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For the most part, the days of the classic monster movie are over. Modern moviegoing audiences are simply too sophisticated to quake at the sight of a shambling, dusty old mummy or a be-caped vampire with a distinctive widow's peak and a propensity for pronouncing his w's as v's. The werewolves, vampires, ghosts and zombies ("Frankensteins") of yesteryear still have enormous appeal, but more often as the subjects of parodies or comedies than of horror movies.
The latest movie to use classic monsters for laughs is acclaimed animator and director Genndy Tartakovsky's (Samurai Jack, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) upcoming 3-D family comedy, Hotel Transylvania, which revolves around a secret hotel run by Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) that caters to monsters who want a little getaway from torch-waving humans. Described by Tartakovsky as a "silly" movie — "Not every movie has to be a Pixar movie. If someone wants to make something like Dumb and Dumber, why can’t we?" — Hotel Transylvania goes straight for laughs, but monster comedies run the entire gamut from child-friendly cheese to really scary-with-a-smidge-of-comic relief. Help us make some sense of these horror-comedy hybrids by rating the Top 10 Monster Movie Comedies.
Rate the Top 10 Monster Movie Comedies >>
Posted 09.29.12 by BrentJS -
When you walk into a Tim Burton movie, you know almost exactly what to expect. For more than the past decade, Burton’s walked a thin line between putting his personal stamp on every movie he makes and complete self-parody — at times managing to do both. As unique as we’re sure Burton would like to think his take is, he’s not the only one who likes making slightly Gothic-tinged movies with a baroque design. All of these movies share some of the same DNA as a Tim Burton movie, so much so that frequently the main distinguishing difference is fewer appearances by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. And while no, they’re not all as good as Burton’s best work, we can say for certain that literally every one of them is better than Planet of the Apes, which isn't exactly an achievement worth bragging about.
10 Movies that Out-Burton Tim Burton >>
Posted 05.08.12 by reelz -
If you got excited about the recent rumor that an all-new Gremlins movie was being developed for release in stereoscopic 3-D, then prepare to be disappointed. It now appears that "Gremlins 3-D" is far less of a sure thing than 3-D–centric MarketSaw reported it to be several weeks ago.
While out promoting his new movie, Percy Jackson and the Oympians: The Lightning Thief, director Chris Columbus, who wrote the original Gremlins for producer Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, was asked to comment on the rumor, and he told ComingSoon that he didn't know anything about a new movie being developed.
I spoke to Steven Spielberg a couple days ago and said, "You know, I've been reading on the internet about this Gremlins 3-D," and no one's approached him either, so I don't know if that's really true.
Columbus added that "it would be fun to go back and revisit" the property, but that using CGI to animate the gremlins would not do the little guys justice.
Something like Gremlins, which is a movie I really like, I think it's impossible to recreate in a CGI environment. I think it will inevitably lose some of its charm. Those are edgy Muppets in a sense and you don't want to lose that sense of anarchy that those gremlins had, because behind the scenes are 25 puppeteers making them to come to life.
Posted 02.08.10 by BrentJS -
According to MarketSaw, a blog devoted to 3-D movies, Gremlins is the latest '80s franchise returning to the big screen, following in the footsteps of Tron: Legacy and the long-in-development Ghostbusters III.
I have very good information from a top source that tells me another GREMLINS movie is coming to the silver screens and it will be in stereoscopic 3D! It is in the early stages with still lots of hurdles to pass, but it is being developed. This is not a 3D conversion of the original to be clear.
Among the details still not known: Will Gremlins be rendered as CGI or use puppets, as in the original movies? Will director Joe Dante will be involved? And, perhaps most important, WHY?
Posted 01.26.10 by BrentJS -
Just in case you thought writing On the Origin of Species was a walk in the park for Charles Darwin, think again. According to the new movie Creation, it turns out that the renowned naturalist encountered more than a few stumbling blocks in the course of drafting the book that would establish the concept of evolution. Not only was he wracked with chronic illness, he was also concerned with how his work would fly in the face of religious doctrine and consumed with guilt over the death of his daughter Anne.
Imagine now if, on top of all of that, Darwin had regularly ducked into a movie theater and gotten a gander at the collection of hitherto-unknown life forms featured in movies. The ones that seem to defy several, if not all, the aspects of his theories. At best, their revelations would've thrown a monkey wrench into the writing process. At worst, they might've compelled the man to forsake his work in favor of a lifetime collecting decorative thimbles.
Fortunately for all our sakes, Darwin remained blissfully unaware of these rarefied beasts. But that doesn't mean we can't take a good look at 'em and see what havoc they might have wreaked in established science in 10 Creatures that Would Have Stumped Darwin.
Posted 01.19.10 by reelz -
For most, Christmas is a happy time rife with warm family memories, selfless gift giving, gentle snowfalls, and the sharing of the season's goodwill tidings.
For others, Christmas is a time when you can't step into an elevator without being subject to the Muzak version of "O Holy Night." When going to your local pharmacy means being guilted into giving up your spare change by a guy with a bell who looks like he just got released from prison.
We've got 6 movie recommendations for those with a more cynical perspective of the season. They offer the chance to enjoy some seasonal cinematic joys with more edge and less good cheer. From German terrorists to singing skeletons, little green monsters to an alcoholic St. Nick, we've got all the bases covered.
To find out when these Bah Humbug selections are playing, check out our Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.
Posted 12.11.09 by reelz -
Deck the Halls (Mistletoe & Mayhem)
FX, 5 PM ET
Neighbors (Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick) go to war after one adorns his house with enough lights to make it visible from space.
Frosty's Winter Wonderland (Comfort & Joy)
ABC Family, 7 PM ET
Frosty’s kind of lonely, so the kids decide to make him a wife.
The Santa Clause 2 (Mistletoe & Mayhem)
Disney XD, 7 PM ET
Santa Clause (Tim Allen) must get married by Christmas Eve in order to save the holiday and keep his job.
Gremlins (Bah Humbug)
HDNET, 8:00 PM ET
An inventor (Hoyt Axton) gives his son (Zach Galligan) a furry little pet for Christmas that turns out to be not so cute.
What else is showing this season? See the complete Holiday TV Movie Guide: The 12 Flavors of Christmas.
And if you're wondering what to buy the movie lovers on your shopping list, check out our Holiday Gifts store.
Posted 12.04.09 by reelz -
Already tired of hearing Christmas jingles when you're just trying to get your morning caffeine fix at Starbucks? Not feeling that warm and fuzzy holiday cheer just yet?
Not everyone thinks this is the jolliest season of the year. And while Hollywood has been responsible for more than a few schmaltzy seasonal tales, they've also thrown the occasional curveball for those of us who see Christmas as more hassle than magical.
Today we count down 6 Movies for People Who Hate Christmas. Bah, Humbug!
Posted 12.04.08 by reelz