The previous two films by these directors were more than a little odd, one a wheelchair road movie and the other a mixed up revenge movie. The attraction here is the two leads - Gerard Depardieu and Yolande Moreau. They play a married couple with his retirement from the local abattoir kicking the film off. He discovers that he needs to obtain paperwork from previous employers to get a pension and the film becomes a combination of a road movie and nostalgia. The opening fe
scenes are farcical, especially the ones in the local supermarket but the film seems to lose its way though there are several
amusing sequences - and at least one very sick one. Isabelle Adjani appears as a ghost from the past with her face rather
damaged which turns out to be the result of Depardieu having crashed his motorbike while she was a passenger - he lived,
she didn't. Mammuth, incidentally, is the make of bike he rode which turns out to be worth a lot of money. A strange and
somewhat disappointing film.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
La Princesse de Montpensier: Bertrand Tavernier (LFF)
Based on a story by Madame de Lafayette, this historical film is set during the religious strife in 16th century France. The
cinematography is excellent both in the outdoor and indoor scenes and the acting, particularly by Melanie Thierry in the
eponymous lead and by Lambert Wilson, her tutor, first rate. She is in love with her cousin though engaged to his brother
but is marroed off to another noble for political reasons to further her father's ambitions. Needless to say, although she tries to be faithful to her husband she has sex with the cousin she loves and also develops a strong attachment for Lambert
Wilson. The film ends in tragedy after a number of well-constructed and highly charged scenes both at her husband's castle and at the royal court. A really good film.
cinematography is excellent both in the outdoor and indoor scenes and the acting, particularly by Melanie Thierry in the
eponymous lead and by Lambert Wilson, her tutor, first rate. She is in love with her cousin though engaged to his brother
but is marroed off to another noble for political reasons to further her father's ambitions. Needless to say, although she tries to be faithful to her husband she has sex with the cousin she loves and also develops a strong attachment for Lambert
Wilson. The film ends in tragedy after a number of well-constructed and highly charged scenes both at her husband's castle and at the royal court. A really good film.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Two German silent films
Schlagende Wetter (Firedamp)directed by Karl Grune, is a restored 1923 film about a marriage saved by a mine explosion. The story is straightforward - a girl becomes pregnant and her lover runs away and she is kicked out of the family home.
She meets up with a miner in Sankt Anton who marries her but it turns out that the runaway father is also here and he tries to rekindle the flame though she resists. A fire down the mine results in the erstwhile lover's demise and the couple's reconciliation. The film is rather incomplete but has some solid performances and interesting effects.
Die Wiesse Holle von Piz Palu (The White Hell of Pitz Palu) dates from 1929 and has two directors. Arnold Fanck who also wrote the story and Georg Wilhelm Pabst. One of a considerable number of mountain films of the 20s, several featuring, as does this one, Leni Riefenstahl, the film is considered by some to be the best mountain film of all. Again, marriage is at the heart of the film, one current and one forming the opening sequence with the loss of the wife. The widower meets
up with the second couple and they climb the eponymous peak together only to be caught in an avalanche when the weather turns. The widower sacrifices himself to save the couple. A somewhat trite melodrama which is saved by the excellent
photography both of the panoramic scenic shots of the mountains and, particularly, of the partly underground scenes of the
resuce party's efforts, the latter being extremely well done. What is of interest in comparing the two films is the amount of
development in equipment and the techniques that this allowed in the few years that separate the two. Even allowing for the fact that the older film is incomplete, the contrast is really striking.
She meets up with a miner in Sankt Anton who marries her but it turns out that the runaway father is also here and he tries to rekindle the flame though she resists. A fire down the mine results in the erstwhile lover's demise and the couple's reconciliation. The film is rather incomplete but has some solid performances and interesting effects.
