Notable Cast: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser,
Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Claudia Black, Rhiana Griffith, John Moore,
Simon Burke
Vin Diesel’s career has certainly had its ups and downs and,
quite frankly, most of his key franchises feel like roller coasters of quality
as they careen around attempting to find their footing. One of those happens to
be the Riddick series which saw itself soar so high, the sun melted its
wings, and it quickly crashed to the ground to become a passion project series
for the divisive actor. It’s origins in Pitch Black, the
little-film-that-could, are still impressive though. It’s a tight, ambitious,
and effective piece of science fiction horror that still holds up. The latest
4K release of the film, courtesy of our friends at Arrow Video, is a welcome
upgrade to the previous Blu Ray in my collection that sports not only a slew of
the various original and new features, but a gorgeous transfer that maximizes
one of the key aspects of its visual style.
Notable Cast: John Adams, Toby Poser, Zelda Adams, Shawn
Wilson, Joan Poser
One of the great problems to have when attending a film
festival is that often a person can burn themselves out watching new films. As
I said, a great problem. During my time at the Telluride Horror Show in 2019, I
was privy to see The Deeper You Dig, an ambitious little indie horror
flick made on a shoestring budget by, in essence, one family. Between the burnout and the lack of sleep, I didn’t feel fully comfortable at the time doing a
full review for the film. Fortunately, the wait to see it again wasn’t long.
Our good friends over at Arrow Video picked up the film for distribution and
with the snazzy new Blu Ray in tow, I was ready to dig deeper into The
Deeper You Dig.
Yea, I’m glad I waited to review this with fresh eyes.
Here is disc two: The Hooked Generation and The Psychedelic Priest.
Notable Cast: Keizo Kawasaki, Toyomi Karita, Bin Yagisawa,
Shozo Nanbu, Bontaro Miake, Mieko Nagai
It’s no secret that WWII changed cinema and how audiences
reacted to it. There are a small mountain of books, articles, and authors that
really dig into the boom of creature features and science fiction that erupted
throughout the 1950s and 1960s, so that will not be the intention of this
review to explore those facets beyond this introduction. It is a trend and
approach to genre filmmaking that becomes important to this article, focused on
the film Warning from Space, the 1956 Japanese science fiction romp from
Daiei Studios.
Here is disc one: Sting of Death and Death Curse of Tartu.
Notable Cast: Michiro Endo, Kansai Eto, Shigeru Izumiya,
Akaji Maro, Takanori Jinnai
After the release of the Shinya Tsukamoto set by Arrow Video
earlier this year, the announcement of the upcoming Blu Ray release of the cult
and underground Burst City was compelling. It’s a film I’ve heard
referred to a handful of times as one of the most punk pieces of cinema to
exist not to mention an early cornerstone of cyberpunk. Although this statement
wholly rings true, the punk attitude of the film is also the reason why it’s a
film that will only have its established cult audience and not reach
individuals beyond that. It’s abrasive, in all the ways one might expect, but
its inconsistency of tone and meandering narrative hardly work to drive the
more compelling aspects. The energy can be infectious and the audacity of its
rebel spirit to dutifully expressed in the style, but Burst City is not
nearly the iconic underground work it’s often labeled as in cinema.
Notable Cast: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Erick West,
Beluah Peters, Daniel Long, Wayne Tews
Absurdist humor is one of those genres that has largely died
out in feature-length film, particularly of the mainstream variety.
Occasionally, one will seep through the cracks in indie cinema, but rarely does
it find legs with a larger audience and garners a wide release – even on home
video. Yet, Arrow Video have graced us with a wide Blu Ray release of Lake
Michigan Monster, a film perpetually on the edge of falling from absurdist to
pure horrifying surrealism. With style to spare, this little low budget creature
feature has such an often perplexingly intense energy that it’s hard not to
just join in on the sprint to whatever next level of insanity that the film is
spiraling toward.
As with so much comedy that leans towards nonsense, Lake
Michigan Monster is a film that can be hard to follow if an audience to
dedicated to ‘Understanding’ what is going on in the film. It’s a film best
taken like the tiny kayak that our protagonists utilize to wade out 6 feet into
Lake Michigan to hunt the beast – a launching pad for a descent into madness on
plans that have no logic.
