Sunday 27 April 2014
Wolf Creek - Lisa's Review
I have watched this movie several times. The first time, I liked the look of it from trailers I had seen. The second time, I'd forgotten I'd already seen it and liked the write-up on what it was about. The third time it was on TV and just ended up on in the background. The fourth time was as a refresher for this blog. So you could say I am pretty well versed on this movie. No doubt in six months time I'll have forgotten all about it again.
Our plot very quickly, is that of 3 young people, Liz, Kristy and Ben who are backpacking. They find themselves in a massive crater (caused by a meteorite). Their car suddenly won't start and they are offered some help from a kindly local gentleman. Now I don't think it's giving anything away to say, this kind man is not as he seems. He is in fact a murderous psychopath. The movie follows the trios attempts to stay alive.
So, what did I think? Hmmmm.. Watching the trailers, it looks excellent. The reality though is very disappointing. If you take out about an hour of the movie it would be a much better movie... that says it all really. Boring scenes are dragged out. The viewer is treated as if they're an ignoramous. The two women in the movie are sadly, as with a lot of horror movies, spectacularly stupid and you're pretty well aware of their fate very early on.
The positives? The special effects are pretty cool. Torture scenes definately make you cringe. If you watch the trailers and you like this kind of movie, no doubt you'll be impressed, but when you watch the movie, you realise that it's more of the same that's been rehashed over and over again.
I won't recommend or suggest you avoid it as it's neither wonderful or the worst thing I've ever seen. I'm hoping I don't forget all about it again and find myself watching it again in six months!
Saturday 26 April 2014
Week 153 - Wolf Creek
Friday 25 April 2014
Eraserhead - Will's Review
When writer / director David Lynch (this was his first movie) was asked what Eraserhead was about, he famously replied "it's about 90 minutes".
It's impossible to review Eraserhead in any conventional way, because it simply isn't a conventional movie; I can't say for sure that the sequence of events count as a plot, much less a cohesive one (I'm not even sure they're a sequence in the strictest sense). It's perhaps unsurprising that he movie is popular amongst the chemically enhanced.
Eraserhead isn't a film you watch, it's an experience you have; it's strangeness, coupled with its immersive and relentless soundscape of organ music, and industrial and haunting sound effects (I strongly recommend headphones, if you aren't lucky enough to have external speakers) make it more akin to being in someone else's dream or nightmare... In fact, Lynch has claimed that he didn't write Eraserhead; he dreamt it.
The effects work is noteworthy - especially the "baby", and especially considering the movie's scant $10,000 budget, but I really don't want to give too much away.
Full of industrial sequences and bizarre slices of not-right home-life, Eraserhead is less a movie, more a work of surrealist art, and taken as such it's superb... but as a horror movie, or movie in any traditional sense, it fails miserably.
You'll either love this movie, or hate it; 'get' it, or find it repugnant. For the first time I'm going to both recommend this movie, and suggest that you avoid it; because depending who you are, it's one or the other, with little in-between.
It's impossible to review Eraserhead in any conventional way, because it simply isn't a conventional movie; I can't say for sure that the sequence of events count as a plot, much less a cohesive one (I'm not even sure they're a sequence in the strictest sense). It's perhaps unsurprising that he movie is popular amongst the chemically enhanced.
Eraserhead isn't a film you watch, it's an experience you have; it's strangeness, coupled with its immersive and relentless soundscape of organ music, and industrial and haunting sound effects (I strongly recommend headphones, if you aren't lucky enough to have external speakers) make it more akin to being in someone else's dream or nightmare... In fact, Lynch has claimed that he didn't write Eraserhead; he dreamt it.
The effects work is noteworthy - especially the "baby", and especially considering the movie's scant $10,000 budget, but I really don't want to give too much away.
Full of industrial sequences and bizarre slices of not-right home-life, Eraserhead is less a movie, more a work of surrealist art, and taken as such it's superb... but as a horror movie, or movie in any traditional sense, it fails miserably.
You'll either love this movie, or hate it; 'get' it, or find it repugnant. For the first time I'm going to both recommend this movie, and suggest that you avoid it; because depending who you are, it's one or the other, with little in-between.
Sunday 20 April 2014
Jacob's Ladder - Will's Review
Vietnam flashbacks! Heroic chiropractors! Trains! Explosions! McCauley Culkin! Demons!
Following the experiences of Vietnam Vet, Jacob Singer, Jacob's Ladder is a somewhat non-linear tale, charting Jacobs apparent PTSD as we skip between his present life as a postal worker haunted by visions of demons, his (presumably pre-war) time with his ex-wife, and his last day in action in 'nam.
I didn't realise going in, but it soon became obvious that this movie was a huge influence to the Silent Hill games, something an internet search confirmed, with many of the same locations, visual tricks, and imagery. If it had only had fog, you'd swear they were set in the same universe.
