It's a Alive (trilogy) - 1974-1978-1987 - Monster babies are born, they kill!

This is actually my first attempt at video blogging, or vlogging as I've learned is the term for it. Anyway, this is the fist attempt. Hopefully there will be more and better entries.

A Dark Rome – 2014 – A Black Comedy from Italy

To be frank, my first impression of this was “what kind of amateurish crap is this?”. But then I started to watch it and I realized that what I initially thought was amateurish, was indeed part of the black humor. It has about as much presence of realism as a British drama, which is to say a lot. I believe in the characters in some weird sort of way. They are all exaggerated but still on the spot. It’s really nicely acted when you get it. Hopefully you will “get it” faster than I did. It took me three times before I really understood what I was looking at.

Don’t misunderstand me now. This is a good thing! I love it when I don’t understand the concept of a movie the first time. The experience of being “outsmarted” by the movie itself is just a measure of how well written it is. Some movies that you get right away might be very entertaining, but when they’re over, they’re just over. There’s nothing more to think about. Here it’s more like “what the heck did I just see?”. A very rare and pleasant feeling.

Part of what’s confusing me is that the story isn’t told in a conventional way. It’s more or less fragmented and skips in time back and forth. But on the other hand, this is way more common these days than it was a couple of decades ago. So this might be more conventional than I realize. Anyway, the story itself is about this guy who is hunted by the ghost of his murdered friend. I think this should symbolize the inner dialog; conscious of guilt and so on. They guy is involved to some extent in the death of his friend and is torn between doing the right thing, morally or what benefits him as a person the most. That’s my interpretation anyway.

By the end of the day, I find this a thoughtful piece of what’s morally right. It might not be very entertaining at first but it grows on you and if you dare to use your brain and think for yourself, you’ll see that this is by far more interesting than most of the mainsteam blockbusters out there.

I like it!

7/10

Trailer

Creeper – 2014 – a dualism, a contradiction, an oxymoron, a paradox

It was a few day since I watched this now. Some movies need that extra time to sink in before thought can be formed into words. I wasn’t sure what to think to begin with. There are parts that are really really gruesome and I wish they had been explored further. This could have been one of the most horrifying experiences all year, but it wasn’t. That doesn’t mean that it’s not good, because it is! It’s just not all horror, which I’d hoped for. There are also some in depth character visualization. We get to see what the main character (the killer) sees from time to time. It’s obvious that he doesn’t view reality in the same way as a “normal” person does. That’s good I think.

I was a bit disappointed with the movies length. It's about 54 minutes long and that means you are not given enough time with the story to really let it get to you. Once the bottom line starts to unravel it just… ends.

The acting in kind of uneven I think. Sometimes it’s just glorious and in the next scene it’s horrible. So my feelings about this are eclectic to say the least. Some parts are really very good and nicely made, whilst some parts are plain boring and badly acted/directed.

What about the main story? Well, it’s about this bloke who kidnaps young girls, keeps them in his cellar and tortures them. Its’ very painful torture by the looks of it too. There are saws and pliers involved, that’s all I can say. The only setback is that we don’t get to see that much. I guess the films budget stopped the development of special makeup effects. If it had the effects of a master or at least dared to show off a little it’d be beautiful.

I guess the story is inspired by real serial killers. I don’t know exactly who the most famous ones pop up in my head. It seems that this killer is based on the likes of Ted Bundy (his charm) and on others that are more gruesome in their killing methods. I like the character created here. It’s kind of a dualism, a contradiction, an oxymoron, a paradox.

The bottom line then? Well, as stated above I find it a bit uneven. It's still very watchable though, despite its short length.

