October 9, 2019

I'm Still Calling It The Pre'Ween Picture Show, Calendar Be Damned

    So it's not really Pre'Ween if it happens in November, right?  Owing to a couple of prior obligations, it just wasn't possible to schedule Pre'Ween in October this year.  Regardless, I refuse to create yet another sub-heading in the Movies At Dog Farm universe, so Pre'Ween Picture Show it shall remain, calendar be damned.

The-Quatermass-Xperiment-1955
Here's one for the old coots... In The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), three astronauts venture into space and only one returns.  The one who returns is infected, and he begins to mutate into whatever the fuck that is in the picture above.  Not coincidentally, the release of  The Quatermass Xperiment  also marked the moment that Hammer Studios first began mutating into the purveyors of science fiction and horror we all know and love.  And no, I didn't misspell the title multiple times - Hammer removed the "E" in "Experiment" to play up the adults only "X" certificate awarded to the movie by the British Board of Film Censors.  Hammer felt it would enhance the movie's fortunes at the box office, and they were right.

The Quatermass Xperiment screens on Saturday, November 2nd.

Laid-to-Rest-2009
Laid to Rest (2009) is a slasher movie that isn't afraid to go all in on the kills.  Director Robert Green Hall got his start in the business as a make-up effects artist, so it only makes sense.  Good new, though - over the top make-up effects aren't the only things Laid to Rest has going for it.  Performances across the board are better than this kind of material generally demands, and the killer is suitably iconic and mysterious.  We never know Chromeskull's motivations, but that's for the best.  The sequel went overboard in that regard, much to its detriment.  Regardless of how the sequel turned out though, Laid to Rest is a brutal and engaging slasher movie for the new millennium.

Laid to Rest screens Saturday, November 2nd.


The-Convent-2000
What can I say about The Convent (2000) that hasn't already been said (here)?  I've wanted to share this movie with the Dog Farm since these events began, but I kept holding out for a Blu ray release.  We're going on two decades now, and it hasn't happened - so DVD it is!  I fully expect Scream Factory to announce a special Collector's Edition Blu ray release tomorrow.

The Convent (2000) screens Saturday, November 2nd.


The-Banshee-Chapter-2013
I've also heaped praise on The Banshee Chapter (2013) before (here), and it's one of those rare movies - much like my beloved Pontypool (2008) - that seems to always get a positive response when I share it with others.  It's also one of those rare movies that plays better when you don't know what to expect going in, so that's all I have to say about it for the time being.

The Banshee Chapter screens Saturday, November 2nd.

   
                         Saturday, 11/2/19     The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
                                                                  Laid to Rest (2009)
                                                                  The Convent (2000)
                                                                  The Banshee Chapter (2013)

     Screenings will begin around dusk and continue until we're out of movies.  Obviously, we'll be inside for this event.  Happy Post Pre'Ween!


July 9, 2019

It's Movies At Dog Farm VIII ('Cause I'm Keeping Track Of This Shit Now)

     Yep, Movies At Dog Farm VIII is on the horizon.  Per my resolution in the previously posted Movies At Dog Farm timeline, I'm going to start making a point of recording the dates and titles here to better keep track of the event's history. 

Real spiders are real creepy.  I can already guarantee that the inevitable remake of Arachnophobia (1990) - which will almost certainly be chock full of the finest CGI spiders a bloated budget can buy - won't be a patch on the ass of the original.  Keep in mind that we'll be watching this outdoors, surrounded by literally millions of the little beasties.  What's that you feel crawling up your leg? 

Arachnophobia screens on Friday, August 9th.


Real Haitian zombies, conjured and controlled by voodoo, in the first and last American feature film actually shot on location in Haiti.  The late, great director Wes Craven literally almost died filming The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988).  This one absolutely oozes atmosphere.  You will squirm, and your nightmares will be haunted.  Being buried alive is a primal fear, and Craven expertly exploits that fear like the master he was.

The Serpent and the Rainbow screens on Friday, August 9th.

And now for something completely different... Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park) apply their irreverent brand of comedy to the most awe-inspiring big budget puppet show you'll ever see with Team America: World Police (2004).  The only thing not funny about this movie is that its satire is just as relevant now as it was in 2004.  I don't care what anybody says - these guys are geniuses.

