Mehcad Brooks

DVD Review: Embarrassingly Bad ‘Creature’ Fails to Terrify, Titillate

mattmovieman — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:59:58 -0400

CHICAGO – After a particularly long work day, I often find it difficult to coax my mind to sleep. That’s when I turn to Video On Demand for some free and immediate assistance. Most moviegoers would probably search for a familiar comedy or predictable romance to help their eyelids grow heavy in the wee hours of the morning. Yet my insomnia-remedy of choice will always remain FEARnet.

Nothing says instant catatonic coma quite like bargain-basement horror dreck. Titles like “Pinocchio’s Revenge” and “Brotherhood of Blood” are more effective than any dosage of Ambien or Lunesta. That’s because the vast majority of FEARnet fodder has an identical opening. A car full of lusty young adults is careening with carefree abandon down the road when an unexpected obstacle forces them to bunk for a night at the worst possible pla—zzzzzzzzz…

DVD Rating: 1.0/5.0

In the words of Rick Perry, “Oops!” Where was I? Oh yes, I was beginning to warn you about Fred M. Andrews’s “Creature,” a film so bad that it nearly caused me to doze off during its obligatory early sequence where a photogenic victim is wiped out by an unseen threat. Naked breasts fill the screen as a nameless and apparently brainless woman strips down to perform the umpteenth imitation of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” opener, albeit with brighter lighting. Why a woman would want to skinny dip in the alligator-infested waters of a Louisiana swamp is anyone’s guess. We’ve now arrived at the first example of this film’s embarrassing level of incompetence. When the creature leaps out of the water to attack the woman, the camera cuts to an incoherent close-up of splashing water and scaly skin. There’s no indication of where this splashing incident is taking place—it could be on the other side of the swamp for all we know. Of course, when the camera cuts back to a wider shot of the water, the woman is now missing. It’s as if Andrews merely inserted a random shot from a National Geographic series into a softcore porn special on HBO. It’s the worst editing I’ve seen since “Birdemic,” and yet, it’s also the least of this film’s problems.

Creature was released on DVD on March 20, 2012.
Photo credit: Arc Entertainment

In the next scene, our heroes are introduced, and wouldn’t you know it? They’re nothing more than a carload of lusty young adults careening with carefree abandon down the road. It’s not long before they make the exceedingly ill-advised decision to stop at a tourist trap run by horror icon Sid Haig, who speaks in warmly comforting tones obviously concealing malicious intent (at least his teeth have vastly improved since “The Devil’s Rejects”). The snottiest kid in the sextette of doomed drifters mocks the local legend of Lockjaw, a Bigfoot-like creature that embodies every Hollywood producer’s fear of inbred, cannibalistic, fanatically religious wingnuts from the deep-fried south. Sure enough, the kids decide to camp out at the former home of Lockjaw while indulging in a hedonistic night of lovemaking, which predictably serves as the overture to bloodletting.

Daniel Bernhardt is assigned the task of playing Lockjaw, and though he attempts to mimic sinister reptilian movements as he slinks through the swamp, there’s never a single moment where the audience is unaware that he’s just a guy in a rubber suit. Guys in rubber suits can be scary, as cinema history has proven throughout its many decades of memorable monsters, yet they all require the vision of a master filmmaker to propel them into the paranoid subconscious of a jittery moviegoer. Perhaps Bernhardt may have flourished under the direction of Wes Craven or John Carpenter, but Andrews can only manage to make him look and feel like just another guy in a suit, and if “Creature” proves anything at all, it’s that guys in suits are not inherently scary. At all.

I’ll admit that there are moments when this picture flirts with descending into cheerful self parody, but they are few and far between. Ever-reliable character actor Pruitt Taylor Vince briefly materializes as a guy named Grover who rants incoherently, stomps his feet and is promptly eaten. It’s not much of a performance, but at least it’s entertaining. There’s also an extended sex-before-slaughter sequence that involves boy-on-girl, girl-on-girl and brother-on-sister action. Out of all the young actors hung out to dry, I felt the worst for Amanda Fuller, who previously sported her formidable acting chops in “Red White & Blue,” a horror film that is to “Creature” what “The Day The Earth Stood Still” is to “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”

“Creature” is presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio and includes three brief featurettes where the cast and crew discuss the arduous task of shooting the film on location in Baton Rouge (I imagine that a “Hearts of Darkness”-style doc could’ve been made of their suffering). As in most featurettes, the actors manage to spin their experiences in a positive light while talking up their product. Actor Wayne Pére boasts, “There’s some incestuous stuff—which is freakin’ hot.” When incest emerges as your film’s primary attraction, it’s clear that you’ve reached a freakin’ low.

