Lone – 2014 – Something different

I find it very hard to write something about this. That’s not unusual of course since movies that don’t follow the usual conventions are a bit harder to comprehend. If you go for a different way to tell a story you’re bound to narrow down you audience. On the other hand, I don’t think you totally have to “get it” every time. Imagery can be “felt” and taken aside from the rational mind that we usually rate movies with. Mark Pellington does a fine job with that here. I wouldn’t go as far as comparing this with Alejandro Jodorowskys surreal masterpieces but now you know just which direction to expect from it.

This is more or less a musical video, but it’s quite lengthy (about 57 minutes) and there’s not music all the time either. The artist in question is Chelsea Wolfe whom I had no previous knowledge about. I can say that I enjoy her singing more than I would any other professional singer but she’s ok. I didn’t watch this for the music anyway.

And I’m sure there’s a story in there somewhere. But I can’t account for it. That’s not the point of this movie anyway, not in my opinion. What you should do is to let your mind flow and don’t try so much. Either you like it or not. I can’t say for sure what I think as far as a grade goes. I do know though that I had to watch it multiple times before getting any sense to it. Who said reviewing movies, short or long, blockbuster or independent, should be easy?

Short films of Jeremiah Kipp

I got a query if I was interesting in reviewing a few genre short films by Jeremiah Kipp. I didn’t think about long, I always thought that writing about flick you know nothing about is the most rewarding. If I could choose I’d write about stuff like this all day long. Short flicks or feature films that almost no one knows something about. I like writing about blockbusters and big budget films as much as the next guy too, but when people send their work to me it’s like Christmas time really. I just love getting stuff for consideration!

Contact

Contact – An about eleven minute long tale. As always, the short flicks are always the hardest to figure out. There’s no time to develop an in depth story with dozens of characters. But there’s not always a need to either. This particular story might revolve around one single event but it’s still pretty intense. I really like the imagery that Jeremiah Kipp delivers. There’s no need for much dialog and the few lines that are in there serve a purpose. I get the feeling that this is an exercise in suspense and it’s a successful attempt at that. At the end I can think of multiple solutions to what this film is really about. Pay attention and I think you will too.

Crestfallen – Short flicks also has the advantage that you can watch them a few times without wasting too much time. Imagine an epic film with a duration of  two and a half hours and that you see that three or four times in a row before you realize what’s it about and what to write about it. It’s an impossible task really! But with this six minute piece it’s different. If you don’t pay enough attention the first time you can easily make up for it right away. Not that the plot is very hard to figure out in the first place. I think it’s very well told using the imagery. There’s not much doubt about the storyline even if it’s not told entirely chronically. Maybe that’s just what appeals to me with this one, which I like very much. The sounds and the music emphasize the imagery very nicely! It’s quite an emotional tale which proves that you really can tell a heartwarming story in six minutes!

Drool – for me this is a very sensual… no sexual piece! It’s about four minutes long and kind of strange to watch. There are basically two bodies rolling around in some sort of gel. It may be a metaphor for something else but I interpret is more or less as a sexual act. I think what we see is the final stage of an intercourse with a mesmerizing orgasm ending. How much can be done I four minutes? Well, it’s not about what; it’s about how! It looks great but to be honest this one is a little too arty for me to enjoy at the fullest. A great play with the imagery though! There’s no dialog at all, and it’s not needed.

The Days God Slept

The Days God Slept – This one is hard to figure out. I mean there must be some morality to it right? Some bottom line, something the film is supposed to tell us. I’m not sure if I get it at all but that doesn’t mean that the ten minute long film isn’t good. I really like it! It shows the same degree of mastering the imagery. There are plenty more dialog in this than all the others short flicks put together. It seems to be a somewhat bigger production and there’s certainly a nice vibe to it. I just wish I could figure out what it’s really about. It obviously has something to do with religion and something else not usually connected to belief in God or a supreme being. There’s this stripper which claims that things are both precisely and not at all as they appear. I think this clue is very important and I based my solution of the movie around that, which, of course, doesn’t mean that I can put my thought into words.

Overall I really like the short films of Jeremiah Kipp! As I’ve said over and over again, the imagery is the strong side of these flicks, the thing that really stands out. There is acting way superior to the acting of most short – amateurish – flicks. This of course means that this is not amateurish at all! It seems to me that Jeremiah Kipp knows exactly what he wants and makes I happen! Very Nice!

Short Flick Review: The Shower - 2012

The Shower

Director: Gianluca Minucci

2012

Short

What we see is in essence a woman taking a shower. She get is, put on the water; soap herself, wash of the soap and climbs out of the shower. This is made really sensual by beautiful music and it’s a very beautiful scene to watch. Although we get to see her breasts and some pubic hair I would not consider it a sleazy short of any kind. It’s extremely tasteful and kind of sexy and there are no strings attached. We might expect to see more of her body but at the same time we realize that this isn’t going to happen. Absolutely adorable! It’s about 8 minutes long and doesn’t contain more plot than I already have described. It’ll be hard to rate it so I won’t…

It can be viewed HERE!