I don't want to say too much more, as it's easy to give things away, but I will say that the film pulls off a lot of tropes that usually put me right off a movie; here though, they are so well justified by context, and so well made, that they actually work. The kind of non linear storytelling which often marks a movie as under-written, lazy, or pretentious, here paints a compelling picture of a decent into madness. If you don't need to leave a movie with everything tied up in a neat little bow, then I strongly recommend that you see this movie before reading any further.
Still here? Don't say you weren't warned.
The ending in particular, if less-well handled, could have invalidated the entire movie; instead it becomes the point of the movie, making sense of everything that's gone before (at least in part due to the chiropractor's philosophising). Likewise the backwards-and-forwards nature of the story, and the uncertainty as to which bits are dreams, could easily have become annoying if not so well written and directed.
I'll probably revisit this one at some point, as countless little things are making sense as I look back at them (such as why we never see Jacob's other 2 children) and I'm sure there will be more of these little touches to find.
Not a wholehearted thumbs up, as a lot of people will tire of this movie quickly, or find it confusing; but as mentioned before the jump, for the right type of person I thoroughly recommend this film.
Following the experiences of Vietnam Vet, Jacob Singer, Jacob's Ladder is a somewhat non-linear tale, charting Jacobs apparent PTSD as we skip between his present life as a postal worker haunted by visions of demons, his (presumably pre-war) time with his ex-wife, and his last day in action in 'nam.
I didn't realise going in, but it soon became obvious that this movie was a huge influence to the Silent Hill games, something an internet search confirmed, with many of the same locations, visual tricks, and imagery. If it had only had fog, you'd swear they were set in the same universe.
I don't want to say too much more, as it's easy to give things away, but I will say that the film pulls off a lot of tropes that usually put me right off a movie; here though, they are so well justified by context, and so well made, that they actually work. The kind of non linear storytelling which often marks a movie as under-written, lazy, or pretentious, here paints a compelling picture of a decent into madness. If you don't need to leave a movie with everything tied up in a neat little bow, then I strongly recommend that you see this movie before reading any further.
Still here? Don't say you weren't warned.
The ending in particular, if less-well handled, could have invalidated the entire movie; instead it becomes the point of the movie, making sense of everything that's gone before (at least in part due to the chiropractor's philosophising). Likewise the backwards-and-forwards nature of the story, and the uncertainty as to which bits are dreams, could easily have become annoying if not so well written and directed.
I'll probably revisit this one at some point, as countless little things are making sense as I look back at them (such as why we never see Jacob's other 2 children) and I'm sure there will be more of these little touches to find.
Not a wholehearted thumbs up, as a lot of people will tire of this movie quickly, or find it confusing; but as mentioned before the jump, for the right type of person I thoroughly recommend this film.
Saturday 19 April 2014
Eraserhead - Lisa's Review
I really don't want to waste much time reviewing this movie. The time spent watching it is enough time wasted.
So you may have guessed that I didn't enjoy the movie. Well, the fact that it is surrealism from start to finish should give you an idea of my viewpoint. I HATE surrealism. I hate arty farty movies. Calling this a movie is a stretch of the imagination. It reminded me of one of those repetitively played out arty farty clips you see at art galleries masquerading as art. Something that no matter how hard you try (if indeed you can be bothered) you can't even begin to make sense of it.
The movie follows a man called Henry Spencer. I couldn't work out if what occured in the film was reality or whether it was madness from the dreams of Henry. From being a head in space to the singing woman in the radiator. Henry and his girlfriend (who keeps having weird fits that everyone ignores) spawn a freaky, wierd mutant baby who cries through the whole damn movie before it transforms into something even more fucking obscene.
This is a movie which may make sense if you're under the influence of something mind altering, but watching it simply with a glass of 7UP and a Dairymilk, I'll be fucked if it made sense to me.
In conclusion and to sum up, I thought this movie was absolutely shite. I hated every last minute of it and really struggle with trying to write a review which makes any sort of sense. Avoid at all costs.
Friday 18 April 2014
Week 152 - Eraserhead (1977)
Jacobs Ladder - Lisa's Review
How do I even start to attempt to review this movie at 11pm on a Friday night. If the following is a convoluted mess, I apologise profusely.
I have seen Jacobs ladder 4 times. Twice in my much younger years and neither time did I understand it, then again about 5 years ago and I finally began to grasp what I interpreted from the movie. I watched it for the fourth time this week in parts. I read something in a movie review for Jacobs Ladder today, which probably sums the movie up very well. It's like trying to decipher Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin lyrics, it's impossible, but you're stoned so you try to anyway, lol.
So let's kick it off with my viewpoint on the movie, I think this is an excellent movie and if anyone reading this hasn't watched he movie, they really should; and they should do it without some over zealous reviewer giving it all away, so I'll try not to give too much away. To be fair it won't be for everyone. If the type of movies you enjoy tend to be 'Rom Coms, Chick Flicks and Action movies', then I think giving this one a miss may be a good piece of advice.
