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Please share with us which films you saw last week. It would be great if you could include some comments on each film. It would be awesome if you could also take some time to comment on everyone else's viewings. Unfortunately, it has reached the point where it is no longer viable for me as host to comment on everyone else's viewings every week (especially since some people like to use the weekly thread to log their viewings and nothing else). I am always keen to promote movie discussion though, so if you comment on my own viewings, I will comment on yours at my earliest convenience.
Please also note that this is intended as a movie discussion thread, not a large image posting thread. Having too many large images makes this thread difficult to navigate through. If you wish to include more than five images in a reply, please use spoiler tags - [spoiler][/spoiler] - to hide extra images.
Note - Hopefully I'll be in a better frame of mind to actually discuss things this week, but we'll see. Back at work tomorrow after a week of Coronavirus lockdown and devastating bushfires. Did get to watch quite a few films though.
★★★★ = loved it /// ★★★ = liked it a lot; ~7/10 /// ★★ = has interesting elements; ~6/10 /// ★ = did very little for me; ~5/10 and lower
Limite (1931). Stuck at sea in a rowboat, a man and two women retreat into their memories in this avant-garde silent movie from Brazil. For a film of its vintage, there are some remarkable shots - most notably an extreme low camera angle that looks up at two passersby. The memory blur structure also gives the project a nicely dreamlike quality. That said, the lack of clear-cut answers here is more frustrating than enchanting. Who are these folks on the boat? What is their relationship to each other? How did they get stuck at sea? The film also only features three title cards, all towards the end in a single flashback/memory sequence. The project might have done better without title cards altogether. There is something very universal about the despair of the three protagonists and it is pretty neat how images and music alone capture this sans dialogue. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968). Filming a scene of a couple bickering in the park, a young director encourages his cast and crew to discuss the scene while filming the making-of process in this experimental documentary. It is a conceptually interesting project, full of creative cutting (sometimes we see two or three screens at once) as well as some meta discussion, including never being able to know whether somebody is acting or being themselves, even in a documentary. The premise makes for uneven viewing though; everything feels all-over-the-place while certain bits and pieces (the crew interacting with a homeless man near the end) feel like they might have been better left on the cutting room floor. The whole reshooting of the same scene ad infinitum is pretty neat though simply as a look at how repetition can drain the immediacy out of anything. (first viewing, online) ★★
Flodder (1986). Relocated to an affluent suburb as part of a government housing experiment, a lower class family clash with their snobbish neighbours in this popular Dutch comedy. There is something pointed in how the rich folks here bring all of their misery upon themselves by refusing to welcome their newest neighbours, leading to much destroyed property and general mayhem. The lower class family members are all pretty friendly and likeable too, with the film offering a bit a satire in terms of money not being everything in life. As a comedy though, the film is a little all-over-the-place. There are some amazing stunts involving moving vehicles and some fun blackmailing parts, but much of the mischief feels like standard teen movie shenanigans and at close to two hours, the film is a little exhausting by the end, if easy to appreciate for its satirical edge. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Blue (1993). Consisting of only a blue screen with audio, this experimental movie from Derek Jarman is an oddly riveting experience. While his monologues sometimes drag on for too long, Jarman does a great job narrating the film, providing a startling insight into his own deepest fears and worries as he contends with losing his eyesight as a side effect of AIDS. In fact, it seems only fitting that a movie about a man losing his vision has no images as is the case here, and Jarman does plenty to keep things interesting with unusual sound effects and bursts of music. Clocking in at around 75 minutes, the film does feel stretched a little thin with not all of Jarman's speeches and stories equally as engaging. The overall experience though certainly resonates with Jarman bluntly acknowledging "I shall not win the battle against the virus" while still looking ahead. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Cop Land (1997). Newly appointed, the cop-worshipping sheriff of a small suburban town gradually discovers how deep corruption runs in this crime drama starring Sylvester Stallone. In one of his more character-driven roles, Stallone provides a very decent performance; his naivety to the extent of corruption never quite rings true though and a side plot involving Harvey Keitel and his nephew is far more encapsulating and involving than Stallone trying to tackle corruption singlehandedly. Michael Rapaport is solid as the nephew and an early scene in a green-lit freeway tunnel is remarkably intense; same goes for how things spiral out for him afterwards - but he is always a side character. As mentioned, Stallone does fine with his part and the film is also blessed with a perfectly brooding Howard Shore score, but the focus of the story always feels off. (first viewing, Blu-ray Disc) ★★
House of 1000 Corpses (2003). Refueling at an outskirts gas station that doubles as black museum, four youths cross paths with sadistic serial killers in this horror film from Rob Zombie. The film begins well with much mysteriousness as to what is going on. Full of neon lights and sharply lit exhibits, the black museum also feels a lot like a haunted house carnival ride and there is much tension in the youths' unsuccessful attempts to drive away. After this great build-up though, the film grows less interesting, bouncing back and forth between dull police investigations and fairly standard torture porn moments. Zombie also really overdoes it with the inverse footage, perhaps trying to cover up for how flimsy the narrative is. There are certainly some striking moments towards the end (elongated pause before a trigger is pulled) but this starts stronger than it ends. (first viewing, online) ★★