Die Wiesse Holle von Piz Palu (The White Hell of Pitz Palu) dates from 1929 and has two directors. Arnold Fanck who also wrote the story and Georg Wilhelm Pabst. One of a considerable number of mountain films of the 20s, several featuring, as does this one, Leni Riefenstahl, the film is considered by some to be the best mountain film of all. Again, marriage is at the heart of the film, one current and one forming the opening sequence with the loss of the wife. The widower meets
up with the second couple and they climb the eponymous peak together only to be caught in an avalanche when the weather turns. The widower sacrifices himself to save the couple. A somewhat trite melodrama which is saved by the excellent
photography both of the panoramic scenic shots of the mountains and, particularly, of the partly underground scenes of the
resuce party's efforts, the latter being extremely well done. What is of interest in comparing the two films is the amount of
development in equipment and the techniques that this allowed in the few years that separate the two. Even allowing for the fact that the older film is incomplete, the contrast is really striking.
Krajewski, Marek: The End of the World in Breslau
A middle-aged police detective has to solve some singularly unpleasant crimes while dealing with a younger unfaithful wife.
He seems to spend much of his time eating and drinking throughout the day so that he is more often than not either drunk or
suffering a hangover. He deduces that the crimes are linked to a Russian seer who has proclaimed that the end of the world
is nigh with ancient crimes being repeated and proceeds, with others, to search through the archives to find the originals of the present crimes and then to work out which comes next. The whole story is told in flashback as a form of deathbed confession though the device seems unnecessary. A well written curiosity in many ways which evokes the underworld of the
former capital of Silesia and its inhabitants more than adequately.
He seems to spend much of his time eating and drinking throughout the day so that he is more often than not either drunk or
suffering a hangover. He deduces that the crimes are linked to a Russian seer who has proclaimed that the end of the world
is nigh with ancient crimes being repeated and proceeds, with others, to search through the archives to find the originals of the present crimes and then to work out which comes next. The whole story is told in flashback as a form of deathbed confession though the device seems unnecessary. A well written curiosity in many ways which evokes the underworld of the
former capital of Silesia and its inhabitants more than adequately.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Frightfest 2010 Redux
As an exercise, I thought I would post a series of short comments on the filmss seen which may or may not reflect what I
thought of them.
Hatchet 2 - bury it!
Primal - anything but first!
Eggshells - better not hatched.
The Clinic - not for hypochondriacs
Finale - at least it's over!
Wound - either coming loose or a cut beneath depending on the pronunciation
F - no... B+
Christopher Roth - not a patch on Tim
Fanboys - preferred the fan girl
13 Hrs - Went quickly enough
I Spit On Your Grave - Should not have been resurrected
Monsters - rather a harsh description of the leads
The Pack - two queens and a joker beat the rest
Outcast - should be cast out
We Are What We Are - more's the pity
Amer - a bitter pill to swallow
Buried - see I Spit On Your Grave
Video Nasties - sweet!
After.Life - needed livening up
Bedevilled - you can't bank on a banker
Red White and Blue - flagged badly
The Last Exorcism - good job there was only one!
thought of them.
Hatchet 2 - bury it!
Primal - anything but first!
Eggshells - better not hatched.
The Clinic - not for hypochondriacs
Finale - at least it's over!
Wound - either coming loose or a cut beneath depending on the pronunciation
F - no... B+
Christopher Roth - not a patch on Tim
Fanboys - preferred the fan girl
13 Hrs - Went quickly enough
I Spit On Your Grave - Should not have been resurrected
Monsters - rather a harsh description of the leads
The Pack - two queens and a joker beat the rest
Outcast - should be cast out
We Are What We Are - more's the pity
Amer - a bitter pill to swallow
Buried - see I Spit On Your Grave
Video Nasties - sweet!
After.Life - needed livening up
Bedevilled - you can't bank on a banker
Red White and Blue - flagged badly
The Last Exorcism - good job there was only one!
