Suggestion Box

One of the hardest things about this site is going to be coming up with appropriate movies.  Especially when I'm constantly refining just what constitutes a Triskaidekafiles Film.

I've compiled a list that's ok and a good start, but there's a lot of movies on the list that I feel don't quite fit the mold.  I want to float these past my readers and see what y'all think, and either give them a thumbs up or a veto.

In addition, I am always open to any movie you don't see on the list.  I've got a lot of movies that I'm not going to list here, though.  These are just the maybes, and the whys I'm waffling on them.

• Bubba Ho-Tep.  This one feels too new, but is perfectly in the style I love.
• Idle Hands.  Too deliberately funny?  Not enough horror?  Too new?
• Black Christmas.  Either, both.  Never seen the first so not sure about it.  The remake might be too new.  Although I do like the idea of comparing originals and remakes somewhere down the line.
• Shadow of the Vampire.  Feels like it might be too straight to do, but might be fun.
• Shaun of the Dead.  Too new, and actually too damned good, I think.  But might make a good example of doing things right.
• Dracula: Dead and Loving It.  Too much on the comedy side of the spectrum.
• Dead Snow.  I've not seen this, so hard to judge it.
• Nic Cage's Wicker Man.  Less horror, more horrible.  A good excuse to watch it, but might be a poor fit for Trisk.
• Stay Alive.  Perfectly in the style that feels right, but feels too new?
• Urban Legend, the original one.  Might be too new, and too good.  Hard to tell.
• My Name is Bruce/Man With the Screaming Brain.  We gotta do something with Bruce Campbell at some point.  These fall into the too new category as well though.
• Evil Dead 1 or 2. I'm really torn on these.  They're old, they're cheesy, they're pretty perfect.  But they're also classics.  Can I mock the classics?
• Cry_Wolf.  I'll admit, I really think this movie is quite well done.  It might be too good for us!
• Cthulhu.  The recent movie.  It's corny, but not quite in the way I'm looking for.  I'm not sure if this fits the site at all.
• House on Haunted Hill.  The new version.  The original should end up here someday.  But again, is it too new?
• Pulse.  The American version.  So awful.  But is it our kind of awful?  See other whinging on the newness.
• Slither/Snakes on a Plane.  These two are a lot like Shaun, in that they run with the cheese and over the topness, and would be perfect fits, although they feel almost too new for the site.

So yeah, there's my list of maybes.  The definites I'm keeping to myself to keep some surprises under my trenchcoat.  I'd love to hear what others think out of those I should definitely look at, or what others I don't list.

Also, as a kind of catch-all question; should the site of a cutoff date for which movies don't get reviewed?  Anything newer than 2000 or something like that?  Something about modern movies just don't quite reach the charm of the past few decades, but there's still a few that fit the mold.

Share your thoughts!

J

Survival

Hooray, we made it through the first review!

My love for Popcorn is so huge.  Such a bad movie, but I love it all the same, and that's what this site is all about.  It was a huge thrill rewatching it and sharing it with people.

The responses I've been getting so far have been mostly positive, and folks seem to like what I'm doing.  The length is a bit of an isuse, and yeah I got a little long, so I'll be looking to play around with that next time around and in the future, although at the same time, I'm not sure what I'd remove.

Thanks for everyone who read it, and got back to me what they thought of it.  That response really made this worthwhile.

Also around the website, I added a few more links to other review sites, and they've all been an influence on me and my style.  If not for seeing other people do this, and get people loving it, I likely wouldn't be here.  So if you like what I'm doing, swing by their sites, you'll probably enjoy them more!

And cut.

J

And So it Begins

It's been a long week, but the day is finally here, and I can finally talk about it!

Ok, I could talk about it before, I just chose not to, to build suspense.  Because that's more fun.

Anyone with half a brain should have known that today, October 13TH would be the day I'd post the first review.  That was always the plan, even before I bought the URL.  What other day would this site post its first review?

And what movie did I review?  The very little known film from the early 1990s, Popcorn.  The movie is about a group of film students putting on a marathon to raise money.  And murder ensues.  It looks at films, pokes fun at them, and is such a weird little film, it was perfect to kick things off.  Be sure to click the now-functioning Reviews link to check it out.

But it was not without problems.  The final 20 minutes of my copy of the DVD ground to a halt.  Fortunately I have plenty of other players to use and had that as a backup plan, but it was still supremely frustrating.  It figures my first review would not go smoothly.

I am so glad that this is finally out there, and it was a blast revisiting this movie, and sharing it with everyone.  Let me know what you think of the review, what you like, what you didn't, what you'd like to see.  This is my first one, and if there's room for improvement, I need to hear it in order to change!

J

Showtime!

Finally, the site finally turns up on Google.  Been waiting to see that for a week!  I'm surprised there's actually other sites that use the name Triskaidekafiles to even come up.  But it's my word now, mwahahaha!

That's really the only news for now.  No updates, just finally getting some Google juice.

Oh, and as I type this?  I'm watching a movie.

It's showtime!

