Although this is a pretty obvious short on the evils of religion, the animation here is breathtaking, the visuals frightening, and the script, for the most part, is pretty damn good too.
The angel of death, 'the undertaker,' is picking off the frightened residents of a small town, while the town's evil priest leads them on a witch hunt, leading to one man- the faithless, guitar-plucking hobo, who refuses to comply with the priest's reign of terror.
The corpse-like characters are truly grotesque and frightening, scarier than anything Burton could come up with. The bloody conclusion isn't stylized or humorous either- it's unflinching brutality is unnerving. There's also some pitch-black humor concerning religious hypocrisy, but it does little to relieve the unrelenting tone.
Though not as bad as it's unfortunate title suggests, "Herpes Boy" derives humor on grotesque caricatures of it's secondary players. I've never seen so many shameless stereotypes masquerading as characters in one movie.
The only character with any depth is the birthmarked, self-proclaimed misanthrope protaganist, but we can only get a kick out of his angsty 'I hate people' routine for so long, and lead actor Byron Lane is short on charisma as well as talent.
Teen outcast Rudolph (Byron Lane)'s angst and ennui is understandable- between his clueless family and his lifelong bullying at the hands of just about everybody, who wouldn't be P.O.-ed? But his self-absorbed outlook on his jock father's fatal heart attack and his actual consideration of dissing his dad in the eulogy makes him often a less than sympathetic character.
"Tony" is the rare exception where the term 'indie horror' means smarter rather than just cheaper. On one level, it's a pretty simple premise (man commits crimes, man goes unnoticed until...), but on another, it a phenomenal character study of a man to whom desperation is a constant companion, to whose hobbies others would find sickness and perversion. All that and a highly effective performance by unnoticed actor Peter Ferdinando, as the titular killer.
Tony is a lonely fellow who idles away his days watching low-grade 80's action films. We see him desperately trying to make a connection with the uncaring world around him, but socialization is hard, especially if your second hobby is, well... killing people.
The second of many film adaptations of Gaston Leroux's novel (the first being a 'lost' and mostly forgotten film, "The Phantom of the Opera" is mostly famous for Lon Chaney's very physical performance as the titular phantom, a hideously deformed man who lurks the halls of the Paris Opera House, circa 19th Century.
The Phantom (or Erik, as he'd rather be called, though no one ever does) is obsessed with one singular goal, winning the love of the beautiful Christine Daae (Mary Philbin), an opera singer who he idolizes. Willing to do anything to make her a star and earn her affections, Erik pulls strings to make her a leading lady, but his obsession comes with deadly consequences.
Although "The Cat and the Canary" isn't sure what it wants to be- a slapstick comedy, a whodunit, or a straight horror movie- intriguing characters and excellent performances from the cast keep this one fresh and charming.
Half-mad millionare Cyrus West dies in his creepy mansion, leaving the name of his benefactor in his safe. Like flies to a freshly bloated carcass, his family gathers at the mansion, waiting to snatch up his sizable fortune.
There is a potentially deadly catch... the person who wins the money must spend the night in West's reportedly haunted mansion, and pass a sanity test short thereafter. The dubious 'winner' turns out to be Cyrus' niece, Annabelle West (Laura La Plante).
Unbeknownst to me, "Ju-On: The Grudge" the the third in a series, and it is always a tricky thing to watch a sequel out of order. Fortunately, the film works well as an individual, and I understand that each film is different thematically.
Although not particularly smart or logic-heavy horror, 2004's "Ju-On: The Grudge" contains a couple of good scares and ends up being a fairly decent way to spend 90 minutes. The curse of modern horror (and our jaded era) is that some of the scenes are more funny then scary, but if you get a laugh and a shock for your movie ticket, that's not so bad, now is it?
The film is split into six segments that are linked thematically, starting with that of Rika (Megumi Okina,) a humble, compassionate social worker. In a film that offers very little character development wise, Rika is the most believable character.