Stansberry, Domenic: The Big Boom
The return of the large-nosed PI, Dante Mancuso, who is asked to find a former sweetheart, daughter of an old San Franciscan
Italian family. She is found dead and the novel unfolds in a series of short, sometimes, disconnected chapters with the ending of the dot.com boom as background and, as it turns out, the reason behind the girl's death. A pleasant read which
manages to convey both the breaking down of old neighbourhoods and the slump following the boom - as one character puts it: "You think abour something long enough, you imagine it, after a while it does exist. You bring it into being." He continues by saying that the aim is to hang on to centure capital until the idea becomes real and thereby hangs the motive for the various killings. Not one of my favourites but readable.
Italian family. She is found dead and the novel unfolds in a series of short, sometimes, disconnected chapters with the ending of the dot.com boom as background and, as it turns out, the reason behind the girl's death. A pleasant read which
manages to convey both the breaking down of old neighbourhoods and the slump following the boom - as one character puts it: "You think abour something long enough, you imagine it, after a while it does exist. You bring it into being." He continues by saying that the aim is to hang on to centure capital until the idea becomes real and thereby hangs the motive for the various killings. Not one of my favourites but readable.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Hughes, Dorothy B.: The Blackbirder
Having read four novels some years ago in a noir series, I was curious to see how the author translated those sentiments into
a spy thriller in this book set during World War II. The heroine is American by birth though raised in France and illegally returned to the USA to escape the Germans in Paris. She is seeking her childhood sweetheart, the son of the couple who has
raised her, though she believed he was for the Free French whereas his parents were decidedly pro-Nazi. From New York where she sees an acquaintance murdered she flees to Santa Fe, in and around which the action takes place. There is a lot
of duplicity, uncertain trust and numerous twists of fate during the course of the novel. The heroine has developed survival skills during her flight to safety from Paris and she needs these to keep herself alive. Unlike the traditional noir which has a
hero beset by a faithless woman, this has a heroine who finds she has a faithless hero though the final chapters which rely
(as often is the case) somewhat on coincidence do tend to the sentimental. However, reading this has prompted me to buy
'In a Lonely Place' which is perhaps her best-known novel.
a spy thriller in this book set during World War II. The heroine is American by birth though raised in France and illegally returned to the USA to escape the Germans in Paris. She is seeking her childhood sweetheart, the son of the couple who has
raised her, though she believed he was for the Free French whereas his parents were decidedly pro-Nazi. From New York where she sees an acquaintance murdered she flees to Santa Fe, in and around which the action takes place. There is a lot
of duplicity, uncertain trust and numerous twists of fate during the course of the novel. The heroine has developed survival skills during her flight to safety from Paris and she needs these to keep herself alive. Unlike the traditional noir which has a
hero beset by a faithless woman, this has a heroine who finds she has a faithless hero though the final chapters which rely
(as often is the case) somewhat on coincidence do tend to the sentimental. However, reading this has prompted me to buy
'In a Lonely Place' which is perhaps her best-known novel.
Kirino, Natsuo: Out
A woman murders her good-for-nothing husband and enlists the help of workmates on the night shift at a fast food plant to
help her avoid detection and conviction. While that is the basic short version of the story, the interest lies in the varying reactions of the workmates, the willingness to ignore morality for financial advantage and the course that events take in the
aftermath of the murder. As with the other of her books I have read, there is a dispassionate tone with often gruesome and illegal activity presented without condemnation almost as if the entire world was alienated from itself. It did take me quite
some time to read the 500 plus pages as there is a definite density to the work though this does not prevent its being a very
readable work. I don't think it was enjoyable though this is hardly surprising considering the subject matter.
help her avoid detection and conviction. While that is the basic short version of the story, the interest lies in the varying reactions of the workmates, the willingness to ignore morality for financial advantage and the course that events take in the
aftermath of the murder. As with the other of her books I have read, there is a dispassionate tone with often gruesome and illegal activity presented without condemnation almost as if the entire world was alienated from itself. It did take me quite
some time to read the 500 plus pages as there is a definite density to the work though this does not prevent its being a very
readable work. I don't think it was enjoyable though this is hardly surprising considering the subject matter.
