Welcome to this year's reviewz. Enjoy the list and keep watching movies!
This year's Reviewz are dedicated in memory of film friend and movie critic Bryan Van Campen.
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MIENTRAS DUERMES (aka: SLEEP TIGHT) (2011) recommended!Dir: Jaume Balagueró (REC, REC2, DARKNESS,THE NAMELESS)
Exquisitely intimate filmmaking with Balageuró's usual themes of pathological cruelty. What does one do when they are unable to feel joy and are very aware of it? What forms of human interaction give one purpose and meaning? Like the character of "Alex" in Kubrick's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE(1971), hotel concierge César is a sociopath with no resolve in life other than to create misery in others. No supernatural forces are at play in Balageuró's narrative this time, only the severe, protracted lonliness of a singular person. Where is morality if nothing matters? A meditation on the corruption of human emotions, reminiscent of Polanski's THE TENANT(1976)(see review) as well as Balageuro's earlier masterpiece THE NAMELESS(1999)(see review).
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ANIARA (2018) recommended!Dir: Pella Kagerman & Hugo Lilja
Filmmaking for grown-ups. Everything about this film is brilliantly executed. A poignant and excruciating meditation on mortality and meaning; thematically intense and not for the feint of heart. A Swedish production with all the existential Bergman influences on full throttle; and based on the book by Harry Martinson. They spared no expense and I shutter to think of the productions' budget. Although the production design and special effects are top-notch, never are they displayed for their own sake, only to advance the story. Felt like the visionary scope of Tarkovsky's SOLARIS(1972) and Hertzog's AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD(1972), but with the dystopic futility of Cormack McCarthy's THE ROAD(2009)(see review); the sociology of Stephen King's THE MIST(2007)(see review), and the more recent DAS LETZTE LAND(2019)(see review) and PASSENGERS(2016)(see review). There was a 1960 Swedish TV adaptation as well.
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TROLL HUNTER (aka: Trolljegeren) (2010) recommended!Dir: André Øvredal (THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, TUNNELEN)
One of the best in the "found footage" sub-genre along side REC(2007)(see review) and CLOVERFIELD(2008)(see review). This film did everything right and managed to portray a purposely ridiculous premise with both humor and solid horror thrills. The acting performances, special effects, story structure and pacing were all on point. Unlike many entries to the genre, the "caught-on-tape" aspect is never used to obscure limited budgets and production. The action is all very clear and we see everything; the content never relies on the form. Otto Jespersen puts in a perfect performance as a grizzled and worn out hunter who works for a secret agency that keeps the troll population under control and out of sight! TROLL HUNTER works because it never takes itself seriously, yet never gets farcical either. The whole thing is a snarky jab at our modern hubris- thinking we know everything, when ages old folk-tales turn out to be actually true and right under our noses.
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THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016)
Dir: André Øvredal (TROLL HUNTER, TUNNELEN)
From the director of TROLL HUNTER(2010)(see above). Well done, tense and creepy! Strange happenings at the morgue as a father and son mortuary team (Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox) seek the cause of death of a young woman whose body was found buried under a basement at a murder scene. Oddly enough, although the body is fresh, there are signs she's been buried for ages. What's more- she might not even be dead! Some ghoulish body gore but mostly done with restraint. The first two acts have some real creepy chills leading to a twisting conclusion. Ending was a bit flat but all-in-all a good ride. Ovredal adeptly directs only 3 characters in a single location. There are sequels.
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THE BABADOOK (2014)
Dir: Jennifer Kent (THE NIGHTINGALE, MONSTER)
Finally caught up to this one. Australian psychological-horror about a stressed out widow raising an accelerated, special-needs son who is too much to deal with. As her emotions wear thin and her compassion for her own child grows increasingly marginal, Mom begins having dark visions and violent fantasies. A children's pop-up-book that seems to appear out of nowhere, details the idea of a malevolent presence being "let in." Obviously this "Babadook" children's paradigm is a stand-in for the mother's approaching insanity. Mature beyond his years, the boy successfully intuits that only by staying together can they be strong enough to fend off evil. This twist was rather heart-rendering, as the boy refuses to give up on his mother even as she turns violently against him. Winning an attrition battle against the possessing demon, the evil presence exits Mom and locks itself in the basement. Mom and son are free, but a haunting final scene shows them feeding a bowl of worms to "the 'it' in the basement." Clearly, once darkness has visited, it is forever a threat to be held at bay.
I really appreciated the subtextural approach to horror, rather than just surface level story. There has been a proliferation of nuanced horror outings from female directors in the last decade and this is a great example. Terrific performance from Essie Davis as the stressed out mom.
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SMILE (2022)
Dir: Parker Finn
Well made but standard fare. A sleep deprived mental health doctor witnesses a suicide and then begins seeing visions of people smiling at her. Creepy! Turns out there's a chain of these suicides that repeat like a contagion. Once you witness a death, in a week or less, you kill yourself in front of someone else, then they inherit the curse, etc, etc. Is this really happening or is our doctor finally just cracking under all the job pressure? Stained by the reality of her own mother's suicide, our gal turns to face her fear- or the evil presence- or is it both? Pretty decent point-of-view stuff about which real is the really-real; and what it probably feels like to turn psychotic. Good until the final climax where the filmmakers couldn't help but go for an overly visual treatment of the supernatural elements. Worked better up until then.
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GET OUT (2017)Dir: Jordan Peele (US, NOPE)
Jordan Peele's first feature and most straight-forward horror narrative, that garnered him both Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. It's impossible to talk about Peele's films without talking about the role of modern race relations in American Cinema, yet- this elephant-in-the-room is loudly stated without much statement at all. This is the Peele touch in my view- his ability to make racial commentary, from narratives that are not directly about race.