There isn't anything remotely likable about the protagonist of "The Art Of Getting By," and he is only an interesting lead if you like entitled, angsty little pricks who think the world revolves around them. I know, I know, most kids his age can be entitled and angsty from time to time, but this kid brings the 'glib teenaged hipster' canon to a whole new low.
Never in recent memory have I so wanted the 'hero' of the movie to be hit by a delivery truck, or at least go away, just go away, and get out of my sight. It doesn't help that lead actor Freddie Highmore is about as boring as straight out toast, or that he (warning- spoiler for the cinematically challenged) gets together at the end with bland 'quirky girl' Emma Roberts (one of the least interesting young people in Hollywood.)
Ever seen a movie that you rented to shock and intrigue you, and it just turned out to be BAD? Not 'bad' as in 'disturbing,' but bad as in 'sucking shit out of a straw is preferable to watching this turd' bad? Maybe it was "The Human Centipede," or an "August Underground" sequel. Well look no further, you sick low-life disturbing-film lover! I've got a collection of sick and depression-inducing movies for every taste. They're called- you guessed it- '15 DISCOMFORTING MOVIES THAT ARE WORTH IT.'
It is 1978, and Italian youth Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) lives what initially seems like the freedom-filled, idyllic childhood we wish we all had. But this life has dark implications, which reveal themselves when Michele finds a boy his age chained up in a hole, to his horror and surprise.
The boy is Felippo (Mattia Di Pierro,) a boy Michele's age (nine), who is obviously confused and scared, but very much alive. Initially scared off by Felippo's corpse-like appearance, Michele finds himself coming back to bring Felippo water and food.
Reasoning that someone in his Italian village is Felippo's captor, Michele initially chooses not to tell anyone about his discovery, but when the perpetrators fall onto Michele's lap, he must decide what to do next.
My favorite vampire movie of all time is "Let the Right One In." There are just so many layers of meaning in the film to find and enjoy. Although "Nosferatu" won't be stealing first place any time soon, it's still a decent and memorable piece of German Expressionist horror.
Radical for the time it was made, this silent era film pursues it's antagonist, Orlok (Max Schreck) like a waking nightmare. It's righteous hero, Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim,) who reminded me of "Brain-Dead"'s Lionel, only gayer, seemingly has no chance against the supernatural forces that surround him.
Hutter is sent by his boss, Knock (Alexander Granach,) a rather repulsive old man, to go to bloodsucker Count Orlok's castle and have him sign a lease. Orlok, it seems, is looking to move in RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO HUTTER (a vampire in a residential area- isn't that lovely,) and Hutter, as an agent of Real Estate, is the man for the job.
"The Thirteenth Floor" starts out with a great concept and proceeds to flay it with the efficient brutality of a certain gender-flexible character in "The Silence of the Lambs." If you've seen "The Silence of the Lambs," you'll know who I'm talking about (hint- his initials are BB.) If you haven't, never mind it, but realize that plot of "The Thirteenth Floor" isn't nearly as good as it sounded on paper.
Brilliant computer expert Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl) has created a world beyond his wildest daydreams. Using cutting-edge virtual reality techniques, he has created the his childhood home- 1930's Los Angeles, populated by conscious, thinking, reasoning people, who are nonetheless only characters in a virtual world.
A well-made story set against the backdrop of post-revolutionary China that, despite it's strengths, often comes off as boring and exploitative. I have no problem with child nudity in, say, "Let the Right One In," but the movie's obsession with the four-year-old's protagonist's genitals is not only creepy, but just plain wrong. I've seen less nudity in a Lars Von Trier flick.
Fang Qiangqiang (Bowen Dong) is a rebellious tyke who is dropped off at a grim boarding school by his father, than left to sink or swim, so to speak. What follows is a kind of brainwashing sicker than anything you'll see in "The Human Centipede" or "Audition."
The kids are teased with the superfluous exercise of receiving little red paper flowers for good behavior. All Qiang wants is the flowers, but his habitual bed-wetting and daily transgressions make the others immediately dislike him. Hence- no flowers. The boarding school is barren and cold, except for a few toys that don't look like they couldn't make the cut for the Goodwill donation box.
