Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror Sci-Fi & Cult Cinema #3

This month's Nightmare Theater will delve into Science Fiction and shall be dedicated specifically to films adapted from the works of Phillip K. Dick.

Phillip K. Dick, as almost everyone knows, was a deeply cynical and brilliant writer who wove his stories through apparitions of conspiracy theory, dark political agendas and (despite the fact that some would say he presented things through a lens of paranoia), some frighteningly prescient thoughts on authoritarian governments.
All the while he found a way to drift through issues of spirituality and transcendence as seen through the lens of the remnants of the 1960s drug culture. The first thing that comes to mind is probably "Blade Runner". While that's a fine film, I'm going to go with a few less obvious for this PKD edition of Nightmare Theater recommendations.

His style became clearly evident in some of the first PKD stories that I read which included "A Scanner Darkly" which was adapted for film in 2006 by Richard Linklater.

This was the cover that introduced me to Phillip K. Dick.

The film was a partially animated endeavor that delivered the drug-like nature and subject matter of the book in a unique way. Featuring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downy, Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder in both live and in disturbed looking animation form. When I first read the book I wondered how a film adaptation would address the "scramble suits" (clever ever-shifting "human camouflage" suits designed for undercover law enforcement).

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Next up on the PKD "hit list" is John Carpenter's "They Live" a film that is not generally thought of as a PKD film (because it is not based on one of his stories.) 

While this 1988 horror film is based on Ray Nelson's short story "8 o'clock in the Morning", I can't help but think that both Nelson and Carpenter were deeply inspired by the style and subject matter of Phillip K. Dick. Although Carpenter approached the material with a more action/comedy tongue in cheek approach (casting Rowdy Roddy Piper as lead and including a 4 minute buddy fight scene with Kieth David kind of spell that out) the core elements of PKD's primary obsessions are all over this film!

It's hard to deny the Phillip K. Dick influence at work in this film. The sense of  "paranoia that might not be paranoia",  Authoritarian Governments obscuring the truth from the masses, and somewhere mixed up in that truth, sure enough, there's aliens ...Sounds like Phillip K. Dick must have been typing in the subconscious of John Carpenter and Ray Nelson to me!

And of course "They Live" left us with classic images like this one below.

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Last but not least, the latest Phillip K. Dick adaptation is 

John Alan Simon's "Radio Free Albemuth" featuring: Shea Whigam (as Phillip K. Dick), Jonathan Scarfe, Alanis Morrisette, and Katheryn Winnick.

"Radio Free Albemuth" was perhaps my favorite Phillip K. Dick novel, so I wait with excitement for this film (which is currently doing the festival circuit) to reach a festival near me or achieve distribution that brings it into theaters and/or the hands of anxious PKD fans!

While I have yet to see the actual film itself, the trailer looks promising and I have spoken extensively with Producers John Alan Simon and Elizabeth Karr about adapting "Radio Free Albemuth" for the big screen. 

You can catch - Part 1 of that interview -

"Radio Free Interview - Part 1" at Film Courage.

Link to Radio Free Interview by T. Reed for FilmCourage.com

Keep your eyes peeled for 

Part 2 of "Radio Free Interview" COMING SOON!

~

 What are YOUR favorite movies 

adapted from Phillip K. Dick Novels?

T.Reed - Composer/Sound Designer, Writer and Artist 

@TAOXproductions

TAOXProductions

T. Reed at Film Courage

Nightmare Theater - The Hottest Films in Horror SciFi, & Cult Cinema

I am happy to present a new feature here at Nightmare Sound Laboratory! In case you haven't guessed it by now, I sort of have a thing for Horror movies, as well as Sci-Fi, Cult, Asian Cinema and, well, just movies in general. As such I have a collection of over a thousand films, including many obscure titles. From "so bad it's good" to "so good it's terrifying" and everything in-between, I'd like to present some of my favorite picks in this feature I call "Nightmare Theater". I won't be doing reviews here 'per se', but I will present some recommendations and sufficient description to solve your movie night dilemmas. The hottest picks from my private collection, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 skulls.