Notable Cast: Azhy Robertson, Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher
Jr, Winslow Fegley, Jayden Marine, Gavin MacIver-Wright
One of the more perplexing things that has happened since
the re-opening of theaters after the pandemic started was that the films that
are getting released truly feel dumped onto screens. Most of the bigger titles
have shifted out to 2021 or later and what’s left is a hodgepodge of various
genre titles that have been given approximately zero real marketing. Studios
and producers are terrified to spend any more money on these titles. This
leaves some decent films high and dry to cling onto life in a theatrical
setting that might be appropriately labeled as a cinematic graveyard.
Come Play falls squarely into this category. In the
grand aspect of horror released in 2020, it lands firmly in the middle of the
pack, but it’s a decent film that deserves better than the desolate wasteland
of attention it has received thus far. Come Play is a Babadook’d
spin on Lights Out, if one were to boil it down, but even in that
simplistic comparison the film works. With some decent atmospheric scares, a fascinating
monster design, and a sold dose of familial heart in its plot, Come Play
is a horror flick that may not ultimately be one of the best of the year, but
it does work.
Notable Cast: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney,
Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos, Robert Patrick
It wouldn’t be another year in film if there wasn’t at least
one Liam Neeson anchored action thriller to hit theaters. Still, color me
shocked that his latest, Honest Thief, was one of the larger films to
make it to theaters after the pandemic has crippled the entire industry for
most of the year. While so many action films are either postponed or relegated
to VOD premieres, leave it to Liam Neeson and his grumbly charm to power
through. Fortunately, this latest entry into the action portion of his career
is just charming enough, just exciting enough, and just surprising enough to be
one that will definitely appease his fanbase. Honest Thief lacks the
pizzazz some of the other films of his tenure, particularly those directed by
Collet-Serra, but it’s the kind of straightforward comfort food piece of film
that hits all of the right spots when needed.
When a legendary thief, Tom (Neeson), meets the woman of his
dreams (Walsh) he decides to give up his lifestyle, return the money and try
to redeem himself. After his attempt to turn himself and $9 million dollars
goes south from a greedy FBI agent (Courtney) who wants to stash the cash for
himself, Tom will have to fight to clear his name, save his girlfriend, and
cleanse himself of his sins.
Notable Cast: Brea Grant, Dhruv Uday Singh, Kausar
Mohammed, Kristina Klebe, Chase Williamson, Leith M. Burke, Jesse Merlin
When it comes to independent genre cinema, one simply can’t ignore
the powerhouse ‘triple threat’ that is Brea Grant. Actress, writer, and director,
she’s become such a dynamic and important voice that if you haven’t made note
of her – do it now. For the focus of this review, Lucky, she serves as
both the lead actress and writer, but what really sets this film aside is her teaming
up with Natasha Kermani, the very artistic and stylish director of Imitation
Girl. When it comes to bold, thoughtful post-genre cinema, the combination tantalizes.
To have them work together on a film like Lucky is almost too good to be
true. Yet, as the credits roll on the film during Shudderfest 2020, the
combination proves as fascinating as expected. Lucky is a densely
message heavy horror thriller, anchored by an incredibly nuanced performance
from Brea Grant, that uses its artistic atmosphere, dream-like narrative, and
pops of brutal violence to hammer home its themes.
Notable Cast: Chelsea
Islan, Hadijah Shahab, Baskara Mahendra, Widika Sidmore, Lutesha, Arya Vasco, Karina
Salim, Shareefa Daanish, Karina Suwandhi, Tri Hariono
Hell hath no fury…like Alfie.
The energetic and stylish arrival of May the Devil Take
You was a pleasant surprise. Timo Tjahjanto delivered on a Sam Raimi
influenced Indonesian cabin in the woods film filled with black magic demons and
flair, fury, and flamboyant gore. It’s still a film I regularly watch to this
day due to its strong balancing of genre elements and incredibly high
entertainment value. Naturally, a sequel has lofty expectations to go with it
considering the strength of filmmaking in the first. May the Devil Take You
Too exceeds those expectations with fervor. The balance between gore, dark
humor, atmosphere and style is impeccable. Timo takes his influences to the
next level, powering tropes and concepts with a distinctly strong sense of
execution and fun, then he impressively grounds it all with a story about the
ghosts of trauma and the manifested demons of past sins. May the Devil Take
You Too is powerful horror film making that will kick its viewers to the
floor with dozens of iconic moments and then vomit demon viscera into their
mouths to make sure the experience never fades.
