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‘The Amityville
Horror’ (2005, theatrical release)
Directed by Andrew Douglas
Let my just start this off by saying "wow". This is
one of the finest remakes I've ever seen. The violence and gore in the
first 5 minutes was enough to warrant the "R" rated, which I feel the
horror genre definitely needs right about now. I'm sure everyone knows
the basic plot from the original movie, and except for some smaller
details, and a lot more blood, gore, and ghosts, this version holds
true. Actor Ryan Reynolds as George Lutz gives an amazing performance,
going from zero to psycho in 16 days and flowing perfectly from happy
dad to axe wielding maniac. I’m amazed that this is the same idiot from
‘Van Wilder’.
That isn't to say this movie doesn't have its flaws. There was a bit too
much of the MTV-type quick editing. There was also a lack of character
development. I didn't find myself too attached to the children, so
although I didn't want to see them knocked off, I wasn't exposed enough
to them to really care. There was also a side story with a priest, but
it was over almost as quickly as it began, and left me wondering "what
was the point of having him?"
Overall, a very dark movie that even had me, a seasoned horror vet,
jumping a few times. Just keep in mind, they threw away any regard for
what really happened, and went for a fast, straightforward horror flick.
I'm going to give it an 8/10. As for remakes, I'd give it a 10/10.
(Chris Gibbons)
‘Faster,
Pussycat! Kill! Kill!’ (1965, Arrow)
Directed by Russ Meyer
First off, let me say this DVD is an import region
0 PAL format disc. That means that while there’s no region code to
worry about, most U.S. DVD players still won’t be able to play this disc
properly since we use the NTSC format. Make sure your player can
convert PAL to NTSC before buying this. And buy this you definitely
should.
This will likely stand as the definitive digital
version of Russ Meyers classic “ode to the violence in women”. If
you’ve never seen ‘Pussycat’ before, here’s the plot. Three go-go
dancers (Tura Satana, Haji, and Lori Williams) leave work and set out
looking for kicks. And they find them, in the form of sex, murder,
kidnapping, and campy dialogue. But make no mistake, this isn’t a “so
bad it’s good” movie. Meyer knows exactly what he’s doing, creating a
hyper real comic book world uniquely his own. Almost every line of
dialogue is quotable, the actors are all perfect for their roles, and
the photography is gorgeous. Although this was an “adults only” film
when originally released in 1965, there’s no nudity, no profanity, and
very little blood. Trust me, though, you won’t be bored.
Aside from the presentation of the film itself,
which is great, this disc is loaded with bonus features. First off is a
featurette, “Go Pussycat Go”, in which all the female cast members
(including kidnap victim Susan Bernard) are interviewed about their
participation in the film. The girls (minus Bernard) also provide a
very enjoyable audio commentary. There’s also a director commentary
from the late Russ Meyer, but sadly it’s not so hot. Nice to have it,
though. Finally, there’s a collection of trailers from most of Meyer’s
films, most of which are more explicit than this one. You can order
this from the excellent locally owned import DVD company Xploited
Cinema. (Bob Ignizio)
‘The Flesh Merchant’
(1993, Sub Rosa)
Directed by Mike Tristano
Harkening back to violent seventies grindhouse
action films, ‘The Flesh Merchant’ competently delivers the exploitation
movie goods. Although shot on video, the production values are decent
and the acting, writing, and directing are all professional. It’s not a
great movie, but it should more than satisfy its target audience. The
plot concerns two sisters: police woman Darleen Paxton (Margaret Romero)
and Jennifer (Elizabeth Chambers), a waitress in a seedy cocktail bar
with dreams of movie stardom. Turns out a group of white slavers are
kidnapping patrons and employees of the bar. Of course Jennifer gets
kidnapped, and Darleen and her partner/boyfriend Mac Williamson (Adam
Tucker) set off to rescue her and the other victims. ‘Citizen Kane’ it
isn’t, but it’s good enough to waste an hour and a half if you’re in the
mood for a sleazy action flick. Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, Don
Stroud, and Michelle Bauer are on hand to provide “name” value in small
roles. (Bob Ignizio)
‘Glenville 3’ and
‘Glenville: Hell’s Homecoming’ (2001/2005, Fleet Street Films)
Directed by Anthony Spadacini
I’m not entirely sure what director Spadacini was
going for in ‘Glenville 3’. Is the pixilated, frequently night-vision
shot video meant to be an artistic choice, or just the result of a low
budget? Whichever it is, it’s not very easy on the eyes. That aside,
the story is a convoluted tale of a murderous family, apparently the
continuation of two previous films. We’re given some idea what happened
in ‘Glenville 3’s predecessors, but I still found it hard to get caught
up. It’s obvious Spadacini was trying for something a little better
than the average shot on video splatterfest (gore in pretty minimal),
but it just didn’t come together for me. A few scenes here and there
hint at some real filmmaking ability on Spadacini’s part, but the hard
to follow story and erratic acting ultimately sabotage the film.
‘Hell’s Homecoming’ is even more artsy fartsy,
featuring lots of slow motion photography and cheap camera effects.
Honestly, there’s only about 15 minutes worth of movie stretched out to
75. I admire Spadacini’s gustiness in including a lengthy softcore gay
love scene, but even if that were my thing it goes on too long.
