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A Ghost Story (2017)
A Ghost Story
'A Ghost Story' is a powerful film with very little dialog and a man with a sheet over his head. That being said, it's amazing and heartbreaking.
I wasn't sure what I was in for when I started watching the movie. I've watched it three times now, and I still haven't seen the end credits through the tears in my eyes.
A true masterpiece.
Busanhaeng (2016)
One hell of a train ride!!!
Wow.
Where do I even begin? This movie shows that Hollywood does not own the monopoly on quality film making. But checking out the quality of the entertainment of late coming from Hollywood, that's not really a stretch.
All young Su-an (played by Soo-an Kim) wants for her birthday is to spend it with her mother. So her separated and unengaged father Seok Woo (played by Yoo Gong) attempts to fulfill her wish. Her mother lives in Busan. That's a relatively unconventional short train ride, and with some coaxing, off they go.
But, of course, the train ride is anything but unconventional.
News filters into passengers on the train that something horrible is affecting people, turning them into crazed rabid flash eaters. Little do they know that this is about to infect the people on the train as well.
Along with Seok Woo and Su-an, there are a whole host of great secondary characters that round out the cast. Like cheerleader Ahn So-hee, reluctant boyfriend and amateur baseball player Young Gook (and the rest of the team), Sang Hwa, a linebacker or sumo wrestler or just a plain bad-ass, and his expectant wife Sung Gyeong. Do NOT mess with this man's wife and child! The train is a perfect setting for a zombie apocalypse showdown. The train can not stop at stations because they are all over-run by the hordes, and the living passengers are continually being squeezed into tighter and tighter quarters by the increasing number of swarming undead that move like World War Z zombies-on-meth.
Train to Busan is one of the best zombie action flicks I've seen in a long time. Director Sang-ho Yeon does an amazing job with pacing, the acting is top notch, and the screenplay (also written by Sang-ho Yeon) is visceral and touching.
Highly highly recommend!
Wer (2013)
"Wer" -- best werewolf film since "American Werewolf in London!"
"Wer" is a modern take on werewolf mythology. Taking place in France, this horror flick brings the concept of the full-moon, flesh eating creature into the 21st century, and boy does it deliver!
A family is ravaged by what the lone survivor calls a hairy creature that stood on two legs and had huge hands. The mother described how the creature proceeded to eat her young son.
Almost immediately, the local police detective Pistori has a suspect in custody-- Talan, a huge man with hair that covers his body. He belonged to a family with history in past land disputes and mysterious deaths.
His defense team gathers to dispute what appears to be a miscarriage of justice. The team is made up of attorney Kate Moore (A.J. Moore from "Criminal Minds"), her assistant Eric Sarin (Vik Sahay from "Chuck") and animal specialist Gavin Flemyng (Simon Quarterman from "The Devil Inside").
While researching, Gavin discovers a rare condition which could explain Talan's appearance. Should they be able to prove that Talan has this condition, it would pretty much exonerate Talan, as symptoms include elongated, weak bones that cause the sufferer to have no strength, and move slowly.
This leads to an awesome scene in the hospital, where Talan is to be tested.
The movie is break-neck-paced. There are a few subtitles, but most of the movie is in English. There are outstanding visual effects, especially of the practical kind. There are even some crackly, snapping standard werewolf turning scenes. There is a handful of POV/Found footage used, but not over-used, which is refreshing. They are used only for maximum impact (for example, weapon cams). The acting is first rate, and the directing (by William Brent Bell, who also co-wrote Wer) is top notch. William Brent Bell brought us such creepy fair as "The Devil Inside" and more recently "The Boy."
And of course, there are a few "oh-- you KNOW this is going to get bad" moments, that are pretty much inevitable in a movie like this. It's easily the best werewolf film I have seen since "American Werewolf in London," which came out over 35 years ago. While AWIL was considered a comedy/horror mashup, Wer is all horror.