7/10

Berenice – 2014 – Based on a story by Edgar Allen Poe

This is a story that originates from Edgar Allen Poe. As such I had high hopes for it but it turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. The story itself is gruesome enough but I find the acting lacking a bit against the usual standards in Jeremiah Kipps films. It’s interesting that it revolves around mental illness I some sort though. I love movies like that. However I think this suffers a bit too much from being too short. As this is the third Jeremiah Kipp short I’ve written about in a short while I see a pattern. I want them longer, but still as intense as they are now. I don’t know if that’s even possible but I can dream can’t I?

This short is included in an anthology that’s out on the market right now. I haven’t seen the other segments but you might want to check it out. It’s called Creepers, a fitting name don’t you think?

7/10

http://www.creepersfilm.com/

Infliction – 2013 – not just another found footage flick!

If you thought that this was just another found footage flick, you thought wrong. Sure, it has some flaws, but it certainly has a story to back up the concept. It may not be visible at first but soon you realize that the two brothers, who record they’re killing spree, has a grand motif. They don’t record their bloody deeds just for our amusement. In the description of the movie we’re told that director Jack Thomas Smith just showing us genuine recordings of the two brothers’ tapes. It would be tempting to believe that’s the truth but I don’t but it. At most, this is a story based on real events but I don’t know if even that is true.

Anyway, we get to follow the two brothers when the break in to a victims house after another. At first it seems just random but soon you realize that they have a real agenda and a goal with what they’re doing. I could describe it for you but I don’t think I won’t. It’ll take some of the suspense away from the experience. Let’s just say it has something to do with their upbringing to do. There are clear morals told here and there and what is right and wrong is sometimes somewhat debatable. What about vengeance? Is that excusable if it comes to punish those who did you wrong in the past?

At times it’s a really bloody experience but I think you should look past the blood and focus on the morals that are told. There are doubts among the brothers if what they’re doing is really right. But in the end it’s justifiable by they’re pasts. That’s one way of looking at it anyway. You might find another answer for yourself when you see it. In short, it’s about a tragic upbringing and what lies beneath.

I really like the idea as it’s a subject that lies close to my heart. There may not be the best the actors around, not from the victims anyway. But I can live with that. I would have preferred it if they could show fear on a higher lever for instance. But I’ll settle for less when the story has such a depth.

7/10

Bounty – 2014 – Adorable coming of age film

I won’t bore you again with how difficult it is to write reviews on shorts. But then again, I just did, didn’t I? The truth is that even if this is a 22 minute film it still has a lot of content. Many short movies have a scene or two in them and that’s all it is to it. Everything is very compressed and a lot of this has to happen in a short amount of time. I never get that feeling here. It’s better paced that many of the feature films I see every week. The story may not be vast but it’s still enough for it to work.

Tako, is a black kid. He’s adopted by a lesbian couple and raised accordingly. Some of the other kids call him bounty, because he’s brown on the outside and white on the inside. Tako hates it and wants to blend in with the other kids. He claims that his father is a well known artist, a rapper called “dirty man”. That’s not true of course but it gives the other kids something else to pick on him for. They need to show him how to behave “proper”.

I think the film tries to teach us right and wrong and I think it does a fine job doing it. There are morals in the story which should appeal to all of those who preaches about finding your “inner peace”. It’s not about what other think of you. What’s important is what you think of yourself, if you’re true to your “inner peace”. I think there’s a lot of kids out there trying to be someone that they’re not just to impressed their friends. But I say that real friends encourage you to find yourself and accept you for who you are, not anything you pretend to be.

As I said, it’s 22 minutes but it’s rich when it comes to emotions and I really liked the morals of it. This film is needed. Everyone should see it!

7/10

A Day for the Fire – 2014

Once again I must admit that I find it difficult to write about short movies. I mean those that consist of more or less one scene or one set to tell their story. This particular film focus on a man that returns to his home village after twenty years in exile. He walks into a pub and orders some coffee. Soon he’s joined by another man who, just like the first man, finds the burning fire cozy. They start to talk to each other and the other man reveals some very personal things, about his dead kid. The kid apparently committed suicide.