Mondo Flick Review: Mondo Cane - 1962

Mondo Cane

Director(s): Paolo Cavara, Gualitiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi

1962

Mondo

Once upon a time I thought these movies were of great entertainment values. Mondo flicks that is. I’m not sure if I even was aware what a mondo flick really was and I think I confused it with shockumentaries such as Faces of Death or Executions. Here we have a flick that are not even remotely connected to them. This is the real thing and one of the most famous ones. Possibly even the first of it’s kind but who knows? It might be interesting to know about the origin but it has nothing to do with the entertainment values.

I get the feeling of comedy here. Mostly because of the choice of music score. I don’t know if the intent is to make us laugh at what’s going on in a very cynical matter but that’s how it seems to me. But is it funny? Well… No! I can’t really relate to why it’s funny to ridicule native tribal traditions or to compare them with equally ridicule western traditions.

There are some observations of animals as well but most of the time the film lives up to it’s title – Translated into A Dogs World. I do find it entertaining that the whole thing start with barking dogs though. It creates the clever metaphor that the title suggests. But the cynicism isn’t very entertaining. I would much have preferred if the narrations were true and really described what’s going on before the camera. I cannot be absolute sure that it isn’t of course but it seem fairly obvious that the truth has been bend a bit…

I won’t grade this as I feel it would be unjust to the pioneering aspects. It has some qualities when it comes to that, there’s no doubt about that. But I won’t be watching this again for a long long time!

Sleaze Flick Review: Amateur Porn Star Killer 2 - 2008

Amatuer Porn Star Killer 2

Director: Shane Ryan

2008

Horror

I figure that if you have any interest in this movie you have already seen the first in the trilogy. I find it unnecessary to write down a synopsis in bold letter as I usually do since it’s really more of the same thing. Brandon picks up girls, fucks and kills them.

There are two version of the film on this DVD release. There is the movie version and the snuff version. They are similar of course but also quite different. The snuff version is more to the point without a lot of the stuff going on around the movie version. Personally I like the snuff version better, it’s somewhat rougher and also what the killer really intended. The victims’ pain and humiliation comes through better!

But both versions are very hard to watch, not because of the theme – which is truly a horrible one, but because of the way the story is told. Out of order and with a very shaky hand hold camera. There is lots of nudity – both male and female. It’s one of the things that the film benefits from; it makes it a little more realistic to be sure! But for the most part I’m sorry to say that it’s quite dull. I’d rather see the first film than this at any time but I’m still looking forward for the final part which I will review soon!

Extreme Flick Week: Snuff 102 - 2007

A translation of a review I wrote a few years in Swedish.

Snuff 102
Director: Mariano Peralta
2007
Extreme

A Young reporter gets interested in extreme violence and starts to explore the myths of snuff. She didn’t expect to get into the middle of things when her investigations began but now she’s in a world of torture, rape and domination, you can also add a little humiliation to it. Come to think of it, it’s not such a small amount of humiliation either. After all, the tormenter and/or the buyer of the taped deeds should get what they pay for – in full!

The definition of snuff that is used here are quite far from my personal opinion of it. It’s quite enough that someone gets killed on camera, the commercial business and the thesis that snuff must contain some sort of storyline where the killings are a natural part are not present at all. Hence this film is about making a film with murder and torture with no real plot. It’s mostly in black and white and from Argentina. I think it look pretty authentic.

The quality of the picture is quite bad though, I expect it to be that if it were a real snuff film so I guess that’s realistic! It’s pretty hard to see anything though, to see if it’s faked or not. Obviously this is not the real deal, you don’t have to be a genius to figure that out and there are moments when even the poor quality can’t hide the bad faked effects. At some point the perpetrator hits the female victim several times in the face with his fist and each time he’s supposed to hit her, the picture goes black for an instant. And it’s obvious that the punches don’t hit her at all! But there are also really grim and rough scenes that looks truly genuine. At some point the tormentor cuts off all the fingers of his victim with some kind of gardening scissors which looks pretty gruesome and realistic!

There is also a scene with a pregnant woman lying on the floor on her back and the perpetrator stomps her stomach time after time. This might very well be the roughest scene in the entire movie by the way! And the cruelties should be endless really. The imagination of a sexually deviated tormenter should be about limitless. But that is not necessarily the case here. As a whole, this is pretty stale after all. That doesn’t mean that those who aren’t used to extreme violence in movies won’t get shocked, because I think that’s just what’s going to happen! It wasn’t so strong of an experience for me though and those who have seen a few extreme flicks probably won’t get very excited over this, but that’s just what I think.

