classicsoncall I think director Don Coscarelli must have been impressed by Lady Gaga's meat dress to come up with that creature made of left over steaks and sausage. I wouldn't have made the connection on my own, but other reviewers made mention of Coscarelli's film "Bubba Ho-Tep", in which Elvis Presley impersonates an Elvis Presley impersonator. If you can wrap your head around that concept, you might be ready for "John Dies at the End". But don't expect John to die at the end because everything in the picture is misdirection and nonsense, almost to the point of overload. I enjoy this kind of quirky stuff actually, but when it comes at you non stop it gets kind of overbearing. I thought the snakes were pretty colorful however, and the song about a camel holocaust got my attention. If I had to guess though, the stuff in the movie never actually happened, because, well, you figure it out. Still, one great takeaway I'll remember a long time was the brilliance of this singular concept - "Time is an ocean, not a garden hose."

morrison-dylan-fan Despite having picked up a box set of writer/director Don Coscarelli's Phantasm films I have somehow never got round to opening the collection.Taking part in a film festival being held on IMDb's Film Festival board,I noticed that the latest project that Coscarelli has made was on the viewing list,which led to me getting ready to see John die at the end.The plot:Meeting up with newspaper reporter Arnie Blondestone, David Wong begins to tell Blondestone the events which led to him getting psychic powers. Days earlier:Finding themselves going up against a women who can transform into snakes,Wong and his friend John Cheese decide to contact TV infomercial psychic Albert Marconi,who kills the snakes by casting a spell over the phone.Going to watch Cheese perform in a band,Wong runs into drug dealer Robert Marley,who calms that he has a new drug that has given him psychic powers,which Marley displays by telling Wong about the dream he had last night.Dismissing Marley's "party tricks" Wong gets a call later that night from a terrified-sounding Cheese. Entering Cheese's house,Wong finds a syringe filled with a black tar colour liquid that appears to be alive.Kicking Cheese out of his drugged up state,Wong soon discovers that Marley's "new drug" claims have offered up a dimension time jumping high.View on the film:Going on IMDb a few minutes after seeing the film,I was sorry to find out that Angus Scrimm has just died,with Scrimm giving a good,creepy performance as Father Shellnut. Joining Scrimm, Chase Williamson & Rob Mayes each give terrific performances as Cheese and Wong,thanks to Williamson & Mayes giving the duo a strong bond which stays firm as it coiled by weirdness,as co-producer Paul Giamatti chews the scenery as Arnie Blondestone.Pulling the pulp from David Wong's graphic novels,the screenplay by co-editor/ (along with Donald Milne) writer/director Don Coscarelli scrambles time travelling Sci-Fi,vicious critter splatter Horror,and supernatural mystery.Keeping the meet between Wong and Blondestone as the foundation, Coscarelli builds vast quirky mountains which go from a psychic dog to the guys entering an alternative ghost world.As Coscarelli offers a sweet nod to his earlier work in the final page, Coscarelli struggles to unravel all of the threads,with Coscarelli having a sharp eye for unleashing another deliciously quirky thread in Cheese's world,but being unable to join them all together.Splashing the movie with vivid pulp Comic Book colours, Coscarelli and cinematographer Mike Gioulakis blend practical effects with CGI alt worlds.Cracking open Wong's head, Coscarelli & Gioulakis cast ultra-stylised,quick-fire tracking shots across the titles and winding camera moves which give the film a strikingly peculiar ,off- beat atmosphere.Whilst the practical gore effects give the film a darkly comedic edge,the CGI effects never fully blend in,due to them looking half-finished,which leads to the large CGI final scenes feeling disconnected from the maze Coscarelli has built,as John dies at the end.

Jacob Wade I believe "JDATE" will go down in history as one of the greatest works of our generation. As a Sci-Fi novel that is.This is a very entertaining movie, I watch it frequently, and use it to try and lure my non-reading friends into a 600 page trap. But this book is INCREDIBLE! It's adaptation is reminiscent of the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" in many ways. The most important of which, is that the movie is more or less an amalgam of stories that take place in the novel, with an ending not totally dissimilar to that of the book."JDATE" as it is referred to by those in the know, is written in a manner that will make you question your own sanity. Having read the book, it is hard to know if this effect is present in the movie alone. "David Wong" has a knack for his audience, as he appears to be one of them. Helplessly battered by unseen forces, Dave, John, N Company have to adjust to the new reality that nobody will likely ever believe another word they say.Watch this movie, before or after you READ THIS BOOK! It doesn't matter, they are totally different entities, and both deserve your time. Fair warning: Reading "JDATE" punches your card for an esoteric club who's members babel to each other in seemingly incoherent jargon, only understood by others who are "in the know".

Jennifer oooo Was boring and disturbing. Had watched it w/ a male friend of mine who liked it. I found it to be very sexist. Pay attention to the role of the dude's eventual girl friend and the two women who follow that guy around. All the important roles are held by men and the women who did make it into this terrible movie are only there because they are nice to look at. Felt so degrading watching this. The worst was when the two guys went into that other world and there was a population of women led by a man (of course). They were all topless with their faces covered. Are you serious? Very disturbing. If you are a women, watch this if you want to hate men. If you are a man, watch this if you hate women, you will thoroughly enjoy this.