J

Website Update V: Updates Take Manhattan

Another day, a few more updates.  Just added a bunch more links to the link page.  Most notably, added a link to Troma Entertainment, creators of the Toxic Avengers, Kabukiman, and some of the most offbeat, low budget horror.

Another couple of links were made to the former MST3K crews' current projects, since watching them late at night, along with other shows, really fostered my love of these sorts of films, even if they are really awful.  I wouldn't be doing this if not for them, at least in part.

That's all for now, keep your eyes out!

J

Coming Soon

I've picked out the first movie I'm going to review, and it's a definite thing.  I was giving thoughts to Trick 'R Treat, but I didn't want to kick things off with a movie that might actually be pretty good!  That would be a poor example of just what the site intends to look at.

That movie is still a big possibility down the road, but it won't be the site's premiere review.  The movie I've picked is a real *ahem* gem, and is utterly perfect for this site.

And no, I am not going to reveal what film.  Where would be the fun in that?

J

Know Your Terms

It's probably worth getting into just what a 'bad' movie is to me, since it is a highly subjective term under the best of times.  Even more so when one is applying the word to movies I sometimes love.

Of course, there's the obvious usage of it.  A movie that's just plain bad.  Everyone can pick those out.  It has no redeeming value whatsoever, and isn't even worth going near.  First movie that comes to mind of that type, that's not even entertaining in a bad way, would be Scifi Channel's The Fallen Ones.  Oh man that was awful.  I couldn't turn away, it just kept getting worse.

And usually it's easy to spot a good movie.  Quality of directing, acting, cinematography, writing, etc.  These are two extremes that everyone can usually point to and agree with.  Although there's always someone who will love or hate anything, going against the usual opinion.

But then there's that really odd space, and that's where this website is going to reside.  A movie that is badly acted, isn't shot very well, has amazing shoddy special effects, or is written with the most absurd plot holes or outlandish plot devices.  And yet...they have a charm.  A joy to them.  Something that makes them fun and makes you want to watch them, even knowing just how bad they are.

Sometimes, that can be deliberate.  A bad movie, but knowingly bad, being done tongue in cheek, with everyone being in on the joke and welcoming the audience in on it as well, so everyone can just have a good laugh.  Slither is my favourite example of this.  It's goofy and silly, and everyone knows it, and can enjoy it on that level.

Other times, it is a complete accident, and probably not the intention of the creators that it was going to turn out bad.  Sometimes, things just happen.  It doesn't have the budget, or the actors, to sustain an otherwise ok script.  But I digress.  There are other films that you love just because they're so awful, and people in it take themselves way too seriously.

In short, even I'm not sure what will end up being considered a 'bad movie' for this site.  I know I want to review even a few good movies, just to keep my sanity, and to highlight stuff that is an example of this genre done right.  Even then, not everything will be horror.  There's surely some thriller movies, some bad action films, and even some scifi films that I'd love to add to the site.  A friend mentioned I Come In Peace, and that would be perfect here.

So yeah, I just spent all these words clearing up absolutely nothing!  But I think we have a general idea.

J

Building Blocks

Another day, another couple of tweaks to the site.

Added an email contact form over there ->

My favourite addition to the site has to be the addition of the favicon, our little crimson 13.  It's one of those personal touches to a website that really makes it mine, and it makes such a great, simple logo.  I have a bit of glee seeing it every time.

Someone reading these might be wondering why I'm posting these updates.  Which is fair enough.  I'm still working out just what all I'm going to do, and how I'll do them, but I want to get into the habit of doing regular updates, and the act of sitting down and banging out a few sentences, even if it's only about the few tweaks I've made to the site over the past few hours, it is still something, and forming good habits.

I'm neck deep in my Fringe season 1 DVDs (Awesome show, check it out if you haven't already!) and once I'm done with that, I'll dive right into my first review.  I think I know exactly what that will be, but I'm going to sit on it for a little longer, so there's something to look forward to.

Seeya on the flipside.

J

Work in Progress

Just a small update as I'm working on the site.  Just a lot of little updates today as I'm hammering out all the details.

Made and added links pages, some links to follow me on other services that you can find over there on the right.  And on the left, you might be able to see Blade from the Puppet Master movies watching over the site.  Full Moon and the Puppet Master movies are a huge influence on me, and reason for this site to exist, so adding him over there felt right, and it added some more visual content to the site.

Added a main page with a brief intro.  Not entirely happy with it, but it works for now, and I can always massage it over time.

And for a complete look at what this site is about, there's now an About Me page that gets into some of that.

There's a few other bits and bobs I've tweaked and added, but nothing major.  Everything is going apace towards the real launch.

J

Things to Come

What you can look forward to in the next few weeks:

• Movie reviews (Duh)
• News of interest.
• Hopefully some photos to go along with the posts, screencaps, packaging, etc.

What movies do I have planned?

• The Puppet Master series
• Lots more Full Moon as my budget allows.
• Trick 'R Treat is very likely, since I'll have it today.
• Scifi Channel Originals have a high probablity.
• I'm open to suggestions!

If there is any movie you'd like to see, please let me know in the comments, and I'll see if I have it, or can get it.  I'm sharing my love, and I want others to share right back.

J