But this is not a movie with just loads of torture in it after all. There are also some moral to the story, a deeper sense if you wish. I don’t think it’s obvious and I don’t think it’s really effective either. But as I see it there’s also a story about why you choose to see such a film about death. The film asks questions about how the organization to such a distribution would look like. There´s also the matter of if the possible buyer of this kind of material gets turned on by the fact that it’s for real or buy the torture which causes the death of the victims. Is a violent death more arousing than a less tormented one? If the latter is the truth I see these as a failure, the quality of the violent deaths are so poor that you hardly can make out what’s happening. If I were into this hit I would pay extra money so that I actually could see what was going on prior to the victims’ death, if that’s what I was after. And what is the main purpose, to hurt other in a painful manner or to humiliate and degrade them? I realize that this might be almost the same thing at times of course, and that both deviances can exist without the other. It’s just a thought.

There is a comment in the movie which kind of speaks for itself. It is claimed that a video with a child being tormented, rapes and finally murdered in front of the cameras are more expensive for the buyer than it is to actually purchase the child on the market. I’m really not surprised and the reality of this is such a shocking thought that it’s almost impossible to comprehend.

I hoped that the torture in this movie would be very strong and really shock me but that wasn’t the case. There are scenes where the tormentor’s own body is in the way, so that you can’t see anything. An easy way to fake thing perhaps but not very realistic (who what’s to buy a death tape where you can’t see what’s going on?)! There’s also very little real connection to the victims and I think about something that was stated in a film called King of the Kickboxers. You need to get to know the victim to some extent to feel sorry for him/her.

I had a hard time with the annoying camera work, the annoying music and the dimly lit events. It’s the technical aspect of the movie that’s most painful to watch and what makes it pretty boring to watch. I think that it shouldn’t have to be this way in a  movie of this kind but on the other hand the creators may have been forced to do it depending on money problems. As good as it gets compared to the budget in other words!

And finally I feel like I have to defend the movie a bit. After all, I’ve been pretty harsh to it. It’s quite intelligent and it aims at being more than just a torture flick. There’s some thought put into it that perhaps the budget wouldn’t allow to get executed and there are some points in it. But I don’t think I’ll ever bring myself to watch it again anyway.

Extreme Flick Week: I spit on your corpse, I piss on your grave - 2001

This is a translation of a review written in Swedish from 2005.

I spit on your corpse, I piss on your grave

Director: Eric Stanze

2001

Extreme

Sandy (Emily Haack)voluntarily let herself be kidnapped by her ex boyfriend (Eric Stanze). She soon realizes that sex is not the only thing he’s after. Three men are chained up in the basement and Kevin – the boyfriend, describes in detail why he’s going to torture and kill them before her eyes and finally do the same with her! Sandy acts fast, she overtake Kevin and kills him. But what she does next is not in the lines of normal behaviour. She doesn’t free the other hostages at all, neither does she call the police. Instead she keeps them chained up and starts to torture them both mentally and physically to a certain death. She’s totally out of control!

I’m not entirely sure if this really should be classifies an and “extreme” film but it’s very nasty and deals with themes you’d never se in a big budget Hollywood film so I guess that makes it legitimate!

This is the third film by Eric Stanze that I see. I really like his style when it comes to telling the kind of storylines that he does. This might not be the best of his films but it sure has its moments. I recognize his style and there’s some guts and intestines’ of course. There is also lots of naked skin so if you’re looking for that kind of stuff you won’t be disappointed! But if the intent were to make the viewer sick to the stomach it’s not enough. There is something missing that I really can’t put my finger on. The pace it a bit low and you’ll have to wait both for the nakedness and the torture.

There’s no doubt that other rape/revenge flicks has inspired Stanze to make this one. Classics like I Spit on you Grave, Last House of the Left and House on the Edge of the Park were obviously in Stanzes head when he wrote the script! The nostalgia is obvious and the cruelties are visualized in a way were there’s really no emotions present. It makes you feel almost like a voyeur and still it’s as far from entertaining violence as you can come! There are shock values and the disgusting violence sort of feels real!

Emily Haack plays the leading roll with the same brilliance that made her presence in Stanzes Scrapbook to great! She’s really a very good actress which is something you’re not too used to when it comes to extreme violence movies such as this one. The other actors are ok but nothing more and nothing less for that matter. They can all be ignored there’s really no use analyzing their contribution to the movie.

A fun trivia about the film is when the sealed bags with faked body parts and stuff like that were found someone called the police and Eric Stanze had to explain that he was a film maker and that this was left overs from the film rather than the real deal. Several policemen and some coroner arrived to the scene and Stanze had to tell his story over and over again. This somehow got the attention of the press of course and soon Eric Stanze could be proud of making TOO good special effects for his movies!

If you like rape/revenge flicks I think this one will suit you just fine!

Extreme Flick Week: August Underground - 2001

This review is based on one I wrote in Swedish 2005.

