Welcome to Round two of our Horror Icon Faceoff.  Thanks to a late surge we had a few surprises.  
The biggest upset was Martin Lomax beating Frankenstein's Monster.  The Human Centipede 2 has a big online following and Martin fans came out big in the first round.  But can he get enough votes to beat Freddy Kreuger in the second round?

Speaking of Freddy he had a tough match against Norman Bates in the first round.  It was a close race all week and another late surge pushed Freddy ahead.  In fact it was a close match for most of the match up this week.  The only two to really dominate their match ups was Dracula and Michael Myers and Michael Myers got the most votes of any icon in the first round.  

What surprises will round two bring us?  Will we get the Freddy vs Jason showdown in the final four? Will Michael Myers continue to dominate? Can Martin Lomax fan club keep him in the competition?   Vote and check back next week when we announce the Final Four.  

It's October and we wanted to see who the biggest icon in horror film history was.  We picked 16 icons and randomly assigned them against each other.  Each week we will hold a poll where you get to pick who you want to move to the next round.  Make sure you check back each week to see who makes it to the next round.  
Will it be a battle of 80's icons and Freddy and Jason face off again? Or will two classic monsters make it to the final 2 and Frankenstein's monster and Dracula will fight it out.  You vote counts.  
Vote below or head to the link here

by Stephen Milek

When I tell people I am going to the Milwaukee Film Festival one of the first things they ask is "do they show anything good?"  Of course they do.  With over 300 films playing there is something for everyone; it's all a matter of finding ones you will like. What people might not realize is just because the Milwaukee Film Festival doesn't have the name recognition like Sundance or Toronto it doesn't mean its sub-par festival.

This year in the festival guide makes it easy for you to find movies you might like. They have their Quick Picks based on what kind of movies you like and who you are going with.  If you never been to a film fest before this is a great place to start.  I thought about writing up a list of movie recommendations but there are plenty others out there and wanted to do something different (If you are looking for a list of recommendations Matt Mueller of OnMilwaukee.com wrote an excellent list). I could write up what movies I plan on going to see but my tastes aren't for everyone and I encourage everyone to seek out movies that are in line with their tastes.

What I decided to do is highlight things that make the Milwaukee Film Festival special.  Not only are there great movies but it’s an excellent opportunity to experience different things.  No matter what movies you like there are things at the festival everyone should take advantage of.  And this list is only the film related things. There are plenty of other great events surrounding the festival like live music, special gatherings, panels about everything from education to crime, and parties. 

Check out the list below. 

By Christopher K House

Milwaukee Movie Talk started life as a private Facebook group in 2011. From there, we have grown beyond our wildest dreams, reaching thousands. We partnered with the Milwaukee Film Festival in 2013, being a community partner showcasing a selected film. This year, we chose Uncertain as our partner film. Lets look back at the brief but, interesting history we have had as community partners.

2013 - Billy Club

Billy Club is a local production from directors Drew Rosas and Nick Sommer. It's a crazy horror movie with a baseball theme. Fifteen years after a triple homicide that killed their coach and two team mates, four friends reunite to remember their fallen comrades. Unbeknownst to them, the murderer has unfinished business with them. The film was a crazy, wild horror film with a lot of charm. A great flick to watch with a group of friends. Recreational drugs are optional.

2014 - Witching and Bitching

Witching and Bitching sold us the moment we saw the trailer. A Spanish horror/comedy from director Alex de la Iglesia, Witching and Bitching was a surprise sensation. A group of jewelry thieves on the run after a robbery make a wrong turn in to a town of witches. They hole up in an old house as the guests of a host of witches, intent on eating our hapless crew of unlucky robbers. Can they escape the lair of the witches? The movie was hilarious with great special effects, it was a treat to watch. No tricks here.

2015 - Uncertain

Uncertain is a documentary about a small Texas town. Written and directed by documentary veterans Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands, Uncertain tells the story of three men with troubled pasts in a town of 96. We have yet to see the film and, are looking forward to our screening of it.