In my opinion, Wer would have garnered a score of 10/10 if not for a blatantly Hollywood ending.
Regardless, the film is outstanding!
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
One of the best horror movies I've seen this year!!! Easily the best Western.
I went into this with ZERO expectations. Interestingly enough I had just watched Kurt Russel in Tarantino's "Hateful 8" (Russell is also great in that flick as well).
In this one, Russell still sports the awesome 'stash. He is amazing and mesmerizing! Patrick Wilson is also amazing as a man determined to recover his abducted wife at all costs. Oh, and it also stars Richard Jenkins!
Do NOT pass this one by. The performances of the actors are stunning. I absolutely loved the dialog.
"It is the opinion of the assistant deputy that his manner was suspicious..." Yeah-- like that dialogue. I have watched it 4 times now.
Dead Rising: Watchtower (2015)
Dead Rising: Watchtower is the live action adaptation of the hugely popular video game
So many attempts have been made by Hollywood to create a movie from a video game (Doom, Super Mario Brothers, Max Payne) and vice versa (Alien, Indiana Jones, The Evil Dead, Jaws) that have been so so bad, that my expectations were pretty low going into this newest fare.
Dead Rising: Watchtower is the live action adaptation of the hugely popular video game series Dead Rising, by game giant Capcom. And I have to say, right from the get go– I was pleasantly surprised! Not only did it not suck, it was actually very entertaining.
Don't get me wrong. There was plenty in this two hour film that will ensure it will never be hoisted up into the realm of Romero or even The Walking Dead any time soon. But as average zombie fare goes, it was actually above average.
The story follows online reporter Chase Carter (Jesse Metcalfe) and his camerawoman Jordon (Keegan Connor Tracy) as they cover the stories of the people inside of the walled-in quarantined area in Oregon, as the government (FEZA – Federal Emergency Zombie Authority) attempts to contain a viral outbreak that turns people into ravenous zombies. An anti-viral drug called Zombrex, that keeps the virus at bay, is being administered to those infected. When it becomes clear that the drug is no longer effective, Chase, Jordon, grieving mother Maggie (Virginia Madsen), and survivor, Crystal (Meghan Ory) battle their way to a pawn shop, and temporary safety. But Crystal has a dark secret, and the army has a hidden agenda.
This the perfect set up that turns the movie back into the video game. All manner of weapons can be fashioned from things in the pawn shop of course
and well, they are. A garbage can lid gets protruding blades, anything with a long handle gets a pike, a sledge hammer head, or a tree-limb rotary saw attached to each end, making for plenty of weapon-point-of-view camera shots later on. Case in point: a continuous tracking shot with no cut-aways that follows Chase through a horde, into a bus, out of the bus, onto a car, on top of the bus, all the while battling the undead with his tree-limb rotary saw and baseball bat. Marvelous! While the main characters do a decent job as beleaguered protagonists, some of the best performances are by the supporting cast. These include Aleks Paunovic as a Mad Max-style biker gang leader who wants to rule the world with his minions, and the always entertaining Rob Riggle as hotshot Frank West, who has already survived one outbreak, being interviewed (and being a jack-ass) on the UBN news broadcasts, interspersed throughout the movie.
I would like to have seen more visceral carnage (there's plenty of zombie-killing, but mostly CGI blood, and not nearly enough amputations). Through the use of the many improvised weapons, there are quite a number of inventive kills, but one stands out for me. It's a shot of a wandering zombie-dad chowing down on the remains of his child who is strapped to his chest in a baby front-pack– kind of like a feed bag.
The lack of true gore was obviously a budgetary constraint, but this was definitely not a low-budget affair. A few more practical "Walking Dead-style" effects would have upped the ante for me. That might be my only real complaint.
