I told you about The Thaw not too long ago, and The Last Winter is quite similar in its global warming message, which is making a lot of headlines lately thanks to those scientist’s e-mails. Well, whether you believe global warming to be a hoax or not, it makes a viable movie plot line. Instead of unleashing a prehistoric parasite like it did in The Thaw however, global warming has somehow unleashed what is perhaps best described as ghosts of nature very intent on halting the progress of an oil company looking to drill in a remote part of Alaska. The team of drillers, led by Ed Pollack (Ron Perlman of Hellboy), and a couple of environmentalists overseeing the operation to make sure it’s all on the up and up, face unusual warm weather patterns and strange occurrences, both of which make it hard to get any work done. Or survive.

This movie is a tree-hugger’s delight (you know, with the environmentalists pushing for inflated tires instead of oil consumption) so if you lean to the right, you may not feel it too much. It’s also got plenty of those actors that’ll make you say, “Oh, that guy” (who are nicely stereo-typically cast to boot). When you get right down to it, it’s a boring movie, not much happens, but its tedium is saved by a solid pace, which makes it watchable. I can’t say there’s much horror, but it is creepy at times (see frozen dude in picture), and unfortunately, like most movies with supernatural entities, it lost me when they showed the ghost. I’d really rather prefer these ghosts remain mysteries and not have them ruined by CGI tomfoolery. But so it goes.

I know it wouldn’t be the best thing for the Earth if winter went away, but on a day like today, I wouldn’t mind that possibility one bit. Now, stay warm and check out the trailer for The Last Winter!

“Let’s get this one.”
“But Val Kilmer is in it.”
“Come on, Val Kilmer does great work. I mean, not recently, but he has…twice.”

That’s how the wife and I ended up grabbing The Thaw. But it wasn’t just Val Kilmer’s billing that sold us, it was also because The Thaw is about researchers who discover – and become infected by – deadly parasites feeding on a woolly mammoth carcass in the Canadian arctic. We LIVE in the Canadian arctic (or damn close, anyway) so we felt watching The Thaw could one day prepare us for when the ice actually melts and unleashes tiny prehistoric killers that will do their best to feast on our flesh. For instance, we discovered that cutting off your arm at the elbow because you’ve been bitten near the wrist will not, in fact, save the rest of your arm…or you. That’s important information.

Bugs, it seems, are a bitch to quarantine. That’s another one. Oh, and if we do ever find ourselves in such a dilemma, we’re gonna hope we’re not isolated with a bunch of ecology students. You know that once the kids show up, it’s all bickering and crying from that point on. Then one of them will act all tough and grab a gun and try to control the situation. One of them will likely lie to you about being infected, too. Those bastards.

Anyway, The Thaw has this whole global warming message attached to it, so be responsible or else. It also stars Martha MacIssac (Superbad) and aside from the usual prats and pitfalls of your standard infectious horror flick, it will make you squirm and itch.

And in case you’re wondering, those two times were The Salton Sea and Heat. Nope, not even The Doors. Top Gun, maybe…but not The Doors.

Check out the trailer for The Thaw!