Today's picks are from my Asian Cinema collection. Here are a couple of my all time favorites and definitely amongst some of the wildest films out there!

Hellevator

"Hellevator" or ("The Bottled Fools") the 2004 Japanese film written and directed by Hiroki Yamaguchi is definitely NOT for the kiddies:) It is gruesome, freakish, post-Apocalyptic cyber-punk in an elevator. This film makes M. Night Shamylan pee his bed while David Lynch laughs about it. It's weird, it's tense, and it's everything I love in a film. "A Clockwork Orange" get's stood on it's head, crammed through "1984" and dropped in to a brave New Tokyo most of which occurs while a group of strangers are trapped on an elevator with dangerous prisoners. Bored with "regular" old movies? THIS IS A MUST SEE FILM! Five Skulls!

Save the Green Planet

"Save the Green Planet" (2003) is a Korean film from the mind  writer/director Joon Hwang-Jang. This Dark Comedy lives up to both characteristics to the highest degree. Again, this film is NOT for children, nonetheless it can be both heartwarming AND horrifying in the same moment. Byeong-gu (Ha-kyun Shin) suspects his boss is an Alien. With the help of his adorable hapless, naive but loyal girlfriend Kang Man-shik (Yun-shik Baek) they go to extreme measures to save the world from invasion! Madcap creepy fun! 5 Skulls!

Volcano High 

Another splendid Korean film by Director Tae-gyun Kim, "Volcano High" (2001) is a fun high flying fantasy FX film about violence between rivals at WanSanGo (Volcano High). This is silly comic book fun with plenty of martial arts madness, schoolgirls who kick ass and enough mystic Kung Fu to sooth the Taoist in me. Think Battle Royal but WAY cooler! Exciting cinematography and experimental tones give this a super comic book feel! The film centers around Kyeong-su (Hyuk Jang) a transfer student known for disciplinary troubles, who must unite the students to face a greater enemy than rival gangs. The DVD comes with an English version dubbed by famous rappers (Snoop Dog, Method Man, & others); DO NOT WATCH THE ENGLISH VERSION! It ruins the movie, and whether you like those artists or not, the dubbing is sub par and the entire flow and vibe of the film is lost. There is also something about the nature of the Korean language that is so critical to the actors' performances. Definitely watch the Korean version with English subtitles. You won't regret it! You guessed it: 5 Skulls!

These are three of my all time favorites so we got 15 Skulls up on the trophy wall!

Nothing like watching a good film with some great fiends!

That's all for now,  till next time at Nightmare Theater,

Beast Wishes,

T.Reed - Composer @TAOXproductions

http://www.taoxproductions.com http://www.imdb.me/treed

Science Fact: Robot /Man - Exoskeleton

     FROM AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION TO SCIENCE FACT! 

The robot exoskeleton and giant mecha warriors, previously the exclusive domain of sci-fi pulp magazines, comics, ambitious Japanese animae and cinema, are now active development projects with functional prototypes. It's all here in this month's robotic feature.  From the serious and militant to a "big kid's" toy for those who can afford the price tag, from the deadly serious to the patently absurd, or artistically odd and even a dose of downright silly just for fun;)

If I didn't know better, I'd think we were preparing for some kind of Mech-War!





I think this guy he thinks he's Tony Stark;)



How do you get this damn thing on the tour bus?



Save up your pennies and platinum for this 300,000 dollar gem;)




Ok, Ok ...It's silly as all get out...But man what a lot of work and fun it must have been to put that costume together, he better just hope it doesn't rain...



Till next time, keep well oiled;)
See ya again, same robot time, same robot channel.

Guns, Girls, and Giant monsters - Assault Girls - Another Mamoru Oshii TKO

I think I love this movie and I haven't even seen it yet.