August Underground

Director: Fred Vogel

2001

Extreme

What would you do if you found a videotape with two men executing the most hideous crimes? Crimes that you imagination never even could come up with? If you found a tape with severe sexual assaults and torture, would that shock you? What if it contained Coprophagia and cannibalism? This is the journal of two men, their way of documenting their everyday life and the violent killings they do just for fun…

There’s only a handful flick more infamous than this one! I can’t really say if that’s because it’s kind of difficult to get by, at least on a legitimate DVD. I would imagine it’s a lot easier to find a downloadable version as this seems to be the way things are done these days, but what fun is it to own an illegal copy anyway? I think part of the truth is that this film is somewhat unique. It’s filmed in subjective mode and is really extreme! The rumor has it that Fred Vogel got the film taken away from him in the Canadian customs and that is cause him to spend ten hours of his life behind bars. And that he didn’t even get to take the film with him once he was released.

If I were to compare it with anything else I would use the Guinea Pig film The Devils Experiment. There is a lot better documentary feeling in this one though. There are very few things to give away that it’s actually fake and not for real! The picture quality is bad just as it would be if it were the real deal filmed by a mediocre video camera. The victims act like the really are about to die and the perpetrators seems to be totally mental fucked up! They are truly sadistic and get aroused by their innocent victims’ pleas for mercy and laughs in the victims’ faces. They are in total control and won’t let anything get in their way!

But even it’s a unique film we can still debate on how strong it really is. For an experienced film critic such as myself it’s really not that much of a big deal. I have seen too much violent and bizarre film to be totally shocked by this. In fact, it gets quite boring at times. There are too many scenes which don’t contribute to any uncomforting feelings at all that make it all lose pace. But that’s a paradox of sorts too! It’s just those scenes that make the illusion of reality so good! We get to follow the bad guys both when they kill sadistically and when they to the most trivial things. I think that a mainstream viewer would be really shocked of this and it’s an extreme movie; there is no doubt about that! The films tagline describes it pretty well too by the way – The Sickest Film Ever Made. It might not be completely true but it’ll still give you a hint on what you are about to see!

6/10

Asian Monster Flick Week - Goliathon - 1977

Goliathon

Aka: The Mighty Peking Man, Xing Xing Wang

Director: Meng Hua Ho

1977

Adventure/Horror

There are rumors about a giant ape living in the jungle. It’s supposed to be as tall as a ten stories building. Such a discovery cannot be left alone since there could be loads of money to make on displaying such an ape! A expedition goes out to find it but quickly give up and return to Hong Kong. One man stays behind however and he finds bother the giant ape and a beautiful blonde who was raised by it. Soon the ape is chained on a transport ship going to Hong Kong. But what will happen once there? Will the ape behave just like it’s predicted?

First of all, of course this is a King Kong Rip off. There’s not much dividing the two films from each other. Of course this is Asian and the original King Kong was stop motioned by Willis O’Brien but in essence it’s the same. I believe that Fred Andersson mentioned the movie in his article about Kongsploitation in the Swedish fanzine Gory-Glory Magazine but just in a passing sentence of so. But I agree what’s said in that sentence – it’s a cheesy film!

But the cheezyness is part of the fun. Who cares if the miniatures looks fake or that the ape looks phony. Nobody’s interesting in that anyway, nobody would have thought anything different anyway. The most important thing about the movie is the beautiful Evelyne Kraft who plays the blonde Tarzan like woman. Her parents were killed in a plane accident and she was the sole survivor. Her best friends in the jungle, apart from the ape, are wild cats with which she can communicate. They protect her and she can pet them with no fear. In fact, these scenes are very impressive, I don’t know how it was made since it doesn’t seem to be tricked in any way. There’s a possible use of trained animals but it’s still impressive the way they can be treated while maintaining the actor’s safety. Oh, and there’s an elephant too!

Nothing is convincing in this movie but it’s still a lot of fun. The bad effects are surely a part of the entertainment and there are definite turkey qualities here. There’s city destruction and that’s one of the important things. Buildings are shattered and the giant ape is attacked by choppers on top of a tall building. Recognize it?

I won’t try to grade it since it wouldn’t be just anyway I could do it, but I can say that I got a blast out of this rip off – cheezyness and all!

Review: Torched - 2004

Torched

Director: Ryan Nicholson

2004

Horror

Deanna is a Nurse. One day she gets attacked in the elevator when she’s going to work and brutally raped. From this moment on she only has one thought in her mind – revenge! She plans the most cruel revenge scenarios of all, kidnaps the guy she is convinced is the perpetrator and gets to it! She will get her revenge – with a blow torch…

This was Ryan Nicholson’s first film with some length to it. It’s not very long anyway but if you compare it to a general short it’s still a bit longer. It’s about 44-45 minutes and there’s no time for character development. We get a rape scene almost immediately and that’s that. It’s not really an exploiting kind of scene but the theme itself is obviously revolting.