The Devil's Rejects (2005). Often regarded as superior to House of 1000 Corpses, this follow-up continues the adventures of the sadistic killers while trying to make them more down-to-earth and human. It is a curious approach that nicely comes with more comic relief than its predecessor as the trio argue over ice cream and so forth (though a chicken-lover scene is certainly the comedic high point). Alas, the sequel comes without the original's delightful WTF sense of mystery. There is also no awesome funhouse/black museum, while Rob Zombie replaces his penchant for inverse footage with an overload of slow motion. The ending is pretty well done and there are certainly effective moments here and there (a gun sexually shoved into a victim's underwear) but this generally feels like a step down from the unrestrained zaniness of the original. (first viewing, online) ★★
The Roost (2005). Presented as a film-within-a-film, this auspicious debut feature from Ti West is a remarkable to testament to the power of innovation on a shoestring budget. Set primarily at a barn in the middle of nowhere with low lighting and some of the eeriest music and audio effects ever combined together, this a genuinely unsettling experience as four stranded friends awaken a colony of bats. There is some other more fantastical horror stuff in the mix, but the film works best when the bats are the drivers of the terror with an especially spooky part where one victim inadvertently plunges to his death. The acting is not the best, but fortunately there is ample mood and atmosphere for the film to never bore during its brief duration. The horror themed radio plays and the black-and-white wraparound segment also really enhance the general ambience. (first viewing, online) ★★★
JCVD (2008). Cast as himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme provides a nicely down-to-earth and human performance here, complete with a fantastic monologue and a touching strained father/daughter relationship. Outside of the novelty of Van Damme playing himself though, this is a mixed bag. Mashing up the timeline works well to show the confusion as Van Damme ends up complicit in a bank robbery gone awry; the scenes of him dealing with fans and trying to teach kickboxing are neat too. The resolution of the bank situation does not quite sit right though and the robbers themselves are bizarre, caricature-like characters that subtract from the realism that the film otherwise tries to go for. The washed out colour palette makes the film feel a little fake too, though perhaps deliberately so for a film about an actor discovering that life is never like in the movies. (first viewing, online) ★★★
The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009). Living out her final days at a manor by the sea, a terminally ill woman places absurd demands on her family and servants in this black comedy from Alex van Warmerdam. The first hour is a mixed bag. On one hand, everything is too bizarre to ever bore (the dog is depicted as a human being; incest is ripe) with the dying matriarch's requests soon growing extreme. On the other hand, an hour's worth is a bit much. Things get a lot more dynamic in the final half-hour though as van Warmerdam reveals the reason why the servants and family members seem so eccentric, and from there the film only grows increasingly interesting as everybody's tested patience begins to surface. If not for all tastes, this is a fairly unique look at power relationships and the roles that we all play within various households and family units. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Saint (2010). What if Santa Claus was evil? Using Dutch myths and urban legends, Dick Maas explores this idea in this Christmas horror film with black comedy elements. The movie takes a while to warm up, but once the evil St. Nicholas springs into action it becomes a decent ride, full of unusual camera angles, rooftop chases and gory mayhem in the snow. The film's best parts though are the darkly comical ones, which are sadly few and far between. A dead victim falling down the chimney like Santa is very well done; same goes for a bunch of hospital children smiling at the sight of the murderous Santa, plus a couple of businessmen sarcastically commenting when St. Nick falls through their roof. For the most part though, the film feels like a standard slasher movie. The ending is weirdly low key too, but as a festive movie this is at least daringly different. (first viewing, online) ★★
The Innkeepers (2011). Believing in the paranormal, two employees of a supposed haunted inn conduct amateur investigations in between accommodating the quirks of their guests in this slow burn horror film from Ti West. As per his earlier The Roost, West loads the film with atmosphere, utilising a singular location well and rendering it creepy through lighting and sound effects alone. Or at least for the most part. After a superb first half with no overt horror and great chemistry between the leads, West gradually brings in the jump scares and the final quarter hour of the film is particularly weak as the film treads a more traditional haunted house route. Even if it ends less potently than it begins, this is pretty effective overall. The believer/skeptic relationship between the leads is very dynamic with the film almost feeling like an X Files ep at times. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Cub (2014). Suffering from past trauma and a violent childhood, an adolescent boy is not believed by his scoutmasters when he comes across a vicious feral child in the woods in this horror movie from Belgium. The film benefits from a pulsating electro score, great locations and oodles of ambiguity as to whether he is imagining the feral child, or whether the feral child is his id incarnate. There is also a very well done kill early on involving a booby-trapped beehive. This is a film that does not offer very many answers though and the ending is more frustrating than scary. The scoutmasters are also unbelievably irresponsible, getting their dog to attack their cub scouts, frequently swearing in front of the boys and even discussing sexting with them. When in horror/thriller mode though, the film generally works with Maurice Luijten solid in the lead role. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Creep (2014). Hired to film a legacy video for a terminally ill man, a cameraman becomes concerned that his employer might not be who he says he is in this indie horror movie. Shot on video (in found footage style) with the screenwriters as the sole actors, this is fairly innovative for a thriller on a budget. Mark Duplass also absolutely nails it as the creepy employer, constantly tricking and scaring his cameraman and acting just a little too friendly. As a narrative though, the film is a little less satisfying. Some crazy wolf mask antics aside, the first half of the film mostly consists of repetitive conversations in between formulaic jump scares. The second half actually builds up some decent atmosphere, but then Duplass is absent from much of this half and the other guy is less interesting. The film concludes well though with a very unsettling final few minutes. (first viewing, online) ★★