Unlike his later efforts US(2019)(see review) and NOPE(2022)(see below); GET OUT is less about allegory and subtext and is much more story and plot focused. In the tradition of Polanski styled paranoia films (ROSEMARY'S BABY(1968), THE TENANT(1976)(see review), FRANTIC(1988)), Peele baits us into one narrative, only to switch to a deeper one by his third act. Although the plot gives us a straight-up horror story, the socio/political race themes lingering nearby, serve to make the film a point-of-view piece, as well as psychological thriller. This works because the story withholds information enough in its' first two acts, forcing our minds to consider the racial content, even though it is not overtly stated. This is very clever writing and it hinges on the fact that the film was produced and released in a specific era of American history (our modern moment), such that the racial content is already "in the air" so-to-say. (see my review of US for more on this here.) Peele takes advantage of the current social climate in a sort of Jiu-Jitsu strategy, allowing existing momentums to establish his commentary with minimal effort. As a horror film, GET OUT is pretty standard fare, nothing much new. However, by making his audience see through the eyes of a young African-Amercian man searching for answers in a pressure scenario, Peele succeeds in crafting both an effective horror tale, and racial point-of-view piece at the same time. Say what you will about modern "wokeness" standards in Hollywood, Peele's angle here is clever. Is GET OUT clever enough to be Oscar worthy? Hmm...
There is also some wonderful comic relief on offer, much to the credit of actor Lil Rel Howery in his supporting role.
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NOPE (2022)Dir: Jordan Peele (US, GET OUT)
Peele's light homage to Spielberg's alien films; and an original twist on the current "UAP" phenomenon. Don't go looking for answers and explanations, there aren't any- only spectacle and subtext. As with Peele's previous effort US(2019)(see review), NOPE is not about plot, it's about inference; and, just as with Spielberg, it's also about movies.
Everything about this film- from it's one-word title on down- is awkward. This does not mean that it is bad, just- well, painfully unique. Peele certainly has a loudly distinct style that is his own, but I'm not quite sure what he trying to say in this outing, so I regard this one as a bit of a failed attempt. Whereas the esoteric metaphors of US served direct themes; I can't quite make the connection with the devices and motifs in NOPE. The film is painfully aware of itself and every moment of it feels artificial somehow; in a way that is likely fully intentional. It doesn't seem that suspension of disbelief is necessarily Peele's prime objective as much as parody; although what the work is a parody of is unclear, other than perhaps its immediate self. Some of the more winking-at-the-camera moments of Alfred Hitchcock's films and the works of Roman Polanski spring to mind.
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There is a powerful opening sequence of a desolate TV sound-stage after a chimpanzee has gone on a murderous rampage. This sets the tone for some commentary on nature, instincts and the spectacle of entertainment. As this back-story is later fully revealed, the parallel of the animal-actor (the chimp) versus the UFO/UAP as "trained-monkey" is clear- but to what end? Meanwhile, there is Peele's usual oblique racial commentary via the main character OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer), who run a California ranch that trains horses for movie shoots. The sibling's carry on the legacy of their father's business as the first African-American business of its kind in movies, dating back to Hollywood's golden era. The sister is lesbian, so there is some "intersectionality" on hand here, perhaps adding to the theme of outside the mainstream, but is inconsequential to the plot. Losing a job after a horse gets spooked on set, OJ has to explain that the animals are not mere props, but living things that must be understood. Em has a much more up-beat approach to selling their business, whereas OJ seems long since jaded on such enthusiasm falling on deaf ears. The bold choice of the films' title comes from a phrase shared by the siblings and their father. When adversity weighs down on them, affirming "NOPE..." out loud is their rally cry to push on and not give-in/give-up. We learn in flashbacks that Dad (Keith David) died from metal shards that fell from the UFO as it flew overhead- literally fallout from the spectacle above. Spoiler alert: the UFO turns out not to be a vehicle driven by alien creatures, but is itself the alien creature! This was a fresh concept and the CGI visual-effects served it well; although apart from some general commentary on Hollywood consumerism, I'm not sure what is being said here. A retired filmmaker (Michael Wincott) is recruited to capture the alien on film and he willingly trades his life to get the job done. Burnt out and jaded at his industry, the camera man- like the siblings and their father- represents a legacy connecting back in time to things more original and authentic. The man serves his craft: filmmaking, which in turn serves truth by successfully capturing evidence of a UFO. Is this to say that revealing the essence of spectacle is a higher truth? That delivering such truth is the ultimate endeavor of one's own mortal participation? So, Peele gets his poster shot of a Black guy on horseback galloping away from a UFO, but what does it mean?
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| Artifice and animal-instinct in NOPE(2022) |
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Perhaps the most impacting scene in what is otherwise a mostly light-hearted narrative, is the view from inside the guts of the alien as it digests throngs of people it has just scooped up from the ground. We see the tight, rubbery, almost kids-inflatable-jumping-gym-like, claustrophobic confines of this inside view, as the helpless humans are thrust upward and squeezed to death. The scene is almost played for laughs, but the haunting screams of the victims provide an obvious horror touch-point. The shark from JAWS'-stomach-eye-view! It all seems cartoonish enough, but people are dying. I thought immediately of the Polanski Touch here (the unnerving technique of mixing horror and comic relief simultaneously), but again, was not sure how to interpret this devastatingly visceral moment.
Perhaps the entire device is just a play on the idea of our entertainment-saturated culture being like an animal of instinct, always going for the shiny object and not discriminating in the victims it makes of us. As much as we think we can control or tame the beast, ultimately, it consumes us. The only weapons we find to use against such a monster, are other elements from the very source that created the monster (Em defeats the alien using elements from a movie set.) Our protagonists are outsiders in someone else's game and have at once, kinship with the alien monster, but must also fight against it as an enemy. It would seems that an outsider is required to correct for the malignancy that is the game- an outsider who is both within this system enough, but just far outside enough- to wield the power necessary to: (1) avoid assimilation, (2) expose the spectacle, (3) defeat the spectacle. Strange musings and strange feel, from a decidedly strange narrative.
