CINEMA SCARITE

Vote for The House on Arch Lane: Fear Fête 2012

2011-12-31T06:26:00.000-08:00

The House on Arch Lane, the short film with a script (story) by Janet Hetherington and produced by Germany's StoneHope Entertainment, is in competition for the Fear Fête Fear Festival 2012.

Cast your vote now by supporting with a "like" vote.

Fear Fête is scheduled to take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in October 2012. Fear Fête is celebrating its second year as Louisiana's premier independent horror film festival. The three-day event is open to the public and will be held at Rave Motion Pictures (location to be determined).

Thriller The House on Arch Lane screens at Killer 63 fest October 22

2011-10-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight's the night to come to the Mayfair Theatre in Ottawa, Canada to see THE HOUSE ON ARCH LANE as it screens with some other great horror thriller shorts as part of the Killer 63 film fest.

THE HOUSE ON ARCH LANE was a Top 25 finalist in the 2008 Canadian Short Screenplay Competition. It was selected for production by Germany's StoneHope Entertainment, and now the 12-minute short is making its world premiere in Canada: http://www.stonehope-entertainment.com/?p=65

The film is screening with the other entries at 11:30 pm. If it's not too late and you're up for a scare, come to the Mayfair!

More info: http://www.janethetherington.blogspot.com/
http://www.janethetherington.blogspot.com/

Media coverage:
http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-ottawa/killer-63-vi-at-mayfair-this-saturday-october-22nd

Catch up with Cinema Scarite news @ Best Destiny

2011-04-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a chance to catch up with items of Cinema Scarite interest that I've been posting @ Best Destiny:

Stake Land strikes April 22; Lionsgate dips into eco-horror with The Bay

New Dark Tower novel from Stephen King in 2012

Brandon Routh goes from Superman to supernatural sleuth in DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT

Honey West #3 with Ronn Sutton art hits comic shops March 9

Janet Hetherington Reviews for Pop Culture Addict

2010-07-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

Janet Hetherington is providing film and other reviews/interviews for Sam Tweedle's weird & wonderful Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict website (http://www.popcultureaddict.com/).

You can read the review of the Canadian western GUNLESS here.

Watch for more Pop Culture Addict postings by Janet!

Popcorn Nugget Reviews: Indy 4, Iron Man, Sweeney Todd, Diary of the Dead & Quantum Leap. Oh boy!

2008-06-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

CINEMA SCARITE

Popcorn Nugget Reviews

By Janet Hetherington

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) fights the cold war in the 1950s – Russians this time, not Nazis – as he is joined by an adventurous youth named Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) who recruits Indy to rescue Mutt’s mom and recover another weird archaeological artifact. This Indiana may be older, but he’s not necessarily wiser, and the chemistry between Indy and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) sizzles as ever. There are lots of fun chase scenes (the one on the motorcycle is a stand-out) and enough bullwhipping action and skullduggery from director Steven Spielberg to please stalwart Indy fans. (In theatres.)

Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. completely owns the character of Tony Stark, the arms industrialist who develops a conscience along with a super-suit of armor that can fly and make the wearer into a human cannon. The dialogue is snappy and the vfx depicting the suit’s creation and powers reflect the best kind of science fiction. Jeff Bridges is truly villainous as greedy Obadiah Stane and Gwyneth Paltrow is both smart and enticing in her role of Pepper Potts, despite her silly name. Director Jon Favreau has forged a winner. (In theatres.)

Diary of the Dead

Director George Romero defined the modern zombie thriller with his black-and-white documentary-esque film Night of the Living Dead. In his latest treatment of the genre, Romero further explores how people react in times of crises, and whether modern communications (video cameras, cell phone image capture, security camera capture, streaming video on the Internet, TV news reports), can help deal with something as incredible as the relentless rise of walking dead that kill, eat and infect living humans. In the end, the answer is no… the zombies just keep coming. (On DVD.)

Sweeney Todd (The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

Teamed again with director Tim Burton, Johnny Depp sings (literally) as Sweeney Todd, the psychotic barber who seeks revenge against those who stole away his wife, daughter and freedom. The film has an eerie black-and-white quality, and the music by Stephen Sondheim is both clever and haunting. Depp and Alan Rickman (Judge Turpin) perform an amazing duet as vengeful Todd prepares to go for the jugular. Warning: much blood is spilled to make Mrs. Lovett’s (Helena Bonham Carter) special meat pies. (On DVD.)

Quantum Leap

Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) has made another quantum leap – onto Canada’s Vision TV. This show, from Donald P. Bellisario (which made its debut in 1989), holds up with its clever notion of a physicist bouncing around in time and taking the form of different people (men and women of different ethnic and work backgrounds) to right wrongs (do God’s will?) and mend things. Hologram pal Al (Dean Stockwell) pops up at the most inconvenient times and computer Ziggy never gets the computations straight, but seeing Sam flounder in his different roles in the different eras is always entertaining. Oh boy. (On television.)

The Golden Compass & The Chronicles of Narnia: Ice Queens Rule

2008-01-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Ice queens rule but earnest, clever, British children prevail in two recent fantasy films: The Golden Compass (2007) and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).

Both movies feature impressive special effects -- including lifelike computer-animated animals -- and while the plots do differ, there are a number of striking similarities in overall setting. Here’s a look at how Compass and Narnia fare in comparison -- lions and witches and polar bears, oh my!

The Golden Compass (2007)
Based on the book Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995)
Controversial because the book was written by an atheist
Access to other world: Alethiometer (or Golden Compass)
Girl who discovers access: Lyra Belacqua (supposed orphan)
Other world climate: Frozen north
Other world villainess: Mrs. Marisa Coulter
Animal interaction: Animal soul mates
Polar bears wear battle armour and talk
Children and animals battle to free those taken by the Gobblers
Big battle scene: Yes!
Worldwide box office*: $150,384,574 (as of Dec. 30, 2007)
Sequel: Set-up for sequel at end of film as Lyra seeks her father, Lord Asriel

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Based on the book The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950)
Controversial because the book was written by a Christian
Access to other world: Wardrobe
Girl who discovers access: Lucy Pevensie (temporary war orphan)
Other world climate: Eternal winter
Other world villainess: The White Witch
Animal interaction: Talking animal compatriots, including a Lion Saviour
Polar bears pull the Witch’s chariot
Children and animals battle to free the inhabitants if Narnia
Big battle scene: Yes!
Worldwide box office*: $744,783,957
Sequel: Confirmed sequel: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

*Box office figures from BoxOfficeMojo.com

Both films look great; however, Narnia wraps the story neatly at the end, while Compass offers a blatant cliff-hanger that leaves the fate of Lyra’s father unresolved. As to which franchise will spawn sequel after sequel, Harry Potter style, Narnia is the evident front-runner with its upcoming film adaptations of Prince Caspian (2008) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).

Welcome to Cinema Scarite!

2008-01-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

Cinema Scarite is my personal look at science fiction, fantasy and horror films of recent and not-so-recent vintage. I started writing these reviews/observations a few years back and have decided to resume the scariness. (Caution: It's what's in my brain and not what's on the screen that can be really frightening.)

For more articles on animation and special effects, be sure to check out my contributions to Animation World Network (www.awn.com) and VFXWorld (www.vfxworld.com).

Janet Hetherington