I read a couple of pretty scathing reviews, but I think they just didn't get it. Dead Rising, Watchtower stays pretty true to the video game, which was its obvious intent. There are plenty of shout-outs to the game itself, like Chase donning a servbot helmet t-shirt, and one zombie getting "traffic-coned." There is probably too much plot for its own good (I can't believe I'm saying that) making it feel like a hodgepodge of ideas that could have played out over the run of a television series (which is in the works, by the way).
Is it worth watching? For fans of the game, absolutely! It's entertaining and free on Crackle right now. Will you find it entertaining? It depends on the mindset you go into it with.
Maggie (2015)
"Maggie" is heartbreaking, Schwarzenegger is great!
I have to say there were several times during the watching of the new zombie flick Maggie that I wanted Arnie to go all Terminator on someone's ass. And to be honest, the fact that this is a much more subdued Schwarzenegger might be the genius of the movie itself.
When you're one of the most recognizable action heroes in movie history, it's hard to get respect in a movie that is proving to have more heart than muscle. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays against standard casting as loving father Wade, to daughter Maggie– a daughter who has become infected by a virus (aptly called the Necroambulist virus– which literally means the walking dead) that will slowly turn her into a flesh-eating zombie. It's a slow burn, and definitely not standard zombie fair. Take out the word zombie and replace it with cancer, and you'll get a better sense of the pace of the film. But that's not a bad thing.
Abigail Breslin plays Arnold's daughter Maggie. Abigail is no neophyte when it comes to zombie pop culture (she played Little Rock in the smash hit "Zombieland") and she's come a long way in the acting department (you might remember her in the title role as Little Miss Sunshine). Being bitten by an infected is a death sentence, and the ER doctor does Wade and their family doctor a huge favour by letting him take Maggie to live out her remaining eight weeks (the full incubation period) at home, instead of being sent immediately to "quarantine" as per the law.
At home, life just never gets past Maggie's inevitable "turning" and ultimate demise. Maggie's stepmother Caroline (Joely Richardson) is wary of the very true danger Maggie poses, and sends her own two younger children to stay at her sister's, leaving herself and Wade to watch the slow decline of his daughter.
Reports of the horrors of "quarantine" reach Maggie and her friends during a campfire outing, and another infected friend explains he would rather blow his brains out than be taken there. During a doctor's visit, Wade also learns of the horrors of quarantine, where the infected are given a cocktail of drugs which kills them slowly and painfully. His recommendation to Wade is to do it himself, quickly and painlessly.
That's the setup. As mentioned, this is not a typical zombie movie. The violence and gore factor go nowhere past PG-13 (although there's a cringe-worthy swing accident), and Arnold does dispatch three zombies in the first half hour (one in the first five minutes, as if to remind us that this is still a guy big enough to snap a neck using that thin piece of wood they attach to bathroom keys in gas station rest rooms).
I liked Maggie very much. Arnold shows some real acting skill, and Abigail is brilliant.
By contract, I've read some criticisms of this movie, with reviewers complaining that it was not a zombie movie at all, just a drama about a loved one dying of a disease. Come to think of it, these are probably the very same people who complain that all zombie movies are alike.
Burying the Ex (2014)
"True love conquers all." Maybe it shouldn't.
"Burying the Ex" is the soon to be released flick from director Joe Dante, who brought us the '80s classics "Gremlins" and "The Howling." This time around, we follow horror-movie-loving Max (Anton Yelchin, ie. Checkov from the "Star Trek" reboot series, but without the Russian accent), struggling to rise above the manipulative people in his life. He's working in a dead-end job in a kitschy Halloween curio shop with a demanding boss; living with his controlling girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene from "Twilight"); and dealing with his brother (I mean half-brother, a running gag) Travis (Oliver Cooper from "The Hangover III") who really just needs Max's apartment as a destination to take his booty-calls to.
An odd little statue arrives at the shop that promises to grant a wish
but because it's a "Satan-Genie" (and according to a tag attached)– it has to be granted the "evil way." Cut to the "Satan-Genie" being within earshot of a post-coital promise made between Max and Evelyn: "We will always be together
always and forever"
and the "evil-way" is set in motion.