There is more focus on the actual revenge than on anything else. It’s rather monstrous executed and I would like to meet the guy who can watch some penis mutilation without quivering just a bit. If I would place this film in a genre, except for horror of course, I should be splatter. It’s a fine example of that, but there’s not really any humor as we’re used to. Maybe the blood splats a little too much for my taste and the effect of that might me more ridicules than anything else. As usually less is often more!

But you have to take into consideration that this is a flick that was made to learn a thing or two on how to make movies. Neither Ryan Nicholson nor the others are really master filmmakers yet. That is if you ever can master the art of making films? Like in everything else there are always thing to learn I’d say. However, I’d like to see this film as an interesting landmark when it comes to early career achievements. I can’t that That I recognize Ryan’s style so much in it but there are close ups of male genitals in it, faked of course!

But it gets a bit thin, the actors are hideous most of the time ‘and the whole production stinks of amateurism when it comes to editing and locations. And the fact is that even if the film starts right away, it still moves onward in a painfully slow pace. I would much rather have seen Ryan Nicholson’s original script, which is mentioned in the extras, if I’m going to completely honest with you.

But even if the film doesn’t attract me so much I still like the release! It’s a film that might be somewhat difficult to find on the market and it shouldn’t even have been released if I get it correctly. There was another version of the film in circulation on the net though and it’s been out there for a long time, maybe even since 2004. But this is the extended version with extra torture, new music and stuff like that. It looks great and if you’re a collector you must have this!

Review: Yakuza Hunters: The Ultimate Battle Royale - 2010

Yakuza Hunters: The Ultimate Battle Royale

Director: Kazushi Nakadaira

2010

Action

Asami, leader of the Girl Gang, is found several years after she’s thought to be dead and brought back to her peers. She’s in poor condition but she hasn’t forgotten who sis it to her. In fact it’s a former member of the gang which once was her friend – Junko. She’s betrayed them all and gone to work with the Yakuza and seems to be totally without empathy for the victims her actions has reaped. Her plan to kill the girls one by one and use their bodies as vessels for smuggling drugs was a heartless one. But she secured her position in the Yakuza and even taken control of the leader by performing sexual favors of a quite perverse kind to him.

At first I thought this reminded me of one of my all time favorite cult movies – Golden Queens Commando. It was certainly the women fighting in the way that they do that gave me this feeling. The two pictures really has anything in common, it was just a quick thought. There’s no prison here and there’s no escape from it. But there is a search after the bad guy and there is a connection in the Girl Gang similar to that of The Three Musketeers – All for one and one for all just like in Golden Queens Commando. They’re also both quite violent movies but this, being the newer and most modern of the two contains more blood, guts and intestines without any doubt.

This is the kind of movie where you invite your friends over, pop some popcorn and drink a few beers. You watch the film and have a few laughs. I don’t think it’s really intended to be taken serious. There are too many silly scenes in it for that. It’s intentionally funny I think. For my own personal preferences I think there’s a bit too much of the splatter effects but I know that there are a lot of people out there who likes them. I feel it’s a little bit silly…

But despite that, this is really a cool flick at least on a sexual level. There are loads of low angel shots almost showing what girls got between their legs. And the girls are hot, they’re beautiful and they’re sexy. They’re dressed in sexy clothes like leather skirts, suspenders and stockings even if it’s far from silk. These are tough girl that’ll stop at nothing when it comes to reaching their goal.

As this is a Yakuza film of sorts there’s plenty of cutting of finger scenes in it. They’re off camera but I still think they’re uncomfortable. There are a few body parts I have trouble seeing getting molested and eyes, feet and hands are among them. Although I cannot help being a bit impressed by strength of will it must take to mutilate your own body. Just the thought of cutting my own fingers off… yuck!

Images: © 2012 Cine du Monde (UK Licence)

Review: Amateur Porn Star Killer - 2006

Amateur Porn Star Killer

Director: Shane Ryan

2006

Horror

Brandon looks nice and doesn’t have a problem to get the girls attention. Beneath the surface lies a secret though. Stacy, the young girl he just picked up and persuaded to accompany him to his hotel room, will soon be aware of his dark personality when he manipulates himself into her mind and she “willingly” takes her clothes of one by one for him while he films the events. She has a nervous smile on her face during the “voluntary” undressing which changes when he force himself onto her, humiliates her and rape her right before he beats her to death – all on camera!

The idea itself with a sole perpetrator that kidnap young girls just to rape, humiliate and kill them on camera might not be a new one but it’s certainly an attractive one when it comes to pseudo snuff, which is what this film is all about. I have to admit that I was expecting a stronger, more explicit tale of violence but this is really a brilliant imitation of a genre so concealed in mysteries that no one has been able to prove its existence – yet!

The quality of the picture is crap and you don’t se any naughty and/or violent details at all and I think that’s the main thing. What you get is a film that the perpetrator records and this is just about what it would look like if he has lousy equipment. Very realistic indeed! One might think that he should have concentrated on capturing more graphic details if he’s going to get something out of his own recording later but that is not the case here. There is somewhat of an explanation in the end credits about this but I’m not going to give it away here.