But it doesn’t really matter if he committed suicide or not. What the conversation they’re having is about is of little importance. At least as long as it’s a melancholic one. The whole point of it all is essentially an exercise in storytelling with very small means. Both of the men are brilliant performers and the direction is splendid. The music is very important of course as well as the cinematography. I like it even if it didn’t bring me to tears. It made me think about what’s important in life even though I feel that the main purpose of the short is in the technical aspects.

7/10

I have permission to share it with you so here it is!

Creature 2013 – 2013 – No, I’m not sure I get it..

Director: Ronny Carlsson

Short/Art House

I can’t remember when I started to get absorbed by the films of Ronny Carlsson. He has made some brilliant movies and I was so taken by one of them that I decided to co-fund its release. Somehow I managed to mention that in every review I’ve made about his movies since then. I guess I’m proud of my contribution to film history! But it also means that I compare everything he does to that one movie which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Its my problem of course, not Ronnys and it shouldn’t really affect what I’m thinking about his creations but I can’t help myself. I want to experience the same magic all over again one more time in my life!

I really like the style of this one; it was filmed using a cell phone just as the previous Goodbye Little Betty. It makes it look gritty and cheap which suit the film very well. There’s a major difference between the two though, this one has sound and even dialog. I can’t say that I’m used to that in a Ronny Carlsson film. Its not much dialog mind you but there are a few sentences here and there. I’m glad to say that these are in Swedish and even what sound like natural dialect to me. I hate when there’s none natural dialog in movies!

But… I’m not sure I got the story… I mean, I get that the female lead is experiencing something overwhelming but I can’t exactly say what. But that’s also the beauty of it. Why do you have to know every thin in detail to appreciate a movie? Why can’t the metaphors simply speak for themselves? We really don’t have to see everything the characters are experiencing! I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again (and again). Less is more every day of the week!

That doesn’t apply to the editing of this film though. The editing is also done by the Writer-Director Ronny Carlsson and emphasizes the bad feelings we feel when watching the woman descent into darkness. He did a marvelous job here. I imagined this took quite some time to get right! And there’s the usual Midas touch of suiting music to the imagery that Ronny Carlsson always seems to get just right!

7/10

                                                                                                                                                               

The Cohasset Snuff Film – 2012 – Is this the real deal or not?

Director: Edward Payson

Thriller

The story is basically about a seventeen year old kid named Colin Mason. He gets a film camera to use on his schools years book project but he uses it in quite another way. He films himself gruesomely murdering three of his class mates – and publish the films on the internet!

The filmmakers claim this not only to be based on true events – and it looks pretty authentic to be honest, but also to be so called “found footage”! I have a hard time grasping that it could be such a film, which should mean that real murders are included. There’s a thin line between entertainment and a documentary but that would place this movie itself very close to true and genuine snuff! I don’t believe it!

I wasn’t sure if it was based on true events though. I did some fast research on the subject since I didn’t want to rule it out. There are a lot of sick and twisted people out there, why shouldn’t anyone commit murder and film them for their own amusement or to make money from it? I think that one of the questions the film tries to ask its audience! It’s pretty obvious that there’s also a comment in there for those of you (or those of us) that seek out the most gruesome stuff on the internet just to watch it. Remember those Russian guys that killed someone with a screwdriver a few years back and filmed the whole thing? That found its way on to the internet. The film asks you – why do you watch such things? Why do you seek it out? Does that make us monsters?

The film itself isn’t that graphic. I like that it’s kept on a realistic level. Had they gone over-the-top with buckets of blood the whole point would be lost. As it is now the film still is chocking! It makes you think about what going on in the world, starting with the viewers own perspective.

It isn’t your typical run of the mill horror flick. This has something more to offer. I personally like when the flicks try to get under your skin without doing it too much. I don’t know how many times I’ve claimed it but less is more any day of the week when it comes to serious, frightening, realistic movies! So if you think you’re going to see a flick filled with special effects and gruesome murders think again. This might not be for you. But on the other hand, if you’re after something that might challenge your mind, this might just be the right movie for you!