Creep 2 (2017). Far more complex and dynamic than the first Creep film, this sequel cuts through the mystery and goes straight to Mark Duplass acting off-kilter with much tension as an unsuspecting new victim signs up to do a documentary on him. The victim this time though is not as easily scared or off-put, and even manages to frighten Duplass at several points. The film also dives far deeper into Duplass as a character than the original ever had a chance to do, with his titular creep almost coming off as sympathetic, faced with a mid-life crisis and all. This is not, however, quite as brisk as its predecessor and meanders a bit during its second half. It is less scary too. In general though, this feels like a substantial improvement over Part One, also delving even further than the original into the act of filming with a fun Francis Ford Coppola parallel. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Darling (2015). Cut from the same cloth as Repulsion and Euridice BA 2037, this is similarly a black and white thriller about a paranoid woman losing her grip on reality when alone in an apartment, and while it never reaches the height of its influences, this is dynamite stuff. Director Mickey Keating does a great job balancing eerie elongated shots of the protagonist wandering about with rapid fire edits that reflect her fractured mind, and in the lead role, Lauren Ashley Carter is simply superb. The film gets particularly interesting halfway in with a Promising Young Woman type turn as Carter lets a guy pick her up with grisly results. It is nevertheless hard not to exit the film wanting to know more about her character (we only ever get hints of a troubled past). The conclusion is also fairly easy to predict, but it is an amazing ride getting there. (first viewing, online) ★★★★
Carnage Park (2016). Kidnapped during a bank robbery gone awry, a desperate woman tries to outsmart a maniacal sniper when the getaway vehicle breaks down on an isolated property in this thriller starring Ashley Bell. With a sympathetic back story, Bell makes a great protagonist and the set-up is superb, topped off by a grisly scene in which Bell awakens to find herself handcuffed to the corpse of her kidnapper. After this promising start though, the film does very little, offering nothing new beyond The Most Dangerous Game - and less if anything since Pat Healy's villain is one-dimensional and never reveals his motives for hunting humans outside of fun and simply being evil. Much of the second half of the film is also too poorly lit to work out what is going on. Fortunately, Bell is excellent throughout and the story remains intriguing, warts and all. (first viewing, online) ★★
The Mind's Eye (2015). Halfway between a remake of Scanners and an uncredited sequel to it, this ambitious low budget horror film is fascinating viewing however one chooses to interpret it. The plot is a little on the simplistic side as a small group of medically subdued 'scanners' come up against an evil scientist who wishes to harness scanning powers himself, but the film is a real visual treat with lots of neon and supersaturated colours, plus Steve Moore's music score is wonderfully atmospheric, if not moody as Howard Shore's classic composition. The acting is certainly less impressive here and downright amateurish at times, but great practical effects on a budget make up for it. Most of all though, it is just delightful to see a continuation of the universe Cronenberg established, and logically extended with the whole notion of isolating 'scanner' genes. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Heart of a Dog (2015). Saddened by the death of her loyal dog, Laurie Anderson reflects on life and death and everything in between in this very personal documentary. From the opening stretch in which Anderson describes a dream of having her dog sewn in her so she could give birth to it (all of which is depicted in pencil-line animation), it is clear from early on that this will be a refreshingly unusual ride. Throughout we are treated to sometimes bizarre but always entrancing images and while Anderson sometimes loses focus, going on about the "screen savers" in her eyes and seeing ghosts, the whole thing still feels pretty cohesive. It is almost like a stream of consciousness movie with the dog's death bringing out so many memories of experiences and ideas she once thought. This is an invariably even ride due to such a structure but enticing nonetheless. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Let the Corpses Tan (2017). Various interested parties conspire to acquire a stolen stash of gold in this thriller from Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. The premise brings The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to mind while the film looks just as exquisite as Amer and The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears. Similarly to those, the narrative takes a backseat to the visuals, but we are given enough information to appreciate the set-up even if we never get to know any of the characters as individuals nor how most of them found out about the loot. Particularly striking is how the directors incorporate everyone's dreams and fantasies into the narrative, giving the film a surreal nightmare flavour. And with well distributed rapid fire cuts, excellent angular photography, superb colour filters and amazing lighting in general, this is a breathtaking experience. (first viewing, online) ★★★★
Logan (2017). Occurring several years after the events of The Wolverine, this X-Men spin-off feels fairly routine at first, aside from some scenes of Logan caring for a cantankerous, ageing Professor. Things really take off 30 minutes in though and the film seldom lets up from there as we discover the powers and strengths of a mutant child escorted by them to safety. Dafne Keen is excellent as the mostly mute youngster in question and rivals Stewart for the best performance on hand as the film subsequently becomes a surprisingly smooth blend of road movie and action thriller elements. The bonding between the characters always feels very real while the fights are exciting without indulging in the ostentatious special effects that the series became known for. Occasionally the film feels tonally inconsistent, but this is mostly great after a slow start. (first viewing, DVD) ★★★