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NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND (aka: THE EXORCISM OF HUGH) (1972)
Dir: Fred Burnley
Well made Brit-Horror/Drama about a young man and woman so much in love, that when the man dies, his body stays alive to be with her. Creepy but romantic meditation on existentialism and love. Great score, cinematography and subtle acting by Susan Hampshire and Michael Petrovitch. The few special effects are horrible, but oh well. Based on the novel by Gordon Honeycombe.
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65 (2023)
Dir: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
Not a bad film, but doesn't deliver on big promises. The best way of describing the movie is the line Malcolm says to Hammond over the intercom in the 1993 film JURASSIC PARK:: "um, there are dinosaurs in your dinosaur park, yes?" I'll spare you the pain- the T-Rex(s) doesn't show up till the end. Very pedestrian movie-of-the-week with great concept and production, but never quite makes it to lift-off. Feels more like an episode of The Outer Limits than a feature film. Effects are awesome.
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M3GAN (2022)
Dir: Gerard Johnstone
I ROBOT meets CHUCKY. Actually quite good until the final climax where it sort of turns silly. Basic hubris piece about a robot girl whose A.I. is plugged into everything and whose learning curve goes off the charts fast. Without the proper limitation parameters to keep her in check, Megan takes her programming to its logical ends. Designed to "protect" the child she's paired with, Megan goes from guardian and friend to homicidal killer, taking out anything and anyone that could be a threat. Much like SPLICE(2009). Special effects and live animatronics are fantastic.
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RUPTURE (2017)Dir: Steven Shainberg
Well made and creepy. Similar feel to Richard Kelly's THE BOX(2009)(see review) or Brian Yuzna's SOCIETY(1989). Noomi Rapace does a great job as a woman kidnapped and put through fear sessions in order to force her surpressed DNA to evolve her into a post-human form. Seemed like it was gonna be torture porn at first, but was more an escape thriller.
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THE DIVIDE (2011)
Dir: Xavier Gens (HITMAN)
Well made but too brutal to recommend. Scathing indictment of humanity as a nuclear apocalypse leaves a number of New Yorkers in a basement prepper bunker to fight amongst themselves. Lord of the Flies meets BLINDNESS(2008). Career perfomance by Michael Biehn.
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COLD SKIN (2018)
Dir: Xavier Gens
Lots of heart in this well-made tale of a man stranded on a remote island outpost battling bizarre humanoid sea-creatures. There is a half crazed Captian-Ahab type who still holds his lighthouse post and obsesses over slaying the beasts. Are the beasts really as savage as insists they are? Has he simply found in them an evil-other that gives him a purpose? Our hero must decide which side to be on in this narrative that is as much fantasy as horror.
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THE SAND (2015)Dir: Isaac Gabaeff
Oddly enough, one of the more traditionally straight-forward horror flicks on this years' list. Although it starts as the ultimate enjoy-watching-the-idiot-party-kids-die narrative, the plot ratchets up to a fairly in-your-face dramatic horror. There is certainly an abundance of bikini co-eds to the slaughter and the tongue-in-cheek dark humor of drive-in horror. Still, there is a thread of gravity via the sheer visceral body-horror and harsh reality-checks as the vacuous frat kids have to learn to face death and survive. Refreshingly, most of the characters don't make stupid decision and the girls don't trip and fall when they try to run! All in all a tepid entry, but the special effects are good and the pace and action are well thought out. Reminiscent of the resent SHARK BAIT(2022)(see review); and obviously riffing on the classic BLOOD BEACH(1980).
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THE NUN (2018)
Dir: Corin Hardy (THE HALLOW)
Silly throw-away from Blumhouse productions and writer/producer James Wan (THE CONJURING franchise) and part of their "CONJURING Universe" (duh). Empty crap, but actually tries to be scary and nothing else, which is more than I can say for many horror entries these days. Full of cheap visual shocks, scares, CGI and enough gothic Catholic imagery to satisfy any EXORCIST fan. Interestingly, Actress Taissa Farmiga stars and is in fact, the daughter of actress Vera Famiga, star of THE CONJURING films. I will recommend only as a Halloween rental simply based on its drive-in-flick cheap thrills. Shocker- there are sequels.
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KILL SWITCH (aka: REDIVIDER) (2017)Dir: Tim Smit
This feature is the work of visual-effects artist Tim Smit, who wrote and directed the entire project. As such, it has a real cohesiveness that is often missing from CGI-centered, indy films like this. The effects are outstanding as well as the concepts and designs they are based on. The story is standard Sci-Fi fare and deals with parallel worlds in a multiverse being breached by our own advanced technology. What really shines are the automated flying drones that serve as the enemy foot-soldiers in the plot. Once the chase is on, the action is non-stop till the end. The acting/directing of the female co-star was played a bit too flat and detracts from the project. The music is really terrific. Great high-tech Sci-Fi actioner, reminiscent of Neil Rowe's visionary VFX films ALIEN OUTBREAK(2020)(see review) and ROBOT WORLD(2015)(see review).
