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brianrosenthal82
Reviews
Splinter (2008)
Easily one of, if not THE best creature feature of the last decade.
I'm going to keep this brief...ish. This film isn't for everyone, you've got to have a strong stomach going in and know what you're in for, which is an hour and 22 minutes of relentless action, chills, suspense, and gruesome body horror. The plot is simple, but effective... a roadside carjacking turns into "Assault on Precinct 13" meets "The Thing", as the three main characters take refuge from a terrifying creature they encounter by chance inside of a seemingly abandoned gas station. The rest I won't spoil for you.
The filmmaking on display here is top-notch (by both Hollywood and indie-film standards). The cinematography is gritty and expertly executed, utilizing a hand-held, high contrast look with a lot of long lenses that lend to an almost documentarian, voyeuresque aesthetic. That, coupled with sincere, grounded performances from the entire cast works to evoke a very real, sober, and urgent tone for the film. You can really tell everyone was on the same page here, behind the camera and in front. The character work/performances served up are truly commendable, with a standout performance by Shea Whigham. This isn't one of those clichéd horror flicks with dumb characters doing dumb things... to the film's credit, it's a helluva lot smarter than that, and so are its characters. The creature/gore/practical FX are also very well done, by any standards. The filmmakers are smart enough to show you just enough of the "creature" to freak you out, letting your mind fill in the gaps of what you think you just saw. But while they hold back a bit (wisely) with showing the creature itself, you can count on everything else happening in full, bone-crunching detail. As mentioned before... not for the squeamish.
All said, I highly recommend this film to almost any horror fan, especially those of you that love 80s/90s creature features and practical FX. If there are any complaints its simply that this film will not be accessible to anyone outside the genre, but that's hardly a complaint. "Splinter" is essentially the first truly worthy successor to John Carpenter's "The Thing", and almost definitely the best balls-to-the-wall "Scary thing out there, and we're in here" flick of the last 10 years, if not more. Check it out, you won't regret it.
The Final Girls (2015)
Not for your typical horror fan, but still an amazing little film!
"The Final Girls" is easily the most unique "comedy/horror" film I've seen since "Cabin in the Woods". The story, which takes some heavy cues from "Last Action Hero" and even "Hot Tub Time Machine" (to a degree), sees its heroin and her friends magically plunged into the world of the very slasher film her late mother starred in-- a film heavily inspired by "Friday the 13th". From there, it's a fun, clever romp as the group of modern college kids have to outwit the masked killer, while playing with/against the tropes and clichés of every 80s horror film you've ever seen. It's a lot of fun, and it's all executed with a deft creative hand. The heart of the story, however, lies with the female protagonist and her mission to save the "movie version" of her late mother-- who tragically died in the "real" world, but is alive and well within the film, albeit as the character she played. It's incredibly touching, and it got me more than a little teary-eyed. Which brings me to the film's biggest problem-- It's supposed to be a comedy/horror, and while it's a TON of fun and the yucks are aplenty, it doesn't really work as a horror film, much in the same way "Last Action Hero" didn't really work as an action film (falls on the side of parody too much). The kills are few and far between, and when they do happen, they're strangely bloodless and subdued (found out later this was due to a PG-13 rating). That leaves the film with 2 major things going for it: The meta-comedy, and the feels. This is ultimately not a film for your typical horror fan... it takes a special kind of appreciation. That said, even with some flaws (lack of scares being the biggest sin), this is a masterfully executed tribute to 80s slasher cinema, and a movie I won't soon be forgetting. Excellent script, excellent performances, visually amazing with VERY unique cinematography throughout, and above all, it's got SO much heart. 3 out of 4 stars, really loved this one.
Turbo Kid (2015)
Everything it promises to be. A real gem.
So, "Turbo Kid"... I gotta say, I'm kinda in love with this movie. Sure, call me a sucker for 80s nostalgia, but so far as that kinda stuff goes, it doesn't get much more fun, authentic, or gory than this. The basic plot revolves around a kid, who while traveling the post apocalyptic wasteland of 1997 on his BMX bike and listening to hair metal on his cassette Walkman (yup, you're in for THAT kinda movie), stumbles across both his favorite superhero's suit (complete with lethal power glove), and a mysteriously chipper girl by the name of Apple who absolutely refuses to leave his side (and ends up being one of the strongest elements and the emotional heart of the film with a fantastic performance here by Laurence Lebouf). Oh, and MICHAEL FREAKIN IRONSIDE plays the head baddie in this flick. He manages to create a pastiche of all his previous villainous roles, chewing up every scene he's in and having an apparent blast doing so. The directors (theres 3 of em at work here) make wonderful use of their clearly limited budget, piling on the gore and creativity at every turn. My favorite examples of which are little touches like using traditional matte paintings to extend backgrounds (just like they did in the 80s) and cloud tanks to simulate the turbulent, post apocalyptic skies (again, just like they did in the 80s, specifically managing to look like Richard Edlund's work). So much of what's on display here is both a love letter to and an accurate recreation of how the films from back then were actually made. Ultimately, there are a few lulls, and while it's not perfect, (nor is it for everyone) I can't help but totally recommend this movie to anyone who grew up in the 80s, played Nintendo, and watched R rated action flicks as a kid. It's a absolute gem.
Behind the Mask: The Batman Dead End Story (2015)
Fanfilms were a joke til Batman: Dead End came around
Batman: Dead End is a uniquely amazing fanfilm. Gorgeous production design, solid direction, wonderful cinematography, fantastic practical FX, and so many geek-out moments it's hard to even keep track. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to check it out, its still all over YouTube to this day. Sandy Collora (the director), an industry vet and director's chair hopeful, put together a serious chunk of his own change back in the early 2000s, and assembled a team of highly talented folks within the industry to carry out his vision of an unapologetically comic-book inspired Batman pitted against some of geekdom's greatest icons. This documentary explores what drove him to do it, how it was done, the highs, the lows, and the fallout/aftermath of the whole thing. As a hopeful filmmaker myself, this became my "Star Wars"... a film that inspired me and opened my eyes to a world of possibilities. All I knew was "this was done independently, it's on the internet for everyone to see, and it's freakin amazing". My own fanfilm, "Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness", owes a great debt of gratitude to Sandy and Batman: Dead End. Without his film, mine wouldn't exist, and neither would thousands of others, I suspect. Credit where credit's due, Sandy Collora is the George Lucas of fanfilms, and I mean that with the utmost respect. As the documentary reveals, he might not have catapulted into Hollywood stardom as hoped, but he pioneered the trail and inspired a generation of us. Definitely worth a watch, especially for budding filmmakers.