Girl (2018). Trying to excel at ballet, a transgender teen girl becomes frustrated as her body has trouble keeping up with the moves in this solemn drama from Belgium. While there are a few minor incidents, her classmates and peers generally seem accepting of her; same goes for her father and her brother, with the film instead set in the protagonist's headspace, trying to find her own place in the world. The film also has a bit of a Whiplash vibe with her practising until her feet bleed at multiple points, and it might have been nice for this obsessive angle to be played up and her unhappiness with her biologically male body played down (the final ten minutes take this in some especially uncomfortable directions). Whatever the case, the film's pensive young lead is excellent throughout, with every iota of the protagonist's anxiety and frustration heartfelt. (first viewing, DVD) ★★★
3 from Hell (2019). Following on from where The Devil's Rejects left off, this Rob Zombie movie tracks the further adventures of the serial killers who must engineer a prison escape for the female member of their clan. While Sheri Moon is more over-the-top than ever before, the film is relatively engaging during its pre-prison break scenes with Moon facing off against an equally vicious guard played with gusto by Dee Wallace. There is also a neat scene in which another guard's family are targeted and terrorised at dinner, capped off with an out-of-the-blue clown visit. The film is far less engaging after the prison break stuff. Any urgency or suspense goes out the window and while there are occasional bursts of violence, the majority of the movie just has its killer characters sitting around, waiting and occasionally having fun when going out for drinks. (first viewing, online) ★
Bliss (2019). Addiction and withdrawal symptoms inspire an artist as she tries to finish a mural-sized painting in her apartment in this hallucinogenic drama from Joe Begos. As per usual, Begos loads the film with neon, while also using much spinning camerawork and even some upside down shots to portray the protagonist's drug-fueled fervor. The film is most interesting for its horror angle though, and this only really takes off over half an hour in as the painter starts to do some crazy things while doped with some initial uncertainty as to whether it is all in her head. It also does not help that she is a really hard character to warm towards. At its best, Bliss brings The Devil's Candy to mind, but it is nowhere near as dynamic a film as that. The act of painting is actually hardly in focus and this is mostly a pic about doing crazy stuff when stoned. (first viewing, online) ★★
VFW (2019). When a female drug thief hides out in their pub, a bunch of cantankerous war veterans decide to defend their bar and attack those in pursuit of the girl in this action thriller from Joe Begos. This is a very good-looking film with Begos really saturating the film in neon; the throbbing score is awesome too. All of the neon though renders the action difficult to make out and when one strips back the audiovisual finesse, the plot is downright shaky. As a narrative, this is sort of like The Purge, except that those who are trying to penetrate the building actually have a good reason to want to get the thief. And as a thief, it is never clear why the honorable war veterans are so set on protecting her. Having war veteran protagonists is a pretty neat touch though with great banter between them as they get a chance to relive their heyday wartime action. (first viewing, online) ★★
Yummy (2019). Worried about the cleanliness and safety of the hospital where his girlfriend is having breast reduction surgery, a medical student wanders around and accidentally unleashes an infectious zombie in this Belgian horror movie. The set-up and setting are awesome with the film tapping into the anxieties that one faces before undergoing any medical procedure. The film also looks divine with much neon and plenty of splatter/gore, plus some really WTF imagery, including a mutant frog/reptile and a few accidents involving a penis enlargement patient. The zombies themselves are quite ordinary though and only move and act according to genre cliché. The film's constant attempts to add humour backfire around half the time too with vomiting and breast size gags in the mix. This is pretty great though in the moments when is not trying to be funny. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Hunted (2020). Charmed by a charismatic stranger at a bar who soon ties her up and kidnaps her, a Belgian lady ends up fleeing her kidnapper in the woods when his car crashes in this nifty thriller. The first half of the film feels a bit routine and repetitive, focused on their pursuit in the woods. Other elements are introduced in the second half though and the final fifteen minutes enter laugh-out-loud black comedy territory. With some of the dialogue exchanged near the end, the overall film also feels like a stinging look at modern relationships, insensitive men and the whole general craziness of trying to have to one night stands with strangers. The acting is a little over-the-top, though mostly in the comedy section of the film where the exaggeration is on-point - and it is really this comedy slant that separates this from the average rape/revenge type of movie. (first viewing, online) ★★★
Other
Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son (1969). Ken Jacobs manipulates the footage from a silent short film in this experimental movie without a soundtrack. It is an innovative idea, but one that works better in theory than in practice. While it is fascinating to watch Jacobs toy with frame rate and create blurs simply by playing the footage too fast or by zooming in too far, two hours of it is a little much. The project has a bit of a Michael Snow vibe, except that Snow's movies are always incredibly playful and sometimes downright funny; here, there feels more of a vibe of Jacobs doing things for the sake of it without much rhyme or rhythm. Some of the slower parts work quite well; at one point Jacobs pauses the footage as he cuts to various closer and closer zooms on a maid's face, but there are precious little bits like this that linger and provoke reflection on what is being shown. (first viewing, online) ★★
