Bone Tomahawk (R)
A posse sets out from the town of Bright Hope in pursuit of some mysteriously sinister natives who have made off with a nurse, a deputy and their charge, a murdering vagrant. With an aging backup deputy, a paranoid man with a healthy trigger finger and a husband with a shattered leg, the local Sheriff heads out with his crew with no backup, no guide and no real hope of succeeding in the auspicious debut of director/writer S. Craig Zahller's surprisingly successful Horror/Western genre mashup.
A still mustachioed Kurt Russell (Hateful Eight) leads the men and the cast as the veteran Sheriff Hunt with supporting roles filled by fantastic character actor Richard Jenkins (The Cabin in the Woods), out-of-his-element Patrick Wilson (The Watchmen) and quirky Matthew Fox (Lost). This rousing group has a great script to play with and better repartee, and like the film are better than the sum of their parts. Jenkins in particular uses his great personal charms to enliven the role of dim-witted backup Deputy Chickory. The same can not be said for the female roles where a competent line reading has been sacrificed for a pretty face. The writing however is not to be blamed, as the jolly palaver and old timey vernacular of the dialog can attest to be the strongest asset of the film.
Not so strong are the visuals, a flat arid desert may be our playground but something perhaps could have been done to liven up the proceedings. Perhaps it was an attempt to accentuate the stark realism that underlies the plot, but more likely it is a symptom of the independent (and cheap) nature of the production that everything looks so one dimensional and backyard like. The posse's monstrous foes, a pack of cannibalistic troglodytes that even other Native-American fear come straight out of a 1980's D&D rule book. Alien, immutable and stoic, these cave-Indians are built like body builders and sound like video-game werewolves (which is quite silly). However the overall mythical, adventure-gone wrong feel to the plot lends itself to these creatures existing in a world where Tombstone meets Beowulf with a dash of Hostel.
This is where the genre mixing comes into full force. Bone Tomahawk is a long film, at over 2 hours with most of the action in the last half hour it can be a trek. In fact most of the beginning of the film can be seen as a ill-conceived camping trip through the badlands, and if it wasn't for the sharp characterization and pristine chatter among the group it would have sink into tedious sands from the wieght of pretension. Instead it builds tension quite slowly until the quick sudden release of bow strings and triggers, then blood bursts and appendages sever (the great practical effects show where the film makers allegiances lie) as it's genre mashup goes into full effect. To go 2 hours of tromping through the trail to sudden, violent, in your face charnel house really places the viewer squarely into the terrified boots of these law-loving prairie folk who are about to witness it up close and personal. It is shocking, brutal and very effective for both parties, and better than it has any right to be.
It's shortcomings easily outpaced by it's strengths, Bone Tomahawk is an auspicious start to a writer's career, one with interesting ideas and a zest for dialog. The movie itself is aptly named, the bony instrument would be blunt and cheap and yet just as effective as any expensive steel ax at cleaving, maiming or slaughtering, probably more painfully so.
7.5 Corn Chowders out of 10 (GOOD)
Showing posts with label OutOfNowhere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OutOfNowhere. Show all posts
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road (R)
"What a Lovely Day!"
In the bombed out dusty future of our world, the remnants of society are banded together in savage attempts to survive the wasteland. Those, like Max, who cling to the past and refuse to submit to the new world are seen as mere untapped resources, lone wolves. And those that revolt against this insane patriarchy are pursued with chrome and bloody exhaust in Post-Apocalyptic godfather George Miller's 30 years in the making follow up to the Mad Max series, Fury Road.
With a character design dregged from the weird fantasies of Brom, vehicle designs that Ratfink would salivate over, a brutal world finally fully realized and minutia-ized, and stunts and action that are in-camera and astonishing to behold, Mad Max returns full throttle and on the red line. This is the kind of film either you know the genre and enjoy immersion or the over-the-top-ness will turn you off and you'll avoid. There are quite a few surprising twists thrown into the mix however, completely shattering the mold that Miller himself invented. CGI is prominent and a bit unwelcome (mostly it looks like for 3D showings and sometimes cheaply). Females now have a more prominent role, lead by Imperator Furiosa (the incomparable Charlize Theron who is well cast as the co-lead of the film). This may in fact turn off some of the muscle car and gear head beer swillers who traditionally enjoy Max films, as Furiosa commands much of the bad-assery on screen, what with the Evil-Dead arm and newly styled savage fem-action hero who somehow retains her femaleness (a woman Max she's not). Grrl Power is the name of the game in Fury Road, and many fans will astound at the backseat driving Max does for most of the film. Now played by Tom Hardy (Mel Gibson is retired in all but name due to his shenanigans), Max almost barely deserves to be in the title. And, unfortunately, Hardy is either not up to filling Gibson's Mad shoes or Miller unwilling to completely allow him to. The character is missing the insane drive and masculinity that Gibson brought the role, and combined with sharing the screen with Theron and having his character's madness upped to actual insanity really hampers one of the great action roles of all time. Perhaps a return of the character to full glory first without all the femme-fatals (sic) would have lessened the sting, but Max almost seems like just another of the interesting side-characters that colorize Miller's Apoc films.
And what colorful characters there are! The ultra-males, the seed saving grandmothers, the War Boys and concubines and Bullet Farmers, all tumor laced and disgusting. One is a stand out, young Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy in X-Men First Class) is a stand out as Nux the sickly War Boy. He has a manic energy and fanaticism that drives the first half and mellows the second, and is a stand out performance. All of the Max films have benefited from villains that you enjoy spending time with and seeing defeated, but Fury Road has so many of these characters whose insane lifestyle you just can't help but admire, who ride into battle like Valkyries with a Rock'N'Roll opera being performed live as they drive (like Wagner gene-spliced with GWAR) with flame throwers spitting and exhaust pipes flaming, that unlike much of the genre of post-apocalypse, Fury Road is a dangerous outback that seems fun to visit (even if no one would want to live there). The first break in the action left the audience winded, and then continued for another hour and a half. Fantastic stuff.
9 Don't Look Thumbs Up out of 10 (GREAT)
Bone-us Haiku
Shotgun eyes at dusk
Lizard skulls and blood bag dust
Chrome fenders eat well.
(Humongus Approved)
"What a Lovely Day!"
In the bombed out dusty future of our world, the remnants of society are banded together in savage attempts to survive the wasteland. Those, like Max, who cling to the past and refuse to submit to the new world are seen as mere untapped resources, lone wolves. And those that revolt against this insane patriarchy are pursued with chrome and bloody exhaust in Post-Apocalyptic godfather George Miller's 30 years in the making follow up to the Mad Max series, Fury Road.