Team American: World Police screens Saturday, August 10th.

I swear the political subtext present in Saturday's movies was unintentional.  Thrill to the experience of French director Alexander Aja (High Tension) telling you just exactly what he thinks is wrong with America in his superior remake of  The Hills Have Eyes (2006).  You can count all the horror remakes that surpass the originals on one hand and have fingers left over.  This is one of them.

The Hills Have Eyes screens Saturday, August 10th.

It's relatively new, it was distributed by Troma, and it would have been right at home playing a Times Square grindhouse in the early eighties.  I'm expecting walkouts.  Those that steel their resolves and stick it out will be treated to a truly singular viewing experience.

Undisclosed "Midnight Movie" (2011) screens Saturday, August 10th.

           Friday, 8/9/19      Arachnophobia (1999)                                             
                                              The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

     Saturday, 8/10/19     Team America: World Police (2004)
                                              The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
                                              Undisclosed "Midnight Movie" (2011)

     The title of that mysterious "Midnight Movie" will be added in after the event.  I don't want to take the chance that someone might Google the title beforehand, thereby preparing themselves for the trauma.  It may well become the first outright bomb ever screened at Phil's.  You heard it here first.


     EDIT, Post Event:  For anyone that didn't get it, the Undisclosed "Midnight Movie" was Father's Day from film-making collective Astron 6.   It was not an outright bomb.  For point of information, we ended up not watching The Hills Have Eyes (2006).  Scheduling difficulties.  Consequently, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) will likely turn up again at a future event.  All movies (with the possible exception of Father's Day for some) were well received.  If I had to call it, I'd say The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) was the best received of this bunch.  Most of the audience hadn't seen it before, and it's just a great fucking movie.  Onward to Pre'Ween!


April 24, 2019

Movies At Dog Farm Events Timeline - The First Seven Years (And 50 Movies)

Old MADF Facebook Group Page Header featuring the final image from Lucio Fulci's The Beyond (1981). We still haven't watched this movie at a Dog Farm Event.  Go figure.

     I'm shocked!  Shocked, I tell you!  The Movies At Dog Farm Events that initially spawned this website are creeping up on their seventh anniversary in May, and Movies At Dog Farm VII will see It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987) become the fiftieth movie we've shown.  That count excludes the second screenings of the three titles that have screened twice, of course.  For the record, those titles were: Suspiria (1977), Pontypool (2008), and Trick R' Treat (2007).  I'm not one hundred percent certain all the dates in this timeline are correct, but I'm pretty sure I haven't missed any titles.  The Summer One Nighters are the most likely to be a little off since they were more haphazardly scheduled and thus more poorly documented.


Movies At Dog Farm -- 2012

         Friday, 5/2/12      Pieces (1982)

    Saturday, 5/3/12      Cemetery Man (1994)
                                            Suspiria (1977)


Summer One Nighter -- 2012
          
    Tuesday, 6/12/12      Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
                                            Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)


Movies At Dog Farm II -- 2012  (First Pre'Ween Picture Show)

     Friday, 10/19/12      Dawn of the Dead (2004)
                                            House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

Saturday, 10/20/12      Shaun of the Dead (2004)
                                            Attack the Block (2011)
                                            Pontypool (2008)
                                            The Descent (2005)
                                            Trick R' Treat (2007)
                                            High Tension (2003)


Movies At Dog Farm III -- 2014

       Friday, 5/23/14       Starship Troopers (1997)
                                             Saturn 3 (1980)

  Saturday, 5/24/14       Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
                                             The Sentinel (1977)


Movies At Dog Farm IV -- 2015

       Friday, 5/22/15       The Manitou (1978)
                                             Alone in the Dark (1982)

   Saturday, 5/23/15      Vanishing Point (1971)
                                             The Thing (1982)


Movies At Dog Farm V -- 2017

        Friday, 5/26/17       The Beast Within (1982)
                                              The Funhouse (1981)

    Saturday, 5/27/17       Private Parts (1972)
                                              The Blob (1988)
                                              The Howling (1981)


Summer One Nighter II -- 2017
      
  Wednesday, 6/7/17       The Big Doll House (1971)
                                               Videodrome (1983)