There’s a big problem with the sound though, it’s so bad from time to time that it’s hard to hear the dialog. This might partly be for accomplishing the same effect as for the crap picture – realism, but there’s also a problem with the soundtrack, the music drown the voices, more or less. I really like the soundtrack though; it enhances the pictures and creates an atmosphere for the movie. But at the same time it’s bad for the realism, I don’t think that a real snuff film would have had any music what so ever!

Brandon (Shane Ryan) behavior towards the young woman becomes more and more violent during the film and that’s exactly the image I have of a perpetrator of his kind in my mind. Obsequious and flattering at first so that she will give in to his perversions and then a change of personality! The camera shakes and moves all over the place and with the combination of the bad picture this successfully hides what really happens and we – the viewers, must just our imagination instead. I usually claim that this is the preferred way to tell a disturbing tale but I am not certain about it in this case. I would like to have more of the violence and sex in the frame instead of outside it. It becomes kind of tame and it’s difficult to keep interested even if the movie is just around 70 minutes.

Definitely an interesting movie worth seeing, but not the masterpiece I was hoping for.

Review: Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo - 1981

Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo

Aka: Vi barn från Bahnhof Zoo

Director: Uli Edel

1981

Drama

When Christiane turns fourteen she tries to inject heroin for the first time. She has previously snorted it and used both valium and hashish. Her life begins to take a different and more decadent path, in fact, her life shatters. Her friends decrease in numbers and she only has one thing in common with the ones she got left – the drugs! But they cost money and where can a fourteen year hold get money? She turns to prostitution and learns the hard way of street life, how it works or rather how it does not work and descends into a world of drugs and prostitution.

This movie has often been praised as a masterpiece in various contexts and there’s no doubt about that it’s a great movie. But to be frank I was a bit disappointed with the initial 40-45 minutes. I didn’t think it was something special at all. Movies about youngsters in trouble have been made before and I tried really hard to figure out the difference between this and the other movies, our Swedish movies – G and Sova Räv for example. But it doesn’t take long to figure it out, what follow the first 45 minutes is something completely different. There is a rare realism both macabre and believable, it even disgusting and revolting on a couple occasions.

It is a film about drug abuse like no other to be sure. There’s no way to be certain on who lives and who dies when the end comes. Well, except the main character since the film is based on the book which is based on interviews done with the real Christiane. The filthy world she and the other live in is described fabulously and the environment is magnificent. The actors are great and it’s hard to believe that there just actors really. They could be the people they play for all I know but we have to settle on calling it authentic. It’s very nicely done!

There is no glamorizing or glorifying of the drugs anywhere. It’s a brutal film and it’s like punch in the stomach when it comes to realism, but that’s not what makes it so good in my opinion. What makes it good is that it lures the emotions out of the viewer in scenes that shouldn’t even be too emotional. Of course it’s tragic when people overdose and so forth but in a film with this story it’s something to be expected. But the love story between Christiane and Detlev is very touching. They seem, in despite that the main attraction between then is the drugs, to have an unselfish relationship. But on the other hand, when they the anxiety kicks in by full force the unselfishness are gone…

And I must mention the amazing, brilliant, magnificent, revolting scene where the abstinence kicks in for real! I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more frightening. It’s surely discouraging and I hope that the scene is strong enough to discourage from ever begin with the evil – the drugs!

Review: Begotten - 1991

Begotten
Director: E. Elias Merhige
1991
Art House

God commits suicide and there’s born a woman from His body – Mother Earth. This woman then gives birth to a son which is dragged through the landscapes with a rope around his neck. Faceless and cannibalistic creatures torment his in various ways.

I’ll admit that the above synopsis is very sparse, but that’s more or less what it’s all about. And it’s not very clear at all. If the possibility to read the story wasn’t available I don’t think that I could have come up with it myself. It’s very hard to get the storyline of this film! There are clues in the closing credits and the characters are stated to be as above.

To further confuse the films cinematography is pure black and white, and I mean just that – black and white, there’s no shades of grey at all. It’s very difficult to see what’s really happening at times and the impression of a gigantic Rorschach test comes across. The close-ups are extreme and I don’t think there’s any right or wrongs when it comes to interpreting this film. There is no dialog whatsoever and the music is very sparse. But there is use of sound within the picture that is very effective. It makes it exciting with nature sounds as crickets in the background which generates very exiting sound constellations.

It’s all about grotesque and morbid sequences, that much is clear, even if the detail are very hard to figure out or even see! The quality of the picture itself can be compared to something from the silent movie era and is like a visual trip through symbolism and metaphorism. I could write a review with a few thousand words about this movie but to claim that I have any of the answers would be a lie, and I’m very diplomatic at that!

