The Host (product link) Horror / Thriller With breathtaking creature effects and some splendid set-pieces, "The Host" is a treat for old-style monster fans. With an amphibian mutation on the loose in Seoul, nobody seems safe.
Part action-drama, part comedy, this movie won't be to all tastes but it's an entertaining offering from director Joon-ho Bong. The film has a good heart and the plot's twists will keep viewers hooked 'til the end credits roll.
The pace is reasonable and despite a few puzzling touches, I'd definitely recommend this film. Not the best monster movie you'll see but a memorable one.
After "Audition" and "Ichi The Killer", I had great expectations for this movie. What it delivers is essentially the "greatest hits" of Asian horror. There's more than a passing resemblance to "The Ring", with bits of "Ju-On" and other films thrown in for good measure.
The film revolves around mobile 'phones. A girl has a message left on her mobile 'phone answering service - only it's been left by herself and in the future! To make matters worse, it ends with a blood curdling scream! Well, it soon turns out that the message is the girl's final words on this mortal coil.
The girl is not alone. It's only a matter of time before the body count starts rising and a race against time begins to solve the mystery of the bizarre calls.
Despite being more than a shade Ringu-clone-esquire, I heartily enjoyed this film. It has some great set-pieces (including a memorable death), some spooky moments, a few "jump" sequences, etc. What the film didn't deliver, though, was any real fear. It was a case of "seen it all before" (a criticism that some leveled at "Ju-On").
The plot unravels in a logical manner and there's a decent pay off. It may not be a future classic, but this is a very well made example of Asian horror cinema.
I first tried watching "The House on the Edge of the Park" back in the early '90s. Back then, it hadn't appeared on LD and the VHS of this "nasty" had been banned in the UK for quite some time. Watching a third generation copy as part of an all-night video session with friends, my attention was not fully on the film and my memories of it were that it was average at best.
Watching the early EC DVD last night made me realize I'd overlooked an '80s classic. "THOTEOTP" is a splendidly sleazy affair with excellent performances, a very memorable soundtrack and a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Uncomfortably erotic in places, this shocker is not surprisingly cut in the UK. Over 11 minutes had to be spliced out of Deodato's film before the BBFC found it appropriate for public consumption.
While the film may be regarded as slow moving, I found it a very entertaining horror tale. It's less unpleasant than "The Last House on the Left" but it shares the same head baddie, David Hess. Hess is an intimidating, physical loon and genuinely disturbing.
While avoiding spoilers, the film is a long way from the pleasures of Argento's early work. These days, with great TV drama like the British "Messiah" series setting the standard for modern giallo, this film looks and feels like an average made-for-television movie. The camera-work and lighting was decidedly normal as well - there were no trademark swooping / stalking points of view in this film, no interesting lighting or close-ups to delight the viewer.
"The Card Player" is a by-the-numbers exercise in film-making. It manages to incorporate a good handful of modern thriller clichés while failing to bring anything new to the genre. Also, the finale of the film is a disappointment and rather crudely staged.
The soundtrack by Claudio Simonetti is one of the film's strong points, although I believe this is another "love-it or hate-it" element of the film which has split viewer opinion. Sure, it isn't as strong as "Deep Red" but I found the music hit the spot and added to the atmosphere.
As a movie experience, it's not a complete disappointment. The performances are strong, particularly from the female lead played by Stefania Rocca, and there are a few moments of genuine tension. Although not suffering from boredom, the film never really had me on the edge of my seat. There are some great touches, such as the operatic medical examiner (Luis Molteni from Argento's "Phantom"), but the film lacked the usual Argento perverse psycho-sexual darkness.
There's been a lot of discussion about Argento finishing his Three Mother's trilogy. Based on my experience of "The Card Player", I feel that many die-hard Argento fans may find any future projects to be disappointing. At the end of the day, Dario has a lot to live up to and perhaps expectations can be unreasonably high. However, it's great to see giallo films still being made by the old master and perhaps he still has some surprises in store for us. Despite my reservation about The Card Player, I'm hoping there will be many more future films from Argento....
