The Devil Made Me Do It #movie #mondays #ahauntedhouse

Just in time for Halloween, comedic actor Marlon Wayans is back on the scene with a trailer from his new movie called “A Haunted House” -- opening on January 11, 2013. This film is about a young couple who moves into their dream house and quickly learns that they are not alone. The main character Malcolm, played by Wayans, realized that his house isn’t haunted -- it’s his girlfriend who is possessed by a demon.

Through a parody of “found footage” movies including “Paranormal Activity” and “The Devil Inside,” Malcolm seeks help from a priest and modern-day ghostbusters to conquer these evil spirits so they won’t ruin his relationship. The movie trailer looks silly but I haven’t watched most, if not any of the movies that Marlon Wayans is spoofing in “A Haunted House,” so I might be out of the loop on how funny the film could really be.

Still, I don’t need to watch “Paranormal Activity” to make this week’s Monday Movie Meme loosely based on this upcoming satirical horror picture: The Devil Made Me Do It.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring people who are possessed or believed to have been taken over by evil spirits. Here are my selections is my selection for this week’s The Devil Made Me Do It theme.

The Amityville Horror

I’m referring to the Andrew Douglas remake starring Ryan Reynolds, not the one from the 70s.  It’s kinda creepy how this film shows an arguably normal person become possessed over time. To some viewers “The Amityville Horror” movie could also serve as a reminder that nothing good comes of cults. I’m just sayin’....

What movies have YOU watched featuring people who are possessed?

Have you seen the movie trailer for “A Haunted House?”

Films within a Film

As I set out to wrap up auditions for the cast of an upcoming short film, the only topics on my mind (mostly) are schedules, headshots, pre-production notes and related paperwork. Since schedules, however, can be quite boring, here is a theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme that I think you all may enjoy: Film within a Film.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring scenes where a movie is being made. These scenes should showcase actions going on behind the scenes such as actors getting into costumes, crew members setting up equipment or a fly-on-the-wall view of movies being shot. Here are my selections for this week’s Film within a Film theme.

Scream 3

Neve Campbell stars in this film, where a copycat killer chases her through a movie set that was built for the fictitious Stab 3 sequel based on her life. I’ve probably watched this movie twice and only remember a few scenes: the costume/wardrobe department that freaks out Neve Campbell’s character because she doesn’t know which one is being worn by the killer and the oh so memorable investigation scene featuring the Stab directors’ “Somebody’s trying to ruin my movie!” response to these Hollywood murders -- as if the alleged sabotage of his fake film trumps the actual deaths of real people. What a jerk!

What I find most interesting (or sad, depending on how you look at it) is that when ‘Scream 2’ came out in 1997, the movie theater murder in  its opening scene didn’t alarm onlookers. The people attending the Stab showing thought it was a publicity stunt and weren’t concerned about the stabbing until the victim collapsed in front of their screen, bleeding to death.

Fast forward to 2012 where we live in a world of celebrity wax figures and ever-evolving technology that produces IMAX, 3D animation, killer surround sound and kick-ass special effects. These technological advances are made to seem so realistic that people don’t even realize when something serious is going on -- not even when bullet holes are ripping through their screen during an action scene, like what happened at the Dark Knight Rises massacre. I wonder if people don’t react to real violence in movie theaters because they are either in shock, denial of what’s going on or both while hoping that when the house lights come up, it will all have been just a really unfortunate movie scene.

Lost in La Mancha

Actor Jeff Bridges narrates this documentary, about director Terry Gilliam trying to get his project ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ made. Gilliam has access to resources that many independent filmmakers only dream about -- actors such as Johnny Depp, investors willing to shell out millions of dollars for his production and a full crew who did their jobs as best as they could.

All of the pieces, from concept to execution, did not come together they way Gilliam anticipated including the shoot which starts going over budget while logistics casting issues and logistics problems screw up the schedule. After long days and frustrated crew members, the production nightmare that unravels in this movie ends -- leaving Gilliam with a lot of unusable footage and back in the fundraising seat to finish a films that seemed doomed ever since the first ball dropped. Who knows, he just might get it done one day.

What movies have YOU watched that feature scenes about a film in progress?

The Most Dangerous Kids in Cinema

It’s time for another installment of the Monday Movie Meme. This week’s theme is all about the kind of danger that comes in small packages:Crazy Babies.

Some of you might be singing the Ozzy Osbourne song now but just put that aside for a minute, ok?! Now, share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring abnormal kids who wreak havoc on their environment, ultimately destroying people, places or things in it. Here are my selections for this week’s Crazy Babies meme.

Gage
This toddler in “Pet Sematary” is out for blood when he returns from the dead, steals his father’s scalpel and attacks a neighbor.

The Red Queen
Anyone who underestimates this computer generated little girl is in for a rude awakening. She intends to wipe out the entire human race, using bioweapons and other tricks up her sleeve in “Resident Evil: Retribution.”

Cid
This little motherfucker is a force to be reckoned with. That’s all I’m going to say about him today. He’s also the reason why I picked “crazy babies” for this week’s meme. You MUST go see “Looper” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, while it’s in theaters!

Who are some of the most dangerous kids YOU’VE seen in a movie?