British filmmaker Sean Ellis' 2008 horror film, "The Broken," is a
seriously underrated, twisted little puzzle-box of a movie that refuses
to let you go and will inspire discussion after the credits have rolled.
Sure, it rips concepts from other horror films
(parallels to "The Shining" run throughout) and doesn't contain as many
scares as it should, but "The Broken" is so much better than other films
of it's kind and deserves more attention than it gets.
Radiologist Gina McVey ("Game Of Thrones"'s Queen Bi**h and resident
brother-f**ker, Lena Headey) drives home from work one day to see her
double drive past her. Horrified and intrigued (and not clever enough to
leave freaky s**t like this alone,) Gina follows the woman, only to
lose her.
Yep, this is pretty much your anti-Hollywood movie. Through lack of
professional actors, elaborate sets, soundtracks, and expensive cameras,
"In Between Days" tells the a story of teenage woes set against a
snowy, barren backdrop.
Many would call "In Between Days"'s lack of action 'boring,' I found
the uber-realistic feel of the film intriguing. This is a movie the
filmmaker made because she wanted to make it, not because it would make a
lot of money. I find that a refreshing concept. I am proud to be the
audience for this movie.
Super-cute Aimie (Jiseon Kim) is a Korean immigrant caught in the
transition between childhood and adulthood. Not a particularly avid
student, quiet Aimie spends most of her time with her troubled guy
friend, Tran (Taegu Andy Kan.)
"They Live" is cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, Brie Cheese, topped by a great terrible performance by pro wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as the unnamed shotgun-toting protagonist. "I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." Yes you are, Rowdy, and never has such a line, so daringly uttered, struck such fear into the hearts into cadaver-faced extra-terrestrials as this.
Rowdy plays a wandering laborer, who finds himself living in a little shanty-town in LA. When police storm the place, Roddy finds a box of sunglasses. One look through a pair of these sunglasses, and Roddy can see that everything's a lie... aliens have taken over the world right under our noses and are systematically brainwashing us with subliminal messages such as 'Obey,' Watch TV,' and my personal favorite, 'Marry and Reproduce.' And Rowdy Roddy's problems are just beginning.
I'll be the first to tell you that I'm no big fan of wrestling. I just can't get pumped up at the prospect of two muscly, angry-looking, sweaty boys/men sticking their testicles in each others' faces. So the human interest element of a wrestling story really has to involve me, or else the appeal is lost on me.
Well, "The Hammer" is no Aronofsky's "The Wrestler," but it still manages to be a pretty appealing 'underdog' story, sans "The Wrestler"'s devastating ending. Now inspirational underdog pic can be great "Billy Elliot," good "The Fighter," or just mediocre ("Front of the Class,") and "The Hammer" falls somewhere in the middle category.
Based on a true story, "The Hammer" follows Matt Hamill, a deaf athlete (played by Russell Harvard, who has the disability in real life,) who struggles throughout his youth for love, inclusion, and acceptance. As a child, Matt's grandfather Stan (Raymond J. Barry) denied him the right to learn sign language or participate in a school with other deaf children.
"The Baby" is a very weird 'cult classic' (their words, not mine) about a lady social worker who interferes with the matriarch's hold on a supremely dysfunctional family. The object of social worker Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer)'s obsessions is 'Baby,' a full-grown man (or 'grown-ass man' to quote Will Smith in the so-so "Men in Black" sequel) who is kept in a crib and clad in diapers.
Ann seems to believe that the seemingly mentally handicapped fellow is simply the otherwise functional victim of too much negative reinforcement during his development (bad baby! Stop standing up!") To his sister Alba (Susanne Zenor,) Baby is a scapegoat, to his other sister, Germaine (Marianna Hill,) he is a plaything. But what exactly does the seemingly wholesome Ann want with Baby? What secret lies under the surface of her white bread exterior?