With a character design dregged from the weird fantasies of Brom, vehicle designs that Ratfink would salivate over, a brutal world finally fully realized and minutia-ized, and stunts and action that are in-camera and astonishing to behold, Mad Max returns full throttle and on the red line. This is the kind of film either you know the genre and enjoy immersion or the over-the-top-ness will turn you off and you'll avoid. There are quite a few surprising twists thrown into the mix however, completely shattering the mold that Miller himself invented. CGI is prominent and a bit unwelcome (mostly it looks like for 3D showings and sometimes cheaply). Females now have a more prominent role, lead by Imperator Furiosa (the incomparable Charlize Theron who is well cast as the co-lead of the film). This may in fact turn off some of the muscle car and gear head beer swillers who traditionally enjoy Max films, as Furiosa commands much of the bad-assery on screen, what with the Evil-Dead arm and newly styled savage fem-action hero who somehow retains her femaleness (a woman Max she's not). Grrl Power is the name of the game in Fury Road, and many fans will astound at the backseat driving Max does for most of the film. Now played by Tom Hardy (Mel Gibson is retired in all but name due to his shenanigans), Max almost barely deserves to be in the title. And, unfortunately, Hardy is either not up to filling Gibson's Mad shoes or Miller unwilling to completely allow him to. The character is missing the insane drive and masculinity that Gibson brought the role, and combined with sharing the screen with Theron and having his character's madness upped to actual insanity really hampers one of the great action roles of all time. Perhaps a return of the character to full glory first without all the femme-fatals (sic) would have lessened the sting, but Max almost seems like just another of the interesting side-characters that colorize Miller's Apoc films.
And what colorful characters there are! The ultra-males, the seed saving grandmothers, the War Boys and concubines and Bullet Farmers, all tumor laced and disgusting. One is a stand out, young Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy in X-Men First Class) is a stand out as Nux the sickly War Boy. He has a manic energy and fanaticism that drives the first half and mellows the second, and is a stand out performance. All of the Max films have benefited from villains that you enjoy spending time with and seeing defeated, but Fury Road has so many of these characters whose insane lifestyle you just can't help but admire, who ride into battle like Valkyries with a Rock'N'Roll opera being performed live as they drive (like Wagner gene-spliced with GWAR) with flame throwers spitting and exhaust pipes flaming, that unlike much of the genre of post-apocalypse, Fury Road is a dangerous outback that seems fun to visit (even if no one would want to live there). The first break in the action left the audience winded, and then continued for another hour and a half. Fantastic stuff.
9 Don't Look Thumbs Up out of 10 (GREAT)
Bone-us Haiku
Shotgun eyes at dusk
Lizard skulls and blood bag dust
Chrome fenders eat well.
(Humongus Approved)
The Box Trolls (2014)
The Box Trolls (PG)
"A Box on ye!"
An orphaned boy finds himself and his adopted family of carton dwelling monsters imperiled by a cross-dressing villain who will stop at nothing in exterminating them and obtaining a white hat from the Flemish town's cheese swilling aristocracy in Laika Studio's newest (and most eccentric) stop-motion film entry yet, The Box Trolls.
Firstly it is shocking how underrated this film is. It was truly deserving of it's Oscar nomination and in fact probably deserved to win. The artistry and hard work is apparent in every frame (in fact probably every frame took three times more effort than people suppose). There is some digital manipulation, some compositing and such, but on the whole the entirety of the film was made and moved by hand in the traditional manner. The story is mostly nontraditional unmodern (probably leading to some of the general gripes surrounding the film). There is a touch of Monty Python infused in it's comedic bones (Eric Idle even wrote the title song), with some funny sight gags and charming gross outs the likes of which haven't been seen since Shrek. So what's not to love?
Ok, so the moral of the tale is certainly tried and true drivel, but the design of the characters certainly is not and should be applauded for its originality, darkness and uniqueness. The story crawls from the sewers like a Dickensian treat, and how long has it been since a film rubbed elbows with old Charles? The movie's redhatted exterminator Snatcher and his discontented helpers (played with enormous fun by Sir Ben Kingsley, Nick Frost, Richard Ayode and Tracy Morgan of all people) are nuanced and pithy. The heroes suffer (if anything) from a case of the "dulls in comparison". The orphan kid, the bratty kid, her ignorant father, his mad genius father; on paper they seem ho hum. But in motion (and this motion being 1 frame at a time, arduously moved by hand over and over for days at a time) it all works wonderfully. The voice cast (exceptional), the art (uniquely beautiful), the animation (smooth and obviously masterful), the sets (huge and varied); this movie's charm doesn't rely on cute and snuggly critters with big eyes. Here the world's dark and scary underbelly is wonderfully exposed and yet palatable to children and adults (much like the twisted fairy tales that Tim Burton once was interested in making).
Unique almost to a fault (at least to the mainstream), the Box Trolls and it's studio Laika is like one of those fancy, expensive and disgusting cheeses. It may be an acquired taste, but the pleasure when you obtain the ability to savor it's unique bouquet is worth the effort (yours and theirs).
8.5 Barbershop Mustaches out of 10 (GREAT)
"A Box on ye!"
An orphaned boy finds himself and his adopted family of carton dwelling monsters imperiled by a cross-dressing villain who will stop at nothing in exterminating them and obtaining a white hat from the Flemish town's cheese swilling aristocracy in Laika Studio's newest (and most eccentric) stop-motion film entry yet, The Box Trolls.
Firstly it is shocking how underrated this film is. It was truly deserving of it's Oscar nomination and in fact probably deserved to win. The artistry and hard work is apparent in every frame (in fact probably every frame took three times more effort than people suppose). There is some digital manipulation, some compositing and such, but on the whole the entirety of the film was made and moved by hand in the traditional manner. The story is mostly nontraditional unmodern (probably leading to some of the general gripes surrounding the film). There is a touch of Monty Python infused in it's comedic bones (Eric Idle even wrote the title song), with some funny sight gags and charming gross outs the likes of which haven't been seen since Shrek. So what's not to love?
Ok, so the moral of the tale is certainly tried and true drivel, but the design of the characters certainly is not and should be applauded for its originality, darkness and uniqueness. The story crawls from the sewers like a Dickensian treat, and how long has it been since a film rubbed elbows with old Charles? The movie's redhatted exterminator Snatcher and his discontented helpers (played with enormous fun by Sir Ben Kingsley, Nick Frost, Richard Ayode and Tracy Morgan of all people) are nuanced and pithy. The heroes suffer (if anything) from a case of the "dulls in comparison". The orphan kid, the bratty kid, her ignorant father, his mad genius father; on paper they seem ho hum. But in motion (and this motion being 1 frame at a time, arduously moved by hand over and over for days at a time) it all works wonderfully. The voice cast (exceptional), the art (uniquely beautiful), the animation (smooth and obviously masterful), the sets (huge and varied); this movie's charm doesn't rely on cute and snuggly critters with big eyes. Here the world's dark and scary underbelly is wonderfully exposed and yet palatable to children and adults (much like the twisted fairy tales that Tim Burton once was interested in making).
