Rare Treat: Reviews of "You're Next" and "The Battery"

First part of an epic movie watching weekend!  Night one began with the long awaited "You're Next" and indie darling, "The Battery".  I, for the first time in a long time, was completely impressed with both movies.  THANK GODDESS!  It so rarely happens lately!

So first up was "You're Next", the newest offering from writer/director team Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (A Horrible Way to Die, V/H/S).  This one got great reviews and did really well at the box office this summer.

"When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back. " 

So honestly, the first part of the film had me worrying.  The usual cast of Wingard actors were involved (AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg ) which I love.  (Side note: Ti West in his short but pretentious role, so funny!).  I love a good film pack (a la Rob Zombie and Tarantino).  The characters though, SO annoying.  Typical family stuff, fighting and bickering but man, aside from our oh-so-obvious-heroine, not many redeeming characters.  The plot starts out as a pretty standard home invasion.  I just kept thinking, "This is Strangers but much less scary", right down to the masks.  Must also make note of the swaying camera work.  As you all know, I'm not a big fan of found-footage and this style of camera work leans dangerously close to that territory.  I know it's supposed to mimick eye contact and make things seem more intense/chaotic but nope.  Not a fan.  Hold the camera relatively steady please.
Thank god the second half threw a twist and really brought the movie alive.   Another female empowerment role!  Sharni Vinson was awesome and totally kicked ass!  I wonder if Adam Wingard purposely made the first part of the movie a little ho hum in order to win you back and shock you a bit in the second portion.  Hmmm... 

Also, much mention the sountrack!  I loved the original score.  Kind of 80s electronic and totally worked (reminded me a bit of "Drive").  You will become very familiar with "Looking for the magic" by the Dwight Twilley Band.  It's great and really works.  Also great, the gore!  Some really good death scenes (blender, all I'm gonna say).  Definitely didn't scrimp on that aspect, thankfully :) 

I really enjoyed this movie!  The 2nd half made it and the twists, although not overtly original, felt fresh and modern.  Loving Adam Wingard's work so far and looking forward to seeing what he'll churn out next!



And next, The Battery.  I must admit, I actually watch this 2 nights in a row.  It was that good.  I'm actually surprised I loved it as much as I did as it is a bit of a slow burn for a zombie film.  It's such a perfect combo of good, writing, film making, acting and soundtrack that it just works beautifully.  They don't come along like this to often.  And filmed on a $6,000 budget?  Impressive.

"The personalities of two former baseball players clash as they traverse the rural back roads of a post-plague New England teeming with the undead."

The movie really threw me for a loop.  It was very understated but it hit a lot of emotional cords.  It was funny and heart breaking and scary and just...real.  I think the (very well done) low budget feel really added to that feel of realness.  You could truly picture yourself in the scenario.  The acting was great.  Writer, director, and star Jeremy Gardner was so fantastic.  His dance and song scene was like the best music video I've ever seen.

The soundtrack kind of deserves its own reviews.  The music is so important to the film, it's like another character.  Each and every song fits perfectly into it's scene.  I'm usually not a fan of complete soundtracks, I like a good musical score but this one of the better couplings of modern music and film I've seen in quick a while.

So indie genre film makers take note!  This is how it's done!  With heart and honesty.  Just goes to show, the budget doesn't necessarily matter, you can still turn out a fantastic film.  And to go back to my previous found-footage ranting, this movie could have easily been, but it wasn't.  All in all, this gives me hope for the future of the genre!!  Goes without saying but I abso-fucking-lutely loved it.

Nights like this make me realize why I love this genre so much :)  Happy place!!

Reviews of "Black Rock" and "Oldboy"

Wow, rare weekend indeed!  First time in a while I've two double features and not one of those movies disappointed!   

 

 

So Oldboy is first up this time.  I've been wanting to watch this movie for ages but just never got around to it.  Now with the Spike Jonze remake looming, I made it a priority. 

"After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days. "

The first bit of the movie, I was a little hesitant.  I sometimes find Korean horror/action a wee bit cheesy but as this movie progressed my opinions quickly changed.  Min-sik Choi (I Saw The Devil) is THE genre actor in his world.  And rightly so.  He brings intensity and honesty and humour to his roles.  The rest of the cast were great as well.  Chan-Wook Park is such an amazing director.  His shots are incredible and his blending from one scene to the next really unique.  And the action and gore will satisfy any horror fan.  And that ending??  Oh, man, without giving anything away, I literally yelled "NO!" at the screen!  Just brutal.  Brutal!  I am very much looking forward to seeing the other two that complete the trilogy.  Now after that said, I am curious to see what the American version holds.  Having read numerous disappointed reviews, I'm not expecting it to match the original in any way but am still curious.  I do like Josh Brolin so we'll see! 