Made in an era of animation before cartoons were watered down and robbed of their joy, emotion, and scariness (not including Pixar- we love you,) "The Fox and the Hound" is a great pick for the whole family. Set in a seemingly idyllic, 20th Century woodland environment, it chronicles, with love, tears, and laughter, the friendship between an orphaned fox and a adorable hound dog.
This forest home is not so idyllic if you're a fox like Tod (voiced by Kieth Coogan as a youngster and Mickey Rooney as a grown-up), who loses his mother to fanatical game hunter Amos Slade (voiced by Jack Albertson) and is adopted by the big-hearted Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan), who turns him into a docile house pet.
"The Boondock Saints" is an extremely over-hyped vigilante thriller that contains no depth beyond its initial macho revenge fantasy, but, despite moments of painful camp, doesn't have the sense to go all the way as a comedy. It would better serve as a satire on America's obsession with Machismo posturing and the view that violence is the best way to solve problems than the self-important bloodbath it becomes.
I'm not adverse to revenge movies, even extreme ones. "Taxi Driver" featured Travis Bickle blowing away pimps and thugs, but it was more of a character study than a vigilante movie. "God Bless America" trivialized violence, but it was a satire, and a good one at that. "Dead Man's Shoes" was a powerful statement on the consequences of violence.
I don't have any problem with violence in the media at all, except when it is portrayed as an easy way to solve real-life problems. People, I cannot stress this hard enough -- there are consequences to violent retaliation and vigilante justice.
Argentinean director Pablo Trapero's fifth film, "Leonera" ("Lion's Den",) takes on the underutilized subject of motherhood behind bars. After a sketchy altercation with results in her lover's death, pregnant Julia (very nicely played by Martina Gusman) is convicted of murder and sent to a prison for female offenders with young children.
If not for the alliance of gay prisoner Marta (Laura García), Julia would quickly become a victim of the predatory mothers of the ward, but tension rises when the baby is born and Julia's mother (Elli Medeiros) wants to take him home.
It's a bizarre set-up: babies and children living behind bars with their convict mothers, witnessing daily cruelty and catfights from an early age. What crime have these children committed, but being born to the wrong mother? Yet they must live among them like outlaws.
Back in the 50's and 60's, any movie that dealt with gay themes was radical and ahead of its time. A GLBT film didn't have to be insightful or even particularly good -- the filmmaker was risking his credibility and his career just putting himself (or herself) out there.
Now, however, things have changed, with entire gay film companies making movies available at the click of a button. Directors of these movies must not merely be willing to make movies -- they must be the best they can be, and no less. Movies about the gay experience are in high demand, and makers and distributors of these films don't need to be afraid anymore.
There have been some extraordinary films made about gay issues the last few years- "Weekend," "Tomboy," "Pariah," and "Gun Hill Road," to name of few ... and Belgian filmmaker Bavo Defurne's "North Sea Texas" has garnered some acclaim. Unfortunately, "North Sea Texas" is a disappointment, marred by uninteresting characters and a rushed pace.
This movie is not for everyone. Curious art-indie buffs, you know who you are. Others, look elsewhere. "Wendy and Lucy" is 'real' in such a way that it will delight a certain audience and bore the pants off everyone else.
Drifter Wendy (Michelle Williams,) camping out in Oregon on her way to find work in Alaska, travels alone except for her beloved dog, Lucy. So when Lucy goes missing in a small podunk Oregon town, Wendy vows not to leave until she finds her best friend and traveling companion.
Invested in her plight is a kind, otherwise unnamed Security Guard (Wally Dalton) who doesn't seem to do much work but instead gives her advice and comfort while she tries to find her dog. Wendy comes into contact with other people, some helpful, some detrimental, and in the end must make a painful and difficult choice.
I was apprehensive about seeing "Antichrist,, but not primarily for the reason that you might expect. Yes, the film's allegations of rampant misogyny (not a new accusation for controversial filmmaker Lars Von Trier) and graphic violence were daunting, but I also heard that the Von Trier's new work was linked thematically to "Melancholia," a film I found almost unbearably aloof and pretentious.