Unique almost to a fault (at least to the mainstream), the Box Trolls and it's studio Laika is like one of those fancy, expensive and disgusting cheeses. It may be an acquired taste, but the pleasure when you obtain the ability to savor it's unique bouquet is worth the effort (yours and theirs).
8.5 Barbershop Mustaches out of 10 (GREAT)
Side Effects (2013)
Side Effects (R) - Review
"A pharmacological thriller"
When a young married woman whose life has been turned upside down is involved in a possible suicide attempt, her new psychiatrist perscribes the latest anti-depressant on the market, with murderous results.
Director Steve Soderbergh's (Ocean 11) newest and possible final Hollywood film before retirement finds him in rare form. Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is the gal, Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street) is her just released from prison for blue collar crime husband. Jude Law (Contagion) is her overworked psychiatrist while Catherine Zeta-Jones (Traffic) is her former doctor and consulting physician. Its a twisted, knotted thriller in a Hitchcockian vein about human nature, capitalism and how we allow the pharmaceutical industry to change it and our bodies.
The film looks great and slick like most of Steven's productions. There are no car chases, no action sequences and unlike his previous effort Contagion (which tried just a bit too much with too little to work on), the simple shooting style and budget won't detract from being immersed in a fantastic script and great acting.
It has you second guessing motivations, seeking the truth along with the good doctor who ends up on the wrong end of a media firestorm after his past, patients, lifestyles and medical advice are put to question. Surprisingly the movie's motives are not an obvious drubbing of the medication age and its practices; instead that is a subtly slow IV drip in the background to feed and intensify the deadly tension (wrung masterfully out of the material by Soderbergh). The modern drug culture is the oily swamp these character's world floats on top of, a vast expanse of frightening consequences that they mire through without thought. Call it "Pill Noir",
(Side Effects may be too slow for some audiences, please consult your inner critic. An increased risk of entertainment and smart writing may lead to confusion or questions about who the viewer should be rooting for. Sudden unexpected loss of a character may occur at any time, if you experience any blurriness in vision you are probably sitting too close to the screen. Use only as recommended (which it is).
8 Black Widows out of 10 (GREAT)
"A pharmacological thriller"
When a young married woman whose life has been turned upside down is involved in a possible suicide attempt, her new psychiatrist perscribes the latest anti-depressant on the market, with murderous results.
Director Steve Soderbergh's (Ocean 11) newest and possible final Hollywood film before retirement finds him in rare form. Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is the gal, Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street) is her just released from prison for blue collar crime husband. Jude Law (Contagion) is her overworked psychiatrist while Catherine Zeta-Jones (Traffic) is her former doctor and consulting physician. Its a twisted, knotted thriller in a Hitchcockian vein about human nature, capitalism and how we allow the pharmaceutical industry to change it and our bodies.
The film looks great and slick like most of Steven's productions. There are no car chases, no action sequences and unlike his previous effort Contagion (which tried just a bit too much with too little to work on), the simple shooting style and budget won't detract from being immersed in a fantastic script and great acting.
It has you second guessing motivations, seeking the truth along with the good doctor who ends up on the wrong end of a media firestorm after his past, patients, lifestyles and medical advice are put to question. Surprisingly the movie's motives are not an obvious drubbing of the medication age and its practices; instead that is a subtly slow IV drip in the background to feed and intensify the deadly tension (wrung masterfully out of the material by Soderbergh). The modern drug culture is the oily swamp these character's world floats on top of, a vast expanse of frightening consequences that they mire through without thought. Call it "Pill Noir",
(Side Effects may be too slow for some audiences, please consult your inner critic. An increased risk of entertainment and smart writing may lead to confusion or questions about who the viewer should be rooting for. Sudden unexpected loss of a character may occur at any time, if you experience any blurriness in vision you are probably sitting too close to the screen. Use only as recommended (which it is).
8 Black Widows out of 10 (GREAT)
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
The
Cabin in the Woods (R)
"Better than Scooby Snacks"
The slasher movie that puts the MEAT back into META, Cabin is one of the highest brow 4th wall breaking horror/comedys yet made (sorry Rubber). Cabin is rife with surprises, mostly about how entertaining and amusing it all ends up being. Unlike what the trailer shows you the film isn't a "big twist movie", right from the get go it is a smart scifi fan service styl
"Better than Scooby Snacks"
The slasher movie that puts the MEAT back into META, Cabin is one of the highest brow 4th wall breaking horror/comedys yet made (sorry Rubber). Cabin is rife with surprises, mostly about how entertaining and amusing it all ends up being. Unlike what the trailer shows you the film isn't a "big twist movie", right from the get go it is a smart scifi fan service styl
e
breakdown on the whats and whys of horror movies, from the original
Evil Dead to Cube to say, Freddy vs Jason. It climaxes in a horror
movie nerdgasm of gory spectacle and grand guignol that was simply a
delight and worth the ticket price by itself. However, in addition to
that you get intelligent writing, snappy dialogue, a high quotient of
tension and gore mixed in with some very funny moments, and the world's
first (I think?) fully functioning stoner hero. The few things I have
against the film are that it doesn't actually work as a horror film by
itself (probably due to the funny), and for a movie being all
"scriptwriting geek" smart and self aware about the conventions of the
modern horror movie its shallow and unfulfilling final act completely
cowtows to those same conventions and ends with a giant whimper instead
of the intelligent BiGBANG it deserves. I suppose they blew their wad,
er meager budget on those 5-10 minutes of geeking out on the absolute
joyful mayhem that is the film's centerpiece, a life time of horror
movie wish fulfillment that had my inner geeky teenager drooling out
loud.
8 Spams in a Can out of 10 (GOOD)
8 Spams in a Can out of 10 (GOOD)
21 Jump Street (2012)
21 Jump Street (R) - Review
"Let's just finger each other's mouths"
21 Jump Street is probably the best remake of the century. The unlikely bro-duo of Channing Tatum (GI JOE) and Jonah Hill (Superbad) work amazingly well together with great comedic timing. In high school they were on opposite sides of the Jock vs Nerd coin, but upon entering the Police Academy they find they need each others skills to make it through basic and in the process become fast and filthy friends. Cops on the beat, they prove untrustworthy and are soon assigned to 21 Jump Street, an undercover division lead by the constant grimace of Ice Cube (Friday). They are to reenter their high school disguised as students to infiltrate and bust a new drug ring operating there (which was the original plot of the 80s teen TV sitcom the film is based). From there the lampoons and goofiness take off, as High School is not as they remembered it, political correctness and intelligence are now highly valued commodities allowing one to fulfull his dreams of popularity that an uncouth Jock just can't hang with. The modern American school system is also skewered with special help from funny man Rob Riggle (SNL) as the inappropriate gym coach. It all leads up to an action and joke packed prom finale with one of the best "actors from the original" cameos in film history, succinctly lambasting the teen comedy/police buddy picture/and remake genres. Laughs and satire abound, 21 Jump is a highly recommended stoner comedy with a late night jolt of caffeine.