One of the more unlikely franchises to exist is Tales
from the Hood. Not that it’s a series that doesn’t deserve one, but the
fact that it took 20+ years to get the first sequel to the cult horror
anthology film certainly seemed like it came a bit too late. Yet, Tales from
the Hood 2 was released straight to home video a couple of years ago and it
must have sold well enough to warrant another entry. This brings us to the focus
of this review, Tales from the Hood 3, the latest omnibus of horror
stories that sees the return of writers and directors Rusty Condieff and Darin
Scott. Like the previous sequel, this one is a relatively hit or miss affair
and the various stories included range from intriguing to downright strange. Just
like the last one too, there is an ambitiousness to the proceedings that often
is at war with the budgetary constraints. At times this third entry is quite
intriguing, but the ultimate experience is lackluster and muddy.
Notable Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott,
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean
When Brandon Cronenberg exploded on the scene with his debut
feature-length film, Antiviral, he firmly launched a bright red flare into the
night sky. I am here. The Cronenberg name is in good hands. However, the length
of time between that film and his latest, Possessor, stated something
else. Perhaps the strength of that debut was a fluke? Now that Possessor
has found a small, but dedicated theatrical release through Neon and Well Go
USA, it becomes apparent that the time between films was worth it. Possessor
is an incredible piece of in-depth, harrowing cinema. It’s a film where the
intensity of its atmosphere is only matched by its bursts of abrasive violence
and stark visuals. Brandon Cronenberg has delivered a modern horror film that
matches some of the best work of his father, a true high-water mark, and Possessor
is truly a statement film.
Notable Cast: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King
So, Michael Ironside
Well, it took a bit longer than expected, but now we have
it. Werewolf films are, at least in the opinion of this reviewer, something of
a repetitive subgenre. When the execution is there, the films can be a
wonderful use of metaphor or representation for social and character-driven
elements, but the overall repeated focus of lycanthropy as a physical
manifestation of an interior force gets a bit tiresome after a while. When it’s
good, boy howdy, is it good, but too often films in the genre are all bark and
very little bite. Yet, this is the perfect time in horror cinema to partner the
werewolf transformation with character-driven artistry. Bloodthirsty has
no qualms in bounding right into it. Fortunately, the execution of the film is
remarkably strong with plenty of atmosphere to choke on and the focus on
characters makes for an effective watch. It’s a slow film though and its minimal
approach to its werewolf elements skirts around delivering on some of its promises.
Still, Bloodthirsty is the perfect film for the atmosphere and art
driven focus of the current scene.
Notable Cast: Ryan
Guzman, Kyle Gallner, Alix Angelis, Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Daniel Hoffman-Gill,
Emma Holzer
Since the release of The Exorcist, the number of
exorcism films released has been astounding. The waves of popularity in the
genre comes and goes with the tides, but often it’s just a retread of the same
concepts, plots, characters, and ideas. Occasionally there are some intriguing
slants to the proceedings, such as the weird South Korean exorcism meets Blade
hybrid Divine Fury or strong execution to carry it like The Last Exorcism,
but often times its simply an exorcise in exorcism that goes through motions.
Then, of course, there’s The Cleansing Hour. It’s oddly a film with a
meta-layered commentary about the redundancy and familiarity of the tropes where
it feeds into its own formula with such an energetic and poppy manner that it comes
off as, dare I say, charming. It’s often very familiar, but its strength comes
from the chemistry of its characters along with a somewhat scathing observation
about the nature of modern streaming entertainment. It’s a highly entertaining ‘demon
fucks with people dumb enough to fuck with demons’ flick and it knows to play
up the gimmicks with a sly smile even while working through the main points.
Notable Cast: Zheng Xi, Yang Ning, Tute Hameng, Yan Meme,
Hi Guanlin, Shan Xin
After the immense success of Ne Zha for Beijing
Enlight Pictures, the studio was quick to unveil their follow up film, one in
the same ‘cinematic universe,’ Jiang Ziya. In fact, the studio must have
been so confident in the success of Ne Zha that this second film was
meant to be unleashed only 7 months after its predecessor. Unfortunately, there
was a, uh, pandemic that occurred, and Jiang Ziya’s February release was
pushed back until October 1st for theaters. On the plus side of
that, it’s completely and utterly worth the wait. Jiang Ziya is easily
one of the best films of the year. Incredible animation imbues a challenging
fantasy epic, beating with a heart of gold and told in such a gorgeous manner
that I couldn't help but be completely encapsulated in its tale of redemption,
deception, and defiance. This Fengshen Cinematic Universe might be one of the
cornerstones of animation right now and this film, in particular, cements
Beijing Enlight as one of the major players in quality cinema.