Max's relationship with Evelyn continues to deteriorate. Evelyn freaks out at a friendly ice cream shop owner named Olivia (played by the comely Alexandra Daddario from True Detective); turns their apartment into a "green, eco-friendly zone"
and relegates (read: jams) his expensive horror movie posters into a drawer
At his wits end, Max takes the advise of brother (half-brother) Travis, and invites her to a public place to break up with her. Max chooses a dog park, which leads Evelyn to believe he has gotten her a dog, and in her enthusiasm, rushes out to meet him and is killed by a bus.
You can guess what follows. Evelyn returns from the grave, hell-bent on rekindling their relationship, and determined to keep Max away from the very-alive ice cream owner, Olivia. And she has a plan to make good on their promise to "always be together
always and forever" that Max is not too keen on.
There are some genuinely funny moments, and director Joe Dante is in great form, but comparisons to the Jeff Baena film "Life After Beth", released last year, are inevitable. Both movies involve girlfriends coming back from the grave to despondent boyfriends who have all kinds of regrets after their deaths; both girlfriends are adamant in reviving their "dead" relationships (and deflecting any interest from any potential "living" girlfriends), all the while slowly deteriorating physically and mentally into zombie-ness (and rage). And according to both films, returning from the grave makes girls super-strong and really horny.
Those are the plot similarities. Burying the Ex is a really fun movie with great directing, photography, physical special effects and outstanding acting that illustrates Dante's pedigree, delivering a far more polished film than Life After Beth. Don't let seeing Beth dissuade you from checking out Burying the Ex. It's a fun watch for those wanting to expand their zombie movie horizons.
Life After Beth (2014)
"Life After Beth" Has Dark Laughs
Life After Beth (2014) is the new indie film written and directed by Jeff Baena, starring Aubrey Plaza in the title role as Beth, who returns mysteriously from the grave, oblivious of her own death.
This film follows in the footsteps of a recent spate of zombie stories that have more heart than guts, like the movie Warm Bodies, and the TV shows In the Flesh and The Returned. But where Warm Bodies' heart is light and sweet, Life After Beth's heart is often dark and brooding. That doesn't mean it isn't funny as hell, though.
After the recent death of his girlfriend, Zach (Dane Dehaan) is despondent, and finds some solace in sharing his pain with Beth's parents (Maury and Geanie Slocum, played with priceless exuberance by John C. Riley and Molly Shannon). But after Zach catches a glimpse of Beth through their living room window, he and even his own family start to question his sanity. Off to the CAT scan.
A quick visit to the graveyard though, deepens the mystery. Beth's grave is still there, but how do you explain that big hole in the ground? Now completely convinced the Slocums are somehow squirreling Beth away in their house, Zach wants that question answered.
Maury: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth! Zach: She could be a zombie! Geanie: She's resurrected! Maury: She's resurrected! Zach: And that's better why? Maury: It's from the Old Testament!
It becomes immediately obvious that the Slocums are in complete denial about Beth's death and miraculous "resurrection," and soon Zach is as well. After all, he will have a second chance to say and do the things he hadn't said or done before she died. Except there's something just not right about Beth, especially between her hilarious "goldfish memory" episodes and insane fits of mania.
Stealing the show is Aubrey Plaza, as a manic teen-zombie in love, torn between teen angst and unbridled zombie rage (and really, is there any other kind of teen)? Plaza is Jeff Baena's real-life girlfriend, who was looking for a new vehicle for her talents, and this project fit the bill. This is Baena's directorial debut– and truly an impressive one. The screenplay actually sat in limbo for the past 10 years, apparently waiting for the right time to be produced. I predict it won't be another ten years for Baena's next directorial venture.
The Battery (2012)
Two Guys trapped in a car during the zombie apocalypse-- AWESOME!