7/10

Naprata – 2013 – A Serbian found footage film

Director: Mladen Milosavljevic

Horror

The film starts out with a documentary team seeking a man knows from an online clip. The clip shows him beating his mother and as their goal is to capture violence against women, it’s very interesting for them. Soon, however, they discover something much more sinister. There’s a local legend of an ancient demon and they ‘even soon finds out how to summon it. This story seems to be far more interesting as they starts to follow it. But as the old saying goes – It’s better to believe than to be convinced!

If I hadn’t got this film sent to me I never would have heard about it. It’s not like I investigate by turning every stone to find all Serbian Films I can. I’m sure there are lots and lots of them out there that’ll never see the light of day. They’re still interesting for a small amount of people but they’ll never get as well known as Sprski Film or Life and Death of a Porno Gang. This doesn’t mean they’re less interesting but if you don’t seek after them you’ll never find them. The majority of easy to get film comes from the USA, that’s a fact.

But I’m glad I got this! It’s an interesting film in many aspects. First of all I think they’d done very well with the found footage thing, or a mockumentary as it really is. It seems legit even though it’s obviously not! Its fiction and nothing else, the interviewed people seem to be very, secret at first, then concerned about the legend and even more so about the teams desire to capture Naprata on camera! There are very specific rules to follow if a summoning is to be made safe. Can the team follow the instructions to the letter or not?

The version of the film that I saw was with the dialog in original Serbian and subtitled in English. Neither is my first language and I was confused a few times by the subtitling grammar. It’s not a big deal but as I don’t know a word of Serbian I’ll have to depend on the subtitles to tell me what I need to know. There were a couple of questions there on however the translation was correct. But on the other hand, I already forgot what it was, so I guess it wasn’t a biggie.

I think there’s too many found footage movies being made nowadays. It seems to be in fashion and I think that very few of them really go all the way making them believable. This one pass the test and it also has an interesting storyline and some suspense as well. There’s no need to tell a supernatural story of this kind if you can’t deliver suspense. But I think they did a fine job of that here. Believable mockumentary, good acting, and suspense. This one is a winner!

7/10

Horror flick review: Grave Encounters 2 - 2012

Grave Encounters 2

Director: John Poliquin

2012

Horror

A film student gets convinced that the film,”Grave Encounters” is actually for real and not fiction at all. He gathers evidence to prove his thesis but no one seem to believe him, at least not ‘til he confronts the producer of the movie. At first he gets thrown out but security but later gets an off-camera interview with the producer. Using candid photography he still manages to get the producer on tape and he does in fact admit to that all the footage in the first movie is for real and that all the actors have disappeared. The next step is to break into the same asylum where the movie took place and prove once and for all that it’s all for real. That’s something he and his friends shouldn’t’ have done!

Just like in the sequel to The Human Centipede the first movie exists in the universe of the film. That is to say that it’s considered to be a movie that’s been made and that the sequel itself is in fact an original movie. Because if the first film is just a movie how can the sequel be a sequel? It can’t, it must treat the first film as a film and not as reality which is quite uncommon in my opinion. But this argument gets really complicated when the first movie is claimed to be the truth and not just a movie. I also feel that I could fill several pages with my thought about this but would anyone really care to read about that? I don’t think so, so I’ll stop now…

I think this is a quite clever film! It was written by the Vicious Brothers which also wrote and directed the first film. It doesn’t catch me quite away though, it takes some time before it gets really interesting and it doesn’t get scary until we are back in the asylum. But when we get there the amount of paranormal activity is much more intense than in the first film. There is also a different approach to it since the characters in this movie really believe that something weird is going on, which the characters in the first movie didn’t.

The acting is nice most of the time and the visual effects are stunning. I’m not necessarily too fond of night vision shots but they do the trick here and it’s a very nice illusion of what the real deal would look like if something like this were to happen.