Heavy (1995). Embarrassed about being overweight and always bowing into pressure from his mother, a young man's life is turned on its head when he develops a crush on the new waitress at his mother's cafe and as his mother becomes ill in this indie drama starring Pruitt Taylor Vince. Best known for playing mentally unsound characters in films like Identity and The Devil's Candy, it is nice to see Vince in a down-to-earth dramatic role. Quiet and laconic, we never really get to know his character in depth beyond his crush and worries about his weight, but he still comes across as very sympathetic. Outside of Vince though, there is not much to write home about. Shelley Winters and Deborah Harry are both fine but underused while Liv Tyler never quite lives up to being the dream girl that Vince perceives her as. But, perhaps that is the point. (first viewing, online) ★★
Too Fat Too Furious (2005). Discovering that his adoptive father has a biological son in prison, a career criminal busts the other son out as part of a plan to secure a liver transplant for his father in this chaotic comedy from the Netherlands. The humour is too childish and in poor taste to work most of the time with lots of physical humour (characters whacked on the head) and sexual assault gags. The protagonist's schemes and plans are wonderfully imaginative though, with the initial prison break and an airport hustle towards the end standing out in particular. The film also tries to say something about father/son bonds and blood not always being thicker, though this is undercut by the characters not being particularly well drawn in the first place. Whatever the case, the film is seldom boring even if the schemes are sporadic and the humour is hit-and-miss. (first viewing, online) ★★
Trigger Man (2007). Three friends go to the woods to hunt squirrels, only to eventually find themselves hunted by an unseen sniper in this early Ti West feature. As usual for West, this is a slow burn film with nothing much happening until around halfway in. Unlike The Roost or The Innkeepers, there is little in the way of mystery, suspense or atmosphere though as the friends walk through the woods idly conversing and occasionally resting for over thirty minutes before the sniper takes aim. Characterisation is pretty slim too. Certainly the set-up is interesting with the ruthless hunters finding the tables turned, and the initial sense of WTF when the sniper pops up is awesome. Too much shaky camerawork soon ruins the experience though and a final stretch outside the woods only serves to remind that West's key strength is single location work. (first viewing, online) ★
Save Angel Hope (2007). Con men conspire to have a gullible politician back their fake charity as part of his election campaign in this crime comedy. It is a decent premise and the film makes some salient points about charity, how some who donate simply do so to provide "relief from their terrible guilt" and make themselves feel good, as well as how easily political campaigns can be manipulated. The film never quite feels as funny as it could have been though. The funniest moments have the politician fumbling over misheard words in his earpiece rather than the fake charity. There is no audience trickery either; we always know who is grifting who, which takes away some of the fun of the average confidence trickster movie. Still, this is reasonably entertaining while it lasts with all concerned really getting into their characters and having a good time. (first viewing, online) ★★
Milo (2012). Lost after running away from home, a ten-year-old boy is taken in by a kindly childless couple and gradually learns the truth about his rare skin condition, kept a secret by his parents, in this drama from the Netherlands. In the title role, Lorcan Bonner is excellent and the acting is generally down-to-earth and solid all round. As a narrative though, this is a heavily sentimental affair and there is not a whole lot driving the plot. Bonner instantly clicks with the childless couple, they are all-too-happy to help him out and parent him better than his actual parents ever did and so on. There is a bit of something in him learning that his father is not all that he is cracked up to be, but as this is obvious from early, it lacks any dramatic punch. This is an okay way to pass the time, but with limited sense of adventure for a film about a lad run away from home. (first viewing, online) ★
The Notorious Guys (2012). Barred from going on a school trip to Portugal due to their poor grades, a group of remedial education students join the class via a stolen hot air balloon in this Luxembourgish comedy that is nowhere near as fun or offbeat as it sounds. There is certainly much craziness at hand, not the least of which are the main character's constant fantasies, which including appearing on Portuguese game shows, but none of the characters are likeable at all with the film offering a rather dim view on students with special educational needs. There is also a Congolese student who is depicted in a very racially insensitive way, performing voodoo on his teacher's clothes and unable to fit in at high school despite apparently having a degree in philosophy. Bits and pieces of the madness here are entertaining for sure, but this is generally grating to view. (first viewing, online) ★
Quiz (2012). Claiming to have kidnapped his family, a deranged man subjects a game show host to a humiliating life-and-death quiz in this thriller from Dick Maas. With a premise like that, this is intriguing to begin with, clouded with mystery as to why he doing this and whether his family are really in danger. Pierre Bokma is superb as the antagonist too, sometimes sounding eerily sane in between his outbursts. Alas, film seems to expect us to accept that the quiz is a 'just desserts' of sorts. We are told the host is an uncaring philander, but since we never actually see this, the film instead becomes an uneasy tale of a nice guy harassed for no apparent good reason. There is some motive revealed later on, but it is all cliché and the ending is extremely weak. Still, the premise is offbeat enough and Maas drums up ample suspense to keep things chugging along. (first viewing, online) ★★
Doggiewoggiez! Poochiewoochiez! (2012). Credited as a remake of The Holy Mountain, this bizarre film consists almost entirely of dog-related found footage edited together. Calling it a remake of the Jodorowsky film stretches things a bit; the "my name is / my planet is" audio is lifted from Holy Mountain and randomly pops up throughout, but there is no discernible narrative here. On one hand, this makes the film feel like a whole lot of randomness; on the other hand, everything is spliced together very rhythmically and even cleverly at times with some great "dogs are people too" and "b word" montage sequences that highlight just how frequent these ideas are in pop culture. Most striking of all though is how many clips have dogs talking in some way, shape or form - almost making the film a curious look at human desire to communicate with dogs. (first viewing, online) ★★