Want to see a movie about two guys trapped in a car with the zombie apocalypse going on outside? Let me explain why you should! While the entire movie doesn't take place inside the car, a big chunk does, and hat's off to Director, Writer, and lead Jeremy Gardner for pulling it off (along with his co-star Adam Cronheim). If World War Z is the viral apocalypse for the masses, The Battery (2012) is the antidote (illustrating the horde as the plodding, overwhelming monster that never stops). It's a buddy/road movie, with zombies. I love this movie like I loved Pontypool, but here is the caveat: if you want chock a block action, you might want to rent World War Z again. But if you want some smart sweet film with more than a heaping of claustrophobic suspense, get this one.
4/5 stars
Los cronocrímenes (2007)
Timecrimes is everything a Time Travel story should be-- except for pretty much everything the Protagonist does
I love time travel stories! They are easily my favourite sci-fi sub-genre. This one has all of the intricacies inherent in a "tavel-back-in-time" story, and even attempts to answer the age-old thought experiment: what happens if you go back in time and try and kill your grandfather? In this outing, the time-travel-loop is even tighter, and asks the question: what happens if you go back in time and try and kill yourself? Throw in a naked chick, a mysterious bandaged stranger, a somewhat industrial-looking time machine and you should have all the makings of decent time travel movie.
A chance sighting through a pair of binoculars of a naked woman by our protagonist Héctor, sets into motion time loops that soon become apparent to him (and us, the viewer at the same time). Let me be clear right here that the movie doesn't so much involve a time-loop as it does a time-slinky. There is no infinite loop or closed circle. There is a definite entry and exit point in the entire timeline shown in the film, with a "slinky" in the middle.
So why only a 4/10? The movie unfortunately does not address a failure inherent in many time travel movies-- and that's why people (in this case, Héctor) do what they do the very first time through the time loop.
In "Timecrimes," there is absolutely no reason for Héctor to do pretty much everything he does as "Héctor#1." The ONLY reason he does pretty much anything is so that the rest of the movie makes sense. And that's really too bad. If the writer and director Nacho Vigalondo had spent more time addressing that mechanic in the story I think I might have rated this closer to a 8. But it's such an important part of a time travel story; a part which everything else is based on. The viewer should believe that part to believe the rest because the rest actually DOES make sense IF Héctor actually did the things that he did the first time around. Follow me?
Anyway, I watched a dubbed version, and the voice-over acting is pretty bad (is it ever good?)-- a sub-titled version might have been better.
Fun to watch and contemplate, but with that one serious time-travel flaw, I can't give it more than a 6/10.
Oculus (2013)
"Oculus" is Horror Sci-fi Fantasy at its best!
With a nod to "Twilight Zone," the groundbreaking television series of the 60's, "Oculus" breathes new life into what has become the awful cookie-cutter horror of the 21st century. (You know who you are, James Wan. What the heck happened after "Saw")?
An antique mirror, a dysfunctional family (though it is questionable which came first), and you could have the makings of another "been there, saw that" horror flick. Mirrors have been (over)used in horror and fantasy stories forever, so when I saw one was the focal point of this movie, I have to say I was a bit worried.
As it turns out the mirror is as much symbolic of parallel but intertwined fates across time, as it is about reflecting ones true nature.
And as you watch the two time frames of the movie careen on a collision course with each other, the final scenes are heartbreaking. "Oculus" is smart and creepy, with great performances and directing.
I've heard rumours of a sequel. I hope there isn't one. The very premise of the film negates a sequel.
Pontypool (2008)
Pontypool is one of the more original "zombie" movies to come out in years!
"Pontypool" is one of the more original "zombie" movies to come out in years. Of course, it came out in 2008, and is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves.
I saw it a few years ago, and remember being impressed. Impressed that it was a small film by TV (mostly) director Bruce McDonald, about a a small town in norther Ontario (named Pontypool). Small small and small. Having just finished watching it again, I have concluded why I like this movie so much. It is because it is small.