Crossways (JuJiro): Teinosuke Kinugasa
This 1928 Japanese silent is described as one of the milestones of Japanese cinema following the director's earlier 'A Page of Madness'. The story is one of a profligate young man, besotted with a whore, who thinks he has killed a rival for her wares
and takes refuge with his sister to hide from the consequences. The film reflects the German expressionism of the period and is deliberately not filmed sequentially but with a mix of the now and the then to illustrate the tortured mind of the lead.
The film was preceded by a somewhat unfluent (if there is such a word) introduction aiming to put the film in the context of
Japanese cinema at the time. I thought the film was of interest but not quite up to the level of the better German and other
films of the period and not as interesting as the earlier film.
and takes refuge with his sister to hide from the consequences. The film reflects the German expressionism of the period and is deliberately not filmed sequentially but with a mix of the now and the then to illustrate the tortured mind of the lead.
The film was preceded by a somewhat unfluent (if there is such a word) introduction aiming to put the film in the context of
Japanese cinema at the time. I thought the film was of interest but not quite up to the level of the better German and other
films of the period and not as interesting as the earlier film.
Frightfest 2010: Day 5
The last day of the marathon opened with a documentary 'Video Nasties: Moral Panic Censorship and Videotape' directed by
Jake West which did, at times, seem very familiar though this was its world premiere. I suppose there are, talking heads apart, a limited number of clips that can be shown - and several of them appeared more than once during the hour of this film. Interesting but rather old hat.
'After.Life' has Liam Neeson as a funeral director, Christina Ricci as a frequently naked body who may or may not be dead and
Justin Long as a suffering fiance (again). Agnieska Wojtowisz-Vosloo directs this stylishly filmed effort which was not that
scary but it was quite effective.
'Bedevilled', a Korean film directed by Jang Cheol-soo, tells of a young female banker who is sent on leave and goes to the island of Moodo where she has a property left her by her grandparents. Her one-timefriend there is the only young woman on the island and is treated as a sexual toy by the men and a slave by the women. Though shocked by this, the banker will not get involved as she had not done so over the years by ignoring the many letters her friend had sent her. The death of
her daughter turns the island girl crazy which leads to an extended and very bloody denouement. Good(ish)
'Red White and Blue' directed by Simon Rumley has Noah Taylor as a veteran of the Iraq war who befriends a slut who has started work at the same plant. Despite her promiscuity both at work and elsewhere, he forms an attachment to her which
ends abruptly when one of her night-time liaisons goes wrong. He proceeds to take revenge for her death before riding off
into the sunset. So What!
Danial Sramm's 'The Last Exorcism' was the closing film which, true to form, started a good 30 minutes late so the ending was
missed. A mock documentary about a Southern Baptist preacher who has followed his father by performing exorcisms which
are all faked, exposing this being the reason for the documentary. The twist is that his last one which is to form the centre of the documentary turns out to be one of genuine possession..... at which point we made our excuses and left.
To summarise the weekend fairly is not easy - even though these reviews are nearer the event than those of last year, there is a definite blurring of memory - and one or two complete or near-complete lapses. As I said a year ago, the earlier films have
tended to be the better remembered and reviewd though this is not completely so. There was nothing this year that stood out though there were several that, one way or another, might bear a second viewing. Firstly, a few words on the rationale for choosing the Discovery Screen over the main one. The quiz, the Hooper interview and re-run of 'The Hills Have Eyes' were natural gaps in the main arena with British films 'Isle of Dogs' and 'Cherry Tree Lane' adding to the time available. As well as the late night films, the missed films were "Burning Bright' and 'Higanjima: Escape from Vampire Island' on the Discovery Screen and 'Red Hill', 'Damned by Dawn', 'The Tortured' and 'The Dead' on the main screen. The films seen ranged
from some goodish ones - 'The Clinic','F', '13 Hrs','The Pack' and 'Monsters'- through some oddities - 'Amer' and 'After.Life' - to some that were anything but good - 'Eggshells', 'We Are What We Are', and others. Nothing stood out in the way that last
year's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' and the previous year's 'Let the Right One In' did and I amnot sure that some of those
I did like will remain so in a year or two's time. However, all in all a worthwhile experience but next year I think it will pay to
spend money on hotel accommdation and cut back on the travelling.