8 Fake Noses out of 10 (GREAT)
"Let's just finger each other's mouths"
21 Jump Street is probably the best remake of the century. The unlikely bro-duo of Channing Tatum (GI JOE) and Jonah Hill (Superbad) work amazingly well together with great comedic timing. In high school they were on opposite sides of the Jock vs Nerd coin, but upon entering the Police Academy they find they need each others skills to make it through basic and in the process become fast and filthy friends. Cops on the beat, they prove untrustworthy and are soon assigned to 21 Jump Street, an undercover division lead by the constant grimace of Ice Cube (Friday). They are to reenter their high school disguised as students to infiltrate and bust a new drug ring operating there (which was the original plot of the 80s teen TV sitcom the film is based). From there the lampoons and goofiness take off, as High School is not as they remembered it, political correctness and intelligence are now highly valued commodities allowing one to fulfull his dreams of popularity that an uncouth Jock just can't hang with. The modern American school system is also skewered with special help from funny man Rob Riggle (SNL) as the inappropriate gym coach. It all leads up to an action and joke packed prom finale with one of the best "actors from the original" cameos in film history, succinctly lambasting the teen comedy/police buddy picture/and remake genres. Laughs and satire abound, 21 Jump is a highly recommended stoner comedy with a late night jolt of caffeine.
8 Fake Noses out of 10 (GREAT)
Killer Joe (2011)
Killer Joe (UR) - Review
"The other white meat"
A young man in trouble from a Texas red neck family colludes with his father to kill off their estranged mother/wife for the life insurance. When their contracted assassin, the locally infamous Killer Joe, comes to collect and the funds are nowhere to be found, human collateral is put up and the family skeletons in the closet emerge with six shooters blazing.
William Friedkin (The Exorcist) directs from a screenplay by Tracy Letts (from his own one-set play). The film is furious and oily, deliciously unhealthy like southern fried beefsteak. Matthew McConaughey (Bernie) as Killer Joe is leather creaking deadly with chinks in his armor big enough to shove Big Gulps through. The small cast works like Chevy-made clockwork, but special mention goes to Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways) as a dimwitted father and Gina Gershon (Bound) as his tramp stamp squeeze. The finale hits like a double high speed mobile home pile-up, the bright red wood paneling rupturing on the turnpike.
8.5 KFC Fellatio out of 10 (GREAT)
"The other white meat"
A young man in trouble from a Texas red neck family colludes with his father to kill off their estranged mother/wife for the life insurance. When their contracted assassin, the locally infamous Killer Joe, comes to collect and the funds are nowhere to be found, human collateral is put up and the family skeletons in the closet emerge with six shooters blazing.
William Friedkin (The Exorcist) directs from a screenplay by Tracy Letts (from his own one-set play). The film is furious and oily, deliciously unhealthy like southern fried beefsteak. Matthew McConaughey (Bernie) as Killer Joe is leather creaking deadly with chinks in his armor big enough to shove Big Gulps through. The small cast works like Chevy-made clockwork, but special mention goes to Thomas Hayden Church (Sideways) as a dimwitted father and Gina Gershon (Bound) as his tramp stamp squeeze. The finale hits like a double high speed mobile home pile-up, the bright red wood paneling rupturing on the turnpike.
8.5 KFC Fellatio out of 10 (GREAT)
Take Shelter (2011)
Take Shelter (R) - Review
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you - Heller, Catch 22"
A family man (Michael Shannon), beset by visions of an impending disaster, begins to excavate a storm shelter in his backyard much to the detriment of his friendships, work relations and homelife. Shannon is fantastic as the father with a family history of paranoid schizophrenia, seeing thing others don't and trying to keep up appearances as his dreams get more vivid and his wife Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) gets more skeptical. Compulsively building and digging in an attempt to protect his loved ones, Shannon is walking the razor between preparedness and obsession, a void that Take Shelter gleefully teeters on the brink of, the revelation of the over-protective parent in the insane America post 9-11.
8 Murder of Crows out of 10 (GREAT)
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you - Heller, Catch 22"
A family man (Michael Shannon), beset by visions of an impending disaster, begins to excavate a storm shelter in his backyard much to the detriment of his friendships, work relations and homelife. Shannon is fantastic as the father with a family history of paranoid schizophrenia, seeing thing others don't and trying to keep up appearances as his dreams get more vivid and his wife Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) gets more skeptical. Compulsively building and digging in an attempt to protect his loved ones, Shannon is walking the razor between preparedness and obsession, a void that Take Shelter gleefully teeters on the brink of, the revelation of the over-protective parent in the insane America post 9-11.
8 Murder of Crows out of 10 (GREAT)
Super (2010)
Super (R)
"The Office with Bloody Wrenches"
A goofier, gorier, more realistic take on do it yourself SuperHeroes, an Indie KickAss for a more refined palate. Fans of the Office, Kevin Bacon, Pipe Wrench violence, Liv Tyler and Anime Tentacle pron take note: The Crimson Bolt is the real deal. "Shut Up Crime!"
Score:8 Animated Bunnies out of 10 (GREAT)
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
How To Train Your Dragon (PG)
"A boy and his Cat-dragon"
Dreamworks Animated features finally drop the amusing cartoonish antics and go for the heart (as so often their competitor Pixar is lauded for) in a loose adaptation of the children's series How to Train Your Dragon.
Hindered by typically inept marketing, HTTYD still finally boosted Dreamworks into being taken seriously and making wads of cash with an almost unknown property, an extremely rare occurrence in this cynical box office environment of "sequels and remakes." The story of misunderstood Viking son Hiccup and his cat-like dragon "Toothless" resonated with audiences with its cuteness and variety. There are goofy jokes and snide remarks, and low hanging narritive fruit such as "parents just don't understand" that today's youths might latch onto but this reviewer is tired of listening to.
But the art is beautiful, the emotions true, the animation top notch. The art style has some hidden hiccups and the story some strange eccentricities (why do the Vikings adults all voiced by Scottish actors, yet their kids are all Americans?), but the vast majority of the film exceeds expectations of a DW animated flick. Expanding the fun yet sparse source material into a giant world (much like they did with Shrek) works well; imparting pathos and a real sense of danger and humanity was genius.
HTTYDragon is a fantasy movie like they used to make pre-90s, with invention and risk taking (mixed with the ultracute just to take the curse off it). It shows how a license, properly cultivated by caring artists and story tellers, can diverge and prosper artistaclly and not just pander to the kiddies,
8.5 Scots with Horns out of 10 (GREAT)
"A boy and his Cat-dragon"
Dreamworks Animated features finally drop the amusing cartoonish antics and go for the heart (as so often their competitor Pixar is lauded for) in a loose adaptation of the children's series How to Train Your Dragon.