Notable Cast: Jules Willcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald
As a big fan of John Hyams, particularly after the incredibly
underrated Universal Soldier films he crafted to reinvent the franchise as
dark, philosophical, ultra-violent works of existential debates, the fact that
he would tackle a survival thriller-horror had me all atwitter. With Alone,
he strips down the genre to its bare minimum and then perfects it, hammering
home the core emotional state of the situation rather than trying to slyly
inject an asinine angle on it. Only in the hands of a talented cast with a viscerally subtle director could Alone work as well as it does, but
Hyams brings together in an impactful manner that makes it one of the best
films of the year.
Notable Cast: Allison McAtee, Adrienne Barbeau, Marc
Blucas, Brooke Sorenson, Rachel McKeon, PJ Marshall, Monica Wyche, Chad Conley
One of the big US premieres of Mile High Horror Film Festival,
Unearth is aimed to make some indie horror waves in the community. Following
in the steps of one of the popular movements in horror currently, which happens
to be the slow burn and atmospheric horror that is often (and irritatingly)
referred to as ‘elevated horror,’ there is a sense of message and purpose to
the film that ought to ring strongly with those who align with this style. While
there is not a lot of information or marketing out for the film at this point,
making my usual analysis of the context in this opening paragraph a bit moot, keep
the sense of artistic approach that directors Lyons and Swies use in mind as the
industry preps to back the film for a bigger release in the future. Unearth
is a film dripping with intriguing layers, naturalistic characters, and a wild
last 20 minutes that ought to have Lovecraftian fans’ ears burning. On the
other hand, it’s also one that takes its sweet, sweet time establishing the
characters, plot, and stakes to get there – doubling down on the SLOW in slow
burn.
Notable Cast: Hannah Al Rashid, Ario Bayu, Adhisty Zara,
Muzakki Ramdhan, Ari Irham, Ade Firman Hakim, Sheila Dara Aisha, Tanta Ginting,
Miller Khan, Imelda Therinne, Salvita Decorte, Giulio Parengkuan, Shenina
Cinnamon, Yayu A.W. Unru, Ruth Marini
When they announced that Kimo Stamboel’s solo directorial
effort, Queen of Black Magic, would be one of the films I had the
opportunity to watch at the virtual Fantastic Fest this year, my heart skipped
a beat. Quite frankly, it was probably the film I was most eager to see. A
loose remake of the 1981 bonkers horror classic, the combination of one of the
Mo Brothers and writer (and fantastic director in his own right) Joko Anwar was
easily a lethal combination that warrants excitement. To put it bluntly, Queen
of Black Magic lives up to the expectations. It’s a raucous cinematic
experience, powered by a potent balance of atmospheric tension, gag worthy
gore, and effective bent narrative storytelling. For fans of either Kimo’s
work, solo or with the Mo Brothers, or Joko Anwar, then Queen of Black Magic
cannot be recommended enough.
Notable Cast: Romane Denis, Brett Donahue, Sehar Bhojani,
Kenny Wong, Tianna Nori, Erica Anderson, Stephen Bogaert, Jonathan Emond
“Small price to pay for an awesome ass.”
Having worked as a retail manager for a decade or so, there
was immediately an intriguing humorous element to the concept of Slaxx
that caught my attention. If you have ever worked in the retail world, why
wouldn’t you want to see a horror comedy that satirizes the overwhelming consumerist
nature of modern society? I fuckin’ did. This is where Slaxx fits. It’s a
low-budget Canadian horror comedy brimming with awkward humor, bursts of gore,
and plenty of social commentary for those looking to consume a film of this
nature. It’s sharp when it wants to be, charming throughout, and just strange
enough in some of its choices to remain memorable beyond the credits.
It’s no secret to anyone that follows Blood Brothers that
horror comedies are, to put it lightly, not my favorite. Satire, on the other
hand, is one of the kinds of comedy that does perk my ears which is what
initially drew me to Slaxx. Telling the story of a young woman, Libby, she
is the new hire brought on board to complete a floor set for a big brand name
clothing company. The problem is that their new line up of jeans just might be
bloodthirsty living creatures out to devour the staff. Can the quirky people
that work in the store survive the night?
Notable Cast: Valter Skarsgard, Mark Koufos, Catherine
Howard, May Grehan, Samantha Hart, Ry Barrett
There is a sense of discovery to watching films at a film
festival. Perhaps films that have not been seen before or ones that have
completely flown under the radar for the majority of film watchers. Unless you
work for one of the major news outlets, more than likely there is going to be a
handful of intriguing discoveries made while attending a film festival. Mile
High Horror Film Festival is no different. It’s been a handful of years since I
had the pleasure of attending this one and while 2020 has certainly made it a
wholly unique virtual experience, once again it’s a place to find unique films.