I believe that each and everyone will interpret this differently. You may hate it and you might love it but I don’t think there’s anything in between. It will affect all. I personally found a fascination for it even if I didn’t understood it in a way that I really would have liked. And there for I conclude this review in a little different way than usually. Here is some shorthand I noted when I saw it:

An intellectual challenge

Great Art

Beautiful

Macabre and grotesque imagery

Not revolting

A visual trip

Fascinating

Slow

Surreal

Astonishing

If you’re lucky you might find it for a couple of hundred bucks on eBay…

Review: Consumption - 2007

Consumption

Director: Richard Powell

2007

Horror/Short

What seems to begin with a romantic dinner for two, soon changes into something more macabre. Something way beyond ordinary peoples frames of references. Professor George Klubbard and Claudia are fully aware of their commitments and will stop at nothing to complete the experiment. Empirical research that emphasises on unknown states of mind and experiences of flesh few can brag about.

It’s all too hard to review this movie in any other way than to reveal certain details of it. The following text may therefore include spoilers. Read at your own risk!

This is a short, no longer than thirty minutes long. These have a kind of dramaturgy not comparable to that of the feature films. It’s a more intense way of telling the story and you don’t have as much time to develop characters and so forth. To create a situation is however possible but to get the depth from longer productions is just not easily obtained. It also has a limited budget so no extraordinary details nor production values is neither possible. But it does not have to contain those things anyway! The tone of the movie is certainly amateurish, but still there is both a feeling of voyeurism and real ambition, underlying values of moral and it’s fascinating at the same time as it’s provoking and really gets under your skin.

I can’t get a total grip of the actors though, at first they’re really bad and the feeling that anyone could have done this at home with a camcorder is apparent. The initial events also seems to be unnecessary trivial. But then something happens! Not really that the acting improves, but as the plot thickens and evolve into a really unpleasant story when the cannibalistic ingredients comes along the production gets more intense altogether. I would compare this, at least plot wise to films like Marain Doras Cannibal based on the true events of German cannibal case of Armin Meiwes. Not that there any homosexual eroticism, or heterosexual either for that matter, but the romantic dinner and the victims willingness to the whole arrangement could easily be compared with that movie.

Instead of the sexuality there’s lots and lots of black humour in the story. Perhaps of the kind that goes unnoticeable the first time but still its present. It’s a pretty clever dialog, but even if it’s apparent where the storyline is going it’s still a bit of a chock when it’s revealed for us. You get overwhelmed by the obvious, so to speak. It’s macabre and totally disgusting (in the most positive sense of the word) and it’s flavoured with some really good and shocking gore effects. The blood might be a little thin but as a whole it doesn’t really matter, the whole point is not to shock with these effects and I’ve seen it done a lot worse in big budgeted movies too.

                                          

So… I like this, regardless of the amateurish production values. I see it as a must for those who are interested in nihilistic, cannibalistic and repulsive flicks. It manages to stay right on the egde and does not get tasteless just for the sake of it and leaves the viewer with a feeling and hopelessness and moral values!

Review: Easter Bunny Kill! Kill! - 2006

Easter Bunny Kill! Kill!

Director: Chad Ferrin

2006

Horror

Cine Du Monde

Remington claims that Mindy is his true love in life but he’s obviously a grafter luring his way into the family for whatever reason. Mindy also has a son, sixteen years old with Easter as his favorite holiday. Actually the kid is somewhat retarded and cannot really cops with reality. His greatest hero in life is his father and the Easter Bunny. When he gets a rabbit from a complete stranger he really starts to shine. Remington, only in for using Mindy, hates the boy – Nicholas, and the boy hate him back. Using threats Remington means to fool Mindy to believe that they can be on happy family. But when Mindy needs to get to work, Remington phoned a perverted man trying to sell Nicholas to him. No marks and no memory are the rules. In the meantime Remington goes out to get some prostitutes for the Easter party. But the party doesn’t go as he thinks, soon there’s a deranged killer on the loose killing of the people one by one…

It’s pretty obvious that this picture didn’t have a massive budget and the cinematography betrays its underground origin. I like underground cinema though and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it being obvious either. Especially when it’s done as nicely as here, it feels like you’re in the movie sitting like a fly on the wall rather than just seeing a picture on the TV. That’s always a good and intersecting thing in my home. I wouldn’t say that it’s exciting but it is somewhat suspenseful at times!

It takes a while for the movie to really get going but the characters are interesting and the acting is surprisingly good! I have some trouble believing the retarded kid as I think he overacts quite a bit but you can’t have everything and I don’t really know how retards talk anyway, it might be very accurate after all.

The intro shot (in a double sense) is quite disturbing and in your face. You get to see someone in an Easter Bunny mask robbing and killing a store clerk. It’s not a secret who did it for long though and we get to follow Remington on his was getting in to the family. At first we get the feeling that he’s only wants Mindy for sex, and she is rather good looking, but later, when he tries to sell Nicholas to a perverted bloke that seems ecstatic over getting the chance to abuse a retarded kid. At this point I thought this was the true meaning of the movie, an exploitation of perverted abuse of the boy. It really builds a tension but I was wrong. The next thing happening is that the Easter Bunny comes along and starts to kill people. It’s of course not the true Easter Bunny, just someone in the initial Easter Bunny mask and you can guess who it is, or at least try to guess. It seems obvious, but it’s not!