Hindered by typically inept marketing, HTTYD still finally boosted Dreamworks into being taken seriously and making wads of cash with an almost unknown property, an extremely rare occurrence in this cynical box office environment of "sequels and remakes." The story of misunderstood Viking son Hiccup and his cat-like dragon "Toothless" resonated with audiences with its cuteness and variety. There are goofy jokes and snide remarks, and low hanging narritive fruit such as "parents just don't understand" that today's youths might latch onto but this reviewer is tired of listening to.
But the art is beautiful, the emotions true, the animation top notch. The art style has some hidden hiccups and the story some strange eccentricities (why do the Vikings adults all voiced by Scottish actors, yet their kids are all Americans?), but the vast majority of the film exceeds expectations of a DW animated flick. Expanding the fun yet sparse source material into a giant world (much like they did with Shrek) works well; imparting pathos and a real sense of danger and humanity was genius.
HTTYDragon is a fantasy movie like they used to make pre-90s, with invention and risk taking (mixed with the ultracute just to take the curse off it). It shows how a license, properly cultivated by caring artists and story tellers, can diverge and prosper artistaclly and not just pander to the kiddies,
8.5 Scots with Horns out of 10 (GREAT)
Away We Go (2009)
Away We Go (R) Review
"Home is where the heart is"
This amazingly funny and touching movie has to be Sam Mendes' (American Beauty) best to date. A beautiful story about an unmarried couple looking for a home to raise their baby, John Krasinski (The Office (US)) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) jet about the country meeting with friends and family (and the drama that comes with them), reaffirming their modern relationship and their wants and dreams for their future. Gorgeously photographed, humorously written and performed with love, this movie is about growing up, growing old and growing a child without losing who you are and who you can be and where you came from while maintaining a level of humor that rarely works in Hollywood. Us grown up folks can have fun too, even in adult life situations.
9.5 Strollers out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Home is where the heart is"
This amazingly funny and touching movie has to be Sam Mendes' (American Beauty) best to date. A beautiful story about an unmarried couple looking for a home to raise their baby, John Krasinski (The Office (US)) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) jet about the country meeting with friends and family (and the drama that comes with them), reaffirming their modern relationship and their wants and dreams for their future. Gorgeously photographed, humorously written and performed with love, this movie is about growing up, growing old and growing a child without losing who you are and who you can be and where you came from while maintaining a level of humor that rarely works in Hollywood. Us grown up folks can have fun too, even in adult life situations.
9.5 Strollers out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
The Gaurd (2011)
The Gaurd (R) - Review
"Cops and Jobbers"
Brendan Gleeson (In Burges) shines again as hedonist Sergeant Gerry Boyle, a mischievous Irish cop who enjoys his small town life and job immensely (and the hookers it affords him). When drug lords move into his idyllic town, bringing with them the American FBI led by Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) hot on their heels, Boyle's own unique brand of honor gets in the way of avoiding confrontation.
Gleeson is tailor made for the role, a dirty mouthed loveable wiseass who plays off Cheadles straight man perfectly. Anything is a target for a tongue lashing to him, and if the subject thinks him an ignorant oaf in the process more the better. We really get a chance to know Gerry, get to be the butt of his constant jokes, and feel admiration for him when he see there's no other choice but to handle it himself, letting out a sigh as he picks up an AK47. The only weapon he usually needs is his black sense of humor, but he handles either with ferocious tenacity.
8 Racial Epithets out of 10 (GREAT)
"Cops and Jobbers"
Brendan Gleeson (In Burges) shines again as hedonist Sergeant Gerry Boyle, a mischievous Irish cop who enjoys his small town life and job immensely (and the hookers it affords him). When drug lords move into his idyllic town, bringing with them the American FBI led by Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) hot on their heels, Boyle's own unique brand of honor gets in the way of avoiding confrontation.
Gleeson is tailor made for the role, a dirty mouthed loveable wiseass who plays off Cheadles straight man perfectly. Anything is a target for a tongue lashing to him, and if the subject thinks him an ignorant oaf in the process more the better. We really get a chance to know Gerry, get to be the butt of his constant jokes, and feel admiration for him when he see there's no other choice but to handle it himself, letting out a sigh as he picks up an AK47. The only weapon he usually needs is his black sense of humor, but he handles either with ferocious tenacity.
8 Racial Epithets out of 10 (GREAT)
SLC Punk! (1998)
SLC Punk! (R)
An anarchic duo recently graduated from college try to find meaning and inebriation in their 1980s era Regeanomics American Utah Punk scene in Writer & Director James Meredino's semi-autobiographical film, SLC Punk!
Of all the post-Trainspotting inspired flicks that were made, SLC Punk! is the truest to harnessing it's internal spirit. It's an independently made slice of life film about the underbelly of a culture that not many people would openly discuss, entertainingly made and acted, well scripted with snappy dialog and situations, with a punch in the gut about conformism and society itself. Using it's young stars (not only does Matthew Lillard star, but Jason Segal is a very young, very memorable baby-faced Mike) in just the right way, SLC goes through the entire scene bit by bit very organically and breaks a few fourth walls on it's way through Mods, Skin Heads, UK Punks, Junkies, Euro-weirdos, Straights, Shit-kickers and even their own parents. The cliques and societal constructs fall like domino's before the films wit and humor, especially when Lillard is joined by Micheal Goorjian as Heroin Bob, so called because he is afraid of needles and who's portrayal often steals the show from Stevo's own frantic portrayal. Their relationship is the central core to the movie, from childhood to adulthood, and thrusts home the final nail in Punk's coffin.
Shot in a rugged mixed media style, told through the drug addled recollections of Lillard's Stevo shouted to us the viewers like a host over the stereo at a raucous party, the look of the film matches it's name, it embodies the Punk Rock "I Don't Give A Shit" mythos. The humor is loud and relate-able, the music is stylish yet loudly nostalgic, the sex drugs and rock n' roll pathos is loud and tragic. All this, added to the sociological interest of the time period, the perceived Mormon oppression of a minority group, the ex-Hippy yuppies and homeless mental cases, SLC Punk! humorously and sarcastically encapsulates everything that made being a Punk so attractive in the 1980s, especially to young attractive intelligent youths who were very far from the weirdo unwashed trash their appearance made themselves out to be. It is a short, timeless look at another side of American life that will never be again, but at least we have SLC to remind us.
9 "It's New" out of 10 (GREAT)
An anarchic duo recently graduated from college try to find meaning and inebriation in their 1980s era Regeanomics American Utah Punk scene in Writer & Director James Meredino's semi-autobiographical film, SLC Punk!