Pontypool follows hot-shot radio announcer Grant Mazzy as he starts his workday. He arrives in a blizzard, after an odd encounter with a woman in the snowstorm. Unfazed, he shows up at the tiny radio station, where he is first met by technical assistant Laurel-Ann Drummond (who supplies Mazzy with his per-requisite bottle of whiskey), and then by station owner/producer Sydney Briar.
Stephen McHattie is an awesome Grant Mazzy, and plays him with intense bravado. You know McHattie from movies such as "The Watchmen", "History of Violence", "300", "The Immortals" and more TV shows than you can count (Haven, Fringe, Nikita, Deep Space Nine, The X Files etc).
The entire movie takes place inside the radio station, on one fateful day. It is this confined space and confined time that I find tremendously appealing.
After being instructed by Briar to tone down his hot-shot rhetoric to appeal to a more rural listening audience dealing with a snow storm, Mazzy soon gets drawn into an unbelievable and horrific event that unfolds through call-ins from their "eye-in-the-sky weather man" Ken Loney and various other locals and police. Hordes of "people" seem to be swarming through town, often naked, and murdering each other. It turns out Ken's "eye-in-the-sky" is his vehicle, parked on the top of a hill. And Ken is not safe. Neither is the rest of the town of Pontypool, and the station, only a few kilometres away from the mayhem.
What transpires is terrifying, once again artfully conveyed through telephone calls into the station. All the while Mazzy, holed up behind the sound proof glass, is getting more and more horrified, and more and more drunk. As the chaos begins to encroach upon the station, the sense of claustrophobia and foreboding becomes almost palpable! Think you've seen it all? The apocalypse comes to Pontypool in a completely unique form, and is spread in a completely unique way. A warning for you standard zombie fans-- this is not a standard zombie movie. It is described as a psychological thriller-- but it contains the essence of what makes all zombie movies terrifying-- that inevitable plodding horror and the impending doom that follows.
Though the dialogue shifts, at times, into cartoon, it is, nevertheless, great dialogue.
Grant Mazzy: "People are ... dying... and we've been playing musak. Do we really want to provide a genocide with elevator music?" Watch through and past the end credits, for a tongue-in-cheek epilogue.
A very entertaining watch and one that I wholeheartedly recommend!
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
"The Cabin in the Woods (2011)" -- not your average Zombie Movie -- A Review!
"The Cabin in the Woods (2011)" is definitely not your average zombie movie. It's not even your average horror or sci-fi movie.
How to describe it? It's like "The Evil Dead" meets "Night of the Living Dead" meets "The Immortals..." meets "The Truman Show." 5 young folks suit up in their best summer-wear, hop in buddy's dad's RV, and head out to a cousin's cabin... in the woods.
All of the prerequisite character types are included: the Jock, the Braniac, the Stoner, the Sexy (just turned) Blonde and of course, the Virgin.
These roles become more and more stereotypical as the movie continues-- but that in no way detracts from this being one of the most creative, well scripted; at times hilarious, and at other times horrifying films I've seen in years-- and it's not just because it has zombies. Actually it has a whole "redneck torture family of zombies"... who use weapons! Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are absolutely fantastic in their roles -- a little jaded about their work, going through the motions-- but, eh... it's a living. Anybody notice the "rookie" (shall we call him the summer intern) was named Truman. Coincidence? I think NOT! All of the kids are more than respectable as terrified late-teenagers, especially Fran Kranz as Marty, the constantly stoned wise-cracker. It's his stoner mind that starts to actually put things together-- except, is this sh*t really happening or is he just stoned? Marty Marty Marty.
This was one of Fran's first movies-- and I predict we will see a lot more of him.
There are more twists and bizarre turns than a really warped Penrose Stairscase! If you think you've got it all figured out, just keep watching. About every ten minutes you'll change your mind. And in the final climactic scene, there is such a smörgåsbord of violence and chaos that I wanted to stand up and cheer! Joss Whedon's quippy dialogue is a pleasure! Highly recommended!