"Mad Max 2" (to use its original title) marks a radical departure from the world of the first movie. In this inspired sequel set years after the original, Max is a wandering nomad, accompanied by his trusty Dog.
From the genuinely exciting and atmospheric beginning, "Mad Max 2" is a realistic apocalyptic nightmare with Gibson's hero acting as mankind's only hope against the bad guys.
Bruce Spence is unforgettable as The Gyro Captain, Max's temporary sidekick and comic relief. Special mention must also go to fantasy female Virginia Hey. Hey plays The Warrior Woman and is a screen goddess with cheek bones to die for.
The cinematography is wonderful and there's more of George Miller's dark, comic book humour. The soundtrack by Brian May is splendid.
This is a film that improves on repeat viewing. It's difficult to rate as I'm so familiar with its content - I've given it 4 stars but it probably deserves higher.
"Antikörper" is a tremendously entertaining, gripping and chilling serial killer movie directed by relative newcomer Christian Alvart. From the superb, edge-of-the-seat introduction and the inventive use of credits, the film is imaginative, brave and unpredictable.
While there are shades of "Silence of the Lambs" in this film (interestingly, there's even a throw-away comment about Hannibal Lecter as if the director was aware of the similarities in storyline and decided to confront this matter head-on), "Antikörper" is a much more realistic, character-driven piece. André Hennicke is genuinely frightening as the paedophile serial killer, Engel, who embarks on psychological mind games with the likable, country-based policeman, Wotan Wilke Möhring. Möhring's portrayal of a man who is driven to the edge of his wits is brilliant stuff and riveting viewing.
The film is undoubtedly a roller-coaster ride of emotions. There are some uncomfortable scenes (Engel makes Lecter look like Father Christmas in comparison) but they rely on the viewer's imagination rather than in-your-face gore. There are also some brief but realistic sex scenes that drive the plot along rather than serve as mere titillation. The film's strength is in its intelligence. This is not your average serial killer movie by a long way. It raises interesting moral questions such as "Just how good is a 'good man?'" I was surprised to see Norman Reedus appear in a small role in this film. Why Reedus was brought in for such a small part is puzzling but it was good to see this distinctive American actor nonetheless.
A highly recommended movie and one I'm glad to have stumbled across by accident. This is one of those film you may never have heard of but which you'll be very glad you watched.
"Emanuelle in America" is one of the grittiest exploitation films I've seen from the '70s. A bizarre but successful blend of erotica, hardcore porn and realistic-looking "snuff" segments are blended in a powerful cocktail of images which aren't easily forgotten.
As the end credits rolled on "Emanuelle in America", I was left wondering what the purpose of this film was. A daft question, I guess, as this is a pure exploitation movie and designed for the sole purpose of making money. It just surprised me that D'Amato's film ends with some major plot threads hanging in the air, never to be resolved. Some would argue that this adds realism to the piece, which may be true.
Laura Gemser is delightful as the lead, Emanuelle. She has a timeless beauty and looks simply amazing throughout the proceedings.
I was actually surprised at the inclusion of the hardcore scenes in the version I watched. They proved far from titillating and out-of-synch with the rest of the film and the horse scene simply has to be seen to be believed.
A very seedy 3.5 stars. Viewers may feel like a hot shower after viewing this one.
The original "Toolbox Murders" isn't a bad exploitation movie but it's far from achieving classic status. Dennis Donnelly's low-budget grindhouse film moves quickly once the opening credits have finished - we are shown a series of violent attacks in an apartment block on a number of attractive women. Each attack, carried out by a ski-masked psycho with a toolbox and a penchant for whistling as he works, is different but retains a DIY theme. So, we have death by nail-gun, death by chisel, etc.
There's a fair bit of female nudity on display in these early scenes, including an eye-opening bathtub masturbation scene. Accompanied by a funky '70s soundtrack, the gore sequences aren't memorable in the way that they are in a good "Friday the 13th" installment but the scenes are shown in such rapid succession so there's no time for boredom to set in.