We don’t get many answers to our questions about what’s really going on in that asylum, what happened there and why it’s so violently haunted. But it’s an effective movie and I think it’s safe to say that we can expect another sequel! Why shouldn’t there be? Both of these films have been very effective and scary and this is actually even more so than the first film. It’s a great concept, found footage and haunting combined!

7/10

Horror flick review: Smiley - 2012

Smiley

Director: Michael J. Gallagher

2012

Horror

The urban legend says that a masked killer will appear behind the person you’re chatting with over the internet if you type “I did it for the Lulz” three times. Ashley is about to find out just how real the legend are when she witness one of the murders. She gets obsessed with Smiley, as the masked killer is called, and investigates what’s really going on. The more she discovers the more terrified she gets. Is it really true?

This is the movie you get if you mix Candyman with A Nightmare on Elm Street and then top the cocktail with some of Wes Cravens Scream. It’s not all bad but the part before the opening credits which I suppose is there to make us ask for more, is very weak and not very interesting at all. I feel that the acting is quite bad in this teaser but thankfully it gets better later on.

I expected a slasher of some sort and that’s partly what it is too. But since the urban legend revolves around an internet phenomenon the killer is only visible through the video chat. For the victims he kills he’s real enough though. The kills are quite boring but there is something about the movie that is actually quite scary. It’s something I can’t really put my finger on but as one of the main aspect of the movie also is mental illness or at least the human psyche it does a lot for me. I like it when you can’t really tell what in the imagination of the main character and what is actually real.

This is where A Nightmare on Elm Street comes into the picture. Obviously there’s no Freddy Krueger but Smiley seems to exist only in fantasy too, just like Freddy. But when the dreamer awakes there are still some evidence of the dream – like torn cloths and such things. It’s not as prominent as in A Nightmare on Elm Street of course but it gives a nice touch.

It’s quite entertaining but what really makes the trick is the involvement of the twists of Scream. This is not very prominent either but still makes the movie a success. The twists and turns that comes when the film is about to end might not come as a total surprise but is still not what you’re expecting. It’s a straight forward film with a twist or two towards the end but they do make a difference! Oh, and the Candyman part is obviously that you need to repeat “I did it for the lulz” a certain number of times. But I guess that isn’t uncommon for an urban legend anyway.

7/10

Review: The Sweet Hand of the White Rose - 2010

The Sweet Hand of the White Rose

Director: Davide Melini

2010

Short/Horror

I always have some difficulty writing reviews of short films. They don’t work in the same way as proper features and they usually tell the story in a very fast manor. It’s in the nature of them of course. To tell the story in just a few minutes instead of an hour and a half is a totally different thing. You need to be very precise with what you’re telling and there is no time for character development. At least very little time!

I think that writer/director Davide Melini does a fine job here. It’s very clear that the story follows to different individuals and that their paths will cross somewhere. It’s also very clear that the crossing won’t be a pleasant one… The moral of it all is that life is precious and that you should be careful about what you do on the roads. Yes, the story concerns a car accident! I can’t really figure out what the opening sequence has to do with anything though?

But it’s also a horror story! Or at least it has elements of it. The second part of it is very gothic and kind of scary. There’s a lot of inspiration from Asian ghost horror movies even if the themes is nowhere near as confusing as the Asian ghost stories can be. And I must confess that I got kind of fooled by it too. I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong! I like being wrong! That means that the filmmakers have made a good job with the twists. There’s no point of having twists in a movie if you can smell them a mile away is there?

I liked this and I feel it’s a pretty damn important issue! Don’t drink and drive and don’t text and drive either! It can only end with disaster. This might be an eye opener to some!