While our history with the fest might be small, it feels like we have been doing it longer. We have had a few spotlight films over the years as well. We always look forward to the film festival and, look forward to partnering for many years to come.

by Stephen Milek

I wanted to write a list of my top 10 favorite movies I saw at the film festival but there were so many movies I wanted to include I had to up the number to 15.  These aren’t the best movies to ever play at the festival these are just the best I saw at the festival. There were other great movies that played at the festival that I saw outside the festival so those aren’t included.  There is something special about seeing a film at a festival. Sometimes it’s just being with a group of other dedicated film lovers, sometimes it is having the director or subjects of a documentary present, and sometimes it’s just about bragging rights and saying you saw it before everyone else.  

I love lists so when the BBC announced their 100 Greatest American Movies it piqued my interest.  
The BBC polled critics from around the world to come up with a list of the 100 Greatest American Movies.  To qualify as American it only had to get funding from America and didn't necessarily have to be made by an American or take place in America.  Using that as a definition opens up a lot of movis that might not necessarily be considered American.  But it is interesting to get the perspective of critics from around the world and makes it a bit different from the lists that the AFI had done in the past (most recently in 2007).

I consider myself pretty well versed in movies but I will admit there are movies on this list that I have not seen and some that I have not heard of.  There are things that many people have pointed out that seem a bit off about this list. Specifically the lack of any David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven) or Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski) movies on this list.  Maybe those directors appeal more to the home crowd than overseas crowd.  What I do like about the list is that it has a bit of everything from musicals to horror.  

Citizen Kane was not surprisingly ranked number 1 but seems a bit of a boring choice.  
The most mentioned directors were Spielberg, Scorsese, Hitchcock, Wilder, and Kubrick each with 5 movies on the list. 
There were two sequels on the list. The Godfather Part II and The Empire Strikes Back
The most recent movie on the list is 12 Year a Slave from 2013.  
The oldest movie on the list is Birth of a Nation from 1915.
Grey Gardens is the only documentary to make the list. 

As far as things that seem odd 
12 Years a Slave made the list but seems a bit too soon to make the list.  
Gone with the Wind is very popular here in the US and usually ranks pretty high but only ended up at 97. 
While I really liked Spike Lee's 25th Hour I was quite shocked to see it on the list. 
No Shawshank Redemption a movie that constantly ranks high on IMDB
Not being a big fan of Kubrick I feel he is over represented.  There is no way Eyes Wide Shut should be on this list. 
Night of the Living Dead made the list but not The Exorcist.  I personally think both should be on here. 

The full list is below.  Let us know your thoughts.  

100. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
99. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
98. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980)
97. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
96. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
95. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
94. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)
93. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
92. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
91. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
90. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
89. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)
88. West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)
87. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
86. The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994)
85. Night of the Living Dead (George A Romero, 1968)
84. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
83. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
82. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
81. Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)
80. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
79. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
78. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
77. Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
76. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
75. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
74. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
73. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
72. The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941)
71. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
70. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)
69. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 1982)
68. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
67. Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)
66. Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948)
65. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983)
64. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)
63. Love Streams (John Cassavetes, 1984)
62. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
61. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
60. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
59. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
58. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
57. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
56. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
55. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
54. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
53. Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, 1975)
52. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
51. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
50. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
49. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
48. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
47. Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock, 1964)
46. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
45. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford, 1962)
44. Sherlock Jr (Buster Keaton, 1924)
43. Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948)
42. Dr Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
41. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
40. Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid, 1943)
39. The Birth of a Nation (DW Griffith, 1915)
38. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
37. Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
36. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)
35. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
34. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
33. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
32. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
31. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
30. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
29. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
28. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
27. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
26. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)
25. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
24. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
23. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
22. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
21. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
20. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
19. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)
17. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
16. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
15. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
14. Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
13. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
12. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
11. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
10. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
9. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
8. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
7. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
6. Sunrise (FW Murnau, 1927)
5. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
3. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
2. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
1. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

Ant-Man is crawling into theaters this weekend. It is sure to infest the box office in some way or another. Of course, Ant-Man isn't the fist bug-centric film to splatter the big screen. Here are a few other movies to get under your skin.

7) Big Ass Spider (2013)

As the name suggests, it has one big ass spider wreaking havoc.  Directed by Mike Mendez and, starring Lin Shaye and Greg Grunberg, Big Ass Spider is the age old tale of an alien spider escaping from a military installation. Leaving the fate of the world in the hands of a crack strike team and a clever exterminator. Is it a GOOD movie? Hey, it's a list about bug movies, no one said they would be good movies.


