#jesus christ ive never had such a low score before...

[gojuo]

i didnt pass my substantive criminal law final i feel like fucking shit (:

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Omen Collection

In the pantheon of religious horror, the holy trinity consists of The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, and The Omen. Although The Omen arrived last, opening on June 6, 1976, it arguably offers more excitement than its satanic brethren (which is not to say that it is a superior film). Likely to be considered a slow-burner by today's standards, the picture builds tension and unravels a mystery at a meticulous pace, but it's punctuated by elaborate, Rube Goldberg-ian death scenes.

The Omen spawned a trilogy of films, a made-for-television sequel, and a modern remake. Scream Factory has collected all five movies in The Omen Collection, which is limited to 10,000 units. Besting Fox's earlier Blu-ray set - which omitted Part IV and featured some of the worst box set packaging known to man - each film is packaged in an individual Blu-ray case with original artwork within a rigid slipcover case. It boasts a deluge of extras, new and old.

In the original film, American diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird) and his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick, Anatomy of a Murder), adopt a baby named Damien (Harvey Stephens) after their own child is stillborn. Beginning with his fifth birthday, a string of mysterious deaths surround Damien. Upon being presented with convincing evidence by a photographer (David Warner, Tron), Robert becomes convinced that his son is none other than the antichrist, and he is faced with the task of stopping him to prevent Armageddon.

Firing on all cylinders, The Omen is an exemplary horror film. Working from a well-constructed script by David Seltzer (Shining Through, Prophecy), director Richard Donner grounds the story firmly in reality. The fantastical elements are easy to swallow, as each and every incident in the plot could be mere coincidence. Peck brings a gravitas to the production, leading a strong cast in which Remick also holds her own. Even the six-year-old Stephens, who never acted before and did very little after, is convincingly malevolent.

John Richardson's (Aliens, Harry Potter) special effects for the proto-Final Destination deaths - including one of the greatest beheadings ever committed on celluloid - remain shocking after more than 40 years. Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (Star Wars: A New Hope, Dr. Strangelove) captures it all with clean camerawork, while Jerry Goldsmith (Alien, Gremlins) provides a chilling orchestral score elevated to pure evil with choral chanting.

The Omen has been newly mastered in 4K from the original negative, approved by Donner, for the new release. The result is a pristine presentation with improved detail and color saturation over Fox’s previous high-definition transfer. The Omen carries a whopping four audio commentaries. One, featuring special project consultant Scott Michael Bosco, is new. His audio sounds compressed - as if it were recorded on a cell phone - but it's dense with details focusing on the theological aspects. Bosco often digresses, but I appreciate the fresh perspective rather than a historian reciting IMDb trivia.

The other audio commentaries include: a track with Donner and editor Stuart Baird (Lethal Weapon, Skyfall), in which the two old friends reminisce about the highs and lows of the production; a track with Donner and filmmaker Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential), which features as much good-natured joking as it does insight; and a track with film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman, and Jeff Bond, largely focusing on Goldsmith's score. A lot of information is repeated across the commentaries, but the varying viewpoints make them all worth listening to.

Seltzer and actress Holly Palance (who plays the nanny whose suicide by hanging is among the film’s most memorable moment) sit down for new interviews. Seltzer's chat is particularly enjoyable, as he's candid and humble. He openly states that his script is not as good as the movie it birthed. He also shares what he would have done if he had the opportunity to write the sequel. Palance, the daughter of the great Jack Palance, recounts her naivety about working on her first film and shooting her iconic death scene. The final new extra is an appreciation of The Omen's score by composer Chris Young, who says he looked to Goldsmith's progression across The Omen trilogy as he was scoring the Hellraiser films. It's fascinating to hear one accomplished professional praise another in their field.

All of the archival extras are ported over: a thorough, 15-minute interview with Donner from 2008; 666: The Omen Revealed, a 46-minute retrospective from 2000 featuring crew members along with religious experts to provide context; The Omen Revelations, which is essentially a streamlined version of 666, recycling much of its footage in 24 minutes; Curse or Coincidence, in which the crew recounts a variety of curious incidents that nearly derailed the production; an introduction by Donner; a deleted scene with commentary by Donner; an older interview with Seltzer, which features a lot of the same information as the new one; and an interview with Goldsmith about his score. There's also an appreciation of The Omen by filmmaker Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street), in which the master of horror waxes poetic about the influential picture for 20 minutes; Trailers from Hell trailer commentary by filmmaker Larry Cohen (The Stuff), who cites The Omen as one of his favorite movies; the trailer; TV spots; radio spots; and four image galleries: stills, behind-the-scenes, posters and lobby cards, and publicity.