Almost Human (2013). Returning to Earth after he was abducted by aliens, an ordinary man goes on a killing spree in this low budget horror film. Many fans have pointed out the parallels to John Carpenter's work (even using the same font as Halloween) and for plot purposes Xtro gets mentioned, but what this bears the most resemblance to is actually David Cronenberg's Shivers. While not as darkly comic or satiric as that, the notion of a slug crawling out of victims' mouths and infecting them is similar, and the disappointment of Almost Human is how rare the slug/mouth infection stuff is. Most of the film just consists of the returned man committing pretty routine murders. The film also ends abruptly. Still, the practical effects are top notch, the lighting is great, and as a love letter to 70s and 80s B horror, it is easy to admire the effort. (first viewing, online) ★★
The Overnight (2015). Invited to stay overnight by the parents of their child's new best friend, a timid couple have their boundaries tested during the course of the evening in this indie comedy. It is a premise ripe with potential with much uncertainty at first as to whether the other couple have nefarious ulterior motives or whether things will descend into Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? territory. Neither of these possibilities eventuates though, and while the film has some great imagery (unusual paintings; neon-lit massage rooms), the film culminates in more of a 'huh' than anything else. There are certainly some great comedic moments as the other couple seem oblivious with how uncomfortable they are making their guests feel, and there is a pretty unforgettable poolside dance scene, but this never feels as wild and outlandish as it could have been. (first viewing, online) ★★
Boy 7 (2015). Handed a notebook apparently written by him, an amnesic teenager learns about how he was recruited for a top secret organisation with nefarious motives in this future-set thriller from Holland. When one gets over the fact that the 26-year-old Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen (who could pass for 30) is meant to be playing a teenager, he actually delivers a decent performance as a socially awkward youth and he is much of the reason why the film is watchable. The premise is hardly new or original and while there is a neat fingerprint lifting part, none of the protagonist's ingenuity feels especially novel. The movie also becomes very cloying and sentimental towards the end rather than suspenseful or thrilling. If seldom boring, this is hardly the most exciting motion picture either and it barely feels futuristic - although maybe that's the point. (first viewing, online) ★★
Pod (2015). Two siblings enact an intervention with their brother who claims to have an alien pod in his basement in this gripping low budget horror film. The project comes with an X Files vibe as one sibling is convinced that the brother is crazy, while the other thinks that he might be telling the truth, and the tension between the trio is excellent. Alas, once the siblings venture down to the basement and ambiguity is lifted, the results are less immersive. Some of the lighting is neat and the isolated snowy setting is great, but the film does not really go anywhere once it clears up the ambiguity, delivering more questions than answers. The effort by all concerned is admirable and the trio interact as realistic estranged siblings, but given that the film's initial strength is how everything is conveyed via dialogue, it is a shame that a different path is ultimately chosen. (first viewing, online) ★★
Kristen (2015). Retitled Trapped in some places, this Dutch thriller begins as a Scream variant with the sole late night worker at a pub receiving harassing phone calls after closing from a man who might be watching her. As the film progresses, it slowly heads in a different direction though with a broken television set, clocks that have stopped ticking and so forth. The film concludes in a rather weird way that sort of undercuts this curious plot deflection, but either way this is a decent attempt to do something different with the usual lone girl stalked/tormented plot. The lead actress does well with the demands of the part and the film is nicely shot with lots of eeriness in the corner of the frames. It is a generally spooky watch too. Not everything quite adds up (the cat's fate just seems odd given what the stalker seems to want) but this passes the time fine. (first viewing, online) ★★
Ubiquity (2018). Three individuals with electric hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS) are interviewed in this documentary. While the film ignores the controversy over EHS and whether it is a medical or psychosomatic condition, it provides a fascinating glimpse at ordinary folks trying to function in world full of Wi-Fi and electronic devices which, regardless of cause, provide them with adverse health effects. The subjects bring to mind Julianne Moore in Safe, except that these are real human beings whose suffering is ignored in the name of progress. The documentary gets less interesting towards the end though as it goes from objectively observing to calling on a ban on 5G towers and widespread Wi-Fi while also delving into unproven conspiracy theories (Wi-Fi impacting on fertility). Whenever the focus is on the human sufferers though, this is compelling stuff. (first viewing, online) ★★
I, Pastafari (2019). Members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster struggle for legal recognition in this intriguing documentary. The film does a great job delivering the main ideas of the religion, which comes across as more peaceful and let-and-let-live than most organised religions. The documentary is also quick to point out the hypocrisy of other religions, with one woman talking about Christianity teaching empathy cut against an anti-gay rights protestor. What the film ultimately becomes about though is religious freedoms - and didactically so. The use of Scopes Monkey trial footage is neat at first, but this soon becomes the very crux of the film. More insight into the origins of the Pastafari religion would have more interesting instead; basically any minority religion could have been used to further the project's overall religious rights agenda. (first viewing, online) ★★