The movie stars Tim Robbins, who was an unknown to me the first couple of times I watched Jacobs Ladder, but I've since seen him in quite a lot, most notably 'Shawshamk Remdemption' as Andy Dufrasne. He stars as Vietnam Vet Jacob, who is having psychological problems after having been terribly injured in action and returning home. He is struggling with the death of his young son Gabe in a traffic accident and the break-up of his marriage. It is intimated that his happened before he left for Vietnam. One thing I will say about the movie at this point is that it can be difficult to work out which interlocking story is the present day. In one life we see Jacob in Vietnam, in another he is married with a son and in the third he is in a relationship with someone he works with after having returning home from the war.
My assumption was that he was married with a son who was tragically killed. His marriage subsequently broke down and he went to war where he was injured and returned home to take a postal job and start a relationship with a colleague. We are party to his flashbacks, both to his married life and to battle scenes. He also begins to have horrific hallucinations, which start to make it very difficult to pick apart fact from fiction.
One of Jacobs comrades meet up with him to discuss the hallucinations he has also been having since the war. Soon after he is killed in what appears to be a tragic accident. At the funeral, Jacob meets up with more old comrades who also allude to having similar experiences.
From here we follow the disintegration of Jacobs sanity and the movie gets pretty trippy. I will say though, the way the movie is shot and the soundtrack do convey the feeling of the movie and the complete unraveling of this mans sanity.
It seems there is more to his war experience than he was aware of. It is in his discovery that the movie attains its name.
For me, this is a very intelligent, thought provoking movie that anyone who likes a bit more than the usual crap that Hollywood spit out should watch. Hey, if you've seen it years ago, watch it again. I learnt something new each time, or maybe with age my interpretation changed, who knows, but, either way, go watch this. Highly Recommended.
Tuesday 15 April 2014
Pulse (2001) - Lisa's Review
FINALLY I get around to posting a review for 'Pulse'. Apologies - A family trip to Yorkshire and subsequent catch-up with other aspects of life has me running behind on a lot of things.
So, to the movie. This is a very difficult one. I am usually a big fan of Japanese horror and I don't argue that this movie is definately unsettling and has a great score throughout, but for me, there is more lacking than there is positive about the movie. Having watched the movie, I was left feeling rather confused by some aspects of it. I did some reading...all I can say is, how the viewer is meant to come to the conclusions about the supposed social commentary and reflections on the evils of the internet is beyond me.
The movie has two stories running parallel. In one a young woman is concerned about the disappearances of first one and subsequently more of her work colleagues. We follow her search for answers as to what has happened and then why.
The second story follows a student who has just had the internet installed (ahhhh I remember that old dial-up noise well). All of a sudden his computer is logging onto the internet by itself and he is being shown images of different people in what seems to be a repetitive loop of activity. These images are rather creepy, but only in the same way that some CCTV images of today are creepy when you know something is amiss. We follow his search to find answers as to what is going on.
Asides from a few creepy images, there was nothing in this film to produce any scares usually associated with Japanese horror movies. It all boils down to a ghostly conclusion and explanation as to why ghosts are present in our world and to be honest that thought is the scariest aspect of the movie for me. I'm a person that takes a lot of scaring, but do this subject correctly and you'll scare the bejezus outta me. Sadly, this movie didn't deliver for me in this respect, although I will say I will think about it later in bed when I really shouldn't.
I would recommend this to any lovers of Japanese Horror, but most definately not to a casual horror viewer. The confusing attempts at a warning as to the evils of technology and the internet within this movie seems to be more of a priority for the director than how the movie would translate for the viewer.
In all, no big thumbs down or up from me this time around. One to watch if the genre interests you. ne probably best to avoid if you're not a lover of confusing movies with social messages.
Pulse - Will's Review.
I don't know what to say.
Have you ever been so far away from popular opinion that you are sure you're missing something , or in some way mistaken? That's me and Pulse; I just cannot understand the near-universal praise this movie receives.
First the positives; There are a couple of interesting ideas (chief amongst them the reason that ghosts are invading our world), and a few of the shots are brilliant (including a short steak am sequence in the library).
Of the two parallel stories, the student having unusual internet problems and thing to investigate the ghosts is far more interesting than the one about the florist with the vanishing staff.
Sadly "more interesting" is a relative term...
Those few ideas and a little cinematography aside, this movie is as dull as dishwater, and almost completely nonsensical to boot.
The characters frequently make astounding leaps in reasoning, red tape makes itself uncannily available, the screenwriter seems to think that him having an idea and having characters act on them is enough, and that we the viewer will catch up by osmosis, without ever having them explained to us.
