Heather lives a normal life as a young 20-something individual, living with her boyfriend. One afternoon she receives a letter from a lawyer in Texas, explaining that she is the sole benefactor of her grandmother's estate. A grandmother she never knew existed, Heather travels to Texas with her friends to collect her inheritance. On arrival Heather soon discovers her inheritance isn't exactly ideal, as the chainsaw-wielding killer known as Leatherface is part of the reward. John Luessenhop's Texas Chainsaw is the epitome of what is wrong with the current state of mainstream Horror films. The film is ridiculously violent but not even in a creative or fun way, as it seems to just go through the motions doing what it thinks audiences want to see. Every horror trope is fulfilled in spades with my favorite being how the film spends the time to show how terrible of a person every character is directly before they die. If being an incredibly generic and bland horror film wasn't bad enough, Texas Chainsaw essentially degrades the original completely with this stupid plot centered around feuding families with the last living bloodline of the Sawyer family being Heater. Hollywood's typical prejudice viewpoint of the deep south is in full effect, making for a movie that isn't scary but more effective as a comedy. This is the worst horror film I have seen in a long time, I don't have anything else to say. 0/10
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After spending 10 years in prison, a man only known as Driver is released with only one thing in mind - vengeance. Driver is out to avenge the murder of his brother during a botched bank robbery which also landed him in prison. With a list of names of the men responsible, Driver has a mission and nothing will stand in his way. George Tillman Jr's Faster is a revenge thriller that works far more than it doesn't because of its streamlined approached. From the very beginning, the film establishes this Driver character well, making it apparent that he is a bad bad man who should not be messed with. He is on a mission, and we barely hear much dialogue at all coming from his mouth. This is a fast narrative that keeps the viewer engaged, as they learn the details of the story as the film moves along at breakneck pace. The biggest problem with Faster revolves around the hit-man who is hired to kill the Driver. I understand the intent of his character but he just feels too superfluous to the rest of the narrative, slowing down the film's fast pace. I've heard a lot of people comment about how the film is void of any real emotional complexity but I whole-hardheartedly disagree with this notion. My favorite aspect about Faster is that it presents a portrait of various men who are broken, seemingly tortured on a daily basis by their past sins and transgressions. Driver and Cop are the best two examples obviously, but Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's small role really stole the film for me in this regard. Faster is not profound by any means and is a little silly at times, but it did surprise me with its willingness to at least attempt to capture the complexities of morality centered around vengeance. 7/10 When gigantic monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, begin to rise from the sea, a war begins that will cost millions of lives and push humanities resources to the brink. To combat these massive creatures the Jaeger program is created. Using massive robots, two pilots simultaneously control the machine using a neural bridge known as drifting. Unfortunately even the Jaegers are proving inefficient against the never-ending onslaught of Kaiju, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim is a cliche ridden Hollywood blockbuster that is only enjoyable during the action sequences. This is a film set in a dire time for humanity but it surprisingly never feels like it has any real stakes. We are told ad nauseam how dire things are but it never is truly felt, at least not until about two thirds of the way through the film. Pacific Rim is filled with rather laughable plot devices and side characters that are just silly and unnecessary. One of the stupidest being when the World Government cancels the Jaeger program. This part of the narrative makes no sense at all, especially considering that we see first hand how ineffective the world leaders back-up plan truly is. I think what annoys me so much about Pacific Rim is that it has some interesting ideas, but none of them are explored. It's almost as if Guillermo del Toro simply needed to waste time in-between action scenes. The one aspect of Pacific Rim that doesn't disappoint is the action sequences. The scale of these sequences are certainly impressive, with both the Jaegers and Kaiju being designed with ingenuity and creativity. The highlight of the entire film for me had to be the massive action sequence in Hong Kong. Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim is really dumb and quite silly at times but that doesn't stop it from being a pretty fun bit of spectacle entertainment, though it could have been much better. 5.5/10 Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old, who up to this point hasnt exactly been a model citizen. Being New Years Eve, Oscar is intent on becoming a better man by being a better partner to his girlfriend, a better father to his daughter, and a better son to his mother. Making the change isn't easy for Oscar but he is off to a good start, until tragedy strikes on a BART station subway in the early hours of New Years Day. Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station is a film that is bound to depress and enrage everyone who watches it. Much like last year's Compliance, this film presents a story of unbelievable tragedy that you almost wouldn't believe if it was fiction. Fruitvale Station shares a lof ot the same problems as Compliance, being a film that is celebrated more for the story then the storytelling. Fruitvale Station is a better directed film though, with Coogler showing an impressive amount of restraint for a first time filmmaker. He surely wants the film to serve as a weapon against racially charged police brutality but he never lets the film become angry or biased. Coogler understand that regardless of race, this is a human tragedy and in doing so the film is much more resonant. The film doesn't try and paint Oscar out as some saint, far from it, but it's clear that he is a man who is trying to correct his life. One of my favorite scenes of the film takes place at the grocery store, where Oscar is trying to get his job back. We see Oscar's instability and aggression come out as he demands to get his job back, an important sequence because up until that point we really hadn't seen anything negative or scary about Oscar as a man. Fruitvale Station is a film that should absolutely be seen but that doesn't mean it's without fault. Obviously without knowing all the facts it's hard to be too critical but the film does come off a little too emotionally manipulative at times. Coogler uses every trick in the book to make the audience relate too and feel for Oscar, but the sequence with the dog for example, felt way too hamfisted for my taste. Michael B Jordan has been one of my favorite young actors for awhile now and his performance in Fruitvale Station further confirms his talent. Jordan completely becomes Oscar Grant and along with a great performance by Octavia Spencer, her best ever, the film is full of strong acting. Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station really doesn't have much to say but it doesn't have an agenda either, instead it simply presents a truly unbelievable portrait of tragedy. 7.5/10 In the late 1980s, James Cameron's long awaited film The Abyss had reached massive heights on the hype machine meter. In an effort to cash in on this, a slew of sub-aqueous Alien rip-offs were made in an effort to cash in. Sean S. Cunningham's DeepStar Six is one of the films, telling the story of a team of engineers who've been working on a missile platform for the navy. In an effort to get home as soon as possible, they ignore warning signs and unleash a gigantic killer crustacean. DeepStar Six is a B horror film through and through but unfortunately it's hard to bare at times. Outside of the always reliable Miguel Ferrer as Snyder, almost all of the characters in the film are bland and generic. The film relies heavily on the love story between two of the crew members to create an emotional attachment in the viewers but by and large it's unnecessary and poorly written. In fact the screenplay of DeepStar Six is pretty much unbearable, with an incredible amount of forced dialogue that lacks all subtlety. There are lines of dialogue that are painful to watch, with the actors delivering lines that are supposed to be comical but are far from it. A lot of people seem to make fun of this film fort its creature effects but I actually found it to be the high point of the movie. The effects holds up pretty well considering the year/budget and I couldn't help but enjoy the unique creature design. Miguel Ferrer really does carry this film for stretches and the sequence where he goes mentally unstable is one of the more entertaining aspects of the film. If you're looking for a good b-movie with similar subject matter I would recommend Cosmatos' Leviathan. These films both came out the same year but Leviathan has a much more skilled director behind the lens who is able to create a far more entertaining B-horror film. 5/10 Paris Is Burning is a poignant documentary that immerses the viewer in the community of New York's minority drag queens, gay black and latino men who cross dress as woman and iinvented the dance style of "voguing". Jennie Livingston's Paris is Burning is a rather immersive experience that captures the lifestyle of this small minority, focusing on their ambitions and dreams. These individuals face a horrendous amount scrutiny by society, feeling the pinch of sexual and economical oppression. The film doesn't do anything special from a narrative standpoint but it's smart enough to stay out of the way of its subjects, letting them speak for themselves. What I found most interesting about the film is the "Balls" which these individuals throw. While these events are certainly competitive, what I found astonishing is the sense of release it gives these individuals from the cruelity they face everyday in a society that doesn't understand them. The various interviewees describe these extravagant balls as their Oscars or World Series, which showcases just how important they are to them. It's a place where these homosexual miniorities can feel unified. Another interesting aspect of these Balls is the various competitions which take place. The most striking example of this is the "Realness" competition which is based off of who can most effectivly be chamelon-like in transforming into a straight person. One interviewee exclaims "it's basically going back to the closet", an effort for these individuals to mockingly give society what they want to see. Paris is Burning is definitely emotional at times, showing how these events give these people a sense of family, which many are severly lacking after being exiled by their own blood. Honestly I did feel that the film dragged a little bit, which I must admit is a bit disconcerning given the short 70 minute running time but Paris is Burning certainly fascinationg none-the-less. 7.5/10 Raoul Ruiz is a filmmaker that spends an exuberant amount of energy and time into crafting visuals and atmospherics. Many of films don't rely on a fluid narrative, have mostly wooden performances, and lots of less than perfect sound-work and yet in the end it barely matters in respect the film's quality. With The Territory all of these are prevalent but Ruiz's aggressive cinematic style overwhelms the viewer in a way that makes them react and feel something regardless of some of the film's more technical short-comings. The Territory is the story of a small group of city-slicker vacationers who go on a hiking trip into the woods. Incredibly unprepared for their time with Mother Nature they end up getting lost. Days turn to weeks and the group becomes more and more fatigued, hungry and desperate, leading them towards primal means of survival. The easiest way to describe Raoul Ruiz's The Territory is as a psychological horror film but quite frankly that wouldn't do the film justice. This is a film that's incredibly dense thematically and while some may simply call the film unfocused, I would disagree, arguing that it's an exploration of humanity in a lot