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MAID DROID (2023)
Dir: Rich Mallory
This is an odd one (and not related to the 2008 Japanese film of the same name, fyi). Very much a soft-core-adult-film-for-cable, meets legit A.I. Cinema entry, meets meditation on male sexuality. Performances are not very good and the whole thing is super low-budget and stiff, but the humanity in the premise actually works. Obsessing over a past break-up, depressed Harrison (Jose Adam Alvarez) is given the number of a maid/escort service. Hesistant until lonliness overtakes him, he gives the service a try. A female Maid-Droid (Faith West) shows up and cleans his house, then does some other things for him. Harrison is resistant at first, but after his first encounter wants more. Quickly a relationship grows between Harrison and his robot partner/servant who he names "Mako," until she is living with him full time. Mako is "programmed to fulfill his every wish" so he assumes she just says the things he wants to hear. However, it becomes clear that she is learning and growing complex emotions. "I am programmed not to lie" she explains as she expresses hopes and desires as well as her fears, memories and nightmares. Mako may be A.I., but she clearly has evolved sentient personhood. The two quickly fall in love and both are very happy. All is well until the ex-girlfriend texts that she wants to meet and get back together. Like flipping a light-switch, Harrison goes after the ex and drops Mako like yesterday's newspaper. Spiraling into an existential crisis, Mako kills them both. She tortures Harrison first, (in ways she herself had been tortured by previous clients) including castrating him. She exclaims that, "she thought he was different, but he's like every other man, he just wants a toy he can use and throw away." The maid company finds the bodies and takes Mako back to HQ to have her memory erased and be put back in service.
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So the movie is a play on male fears and desires regarding women. Mako is like the control in a social experiment, contrasted against the evil, yet no less sexually provocative, ex-girlfriend. Mako is the perfect manifestation of what a man thinks he wants, but turns out to not really want. On one hand, the film seems to say that by fulfilling your partners every desire, you evolve into a fuller person. Mako's growing happiness seems to fuel her ever emergent sentience. This is reciprocated by Harrison, who seems to only want to care for Mako and treat her with love. However, if this dynamic can be achieved with a non-human stand-in, is it real? What is the difference between fulfillment with a real person versus contentment with a stand-in? If the feelings are the same, is it not the same? Although we feel for Harrison's romantic pain in the beginning, he seems to fulfill the "shallow male" cliche with his quick flip back to the ex. Ethically, is it wrong to drop the facsimile when he can have the real thing? What of Mako's feelings? Do they even count? This points more to a discussion on ethics of sentient A.I. than it does sexual politics. Nonetheless, with Mako as the stand-in, we are able to see Harrison's nature play out. The flatness of the film actually helps to underscore the emotionality of the cyborg Mako. She is the most enthusiastic and least fickle character, childlike and trusting, unlike the ex-girlfriend who was cruel and emasculating. It is impossible not to empathize with her loss of meaning and purpose when Harrison turns cold on her. It is the toxic and manipulating ex that wins Harrison in the end, not the loving and committed Mako. Harrison's betrayal is brutal not just because it forsakes a love relationship, but in Mako's case, her entire reason for being. Like the love hologram character in BLADERUNNER 2049, Mako's essence is not her fault, simply her programming. In this case however, the crisis short-circuits the A.I.'s wiring and she's goes rogue. Yet, it is Harrison and the ex-girlfriend who are really rogue, as they go back on their intentions, contradict themselves and act out unpredictably. Mako is the most steadfast and morally sound character- the most of what we like to think of as "humanist," yet she's the robot.
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I was reminded of the little boy in Spielberg's A.I.(2001), particularly the heart-rending scene where the mother abandons the boy in a trash heap in the woods. He pleads with her to keep him and not throw him away. He is programmed simply to be loved, what other purpose can he possibly have? The Battlestar Galactica adage would be "it's not human, it's a toaster..." so flush it out the airlock. I was also reminded of the "Raping Dolores" concept from the streaming series Westworld, where a female cyborg is raped by human patrons so much that she chooses to self terminate. The double horror of an artificial being just sentient enough to not want to be; and the human men, given the opportunity, going from zero to rape in no seconds, thus destroying the humanity of everyone involved.
Admirable was West's performance as the Maid Droid, which carries the whole movie. I'm stuck between wanting to give this film an A for effort, and finding its limitations too numerous to fully recommend. It feels at once like a stark but honest indy effort the likes of Michael Tolkin's THE NEW AGE (1994), Todd Haynes SAFE(1995) or Steven Soderberg's SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE(1989); and a low-ball sex-ploitation grinder.
*See my reviews of A.I Cinema at my ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWZ page (HERE.)
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THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN (2014)
Dir: Adam Robitel (ESCAPE ROOM, INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY)
Better than most "caught-on-video" horror. A group of filmmakers working on a PhD thesis, imbed themselves with the family of a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease. In exchange for access to her story, the students give grant money to help cover the medical bills. So the filming begins and soon some supernatural happenings begin to emerge. Seems that the ghost of a local murderer who dealt in snake-cult witchcraft, had preyed on Deborah's weakened mind and possesses her. The whole thing is rather well done, creepy and also sad (as it deals with Alzheimer's), but the final climax relies on a lot of shaky camera obfuscation and strains supension-of-disbelief. Solid entry but nothing new. Kudos to Jill Larson, an actress of her years, who portrays the character of Deborah with gravity and respect, in a particularly grueling physical performance.
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THE HOUSE ON PINE STREET (2015)
Dir: Aaron & Austin Keeling
Review coming soon!
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THE ENDLESS (2017)Dir: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Writer/Director/Actor duo Benson and Moorhead co-star in this tale of two brothers who return to a rural cult they escaped from a decade prior. At first things seem ok as they visit old friends, but soon some weird super-natural occurrences are revealed. The first two acts are compelling enough, including some weird dimension shifting a la COHERENCE(2013)(see review) or JACOB'S LADDER(1990). The end disappoints however, as the whole thing turns out to be a purgatory metaphor for the controlling and co-dependant nature of the brothers' relationship. Also reminiscent of IN EXTREMIS(2017)(see review).
