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The Lords of Salem (2012)
A throwback to Classic 70s Horror
Rob Zombie has really outdone himself with The Lords of Salem. The film plays like a throwback to the psychedelic satanic Horror Movies of the early 70s. The movie starts out with a slow build getting to know the lead character, Heidi. Heidi, played by Sherri Moon Zombie, is a recovering addict that works for the local radio station as a DJ for a popular late night radio show. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts, which is famous for its witch trials during the 1600s.
When Heidi arrives at the radio station for her show she receives a demo record from a band called The Lords. Thinking the album must be from a new and upcoming band, the DJs play it on the show. When the sound goes out over the radio, many local women go into a trance, very much like when the tape is played in Evil Dead! Heidi has severe headaches when the album is played and from that point on starts having hallucinations. There are many flashbacks to the 1600s, when a coven of witches were having their Sabbath or Black Mass, dancing around a fire nude, praying to Satan, and playing music. The local Salem Authorities catch all the witches and put them on trial. Found guilty of witchcraft, they are burned alive at the stake. While dying, the leader of the coven curses her accuser, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and all of his ancestors.
Heidi lives in a historic building with an older lady that lives in the apartment below her. She invites Heidi for tea with her friends, but right away you can tell the older ladies have something to hide. Heidi starts a slow decent into madness after hearing the Lords of Salem album again. And that's when we get the flashbacks to the ancient evil witches and their strange satanic rituals.
Sherri Moon Zombie does her best acting to date, but she is still no match for the older scream queens that play the witches
Dee Wallace, Patricia Quinn, Judy Geeson, and Meg Foster steal all the scenes. Meg Foster and Dee Wallace especially shine in their roles. One of things I like about Rob Zombie is that he casts a lot of familiar faces from the horror genre and Lords of Salem was no exception.
Lords of Salem has a real art-house artistic feel to it, which Zombie's previous films did not have. There are several shots that remind me of classic Argento films like Suspiria. The use of colourful architecture and background scenery is almost like another character in the film. The movie was visually stunning and it owes a lot of its influences to classic Horror films like The Devils, The Sentinel, Eraserhead and The Shining. The only part of the film I was not all that keen on was the psychedelic ending. It just seemed out of context, but maybe I will like it better on a second viewing. It also had way too many gratuitous shots of Sherri Moon's backside which was a little distracting from the storyline in my opinion. Unfortunately, I don't think Lords of Salem will appeal to the general public and will probably not get a wide release the way his previous films did.
In the end, I think this movie will get very split reviews from horror fans. If you can appreciate an art-house independent horror film you will enjoy it. If you prefer a grindhouse style gory action movie, you will hate it. I am sure this movie will surprise and divide Rob Zombie fans. Up until now, Zombie has earned a very well-deserved reputation for films that push the limits of good taste. For the most part I have enjoyed most of his films (yes, even Halloween 2!) For me, Lords of Salem showed that he is not a one trick pony when it comes to his writing and I really appreciate that. I highly recommend you go and see it when it comes out and form your own opinion about it.
The Mutations (1974)
Mad Scientist makes Giant Human Venus Fly Trap
Freakmaker opens with a lot of time lapsed film about plant life, it almost feels like a nature show, but then the creepy 70s horror music starts. We then see Donald Pleasance playing a Mad Doctor that is obsessed with trying to splice together Human DNA with plant material. The Doctor reminds me of the Evil Dr. in Eyes Without a Face, complete with living in a secluded mansion with a pack of mad barking dogs. He has an assistant, Mr. Lynch, that is deformed and keeps promising him a cure if only he will help the Dr. with his freakish research. Mr Lynch is played by Tom Baker who goes on to play the Doctor in the Doctor Who series. The Mad Dr. also keeps some sort strange plant in his laboratory that he feeds live Rabbits to.
Freakmaker seems to borrow a lot from Tod Browning's 1932 Freaks. Mr. Lynch runs the carnival and gets his victims for the Dr.'s experiments from the Carnival. The Carnival has a side show showing various "Freaks", I am pretty sure these were real people with birth deformities. I am sure this must have been a controversial decision to use real people with deformities instead using make up, but I don't think this movie is one of the Video Nasties from the 70s. I wonder how it managed to get past the censors? There is even a dinner scene very similar to Freaks where they declare "he's one of us". Eventually the Freaks decide to turn on one of their own, also similar to a scene in Freaks.
