The 70 Hottest Babes of 2016, pt. 2: 60-51

60. Felicity Jones (new)- I am crushing hard on Felicity Jones and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hasn't even come out yet! But, she just looks awesome and, of course, hot(!) in all the trailers and promos for the highly anticipated movie. Of course, it would be hard not to fall in love with her, what with THAT accent(!!), those lips, and those beautiful eyes of her!







59. Katie Cassidy (last year #62)- OK, I am gonna flat out say this, I miss Katie Cassidy's Black Canary on Arrow. Sure I had my many issues with the way the character was written, but it's Katie freaking Cassidy! Also, the fact that Felicity is still alive sucks ass. As one of my friends said, "the wrong blonde died!" Still, her return for the 100th episode of the show last week was very, very welcomed!

 
58. Daniel Panabaker (last year #48)- The fact that Panabaker got her Killer Frost powers in this season of The Flash is hot. Seeing her play bad is just too fucking smoldering, which is kind of ironic, actually. She didn't go all the way with her evil transformation, though (not that I expected her to), and she didn't don the sexy costume this season. That last part is kind of heartbreaking, actually!

57. Eiza Gonzalez (new)- As Satanico Pandemonium, the gorgeous Ms. Gonzalez has me in awe of her every time I see her on From Dusk Till Dawn. With this being the show's best season yet, it really bought home just how fucking hot she is. And, she is even hotter when she is kicking ass and/ or covered in blood!







56. Asa Akira (last year #9)- Asa remains the adult industry's most popular Asian babe, and of its most popular period, and with good reason. Aside, from all the great porn flicks that she shot for Wicked, she also put her second book, this year: Dirty Thirty: A Memoir.








55. Natalie Dormer (last year #18)- Getting back to deaths on TV shows that fucking sucked this year Dormer's character of Margery dying was not cool. To its advantage the whole episode was awesome and jaw dropping. So while, she will be missed (she was, after all, the hottest babe in a show FULL of babes!), it was a great episode in a phenomenal season. Also, this year, she appeared in the horror flick, The Forest. And, while, it's great to see her in a horror flick, I didn't see said movie. But, reviews for it were less than stellar...

54. Emily VanCamp (new)- VanCamp plays Sharon Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This year in the incredible Captain America: Civil War, she locked lips with the lucky Captain, himself. I wish we got to see her kick a little more ass in the movie, but she looked good, regardless. Hell, they even made a Pop figure of her! I crushed on her so hard, that that was the first Pop from the Civil War set that I bought!




 

53. Emma Anzai (last year ranked 2014 #51)- I had the pleasure of seeing Sick Puppies live for my second time in my life earlier this year. The band have a new signer and released a new album, Fury, which is great! Anzai, as always, is one of hard rock's best bass players, and absolutely gorgeous, as well! She is impossible to take one's eyes off of!



52. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (new)- 10 Cloverfield Lane is one of the year's finest and most nail biting horror movies. The absolutely stunning Ms. Winstead, along her costar with John Goodman, gave one of the best performances in the entire genre this year. While, she has done quite a few horror flicks, this is, up to now in her career, her finest genre work.







51. Debbie Rochon (last year ranked 2014 same)- The hardest working woman in horror returns to this list after a two year absence, in the same spot no less, thanks to her directorial debut Model Hunger. I was so happy to see her for a signing for the DVD at Forbidden Planet in NYC (which ended up being a very popular post in my site). As well as seeing and reviewing the movie itself, which is great! Debbie is, of course, as stunning, as ever!

The 70 Hottest Babes of 2016, pt. 1: 70-61

BLACK CHRISTMAS (2006) (Review)

Title: Black Christmas (Black Xmas) 

Writer/ Director:  Glen Morgan
Cast: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke

Year: 2006

Min: 84

Several years ago a disturbed young man named Billy killed his mom and her lover, and gouged one of the eyes of his daughter (whose mother is his own mom, via an incestuous moment of sexual abuse on her part). He gets locked up in an insane asylum. But, on Christmas Eve he escapes and heads back to his old home, where a sorority now live. A small group of the girls are celebrating the holidays there and soon, one by one, they are killed by Billy.