Don’t Click is the first of such films. While the film occasionally
suffers from its limited budget and other hit or miss elements, it’s also a
film that takes a wild swing in trying to combine a plethora of lofty ideas
while simultaneously injecting a bit of social commentary into the mix. It’s an
intriguing combination that proves to be the perfect kind of film festival
discovery.
Notable Cast: Barri Murphy, Gregory Scott Cummins,
William Hubbard Knight, William Smith, Cameron Mitchell, Ross Hagen, Hoke Howell
Although I have yet to actually attend a Fantastic Fest in
person, I will admit that being able to see some of the films from this iconic film
festival from the comfort of my home has been kind of nice. Don’t misunderstand
that statement, I am a huge theatrical release supporter and once we get to a
point in the pandemic that I feel it is safe for myself and others to go back
to festivals I will be there in a heartbeat, but for the time being the ‘virtual
festival’ is kind of convenient in regards to seeing the movies. Being able to
partake in my first ‘Secret Screening’ at Fantastic Fest 2020 is still fun and
the fact that they chose to showcase a new 4K restoration of the relatively unheard
and lost action film, Action U.S.A., only deserves a round of applause.
While the film will certainly play gangbusters with a crowd, even with a movie
audience of 1 (and a couple of choice adult beverages) Action U.S.A. is
a damn riot.
Notable Cast: Jesse Williams, Jordana Brewster, Jay
Baruchel, Niamh Wilson, Simon Northwood
The boom of comedian type actors, writers, and filmmakers
making the leap into horror lately is fascinating. Not that the change-up of
genre is shocking, in so many ways comedy and horror have an incredible number
of elements in common, but that’s more or less for a fully separate discussion.
What makes it fascinating is that the industry is not only making the
connections between the two, but it – in some regards – is fully embracing it.
Between the rise of Jordan Peele as one of the faces of modern horror to the
combination of David Gordon Green and Danny McBride on Halloween ’18,
the combination has proven to be successful in quality and in the box office.
Perhaps this is why it was a bit shocking to see Jay
Baruchel’s sophomore effort not garner more attention. Random Acts of
Violence, also written by the long time Seth Rogan gang collaborator, sees
the actor/writer/director strut into the slasher genre with a modern sense of
style in spades. Telling the story of a comic book author Todd (Jesse Williams)
who is struggling to write the last chapter of his slasher comic Slasherman, he
takes his boo, his manager, and an intern on the road to promote the comic
while desperately trying to come up with an ending to the series. When a real
slasher killer, the inspiration for the comic, starts to follow them on the
road and recreating the kills from the comic, the group and Todd will have to
reckon with reality, fiction, and how the two eventual collide in bloody ways.
Notable cast: François Chau, Tara Westwood, Chloe Carroll,
Jim Schubin
Why is it we are so happy early in a relationship, and why
doesn’t feeling last? That’s the question that starts The Honeymoon Phase,
and although it doesn’t necessarily persist through the film thematically, it
does stand as an interesting launching point for a slow burn sci-fi thriller. There
is a persistent, uneasy feeling throughout the movie making it clear there is
more beneath the surface, though the film is mostly careful and glacial with
revelations, the threatening aura feels laid bare early.
Tom and Eve (Jim Schubin and Chloe Carroll) are a young
couple going through some financial difficulties, especially since Tom is a
writer with a years-long case of writer’s block. Eve discovers a study offering
fifty thousand dollars to newlyweds to stay in a home together for thirty days.
Seeming simple enough, they decide to pretend to be married for the money. Everything
seems to be going along well early, save a bit of uncharacteristic aggressive
passion from Tom, until one-night Eve sees Julie, another test subject she met
earlier, frantically pounding at her door begging to be rescued from her
husband. The door won’t open and Eve is forced to watch as Julie’s husband
attacks her and drags away the body. Even worse, no one believes that it
happened. Even the security footage betrays Eve as she begins to think that
maybe she’s under threat as well.