‘Creature’ is released by Arc Entertainment and stars Mehcad Brooks, Serinda Swan, Dillon Casey, Lauren Schneider, Aaron Hill, Amanda Fuller, Sid Haig, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Daniel Bernhardt. It was written by Fred M. Andrews and Tracy Morse and directed by Fred M. Andrews. It was released on March 20, 2012. It is rated R.

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 75 Pairs of Chicago Passes to New Horror Film ‘Creature’

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:03:44 -0400

CHICAGO – In our latest horror edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 75 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of “Creature”!

“Creature” stars D’Arcy Allen, Daniel Bernhardt, Mehcad Brooks, Dillon Casey, Amanda Fuller, Sid Haig, Aaron Hill, David Jensen, Rebekah Kennedy, Ilya Krueger, Wayne Pére, Lauren Schneider, Serinda Swan, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Jennifer Lynn Warren from writer and director Fred Andrews.

The film opens on Sept. 9, 2011. To win your free pass to the advance Chicago screening of “Creature” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question below. That’s it! This advance screening is on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for “Creature” with D’Arcy Allen, Daniel Bernhardt and Mehcad Brooks.
Image credit: The Bubble Factory

Here is the plot description for “Creature”:

Promising a week of fun and relaxation, a group of six friends head out on a road trip to New Orleans. Deciding to stop at a roadside tourist trap along the Louisiana back roads, they are introduced to the legend of Lockjaw: the local version of Bigfoot.

A creature part man and part alligator, the legend tells of an inbred local man named Grimley. He lost his family to a monstrous white alligator and was driven to madness when he was too late to save his pregnant bride (also his sister!) from the beast.

In a fit of rage, he ate the ancient alligator and was cursed and transformed into the monster that became known as Lockjaw. Their curiosity peaked, the group decides to head deeper into the swamps to check out the birthplace of the creature legend. As they journey further into the backwoods, the group arrives at a dilapidated cabin and decide to camp there for the night.

Setting up camp and unwinding by the campfire, they are blissfully unaware that they are being watched. Soon, an innocent road trip to New Orleans becomes a nightmarish and brutal fight for survival deep in the swamplands of the Louisiana Bayou.

The movie trailer for “Creature” can be watched now below.

To secure your free tickets now, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this question:

What makes a horror film most scary to you?

Like all Hookups here, this Hookup is simple: Just submit your comment below and we will award 75 admit-two tickets randomly via e-mail for our “Creature” Hookup. Winners need to arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Winners are typically e-mailed our advance-screening passes two days before the screening date. Good luck!

Disclaimer
HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and
its partners and doesn’t assume any liability for this giveaway.

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By ADAM FENDELMAN
Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

TV Review: Smooth Delivery For USA’s ‘Necessary Roughness’

BrianTT — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:59:21 -0400

CHICAGO – USA’s new summer drama “Necessary Roughness” gives new meaning to the phrase “the psychiatrist is crazier than the patient.” In this case, Callie Thorne (“Rescue Me,” “Californication”) is Dani Santino, a freshly dumped wife and mother of two teenagers who runs a psycho- and hypnotherapy practice out of her tony suburban Long Island home.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

Tough-as-nails, but with what can best be described as functional obsessive-compulsive disorder, she confronts her husband’s serial philandering after noticing that the pristine bed linens in her guest room have been tucked in with hospital corners instead of box pleats. She then embarks on the typical cinematically chaotic, lost-at-sea post-breakup spiral, enabled by her childhood best friend Jeanette (Amanda Detmer, “Saving Silverman”), who encourages her into a one-night stand with an attractive guy at a bar (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”’s Marc Blucas).

Necessary Roughness
Photo credit: USA

In a fairly unlikely turn of events, Dani sticks around the next morning to demonstrate her hypnotherapy skills to her new potential love interest, who turns out to be a physical trainer for an NFL team with a troubled star wide receiver. Impressed by her ability to get him to quit smoking, he convinces his coach to commission her to help Terrence “T.K.” King (“True Blood”’s Mehcad Brooks), a player as known for his loose-cannon, criminal behavior as for his on-field slump. Though she begins to regain her emotional footing with her career resurgence, the new job makes her deepening romance with her now-coworker Matthew (Blucas) a big no-no. Essentially, she must choose between happiness in her career or her personal life.