A remake of the original Bob Clark (who also made A Christmas Story!) classic flick from 1974, this nasty little slasher is far better than perhaps you may have been lead to believe. When the movie first came out it had a ton of hate from fans of the original, as well as spawning controversy thanks to a group of close minded buffoons who felt that the movie somehow hurt the "sanctity" of Christmas or some lame shit like that. The former I can understand, but I'll debate here why I think they are wrong. The later is just bullshit.

To it's advantage Black Christmas has, thankfully, slowly gained a cult following over the years, as more horror fans have watched it and given its due chance. Those who have yet to see it are really doing themselves (and the movie and its cast and crew) a disservice. Even those who only watched it once and hated it, should give it a new look, with more open eyes.

First and foremost, no this movie is not on the level of the Clark classic, but then not many remakes are on the level of the movie that inspired it. And, in the case of the original Black Christmas, it is one of the most important and influential slasher flicks ever. It is amazing to think that it precedes both Halloween and Friday the 13th (and even When a Stranger Calls, another horror film that is "inspired" by it). So clearly this movie had an uphill battle from the get go. But, here is the thing, it knew it did, and as all good remakes should, it went down its own path.

A major difference is the identity of Billy, in the original he is a mystery. But not here, the remake is not interested in keeping him a secret. He is given a decidedly sleazy backstory, one filled with the aforementioned incest abuse and cannibalism, with a touch of very black humor. It helps to add a good sense of shock and a welcome fucked up quality to the movie.

The movie has some great gore, unlike the restrained original film. Going in this route makes sense in setting itself and in upping the stakes. It also just adds to the fun of it all. There is lots of eyeball violence, as well as splashing and splattering blood, stabbings, impalings, a head gets sliced open, and more. All of the gore FX are excellently handled by Chris Divett. They are sure to please splatter fans watching this flick.

The mostly female cast is quite good, as well as stunningly beautiful. In fact, I think this movie has one of the most babetastic casts I have ever seen in an American horror movie. Most the girls play likeable characters, with a couple really standing out with some really great lines in their dialogue. Michelle (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Trachtenberg and Crystal (of Final Destination 3 here playing a lush and being a blast in her role) are two who deliver some of those great lines. It should also be noted, cause in a slasher movie it is very important, the goregous Ms. Lowe does get nude in a welcome shower scene. Katie Cassidy is quite good in what is actually my favorite movie role of hers. As you can see from those babes the hottie factor is super high, and they are joined by Mary Elizabeth (Cloverfield Lane) Winstead, Lacy (Lost in Space) Chabert, MILFy Kristen (Final Destination) Cloake and more.

But, it's not just the ladies that look good. The movie has a beautiful look to it. Director Glen Morgan really uses the holiday colors of red and green to add a wonderful Argentoesque beauty to it. He also keeps the pacing and movie moving briskly. This keeps the movie fun and helps to make it a great time to be had.

Admit ably the movie like, any slasher, falls under certain cliches. yet, it still manages to avoid one or two and adds a twist here and there. It does come off as a bit empty headed. But, I don't think anyone watching a movie like this looking for a thought provoking piece. They just want a fast and fun movie, and this movie delivers that in a high dosage.

Perhaps the most head scrathingly odd thing about this is that the trailer (which you'll see at the bottom of this review) shows a bunch of stuff not in the movie. From what I heard scenes were shot specifically and only for the trailer. This is a pretty stupid idea that surely pissed some people off. I know, I was a little disappointed to not see them (like the spinning lights/ blades scene) in the movie. You are well advised to not expect everything in the trailer to be in the movie. 

Underrated and sometimes unjustly lumped in with bad remakes, Black Christmas deserves another look. It's great that it has been gaining a following over the years, but I still feel it needs more of it. The movie is gory, fun, fast paced, good looking, both in terms of the actual movie and its stunning female cast. it's aged quite well, and has become a yearly holiday tradition of mine. When judged as its own movie, this holiday horror flick ranks as a nasty and great Yuletide time to be had.

 

3 out of 4