Here's why:

Did I mention, this movie has it all! The 3 Gs: Guns, Girls, and Giant Monsters. Don't know that I need to say more, but for those that need convincing, take into account that it is a Mamoru Oshii film ( The same guy responsible for the groundbreaking "Ghost in the Shell", Avalon, and perhaps less well known, but no less intriguing and bizarre "The Red Spectacles" (1987). The music was done by Kenji Kawai. http://www.kenjikawai.com

In case you are not convinced yet:

Check out the trailer:

"Assault Girls" is scheduled for a 12/19/09 Japanese release. I can't wait to get it here!

Horror and SciFi writer, Robert Hood usually beats me to the punch on these hot new films, I just toss one or two in that really strike my fancy. You can check out his fine blog @ http://undeadbrainspasm.blogspot.com

Kaijusonic Update

Kaijusonic - Release Delayed

Well the idea was to arbitrarily post Halloween as a deadline for this project...The reality is that some film project and festival deadlines and priorities stepped in the way. Not so out of the ordinary in this crazy biz;) That said, I want to make this a spectacular project with lots of fun cool merchandise and an incredible collection of fine monster music so, I am going to take the time I need to make sure this is worth the wait! I promise it will be MONSTROUS!!! I will post a new release date when I've had more time to give this project the focused attention it deserves and I'm sure a financing and distribution chain is in place.
More on this soon...

Kaijusonic Team - Nightmare Sound/TAO X Productions

Retrobots of the Month - Robomercials 1

I have a ton of writing to do this weekend , so before I take off to one of my secret remote laboratories where I can work without distraction, I wanted to leave you with a new feature brought to you by the "Rise of the Retrobots" multi-media compilation project. Please enjoy these Retro Robot Flashbacks. Some of these may even be lurking in your closets! Remember kids, the Robots we make today could become the Overlords of tomorrow!
So be careful what you build! And be kind to your Robots:)

At the time of its making, this robot cost enough to feed an average family for a week, (which is probably why you don't see too many around today). That might be a good thing considering how much damage they could do in a Robot Uprising (Providing they could afford the batteries).



According to the commercial, "Ideal's Robot Commando is here to help you!", at least if you are a boy bent on World domination! Apparently 'Ideal' had the market cornered on creepy mesmerizing robots designed to train a legion of grade school children to find a gleeful pass time in conquering, crushing and destroying the defenses of Earth. Ideal for Robot propaganda preparing the youth for the next Robot Uprising coming to a town near you soon!



I discovered one of these 2xl Robots(sans power supply) with a Marvel comics cartridge...If I can batterize it it looks like a great candidate for circuit bending AND tape looping!
What could possibli go wrongggggg...bleet- do..beep kkkkchztrrrt*$$#@!Excelsior ...popsizzleburningmeltysmell.....;)



That's all for this week kids, see ya when I get back from the remote lab.
In the meantime go play at some of the ancillary laboratories:
Rise of the Retrobots on Myspace
Rise of the Retrobots Home
Monster Makers Lab
TAO X Productions
Kaijusonic

Monster Makers Lab

In conjunction with the Nightmare Sound Laboratory,

I have just opened the Monster Makers Lab at yahoo groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/monstermakerslab/

Monster Makers Laboratory is for anyone who plays some role in bringing Horror and SciFi Monsters to life! Whether your an industry artist, media professional, or a hobbyist who likes creating monsters for fun, this is the place to be:) Every facet of Monster Making is on the table here, from creating models, sets, costumes, soundtracks, sound design, writing, acting or any other role in the production of Horror and SciFi Films, TV, Music, Comics, Toys, Literature, Art etc. This is meant to be an active forum created to pursue the mission of this group:
To keep the fine art of Monster Making alive and well by fostering collaborations, promoting member projects, exchanging tips, tricks,(and tales of our trials and tribulations along the path;), and sharing appreciation of fine works in the field.
I look forward to meeting you all and exchanging ideas.
Happy Nightmares,
T. Reed - TAO X Productions - Nightmare Sound

Humans Only!