of ways. For starters the film's allegory is quite simple, as we see a group of well-adjusted individuals slowly fall apart when thrown into the wilderness. All good manners and their civilities give way to violence as they become more and more desperate. They form new hierarchies attempting to create meaning or order out of chaos. We see how some of them even turn to religion in an effort to save themselves. This type of message is by far the clearest in the film, but the more fascinating aspect deals with the notion that our minds create reality, and if we don't understand the world around us we simply become lost. This group of people never is faced with danger by the land or nature around them, with all the violence coming from inside their warped perceptions. This horrific reality they themselves create through the worry and doubt that corrupts their mind. As I mentioned before all of Ruiz's films are beautifully rendered and The Territory is certainly no different. Ruiz juxtaposes the beauty of the wilderness with the darkness of man perfectly, creating an ambiguous atmosphere that is quietly horrific. As one can imagine, Raoul Ruiz's The Territory is not an easy film, but it's deliciously subversive and intellectually stimulating on many levels. d deliciously subversive in nearly every way possible. 9/10 Vince Grayson, a young bank teller, wakes up from a terrible nightmare wherein he sees himself committing murder in a peculiar mirrored room. As he collects himself, he discovers a couple items which make him fear the worst, that this was no dream at all. With Vince in a panic he turns to his brother-in-law, Cliff, who happens to be a police detective. Cliff dismisses Vince's story at first, until the family, on a picnic in the canyons, seeks shelter from a thunderstorm in deserted mansion happening to contain the same mirrored room. Maxwell Shane's Fear In The Night is a tight narrative thriller showcasing a nice amount of style and substance given the film's shoestring budget. The opening dream sequence of the film is a highlight. It features some subversive style, especially for the time, in effectively evoking the nightmarish situation that Vince finds himself in. Similar to lots of Noirs, Vince has lots of internal dialogue which puts the viewer firmly into his state of mind. We the viewer don't know what to make of Vince's vision either, with the film even throwing out some subtle conversational dialogue that comments on Vince's previous problems with fever dreams. Even towards the end of the film the viewer questions Vince's innocence or guilt, giving the whole film a nice mysterious element. In the end, there is nothing incredibly special about Fear in the Night but it does tell an interesting and unique detective story which is lead and fast-moving. 6.5/10 Taking place in former Czechoslovakia in the 1950s, In the Shadows tells the story of Captain Hakl, a top detective for the police force. While investigating a robbery, Hakl showcases his expertise by noticing sweat drops at the site of the safe that points to a particular overweight safe-breaker by the name of Kirsch. What seems to be an open and shut case becomes mysterious when Hakl discovers that Kirsch has been framed for the crime, leading him on a case to find out the truth. The deeper Hakl digs, the more attention turns his way, and things become even more devious when State Security takes over the trial. David Ondricek's In the Shadows is a bleak, dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of the impending financial crisis in Czechoslovakia. It makes perfect sense that In The Shadows was Polish's submission for the 2012 Oscars, given its Noir-like roots, straight-forward narrative structure, and themes. The film essentially pits Captain Hakl against the power of political corruption, showcasing the power and weight behind a government's actions good or bad. Early on the film does a nice job establishing how Captain Hakl is a family man. This is important given that the film's other major point revolves around the importance of family and what men are willing to do to save their own. Even though Captain Hakl and Zenke, the State Security lead detective, are at odds for most of the film, they are very similar, both being men who are merely doing what they believe is best for their family. One of my favorite scenes of the film is when Hakl explains to his son what he is up against by using a Moby Dick analogy. He explains that the government is just like the indestructible squid in his son's book, but he must do his best to fight it. Aesthetically the film is very Noir-like, using shadows effectively throughout but I was hoping the film would have been a little more expressionistic. In the end, David Ondricek's In the Shadows is a bleak, dark noir-style thriller about political corruption and the importance of family. 7.25/10 Dantung Dennis' Hell and Back Again follows Sgt. Nathan Harris as he comes home from Afghanistan after being seriously wounded in combat. Documentaries about this subject matter always make me nervous. I'm always worried about these films having a very opinionated viewpoint towards the subject matter but Danfung Dennis' Hell and Back Again treats its subject with respect, showing an unbiased and in-depth look into both Nathan's life on the war-front and on the home-front after his injury. Embedded with Harris' unit during their assault on the Taliban stronghold, Hell and Back Again gives the viewer an up close and personal look at what's like to be a Marine on the front lines. While this alone is powerful, what makes Hell and Back Again special is its ability to masterfully toggle between the intensity of the battlefield and the lethargy centered around adjusting to civilian life all over again. Using a combination of flashbacks, dynamic editing and sound viscerally, Hell and Back Again conveys Harris' state of mind as he struggles to deal with the present while reflecting on the past. Hell and Back Again certainly has its moments of emotional manipulation but it never does so in a way that manipulates the main portrait of Nathan Harris, a man trained to kill who now can barely walk without the aid of another. 7.75/10 |
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June 2023
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