Sadly, the film runs out of steam towards the end. Once the identity of the killer is known (although it's hardly a shocking revelation), the movie changes pace and becomes a little tired. Well, a lot tired, to be honest.
Still, I've seen a lot, lot worse. Good but not great, I preferred Hooper's recent remake.
Mad Max (product link) Action/Adventure / Science Fiction "Mad Max" is a film that I've always enjoyed since I first watched it on VHS in the early eighties and it seems to improve every time I view it. From its suspense-filled opening and car chase to its dramatic ending, every frame is a joy to behold. Miller's sense of grim humour and love of action comics is evident throughout, particularly with the brief eye-popping shots of soon-to-die baddies.
Gibson is excellent as Max Rockatansky, a genuinely nice guy who's also a highly effective crime-elimination tool. When tragedy strikes, Max is a man with revenge on his agenda and his single-minded approach to getting even is gripping stuff.
The cast are superb and it would be unfair to single any particular person out as the film works so well as an ensemble piece.
The score, by Brian May, is memorable and haunting.
Despite its creativity, "Planet Terror" left me feeling unsatisfied. Director Rodriguez fills the movie with explosive action, laughs and some very visual (and gory) jokes, but the result isn't quite the sum of its parts.
While "Planet Terror" is a treat for genre fans with appearances by Michael Biehn and Tom Savini alongside countless other familiar faces, its deliberately beat-up presentation removes the viewer from the action. While I fully appreciate what the intention of the film is setting out to do, its missing reel, "scratched" appearance and jumps frustrate rather than add realism to the proceedings.
Rose McGowan steals the show as heroine Cherry Darling. Every scene with McGowan is a delight and she sizzles on screen.
The music is great and Carpenter fans may recognise snippets from the "Escape From New York" soundtrack.
Perhaps on a repeat viewing I'll appreciate this film more. However, at this time, I can only give it 3.5. Well worth a viewing but it's essential that you watch it in the right mood. "Death Proof", by comparison, is the superior installment.
"Death Proof", in its uncut, stand-alone format, takes a while to warm up. There's plenty of character development in the early scenes as we're introduced to Jungle Julia (the gorgeous Sydney Tamiia Poitier) and her friends. Vanessa Ferlito is the central girl in these scenes and captures the mood perfectly. When she's introduced to Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), her fear is portrayed perfectly.
The first half of the film is deliberately jumpy and covered in scratches and noise. "Death Proof" really does look like part of an old grindhouse double-bill but there are nods to the present day (i.e. the use of a mobile 'phone to text a boyfriend). It's great stuff - authentic and strangely absorbing.
Following a dramatic set-piece that will stay with the viewer forever, we meet the second gang of chicks with attitude. This second-half is a more polished affair as we see Rosario Dawson and her friends enjoying life. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is great as the beautiful young model and Tracie Thoms is spot-on as the strong-willed Kim. However, it's Zoe Bell who will really be remembered. In her role of stunt-girl Zoe, she performs in truly edge-of-seat action scenes aboard a charging car.
A great film and one that really starts to gel as it progresses. The soundtrack is fantastic and the actors are all thoroughly watchable. I was left feeling very impressed with "Death Proof" (and more than a little smitten by Ms. Dawson).
Kurt Russell is as good as ever as Stuntman Mike. He really is bad, mad and dangerous-to-know and his presence in the early scenes is remarkably unsettling yet darkly humorous.
4.5 stars. I'm really looking forward to watching this film again...
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Totally - Stuntman Mike is one sick mofo, Zoe Bell is my hero, and the end of the movie was just hot.
"Suicide Club" is a unique viewing experience that is difficult to categorise. Part horror, part detective thriller, part social commentary, it is a brave and unique film.
"Audition"'s Ryo Ishibashi stars as the detective investigating bizarre group suicides of young people in Japan. Ishibashi is excellent as always as the world-weary Kuroda.
The opening sequence to this film has to be seen to be believed! The film doesn't hold back in the blood department and scenes are awash with the red stuff. However, the blood and guts play second fiddle to the intriguing storyline.