6) A Bug's Life (1998)

No one can make gross insects look so darn cute like Pixar can. Kevin Spacey and Dave Foley lead this cast of bugs and creepy crawlies, telling the coming of age story of an ant named Flik (Dave Foley). It's almost like Pixar's version of 7 Samurai, It's up to Flik to find his warriors to save his fellow bugs from the deadly invasion of the grasshoppers!


5) Spider-Man (2002)

If the world is destroyed tomorrow by a meteorite and Bruce Willis fails to save us, at least we can say we had one GOOD Spider-Man film. Sam Raimi shocked the world with his vision of the web head. Fans feared Raimi's horror roots would show in this much anticipated comic adaptation. Thankfully, he and Tobey Maguire pulled it off.  Mostly.


4) The Fly (1986)

Directed by David Cronenberg, The Fly is a remake of the classic horror film of the same name from 1958. Arguably, better than the original, Jeff Goldblum Starred as Seth Brundle AKA Brundle-Fly. With Geena Davis co-starring as Veronica, This one was gross out good. You'll never look at flies the same after this.


3) The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)

Giant Spiders from another dimension invade Wisconsin. What more do you need to know? Seriously? Directed by Bill Rebane who directed a bunch of stuff you never heard of, starring a lot of people you also never heard of, the mind blowing special effect featured in the film won an astounding zero awards. Did I say this list wasn't necessarily about GOOD films?

2) Bug (2006)

Well, it's kind of about bugs. Michael Shannon delivers one heck of a creepy performance as Peter, the crazy war vet convinced the government is out to get him. With tin foil hats gone crazy, Bug is actually a creepy, unhinging movie well worth a watch.

1) The Human Centipede Franchise (all of them)
 

The Human Centipede trilogy is number one on this list of movies about bugs. 'Nuff said.

by Stephen Milek

There was a point in college when II went through a Kirsten Dunst phase. She was cute and bubbly and not a bad actress.   She had her share of silly teen movies in the 90's like other actresses of that time but in 1999 she had a break out year with 3 movies and 2 of which make this list.  Since then she has proven that she is a good actress when given the right part.  While she hasn't done much of note lately (but I look forward to seeing her on season 2 of Fargo) she made it around the pitfalls of other child actresses to more adult movies.  
Lets take a look back at some of her notable roles.  I had trouble ranking them so we are just going to do it chronologically.  

By Christopher K. House

I have an addiction, I am a total film buff. I get asked a lot what influenced me as a kid to make me such a huge film lover. The answer is quite simple, Star Wars. As a young kid of 5, I have vivid memories of seeing Star Wars on the big screen. At the Southtown theater here in Milwaukee, I remember well. The line was huge, wrapping around the block. I went with my older sister and some of her friends. It seemed to be late at night, the dark skies were full of stars. Probably not as late as I remember but, to a 5 year old kid, anytime it's dark, it's late at night. Star Wars is the first film I can remember seeing on the big screen. I'm sure I went to some Disney films before that but, they didn't affect me as much as Luke Skywalker and his adventures in space. The music, the characters, the setting, all of it culminated into one big joyful experience I never shook. I remember cutting the ads for the film out of the newspaper (remember those?) and, taping them to my walls. The toys that came out were top on my list for Santa. I hoped he would make them in time for Christmas, thankfully he did.  Star Wars became a cultural phenomenon in 1977.

In 1980, George Lucas brought arguably the best Star Wars film to date. The Empire Strikes back. This, hands down my favorite Star Wars film swept the country like wildfire. Name a popular magazine, it dominated the cover pages. In 1983, we were graced with Return Of The Jedi. Our bittersweet goodbye to the characters we loved and despised. Little did we know at the time, we weren't over Star Wars yet. As the years passed, authors created what is known as the Expanded Universe. Countless stories and characters were created. Star Wars was bigger than anyone could have imagined. George Lucas was still at the head, allowing and dismissing characters. Rumor has it, only Lucas could give a character a "Darth" title.