7/10

Review: Gut - 2012

Gut

Director: Elias

2012

Drama/Horror/Thriller

Something is missing in Tom's life. Every day he goes through the motions, becoming increasingly detached from those around him. His best friend Dan thinks he has the answer, a mysterious video he's got to see to believe. What Dan shows him leaves Tom unsettled, flooding his mind with disturbing images and desires, and binding the two friends together with its ugly secret. As he tries desperately to forget what he saw, Tom's mounting feelings of guilt and disillusionment quickly give way to paranoia and fear. One video soon follows another and another, blurring the line between reality and voyeuristic fascination, and threatening to dismantle everything around them. 

I did not write the above description of the film but I found it being so informative that there was really no need to rewrite something original for the sole purpose of this review. Maybe I would have included that the film that might solve Tom’s problems and fascinates Dan is some kind of snuff-porn where a woman gets cut open with a scalpel. There’s really no need to leave this information out as the movies title kind of gives that away anyway.

The whole atmosphere in this movie within the movie is sexual but there’s no actual footage of sex or sexual encounters. Nor is there any real evidence of sexual arousal by the viewers of it. There is insinuated fascination but not really arousal. This means that the film is not there just to shock us but also to frighten us, which it does over time. To begin with Dan tells Tom that he ordered it online somewhere but later confesses that someone just sent it to him after he wrote his postbox number in some forum.

When Dan gets another DVD, and then another and another we realize that this is not sexual at all. At least not for the viewers. Tom and especially Dan can’t let go of it and feel themselves forced to watch. The fascination gets more prominent but we realize more and more that something about this is totally wrong. (when someone sends us DVDs of women being cut open we should feel kind of awkward don’t you think?).

What good about it is that there is a presence of the question what is real and what is not? Soon the DVDs start showing women that they know being cut open. Here stops the fascination and terror begins. Why are they receiving these DVDs? Who is sending them, and why? Are they even real?

The friendship of Tom and Dan are soon in jeopardy. They cannot support each other more than to a certain point. They just want the whole thing to end. In the end it’s all about mental instability and the need to protect ourselves. Looking out for number one and your own family is the prime directive. Your friends are really secondary!

I was surprised how well acted this was. Neither of them will get an Oscar nomination for their work but they portray the characters very satisfactory. The same thing goes for the directing and the visual effects are very good also! It was an exciting experience watching this and I feel that the suspense was there almost all along, which is truly uncommon for a low budget movie like this.

7/10

Photos by Will Serber, © Gut Productions, LLC

Review: Chekist - 1992

Chekist

Director: Aleksandr Rogozhkin

1992

Drama

Cheka – pre KGB, is the Russian secret police. They arrest, prosecute and execute enemies of the state in a matter of minutes. This is part of everyday life and it’s the same thing over and over again. A few officers decide in a rapid manner if the prisoners will face the firing squad or not. Well, they always meet the same fate in the basement. They are put five at a time against wooden doors in the basement and shot in the back of the head. Then the next five takes their place and so on. The bodies are then hauled out through the roof and soon forgotten. It’s the same business every day, enough to drive anyone mad!

First of all I had to admit that I never heard of this until Film Bizarro Releasing released it a few days ago. I was lucky enough to get one of the copies which are limited to just 50 and probably already sold out. But enough of that, onward to the movie!

It’s presented in 4:3 which is kind of annoying but watchable. I have no idea what the correct aspect ratio of the film is (I never even heard if it remember) but I’m so used to widescreen these days that it’s strange watching to TV screen with black vertical blacks at the left and right. The picture quality itself is ok I guess, beggars can’t be choosers and you have to take what you can get. Ok, that sounded like a complaint about the picture quality but I didn’t mean it that way at all. The picture looks fine, but compared to Hollywood blockbusters it’s a bit blurry of course.

As I never heard of the movie before (I keep repeating myself) I had few clues to what it was about. The Secret police executing criminals isn’t that much information really. But then I read something about the main character descending into madness. That’s very interesting! Did that mean that he would go berserk on the victims and sadistically torment then even more before their executions? Well… eh… no! On the contrary actually!