Necessary Roughness
Photo credit: USA

Like most pilots, this episode has a cloying amount of exposition, and yet despite that, it’s a highly watchable (if predictably fluffy) piece of summer programming. Thorne is earnest and multi-layered. Her delivery of merely average writing lands lines that would fall flat in a lesser performer’s hands. Though the best by far when she’s angry — and fairly irritating when she attempts cuteness — Thorne’s mostly un-self-aware, committed portrayal of Dani will find you rooting for the steely, slightly mad character to come out on top.

Plus, her budding romance with the earnest Matthew is hopeful and sweet, and I found myself hoping they could make it work, even as I was conscious of the barely tenuous plausibility that Dani would achieve a successful long-term relationship with the quintessential rebound guy. Matthew’s tender affection for Dani makes his pairing with her emotionally fragile and wounded character a believable one. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this reviewer has always liked Blucas ever since his “Buffy” days and — an embarrassing confession — since his appearance in the saccharine Katie Holmes vehicle “First Daughter.” So I’m hoping that he remains on “Necessary Roughness” for a while and that his relationship with Dani will eventually come to satisfying fruition.

Beyond Blucas, Thorne’s scenes with Brooks’ T.K. are taut and believable. It makes sense that the troubled football player would be not-quite-a-match for the ferociously nurturing Dani, who displays a showy bravado that barely masks her visible, and understandable, nervousness around the angry player. Their love-hate chemistry, especially when propelled by her rage, is like a well-choreographed fight scene. If Brooks’ character can stay somewhat-troubled, and the writers resist the urge to rehabilitate him, T.K. will make an interesting foil for Dani in the long term.

All in all, with great casting choices, decent writing, and strong performances (especially by Thorne, Blucas, and Brooks), “Necessary Roughness” distinguishes itself as a very strong product on the summer TV lineup. As a viewer, I’m eager to see where this rookie will go from here.

The pilot of “Necessary Roughness” airs Wednesday, July 29 at 9:00 p.m. CST on USA. It stars Callie Thorne, Marc Blucas, Mehcad Brooks, Amanda Detmer and Scott Cohen

By EMILY RIEMER
TV Critic
HollywoodChicago.com
emily@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Chicago Passes to ‘Just Wright’ With Queen Latifah, Common

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:22:43 -0400

CHICAGO – In our latest romantic sports comedy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to the new film “Just Wright” with Queen Latifah and Common! The film opened on May 14, 2010. These passes are valid at participating Chicago movie theaters during the film’s run.

The film also stars Paula Patton, James Pickens Jr., Phylicia Rashad, Pam Grier, Laz Alonso, Mehcad Brooks, Michael Landes, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Rashard Lewis, Bobby Simmons Jr., Jalen Rose and Rajon Rondo from director Sanaa Hamri and writer Michael Elliot.

To win your free “Just Wright” movie pass, all you need to do is answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for “Just Wright” with Queen Latifah and Common.
Image credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Here is the plot description for “Just Wright”:

“Just Wright” stars Queen Latifah (“Bringing Down the House”) as Leslie Wright: a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the dream job of working with NBA all-star Scott McKnight (Common, “Date Night”). All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, which forces her to choose between the gig of a lifetime and the tug of war inside her heart.

Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is drawn to the affections of Leslie’s gorgeous childhood friend, Morgan (Paula Patton, “Precious”), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of “best friend” forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him?

Set against the world of championship basketball, the game of love takes on the battle of the sexes in the romantic sports comedy “Just Wright”. The film stars three of Hollywood’s most charismatic personalities as they navigate the full-court press of love.

The movie trailer for “Just Wright” can be viewed now below.

To secure your free “Just Wright” movie pass, you must be logged into your HollywoodChicago.com Web site account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having a free Web site account with a valid e-mail address is required to win this Hookup.

Next, simply answer our question. You must submit your answer using this confidential, Web-based submission form. Please do not comment in this Hookup. Your entry will be invalid if you only comment here and don’t submit into our Web-based form. Please only submit your answer using this submission form.

You must include your first and last name, e-mail address and physical mailing address in your submission. Your personal information will not be sold or shared, will be kept strictly confidential and is only for awarding winning entries. Please answer our question below.

If you had to pick one, which would you choose: the job of a lifetime or the love of a lifetime?