Even though Donald Pleasance and Tom Baker give good performances in their roles, there really just isn't much of a plot here. The special FX are pretty silly looking with a giant rubber suited "Mutation" that looks like a giant human Venus Fly Trap. Most of the film is slow moving but it is still entertaining in that strange psychedelic 70s way.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour!
Hunger Games is set in a futuristic society in which there is a huge difference in the society classes. The Society was set up with 12 Districts under the control of the state. At some point, there was an uprising against the Government in the past. The rebels lost their fight and as punishment, the Districts are strictly controlled. They are only allowed a small amount of food and resources. The surplus of goods are sent to the Capitol City where the inhabitants live a lush lifestyle. As a reminder not to start an uprising again, each Distict is forced to enter their children into the Reaping. At the Reaping, two children (a boy and a girl) are chosen too participate in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a no holds barred fight to the death. Only one participant is allowed to win, so children are forced to fight to the death. All of this is televised live in the Capitol City and the other Districts.
Capitol City is beautiful with large glass buildings and beautiful scenery. Everything is very high tech and fashionable. All the inhabitants have to do for food is push a button and food arrives fresh, steaming, and delicious. Their showers are equipped with lovely smelling shampoos and soaps with a touch of a button. The people in the city are dressed outlandishly in bright colours and garish outfits. I got the feeling that they are supposed to be extremely shallow and only concerned with fashion and gossip. In sharp contrast to this are the other districts. The people in the Districts are literally starving to death with not enough food. They quite often have inadequate shelter and the clothes they own are old and worn. They have to work hard for anything they have and they value their family. Family is the most important thing to them.
Katniss Everdeen is a skilled hunter with a bow and arrow. She sneaks under the electric fence surrounding the city every day and hunts for food all day long to feed her family. She trades in her daily catch at the market downtown for anything her family might need. Without Katniss hunting everyday her family would soon die of starvation. Gale is a good friend and helps her hunt and they share everything they catch.
It is mandatory that Katniss and her family attend the Reaping. Katniss' younger sister, Prim is chosen as the Tribute in the Reaping. Katniss is appalled and offers herself up as a volunteer to go to the Hunger Games in place of her sister. Peeta, the baker's son, is chosen as the other tribute from District 12. Katniss and Peeta are whisked away to the modern and outlandish Capitol City where they are trained and scored to get ready for the Hunger Games.
I was impressed with how the movie closely follows the book's description of the Capitol City and it's inhabitants. There are some things that are changed, but I think it was in order to let the story flow nicely. Even with all this, the characters don't seem as well developed as they should be. The relationship between Peeta and katniss seems forced, like there wasn't enough time to develop it properly. I think the movie didn't adequately portray what was going on between them. Also I didn't feel as if they got the point across clear enough that people in the Districts were starving to death. The opening scenes in District 12 seem bleak but not lethal.
My biggest problem with the movie was the shaky cam used when it came to the fight scenes in the Hunger Games. I think they had to gloss over the really brutal and inventive death scenes that were so vividly described in the books in order to give it a PG-13 rating. It was hard to focus when the camera was shaking and blurry during any kind of fight scene. Maybe this made them seem more action packed to the audience? Maybe this helped gloss over the fact that 12 year olds were killing each other? I am not saying that I am disappointed with the level of violence shown because I wasn't expecting anything more graphic, I just think they down played it a bit too much. When a major character dies during the games, it seems too rushed or forced with false emotions. As is if the audience never got to know that character in the first place and then the grieving seems excessive and out of place.
I could tell they were setting this movie up to be the first in a very popular series. But, I enjoyed the movie for what it is...A futuristic Sci Fi Action movie. If you are expecting a Horror genre movie, you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you are expecting a nice action movie with a bit of romance in it you will enjoy it. So I would recommend going to see it with an open mind and no pre-conceived ideas of what it should be. Do not compare it to any earlier movies, because it has it's own unique story, characters, and setting. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour!