Of all the post-Trainspotting inspired flicks that were made, SLC Punk! is the truest to harnessing it's internal spirit. It's an independently made slice of life film about the underbelly of a culture that not many people would openly discuss, entertainingly made and acted, well scripted with snappy dialog and situations, with a punch in the gut about conformism and society itself. Using it's young stars (not only does Matthew Lillard star, but Jason Segal is a very young, very memorable baby-faced Mike) in just the right way, SLC goes through the entire scene bit by bit very organically and breaks a few fourth walls on it's way through Mods, Skin Heads, UK Punks, Junkies, Euro-weirdos, Straights, Shit-kickers and even their own parents. The cliques and societal constructs fall like domino's before the films wit and humor, especially when Lillard is joined by Micheal Goorjian as Heroin Bob, so called because he is afraid of needles and who's portrayal often steals the show from Stevo's own frantic portrayal. Their relationship is the central core to the movie, from childhood to adulthood, and thrusts home the final nail in Punk's coffin.
Shot in a rugged mixed media style, told through the drug addled recollections of Lillard's Stevo shouted to us the viewers like a host over the stereo at a raucous party, the look of the film matches it's name, it embodies the Punk Rock "I Don't Give A Shit" mythos. The humor is loud and relate-able, the music is stylish yet loudly nostalgic, the sex drugs and rock n' roll pathos is loud and tragic. All this, added to the sociological interest of the time period, the perceived Mormon oppression of a minority group, the ex-Hippy yuppies and homeless mental cases, SLC Punk! humorously and sarcastically encapsulates everything that made being a Punk so attractive in the 1980s, especially to young attractive intelligent youths who were very far from the weirdo unwashed trash their appearance made themselves out to be. It is a short, timeless look at another side of American life that will never be again, but at least we have SLC to remind us.
9 "It's New" out of 10 (GREAT)
Miracle Mile (1988)
Miracle Mile (R)
"Forget everything you just heard, and go back to sleep"
A young man suddenly finds the love of his life in the Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits museum. His perfect day turns into nightmarish night as he oversleeps his alarm and misses their first date. It goes from bad to worse (and leaves stereotypical story telling behind) as he answers an incessantly ringing Telephone outside a midnight diner in writer/director Steven De Jamatt's pre-apocalyptic film Miracle Mile.
This is not your usual new romance in danger film. Playing off the decades Atomic annihilation hysteria that gripped the United States since the 50s, Miracle Mile pulls of a miraculous feat of low budget enrapture. The visuals are brightly stunning neon at night, the scripting is highly literate and the acting is wonderful characterization. The leads Anthony Edwards (Top Gun) and Mare Winningham (St. Elmos Fire) have a dynamically palpable chemistry, and their LA late night co-stars are an ensemble casting wetdream of top-tier character actors and soon-to-be stars. The twists and turns of the story follow a twisting dream logic that leads you down nightmarish tunnels while holding your hand with a warm, friendly hopefulness. All the while featuring an under-your-skin soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, Miracle Mile is a film that encapsulates that final fearful decade of the Cold War. The obvious love and attention on a shoestring budget makes the film more than just an admirable yet forgotten cult classic, but instead something to be studied and revered. And where it homages other LA psychedelic jaw droppers like Day of the Locust, it's immense influence on more modern day LA epics like Drive, Magnolia or Crash are unmistakable.
Miracle Mile lives up to its name and reputation with its own optimistic nerdy charm in the face of the utter bleakness of humanities fate.
It is uniquely of the 1980s, by the 1980s, and simply one of the best of the 1980s.
9.5 Goose with a Trombone, Coals into Diamonds out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
"Forget everything you just heard, and go back to sleep"
A young man suddenly finds the love of his life in the Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits museum. His perfect day turns into nightmarish night as he oversleeps his alarm and misses their first date. It goes from bad to worse (and leaves stereotypical story telling behind) as he answers an incessantly ringing Telephone outside a midnight diner in writer/director Steven De Jamatt's pre-apocalyptic film Miracle Mile.
This is not your usual new romance in danger film. Playing off the decades Atomic annihilation hysteria that gripped the United States since the 50s, Miracle Mile pulls of a miraculous feat of low budget enrapture. The visuals are brightly stunning neon at night, the scripting is highly literate and the acting is wonderful characterization. The leads Anthony Edwards (Top Gun) and Mare Winningham (St. Elmos Fire) have a dynamically palpable chemistry, and their LA late night co-stars are an ensemble casting wetdream of top-tier character actors and soon-to-be stars. The twists and turns of the story follow a twisting dream logic that leads you down nightmarish tunnels while holding your hand with a warm, friendly hopefulness. All the while featuring an under-your-skin soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, Miracle Mile is a film that encapsulates that final fearful decade of the Cold War. The obvious love and attention on a shoestring budget makes the film more than just an admirable yet forgotten cult classic, but instead something to be studied and revered. And where it homages other LA psychedelic jaw droppers like Day of the Locust, it's immense influence on more modern day LA epics like Drive, Magnolia or Crash are unmistakable.
Miracle Mile lives up to its name and reputation with its own optimistic nerdy charm in the face of the utter bleakness of humanities fate.
It is uniquely of the 1980s, by the 1980s, and simply one of the best of the 1980s.
9.5 Goose with a Trombone, Coals into Diamonds out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)
Anguish (1986)
Anguish (R)
"The EYES have it"
An Italian Gialo with ideas to spare, Anguish starts as a typical 80s slasher with a penchant for eye-torture and hypnosis, when suddenly the story pulls out to be about the theater patrons watching that film with events inside and surrounding the theater mirroring the on screen schlock with realistic tension and violence. The movie resembles a Russian Matryoshka nesting doll, with films within films and meanings within themselves. More than the sum of its parts, this critic only wishes this could be viewed in a darkened cinema where the theater scares could actually creep up on you.
Starring the incomparable little lady from Poltergeist (Zelda Rubenstien) as the psychotic mother who is brainwashing her son to kill kill kill, the movie jumps on and off screen with an admirable craft that has to be seen to be believed. The Italian crew both attain an authentic 80s nostalgia while creating a 1980s American street scene from scratch in some European town. Hypnotic on and off the screen.
8 New Meanings to "The Eyes Have It" out of 10 (GREAT)
"The EYES have it"
An Italian Gialo with ideas to spare, Anguish starts as a typical 80s slasher with a penchant for eye-torture and hypnosis, when suddenly the story pulls out to be about the theater patrons watching that film with events inside and surrounding the theater mirroring the on screen schlock with realistic tension and violence. The movie resembles a Russian Matryoshka nesting doll, with films within films and meanings within themselves. More than the sum of its parts, this critic only wishes this could be viewed in a darkened cinema where the theater scares could actually creep up on you.
Starring the incomparable little lady from Poltergeist (Zelda Rubenstien) as the psychotic mother who is brainwashing her son to kill kill kill, the movie jumps on and off screen with an admirable craft that has to be seen to be believed. The Italian crew both attain an authentic 80s nostalgia while creating a 1980s American street scene from scratch in some European town. Hypnotic on and off the screen.