Following the massive success of the first film, Fox fast-tracked a sequel, Damien: Omen II, to open in 1978. Having narrowly survived the events of The Omen, a 12-year-old Damien (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) now lives with his affluent uncle, Richard Thorn (William Holden, Sunset Blvd.), aunt, Ann (Lee Grant, In the Heat of the Night), and cousin, Mark (Lucas Donat), in Chicago. Damien is ostensibly a well-adjusted kid, unaware of who - or what - he is, but those who cross him wind up dead in freak accidents.

Omen II's plotting mirrors that of the first film, but the mystery aspect that made the original so effective is gone. The viewer knows from the start that Damien is, in fact, the antichrist, so they're left waiting for the characters to catch up. The plot dedicates an inordinate amount of time to Thorn's business enterprises, which is only vaguely paid of in the next installment when Damien rises to power. On the bright side, there are several admirably inventive deaths in the tradition of the first, from a bird attack that would make Alfred Hitchcock jealous to a visceral elevator bisection to a harrowing scene of a man trapped in a pond under ice.

Since Donner had moved on to Superman and Seltzer was either uninterested or not asked (depending on the source) to pen the sequel, a new creative team was employed. Stanley Mann (Firestarter, Conan the Destroyer) and Mike Hodges (Get Carter, Flash Gordon) wrote the script, with the latter set to direct. Hodges only shot for a few days, during which he quickly fell behind schedule, before being swiftly replaced by Don Taylor (Escape from the Planet of the Apes). Goldsmith returns to score with a worthy successor, retaining the signature sound while expanding it to incorporate electronics.

Leo McKern is the only returning cast member, reprising his role as archaeologist Carl Bugenhagen in the prologue. Peck's formidable presence is sorely missed, but Holden - who, incidentally, turned down the lead role in The Omen - and Grant bring some prestige to the production. Scott-Taylor is a convincing surrogate for Stephens, but the child acting leaves a bit to be desired. It's offset by a supporting cast that includes Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Lew Ayres (All Quiet on the Western Front), Sylvia Sidney (Beetlejuice), Allan Arbus (M*A*S*H), and Meshach Taylor (Mannequin).

Damien: Omen II's Blu-ray disc features new interviews with Grant, who is proud of the sequel and shares a funny anecdote about discovering her first wrinkle while filming; Foxworth, who was able to get to know Holden, one of his heroes, on their daily commute; and actress Elizabeth Sheppard, who proudly discusses working with Holden as well as Vincent Price (on The Tomb of Ligeia). In a separate featurette, Sheppard narrates a gallery of her personal photos from the shoot, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the bird attack sequence.

Since Omen II's mythology has little biblical foundation, Bosco's new commentary features even more tenuous tangents, but it affords him the opportunity to discuss the franchise more subjectively. An archival commentary with producer Harvey Bernhard proves to be a bit more informative. The disc also includes a vintage making-of featurette consisting of clips, interviews, and footage from the set, along with the trailer, a TV spot, a radio spot, and a still gallery.

The Omen trilogy came to a conclusion in 1981 with Omen III: The Final Conflict - although it proved not to be final after all. As prophesied, Damien (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park), now 33 - the same age as Jesus when he was crucified - has risen to political power. Following the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain’s ghastly suicide, Damien is appointed the position, which was once held by his adoptive father. The only true foe for the antichrist is, naturally, Christ himself. Rather than bringing about the apocalypse, as the franchise had been driving toward since the beginning, Damien attempts to prevent the second coming in a sanctimonious conclusion to the story arc.

While no successor could top the original Omen, its first sequel smartly embraced the gratuitous death scenes. For the third installment, however, director Graham Baker (Alien Nation) made a conscious effort to avoid them. Instead, he delivers inept monks trying to assassinate Damien with the Seven Daggers of Megiddo, while the antichrist’s legion of apostles murder newborn males who are the potential Christ child. Andrew Birkin's (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) script leans further into religiosity at the expensive of the horror elements while interjecting silly mythology akin to Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.

Omen III: The Final Conflict's Blu-ray disc features new interviews with Baker, who takes a truly retrospective look back on the film, comparing the society of today to that of when it was produced; Birkin, who hadn't seen The Omen when he first met for the gig and wasn't particularly impressed when he finally watched it; and production assistant Jeanne Ferber, who explains how she was among those polled by Bernhard to help choose the lead, with Neill selected unanimously.