Jake West which did, at times, seem very familiar though this was its world premiere. I suppose there are, talking heads apart, a limited number of clips that can be shown - and several of them appeared more than once during the hour of this film. Interesting but rather old hat.
'After.Life' has Liam Neeson as a funeral director, Christina Ricci as a frequently naked body who may or may not be dead and
Justin Long as a suffering fiance (again). Agnieska Wojtowisz-Vosloo directs this stylishly filmed effort which was not that
scary but it was quite effective.
'Bedevilled', a Korean film directed by Jang Cheol-soo, tells of a young female banker who is sent on leave and goes to the island of Moodo where she has a property left her by her grandparents. Her one-timefriend there is the only young woman on the island and is treated as a sexual toy by the men and a slave by the women. Though shocked by this, the banker will not get involved as she had not done so over the years by ignoring the many letters her friend had sent her. The death of
her daughter turns the island girl crazy which leads to an extended and very bloody denouement. Good(ish)
'Red White and Blue' directed by Simon Rumley has Noah Taylor as a veteran of the Iraq war who befriends a slut who has started work at the same plant. Despite her promiscuity both at work and elsewhere, he forms an attachment to her which
ends abruptly when one of her night-time liaisons goes wrong. He proceeds to take revenge for her death before riding off
into the sunset. So What!
Danial Sramm's 'The Last Exorcism' was the closing film which, true to form, started a good 30 minutes late so the ending was
missed. A mock documentary about a Southern Baptist preacher who has followed his father by performing exorcisms which
are all faked, exposing this being the reason for the documentary. The twist is that his last one which is to form the centre of the documentary turns out to be one of genuine possession..... at which point we made our excuses and left.
To summarise the weekend fairly is not easy - even though these reviews are nearer the event than those of last year, there is a definite blurring of memory - and one or two complete or near-complete lapses. As I said a year ago, the earlier films have
tended to be the better remembered and reviewd though this is not completely so. There was nothing this year that stood out though there were several that, one way or another, might bear a second viewing. Firstly, a few words on the rationale for choosing the Discovery Screen over the main one. The quiz, the Hooper interview and re-run of 'The Hills Have Eyes' were natural gaps in the main arena with British films 'Isle of Dogs' and 'Cherry Tree Lane' adding to the time available. As well as the late night films, the missed films were "Burning Bright' and 'Higanjima: Escape from Vampire Island' on the Discovery Screen and 'Red Hill', 'Damned by Dawn', 'The Tortured' and 'The Dead' on the main screen. The films seen ranged
from some goodish ones - 'The Clinic','F', '13 Hrs','The Pack' and 'Monsters'- through some oddities - 'Amer' and 'After.Life' - to some that were anything but good - 'Eggshells', 'We Are What We Are', and others. Nothing stood out in the way that last
year's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' and the previous year's 'Let the Right One In' did and I amnot sure that some of those
I did like will remain so in a year or two's time. However, all in all a worthwhile experience but next year I think it will pay to
spend money on hotel accommdation and cut back on the travelling.
Frightfest 2010: Day 4
'The Pack', a Franck Richard debut feature, starts with Emilie Dequenne driving south through the French countryside with her
picking up Benjamin Biolay as a protection after a run in with three bikers. Stopping at Mama Spack's truck stop (though it
did seem rather off the road) for refreshments, she finds her companion has gone missing. Mama Spack, the incomparable
Yolande Moreau, does not help at all and she soon finds herself captive, having been the victim of a plot to lure her there.
The stop is near an old mine which has long since closed down following a major disaster and her presence is required to sate
the appetites of the dead miners who return. After many twists in the plot she survives. A dark film with an interesting plot and some nice touches.