The executions are everyday business and it’s more or less portrayed as going to work, doing the job and going home again. I think that this is the main point, day in and day out of executing people must take its toll eventually. No human can live with that and rationalize the actions of being just, even if you can convince yourself that the good of the state itself is the most important thing and that the people of it is nothing more than secondary. That’s kind of the political aspect of it as I see it, sort of anticommunism.

Obviously there is the psychological view of it. To paraphrase Bob Dylan: How many times can you turn you head, pretending you just don’t see? In the end many of the Cheka looses it in one way or the other. One of them tries to hang himself, another almost gets himself shot. The truth is that it’s the dysfunctional society is to blame not the individuals that carries out the dirty work.

The film is an unsettling disturbing experience that’s not very entertaining. And that’s also the point with it. The executions are not glamorized in any way; they are dirty and in your face and should affect you. The point is to let the film get to you and dare to watch it in a serious state of mind.

7/10

Asian Monster Flick Week - Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

Director: Shûsuke Kaneko

1995

Action/Fantasy

An atoll is discovered in a place where there shouldn’t be one. Further more, it moves. Scientists are astonished by the discovery but can’t really figure it out. At the same time gigantic birds with wingspreads of 10 meter or more are discovered. No one knows where they came from or why they have appeared now but they seem to be man made. No creature has such a prefect DNA strain! Finally a prophecy is discovered on the floating island along with some strange metal, unknown to man. The prophecy speaks about the birds called Gyaos and the protector – Gamera. Soon they realize that the floating island really hides the giant turtle Gamera. But can he save mankind from the birds or is he seen as an equal threat?

First of all, I have not seen any of the old movies about Gamera but I don’t think that’s necessary to appreciate this one. Its great fun and I think it’s about that. If you’re looking for a fright fest with horrifying monster you should look elsewhere. But these rubber monsters are quite charming and the script is kind of cartoonish. Nothing wrong with that since it’s obviously intended to be so.

The effects might not be top notch of what can be done but there’s no CGI and I like these old school effects. The also bring charm to the movie. I would have liked to get some more background information, there’s an explanation of where Gamera and the Gyaos are coming from but it could be les vague and more exposed in my opinion. As usual the government representatives are quite stupid. They treat Gamera as the fiercest enemy and try to capture one of the birds alive, just for studying. Even if this might be the esthetical way it’s very VERY stupid in a monster flick. You see how it went in Alien didn’t you?

There are no surprises throughout the film. Everything happens according to the rules for this kind of movie. And again, if you’re after suspense and tension you need to look elsewhere. I liked it quite a bit since it doesn’t claim to be anything more than it is. It’s a fun and entertaining movie, nothing more and nothing less. You could say it has the entertainment values of a real turkey but I don’t care. This is entertainment!

7/10

Review: Regissören - 2011

Regissören

Director: Ronny Carlsson

2011

Mocumentary

First of all let me tell you what an honor it is to be given the chance to write the first review of this in the entire world! I’ve seen all of Ronny’s previous movies, at least I think I have, and they’re all very special in one way or the other. You can clearly see that he has evolved from making fun shorts to complex thoughtful script where he forces the viewer to think. He has a thing for picking the optimal music for his scenes and there’s usually very little dialog – if any. The title of this movie – Regissören, literally translates into The Director and is in essence a mockumentary.

Its quite different though. But needless to say it works on so many different levels. First of all we have the obvious mockumentary level. I would certainly hope that some of the sequences are a product of Ronnys imagination. But there is also a true documentary side I think. Ronny may have chosen to manifest this in metaphors but have spoken with Ronny many a time I think I know what he means by it. It’s an expression of emotions and not to be taken literally.

It also works as an experimental and surreal film and it’s obvious that Ronny knows what his doing – or not? I say not because there’s so much trial and error in his movie making, at least that’s what he’s expressing here. But I could misinterpret of course, that may be part of the mockumentary. Haha!