Notable cast: Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Jimmi Simpson,
Gabriel Bateman
There is a tendency in film where disaffected men forgotten
by society rebel and make some grand statement that boils down to “I am here,” usually
while spouting some sort of nihilist street philosophy. Some of our greatest
films are in this mold, from Scorsese classics Taxi Driver and The
Last King Of Comedy, to their strange love child Joker and
everything in between, this is a reasonably well-tread trail. It’s not a bad
thing, but the tendency towards making these disaffected men the protagonist created
a certain personality of moviegoer that has had the effect of changing these
characters into cultural heroes instead of the portrayal of tragedy that they’re
supposed to be. More simply? Tyler Durden is a bad guy. Plain and simple. He’s a
domestic terrorist and an emotionally manipulative sociopath. To say nothing
of the aforementioned Joker. Both enjoy a weird cultural hero status
that’s always sat weirdly with me. I think it’s the protagonist that’s the
issue in this case, in the sense that these character studies tend to follow
the character being studied. Unhinged takes a different and exciting
angle with that character type by shifting the focus to the victim of insane, unhealthy rage.
Notable Cast: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re, Kwon
Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon, Lee Ye-won, Jang So-yeon, Moon
Woo-jin
In 2016, South Korea fired one hell of a shot into the arm
of zombie cinema. That shot was Yeon Sang-ho’s horror with heart film, Train
to Busan. A loose sequel to his animated zombie flick, Seoul Station,
Train to Busan came out with a bang. Immediately it was making lists for
best zombie films, best modern horror films, and best films PERIOD for the year
and the decade. I was a big fan myself and its international success only laid
the groundwork to spawn a sequel. Fast forward to four years later and the
follow-up, also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, has now been unleashed in theaters. Peninsula,
or as it has been stylized for the US release Train to Busan Presents:
Peninsula which I refuse to use as its title, is quite the fascinating next
chapter of this series. It’s a high-octane shotgun blast of an action flick
with a loose heist narrative based in the world of Train to Busan and,
while mileage may vary for audiences going in, it never, ever, ever ceases to
entertain.
Notable cast: Richard Harmon, Echo Porisky, Marina
Stephenson, Sara Thompson
Haunted house movies are one of the, if not the, oldest and most venerated sub-genres in the entirety of horror. From The Amityville Horror to Poltergeist, House On Haunted Hill to Paranormal Activity and everywhere in between. The hardest part of one of these movies at this point is doing anything even remotely interesting with them. The trouble with being the original effects genre is that you literally have to reinvent the wheel over and over again in order for it to be effective. Or, more simply, when you see someone looking in a bathroom mirror, you know the next beat is going to be some horrid specter staring out of the mirror as soon as the room vacates. Some of these scares are so completely ubiquitous you can see some variation at the haunted house your neighbor down the block throws together every year. It’s the reason The Return comes as such a pleasant surprise. It feels like a legitimately fresh take and marks an exceptionally auspicious feature film debut for Canadian director BJ Verot.
Notable cast: Conrado Osorio, Andrea Esquival, Yuri
Vargas, Sharon Guzman
There is a dreamlike quality to Luz: The Flower of Evil that
many films aspire to and never quite achieve. In the effortless fashion of a
David Lynch or Jodorowsky, Luz creates a world with internal, consistent
logic that is both horribly familiar and terrifyingly alien. Every frame of it
looks like an oil painting, like a sort of perverse lost Norman Rockwell “Hidden
Columbian Religious Cult” collection. It’s almost hard to even call Luz
a horror movie in a modern sense of the term, as it owes more to something like
the original Wicker Man or The Holy Mountain than anything even
close to a slasher movie. It means that it evokes a different kind of horror,
something existential.
Notable cast: Tom Sainsbury, Hayden J Weal, Jennifer
Ward-Leland
Horror and comedy work well together because of a similar
sense of pace and revelation. A dependence on surprise. They, whoever “they”
are, even say that laughter is actually a type of expression of fear, our minds
reacting to unexpected stimulation. A common route is the inherent violence of
slapstick or an extreme childish humor, an effort to offset what’s happening on
screen. New Zealand horror comedy Dead goes a different way, with light,
character-based and situational comedy. It’s a refreshing mood and an
interesting take on the otherwise fairly well-tread territory.
Marbles (writer Tom Sainsbury) is a low energy stoner making
ends meet as a spirit medium, helping people’s loved ones communicate any final
messages and pass on. This is presented immediately and factually, as Marbles
takes a mysterious injection that grants the ability, and the film admirably wastes
no time on any kind of dull subplot doubting his power. After one such session,
he finds himself stalked by the ghost of an uptight cop, Tagg (Director Hayden
J Weal, Love And Time Travel) who demands Marbles solve his murder, the
seventh in a serial murder spree. After Marbles’ mother indicates she’s selling
the house he grew up in, a home with memories tied to his recently departed
father, he decides to help Tagg in hopes of reward, enough to buy his home
outright.