It's a mess, and I can only assume that it's positive reviews stem from it being released in those recently post-Ringu years, when J-Horror was fashionable enough that it could do no wrong.
Have you ever been so far away from popular opinion that you are sure you're missing something , or in some way mistaken? That's me and Pulse; I just cannot understand the near-universal praise this movie receives.
First the positives; There are a couple of interesting ideas (chief amongst them the reason that ghosts are invading our world), and a few of the shots are brilliant (including a short steak am sequence in the library).
Of the two parallel stories, the student having unusual internet problems and thing to investigate the ghosts is far more interesting than the one about the florist with the vanishing staff.
Sadly "more interesting" is a relative term...
Those few ideas and a little cinematography aside, this movie is as dull as dishwater, and almost completely nonsensical to boot.
The characters frequently make astounding leaps in reasoning, red tape makes itself uncannily available, the screenwriter seems to think that him having an idea and having characters act on them is enough, and that we the viewer will catch up by osmosis, without ever having them explained to us.
It's a mess, and I can only assume that it's positive reviews stem from it being released in those recently post-Ringu years, when J-Horror was fashionable enough that it could do no wrong.
Thursday 10 April 2014
Week 151 - Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Tuesday 8 April 2014
Week 150 - Pulse (2001)
Sunday 6 April 2014
28 Days Later - Will's Review.
Let's be honest right up front on this one; 28 Days Later is a zombie movie.
Yeah, I know; the aren't dead, they're infected by a rage virus. They are zombies; shut it!
The infected people are clearly written as zombies, with the whole 'rage virus' thing being a way of attempting to vary the origin story.
Need proof? The infected not attack each other. If they were infected with a virus that makes them angry, the would have no reason not to attack each other. Zombies don't attack zombies, because they are drawn to the living; but angry people do not attack only the calm, angry people attack each other. It may be called a 'rage virus', and it may be born from research into anger and violence, but it is clearly a zombie virus, albeit one that doesn't technically kill it's host.
It also has all the trappings of a zombie movie; a viral outbreak, a flash forward to an apocalyptic setting, a lone group of survivors clubbing together and making tough choices; even a "mankind is the real enemy" final act.
It's also a blatant advert for Pepsi and Mars inc. for at least it's first 20 minutes.
So, product placement aside, how does it fare? Very well for the first three quarters, better than average thereafter.
The not-really-zombies are the fast variety. Normally I hate that, but the cover of "not technically zombies" serves the movie well in that regard, and makes for some great chase sequences.
The famous deserted scenes of our hero wandering a post-apocalyptic London are eerie and beautiful, and the interactions with the 2 main groups of survivors he meets are differed enough to be interesting.
The problem lies in the aforementioned man as the enemy plot. Once our heroes meet the movies secondary antagonists, this basic but great zombie movie quickly gets much darker; man's inhumanity to man (or in this case, woman) is far more chilling than anything a pseudo-zombie can dish out. This segment of the film is more disturbing, and in its own way more interesting, than anything that's happened upto that point... But it's just not as entertaining.
That said, the whole movie still hangs together nicely, and for once a zombie movie has a satisfying conclusion.
Yeah, I know; the aren't dead, they're infected by a rage virus. They are zombies; shut it!
The infected people are clearly written as zombies, with the whole 'rage virus' thing being a way of attempting to vary the origin story.
Need proof? The infected not attack each other. If they were infected with a virus that makes them angry, the would have no reason not to attack each other. Zombies don't attack zombies, because they are drawn to the living; but angry people do not attack only the calm, angry people attack each other. It may be called a 'rage virus', and it may be born from research into anger and violence, but it is clearly a zombie virus, albeit one that doesn't technically kill it's host.
It also has all the trappings of a zombie movie; a viral outbreak, a flash forward to an apocalyptic setting, a lone group of survivors clubbing together and making tough choices; even a "mankind is the real enemy" final act.
It's also a blatant advert for Pepsi and Mars inc. for at least it's first 20 minutes.
So, product placement aside, how does it fare? Very well for the first three quarters, better than average thereafter.
The not-really-zombies are the fast variety. Normally I hate that, but the cover of "not technically zombies" serves the movie well in that regard, and makes for some great chase sequences.
The famous deserted scenes of our hero wandering a post-apocalyptic London are eerie and beautiful, and the interactions with the 2 main groups of survivors he meets are differed enough to be interesting.
The problem lies in the aforementioned man as the enemy plot. Once our heroes meet the movies secondary antagonists, this basic but great zombie movie quickly gets much darker; man's inhumanity to man (or in this case, woman) is far more chilling than anything a pseudo-zombie can dish out. This segment of the film is more disturbing, and in its own way more interesting, than anything that's happened upto that point... But it's just not as entertaining.
That said, the whole movie still hangs together nicely, and for once a zombie movie has a satisfying conclusion.
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