Nihon bundan: Heru doraibâ (2010)
Kika -- part machine, part woman-- all zombie slayer!
Kika -- part machine, part woman-- all zombie slayer!
We've seen zombie slayers with Samurai swords, we've seen zombie slayers with chainsaws! But we've never seen a cyborg zombie slayer with a Samurai chainsaw-sword and pole dancing skills!
In this version of dystopia, the "infected" are people afflicted by a virus that causes antlers to sprout from their brain (much like the real-life Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus which invades ants' brains, to eventually erupt from their heads to release spores that will infect other ants).
These antlers cause the afflicted to resemble Japanese melons. The origin of this affliction is extraterrestrial as well as familial-- Mother Dearest is a psycho-bitch from hell (with Kika's heart, literally) and Kika's uncle has a Swastika burned into his forehead (ala Charles Manson).
And kids being kids, can't leave well enough alone, are grinding up the zombie antlers to experience a new form of high.
To keep the infected at bay, a great wall has been erected to separate them from the population. But other nefarious forces are at work, and the wall is breached.
Now on Death Row, Kika and cohorts are presented with a choice: face what will ultimately be an unfair trial, or volunteer to take out the "Zombie Queen"-- Mother Dearest.
What ensues is sheer mayhem, as our group battles its way through the zombie horde. But not just any zombie horde! We see:
Zombie women hurtling zombie babies attached to them with umbilical cords (like Medieval flails)!
- The Zombie Bar - A Female zombie boxer - Zombie people-wranglers - Zombies doing Michael Jackson's Thriller - Samurai Pin-cushion zombie (looking more like a grotesque porcupine than, say, Hellraiser's Pinhead) who duals (wait for it) with a truck! - A flailing mutant zombie thing with small baby arms (holding a knife and fork) growing out of it's face (words alone can not adequately describe this creature) that ultimately (d)evolves into a "General Grievous" (Star Wars)-like fighting machine - A Zombie car made out of zombie parts
Be warned, the gore is very graphic at times. But if you've read this far, I'm sure you aren't taking anything here as a warning. Dismemberment and fire-hose gushers from every body part and orifice are spaced out about every minute or two.
"Hell Driver" has a tremendous amount of style and fountains of blood, guts and brains... lots of corny prosthetics and absolutely zero logic. It is silly to the extreme-- but that is the point. A screwed up cartoon for adults (that are stoned). Full marks for creativity here!
ParaNorman (2012)
ParaNorman: A Zombie Flick for the Whole Family - The Movie Review!
The reviews for ParaNorman are all over the map. It might have been one of the reasons I didn't actually see it on the big screen. Not a good reason, mind you, but a reason.
So when I had the opportunity to rent it, I went in with no expectations.
This stop-motion animated (that's right, stop-motion-- not computer generated) film has all the charm and warmth that comes with stop motion. Tim Burton's "A Nightmare Before Christmas" is a wonderful example of awesome stop-motion animation. There is something about photographing real objects that lends a touch of reality that is still lacking in most CGI. It's why performances with puppets still exist in this age of hyper-realism; why Yoda in the original Star Wars still looked more real than his CGI counterpart. Sure, he was restricted by what a puppet could do, but you could feel his presence on-screen. Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) recently tweeted that his daughter saw the original Star Wars' for the first time, and commented that "Oh-- Yoda is real!" From the mouth of babes.
ParaNorman is about a boy who sees dead people. Everywhere. Apparently, this is a family ability (or curse), that has been handed down from generation to generation. Norman is your typical outcast, with rigid upright hair that makes him look like he's always in a state of permanent shock. We meet Norman's quirky Uncle Penderghast, who maintains the secret duty of "keeping a particular witch's curse" at bay. It is time now to pass that responsibility onto Norman, who really is just trying to fit in at school.