Notable Cast: Junko Fuji, Koji Tsuruta
As we reach the final stretch in reviewing the films in the
main Red Peony Gambler series, it’s fascinating to see how each entry
takes the basic formula, themes, and characters and then adds just enough individualistic
pizzazz to set them apart from one another. Even if I was binge-watching them
all in a row, there is a sense that many of the entries would pop due to these
small and often unique tones. With that in mind and the general roller coaster
ride that goes with the quality of the films (most are solid with just nuanced
shifts of effectiveness to their storytelling,) the seventh entry of the
series, Red Peony Gambler 7: Here to Kill You, is a shockingly impressive
entry. The story is impressively relevant to this day, there are plenty of key
sequences to appreciate, and there is an emotional journey in Oryu’s story that
makes it one of the more poignant entries. It’s not without its flaws, but for
fans, this one easily stands out as one of the franchises best.
Notable Cast: Rachael Perrell Fosket, Patrick D. Green,
David Withers, Robert Blanche
Remakes are a tricky business at the best of times. You have
to respect the original material, and try to put a spin on it to justify retreading
the territory. That second part is more vital than it may appear on the
surface, and luckily we have Gus Van Sant’s Psycho as shorthand that
spares further explanation. The genre of the fifties and sixties sci-fi horror
has been a fertile ground for remakes with its combination of earnest (if over
the top) acting, high concept (if silly) stories, and low budget cheesy special
effects. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die was certainly ripe for a new take,
and freshman director Derek Carl puts his passion for the original on display in
a satire on the era that maintains the existential dread Inherent to the
concept.
Notable cast: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alice Braga,
Charlie Heaton
The New Mutants is one of those movies that people
thought was cursed. Not in the sense of Poltergeist, but in the
“finished but maybe never released” sense. The House Of 1000 Corpses, John
Dies At The End, Roger Forman’s Fantastic Four kind of way. Two of those
three came out eventually, and as of this week, it’s three out of four. A troubled production, reshoots far after principal photography, and the Disney buyout of
Fox were all major factors at play here. None of this has any particular
ultimate bearing on the quality of the movie. But any reviewer would be
remiss not to mention it. That combined with the roller coaster flying off the
rails feeling that is the year 2020 makes this movie a wild release. A
theatrical only release when some major markets still aren’t allowing open
theaters? (Full disclosure, I live in one such market, and saw this film at a
drive-in). But how does it stack up as an adaptation of a beloved series, and more
simply as a movie?
Notable Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce,
Mark Joy, Ron Rosenthal
“We steal if we touch tomorrow. It’s God’s.”
Quite frankly, when Arrow Video announced that they would be
releasing a new Blu Ray release of Black Rainbow, I had very little
expectations. Arrow has recently been tipping their hat in the direction of the
slightly supernatural dramatic thriller, in particular, their release of Apprentice
to Murder works as a perfect double feature with this one, and it’s
something of a lost genre that deserves a bit more attention. Black Rainbow
is a film that ably slides through the various elements of genre, delivering on
just enough dramatic heft, thematic commentary, character study elements, and an
assassination plot to be a thoroughly enjoyable film with just enough layers to
mark its audience. It’s never a film that defines itself as the most stylish or
most intense, but it’s subtlety in its depths and strength in its small moments
make it an overlooked diamond film from the late 80s.
Notable Cast: Jung Jae-young, Kim Nam-gil, Uhm Ji-won,
Lee Soo-kyung, Jung Ga-ram, Park In-hwan, Shin Jung-geun, Oh Eui-shik, Goo
Bon-woong
Also Known As: The Odd Family: Zombie for Sale
Now that South Korea has solidified themselves as a place
that delivers some fantastic zombie films, including the recently released Peninsula
which is raking in some serious dough at the foreign box office, it only makes
sense that a western distribution company would grab a zombie comedy (zom com) to
capitalize on the boom. The subject for this review is Zombie for Sale
and the distribution company in question would be Arrow Video. Now, as a
preface to this review, I should mention that I am not the biggest fan of
comedies, nor am I the biggest fan of zombie films. Thus, a zom com is not the
kind of cinematic experience that I necessarily look forward to. Just go look
at my review for Yummy from a couple of months ago. Yet, as soon as Zombie
for Sale started marching through its familial caricatures, silly set up,
and eventual eruption into zombie chaos, the film revealed itself as fully
engaged with its material and charm oozing out of most sequences.