 

 



And then we watched Black Rock:

"Three childhood friends set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls' weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival."     

This totally ties in to my bit about feminism and horror.  Katie Asleton wrote, directed and starred in this awesome indie film.  Along with Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell, it was a great story of survival and female bonding.  I think it really showed true the complexities of female relationships.   Lake Bell was exceptional in this.  Both she and Katie Asleton put forth really raw performances.  The film was intense and real and scary to watch, especially if you're a girl.  You can imagine all to easily how someone could get into that situation.  My only complaint is that they threw some full frontal nudity in there.  I don't know if it was really necessary.  It didn't help the story out at all.  I imagine it helped the actresses get into their roles more, feeling more vulnerable in the cold, dark woods, but still....   All in all, an awesome thriller I highly recommend! 

Found-footage (aka-shaky cam) Rant

In anticipation of the Soska Twins helming the upcoming sequel, I watched See No Evil the other night.  Had never seen it before and didn't expect to much.  As suspected, the acting was pretty terrible, the fx were ok, the story and details lacking (a bunch of convict kids allowed to wear chains, heels, purses, etc...?) but overall it was entertaining.  The one thing I kept saying to myself over and over again was "it's not the best but at least it's not found-footage" (or shaky-cam, as I like to refer to it). 




Aaaand that brings me to my main topic/rant: the ever increasing amount of films in the found-footage sub-genre. 

I am SOOO sick of reading about an upcoming horror film, getting excited, only to find out it's shaky cam.  Again.  What happened to regular old low-budget horror!  Even if it was cheesy as hell at least you could watch it without getting a headache!  I guess directors feel it's a way to overshadow the bad acting/fx/low budget?  Get off the band wagon people!  It's SO done! 

And of course there are exceptions to this (Rec movies, V/H/S 2, The Tunnel) for the most part it seems to do a disservice to the story and to the actors. 

Case in point, I recently watched "Europa Report" (sci-fi, I know) and judging from the cast (Sharlto Copley, Michal Nyqvist) I was expecting something great.  I was wrong.  It was disjointed and fuzzy it was hard to enjoy the acting let alone follow the story line.  I get that this found-footage is part of the story, but couldn't it not be?  Couldn't we just make a good film that all can see, follow and enjoy?  Sigh...





I will continue to watch these movies regardless of how I feel about the filming style because as true horror fans, you can't be to picky in this genre.  I look forward to Ti West's "Sacrement" and the final Rec movie but I will continue to hope this film-making fad fades and more traditional styles once again become the norm. 

UGH: "Warm Bodies" Review

Last night I finally made myself watch Warm Bodies and just as suspected...Nope.  Almost turned if off towards the end.  It's not that I don't appreciate the message that love can save us all, it's sweet, but it has no place in a zombie movie.  At least not in the sense that it can save the undead.  The fx were ok but I just couldn't get over the lack of zombie like behavior from the zombies.  It was cheesy and silly and just didn't cut it for this horror fan.

If you want to check out a really good zombie-turned-hero film, watch Fido.  Billy Connelly is fantastic, as is the rest of the cast.  The film as a whole doesn't shy away from it's slightly cheesy theme, it embraces it and a quirky little gem is the result.  Loved this movie!

Desensitized

It's easy to become desensitized to violence now a days.  We see it on the news, on tv shows in ever increasing amounts and horror movies has reached a new level of violence compared to their predecessors.  I often wish I had grown up in an earlier time so I could better appreciate the older scary flicks but alas, I'm a product of my era and find the new gore-drenched films much more to my liking.  I have a list of older movies I'm going to work through at some point but I find whenever I watch one of them I can't help thinking, "wow, this would be a really good remake".  Sad, I know! 

 

Case in point, I watched Frailty again the other night.  Now I know this is more of a thriller and it's not even that old, just 2002.  It's a great film and not in any need of being redone but I kept thinking "with some added gore, this would make a great horror movie!".  I love the story and it's a great early example of what Matthew McConaughey is capable of (Killer Joe as a recent example). 

 

I'm going to try to weene myself off the gore in the next little while and start to appreciate some of the older classics.  It's embarrassing how I call myself a horror fan and still haven't seen a number of classic movies.  Time to start studying! 