There are uncomfortable scenes in "Suicide Club", particularly the ones involving a bowling alley from hell. Some viewers will be offended by the uncompromising content.
4.5 stars. Just make sure you watch this thought provoking film to the very end as every moment of this tale contains clues to its meaning. Splendid.
"Aliens" is a true movie classic. It's taken me 20 years to fully appreciate this film. For me, it was always overshadowed by the style of the original "Alien" but it remained an entertaining experience and one that I'd always return to. Watching this film again for what must be the twenty-somethingth-time, I'd comment that "Aliens" is like a vintage wine. It's more enjoyable now than when first made.
There's nothing I'd change about "Aliens". The pace of the film is spot-on, the characterisation brought to each role by the cast is excellent. Horner's score is brilliant and memorable.
It's a very different type of movie than its predecessor and time has allowed me to judge this film on its own merits. Cameron has delivered a unique sequel. I love the way he ties everything up and doesn't waste any opportunities to thrill the viewer. Why settle with just one finale when you can have two? It's just a shame that "Alien 3" spoils everything...
Do You Like Hitchcock? (product link) Horror / Thriller Argento's made-for-television "Ti Piace Hitchcock?" is an entertaining giallo which pays tribute to the works of the old master.
A "Rear Window" for the noughties, Argento's offering delivers some great moments and there are fleeting glimpses of the genius behind such classics as "Deep Red" and "Tenebrae".
Elio Germano is excellent as the geeky voyeur who's nosiness leads him into no end of trouble. His performance is believable and his character is both likable and sympathetic.
While the violence has been toned down for this production, it's still a very watchable tale.
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This Argento tv movie wasn't all that great- But I do agree with you younger Argento is a genius films like Suspiria and Deep Red are brilliant.
Well, when I settled down to watch the film, it managed to do something very few movies achieve....it surpassed my expectations.
From the very start, this little gem sparkled with a seedy charm that I took to my heart. If Tarantino had been born a decade earlier in Sweden, this would be the kind of film you'd expect him to be making. (Interestingly, this film was actually banned in its home country and was heavily cut on its release in most overseas territories.) As a revenge film, "Thriller" sizzles with energy. It has a great pace and the only time the film stumbles is during the short porn edits (so obviously filmed with different actors that the viewer's attention is displaced). These somehow made me feel like a naughty schoolboy watching an illicit dodgy video! Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have any objections to porn (my handle should perhaps be "Porn Connoisseur"), but somebody taking their Captain Picard up to warp speed and shoving it into a normal movie just doesn't work. Still, it added to that "I ain't going to find this on the shelf in my UK HMV"-feeling which always gives me a warm, perverse buzz.
I digress. The movie is beautifully shot, the delightful Christina Lindberg is splendid, the cast is suitably sordid and the music has to be heard to be believed. It ain't magical but it's memorable.
There are some great set pieces and one of the most unexpected car treats I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
A superb exploitation movie and well worth tracking down.
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Amen! I agree on all counts. This film is a guilty pleasure that's so pleasurable it's hard to really feel that guilty about it...
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a film that I didn't initially warm to. When I first viewed the film, some 20 years ago, I found the experience anti-climatic and over-hyped. Having since seen the film on the big screen (with an accompanying talk from Kim Henkel) and re-mastered DVD (thanks to Dark Skies), I've grown to appreciate "Texas Chain Saw" for the classic it is.
Tobe Hooper's opening to the movie is powerful stuff. The flash-bulbs of a camera illuminating the hellish scenes of decomposing bodies, accompanied by a wicked soundtrack, ranks amongst the best beginnings of any horror movie I've seen.
The film has great atmosphere, realistic performances, and a genuine "roller-coaster" feel. While later films such as "Wolf Creek" are arguably more effective, "Texas Chain Saw" set the stall out for its successors.