Through the charming execution of its broadly painted
concept, Zombie for Sale is able to navigate so many of the usual tropes
and pitfalls of the genre-bending style. The film is firmly rooted in its
comedy first, a tactic that allows the story and narrative, about a questionably
shady family who stumble onto a zombie wandering around their small town, to
establish its characters and quirky setting. While the initial zombie
appears immediately in the narrative and plot, the manner that he stumbles
around, being chased by a dog for a large portion of the opening sequences, or haphazardly trying to kill people with little
success, is fully played for comedic bits. The tactic works though since the
cast and crew seem fully dedicated to selling the tensely humorous relationships
for the family and the little world that they live in. Highlights of this portion of the film, prior to their
discovery and attempts to capitalize on their newfound zombie and his powers,
is all through their banter and interaction. Right down to how the film has one
character explain zombies to his father by having him watch clips from another
South Korean zombie flick, Train to Busan.
The horror of the film rarely rears its head until the final act, when the full out zombie apocalypse starts to spread, and even then the film is more focused on the dramatic impact of the family trying to survive and find a way out than it does on the horror set-pieces. There are some entertaining moments to the rising action of the film, but horror fans will probably not find a ton to love as the film focuses on its other genres. When it is aiming for horror and tension, it’s mostly the zombie basics of being swarmed and the potential of being devoured. Due to its strong direction, some great cinematography, and entertaining performances, Zombie for Sale gets away with far more than it should have in these regards. It's notable though that the comedy comes first, second, third, and the horror comes fourth. It's not inherently a terrible choice, particularly since the comedy and performances carry so much weight, but it's something to be aware of for people walking into this film for the first time.
As with so many of Arrow’s releases, Zombie for Sale
is a fairly stacked release in terms of features. The full list is below and
for anyone interested in South Korean cinema, zombies, or comedies, then this
release comes highly recommended. The most valuable feature I found was the fun
video essay by Pierce Conran for his analysis on satire in South Korean cinema
which adds a glorious layer to the film for multiple rewatches.
Ultimately, Zombie for Sale is a film utterly powered by charm and strong execution of its silliness and social commentary while using the zombie formula to explore its themes and ideas. There is very little true horror to the viewing experience which is something to note for fans looking for that perfectly balanced zom com, but it’s not a deal-breaker thanks to its strong sense of visual punch, entertaining set pieces, and relentlessly firing banter and jokes. Truthfully, while not a perfect film, Zombie for Sale is the best zombie comedy since Shaun of the Dead, just for the sheer energetic outpour of its style, tone, and delivery. It’s highly recommended.
High-Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original uncompressed Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA options
Newly-translated English subtitles
Brand new audio commentary with filmmakers and critics Sam
Ashurst and Dan Martin
Q&A with director Lee Min-jae from a 2019 screening at
Asian Pop-Up Cinema in Chicago, moderated by film critic and author Darcy
Paquet
Eat Together, Kill Together: The Family-in-Peril Comedy -
brand new video essay by critic and producer Pierce Conran exploring Korea's
unique social satires
Making-Of Featurette
Behind-the-Scenes footage
Original Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned
artwork by Mike Lee-Graham
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet featuring new
writing by Josh Hurtado
To give even more power to this reclamation of everyone’s
favorite jetpack kaiju, Arrow Video has amassed a massive new collection of all
12 of Gamera’s films. With the original run of 8 films, the 90s trilogy, and
the final film – Gamera the Brave from 2006, this collection features
them all. This series of reviews for the set will go briefly through each entry
and then recap at the end thoughts and opinions on the set itself. Considering
the amount of films included, this series of articles will definitely be as
massive as Gamera, but will serve as a guide to all the films.
Notable cast: Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, Bella Heathcote.
Jeremy Stanford
I've said before, both briefly in writing and many times
broadly in my life, that the reason I love horror as a genre more than any other
is that it's the only genre that can tell any kind of story. This is for a few
reasons, it and comedy share pacing concepts, and it shares drama's allegorical
abilities. It shares action's spectacle and still brings a flavor uniquely its
own. It's why the genre ranges from titles like Gingerdead Man to The
Silence Of The Lambs. I have always felt, however, that it's greatest
strength narratively (there are psychological benefits to enjoying horror as
well, as it's a safe space to explore the darker emotions of life) is that of
metaphor. By exploring the horror that's generally popular at any given time
you can see what society at large was afraid of. Relic uses horror as a
lens to explore some of the most fundamental fears that exist, and I think that
feat alone makes it worth viewing.