One Life (2011)
Fun and Entertaining Wildlife Documentary
One Life is a beautiful documentary about animal life on Planet Earth. There were some really charming parts about the cycle of life showing animals that have caring and dedicated Mothers. I especially enjoyed the Snow Monkeys and the Brazilian Capuchin Monkeys. They were pretty cute and crafty in how they kept warm and fed. Another favourite part of mine were the Elephants marching towards water and the rock climbing goats.
Daniel Craig has a nice voice for narration and the scenery was breathtaking. I don't watch a lot Documentaries like this one, but I enjoyed it.
The Woman in Black (2012)
Classic Gothic Ghost Story
Hammer Films returns to classic Gothic Horror with a ghostly tale of revenge and regret. The film is based on a book by Susan Hill written in 1983 about a ghost that only appears just before a child dies. Hammer Films is best known for their beloved Gothic Horror classics from the 1960s and 70s with such titles as The Horror of Dracula and The Evil of Frankenstein. Hammer Studios churned out numerous classics before having to close up shop in the 1980's. The film studio returned last year with Let Me In, the remake of Swedish film Let the Right One In. The Woman in Black has that Gothic Hammer feel that fans of the classics will love. It delivers lots of thrills and scares with loads of atmosphere. This movie is in no way a remake of the 1988 TV movie version of the same story. The film is dark and scary and reminded me most of one of my favorite Ghost stories
The Changeling. Daniel Radcliffe is fresh from filming the hugely successful series, Harry Potter. He plays a much more serious role in this film as Athur Kipp, a young widowed Father and Lawyer. His employer sends him to a small English village to complete the task of sorting through an estate left by a woman who lived in an old haunted mansion on a remote island. The townspeople do not welcome him except for one eccentric couple. No one is willing to take him out to the abandoned house for fear of the evil on the Island, but he does eventually find a ride out to the house. As soon as he arrives at the Mansion, the Ghost appears and starts to cause serious problems for the small village. The only way to solve these problems is to unravel the mystery of why the Ghost appears and how to make her at peace. The Woman in Black is essentially a classic Ghost story in a haunted Gothic Mansion. The set design of the house is very realistic and detailed giving the film loads of atmosphere and character. The story is gripping and tragic with one of the scariest ghosts ever put on screen. This movie would be the perfect choice to introduce a non-horror friend to the Genre. It is beautifully shot and has the goods to deliver the scares. Seeing that Gothic movies, ghost stories in particular, are one of my favorite types of Horror movies, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and am looking forward to what Hammer will be releasing next.
Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da (2010)
Only True Revenge will do
I Saw the Devil- 9/10
Late on a snowy night in South Korea, a young woman is waiting for a tow truck to tow her out of a snowbank where she has wedged her car. On older man stops to help her out, He is driving a small school bus. While she is waiting for the Towtruck she calls her Fiancée. He tells her to not get out of the vehicle and wait patiently, but the older man has other plans. He smashes her windows and drags her through the snow to his school bus. He takes her to his home where she is tied up. She pleads "please don't kill me I am pregnant". A very brutal opening to a movie that becomes relentless in violence. Unfortunately for the Serial Killer, he has chosen poorly in this latest victim. Her father is a retired Police Chief and her Fiancée is a Secret Agent. The Fiancée finds the Serial Killer very easily and then sets out to hunt and track him down. Soon you are not sure which character is the evil one, as lines start to blur. The Fiancée does not only want to just catch the killer, but to play an evil cat and mouse game with him. For he wants him to feel true revenge for what he has done. This Thriller is gory and action packed with characters that you really start to care about. You really get to know the Serial Killer in particular, as he seems to be the main character in the film. He truly is the Devil personified and seems to be the stronger personality of the two characters. The final showdown between the two is brutal and hard to watch. Another excellent Korean Horror movie.
Juan de los muertos (2011)
Cuban Zombies on the loose!
Juan of the Dead is the first Cuban Zombie movie ever made. Juan and his friend, Lazaro, wake up one morning to a Zombie invasion in Havana. The Cuban government is reporting that the Zombie outbreak is "Americans trying to undermine the Cuban government". Obviously poking fun at the Cuban's political propaganda.