The prequel years came soon after. Young Obi Wan would meet the child Anakin Skywalker. Needless to say, fans were hyper with excitement. Star Wars - Episode I The Phantom Menace gave us new characters, new Jedi masters, a new Darth, who has since become an iconic figure, rivaled only by the notorious Boba Fett. Although, the film was met with mixed reactions, we could all agree Jar Jar Binks was totally wrong. 2 more prequels would follow, completing the prequel trilogy. Star Wars Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith was the chapter we were all waiting for. We would see the fall of Anakin and, the rise of Darth Vader. The trilogy might have started on a weak note but, it went out with a bang. The prequel trilogy birthed a cartoon series "The Clone Wars" that spawned a whole new generation of fans. Now, there were 2 camps of fans. OG trilogy and prequel trilogy. The demographics were opposite. Only one franchise could do that, our beloved Star Wars.

After the prequel was over, fans settled into the realization the Star Wars story was done, it was over, the story was told. Little did we know, it wasn't. When Disney announced it had purchased the Lucasfilm company from George Lucas, many thought it was a joke. Why would he do that? He said no one would ever make Star Wars films except him. Ever. He actually quite sternly said that, by the way.

Soon after, Disney announced a whole line up of films, starting with Episode VII. Set 30 years after the events in Return Of The Jedi, The Force Awakens would reunite all the main characters. Fans went nuts. Star Wars, which began nearly 40 years ago is at a new high.. What is it about the film and the total loyalty it inspires in it's fans? Just ask that kid that saw it on the big screen in 1977.

by Stephen Milek

Almost exactly 2 years ago George Lucas and Steven Spielberg gave a talk about the future of the entertainment industry.  They predicted an “implosion” where the industry will drastically change.  Two years later are we seeing the beginning of that implosion?

Lucas predicted that movies would become similar to Broadway where you will get fewer movies playing for longer periods of times.  While Spielberg said that “"There's going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even half a dozen of these mega-budgeted movies are going to go crashing into the ground.”  Then we see what has happened this year and you can see that beginning to play out.  So far this year we have had some massive hits like Furious 7, Age of Ultron, and now Jurassic World but you have also had big budget movies that are considered flops like Tomorrowland and Terminator: Genisys.  Between the release of Age of Ultron and Jurassic World there were very few movies that mad an impact at the box office.  Pitch Perfect 2, Mad Max: Fury Road and San Andreas did ok but since Memorial Day the box office has been falling behind recent years.  The trend has been a few big movies then not much till the next big movie comes out.  While this isn’t that unusual the swing seems to be bigger than usual.  Movies like Furious 7 and Jurassic World blew their expectations away while the expectation for Age of Ultron might have been a bit too high it did as expected. 

During Jurassic Worlds second weekend we had two movies that took in an enormous amount of money when Inside Out opened huge.  With the two movies making tons of money you would think that it would be one of the biggest weekends in box office history but it was only the 4 largest of the year.  This shows that moviegoers are not really spreading the wealth to other movies.  As this big tent pole movies make more and more money it will make it harder for smaller more original movies to find a place in the theatre.

Lucas also predicted "What you're going to end up with is fewer theaters," he said. "Bigger theaters, with a lot of nice things. Going to the movies is going to cost you 50 bucks, maybe 100. Maybe 150."  We don’t have to look far to see that coming true.  Just take a look at Marcus Theatres here in Milwaukee.  We now have more theaters with Dream Lounger seats (which are comfortable I give them that), restaurants and reserved seats.  I was surprised when I went to my local Marcus Theatre and I got a designated seat.  And of course they have Ultra Screens and latest digital sound.  AMC at Mayfair has their special IMAX Theater that has a bigger screen and bigger sound (although not a real IMAX screen). All this adds up to theatres trying to sell us a better viewing experience which they are hoping will make up for the decline of quality of movies.  Anything besides big action movies people watching at home on their sophisticated HDTV’s and Surround Sound.  There are already plenty of people that skip movies because they don’t think it’s worth seeing in the theatres and not because of they think the movie will be bad but they would rather sit at home and watch it. 

Has the movie business imploded? I don’t think we are at that point yet but it does seem like we are moving closer. We are going to get less original movies because they don’t make as much money and are riskier. But we will get more sequels, remakes, and reboots since they usually have a built in audience.