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THE STENDHAL SYNDROME (1996)
Dir: Dario Argento
Italian splatter-maestro Dario Argento directs his own daughter, actress Asia Argento, in this tale of a woman's creeping madness. Solid Giallo thriller but nothing stupendous.
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THE VISIT (2015)
Dir: M. Night Shyamalan (SPLIT, SIGNS, THE HAPPENING, THE VILLAGE, LADY IN THE WATER, THE SIXTH SENSE)
Shyamalan's obligatory third-act plot-twist reveal comes right on cue in this fairly pedestrian tale of two kids visiting their weird grandparents for a week. Well made and the kid actors are terrific. What seems like a horror tale ends up as sort of a shock/surprise take on mental illness.
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ALIEN OUTPOST (2014)
Dir: Jabbar Raisani
Very well made for it's genre and indy status, with great performances and storyline. Long after aliens have invaded Earth and lost the initial invasion, humans have forgotten that a war still threatens. The film closely mirrors America's military campaign in Afghanistan after the events of 9/11; and how apathy can creep in to even the most high-stakes of long term objectives. Ooh Rah!
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HERE ALONE (2017)
Dir: Rod Blackhurst
Surviving a viral zombie-apocalypse, an off-grid woman limits herself with the guilt she feels over losing her husband and daughter. With the arrival of visitors she is given a new chance at life and love, but is it too late to escape her self-made purgatory? Well made indy.
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DEVIL'S PASS (2013)
Dir: Renny Harlin (DEEP BLUE SEA, T.R.A.X., THE COVENANT, EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING, CLIFFHANGER, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4, DIE HARD 2)
Interesting entry in the "video-verite" caught-on-tape genre in that it is produced and directed by a big-budget Hollywood director, and is not a seat-of-the pants indy effort. Imagine THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT as if directed by Roland Emmerich or some-such. Third-act CGI creature effects sort of disappoint, but overall was a tense mystery tale with an interesting concept reveal at the climax.
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THE DARKEST HOUR (2011)Dir: Chris Gorak (RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR)
Not bad but not great. Russian/American production, co-produced with horror/action maestro Timur Bekmabetov. Looks like a teen film at first, but actually isn't. The characters, although one-dimensional, are not the cut-and-paste co-eds you might expect. The film is a Sci-Fi actioner so there is little time for depth other than some moral twists in the characters' arcs. The effects are top-notch and the concept is fairly decent- little alien shredding machines that are cloaked with a quantum-wave technology that interrupts electricity. It is safest at night in the dark because when the intruders are around, all the electric machines light up! Unlike the devastatingly tense realism of Gorak's later work RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR(2006)(see review), this one aims at lighter fare.
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CRYPTID (2022)
Dir: Brad Rego
Good but slow pacing. Filmmakers needed to "stack" information (reveal info while the action is happening) rather than give every scene and bit of script singular, linear time on screen. Although I liked the dialogue and characters and the mystery unfolding, it needed to move along quicker. Good practical (no CGI) effects.
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THE ISLE (2018)
Dir: Matthew Butler-Hart
Surviving a shipwreck, a small group of sailors find themselves on the shores of a haunted island. What is the secret the locals are keeping? Something is up with the women on the island- could they be mermaids? Compelling enough and full of character, but the film can't decide if it wants to be a horror flick or a touching drama; and gets sidetracked by trying to make the monster villians the tragic heroes.
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PROSPECT (2018)
Dir: Christopher Caldwell & Zeek Earl
Pedro Pascal stars in this understated, sci-fi drama about a father/daughter prospecting team, who risk it all in hopes of escaping their second-class lives. After losing Mom, the duo planet-hop in their out-dated space ship, collecting delicate pearls from weird fungi like organisms. When raiders kidnap them and confiscate their loot, they must bargain with local tribes to try and win back their prize. Well made, great effects and acting, but a bit like an episode of something rather than a feature film. Also, the transformation the daughter makes by the end pushes the plausibility meter a bit too far.
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LAST SENTINEL (2023)
Dir: Tanel Toom
Well done thriller about a post-war future where a small group are stationed on a civil-defense outpost at sea. When a possibly false-positive starts a countdown for them to lauch a nuke, the group spirals into panic and paranoia. Without enough information, what will they decide to do? Good spin on the age-old characters-trapped-in-a-small-space angle. Great cast includes Thomas Kretchman and Kate Bosworth.
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HEIMATLAND (2015) (aka: WONDERLAND)
Dir: Lisa Butler, Gregor Frei, Benny Jaberg, Carmen Jaquier, Jonas Meier, Lionel Rupp, Mike Scheiwiller, Jan Gassmann, Micahel Krummenacher
A giant storm forming over Sweden spins the country into panic. Ten directors tell differing tales unfolding within this apocalyptic scenario. The storm acts as a catalyst to expose (and filter-out) those that give in to hyper-nationalist fears of outsiders. Well made, but overly sparce narrative that is more a meditation on fears of fascism than a disaster thriller.
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THE DEVIL BELOW (2021)
Dir: Bradley Parker (CHERNOBYL DIARIES)
Review coming soon!
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ALTERED (2006)
Dir: Eduardo Sánchez (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT)
One of those films that ends up on your "guilty pleasures" list (or at least it did mine!) Cheezy but fun. Sánchez delivers an alien film that actually has aliens in it! So many low-budgeters like this dance around the subject due to production restraints; and everything hinges on what you don't see. This film goes for it and has creepy aliens in the flesh, as well as a really satisfying ending.
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THE DEVIL'S RAIN (1975)
Dir: Robert Feuest (THE ABONIABLE DR. PHIBES, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, AND SOON THE DARKNESS)
Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert and Ida Lupino star in this tale of a small town enslaved by the edicts of a satanic cult. Well made and full of character.