Colm McCarthy has directed 'The Outcast' which deals with Celtic myth on a Scottish housing estate. Despite a cast of well-known British actors who acquit themselves as well as can be expected in the circumstances, this was not really involving.
We Are What We Are' is Mexican, directed by Jorge Michel Grau, about an urban cannibal family facing the problem of getting their food when their father dies in the middle of a shopping mall. Perhaps I might have enjoyed this more had it been on earlier in the weekend's showings but, apart from the opening sequence which was nicely filmed, it pressed no buttons and
certainly did not ring any bells.
'Amer' is a Franco-Belgian feature directed by Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Although the setting and filming were very
interesting, the story of three episodes in a woman's life starting with childhood provided an example of style without substance. An hommage to the giallos of the 1970s, it was a rather plale imitation of the best of that decade.
'Buried' was a substitute for 'A Serbian Film' which ran into censorship problems and was withdrawn. The film has a single actor playing a captured American soldier buried in a coffin somewhere in Iraq. He can communicate with outside world and
the film is a slow unfolding of the apparents efforts to find and rescue him before he dies. Wow(?)
picking up Benjamin Biolay as a protection after a run in with three bikers. Stopping at Mama Spack's truck stop (though it
did seem rather off the road) for refreshments, she finds her companion has gone missing. Mama Spack, the incomparable
Yolande Moreau, does not help at all and she soon finds herself captive, having been the victim of a plot to lure her there.
The stop is near an old mine which has long since closed down following a major disaster and her presence is required to sate
the appetites of the dead miners who return. After many twists in the plot she survives. A dark film with an interesting plot and some nice touches.
Colm McCarthy has directed 'The Outcast' which deals with Celtic myth on a Scottish housing estate. Despite a cast of well-known British actors who acquit themselves as well as can be expected in the circumstances, this was not really involving.
We Are What We Are' is Mexican, directed by Jorge Michel Grau, about an urban cannibal family facing the problem of getting their food when their father dies in the middle of a shopping mall. Perhaps I might have enjoyed this more had it been on earlier in the weekend's showings but, apart from the opening sequence which was nicely filmed, it pressed no buttons and
certainly did not ring any bells.
'Amer' is a Franco-Belgian feature directed by Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Although the setting and filming were very
interesting, the story of three episodes in a woman's life starting with childhood provided an example of style without substance. An hommage to the giallos of the 1970s, it was a rather plale imitation of the best of that decade.
'Buried' was a substitute for 'A Serbian Film' which ran into censorship problems and was withdrawn. The film has a single actor playing a captured American soldier buried in a coffin somewhere in Iraq. He can communicate with outside world and
the film is a slow unfolding of the apparents efforts to find and rescue him before he dies. Wow(?)
Frightfest 2010: Day 3
Again the Discovery Screen for 'Christopher Roth' by Max Sender (Maxime Alexandre) in which the eponymous hero is a successful thriller writer who wants to change direction and takes a villa in Umbria to find the peace he needs to do so. He
and his wife find a neighbour (though not exactly next door) is a fan and they dine together at times. A series of local murders by a serial killer called The Boar because his victims have wooden tusks forced through their cheeks complicates his
life and leads to a reality as scary as anything he has written. With a non-English cast (apart from Ben Gazzara in a cameo as the writer's New York agent). this seemed rather a Euro-pudding film with, as one would expect, beautiful cinematography.
'Fanboys' sees a bunch of teenage Star Wars fans setting out to steal a copy of George Lucas's 'Episode One - The Phantom
Menace' before it is released so that they can claim to be the first to have seen it. A series of adventures on the way to the Lucas ranch make this an example of the road trip genre, mildly amusing and predictable with Kristen Bell as the feisty girl who is one of the boys but really after love. What the ... was it doing here?