Monster Art by John Kenn Mortensen

 

I have been obsessed with John Kenn Mortensen's post it note monsters from the first moment I saw one.  Whimsical, creepy and cute, each one is unique and wonderful.  An original drawing is on my dream art purchase list!  In the meantime, I purchased his "Sticky Monsters" book as soon as it became widely available.  It has a great selection of his drawings and is a delight for all ages!  I have to pry mine away from Lillian, my 3 year old, who keeps trying to lay claim.  She often requests the "monster book" for bedtime viewing :)  I eagerly look forward to future work by this wonderful artist!

 

 

Feminism & Horror

I think one of the reasons I love modern horror so much is the breaking down of female stereotype.  Horror was once mainly a boys game but times are a changing!  In the past, women were either seductress sluts, innocent virgins or possessed demons bent on male destruction.  Nice to know we're so easily categorized!  I still remember watching the original "I Spit on Your Grave" and thinking, "Why the hell is she just lying there?!  Get up!  Fight!!".  And sure, she did eventually, but only after she seduced her tormenters (letting one of them have sex with her first!) and THEN got around to killing them.  Thankfully they had enough sense to make the Jennifer character a stronger character in the remake.  Thankfully this type of weak female is becoming a thing of the past.  The strong, lone female survivor has since become a cliché. 

 

Ah, The Descent!  One of my favorites.  Aside from briefly at the beginning, this is an all female cast of strong women!  They spelunk dangerously and kick some subterranean-humanoid ass while they're at it!  If you haven't seen this yet, do yourself a favour and immediately do so.  It's fantastic. 

And the ladies currently dominating the female side of horror, Jen and Sylvia Soska (aka - The Twisted Twins).  These gals are awesome!  I love how they are unabashedly horror fanatics themselves and are so great with their fans, attending numerous conventions and keep in great touch via social media.  I will admit, I'm not a big fan of American Mary.  I loved the concept and loved Katherine Isabelle as Mary but I found the script was a bit all over the place and could have been better.  However, they're just starting out, Mary being their second feature film, so I'm sure over time they'll hone their skills and get better and better!  I'm really looking forward to seeing what they'll do with See No Evil 2 (starring Katherine Isabelle again and Michael Eklund!).

Also appearing in See No Evil 2: Long time Scream Queen, Danielle Harris.  Now I must admit, I had a hard time finding an image of Harris on the internet not in lingerie.  Great for her she looks fantastic in it but I do hate how successful women are still forced to objectify themselves like that.  Regardless, she's been in many horror movies (Halloween, Stakeland) and has started directing as well.  I haven't had a chance to see her latest feature, Among Friends and haven't heard amazing things but still, great to see her branching out and bringing another female voice to genre directing.




Now I know Jennifer's Body kind of falls into the possessed-by-a-demon-seductress cliché but it was calculated and smart.  Helmed by a fantastic team of females: writer Diablo Cody, director Karyn Kusama and starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfred.  I really loved this movie.  Smart and whitty!

Also have to mention the new Evil Dead!  I'm so thankful director Fede Alvarez chose not to use the standard clichés and throw a bunch of sex and nudity in.  He let the horror, gore and acting do the talking and for that, I am thankful and a HUGE fan of this movie.  I could go on and on and on about it!  My fav of 2013 by far! 

 

Lots of other great examples of female dominated horror out there (Eden Lake, Drag me to Hell, to name a few)  I hope to see more and more "feminist" horror come onto the scene in the future!  It's an exciting time to be a genre fan!

 

"Grabbers" Review

Watched this the other night and loved it!  This film has received such great reviews and I've been meaning to watch it for a while but have been putting it off as I usually opt to watch the more serious horror/sci-fi as opposed to comedic versions.  I'm so glad I finally gave it a chance though as it was some serious fun :)

"When an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive. "

All the acting was great.  I really enjoyed Ruth Bradley, she did a bang up job and was one of the most convincing and funny cinematic drunks I've seen in a while :)  The creatures were great and not at all cheesy.  Set on a remote Irish Island there were the usual set of characters, crotchety fishermen, the bartender and sassy wife, local drunken cop with past issues.  It was a bit formulaic that way but with all that Irish charm infused, it works well.  All in all an excellent little creature feature well worth watching. 

Word to the wise, just like "At World's End" a few pints are a necessity!  May I recommend a nice dark Stout ;)

"Cold Skin" Film Update!

The film adaptation of this book has been in the works for quite a while.  First attached to David Slade (30 days of night) who since opted out, the baton has been passed onto Xavier Gens (The Divide).  I love Gens work so I was extremely happy to here about that development.  The Divide is definitely one of my favorites and I'll probably nerd out about it in many a post in the future.  If any one hasn't read this book, you're missing out.  It's such an odd little treat. 