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple: 25 HollywoodChicago.com readers will be randomly selected as our “Just Wright” Hookup winners! The winners will be mailed the movie passes at our expense. Good luck!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

TV Review: ‘True Blood’ Returns For a Bloody Good Summer

BrianTT — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:03:17 -0400

CHICAGO – Forget the buzz about “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” There are 12 hours of vampire love before that even hits theaters. HBO’s spectacular “True Blood” returns this weekend with a great second season premiere filled with the gore, sex, humor, and thrills that fans of the show have come to expect. It’s going to be a hot summer in Bon Temps.

Television Rating: 5.0/5.0

Part of the charm of “True Blood” is in the unexpected twists and turns of the show. Just when you think you know where a character’s arc is going, it takes a left turn and said character might even end up dead. It’s the most refreshingly unpredictable show on television.

Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer.
Photo credit: Jaime Trueblood/HBO

The first season of “True Blood” ended on a peak and it continues to rise with the second season premiere. Consequently, reviewing it is very difficult. I will tread very lightly with spoilers.

The first thing you should do is catch up with the first season on DVD and Blu-Ray. Not only is it a great season of television, but the first shot of the new season picks up immediately after the last shot of the first. And so much of this first episode plays off plot points and themes from the first. I usually would suggest jumping into a great show as soon as possible, but I can’t imagine keeping up as well with this season premiere if I hadn’t just watched the last 12 episodes on Blu-Ray.

Deborah Ann Woll.
Photo credit: Jaime Trueblood/HBO

When we left off, Sookie (Anna Paquin), Tara (Rutina Wesley), and Andy (Chris Bauer) has just found a dead body in the back of a drunken Andy’s car. Even just the identity of that body would be considered a spoiler but it is someone with a past related to one of the lead characters and who left it there and why will clearly be a major plotline of season two.

Meanwhile, Sam (Sam Trammell) was running around with a bag of money and Bill (Stephen Moyer) was stuck at home waiting for Sookie to return. Jason (Ryan Kwanten) was free and had been courted by the “Fellowship of the Sun,” a group of hardcore anti-vampire crusaders.

Where does “True Blood” go from here? Without much spoiling, I can reveal that it’s clear that many of the characters introduced at the end of season one will play a major role in season two.

Maryann (Michelle Forbes, who is now listed in the fantastic opening credits) is still playing protector/captor for Tara and her motivations and past history with one important resident of Bon Temps is a major focus of episode one. And Eggs (Mehcad Brooks), the cute fellow boarder at Maryann’s, grows closer to Tara.

On the vamp side, Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), the girl that Bill turned into a vampire last season, has returned to mess with her maker’s life. And Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) will also clearly become a more prominent character this season.

I know what you want to know. What about Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis)? The first season ended with the strong implication that one of the most beloved characters on the show had been killed, possibly even by Bill. I would never ruin what happened to Lafayette and just say that you won’t have to wait long to find out and you’ll be stunned and fascinated when you do.

Rutina Wesley, Michelle Forbes.
Photo credit: Jaime Trueblood/HBO

“True Blood” is one of the best shows on television because it’s not just unlike anything else on TV, it’s several shows in one. You could watch Alan Ball’s series as a social commentary, as a romantic soap opera, or as a gothic murder mystery. The writing is some of the most clever on television. Ball and his writers throw religion, sex, violence, and mythology into a Cajun gumbo that keeps getting better by the episode.

Going seamlessly from season to season - I watched the finale of one back-to-back with the premiere of two - I have to say that the time off seems to have done the show a world of good. I thoroughly enjoyed season one but the premiere of two is one of the best episodes to date.

What’s different? All of the actors, Paquin and Wesley in particular, seem more confident in their roles. They seem more comfortable in these character’s skins with a whole season under their belts and the performances are more assured.

And the same confidence about character extends to the writing. The dialogue, pacing, and plotting feels more perfectly paced in the second season premiere. This is one of the most crisply written and edited hours of the year to date. It feels only about half its running time.

Finally, the season premiere of “True Blood” doesn’t skimp on anything that fans have come to love about the show with one of the bloodiest death scenes and one of the most explicit sex scenes the show has produced to date. “True Blood” is back - even sexier, bloodier, and more entertaining than ever. It’s going to be a fun summer.

The second season of “True Blood” premieres on HBO on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 8pm CST. It stars Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Chris Bauer, Michelle Forbes, Nelsan Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, Alexander Skarsgard, and Mehcad Brooks. It was created by Alan Ball.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com