'13 Hrs' sees Isabella Calthorpe return to the family mansion after some time in this Jonathan Glendening film, another World
Premiere. Cut off by a storm, she and her family less the mother who is away purportedly either for work or with her lover
depending on who is telling it, plus an ex boy friend and a current girl friend, the bounteously endowed Gemma Atkinson,
are attacked by an unseen but bloody animal which proceeds to kill them off one by one, starting with the father. There is an
unexpected explanation which is revealed only after most of them are dead as are a local policeman and animal trapper. An
interesting premise well done and, for once, set in a milieu that is neither urban nor rural slum.
Steven R Monroe has directed a remake of the classic 'I Spit On your Grave' and has followed the basic story line but added at
least one twist which did not really improve matters. The humiliation and rape of Sarah Butler, the lead, are effectively done without much prurience and the revenge sequences show a certain imagination but the expansion of the film from the original does not enhance but rather diminishes.
Gareth Edwards debut film 'Monsters' is a road movie of sorts with a sci-fi basis. Alien lifeforms from a NASA probe have led
to much of Mexico being quarantined and a large wall built along the border with the USA. A reporter in Central America is
tasked with getting his employer's adult daughter back to the USA safely in order to keep is job. The film is the tale of their
journey which is far from straightforward and which, inevitably, leads to a romantic attachment before the end. The monsters of the title are almost incidental but are necessary to provide the pitfalls which befall them until the deliberately ambiguous ending. The mix of genres may tell against the film which is well made.
and his wife find a neighbour (though not exactly next door) is a fan and they dine together at times. A series of local murders by a serial killer called The Boar because his victims have wooden tusks forced through their cheeks complicates his
life and leads to a reality as scary as anything he has written. With a non-English cast (apart from Ben Gazzara in a cameo as the writer's New York agent). this seemed rather a Euro-pudding film with, as one would expect, beautiful cinematography.
'Fanboys' sees a bunch of teenage Star Wars fans setting out to steal a copy of George Lucas's 'Episode One - The Phantom
Menace' before it is released so that they can claim to be the first to have seen it. A series of adventures on the way to the Lucas ranch make this an example of the road trip genre, mildly amusing and predictable with Kristen Bell as the feisty girl who is one of the boys but really after love. What the ... was it doing here?
'13 Hrs' sees Isabella Calthorpe return to the family mansion after some time in this Jonathan Glendening film, another World
Premiere. Cut off by a storm, she and her family less the mother who is away purportedly either for work or with her lover
depending on who is telling it, plus an ex boy friend and a current girl friend, the bounteously endowed Gemma Atkinson,
are attacked by an unseen but bloody animal which proceeds to kill them off one by one, starting with the father. There is an
unexpected explanation which is revealed only after most of them are dead as are a local policeman and animal trapper. An
interesting premise well done and, for once, set in a milieu that is neither urban nor rural slum.
Steven R Monroe has directed a remake of the classic 'I Spit On your Grave' and has followed the basic story line but added at
least one twist which did not really improve matters. The humiliation and rape of Sarah Butler, the lead, are effectively done without much prurience and the revenge sequences show a certain imagination but the expansion of the film from the original does not enhance but rather diminishes.
Gareth Edwards debut film 'Monsters' is a road movie of sorts with a sci-fi basis. Alien lifeforms from a NASA probe have led
to much of Mexico being quarantined and a large wall built along the border with the USA. A reporter in Central America is
tasked with getting his employer's adult daughter back to the USA safely in order to keep is job. The film is the tale of their
journey which is far from straightforward and which, inevitably, leads to a romantic attachment before the end. The monsters of the title are almost incidental but are necessary to provide the pitfalls which befall them until the deliberately ambiguous ending. The mix of genres may tell against the film which is well made.
Frightfest 2010: Day 2
Tobe Hooper was the star attraction this year and the first film of the day was his debut feature 'Eggshells', set in the Austin of 1969. Very much of its time, the kindest thing one can say about this is that it is a student effort which shows some promise amongst one hell of a lot of rubbish.