For his final commentary in the set, Bosco is back to pointing out the film's connections to scripture, leading to a lengthy tirade comparing Christianity and Judaism. An archival track with Baker has a few nuggets of information among extended gaps of silence, but most of his points are addressed more concisely in the new interview. Special features are rounded out by the trailer, TV spots, and a still gallery.

Although The Omen’s main storyline continued with two more book sequels, Fox opted to use the familiar title for a made-for-television movie on their budding network in 1991. Although dubbed Omen IV: The Awakening, the film largely serves as a remake of the original film but with a female antichrist. After numerous failed attempts to get pregnant, politician Gene York (Michael Woods) and his wife, Karen (Faye Grant, V), adopt an orphan girl. Seven years later, Delia (Asia Vieira, A Home at the End of the World) becomes increasingly violent and manipulative, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake.

Similar to Omen II's production troubles, Omen IV started with Jorge Montesi (Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal) in the director's chair, but he was fire mid-shoot and replaced by Dominique Othenin-Girard (Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers). Writer Brian Taggert (Poltergeist III) keeps the basic structure of Seltzer's original script intact, but the details of each beat are altered and the death scenes are subdued for TV. In addition to gender-swapping the creepy kid, it's the mother who is proactive this time around.

Despite maintaining the general outline of The Omen, the plot is harder to believe this time around, stretching the required suspension of disbelief to include psychics that can read auras. The most ludicrous plot point comes in the form of a shoehorned connection to The Omen mythology. This "twist" canonically positions Omen IV as a sequel rather than a thinly-veiled remake, but it feels more like a low-budget knockoff than an official installment in the franchise.

Omen IV: The Awakening doesn't have any audio commentaries, but its Blu-ray debut includes a new interview with Taggert, who breaks down several of the major choices made in the script. It also contains The Omen Legacy, a feature-length documentary on the franchise that aired on TV in 2001. Narrated by Jack Palance (City Slickers), it finds cast and crew members (including a couple of folks who don't appear in any other special features) and religious figures (the Church of Satan’s high priestess among them) discussing all four films while playing up the alleged curse. The trailer and a still gallery are also included.

Amidst the onslaught of horror remakes that dominated the early 2000s, Fox shrewdly capitalized with The Omen in 2006 - on 6/6/06, to be exact. Director John Moore (Max Payne) offers slick production value and an inspired cast, but it feels wholly unnecessary considering how closely it follows the original script. Seltzer is the only credited writer, but it's unclear if his 40-year-old script was simply polished off or if he was involved in re-writes, as there are some subtle changes to contemporize it. While it fails to bring anything new to the table, it’s a stronger effort than Omen IV.

Liev Schreiber (Scream) and Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) star as the Thorns. Talented as they are, they lack the chemistry of Peck and Remick. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick is successfully creepy as the new Damien, while the role's originator, Harvey Stephens, makes a quick cameo. In a particularly motivated bit of stunt casting, Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby) plays the antichrist's new nanny. David Thewlis (Harry Potter) and Pete Postlethwaite (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) also have supporting roles.

The remake is the only Blu-ray in the set that doesn't offer any new special features. The existing extras cover a lot of ground, but it would’ve been interesting to hear the crew reflect back on it. Omenisms is a 37-minute documentary exploring the pressures of making a movie with a release date set in advance, even showing Moore losing his temper and yelling at a producer. It feels very of its time, with director Stephen French  treating the piece like a hip art film, but it contains a lot of great material.

Moore, producer Glenn Williamson, and editor Dan Zimmermann participate in an audio commentary that's fairly informative but doesn't touch on many of the trials and tribulations showcased in Omenisms. There's also a featurette about Marco Beltrami (Scream) recording his score at the legendary Abbey Road Studio; Revelation 666, a cheesy TV special tracing the history, interpretation, and theories of 666; unrated, extended scenes, including a longer version of the ending; and theatrical trailers.

While The Exorcist remains the be-all and end-all of occult horror, The Omen franchise as a whole is more consistent. The first three Omen films comprise a cohesive trilogy, while Part IV and the remake each offer a fresh, if flawed, perspective on the material. Between the movies, commentaries, interviews, and featurettes, The Omen Collection contains over 30 hours of content, making it an unbelievable value and a must-have for any horror collector.

The Omen Collection is available now on Blu-ray via Scream Factory.

[reddiesmutx-blog]

sore loser - reddie

Richie! Richie! Richieeee!" Eddie was sat in the living room very impatiently. Bouncing up and down on the sofa and waiting for his sloth like boyfriend to return back to him. Richie had made Eddie pause their game before walking to the kitchen to get a drink. "Richie!" Eddie shouted and a small whine was seeping into his voice. "Richieee!"