Heavy (1995). Embarrassed about being overweight and always bowing into pressure from his mother, a young man's life is turned on its head when he develops a crush on the new waitress at his mother's cafe and as his mother becomes ill in this indie drama starring Pruitt Taylor Vince. Best known for playing mentally unsound characters in films like Identity and The Devil's Candy, it is nice to see Vince in a down-to-earth dramatic role. Quiet and laconic, we never really get to know his character in depth beyond his crush and worries about his weight, but he still comes across as very sympathetic. Outside of Vince though, there is not much to write home about. Shelley Winters and Deborah Harry are both fine but underused while Liv Tyler never quite lives up to being the dream girl that Vince perceives her as. But, perhaps that is the point. (first viewing, online) ★★
Too Fat Too Furious (2005). Discovering that his adoptive father has a biological son in prison, a career criminal busts the other son out as part of a plan to secure a liver transplant for his father in this chaotic comedy from the Netherlands. The humour is too childish and in poor taste to work most of the time with lots of physical humour (characters whacked on the head) and sexual assault gags. The protagonist's schemes and plans are wonderfully imaginative though, with the initial prison break and an airport hustle towards the end standing out in particular. The film also tries to say something about father/son bonds and blood not always being thicker, though this is undercut by the characters not being particularly well drawn in the first place. Whatever the case, the film is seldom boring even if the schemes are sporadic and the humour is hit-and-miss. (first viewing, online) ★★
Trigger Man (2007). Three friends go to the woods to hunt squirrels, only to eventually find themselves hunted by an unseen sniper in this early Ti West feature. As usual for West, this is a slow burn film with nothing much happening until around halfway in. Unlike The Roost or The Innkeepers, there is little in the way of mystery, suspense or atmosphere though as the friends walk through the woods idly conversing and occasionally resting for over thirty minutes before the sniper takes aim. Characterisation is pretty slim too. Certainly the set-up is interesting with the ruthless hunters finding the tables turned, and the initial sense of WTF when the sniper pops up is awesome. Too much shaky camerawork soon ruins the experience though and a final stretch outside the woods only serves to remind that West's key strength is single location work. (first viewing, online) ★
Save Angel Hope (2007). Con men conspire to have a gullible politician back their fake charity as part of his election campaign in this crime comedy. It is a decent premise and the film makes some salient points about charity, how some who donate simply do so to provide "relief from their terrible guilt" and make themselves feel good, as well as how easily political campaigns can be manipulated. The film never quite feels as funny as it could have been though. The funniest moments have the politician fumbling over misheard words in his earpiece rather than the fake charity. There is no audience trickery either; we always know who is grifting who, which takes away some of the fun of the average confidence trickster movie. Still, this is reasonably entertaining while it lasts with all concerned really getting into their characters and having a good time. (first viewing, online) ★★
Milo (2012). Lost after running away from home, a ten-year-old boy is taken in by a kindly childless couple and gradually learns the truth about his rare skin condition, kept a secret by his parents, in this drama from the Netherlands. In the title role, Lorcan Bonner is excellent and the acting is generally down-to-earth and solid all round. As a narrative though, this is a heavily sentimental affair and there is not a whole lot driving the plot. Bonner instantly clicks with the childless couple, they are all-too-happy to help him out and parent him better than his actual parents ever did and so on. There is a bit of something in him learning that his father is not all that he is cracked up to be, but as this is obvious from early, it lacks any dramatic punch. This is an okay way to pass the time, but with limited sense of adventure for a film about a lad run away from home. (first viewing, online) ★
The Notorious Guys (2012). Barred from going on a school trip to Portugal due to their poor grades, a group of remedial education students join the class via a stolen hot air balloon in this Luxembourgish comedy that is nowhere near as fun or offbeat as it sounds. There is certainly much craziness at hand, not the least of which are the main character's constant fantasies, which including appearing on Portuguese game shows, but none of the characters are likeable at all with the film offering a rather dim view on students with special educational needs. There is also a Congolese student who is depicted in a very racially insensitive way, performing voodoo on his teacher's clothes and unable to fit in at high school despite apparently having a degree in philosophy. Bits and pieces of the madness here are entertaining for sure, but this is generally grating to view. (first viewing, online) ★
Quiz (2012). Claiming to have kidnapped his family, a deranged man subjects a game show host to a humiliating life-and-death quiz in this thriller from Dick Maas. With a premise like that, this is intriguing to begin with, clouded with mystery as to why he doing this and whether his family are really in danger. Pierre Bokma is superb as the antagonist too, sometimes sounding eerily sane in between his outbursts. Alas, film seems to expect us to accept that the quiz is a 'just desserts' of sorts. We are told the host is an uncaring philander, but since we never actually see this, the film instead becomes an uneasy tale of a nice guy harassed for no apparent good reason. There is some motive revealed later on, but it is all cliché and the ending is extremely weak. Still, the premise is offbeat enough and Maas drums up ample suspense to keep things chugging along. (first viewing, online) ★★
Doggiewoggiez! Poochiewoochiez! (2012). Credited as a remake of The Holy Mountain, this bizarre film consists almost entirely of dog-related found footage edited together. Calling it a remake of the Jodorowsky film stretches things a bit; the "my name is / my planet is" audio is lifted from Holy Mountain and randomly pops up throughout, but there is no discernible narrative here. On one hand, this makes the film feel like a whole lot of randomness; on the other hand, everything is spliced together very rhythmically and even cleverly at times with some great "dogs are people too" and "b word" montage sequences that highlight just how frequent these ideas are in pop culture. Most striking of all though is how many clips have dogs talking in some way, shape or form - almost making the film a curious look at human desire to communicate with dogs. (first viewing, online) ★★