"On the edge of the Antarctic Circle, in the years after World War One, a steamship approaches a desolate island, far from all shipping lanes. On board is a young man on his way to assume the post of weather observer, to live in solitude for a year at the end of the earth. But on shore, he finds no trace of the man whom he has been sent to replace - instead just a deranged castaway who has witnessed a horror he refuses to name. The rest is woods, a deserted cabin, rocks, silence, and the surrounding sea. Then night begins to fall..."

The unique story is compelling, brutal and heart pounding.  I couldn't put it down.  Having previously read Pinol's "Pandora in the Congo" (also utterly unique) he has once again introduced us to a new race of creature and brought up the slightly uncomfortable subject of monster sex.  Yup, Pinol loves him some interspecies relations.  Aside from that it's a page turner and I absolutely can't wait to see what Gens does with it.  IMDB has listed this project as being in pre-production for quite some time but he recently announced on his Facebook page that he was headed to Prague to start filming!  So excited the ball is rolling :) 


Cannibal Night: "We Are What We Are" & "The Day" Reviews

It was unofficially "Cannibal Night" the other night!  A theme I hope to revisit again soon :) 

It started with the remake of "We Are What We Are" directed by Jim Mickle (Stake Land).  I watched the Mexican original sometime back and enjoyed it but found it to be a bit to slow of a burn so was looking forward to the American vision. 

Here's what IMDB has to say about the remake:
"The Parkers, a reclusive family who follow ancient customs, find their secret existence threatened as a torrential downpour moves into their area, forcing daughters Iris and Rose to assume responsibilities beyond those of a typical family."

Typical of American remakes, this one was much more dramatic and action packed.  There were some major changes, the largest being the location (the original was set in Mexico City while the remake is set in rural small town America).  Aside from that the family itself is patriarchaly dominated while the original was matriarchal, not a surprise considering America is largely patriarchal.  I thought the actors as a whole did a fantastic job.  Bill Sage as the father was domineering and fierce but you could still sense some humanity deep down inside him especially when confronted with the death of his wife (which sets the whole tale off).  Also great was Julia Garner who plays Rose.  She conveyed so much just through her facial expressions, you could really feel her conflict and empathize with her plight.  As for director Jim Mickle, when I first started watching this film I'd forgotten who the director was but kept noticing the similarities to Stake Land.  The music, lighting, shots and pacing were similarly dark and moody which I loved.  I'm excited to see more from him.  I must also mention the gore!  The original had very little which was slightly disappointing considering it's a movie about cannibalism.  Like most American remakes, this version upped the gore factor quite a bit.  Not that it was excessive, just right.  And the end scene was a real treat :)  A bit of a nice surprise!  All in all, I thought this was a really well done re-envisioning and recommend it to any horror fan!

And on to the next feature of the night, The Day.  This is my second go at this film and I loved it this time around as well.  I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic action, it's my favorite genre.  Throw in a cannibal twist and some Michael Eklund and I'm set :) 

And IMDB says:
"A group of five people working to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic future discover what they think is a safe, abandoned farmhouse, but they soon find themselves fighting to stay alive as a gang of bloodthirsty predators attack."

The acting was fairly decent overall.  Dominic Monaghan tries on his first American accent and is about as convincing as Shannyn Sossamon doing a southern-fried twang.  They're passable.  Ashley Bell is the real star of the show and she is quite intense, at times maybe too much but I give credit to any actor who really goes for it and you can tell she gave it her all.  Shawn Ashmore also did a great job.  He and his brother are staples on Canadian tv so it's hard to take him seriously sometimes but I thought he did a really good job in this.  One scene with he and Ashley Bell was particularly brutal.  I do like that the director, Douglas Aarniokoski, chose to go with a very muted black and grey tone look as it really suited the grungy, world-has-ended, vibe to the whole movie.  It's dark, as it should be.  And of course, Michal Eklund.  He plays the leader of the flesh eaters, "Father", and although he's in it for only part of the movie, he steals every scene.  Overall, a great post-apocalyptic movie with lots of action, good acting and atmosphere.  I loved it and will definitely be watching it a third time, and a fourth....

And that concludes cannibal night!  And my first movie reviews.  I admit, I am most definitely not an educated film critic and have a hard time getting my opinions across after the fact but I'm sure it'll get easier over time.  Thanks!

Virgin Territory

Well, here goes nothing...  My inaugural blog post!  I must say, I feel slightly embarrassed to be entering into what is ultimately the most self-obsessed hobby out there.  However, this blog will primarily be a way for me to get my nerd on and give my friends and family a break from listening to my obsessions.  Mainly horror movies :)  Lets see how this goes...