The editing is top notch of course, that has always been Ronnys strong side and here he’s playing with it more that usual. The movie is mostly in Swedish but there are subtitles and some are spoken in English too. Dialog in a Ronny Carlsson film is awesome! There’s one sequence with an interview of sorts which is a highlight of the film. It’s so funny! They sit and talk about how to make and how to not make films. The true intentions of them and the need for experimentation. As soon as imaginative editing is mention the film takes a turn as shows just what they’re talking about. Many a true word are spoken here and I believe most of this is true to Ronny as a film maker and as a person.

Further more, the movie also works as a finishing part of Ronny “Shitty Camcorder Trilogy” which started with Video Geisteskrank and My Monster as well as a standalone anthology. I like this very much! Finally I think it kind of works as a promotion for Ronnys Forthcoming film Dustbox which I cannot wait to see!

7/10

Review: The Alcove - 1985

The Alcove

Director: Joe D’Amato

1985

Drama/Erotic

When Elio De Silveris – a colonel, returns from the war, he does so with a trophy. He’s been given the chiefs daughter as a gift and she is now his slave. It the house his wife isn’t too please about having the “savage” present and make racist comment all the time. She suppresses the black girl and tries to humiliate her at first. After a while she gives in to her beauty though and the slave girl plans her revenge on the couple and on the colonel’s secretary. Pretty soon it isn’t that clear who is the slave and who is the master anymore. Zerbal – the black woman, seduces everybody with her beauty and love making skills and the former masters become her slaves.

I’ve seen and reviewed a few flicks by Joe D’Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) before but this is the first time I do so in English. D’Amato is certainly an uneven director, he made tons of films and only a few of them are mentioned when it comes to discussions about him or his movies. There are of course Anthropophagous, which is more or less the same movie as both Porno Holocaust and Erotic Night of the Living Dead minus the hardcore sex. And speaking of hardcore, D’Amato more or less stopped doing regular movies and devoted himself to porn at the end of his career. This is done before that moment and doesn’t contain any porn at all, no hardcore material is present but there’s plenty of softcore to enjoy!

There are not many actors in this film, and most of them are notable in one way or another. Al Cliver plays the colonel and there’s also Lilli Carati and Annie Belle as the wife and secretary. But most importantly, there’s Laura Gemser. I’ve written a great deal about her stunning beauty in other reviews and this is no exception. She’s absolutely fabulous and the others fade in her presence.

I don’t usually think that she’s a great actor, and she doesn’t need to be in an erotic drama with her looks, but here she outdoes herself. She transforms her character brilliantly between the submissive slave girl to the strong master she’s becoming. At first I didn’t think much of it but at the end of the film it’s obvious. She’s changed herself as much as the other have, or even more so!

But the first half of the film is not much to remember. There are just some softcore scenes, which indeed are beautiful, but not remarkable. The last half is where the entire main plot takes place. Of course the first part is needed as a base to build the twists on but the base is kind of boring to watch. The second half is very entertaining and has some softcore in it also. The ending comes much as surprise but it’s a little too abrupt I think. However this is a very fine film and I would say that this is far better than most of the more recognized films by D’Amato, a real gem actually! 

Review: 7 Days to Live - 2000

This is a rather effective suspenseful horror flick. It reminds me of classics like The Shining, Poltergeist and perhaps The Amityville Horror too. Amanda Plummer does a good job in one of the leading parts, especially when she characterizes insanity. Because it’s not certain that it’s about insanity at all but many classic details are part of the story. A lost child, a new place, a relationship about to break down and attempts to start over again despite the hard times are all parts of the story. It can just as well be a ghost story and what’s charming about it is that you can’t really say until it’s over. Pretty exciting! Sean Pertwee as the husband is equally good and when they act together and shows the relationship and the trouble within the film is at its best. The characters are believable and I don’t think that’s very common where flicks about haunted houses is concerned.

7/10