The raw energy of the performers is electrifying. Marilyn Burns' performance of the victim frightened to the edge of insanity is simply brilliant. Gunnar Hansen's lumbering, grunting Leatherface is one of the most frightening screen maniacs. There's nothing supernatural or super-human about his character. He's just a very disturbed individual who's very handy with a mallet or chainsaw! A genuine classic that has matured like a fine vintage, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is a superb example of low-budget film-making delivering believable and effective results.
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I totally agree. When I first saw this film I was unimpressed, it didn't live up to expectations. But now I consider it a five-star classic due to the unbearably unnerving atmosphere that Hooper maintains throughout.
I genuinely wish I'd discovered "Street Trash" when it was originally released in 1987. Finally watching the film, some 20 years after it hit the big screen, I can't help wonder why I never tracked a VHS copy down in the good old days of the "video nasties".
"Street Trash" is horror on a shoestring budget and its atmosphere and characters could be compared to those of one of the better Troma productions. The film is filled with crude, juvenile humour, is politically incorrect and contains some of the most technicoloured, surrealistic, over-the-top gore spurting scenes you will ever see splashed on the screen.
While none of the characters are particularly likable, the film has a great energy despite its loose plot and it's easy to understand why it has a strong cult following.
4 stars. Rubbish but great rubbish. Fans of this film may enjoy the equally strange "Bride of Frank".
"Tattoo" is a first class macabre psychological horror movie/thriller from director Robert Schwentke. From the start, its cold colour palette and distanced camerawork create a dark and sinister atmosphere. Nightclub life in the world of "Tattoo" appears depressing and emotionless. This is a world where there is little laughter, only pain.
Schwentke manages to create an on-screen world where the fantastic events of this tale seem believable. Inspired by the German expressionist movement, it's a fantastic achievement and although comparisons will always be made with Fincher's "Se7en", I think "Tattoo" is the superior film.
The cast are excellent. August Diehl plays the young cop who is blackmailed into joining Christian Redl on the grittier side of police work. Diehl's first case is the murder of a young woman who was into self-mutilation and who died shortly after biting off a man's finger...and swallowing it. The beautiful Nadeshda Brennicke plays Maya Kroner whose secrets take the story in an exciting and unpredictable direction.
While the subject of people being murdered for their tattoos is not new (Roald Dahl's short-story "Skin" covers the same ground), the film's plot is gripping and effectively told.
After viewing this film shortly after "Antikörper" and "Kontroll," it would appear that some of the best psychological horror films of the noughties are coming out of Europe. Rich on atmosphere and slightly other-worldly, these films are a delight to watch.
Six Days In Roswell [Special Edition] (product link) Documentary / Comedy "Six Days in Roswell" is an interesting mix of documentary and comedy. Rich Kronfeld is part Sacha Baron Cohen, part Louis Theroux, making interviewees comfortable in-front of the camera and allowing truth to be funnier than fiction. There are elements of the film that are fictionalised but a lot of what you see about Kronfeld is true - he is interested in old technology and really does have a Captain Pike replica chair from classic "Star Trek".
The documentary provides an insight into the type of visitors that the Roswell conventions attract and this is a rich source of humour for the film. This is a film that's also tinged with an element of sadness - I was left with a mixture of emotions when the end credits rolled.
A Better Place [Special Edition] (product link) Drama / Thriller
Shot on a tiny $40,000 budget, "A Better Place" is a very impressive first film from director Vincent Pereira. A study of alienation, teenage life and violence, the film is hard-hitting and realistic. The script is impressive with believable dialogue and the performances are excellent.
Robert DiPatri plays the teenager who has to start life at a new school. He soon encounters school bullies and the loner, Ryan, played by Eion Bailey. A relative newcomer at the time this was made, Bailey has since appeared in a number of films and television shows including "Fight Club", "Band of Brothers" and "Almost Famous". The delightfully attractive Carmen Llywelyn plays the feisty Augustine. Jason ("My Name Is Earl") Lee also makes a brief appearance in the film.
As a first movie, this is a genuine achievement and very watchable, despite its technical limitations. Hopefully, we'll see further projects from Vincent Pereira in the future.
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