8 New Meanings to "The Eyes Have It" out of 10 (GREAT)
To Live and Die in LA (1985)
To Live and Die in LA (R)
"West Coast Miami Vice"
A Secret Service agent's partner is gunned down by a nefarious counterfeiter, leading to a violent and reckless chase through Los Angeles alleyways and gutters that shows the very best director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) had to offer in 1985s lush cop noir, To Live and Die in LA.
William Peterson, a year before his breakout in Michael Mann's Manhunter, grinds through a great role and performance as Agent Chance. A bungie jumping, scarf and jersey wearing man's man, Chance bends the law (and a few ladies) to get the bad guy, no matter the danger to him or his fellow agents. Trying to stay alive is his new partner Agent Vukovic played by John Pankow (TV's Mad About You best friend Ira). They are up against a very young raw Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ, Platoon), a modern artist who burns his own canvas and prints his own money when he needs it. Dafoe's trade is challenged when his funnymoney mule John Turturro is busted and sent to prison.
Twisting and slithering through the dusty streets of LA fueled by the golden-synth tunes of Wang Chung, this forgotten buddy picture is a hard edged nightmare of pure 80s that can often seen to be an no punches pulled imitation of Mann's breakout hit Miami Vice. The true life gritty memoirs of a Secret Service man's career leads Friedkin down a dark path, which is where William excels. Having produced several masterpieces (and many forgettable pieces), his To Live and Die is a shock to the system. The violent death, the Neon pink fonts, the metro-sexuality of the villains, the new wave pop music, the strutting and the whimpering male egos, the best car chase since his own French Connections, it all congeals into an artform that is almost dead and almost never was. There are some slices to the film that haven't aged as well; the arty music video jump cuts in the opening montage, dancers in spandex and face paint, the Poprock soundtrack, the now cliche doomed dude who is "3 days from retirement", but honestly TLADILA most likely was one of the first to dip into those tropes anyway. Plus with a movie so different in tone (a dark realistic look at the 80s filled with brutality and unforeseen twists all filmed in sunny California) and has such an uncompromising stance on story and speed of narrative, Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA is beautifully untypical crime and coppers caper that is fast, cheap and almost out of control.
8 Wrong Ways on an LA Freeway out of 10 (GREAT)
"West Coast Miami Vice"
A Secret Service agent's partner is gunned down by a nefarious counterfeiter, leading to a violent and reckless chase through Los Angeles alleyways and gutters that shows the very best director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) had to offer in 1985s lush cop noir, To Live and Die in LA.
William Peterson, a year before his breakout in Michael Mann's Manhunter, grinds through a great role and performance as Agent Chance. A bungie jumping, scarf and jersey wearing man's man, Chance bends the law (and a few ladies) to get the bad guy, no matter the danger to him or his fellow agents. Trying to stay alive is his new partner Agent Vukovic played by John Pankow (TV's Mad About You best friend Ira). They are up against a very young raw Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ, Platoon), a modern artist who burns his own canvas and prints his own money when he needs it. Dafoe's trade is challenged when his funnymoney mule John Turturro is busted and sent to prison.
Twisting and slithering through the dusty streets of LA fueled by the golden-synth tunes of Wang Chung, this forgotten buddy picture is a hard edged nightmare of pure 80s that can often seen to be an no punches pulled imitation of Mann's breakout hit Miami Vice. The true life gritty memoirs of a Secret Service man's career leads Friedkin down a dark path, which is where William excels. Having produced several masterpieces (and many forgettable pieces), his To Live and Die is a shock to the system. The violent death, the Neon pink fonts, the metro-sexuality of the villains, the new wave pop music, the strutting and the whimpering male egos, the best car chase since his own French Connections, it all congeals into an artform that is almost dead and almost never was. There are some slices to the film that haven't aged as well; the arty music video jump cuts in the opening montage, dancers in spandex and face paint, the Poprock soundtrack, the now cliche doomed dude who is "3 days from retirement", but honestly TLADILA most likely was one of the first to dip into those tropes anyway. Plus with a movie so different in tone (a dark realistic look at the 80s filled with brutality and unforeseen twists all filmed in sunny California) and has such an uncompromising stance on story and speed of narrative, Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA is beautifully untypical crime and coppers caper that is fast, cheap and almost out of control.
8 Wrong Ways on an LA Freeway out of 10 (GREAT)
House (1977)
House (NR)
A group of 7 overly cheerful and cliche-ridden young women take their Summer vacation at the house of a reclusive Aunt in the Japanese countryside. What they find there, and how many drugs the someone must have slipped you and the filmmakers, is Nobuhiko Obayashi's cult masterpiece of horror, HOUSE.
A rare bird indeed, House is an arthouse splatter flick, a psychedelic comedy, a post-WWII-Hiroshima-catharsis and a surreal Japanese folk-fairy tale all rolled into one (pass it to the right). Conceived with the help of the director's young daughter, the picture captures an artistic beauty of youthful imagination, while the adults throw every technical camera trick and special effect in a mad-dash for effectiveness. You will never know what is going to happen next, and it keeps happening at such a rapid pace you can barely keep up. Meanwhile the lovely surreal sets and obviously-on-purpose painted backdrops (produced on Toho's soundstage) are inhabited by a gaggle of spritely amateur actresses with heavy tropes for characterization. There's the tough one, the smart one, the fat one, the pretty one, etc. Another character is the music, featuring both orchestrated and 70s-rock'n'roll. The soundtrack adds another layer of insanity and cheer to the proceedings that one can almost feel David Lynch bobbing his head in time to the beat.
Wholly original, wholly unique, and yet vaguely reminiscent of what a Japanese Jordowosky and Monty Python collaboration might have been (if you like your Holy Mountain holding hands with Sam Raimi in a girl's school uniform with just a dash of Dali, this is the film for you). House is a colorful masterwork of genre bending ingenuity that was mostly unknown in the U.S. until it's rerelease to surprised Western audiences in 2010.
If you don't like it, then leave and don't let the shōji doors hit you on the way out!
9 Pianos that Eat People out of 10 (GREAT)
A group of 7 overly cheerful and cliche-ridden young women take their Summer vacation at the house of a reclusive Aunt in the Japanese countryside. What they find there, and how many drugs the someone must have slipped you and the filmmakers, is Nobuhiko Obayashi's cult masterpiece of horror, HOUSE.