Juan and his friends decide that they can make a successful small business by killing and disposing of Zombies. For a small fee Juan can dispose of your unwanted loved ones for you. So an unlikely bunch of heroes come together and arm themselves to rid the city of Zombies for a profit.
What makes this movie special is that you get a real up close and personal view of what it is like to live in Havana under the Communist Regime. The scenery is beautiful and sad at the same time. Havana is depicted as a place where Elevators don't work, Medicine is outdated, and things just generally look run down. Zombies are merely thrown into the mix. What comes across loud and clear is how proud the Cuban people are. Even when facing the end of life as he knows it, Juan does not want to leave his homeland.
I saw this movie at the World Premiere in Toronto at TIFF, so I had the pleasure of hearing the Q&A after the film. The Director, Alejandro Brugues, and his crew were excited to be in Canada for the first time and mentioned that they were going to a Jay's game before flying back to Cuba
LOL He seemed surprised that the film comes across with a political message, because it was not his intention to do so.
The Woman (2011)
Disgusting, Perverse, and Thought Provoking
The Woman- The movie opens with a seemingly happy family enjoying a backyard BBQ with some friends. But it is apparent very soon that this family has a lot of terrible secrets they are hiding. The wife seems to be walking on eggshells around her husband, the teenage daughter is having trouble at school, and the teenage son is showing signs of being a psychopath like his father. The father may seem like the picture of an upstanding citizen but is actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.
During a hunting trip, the father finds a feral woman. But instead of calling the authorities, he brings her home to live with his family? He decides to make it a family project to clean her up and domesticate her. It is no surprise that things do not go as smoothly as he hoped. What follows is a disturbing gory end to the story.
From a woman's point of view, I saw this film as more of a piece about what is actually civilized and what is feral. The Woman could instinctively tell who was there to harm her or help her. She could easily read other people's emotions and reactions to what was happening to her. During the duration of the film, the father seems to act just as uncivilized as his captive, but displays it in a very different way than The Woman.
The movie was shocking, disgusting, thought provoking, and perverse. Horror fans will be be satisfied and cringing with the splatterfest ending.
Trolljegeren (2010)
Watch out for those Trolls
So here we have yet another movie put together from College students that have gone missing. But wait, they left behind footage of everything they did. Woo-Hoo! Somehow this setup seems oh so familiar. However this basic premise is the only tired storyline. Shot in Norway, this movie has beautiful scenery and a fresh and interesting take on the Found-footage style of movie making. The Film Crew start following a local Bear poacher named Hans. But Hans is secretly working for the government by tracking and controlling the local Troll population. The students catch Hans in the act one night and expose his secret. Hans, realizing he has been exposed starts to tell the students everything. And brings them along when he hunts the Trolls. The CGI used for the Trolls is very well done and the rolling hills of Norway are breath taking. There are lots of humorous moments and some scary ones too. You will never look at rock formations or power lines quite the same way after viewing this movie.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
A Comedy of Errors
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Tucker and Dale are two good old boys heading up to their cabin in the woods for some vacation time. Tucker has recently bought a fixer-upper Cabin and the two friends want to spend a week working on their "Vacation Home" and some fishing. The Cabin looks like something out of Wrong Turn or Evil Dead 2, But Tucker and Dale are not deterred from fixing it up. Pretty soon a group of College kids show up at a nearby camp and immediately wrongly assume Tucker and Dale are psychotic "Hillbillies" out to murder them. Considering that the Cabin and property are filled with tools for a Reno, such as Chainsaws and a Woodchipper, it's not long before the comedy and gruesome carnage start to ensue. This was one of funniest and surprising movies that I watched this year. A comedy of errors that results in lots of gory and creative deaths for the dim-witted college kids. What makes this movie special is the relationship between Tucker and Dale. They are two sweet, helpful, and hopelessly clueless guys that get caught up in the disaster that the College kids created. This will be one of those movies I like to watch again and again when nothing else is on. One message that certainly comes across loud and clear is that appearances can be deceiving and that the Frat Boys shouldn't have judged the proverbial book by the cover. People are individuals and not just their stereotypes.