Aug 15, 2013
The winner and loser this week on Face Off.
Every reality TV contest has to up the ante from season to season, and Syfy’s “Face Off” added a twist to the special effects makeup contest by bringing back eight former contestants to face off (pun intended) with eight newbies this season. In the premiere Tuesday, they even divided them up into two teams of vets vs rookies, which just wasn’t fair.
But hey, someone’s head has to roll, right?
The series kickoff introduced the newbies at a masked reception party, and the eight souls had a big surprise when McKenzie Westmore asked the other eight cast members to come out: The eight vets had been mingling in the crowd with masks on.
As you can imagine, the newbies were less than enthused.
The vets jumped out right away with the first challenge to pick one of the reception guests and create a makeup to go with their costumes. Three looks stood out above the others: Laura Tyler’s Underworld Queen, Roy Wooley’s incredible caricature makeup, and Tate Steinsiek’s Evil Princess makeup. While all were amazing, Tate won the challenge, although I thought Roy’s character, who looked like he was an animated sketch, was stunningly original.
But one thing was clear even on this first challenge for immunity… this season’s competition is going to be fierce. And epic.
So they went on to the big challenge were the contestants were split up into two teams: Vets vs rookies. Each team of eight had to create five classic fantasy characters: the ogre, the witch, the troll, the faun and the pixie, with all belonging in the same fantasy world.
Both the ogre characters took more than one team member, and both with seriously ugly results. The bad kind of ugly, unfortunately. Proportions were off on both team’s creations, putting both sets of artists on the potential chopping block. But with a huge win for the vets overall (surprise, surprise) the vets ogre team was safe. That left Eddie Holecko and Steve Tolin with their feet to the fire. But one other rookie team member — Adolfo Barreto Rivera — found himself in hot water when he had many technical problems with cracking molds and was barely able to even get his prosthetics in place before the last hour. So he only had one hour to try to do all his painting.
To his credit, Adolfo knew he hadn’t done his best work. The same couldn’t be said for the other two artists, and Tolin, in particular, who rated it a 7.5 out of 10 when asked. To say judge Glenn Hetrick didn’t agree… well, you could feel the collective cringe in the room when Tolin gave him that answer.
“I find it hard to get behind any decision you made with this makeup, at all,” said Glenn, in typically blunt fashion. And ultimately, Tolin, who had sculpted the head of the ogre, was sent home.
On the good side, Alana Schiro and Miranda Jory’s pixie collaboration was gorgeously sinister and technically sound, earning them the top look and Miranda the win for the day. Another standout this week came from a rookie team: Laney Parkhurst and Rick Prince’s faun was a top look and contender for the win, which means these two rookies may be ones to watch, despite Rick’s less than stunning performance on the immunity challenge. But they held their own in week one against the vets, so keep an eye on them.
Tate’s baby-eating troll and Laney and Rick’s faun.
Face Off airs Tuesday nights on Syfy. Check back for weekly recaps and photos from each episode.
Aug 2, 2013
Imagine going away on vacation, and coming back to find you’re in the hottest movie of the summer. Shanley Caswell can tell you all about it.
The young actress made her major role debut in the film “Detention” a little over a year ago, but finds herself in a considerably different position these days, as one of the stars of “The Conjuring,” the summer box office dark horse that usurped the likes of “Pacific Rim” and Johnny Depp himself.
So it was time to catch up on our chit-chat from when “Detention” hit theaters and see how things were going.
TQOS: Well, last we talked you just had an independent film come out, your first major role in “Detention.” And now you have recently had a little movie out called “The Conjuring” that maybe a few people have heard of.
Shanley: Yes, they may have heard of it. [laughs]
TQOS: I looked back in the last interview and you referred to your next project as a film called “The Warren Files,” so that was obviously the working title then. But anyway, how has life changed for you since the opening of “The Conjuring?”
Shanley: Really, not much. I have been on vacation with my family in the middle of nowhere in the mountains so I have kind of avoided all the hustle and bustle of everything that has been going on which is nice. It’s nice to be away from the industry for a bit while this craziness is going on.
TQOS: But were you kind of surprised at such an overwhelming response to the film?
Shanley: Yes, I think everyone really was. We knew that people would like it but we weren’t expecting the huge response that we got: everyone going to see it and it being the number one movie… nobody was really expecting that. So I think everyone was pretty shocked because we are not a super, super high budget movie but on the lower range. I think that everyone was shocked but really, really proud that we did something that became that big. It’s really validating that people like it because we all like it so much and it’s wonderful to have other people agree with that.