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THE POWER (1968)
Dir: Byron Haskin (WAR OF THE WORLDS, CONQUEST OF SPACE)
Old school but solid! Much like David Cronenberg's SCANNERS(1980), trapped in their high-tech campus, an institute of scientists who have dabbled in telekinesis struggle to find a murderer in their midst. George Hamilton and Suzanne Pleshette star.
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CITY ON FIRE (1979)
Dir: Alvin Rakoff
In the spirit of Irwin Allen disaster films (THE TOWERING INFERNO(1974), THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE(1972)), here's another 70's ensemble cast disaster film. When an oil refinery at the center of town sets the entire city on fire, everyone shelters at central hospital. Trapped by the flames, the fire chief (Henry Fonda) and company must mount a rescue. All that was missing was Charlton Heston and George Kennedy, but Shelly Winters was in the cast!
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Invasion of the Asian CGI-sploitation flicks!
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| "Guàishòu" (Chinese "Kaiju") Cinema |
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METAMORPHOSIS (aka: Yi bian bao long) (2022)
Dir: Liangyan Chen
One of the better entries in the current wave of Chinese CGI dino-spectaculars. Entertaining enough, even if the CGI effects aren't quite up to ILM or WETA Digital standards. They certainly didn't skimp on production value here and the action is well planned out, unlike many budget-limited dino-films that rely on what you don't see. Cheezy but fun, with your standard comic-book characters and moral arcs. Dinosaurs!
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BIG SNAKE 3 大蛇3龙蛇之战 (2022)
Dir: Zhenzhao Lin
FX slightly better but more of the same...
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JURASSIC REVIVAL (aka: Fuhuo zhu luo ji) (2022)
Dir: Zhao Cong
Riffing a bit on Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World", Corrupt treasure seekers coerce a young scientist into journeying to a lost island of dinosaurs. The girl hopes to find her long lost father, the lone survivor of an earlier expedition. Lot of T-Rex dino-action.
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VARANUS PRISCUS (2021)
Dir: Yifan Li
Another in the current trend of Chinese creature-features. Just swap out the particular monster and each of these flicks are the same movie. This one has a film crew shooting on a lost island, who awaken some ancient dino-beasts. The special-effects are not up to JURASSIC PARK standards and the characters, plot and moral fiber are paper cut-outs. Fun for the kids I suppose.
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THE ANTARCTIC OCTOPUS 极寒之地 (2023)
Dir: Zhao Jinyi
More of the same as above...
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THE LAKE (2023)
Dir: Lee Thongkham
Awful.
Full review coming soon...
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BATTLEFIELD: FALL OF THE WORLD (2022)
Dir: Zhaosheng Huang (RED WATER, SNIPER)
Yet another Chinese CGI-sploitation flick, only this time it's evil aliens. Seems like China is in a market-share honeymoon-phase of finally having the CGI tech to enter the post JURASSIC PARK game. Each of these films seems to riff on a previous Hollywood blockbuster, this time BATTLE: LOS ANGELES(2011)(see review) and the like. Survivors of a dystopic Earth fight a gorilla war against their alien captors. Some ethics about heroism and loyalty, blah, blah, etc. Lots of high-tech action. Pretty much for the kiddies.
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ENDGAME (1983)
Dir: Joe D'Amato
Incredibly low budget B-movie that in spite of its limitation, really goes for it. The first part is very much a direct rip-off of THE RUNNING MAN(1987), but then surprisingly turns into THE ROAD WARRIOR(1981). Guilty-pleasure fun with a sixer and no expectations.
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EQUALIZER 2000 (1987)
Dir: Cirio H. Santiago (WHEELS OF FIRE)
Martial arts main-stay Richard Norton stars in this shameless ROAD WARRIOR rip-off actioner. Wow did they go for it with the gunfire and explosions! Cheezy as this one is, its so over the top with action you have to admire it. Grab the pizza and beer and enjoy!
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WHEELS OF FIRE (1985)
Dir: Cirio H. Santiago (EQUALIZER 2000)
Director Santiago delivers yet another MAD MAX(1979) rip-off, right down to the guy's leather outfit! Mavricky, loner, hero guy cruises around the wasteland in his Mad-Max car and bails his kid sister out of scrapes. Hilarity ensues when the gal's top comes off in the first act and her big-boobies bounce around freely for the rest of the film! (credit to the actress for being a good sport!) Lots of car chases and guns and explosions and action and cheese, cheese, cheese!
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ROBOT APOCALYPSE (1987)
Dir: Tim Kincaid (BREEDERS)
The Bronxville Community Players present- a film by Ed Wood. Well, basically anyway. The only thing that surpasses the completely laughable attempt here is the obvious passion put into making it. I couldn't hate this- it's not good enough for that. I was actually rooting for the damn thing as it stretched on. Looks like a stage play someone filmed with a camera from the audience. Although the production utilized some neat industrial locations and clever angles to infer it's post-apocalyptic setting, the movie never quite breaks out of 2-D mode. Like Wood's opus PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE(1957), someone obviously raided the local theater group for wardrobe and costumes. In one particularly memorable scene, our heroes must pass through a hall of cave worms. The creature effects consist of puppets that are obviously the thinly disguised arms and hands of stage crew. Muppets never seemed so evil!
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THE LOST WORLD (1992)
Dir: Timothy Bond
The always loveable John Rhys-Davies stars as the boisterous and bloviating Professor Challenger in this fun adventure about finding a lost playa in Africa with Dinosaurs. Light-hearted laughs, "Hurray Science!" and a great cast (including Eric McCormick of TV's Will & Grace) and silly rubber dinosaurs.
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RETURN TO THE LOST WORLD (1992)
Dir: Timothy Bond
When Challenger and team get word their tribal friends on the African playa are under threat, they launch an all new adventure to save their friends. More of the same fun as the first film.