I am, however, a fan of the director's earlier works "Dancer in the Dark," and especially, "Breaking the Waves" (the film that made me fall irrevocably in love with Emily Watson), so I decided to give this one a go. This movie didn't make me fall in love with anybody, least of all the characters (though the acting is very good.) It made me want to hit something. Or crawl into a fetal position and cry.
I didn't come into this movie expecting much. After watching the documentary "Zombie Girl" centered around teen filmmaker Emily Hagins and the making of the film "Pathogen", I became interested in Hagins' work. I didn't think she looked like a wunderkind, I was just impressed by the strength of her determination and spirit. I thought, I MUST see something by this girl. After all, how many of us aspiring filmmakers are making films when we're twelve, except in our dizziest daydreams?
That said, "My Sucky Teen Romance," Hagins' fourth feature, is an alright piece of entertainment, scattered with a few laughs. The film gets props for making fun of the obscenely overrated piece of garbage "Twilight," as well as a having some snazzy opening credits. The problem is, Hagins isn't a kid anymore (she and I are the same age, nineteen) and the film's occasional pleasures aren't enough to sustain a full-length feature.
The events that unfold in "The Woman" are not always believable or even serious, but they are consistently intriguing and have a thought-provoking message behind them. The acting adeptly drives home this message- 'the woman' of the title (Pollyanna McIntosh,) a feral human wandering the wilds of rural North America, may be more animal than human, but she is more of a person than her sadistic (and supposedly 'civilized') male captors.
The Cleeks are an all-American family that have done well for themselves- Dad Chris (Sean Bridger) is a successful lawyer, while the others fall into traditional roles of housewife, jock brother, feminine sister, and cutie pie youngster. But something is terribly wrong. Chris rules his frightened family with an iron fist, bullying them into compliance, while older daughter Peg (Lauren Ashley Carter) hides a terrible secret from the rest of the world.
So when the unthinkable happens- Chris brings home a feral woman to force his family to participate in her 'reintroduction into society'- the others are bullied into playing along- but such a decision will have explosive consequences. While brother Brian (Zach Rand) follows in his dad's footsteps and downtrodden mom Belle (Angela Bettis) frets, sister Peg's secret becomes increasingly hard to hide.
The acting here is quite good- I was especially impressed by Lauren Ashley Carter as Peg, who portrayed her alienation, aching loneliness, and increasing empathy for her father's prisoner startlingly well. I really started to care for her- I felt she was a good person trapped in a very sick family dynamic, and felt keenly for her.
Polly McIntosh and Angela Bettis were very good too- Bettis, who impressed in director Lucky McKee's 2002 horror film "May," here shows her versatility as a weak, frightened wife and mother, while there is no trace of actor in McIntosh's portrayal of a wild woman who has met her match in sadistic captor . I felt Sean Bridger's 'family-values-gone-awry' dialogue was a bit silly at times (like a close descendent of Terry O'Quinn's "The Stepfather,") but he did alright with the resources he had.
"The Woman" raises this question- what is more dangerous, a person who is taught to put on a mask of success and normalcy but remains a wild animal, or a person who has never been taught these resources. This would make a great companion viewing with the Stephen King essay "Why We Crave Horror Movies," which goes into the dark urges we are taught to keep in check.
I urge you to pay attention to the scene where youngest child Darlin' Cleek (Shyla Molhusen) demands a cookie from her mother, to which Mom responds, "That's not a very nice way to ask." Promptly, the girl says "Please may I have a cookie Mommy, I love you" (not a direct quote.) We are taught these techniques from an early age, but when the person being taught in a psychopath, does etiquette make him a less monstrous monster?