Richie slammed his water down on the counter and hollered out to Eddie, "Hush up! I'll be right there!" Eddie silenced and Richie took a deep breathe, trying to rain his usual patience and composure. He opened their cupboard and grabbed some rope, butt plug and lube that he kept in there for times like these. He stuffed them in his back pocket. He needed to calm Eddie down and maybe punish the boy a bit. He started thinking of a plan.

Where Richie was cool and collected and put thought and planning into most things he did Eddie was not.  Eddie was impatient and impulsive and spontaneous.... and bratty at times. Luckily these were some of the things they loved most about each other.

Richie picked back up his water, finishing it off and headed back into the living room.

"Jesus Christ." Eddie sighed dramatically with a big roll of his eyes when he was Richie. "Did you have to dig a well to get a drink?"

Richie's eye brow shot up and he stepped close enough that he looming over the younger boy threateningly. The smirk on Eddies face slipped off quickly.

"What did you just say to me?" Richie asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Eddie swallowed the big knot in his throat and shook his head. The words dried up on his tongue.

"No" Richie said, grabbing a handful of Eddies brown locks and forcing the boy to look up at him. "Say it again"

Eddie hesitated and Richie pulled his hair harsher to push him along.

"I-I said, 'did you have to dig a well.'"

Richie nodded, releasing his hair and taking a seat next to him on the sofa. Eddies hand reached back to rub at the spot of abused scalp.

"Lets play a game" Richie said suddenly and Eddie looked at him skeptically. Realizing that he would be playing no matter if he wanted to or not. "If you win we will fuck. If I win I will fuck you." His hand slid up eddies thigh, palming his dick roughly. Eddie groaned and nodded his head in agreement. "good boy." Richie said pecking Eddie on the lips. He slipped his tongue in and Eddie let him have his way, let him take control of his mouth. Richies hand rubbed against the crotch of Eddies shorts. The brunette boy moans falling into the kiss.

Richie pulled back, watching as Eddies eyelids fluttered heavily. Eddie regained his composure, a bit flushed and pliable enough that Richie was able to move him about as he wished. He sat him at the end of the sofa, so his stomach was faced towards towards Richie, one leg hanging off towards the floor. Richie smiled at his unassuming boyfriend and placed himself in a similar arrangement.

"Ready?" Richie asked holding up a controller and Eddie nodded before pressing play and focusing his attention to the telly.

However his attentions only lasted for a second before he could feel a weight snaking up his leg. Richies foot travelled until it was resting heavily on his semi. Eddie groaned quietly, realizing his fate and tried to maneuver himself away from the assault. It didn't work.

His foot was pressing just enough pressure into his hardening cock and Eddie was torn between backing up and humping forwards. The heel of Richies foot rubbing at his balls and he curved his foot so his tiptoes rubbed along the tip of Eddies cock.

Richie scored.

"Dont make it so easy babe" Richie cooed, rubbing his foot in circles against Eddies growing bulge.

"Its not... fair" Eddie gasped, his arousal beginning to steal his breath away.

Richie smirked, "You can always forfeit. If you cant take it.. of course id have to punish you then because quitter's never win. Do they baby?"

"No." Eddie chocked out trying to build some resolve. "Not going to quit"

Richie smiled, admiring Eddies determination and applied more pressure.

They both tried to focus back on the game but Eddie was starting to stumble over buttons and loose track of where he was in the pitch.

"Richie!" He whined. "Please plea-"

"Quiet." Richie cut him off, "Ive heard enough of your whining today, next time you open your mouth it better be to forfeit or I will find something better to fill it with."

Eddie whined but shut his mouth. Suddenly piecing together that this 'game' was just a thinly veiled form of punishment. He knew his behavior hadn't been prefect today but some days it was hard to be good.

"My foots tired" Richie said suddenly, dropping his leg down and Eddie let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to have to forfeit because his boner was becoming painfully distracting. "Get yourself off against me" Richie ordered, not breaking his eyes from the telly. "Go on then." He wiggled his foot at Eddie. "Be a good boy"

Eddie whimpered and then began the difficult task of rubbing himself off while sitting. His face was burning red with embarrassment and shame. Richie wasn't even paying attentions to him and Eddie was humping himself like a horny animal against his foot.

He began bouncing, using the little spring the sofa offered to keep him grinding up and down Richies heel. His controller was becoming less important as he groaned in pleasure. His dick was hard up against his stomach, still trapped underneath his shorts. He could feel a familiar heat bubbling in his toes.

Richie scored.