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JOURNEY TO THE FORBIDDEN VALLEY (2017)
Dir: Ethan Wiley (CHILDREN OF THE CORN 5, HOUSE 2)
Surviving a plane crash in the jungle, kids befriend a Bigfoot-like creature and seek to protect him from evil poachers who want him as a stuffed prize! Defintiely too corny for anyone but toddlers.
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FUTURE WORLD (2018)
Dir: James Franco & Bruce Thierry Cheung
Crappy.
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SOLAR IMPACT (2019)
Dir: Tudley James
Review coming soon!
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WARNING (2021)
Dir: Agata Alexander
Robert Altman in space. Esoteric, parallel stories of various characters at the end of the World. More a snarky drama than anything else.
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BENEATH (2013)
Dir: Ben Ketai
Compelling and well made, but with too thin a premise to make a movie on. Bunch of miners trapped after a cave-in are haunted by centuries old ghosts.
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ANIMAL (2014)
Dir: Brett Simmons (HUSK, YOU MIGHT BE THE KILLER)
A group of overly confident college friends wander into the forest on a camping trip and proceed to do everything wrong. Turns out a monster is in the woods and starts picking them off. Don't look for explainations, there are none. Then the film ends.
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FERAL (2017)
Dir: Mark Young
A group of college friends get lost in the woods and are attacked by some humanoid creature. Finding help from a loner who lives off-grid in the deep of the wilderness, they discover that some "disease" has caused rural humans to go "feral" and turn into monsters. This is never explained other than to be casually mentioned and the film seems mostly to be about the fact that the two main characters are lesbians. Too bad the film didn't spend more time on story development than intersectionality points. Pretty pointless.
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GEOSTORM (2017)
Dir: Dean Devlin
For kids I guess. Insulting to anyone over the age of 14. You can guess the dialogue and plot ahead of time as you watch. Paint-by-numbers, big-budget waste of everyone's time; with silly moral-politics thrown on top (global warming.) Action totally implausible and over-done. CGI isn't even that great.
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TOXICA (2022)
Dir: Rona Walter
A for effort almost, but didn't quite work. I wanted to like it (production design and camera compositions) but the story was too disjointed and the performances too stiff to actually follow the story. Professor finds a "tree of the immortals" and harvests it's DNA to make a longevity potion. The compound isn't stable without constant serum injections and eventually you turn into a plant! Slightly reminiscent of concepts from ANNIHILATION(2018)(see review), but too amateurish for the concepts to shine. Obviously a visionary work with informed direction, would like to see what the same team comes up with next.
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LX 2048 (2020)
Dir: Guy Moshe
One of those films where the starring actor is also the producer and creator of the project. What you get is a lot of actor's workshop type stuff that is much ado about not much. High concepts get murky amidst needlessly self absorbed character complexities.
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HELL HOUSE, LLC. (2015)
Dir: Stephen Cognetti
Wanted to be the mother of all caught-on-video horror flicks, but is just another run-of-the-mill caught-on-video horror flick. People put on a haunted house and ooh-ah, real ghostly, unexplainable things happen and people die. A year later a camera crew comes to make a documentary about it. Ooh-ah, more spooky never-explained things happen. The end.
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X (2022)
Dir: Ti West (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER)
Utterly full of itself and dumb. How many filmmakers are going to riff on THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE!? for the love of God, move on! Period piece about a group of porno-makers who rent a cabin in back-woods, hicks-ville. All the usual tropes are at work- making fun of the silly hicks, the overt homages to other movies, a thin premise for a homicidal killer, etc, etc. There's some attempt at some conceptual material as the kids jaw on about "if it's on film, it's not real." Then the virgin girl has sex on camera with an actor in front of her boyfriend just to piss him off and make some statement about womanhood or some-such. It's all needlessly mean spirited. Worst of all is the portrayal of the elderly hick couple being lost in time and the woman having dementia- and it's just cruel and degrading for no reason. Then there's a sex scene with the wrinkled old couple (obviously younger actors in prosthetic makeup) that I guess is supposed to be funny and gross at the same time, ha ha (duh.) After everyone dies the police find the film camera and ask, "what do you think is on it?" to which the sheriff replies: "the most dastardly horror film you've ever seen..." WINK, WINK, HA, HA. DUH! Cut-to the punky rock song over the dumb end credits. Good grief.
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AFTERSHOCK (2012)
Dir: Nicolás López
Another Eli Roth torture-porn exercise in pointless and unnecessarily cruel filmmaking. US college kids in Central America survive an earthquake that lets local prisoners loose. One by one the co-eds are raped and murdered in glorious detail for no reason. Everyone dies, the end.
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TERRIFIER (2016)
Dir: Damien Leone
As dumb as you guessed it was from the poster. Despite some evocative camera angles and visual mood, this low-grade, torture-porn 'sploitation grinder wants to be an homage to early Eighties slashers, but ends up a pointless exercise in cruelty for no reason. Could've been a guilty-pleasure flick but they blew it. Definitely not funny and one step short of a snuff film.
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THE OBJECTIVE (2008)
Dir: Daniel Myrick (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2)
Well made shaggy-dog tale that is intriguing throughout, but with no payoff at the end. Performances and special-effects all solid, but all for naught unfortunately.
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BROKEN DARKNESS (2017)
Dir: Christopher-lee dos Santos
After a cataclysmic event, surivivors of Earth live underground as part of a very rigid and controlled society. No one is allowed to go to the surface and the outside world. The big secret that is being kept is that the surface is infested with rabid zombies! A worker and his partner repair the fresh air units out in the dangerous off-limits areas of the tunnels. When some civilians require an escort through the tunnels, our guys get volunteered for the job. After his partner is killed, our hero must fight to save a young girl and must ascend to the surface and wade through the zombie hordes to find safety. Trapped and realizing his life has been mostly a lie, our hero sacrifices himself to save the young girl. Nice drama and all, but nothing special.