A rare bird indeed, House is an arthouse splatter flick, a psychedelic comedy, a post-WWII-Hiroshima-catharsis and a surreal Japanese folk-fairy tale all rolled into one (pass it to the right). Conceived with the help of the director's young daughter, the picture captures an artistic beauty of youthful imagination, while the adults throw every technical camera trick and special effect in a mad-dash for effectiveness. You will never know what is going to happen next, and it keeps happening at such a rapid pace you can barely keep up. Meanwhile the lovely surreal sets and obviously-on-purpose painted backdrops (produced on Toho's soundstage) are inhabited by a gaggle of spritely amateur actresses with heavy tropes for characterization. There's the tough one, the smart one, the fat one, the pretty one, etc. Another character is the music, featuring both orchestrated and 70s-rock'n'roll. The soundtrack adds another layer of insanity and cheer to the proceedings that one can almost feel David Lynch bobbing his head in time to the beat.
Wholly original, wholly unique, and yet vaguely reminiscent of what a Japanese Jordowosky and Monty Python collaboration might have been (if you like your Holy Mountain holding hands with Sam Raimi in a girl's school uniform with just a dash of Dali, this is the film for you). House is a colorful masterwork of genre bending ingenuity that was mostly unknown in the U.S. until it's rerelease to surprised Western audiences in 2010.
If you don't like it, then leave and don't let the shōji doors hit you on the way out!
9 Pianos that Eat People out of 10 (GREAT)
The Milpitas Monster (1976)
The Milpitas Monster (NR) - Review
"This Place is a DUMP"
What started off as a High School film class project blossomed into a full fledged giant monster film inspired by the likes of King Kong and Godzilla. The Milpitas Monster is a triumph of small town Americana that rings the bells of nostalgia for a time recently past. The effects are admirable due to their limitations, the acting for the same reasons. The movie's love of old monster films is core, what with the teens trying to rally their ignorant parents into rounding up the Landfill spawned and garbage devouring creature. Both a wonderful look into life in 1970s Silicon Valley and the spirit of its inhabitants, The Milpitas Monster surprises with its witty homage and professional exuberance while maintaining a Home Movie level shoestring budget.
7 High Schoolers Did This? out of 10 (GOOD)
"This Place is a DUMP"
What started off as a High School film class project blossomed into a full fledged giant monster film inspired by the likes of King Kong and Godzilla. The Milpitas Monster is a triumph of small town Americana that rings the bells of nostalgia for a time recently past. The effects are admirable due to their limitations, the acting for the same reasons. The movie's love of old monster films is core, what with the teens trying to rally their ignorant parents into rounding up the Landfill spawned and garbage devouring creature. Both a wonderful look into life in 1970s Silicon Valley and the spirit of its inhabitants, The Milpitas Monster surprises with its witty homage and professional exuberance while maintaining a Home Movie level shoestring budget.
7 High Schoolers Did This? out of 10 (GOOD)
The Asphyx (1972)
The Asphyx (PG) - Review
"Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected"
In Victorian England, Sir Hugo is a prominent member of a Parapsychology club. Their latest study purports to show evidence of the soul, as photographic evidence of dying men seem to have visual smudges around their person. Hugo is skeptical of this explanation, and the subsequent accidental death of his own son leads to dire experimentations that lead to the downfall of his lordship and the rest of his family.
The Asphyx (the Greek name for a kind of mythological grim reaper), sets you up for an almost stereotypically classical English film, the environs of Pride and Prejudice would not be far removed from these stately estates. However, as the movie progresses and the stakes keep getting higher, the warm cheery atmosphere belies the ugly creepiness that settles into the film. Hugo's obsessive zeal for his findings, the ramping up of experiments, the rather grim outlook on life and death, all of it builds into a classy yet spooky ghost tale that (unlike all those dreadful Hammer films) retains the Gothic scares and yet is refreshingly modern. The visual effects may be hokily old fashioned, but they work to convey the horror of the unknown and the unknowable, while the cinematography and acting are both top notch. The Asphyx film manages to slowly strangle with cold unseen fingers of science, for it's the realistically manic intelligence of these characters as they manipulate the forces of nature and mortality that is the scariest monster here.
7 Deaths by Guinea Pigs out of 10 (GOOD)
"Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected"
In Victorian England, Sir Hugo is a prominent member of a Parapsychology club. Their latest study purports to show evidence of the soul, as photographic evidence of dying men seem to have visual smudges around their person. Hugo is skeptical of this explanation, and the subsequent accidental death of his own son leads to dire experimentations that lead to the downfall of his lordship and the rest of his family.
The Asphyx (the Greek name for a kind of mythological grim reaper), sets you up for an almost stereotypically classical English film, the environs of Pride and Prejudice would not be far removed from these stately estates. However, as the movie progresses and the stakes keep getting higher, the warm cheery atmosphere belies the ugly creepiness that settles into the film. Hugo's obsessive zeal for his findings, the ramping up of experiments, the rather grim outlook on life and death, all of it builds into a classy yet spooky ghost tale that (unlike all those dreadful Hammer films) retains the Gothic scares and yet is refreshingly modern. The visual effects may be hokily old fashioned, but they work to convey the horror of the unknown and the unknowable, while the cinematography and acting are both top notch. The Asphyx film manages to slowly strangle with cold unseen fingers of science, for it's the realistically manic intelligence of these characters as they manipulate the forces of nature and mortality that is the scariest monster here.
7 Deaths by Guinea Pigs out of 10 (GOOD)
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972)
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (NR) - Review
"The Greats of Wrath"
Herzog's symbolic South American adventure down the Amazon in search of El Dorado is awe inspiring. Even those under the effects of severe food poisoning can stomach and devour such a fine piece of cinema. As Pizarro's expedition haphazardly moves on, Klaus Kinski's Don Aguirre take a more and more dominant role. Klaus dominates the camera, his every enigmatically erratic movement and pronunciation is enrapturing, he is the vision of cost of conquest in the name or religion, in proceeding in God's name instead of simple human intuition. Like a dream the movie moves towards its inevitable conclusion(s), like a raft drifting downriver un powered, helpless to hit the sea. Powerful, visually striking, unforgettable, I'm still unsure if it was Herzog or Kinski who is to blame.
9 Hunched Conquistadors out of 10 (GREAT)
"The Greats of Wrath"
Herzog's symbolic South American adventure down the Amazon in search of El Dorado is awe inspiring. Even those under the effects of severe food poisoning can stomach and devour such a fine piece of cinema. As Pizarro's expedition haphazardly moves on, Klaus Kinski's Don Aguirre take a more and more dominant role. Klaus dominates the camera, his every enigmatically erratic movement and pronunciation is enrapturing, he is the vision of cost of conquest in the name or religion, in proceeding in God's name instead of simple human intuition. Like a dream the movie moves towards its inevitable conclusion(s), like a raft drifting downriver un powered, helpless to hit the sea. Powerful, visually striking, unforgettable, I'm still unsure if it was Herzog or Kinski who is to blame.
9 Hunched Conquistadors out of 10 (GREAT)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- Kevin Gasaway via HardDrawn
- Turlock, California, United States
- Media and Reviews by Kevin Gasaway