Eddie threw his head back, throwing the game controller to the ground and folding his legs up to his chest. "Fine!" He pouted, "I quit! I quit! I quit! Not fair anyway!"

"Was hoping you would use that bitchy little mouth again." Richie said, standing up. "Now be a good boy and take off your kit" Eddie looked up at him, not wanting to have to strip down and not feeling like being told what to do, "Don't want your punishment to be any worse, do you babe?"

"But-"

"Now. Eddie." Richie ordered and Eddie pouted and stomped his feet but stood up and stripped himself starkers. He just let his clothes all fall to the floor until Richie held out his hand. So Eddie reached down and bundled them all up until Richie told him to fold them. So Eddie huffed and folded them and put them in Richies waiting arms.

He placed the near pile down on the sofa.

"Show me your hole." Richie ordered and Eddie waited a defiant ten seconds before Richie slapped his leg and Eddie decided to obey. He turned his back towards Richie, left forward and reached his hand behind him to hold his are open. He could feel his face flush in shame but his cock rose in arousal.

"Good boy." Richie grabbed the butt plug from his pocket, squirting lube all over it and wiggled in to Eddies clenching hole. "You want it so fucking bad, your hole is begging for it" Eddie moaned as Richie pushed it all the way. "Such a slut for it, aren't you baby?" He slapped Eddies thigh to signal him to stand up.

"I think Ill have you on the coffee table. Yes that will do." Eddie slowly plopped himself belly down on the hard mahogany. Placing his arms in the position he knew Richie would want, this wasn't the first time he had been fucked on this table.

"Good boy" Richie retrieved the ties from his pocket and quickly fastened Eddie to the wooden surface. Binding his legs and arms so Eddies body moulded to the four legged structure. His swollen length trapped painful between his belly and the unforgiving boards.

"First thing." Richie began, he always like to let Eddie know what he was being punished for and how he was to e punished. He thought it tilt the anticipation in Eddie. He grabbed Eddies shirt from the sofa. "You are going to keep this in your mouth because you know better than to talk to me like that and maybe these will help clean your filthy mouth out." He pushed the shirt past Eddies teeth, delighted as the boys face turned a bright red.

"Next." He grabbed the controller that Eddie has earlier thrown to the floor. "Im going to whip you with this so maybe you will aim some appreciation for treating thins with respect." He whipped and cord down, satisfied with its whistle as it sliced through the air and snapped at Eddies tense bum. "20 of them, count them all or I will start again." Richie demanded even though none of Eddie's words would be understandable.Eddies's muffled garbles could be heard with every slap of the cable against his arse. Every once in a while Richie would aim at the butt plug, forcing it against Eddie's prostate. Making the lad scream out in a mix of pain and pleasure.

By the time Richie reached twenty Eddie was a shaking, sobbing mess against the table. His bum was a bright red, as was his swollen cock trapped underneath him. His body was trying to hump against the table, get a little bit of friction but it was no use.

Richies hand came down hard on his lower thigh, "Still." He had snuck behind the incoherent boy, pulling out his hard dick and quickly lubing himself up. He pushed the butt plug hard into Eddies prostate once before he snatched it out quickly filling the lad up with himself. His hips snapped forcefully against Eddies, his thrust were quick and deep. He knew he wouldn't last long, he was to turned on from punishing his boyfriend.

"You can come baby, don't even have to touch you right? Just from your arse that's all you need." Eddie cried out as Richie repeatedly assaulted his prostate. "Be my whore baby, come just from my dick shoved up your tight arse. Good little slut."

Eddie felt like Richie was going to tear him in half, his quick pace hitting his prostate continuously. Richies fingers were probably leaving bruises in his hips and there was absolutely nothing Eddie could do about it. Useless as a piece of furniture, unable to speak or even get himself off. He moaned shamelessly and Richie exploded. Eddie could feel Richie filling him up and his own orgasm ripped through him. Streams of white pooling underneath him, coating the table in his seed.

Richie leant against Eddie, his teeth sinking into his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around and pulled out the shirt from Eddies mouth. "Such a good boy for me." Richie praised.

"M'sorry, m'sorrry, m'sorry." Eddie  garbled out, his cheek flat against the table in exhaustion. His face was blotchy from crying but no new tears were streaming from his eyes.

"Baby, it's all forgotten." He cooed. "I'm not mad, it's all better now." He slowly removed himself from Eddie. Feeling a pang of arousal as his come slicked down Eddies thighs. He made quick work of removing Eddies binds and helping the trembling lad up

"Did so good for me babe." Richie sat on the couch pulling Eddie onto his lap and wrapping himself protectively around him. "So good for me baby."