'Meatball Machine Kodoku' shows that weird is alive and kicking in Japan. An alien entity
invades a city and starts taking over the brains of the residents who are then turned into part
machine monsters. A mild-mannered businessman is not so infected and proceeds to kill
those who are and protect those who are not. A veritable splatter movie leavened with much
humour.
'Tragedy Girls' has two High School seniors obsessed with their profiles on social media. A
serial killer in their town gives them an opportunity to expand their on-line presence despite
the opposition of more established media. Having captured the actual killer, played by the
estimable Kevin Durand, they keep things moving by doing the killing themselves to its
culmination at the Senior Prom. Hilarious and successfully done.
Final comments.
A much better choice than last year with sevn of the eight films worth the effort and only one
bummer though the young man sitting next to me at the screening of 'Fashionista' had seen it
at the Glasgow Frightfest and thought it was really good!! Best film - 'The Villainess' with
an honourable mention to both 'The Glass Coffin' and 'The Bar'; most enjoyable - a tie between
'68 Kill' and 'Meatball Machine Kodoku' with the remaining two close behind.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Frightfest 2017: Sunday 27 August
'Mayhem' sees a promising lawyer fired through a workmate's duplicity at the same time as a
virus, ID7, which makes those infected lose their inhibitions is released in the company's multi-
storey building. Unable to leave he has to fight his way back up through the floors to the
accompaniment of unbridled sex and comic-book violence which continues with increasing
ingenuity until he reaches the top floor and the ultimate goal. Definitely not to be taken at all
seriously although I suppose it could be read as a satire on the behaviour in large companies by
those trying to succeed.
'The Villainess' is a first-rate Korean film with a stunningly virtuoso opening sequence involving
the heroine. Trained as an assassin in China, she loses her mentor but is given the chance of a
new life as a government agent in South Korea where her cover is that of a theatre actress. The
film does not completely follow the pattern one would expect from Hollywood films but the end
finds her getting revenge but not in the way she thought. The action did sag a little at time but
the set pieces were sufficiently brilliant to make up for this.
virus, ID7, which makes those infected lose their inhibitions is released in the company's multi-
storey building. Unable to leave he has to fight his way back up through the floors to the
accompaniment of unbridled sex and comic-book violence which continues with increasing
ingenuity until he reaches the top floor and the ultimate goal. Definitely not to be taken at all
seriously although I suppose it could be read as a satire on the behaviour in large companies by
those trying to succeed.
'The Villainess' is a first-rate Korean film with a stunningly virtuoso opening sequence involving
the heroine. Trained as an assassin in China, she loses her mentor but is given the chance of a
new life as a government agent in South Korea where her cover is that of a theatre actress. The
film does not completely follow the pattern one would expect from Hollywood films but the end
finds her getting revenge but not in the way she thought. The action did sag a little at time but
the set pieces were sufficiently brilliant to make up for this.
Frightfest 2017: Saturday 26 August
'The Bar' attracted us because it is directed by Alex de la Iglesia, director of 'Day of the Beast'.
An attractive woman, Blanca Surez, is seen walking through Madrid and is cursed by a gypsy
woman shortly before going in to the eponymous bar. The owner, her waiter and a number of
customers are there when they are instructed by loud-hailer to stay put. One does not and is
shot and they see men in Hazmat gear outside. They decide to leave through the sewer network
underneath the bar which proves harder than it might do because of the tight fit of the entrance
to it. At first, the only person able to get through is our heroine and she can only do so after
removing some of her clothing. There is a fight which leaves some of the habitues dead but
most get into the sewers and try to find a way through and out. Tensions which are already
high get higher and the animosity between the men with disputes over what seems to be an
antidote to the mysterious disease leads to more death. Eventually, the woman is the only one
able to get out and she is seen, muddied and semi-naked walking through the crowd who pay
her no heed. The characters are well differentiated and the tension of the situation kept up
admirably.
An attractive woman, Blanca Surez, is seen walking through Madrid and is cursed by a gypsy
woman shortly before going in to the eponymous bar. The owner, her waiter and a number of
customers are there when they are instructed by loud-hailer to stay put. One does not and is
shot and they see men in Hazmat gear outside. They decide to leave through the sewer network
underneath the bar which proves harder than it might do because of the tight fit of the entrance
to it. At first, the only person able to get through is our heroine and she can only do so after
removing some of her clothing. There is a fight which leaves some of the habitues dead but
most get into the sewers and try to find a way through and out. Tensions which are already
high get higher and the animosity between the men with disputes over what seems to be an
antidote to the mysterious disease leads to more death. Eventually, the woman is the only one
able to get out and she is seen, muddied and semi-naked walking through the crowd who pay
her no heed. The characters are well differentiated and the tension of the situation kept up
admirably.
Frightfest 2017: Friday 25 August
With the Festival returning to the West End, we did select a few more films this year but
decided against a full pass.
Our viewing opened with 'The Glass Coffin', a Spanish 'closed room' drama with a difference.
The heroine is first seen getting into a limousine to go to a gala where she is to receive an
award. However, she soon discovers that the vehicle doors are locked and the windows have
become opaque. A distorted voice tells her she is to obey whatever commands she is given;
when she refuses, the chauffeur goes into the limousine and beats her briefly. As she then
slowly complies with the increasingly demeaning commands she finds out the name of her
captor and his reason for his actions. An interesting two-hander with a fine performance
from Paola Bontempi holding the film together.
'Fashionista' features a plain heroine who runs a vintage dress shop with her husband. She
suspects he is having an affair with one of their staff, which he is and she seeks revenge by
herself committing adultery. The programme calls this 'a hypnotic and bracing exploration
of identity, body image and transformation' with a nod to DePalma which makes me think
we must have seen a diffrent film as this was, to put it bluntly, utter tosh badly acted.
'68 Kill' takes us into the world of trailer trash with Annalynne McCord in an over-the-top
performance as the girlfriend of a quiet sewage worker. She talks him into robbing the
safe of her current sugar daddy but this goes wrong, they are then themselves robbed by
some of the local layabouts after which mayhem occurs. Morally reprehensible and a
little hard to believe, the film is a delightful romp in the lower reaches of Louisiana life.
decided against a full pass.
Our viewing opened with 'The Glass Coffin', a Spanish 'closed room' drama with a difference.
The heroine is first seen getting into a limousine to go to a gala where she is to receive an
award. However, she soon discovers that the vehicle doors are locked and the windows have
become opaque. A distorted voice tells her she is to obey whatever commands she is given;
when she refuses, the chauffeur goes into the limousine and beats her briefly. As she then
slowly complies with the increasingly demeaning commands she finds out the name of her
captor and his reason for his actions. An interesting two-hander with a fine performance
from Paola Bontempi holding the film together.
'Fashionista' features a plain heroine who runs a vintage dress shop with her husband. She
suspects he is having an affair with one of their staff, which he is and she seeks revenge by
herself committing adultery. The programme calls this 'a hypnotic and bracing exploration
of identity, body image and transformation' with a nod to DePalma which makes me think
we must have seen a diffrent film as this was, to put it bluntly, utter tosh badly acted.
'68 Kill' takes us into the world of trailer trash with Annalynne McCord in an over-the-top
performance as the girlfriend of a quiet sewage worker. She talks him into robbing the
safe of her current sugar daddy but this goes wrong, they are then themselves robbed by
some of the local layabouts after which mayhem occurs. Morally reprehensible and a
little hard to believe, the film is a delightful romp in the lower reaches of Louisiana life.
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