On a recent trip to San Francisco to do some recording, I noticed these AWESOME 'Humans Only' signs at the Bus Stops! That of course elicited a look at the D-9 website they list at the bottom of the poster. Turns out it's Peter Jackson's latest, "District 9" coming out August 14th 2009. Their website www.d-9.com and viral campaign are pretty cool, so here's to hoping this will be a movie every bit as cool as the promotions promise.

Rise of the Retrobots

RISE OF THE RETROBOTS

TAO X Productions
&
Nightmare Sound
Present:
'Rise of the Retrobots'.

Recently, I've been working on a number of tracks which could loosely be called 'Robot Oriented Music" (R.O.M. for short;), music one might consider, by, for, or about Robots. This has inspired me to embark upon a collaborative multi-media compilation of 'Robot Music', Images, and Video all reflecting a SciFi audio-visual venture into the realm of Electro, Experimental, Techno, Cinematic, and other such oddities that would best portray the future-retro vibe of 'Old School SciFi' meets 'New School Electronica' in an all out Robot Extravaganza !

For updates, contributors list, and additional info keep checking in at:

Robot Uprising
Kill Robots Rise (Excerpt) by T. Reed/TAO X Productions

Welcome to the Nightmare Sound Laboratory

King Komodo/Cryotanks Image by Todd Tennant used with permission

I'd like to begin with a brief introduction and a story to help you make sense of the many oddities you will doubtless encounter herein. My name is T. Reed and I am a Composer, Music Producer and Artist. This affliction possessed me as a small child infatuated with horror movies, and obsessed with comics, monsters and robots (Oh how little has changed;). I believe I can pinpoint the exact moment in time when my course and purpose was set and permanently engraved upon my soul much like the Curse of the Werewolf that was placed upon Lawrence Talbot in the old Saturday Night creep shows.
At age two, I drew pictures of Batman and declared that I would be an Artist when I grew up, but it was Kindergarten, the ultimate horror story for some, destroyer of youth and innocence, that pushed me into what I am today. In my first encounter with the agencies of conformity and assimilation, I remember nothing of note upon that day until, much to my surprise and wonder, the teacher announced that we were all going to take a trip to the laboratory. As we walked in an orderly fashion down the halls, I envisioned a room with scales, skulls and bones, vials of glowing substances, and beakers of preserved specimens and creatures of unknown origin. I could see a mad scientist suspiciously similar to Boris Karloff in appearance, teaching Mad Science 101 in the Science Lab in my minds eye. On that first day of school, I was launched into society, into the Belly of the Beast, and for one brief shining moment I had hope for a life of excitement and joy. So this was School, eh? AWESOME! This momentary ecstasy was of course merely the product of my imaginings and shattered into pieces on the cold tile floor of the hallway that we seemed to have stopped in inexplicably.
As I waited patiently, I noticed that little by little, the teacher was allowing students to use the bathrooms. "Ah, I see, I told myself, a pit stop on the way to the 'real' laboratory" but even then, a sinking feeling had begun to build in the pit of my stomach that I just couldn't shake. It was confirmed when we turned around and walked back the way we'd come. Who came up with the word 'Lavatory' anyway, and when were we, (as 5 year olds), supposed to have assimilated that word? All I know is that those 8 letters spelled my first great disillusionment. Welcome to the 'real world': disappointment, misunderstanding, boredom, and waiting in line to crap out numbers and yesterdays food products....It was then, that somewhere deep inside, I cracked and made a solemn unspoken oath to fulfill the imaginary world of Laboratories and Mad Scientists I had envisioned waiting in that hallway. That hallway that crushed my childhood and my dreams in one fell swoop, also swung wide the doorway to my imagination.
I now open that door to you.
Never again will you have to face the annoying disappointment of utilitarian blandness! Here at the Nightmare Sound Laboratory there is a monster in every room and a robot doorman to guide the way. Mad science is the only science studied here, and outlandish sonic experiments are the rule and not the exception.
Welcome to my World.

T. Reed - Composer, Music Producer, Artist
King Komodo/Cryotanks Image by Todd Tennant used with permission