A mis-spoken incantation in a wrong graveyard leads to the rise of a crew of living dead zombies (is there any other kind?), and a really ticked off witch.
The film kicks into high gear from here to the end, with crazy car chases, hilarious zombie mishaps, and a bully turned friend (not a spoiler-- you could see it coming from a mile away), as well as wonderful redemption.
Tons of fun! Oh, and watch for what are sure to be merchandise tie-ins-- like Zombie Slippers and Zombie Alarm clocks!
United 93 (2006)
United 93-- the closest thing to the real thing
I saw this film the day it came out with a friend of mine. I, like most of you, remember when and where I was on Sept 11, 2001. My life has never been the same.
I watched this film, enraptured by it's third party view of the events (even though, of course, these people in the plane tower, like us, were captivated by the real-life events unfolding in front of them). This event, like everyone in this film (yes, many of the people playing roles in this film were the actual people who worked the tower that day-- including the lead role)!
I watched in silence beside my friend.
And when it ended, there was only silence, except for a girl crying further down in the audience.
Yeah. My life was changed on 9/11. This film has come the closest to capturing that horrendous day.
Irréversible (2002)
Yikes! Perhaps one of the most violent movies I've ever seen-- at least realistic looking violence. It has two famous scenes.
Yikes! Perhaps one of the most violent movies I've ever seen-- at least realistic looking violence. It has two famous scenes.
One scene occurs in a gay underground nightclub, where a guy gets his arm snapped in two and then his head and face literally smashed flat by a guy with a fire extinguisher (it is done so seamlessly that I re- watched it to to see where they managed to (insert fake head here) to smash to a pulp. And the head is so realistic that as it is getting pulverized, the face is still making expressions, his mouth is moving-- teeth are getting bashed in... I hope you're not eating... That scene runs for a full minute-- non-stop. The camera-work is this crazy swooping- twisting (not the shaky-cam)-- it gives the film a real sense of the insanity that's going on. Awesome bare-bones 80 techno and synths are the sound track-- which gives it an even more bizarre feeling.
The other famous scene is an ultra-violent rape scene that goes on for over 10 minutes.
It's done Memento-style-- essentially playing these crazy violent scenes near the beginning of the movie, and then hops back and back, scene by scene-- so you see how it all started (at the end of the film).
Incredibly hard to watch. I'm not sure if the name "Irreversible" applies to the the backward story-telling style, or to the last piece of innocence inside me that it killed-- irreversibly. As they say, you can't un-see something.
Bong of the Dead (2011)
Bong of the dead -- exactly what you want
This movie has a happy slapstick feel to it, Cheech and Chong meet the undead. It was funny, it was heartwarming (sometimes a little too much)-- and it had an awesome ending that included perhaps one of the most awesome killing machines in recent zombie-killing history.
The two stoner leads (Edwin and Tommy) were perfect boneheads-- but boneheads with a mission. There is also one of the hottest chicks since Tomb Raider (wait 'til she gets all gussied up in leathers)... and it is pure and simple entertainment.
I understand the film was produced for $5000, and that in itself is reason enough to watch it-- but don't watch it for that! Watch it because its funny and clever and the zombie effects are first rate (by veteran Mike Fields). The final climactic scene is awesome... oh, and watch past the trailers for a taste of things to come.
Session 9 (2001)
Sessions too many
The movie starts with some promise... creepy old insane asylum-- an old 19th century child's wheel chair at the faaaar end of a hall-- that is not ever quite accessible).
Sprinkle with characters there to clean out the asbestos in the building-- characters that continue to change personalities(including Peter Mullan who just can't quite maintain his Scottish/Irish/English accent or his American Accent-- whichever it should have been) and David Caruso (CSI Miami) who fortunately does not do a Lieutenant Horatio Caine (YOOOOOWWW!)
Take every horror cliché and put them into a barrel of monkeys, shake thoroughly, and spill them on the table.
That is the plot of Session 9.