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STRANDED (2013)
Dir: Roger Christian
Small group are trapped on a moon base with a strange creature and fight to escape. Ok drive-in flick but unfortunately the film gets bogged down in this ridiculous pissing contest between the personnel as to who is in charge. Christian Slater stars.
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THE CORRIDOR (2010)Dir: Evan Kelly
A group of friends reunite after a recent tragedy to mend their relationships and have a guys weekend. A strange anomaly in the woods nearby seems to amplify their consciousness and takes them all into an ever maddening spiral as this "corridor" widens. The strength of the film is in the very believable (mostly) ensemble acting of the characters, but the premise seems far more diffused. Ultimately it is a movie about relationships and the sci-fi/horror content, although interesting conceptually, leads to a lot of cruelty and confusion. Not unlike BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE(2014)(see review).
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THE SHASTA TRIANGLE (2019)
Dir: Barry W. Levy
A Fun enough Sci-Fi concept about natural "meridians" creating portals between parallel universes, but the plot centers around the relationship of the characters and not enough about the high-concepts. The film ends where it should've kicked into it's 2nd act. Felt very TV rather than cinema. Pacing and too much emphasis on the acting a problem. Very much the "girls version" of THE CORRIDOR (see above).
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HANGER 10 (2014)
Dir: Daniel Simpson
Another caught-on-tape flick that relies way too much on what we don't see. Flinging a video camera around and using off-screen sound effects to create a suspenseful ambience is not the same thing as a solid story and action. All for nothing save for the last minute of the film where we see some neat UFO special effects. If there is some story or back story underlying everything, we never get to learn about it, so the film basically is all about waiting for answers that never come. Ending makes no sense and offers no explanations. Failed attempt at an already dried-up genre.
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RADIOFLASH (2019)Dir: Ben McPherson
End-of-the-World event happens and while escaping to a mountain retreat, a Dad and his daughter have a nasty car crash. The rest of the film follows the girl as she tries to find help and avoid the mounting chaos of a World in decline. Although dealing with dark themes, the film is more for the kids. "The Journey of Nattty Gann" meets THE ROAD(2009)(see review).
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DEUS: THE DARK SPHERE (2022)
Dir: Steve Stone (ENTITY, SCHISM)
Deep space crew treks to investigate a giant sphere that has appeared in our solar system. The object is unknown but certainly of intelligent and not naturally occurring origin. Then the story gets bogged down in the relationships between the characters and their professional grievances over chain of command; as well as a haunted past know one cares about. High concept was over shadowed and lost. Fails to payoff at the end.
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EARTHFALL (2018)
Dir:
Review coming soon!
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RED SPRING (2017)
Dir:
Review coming soon!
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WHITE SKY (2021)
Dir:
Review coming soon!
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LAKE DEAD (2007)
Dir:
Review coming soon!
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WELCOME TO WILLITS (2017)
Dir:
Review coming soon!
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MEDUSA (2021)
Dir: Mathew B.C.
Review coming soon!
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ALIEN CONQUEST (2021) (aka: 2021 WAR OF THE WORLDS)
Dir: Mario N. Bonassin
In the "so bad it actually makes me angry" category- yet another self-punishment fest via THE ASYLUM. Conceivably the worst movie I've ever seen in my life, this waste of time was almost, but not quite up to the level of a student film that got graded an F-minus and got the student promptly expelled. In drama and literature, there is a concept known as suspension of disbelief, where the reader/audience member is taken in by the story such that they forget they are sitting in front of a screen or reading a book. This film has not a nanosecond of such imaginative disconnect. In fact, every frame of this thing has us thinking about nothing but the production itself. There is no single moment we are not awkwardly aware of the actors as actors, the sets as sets and the locations as the lame, repetitive locations they are (in my case, the canyon up the street from where I live in Hollywood, standard local for many a cheap-ass production...) A pale and gamey Tom Sizemore appears to be having a stroke through the entire film and may actually have been, since he died soon after this suck-fest was made. The rest of the no-name cast act as if they were in a contest to see who could read aloud from a Science journal the fastest and in the most unabridged way. Whoever comes up for air first loses! I'm guessing this entire production was a tax write-off.
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The action almost gets in the way of the dialogue in this table-read-live-action-timeline excuse for a project; but not to worry, there's little if any "action" to be found. The movie is nothing more than an hour and a half of actors talking. The epic, end-of-the-world special effects required for any proper WAR OF THE WORLDS realization is of course absent. The few (surprisingly better than 16-bit) FX shots that do exist get about 20 seconds of combined screen time total, and mostly in the opening credit sequence. Most of the time we never see what the characters are looking at, running from, or talking to. Each scene can't help but offer itself as critique session of the performers left hanging out to dry with no direction, pacing, context, or continuity. One gets the distinct impression the entirety of the films' direction was sent to the performers via text message, consisting of phrases like "look up and seem scared..." and "talk faster..." More plausible still, it's as if the producers filmed the auditions of the performers and used the footage to make the final film. I wanted to feel bad for the actors, but I cannot feel bad for anyone involved in this production- or even any of their first or second cousins. Each scene is edited as if the makers were blindfolded and pulled shots from a bin at random, then butt-spliced them into sequences. The entire mess is one long stream of jargon-laiden dialogue by the characters as they stare off-screen, while the producers sort of shined a camera around. If the exercise was to make a WOTW outing from the point of view of a blind person who filmed what they saw with a camera, then voila- success!
In all honesty- and I say this with no jest whatsoever- any entry from Ed Wood is leagues better than this zero. This "film" made me want to hurt myself. It certainly made me want to hurt others. Now you'll excuse my while I pound my head into a wall...
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