Pre'Ween Picture Show II -- 2017
  
    Saturday, 10/28/17       Halloween II (1981)
                                                 From Beyond (1986)
                                                 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)


New Year's Eve -- 2017

      Sunday, 12/31/17        The Redeemer - Son of Satan (1978)
                                                Suspiria (1977) redux


Movies At Dog Farm VI -- 2018

           Friday, 6/1/18         Ed Wood (1994)
                                                Phenomena (1985)

       Saturday, 6/2/18       The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
                                                The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
                                                Altered States (1980)
                                                Humanoids From the Deep (1980)


Summer One Nighter III -- 2018

        Sunday, 7/22/18         May (2002)
                                                 Fear No Evil (1981)
                                                 Of Unknown Origin (1983)


Summer One Nighter IV -- 2018

       Saturday, 8/18/18       The Final Girls (2015)


Pre'Ween Picture Show III -- 2018

         Friday, 10/26/18        What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
                                                   [REC] (2007)

     Saturday, 10/27/18       The Fog (1980)
                                                  Trick R' Treat (2007) redux
                                                  Ginger Snaps (2000)


New Year's Eve II -- 2018

      Monday, 12/31/18        Curtains (1983) 
                                                  The Brood (1979)
                                                  Pontypool (2008) redux


Movies At Dog Farm VII -- 2019

           Friday, 4/26/18        Demon Seed (1977)
                                                  It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987)  50th Movie! *

       Saturday, 4/27/18       Boogie Nights (1997)
                                                  Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)


__________________________________________


    I couldn't resist crunching the numbers a bit after compiling the timeline...

Most Popular Decade:                  The 1980s, with 21 movies
2nd Most Popular Decade:         The 2000s, with 12 movies
3rd Most Popular Decade:          The 1970s, with 11 movies
Most Popular Year(s):                  1977, 1980, 1981, and 1982, with 4 movies each

     Somehow, I've yet to screen any movies from the sixties.  So yeah, we'll be watching some movies from the sixties soon.

     Sussing out this timeline from Facebook group pages, Facebook message strings, the MADF website, and the largely hazy recollections of attendees was more of an undertaking than I initially expected.  Going forward I'll document the events more thoroughly.  If anyone has hard empirical evidence of errors or omissions, please let me know.  It's hard to fathom how many movies we've watched together, and I look forward to another fifty or so as long as interest remains.  Thanks to all who've attended over the years for helping to build these goofy little movie nights into the long running enterprise they've become!

     Incidentally, this would be a great opportunity to leave a comment sharing your favorite memories...

UPDATED


Movies at Dog Farm VIII -- 2019

                 Friday, 8/9/19      Arachnophobia (1999)                                             
                                                   The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

         Saturday, 8/10/19     Team America: World Police (2004)
                                                  Father's Day (2011)


New Year's Eve III --2019

          Tuesday, 12/31/19     Hereditary (2018)
                                                   Little Shop of Horrors (1986)


Winter One Nighter -- 2020

             Sunday, 1/12/20     Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
                                                  Happy Birthday to Me (1980)


Summer One Nighter IV -- 2020

           Saturday, 9/12/20    The Void (2016) -- unfinished -- equipment failure


Pre'Ween Picture Show IV -- 2020

             Sunday, 11/1/20     Horror Express (1972)
                                                  An American Werewolf in London (1981)


New Year's Eve IV -- 2020

        Thursday, 12/31/20     City of the Living Dead (1981)
                                                    Nightbreed Director's Cut (1990)


Spring One Nighter -- 2021

             Saturday, 3/6/21     Matinee (1993)


Summer One Nighter V -- 2021

           Saturday, 6/12/21      The Stuff (1985)


Summer One Nighter VI -- 2021

           Saturday, 7/24/21      Road Games (1981)
                                                     Splinter (2008)


Pre'Ween Picture Show V -- 2021

         Saturday, 10/30/21      Eyeball (1975)
                                                     Nightmare Beach (1989)

Summer One Nighter VII - 2022

          Saturday, 07/09/22     The Skull (1965)

Summer One Nighter VIII - 2023

           Saturday, 6/17/23       Private Parts (1972)




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