TQOS: It is a quality horror film, and that’s from a horror movie geek. You know, there’s a lot of garbage turned out in the horror genre, so it’s really refreshing to find a good one. But being kind of a smaller film and not big budget you still got to work with some really great actors… like Vera (Farmiga) and Lili Tailor who I have always adored. So how it was like working with all those great actors?
Shanley: Oh, it was wonderful, but it was very intimidating. But of course as soon as I met them all it wasn’t so intimidating because they’re just so wonderful and always very down-to-earth. Yes, I learned a lot from just being on set and watching them work… they’re all so professional. Ron and Vera and Patrick and all the kids involved really took it very seriously. When we weren’t rolling the camera it seemed like we weren’t working but just hanging out. But as soon as the camera started rolling, everyone was extremely professional and did an amazing job. So I think I learned a lot about how to balance relationships on set. And how to work well on set: I think that is a bit I really took away from them all and watching them together was just amazing.
TQOS: Was there any one thing in particular that was really tough with doing some of the scarier scenes in the movie?
Shanley: Yes, I think because all the little girls and myself (and all the actors really) were very close… when we did have to roll the cameras, and we were getting into all the screaming and crying… it’s a fine line with the younger girls between having fun on set, and making sure that you’re going into a serious mode with them. I realized that part of this film is finding that line between working and really learning how to work with kids, because I had never really done that before. But it went well and the kids were all amazing.
The wonderful thing about James (Wan, the director) is that there wasn’t a lot of CGI either. It was there and real so that wasn’t hard: we actually had things to react to instead of just pretending that it was there.
TQOS: It was definitely nice to have such a CGI-free movie because I’m old-school. I hate CGI, I mean I know it has its place, but I can imagine it would be much harder to react to something imaginary than something physical.
Shanley: And I think it made it scarier for the actors on set to have something to react to: real things that they can actually see so they don’t have to imagine the thing. I think it makes it scarier watching it as well. You know, it seems real, it doesn’t seem fake. I see some movies and I just get so distracted by how fake it looks or how computer-generated it looks and, well, it actually takes me out of the bubble of reality that the movie has tried to create.
TQOS: Exactly. And, well, I know that the movie has only been out for a couple of weeks and this is really early, but has anyone started talking about “The Conjuring II” already, god help us?
Shanley: Oh, god, I know… (laughs) Yes, I have heard something about that … I can’t remember but apparently there is going to be a second one… I think that it might be the parent’s story? I don’t really know, but this is the continuing franchise about the Warrens, and maybe going on to their next story.
TQOS: That would be what I would predict. When they had one of the scenes when they were lecturing about the paranormal in a classroom, I wanted to jump up and scream, “That’s the real Lorraine Warren! Right there in the front!” during her cameo.
Shanley: You noticed her? Oh, my god, I looked for her every single time and I completely missed her. I need to pay attention more.
TQOS: Well, there’s a lot going on, so it’s hard to catch her. But moving along, do you have any other projects in the works right now?
Shanley: Next week I’m leaving to study abroad and I’m basically just trying to finish up school. I am graduating at the end of August — I already did the ceremonial graduation stuff — but I am going overseas and finishing up some classes. Then I’m back here and looking for the next job.
TQOS: Well, you’re probably going to get some offers while you’re overseas I’m just guessing… going out on a limb here.
Shanley: Fingers crossed, fingers crossed…
TQOS: So since you have been on vacation in the middle of nowhere, you probably really haven’t had a chance to get to talk much with any cast members about their reaction to the movie and its success?
Shanley: A big group of us have been emailing back and forth, and everyone is just out of their minds excited. James has been texting all of us, just sending us pictures of the headlines and articles. Everyone in my family is really excited, too. We all went to see it last Saturday — it was, like, 50 of us — so I’ve had many congratulations through a variety of sources, and it is just unbelievable. I really didn’t expect that at all.
TQOS: So now, what would be the kind of role you would hope to do next?
Shanley: What I’ve been kind of gravitating toward are good stories and stories that haven’t been done before, because you read the same things over and over again… just carbon copies of the scripts you’ve read before. So anything that’s original — original stories and original characters — characters that I haven’t done before. I’ve played the typical teenage daughter a million times and would like something with just a little more meat to it, something to challenge myself with.