Seriously, the scene takes up about 15 of the first 20 minutes of the
movie, and all before we even know who these characters are. The
pixilated look of part 3 is thankfully gone, and in general the acting
is better, but ‘Hell’s Homecoming’ may be even harder to follow than
‘Glenville 3’. Overall, I’d have to describe these movies as
interesting failures. I think Spadacini may have some raw talent, but
it needs to be refined. (Bob Ignizio)
‘The Lovecraft
Syndrome’ (2004, Sword & Cloak Productions)
Directed by David Schmidt
I like subtle, artsy horror when it's done well,
but too often artsy means incoherent. That’s not the case with David
Schmidt’s work. He knows how to convey in a few brief visuals what
other filmmakers would need 10 minutes worth of boring exposition to get
across. ‘The Lovecraft Syndrome’ is a short film about a female college
student obviously getting over some sort of trauma. Rather than face
what has happened to her directly, she has thrown herself deeply into
research on horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and the possibility that his
stories might have been based on fact. This premise has been used
before in all kinds of cheesy pulp fiction, but there’s nothing cheesy
about the way Schmidt handles it. In his hands, it becomes a metaphor
for how fictional horror is easier to face than the horrors of the real
world. Schmidt uses the visual motifs of Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos to
nice effect, but ultimately that’s not the point of the film. The
horror here is psychological, and all the more effective for it. In the
end, it reminds me more of some of Ramsey Campbell’s later takes on
Lovecraft’s ideas than Lovecraft himself. This hasn’t been released
yet, but hopefully Schmidt will eventually release it along with his
prior short ‘Grave Invitations’. (Bob Ignizio)
‘Red Silk’ (1999, Sub Rosa)
Directed by Jess Franco
Jess Franco often gets dismissed as a hack. When
you bang out a dozen movies a year, that’ll happen, but I actually like
a lot of Franco’s movies. When he’s on, he makes highly enjoyable fever
dreams of horror, erotica, and pop culture. Unfortunately such films
make up a small portion of Franco’s body of work, and ‘Red Silk’ is not
among them. This is a slapdash affair, obviously made with a sense of
fun but not much else. Two women (Franco’s wife Lina Romay and actress
Christie Levin) hire themselves out as models to a guy with a really
cheesy dubbed Italian accent. This leads to them smuggling some artwork
for the guy, lesbian sex, and a silly ‘Thelma & Louise’ style ending.
There’s some funny parts, and Franco knows how to shoot a sex scene with
genuine eroticism, but overall I found this one tough going.
Recommended for hardcore Franco fans only. (Bob Ignizio)
‘Sin City’ (2005, theatrical
release)
Directed by Roberto Rodriguez and Frank Miller
First of all, if you’re a fan of Frank Miller’s
‘Sin City’ graphic novels, you’ll absolutely love this film
adaptation. You couldn’t ask for a more faithful rendition. The movie
fuses together three of Miller’s storylines: ‘Sin City’, ‘The Big Fat
Kill’, and ‘That Yellow Bastard’. Not only does it remain faithful to
the tales, but there are numerous shots in the film that look like
panels of the comics come to life. Like the comics, the film has a
hyper noir look to it, shot mostly in black & white with the odd splash
of color when needed.
We follow psycho Marv (Mickey Rourke) as he tries
to exact revenge for the death of a prostitute, cool criminal Dwight
(Clive Owen) as he helps Sin City’s working girls in a gang war, and
honest cop Hartigan (Bruce Willis) as he sacrifices everything to save a
girl (Jessica Alba) from “that Yellow Bastard” (Nick Stahl). There’s
not much to the stories other than dialogue and action, but that’s
enough to make this a highly enjoyable film if you can handle the
graphic violence, depravity, and frequent female nudity.
In the end, this is a triumph of style over
substance, pure and simple. There’s not much depth, and that’s what
keeps it from being a great movie on the level of ‘Pulp Fiction’ or
‘Kill Bill 2’, for instance. For all the adult material it contains, at
its heart this is pure male juvenile fantasy. I still had a great time
watching it, and I have no reservations recommending it to those who
aren’t easily offended. The visuals are amazing, the actors are
perfectly cast, and it lives up to its hype. What more could you want?
(Bob Ignizio)
‘Tae
Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War’ (2004, Columbia/Tri Star)
Directed by Je-qyu Kang
Two South Korean brothers are forced to join the
army to fight against the communist north. Older brother Jin-Tae
(Dong-Kun Jang) tries to shield his younger brother Jin-Seok (Bin Won)
as much as possible. He does this by making a deal with his commanding
officer to take on the most dangerous assignments with the understanding
that, if he earns a medal, Jin-Seok will be sent home. However, it
isn’t long before Jin-Tae finds himself actually liking the role of
soldier, while Jin-Seok realizes what’s going on and starts to resent
his brother. While at first Jin-Tae comes across almost like a South
Korean John Wayne, the movie refuses to make things that morally
simple. The plot isn’t simple, either, taking numerous surprising
twists and turns before ultimately reaching a satisfying and emotional
conclusion. If you like serious war movies, and don’t mind seeing some
of the most graphic carnage this side of a Lucio Fulci flick, I highly
recommend this. (Bob Ignizio) |
