Tag: films

Review from Siuquxe Movies: INTRUDERS ( 2016 )

Movie Review:  INTRUDERS ( 2016 )

Synopsis from the review:  “A thriller directed by Adam Schindler, about Anna who suffers from agoraphobia so crippling that when a trio of criminals break into her house, she cannot bring herself to flee. But what the intruders don’t realize is that agoraphobia is not her only psychosis.“

Review from Siuquxe Movies: SYNCHRONICITY ( 2016 )

Source: SYNCHRONICITY ( 2016 )

Siuquxe movies notes some good films coming up in 2016, so I thought I would repost a few of these over the next few days.  This is more sci-fi/thriller than horror, but it still looks intriguing.

Synopsis from the review:  “In this mind-bending ‘Sci-Fi Noir’ a daring physicist folds time to travel into the past, trying to stop a mysterious woman from stealing his invention. But once there, he uncovers a surprising truth about the machine, the woman, and his own fractured reality.“

“Indigenous” Delivers Practical Effects, Good Scares, and A Smart Script

Source: “Indigenous” Delivers Practical Effects, Good Scares, and A Smart Script

Good review of what promises to be an entertaining, fun movie involving a chupacabra.

Review of Guillermo Amoedo’s Film “The Stranger”

“The Stranger” is a 2014 Chilean film directed by Guillermo Amoedo and produced by Eli Roth and Nicolas Lopez.

Writing at Hasting's Hardback Café, October, 2015
Writing at Hasting’s Hardback Café, October, 2015

Although most critics gave this low ratings in spite of citing some good aspects, I found this movie to be much better than average because of its thoughtful, understated style which is a relief from so many vampire films in which the violence hides the subtler qualities.   This film does have its violent moments (I thought the death of Caleb was one of the more interesting ways I have seen one vampire kill another), but they support the storyline instead of overwhelming it.

The best quality I found in “The Stranger” was its way of continually maintaining a haunting, eerie suspense without letting it flag.  I never knew exactly what was going to happen next or to where the film was leading me, although this is easier to see in hindsight of course.  I also thought its minimalist approach to the portrayal of vampires as average people afflicted with a horrific, contagious disease was a refreshing relief from the clichéd motif of vampires as hyper-erotic, ultraviolent superhumans.  The vampires here are average people tormented by an ailment that forces them to kill for blood while constantly threatened by incineration by the sun.  The vampires here do not revel in evil and, other than being able to heal very quickly from mortal wounds, do not have supernatural abilities.   This allows the viewer to become more sympathetic to their plight and to root for them when threatened by the antagonists.

The plot is not overly innovative, but it manages to be a decent vehicle for the suspense.

I give this 3.75 out of five stars.

Thoughts?  Comments?

 

The Hallow (2015)

Source: The Hallow (2015)  Check out David Sharp’s review of the The Hallow at Beneaththeunderground.  Here’s a quick summary of the movie from the review:

The Hallow (2015)

IFC Midnight

Director: Corin Hardy

images

In this British and Irish co-production, a British conservationist moves his family to a small town in Ireland, a town that borders a forest that the man is tasked with surveying for land prospectors. In a very Straw Dogs or Wicker Man sort of way, after ignoring the warnings of locals, the family finds themselves in a battle of survival with a group of ancient creatures that reside in the old forest.

 

Mad Love aka The Hands of Orlac

Source: Mad Love aka The Hands of Orlac

Here is a brief review of a long-forgotten Peter Lorre movie that sounds very interesting based upon critiques of the time and the modern-day reviews.  I will probably be seeking this one out.

The reviewer’s concise description of the plot is at the best inadequate.  He doesn’t mention what relation Stephen Orlac is to Yvonne Orlac (brother?  husband?)  and he doesn’t even allude to what Orlac does with his new-found ability with knives, though I suppose we are to guess that he uses them against Dr. Gogol in some fashion.  He probably could have done better.

“Dark Fairytales” from Horroraddicts.net

Source: November: Dark Fairytales

Follow the link to Horroraddicts.net for an interesting perspective on the dark side of fairytales and how they continue to exist in today’s dark literature, using Japan’s Hell Girl as a prime example.

I find this a fascinating article with a lot of excellent points, however there is one point that seems a bit superficial:

“Stories like this have taught us how to treat each other for centuries, but they have also taught us some very dangerous ideas:

  1. The evil always get their comeuppance.
  2.  Wait long enough (or suffer bad enough) and your prince will come.
  3. There are secret pots of gold or riches granted you when you out-smart evil beings.

Well…as we know living in the real world is not so easy…”

While these are the obvious lessons that fairy tales instill in children, and we, as adults, know the world is not so easy, it is important to look at their origins in history.   Fairy tales arose a few centuries ago when survival was much more difficult than today.  Medicine was primitive.  Laws were essentially the will of the emperor/king/local despot or the accepted religion (e.g. the Inquisition) enforced by his soldiers or officials.  No professional organizations or entities existed to investigate even the most mundane crimes, or if they did, the investigators were rank amateurs or hobbyists by today’s standards.   No organizations existed to ensure the quality of food  or of water or the safe disposal of wastes.  Duels and violent, personal retribution for offenses were not uncommon.   Life was often, as someone once said, “brutal, nasty, and short”.

In this type of environment, fairy tales gave hope to children and adults alike that they could survive the trials, tribulations, and horrors that existed beyond their doorstep and that some form of justice was woven into the ethereal fabric of the universe, that would right the wrongs they experienced or saw being done to others.

Today, the need to believe in fairy tales no longer exists, though it, no doubt, does among the very young and, by our modern standards, the very desperate.    The ancient fairy tales have not changed, though the times and environment have.   New ones have arisen reflecting the mentality, for better or worse, of our modern world.

Thoughts?  Comments?

 

Wolf Creek – TV mini-series

John Jarratt of Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 Please respect the owner's copyright.
John Jarratt of Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2
Please respect the owner’s copyright.

Source: Wolf Creek – TV mini-series

The renown movie will be an Australian TV mini-series come mid-2016 and will star John Jarratt.  Follow the link to the press release at Horrorpedia.com.   Filming started October 19.

SYNAPSE FILMS TEAMS WITH VHX.TV FOR NEW SYNAPSE ONLINE FILM LIBRARY

Source: SYNAPSE FILMS TEAMS WITH VHX.TV FOR NEW SYNAPSE ONLINE FILM LIBRARY

Follow the link above to the David J. Sharp article from Horrorunderground.org.

Romulus, MI (October 20, 2015) – Michigan-based Synapse Films, one of the most acclaimed and longest-lasting independent DVD and Blu-ray labels in the home video industry, is pleased to announce their new association with the innovative NYC-based streaming service VHX.TV, to now bring a selection of some of Synapse’s most popular films to the service for both streaming and download.  [From the article].

Thoughts?  Comments?