Almost Human (2013). Returning to Earth after he was abducted by aliens, an ordinary man goes on a killing spree in this low budget horror film. Many fans have pointed out the parallels to John Carpenter's work (even using the same font as Halloween) and for plot purposes Xtro gets mentioned, but what this bears the most resemblance to is actually David Cronenberg's Shivers. While not as darkly comic or satiric as that, the notion of a slug crawling out of victims' mouths and infecting them is similar, and the disappointment of Almost Human is how rare the slug/mouth infection stuff is. Most of the film just consists of the returned man committing pretty routine murders. The film also ends abruptly. Still, the practical effects are top notch, the lighting is great, and as a love letter to 70s and 80s B horror, it is easy to admire the effort. (first viewing, online) ★★
The Overnight (2015). Invited to stay overnight by the parents of their child's new best friend, a timid couple have their boundaries tested during the course of the evening in this indie comedy. It is a premise ripe with potential with much uncertainty at first as to whether the other couple have nefarious ulterior motives or whether things will descend into Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? territory. Neither of these possibilities eventuates though, and while the film has some great imagery (unusual paintings; neon-lit massage rooms), the film culminates in more of a 'huh' than anything else. There are certainly some great comedic moments as the other couple seem oblivious with how uncomfortable they are making their guests feel, and there is a pretty unforgettable poolside dance scene, but this never feels as wild and outlandish as it could have been. (first viewing, online) ★★
Boy 7 (2015). Handed a notebook apparently written by him, an amnesic teenager learns about how he was recruited for a top secret organisation with nefarious motives in this future-set thriller from Holland. When one gets over the fact that the 26-year-old Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen (who could pass for 30) is meant to be playing a teenager, he actually delivers a decent performance as a socially awkward youth and he is much of the reason why the film is watchable. The premise is hardly new or original and while there is a neat fingerprint lifting part, none of the protagonist's ingenuity feels especially novel. The movie also becomes very cloying and sentimental towards the end rather than suspenseful or thrilling. If seldom boring, this is hardly the most exciting motion picture either and it barely feels futuristic - although maybe that's the point. (first viewing, online) ★★
Pod (2015). Two siblings enact an intervention with their brother who claims to have an alien pod in his basement in this gripping low budget horror film. The project comes with an X Files vibe as one sibling is convinced that the brother is crazy, while the other thinks that he might be telling the truth, and the tension between the trio is excellent. Alas, once the siblings venture down to the basement and ambiguity is lifted, the results are less immersive. Some of the lighting is neat and the isolated snowy setting is great, but the film does not really go anywhere once it clears up the ambiguity, delivering more questions than answers. The effort by all concerned is admirable and the trio interact as realistic estranged siblings, but given that the film's initial strength is how everything is conveyed via dialogue, it is a shame that a different path is ultimately chosen. (first viewing, online) ★★
Kristen (2015). Retitled Trapped in some places, this Dutch thriller begins as a Scream variant with the sole late night worker at a pub receiving harassing phone calls after closing from a man who might be watching her. As the film progresses, it slowly heads in a different direction though with a broken television set, clocks that have stopped ticking and so forth. The film concludes in a rather weird way that sort of undercuts this curious plot deflection, but either way this is a decent attempt to do something different with the usual lone girl stalked/tormented plot. The lead actress does well with the demands of the part and the film is nicely shot with lots of eeriness in the corner of the frames. It is a generally spooky watch too. Not everything quite adds up (the cat's fate just seems odd given what the stalker seems to want) but this passes the time fine. (first viewing, online) ★★
Ubiquity (2018). Three individuals with electric hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS) are interviewed in this documentary. While the film ignores the controversy over EHS and whether it is a medical or psychosomatic condition, it provides a fascinating glimpse at ordinary folks trying to function in world full of Wi-Fi and electronic devices which, regardless of cause, provide them with adverse health effects. The subjects bring to mind Julianne Moore in Safe, except that these are real human beings whose suffering is ignored in the name of progress. The documentary gets less interesting towards the end though as it goes from objectively observing to calling on a ban on 5G towers and widespread Wi-Fi while also delving into unproven conspiracy theories (Wi-Fi impacting on fertility). Whenever the focus is on the human sufferers though, this is compelling stuff. (first viewing, online) ★★
I, Pastafari (2019). Members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster struggle for legal recognition in this intriguing documentary. The film does a great job delivering the main ideas of the religion, which comes across as more peaceful and let-and-let-live than most organised religions. The documentary is also quick to point out the hypocrisy of other religions, with one woman talking about Christianity teaching empathy cut against an anti-gay rights protestor. What the film ultimately becomes about though is religious freedoms - and didactically so. The use of Scopes Monkey trial footage is neat at first, but this soon becomes the very crux of the film. More insight into the origins of the Pastafari religion would have more interesting instead; basically any minority religion could have been used to further the project's overall religious rights agenda. (first viewing, online) ★★
Wheel of Ashes (1968, Peter Emmanuel Goldman) 8