The editing in "The Woman" is sometimes a little overbaked, as is the writing, and the bombastic ending is so gory and disgusting that it is hard to take seriously, but the films performances and psychological aspects make it worth seeing and discussing. Rating- 6.5/10
Is it nuts to expect more from a movie like "The Human Centipede II" (Full Sequence)? With a premise and set-up like this, what can you expect, except for a few good scares and a whole lotta gore? But with an intriguing killer like Martin, I was actually hopeful, and disappointed by the never-ending, and I suppose inevitable, stream of torture that followed.
I guess I would have liked to have seen more Martin, less of the centipede. More scathing black humor, less of the gore? Crazy? Maybe. But my love of all things fuck-upedly psychological led me to wish for an entirely different movie.
I'll be honest and straight-up and admit that I haven't seen Tom Six's controversial original (and at this point I don't think I'll bother.) But to those uninitiated few, I'll describe the original premise to the best of my abilities. Sensitive readers, stop right here. It only goes downhill from here.
Inspirational but never maudlin, "Billy Elliot" practically soars with
unforgettable characters and compassionate storytelling. Working-class
11-year-old Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell), whose family and home life is
directly affected by the striking miner's demands for better pay,
discovers his passion for dance when he is at a boxing lesson (which he
hates) and stumbles upon a ballet class.
Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), a chain-smoking, tough old broad, becomes aware of Billy's talent during their many secret lessons together and encourages him to try out for the royal ballet school, but first Billy must fight the disapproval of his hard-headed, disciplinarian father (Gary Lewis) and the traditional English community.
All of "Billy Elliot"'s characters act and feel like real people, and instead of demonizing the people opposing Billy, the film sensitively portrays their point of view. Jamie Bell gives a great performance here as Billy, who will be the first to tell you that he's NOT a "poof," but the real stand-out is Gary Lewis as the dad, Jackie Elliot.
Compelling from beginning to end, "Gun Hill Road" is a powerful and touching picture about race, gender, and family that refuses to incorporate stereotypes or cliches into it's scorching script. The three leads serve up great performances in a movie that offers no pat solutions for it's tough subject matter.
Mexican tough Enrique (Esai Morales) gets out of prison to find his world has changed dramatically- his wife, Angie (Judy Reyes,) is involved with another man, while his son Micheal (Harmony Santana) is looking and behaving more and more like a girl.
Michael, who is transgendered (and played by a real-life intersexual,) who has ambivalent emotions about his dad getting out of the can, is saving up his money for a painful and strenuous sex reassignment surgery, and his traditional dad is not even close to accepting his son's identity as a woman.
There are undeniably touching moments in "Front of the Class," but from
the 'Ah-Gee' musical score to the sappy voice-over, the periods in
between are more frustrating then inspiring.
The effectiveness are the story is very subjective- if you like Hallmark Hall of Fame television movies and unabashed tearjerkers, you will find a lot to love in this story of a young man living with Tourette's Syndrome while struggling to achieve his dream of becoming a teacher.
If not... well, you may be a hard-hearted cynic like yours truly. Have you ever felt like a robot? Like you weren't capable, or even deserving of, empathy? I watched this movie in a sparse classroom of four students (besides myself,) and by the end credits all four (and the teacher) were weeping and disheveled.
"Frasier"'s David Hyde Piece turns up the camp for "The Perfect Host," a perfectly functional black comedy that deteriorates into an incomprehesible mess. Sporting more twists than Snakes and Ladders and more holes than a putt-putt golf course, the end ruins what is otherwise an enjoyable exercise in kitsch.
John (Clayne Crawford) is on the run after a bank robbery gone wrong- and camps out in the wrong house when he enters the L.A. home of Warwick Wilson (David Hyde Pierce,) a well-mannered gentleman with a sadist's streak. Warwick, a full-blown Schizophrenic with a plethora of imaginary friends, holds John captive, while flashback reveal what led up to John's crimes.
Sounds great, doesn't it? It kinda is... until "The Perfect Host" falls prey to 'the curse of the thriller' and piles one nonsensical plot twist after another. I was reminded of the eye-roll ending of Stephen Soderburgh's "Side Effects," which brick by brick tore down the foundation the film had strove for.
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