At this time Remington goes out hoping to get some pussy for his party. No problem since he knows his way around and picks up a couple of prostitutes. Here’s where the first nudity in the film takes place and I thought it would become somewhat sleazy. But there’s really no more than a few tits to be exposed. Not that I complain but I thought it would be a little bit more in that department!

Now the film takes its final turn and becomes what it’s been all along really. I wouldn’t call it a full scale slasher but it’s sure the main theme of the film. There’s also a lot more commenting on the nuclear family issues and mental disturbances. I had my doubts when watching it but when it’s finished I can see that this was a really good movie and well made with some thought put into it. It gives me so much more than just a basic exposition film and as for the killings; they’re done with some unusual tool. Well, at least it isn’t just knives and axes and things like that. We get to see drills, circular saws and stuff like that! And yeah, the ending took me by surprise and that’s unusual! Good Movie!

Bilder: © 2006 Crappy World Films © 2011 Cine du Monde (UK Licence)

Review: Familiar - 2012

A far as I know this is Richard Powell’s third short film. Both the other ones (Consumption, Worm) were quite good so my expectations were high when I viewed this one! I didn’t need to worry for long though; this is at least as good as the best moments of the previous films! It’s kind of hard to describe a synopsis when it comes to short films, they tend to be some what’s easy structure wise and if you describe too much you might spoil the film for those who reads you review. There for I will not describe it very lengthy and satisfy myself by saying that the main character – John Dodd, played brilliantly by Robert Nolan, is dead tired of his life as he lives it. He feels like in a prison and can’t wait for his kid to get to collage so he can leave his wife and start over again; live his life as it ought to be lived!

But he finds out that his wife in pregnant and plots to get rid of the fetus and regain his freedom once and for all! That’s more or less it. There are a few things that work as metaphors of course, but yet they might be true! Is there really a monster growing inside of John Dodd’s body or does he imagine things? Are they just there for us – the audience? Well, at the very end we get some answers but nothing up till that moment.

The story is great, the mood is awesome but nothing impresses more than Robert Nolan! It feels like he could pull anything of after seeing him in this part! He’s a genius and I never saw it before! He has always been very good but here he’s even better!

I think it’s really a movie about insanity (of some sort) and I absolutely loved it. The only problem with it really is that it should’ve been a feature film. It had that much story to tell and if it were spread out during a longer time and told a little slower it would have been a true masterpiece!

Review: Excreamer - 2002

Excreamer

Director: Shane Mather

2002

Comedy/Horror

Aliens, hostile toilets, a lunatic scientist and a rampage contagion that reminds of classic zombie symptoms. This is only some of the things this movie contains. The background is that NASA sent up a secret spaceship, full of toilets, into space in 1971. The reasons for this is still commonly unknown except for those who occupies the most influential positions in the power structures hierarchy Many years later when the spaceship reappears on earth, an alien species has taken control of the toilets and sets about to make use of them in their own demented plans Suddenly, people all around the globe start behaving like they’re crazy and turns into perverted maniacs.

Is it really possible not to like a film with all these elements? It seems to be as good as it gets as long as the twisted plot is concerned. At least that’s the feeling I got from reading the storyline. I would, however, have liked some more contexts. It feels a bit like there are some scenes that are put together just for the heck of it, and for the sole purpose to put it out on DVD. Naturally there’s mitigating circumstances as the movie itself had absolutely no budget, and you more or less have to enjoy the good parts of it rather than disliking the bad.

This is absurdity combined with splatter and the most important thing about it isn’t the skills of the actors. They simply don’t have to meet the award winning standards for their contribution in a production of this kind. Also, there’s no point in getting irritated by the films lack of logic, the absurdities just have to speak for themselves. That’s part of, if not the entire point of, the humour itself.

As far as I’m concerned, I felt that there was a little too much poop in the movie. The zombie-like decease is namely spread though shit - through the mouth that is. How this came to be is uncertain since there is no distinctive coprophagy to fall back on. My own theory is that the toilet seats contaminate humans through regular use, through the intestines and through the mouth. I honestly wish that more time were spent visualizing of how the toilets chase the humans, since there since some of these scenes are just hilarious to watch!

The movie itself is just about 63 minutes long, but it’s enough. It feels as if you don’t need to se any more of the special effects by that time. It’s noticeable that the Mather brothers doesn’t master the effects in full and in some cases the blood looks more like beetroot juice than blood that I’m happy with. In this area they’ve done a lot better job with the poop effects. There is also some CGI involved, which gives the film a kind of an amateurish sci-fi feel (that I like). But this technique has, luckily enough, not been used whenever the violence is concerned and its use is limited to the environment and things like that.