TQOS: Are you at the point yet where you are going down the street and people are saying “Hey! Weren’t you in ‘The Conjuring?’ or is it still a little premature for that?
Shanley: Well, it’s still a little premature and I’m at this point where I’ve been out in the middle of nowhere. But I was in the library studying one day and this kid comes up and he recognized me from “Detention” — I had never really been recognized before. So when he told me he recognized me I was like, “Oh, we probably have a class together.” And he said, “No, you’re Riley.”
TQOS: Well, hopefully when we touch bases again in a year, you’ll be, you know, like A-list, red carpet, getting the Bieber mobs famous. And it won’t be a teen horror movie or a teen comedy or teen anything — it will be, you know, as an adult.
Shanley: Yeah, fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
TQOS: It comes in time, it comes in time. Of course, in twenty years you’ll be saying “Why can’t I play a younger character?”
Shanley: Yeah, exactly! I’m holding on to this for as long as I can.
TQOS: Well, thank you so much for checking in and hopefully we’ll speak again in about another year.
Shanley: Plan on it!
Jul 27, 2013
Horror has always been popular to some extent, but the last couple of weeks, it proved once again how it can crush the box office with the surprise success of James Wan’s latest, “The Conjuring.” It also proved you don’t need gratuitous gore, violence, nudity or things jumping out and shouting “Boo!” at you to create a creepy atmosphere and an air of fear. In fact, the scariest moments are the most subtle, rather than the “Boo!” moments so common today in the genre.
The film revolves around a true paranormal case investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren, the latter being most known as the psychic portrayed in “The Amityville Horror.” Yes, she’s real, and not only can you see her frequently on the TV series “Paranormal State,” but she has a cameo as one of the guests at a paranormal lecture in the movie. (The little old lady in the front.)
Anyway, she’s portrayed in this film by Vera Farmiga, and her husband Ed by Patrick Wilson. The Warrens took on a case in 1971 involving a Long Island family named Carolyn and Roger Parren (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston) and their five daughters (Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, and Kyla Deaver.)
Already, you have to give kudos to Wan on casting (Is there anyone who doesn’t still love Taylor in “Say Anything? Rhetorical question.)
So the Warrens apparently investigated this house and supposedly never released info on this case till now because it was so scary… even scarier than the allegations in “The Amityville Horror.” Yeah, smells a little fishy to me, too, but it’s a horror film, let’s just roll with it.
The film opens with a documentary style interview with some young women where we learn the backstory of the infamous doll “Annabelle” from the Warren’s collection of paranormal artifacts. This doll actually exists in the Warren’s collection and they swear that thing is pure evil, although it isn’t directly involved in the Parren’s story. We also see them lecturing about the paranormal work they do as a sort of parallel story while the Parrens move in and slowly discover their dream house is not the kind of dream they were looking for.
Without giving away major spoilers, the film relies on creating a sense of dread at mostly unseen and barely glimpsed horror, particularly at first. This is a case where it works, because Wan also understands the use of elements like the blindfolded game to make his subjects more vulnerable, creating a greater sense of horror in the viewer when the subject can’t see what we can. Or a single lit match in the total darkness, tapping into one of our most primordial fears.
As the film progresses, he shows more, until the climax with a scene of possession, which actually, seemed far less scary to me than the rest of the movie. I also wondered at the use of the sheet over the head… was there supposed to be some point of that, or just trying to save some special effects makeup cash? It was puzzling enough to distract me during that segment of the film.
But then, going off on a tangent with a question like that may just be a hazard of the profession.
That Wan — who also directed “Saw” and “Insidious” — created another quality horror film should be no surprise. That it has ruled the box office in the midst of summer and upstaged the likes of Johnny Depp in “The Lone Ranger”… that’s mighty impressive.
Does it live up to the hype? Well, that would be hard to do given how it’s been hailed as the Second Coming of Horror, but whether you think it does or doesn’t will depend mostly on how easily you scare, and how good you are at blocking out douchebags in the theater who want to add their laugh track to this and any horror film. But it’s rock solid horror, and has a great chance of being seen as a classic horror story in the long run, and will be another worthy addition to any horror collection when it comes out on DVD.
Learn more about what it was like working on the movie later this week when I post my exclusive interview with Shanley Caswell , who dishes on the surprise success of the movie and real vs CGI horror. Meanwhile, check out the interview I did with her a little over a year ago, when she was starting to work on a little film called “The Warren Files” at the time.
