great movie, and I, as most were, was surprised by the nod it received for best picture. But was it better than Moon? Not at all.

The general audience might not get it and while that can be frustrating since it is they that determine what the Hollywood machine cranks out…they don't know any better. They are mindless cattle that would rather go and see a film to have something to do, like text and giggle at shit on the screen. On the other hand, the Academy of ARTS and SCIENCE, a group that is meant to honor the BEST that cinema has to offer, most certainly should know better. Shame on them for ignoring such a fantastic film, but kudos to Duncan Jones for making one.

Freddy's Friday Night Dance Party!: Product Placement Edition!

Changing things up for this weeks pajama jammy jam, I thought it would be nice to bring in one of the hottest DJ's working the tables in the underground hip-hop dance scene. Straight from San Fransisco, I now present you with D.J. Tanner! You know the House is always gonna be Full when D.J. Tanner is up in this piece - so lets get ready to enjoy this Hip-hop Happy Meal with Mac and Me!

Man...who the hell invited Kimmy Gibbler? She is totally going to ruin my party!



This 1988 E.T. ripoff is such a fantastic mess and this scene is so moronic, that I just had to include it in a dance party someday. With a large dose of heavy stuff like Coca-Cola, Skittles, and McDonald's, there are more addictive substances in Mac and Me than there are in this entire club! You can see the addiction in the dancers eyes too - the thumb moves, the footloose football players, and that jerk off kid in a wheelchair who can't even at least try to join in by doing some spin moves on one wheel cause he's too doped up on sugar and meal worms! Then there's the Mysterious Alien Creature, otherwise known as MAC, dancing all up on the counter, which is so unsanitary. What kind of germs did that alien asshole bring from planet Mickey D's I wonder?

The one thing I can't help but think is this would totally happen at the exact moment I went into Mac Donald's to get something to eat. I mean business when it comes to eating and all I want to do is get my food, eat it, and get out, but if a dance scene broke out, I can only imagine that there would be no time to make my food, let alone blend me a shake. "Umm…excuse me?! Could you maybe stop dancing and get me my fucking plain double cheeseburger? Maybe?"

CNAMB Presents: Monster of the Week!

I have a bulldozer of a monster for you for in this weeks edition of Monster of the Week - A character that scared the bejesus out of many kids, kids that were lucky (or unlucky, perhaps) enough to have parents that let them watch anything that was popular, even if it was not meant for kids in any way, shape, or form.

Our Monster of the Week is...

ED-209!

Seriously...the Enforcement Droid Series 209, or simply, ED-209 is one of the coolest parts of Paul Verhoeven's 1987 Sci Fi/action masterpiece, RoboCop (outside of coke being done of some titties!). One of cinemas most imposing creations ever, ED-209 is gigantic, it growls, and looks like a metal bulldog. ED-209 may be the Monster of the Week, but he sure as hell isn't weak!

Designed by Craig Hayes and animated by Phil Tippett, ED-209 is best known by film fans for his (?) appearance in RoboCop and its two mediocre-to-awful sequels. This metal monster also showed up in RoboCop: The Animated Series, and has made appearances in comic books and video games based off the RoboCop brand.

You have 20 seconds to comply, but only 10 seconds before you shit your pants. Better find a flight of stairs with the quickness!

Alien Lives...and not in AVP Form!

With the recent news of Ridley Scott officially coming back to the series he started with his original 1979 Science Fiction masterpiece, Alien, I thought I would do something different than simply writing about the excitement and potential that can come from such fantastic news. Instead, I have decided to post some of the artwork that would come to inspire the visual look of Alien (and the following sequels); artwork that would result in astonishing landscapes, intricate set design and one of the most amazing and original creatures ever to be put to celluloid.

H. R. Giger’s brilliantly surrealistic Biomechanical artwork lead to him receiving the Oscar in 1980 for his titular creature design as well as the remarkable environments found within Alien. His artwork is something that lives on very strongly, and forever will it continue to influence all aspects of art, from comics, to video games and even right down to furniture and interior design. I have personally owned at least five of the H. R. Giger calendars and have proudly displayed the gorgeous and sexually explicit Biomechanical artwork in my very own kitchen. And quite frankly, nothing says dinner like an alien sucking on its phallic tail! Who wants hot dogs for lunch?! No matter how perfect of a film Alien is, it's very difficult to say just how well it would have worked had it not been for Geiger’s inspirational artwork. Would this incredibly tense and brilliantly paced movie have had the same effect had it featured the Krites from Critters? I’m not saying that Krites aren’t so dope or anything, but it clearly wouldn’t be the same.

Anyway, without any further ado, here are the pieces that I chose. Most of these photos are taken from Giger’s Necronomicon books and are very much a part of what Alien would eventually came to be.
Hope you enjoy!




















All of that incredible work eventually resulted in this...


...easily one my all time favorite movie creatures, the Queen from Aliens!