Switching to the Discovery Screen for the second film of the day produced 'The Clinic', another Australian effort directed by
James Rabbitts whose first film this is. Aided by a strong cast led by Tabrett Bethell, he has produced a fine effort with a
strong but simple story. Pregnant women are drugged, taken to a deserted abattoir, given a Caesarean to remove the foetus,
and then killed with the babies sold to couples who want healthy children. The horror is created by the attempts of the few
women there trying to escape, in no small part thwarted by one of their number who has been promised freedom if she is the only one of the current intake to survive. A nice twist at the end which I shall not reveal. No pyrotechnics but a solidly made
and effective film.
'Finale' directed by John Michael Elfers was also on the Discovery Screen. A mother refuses to believe her son committed suicide and investigates his death which starts to threaten both her sanity and her daughters' life. Creepy and confused but
not memorable (after the three weeks since Frightfest I had trouble recalling the film).
'Wound' directed by David Blyth was the third Discovery Screen film of the day, a shocker from New Zealand, and this was a really confusing mess of a film.
'F' helmed by Johanne Roberts had its World Premiere today in the main auditorium. Set in a 6th Form College, it deals with
the events of one evening following an opening sequence in which David Schofield, the lead, is attacked by a student whose
work has been marked F for failed. The consequences of this when the School Board do not back him (you do not fail pupils but tell them to try harder next time to avoid being sued by irate parents) are his gradual disintegration and the break-up of his marriage. On the evening in question, he has put his daughter in detention (the only false note in the film is that this is happening after 6.00pm) when the school is invaded by faceless youths who proceed to main and kill. Schofield is forced to
react to save his daughter which he does though, again, there is a final twist which leaves his efforts in question. A fine effort all round.
Switching to the Discovery Screen for the second film of the day produced 'The Clinic', another Australian effort directed by
James Rabbitts whose first film this is. Aided by a strong cast led by Tabrett Bethell, he has produced a fine effort with a
strong but simple story. Pregnant women are drugged, taken to a deserted abattoir, given a Caesarean to remove the foetus,
and then killed with the babies sold to couples who want healthy children. The horror is created by the attempts of the few
women there trying to escape, in no small part thwarted by one of their number who has been promised freedom if she is the only one of the current intake to survive. A nice twist at the end which I shall not reveal. No pyrotechnics but a solidly made
and effective film.
'Finale' directed by John Michael Elfers was also on the Discovery Screen. A mother refuses to believe her son committed suicide and investigates his death which starts to threaten both her sanity and her daughters' life. Creepy and confused but
not memorable (after the three weeks since Frightfest I had trouble recalling the film).
'Wound' directed by David Blyth was the third Discovery Screen film of the day, a shocker from New Zealand, and this was a really confusing mess of a film.
'F' helmed by Johanne Roberts had its World Premiere today in the main auditorium. Set in a 6th Form College, it deals with
the events of one evening following an opening sequence in which David Schofield, the lead, is attacked by a student whose
work has been marked F for failed. The consequences of this when the School Board do not back him (you do not fail pupils but tell them to try harder next time to avoid being sued by irate parents) are his gradual disintegration and the break-up of his marriage. On the evening in question, he has put his daughter in detention (the only false note in the film is that this is happening after 6.00pm) when the school is invaded by faceless youths who proceed to main and kill. Schofield is forced to
react to save his daughter which he does though, again, there is a final twist which leaves his efforts in question. A fine effort all round.
Frightfest 2010: Day 1
The opening film was the world premiere of "Hatchet II' directed by Frightfest favourite, Adam Green, which follows on directly from the first film. The female survivor enlists the help of Tony Todd who assembles a motley crew of hunters to kill Victor
Crowley, the killing monster, while helping the girl retrieve her relatives' remains. What follows is a series of inventive and
bloody killings as Crowley outwits his hunters until the final scene. Despite the hype, a relatively mundane example of the
genre despite the imaginative deaths - one example is a new version of losing your head over a woman!
A second world premiere, "Primal' directed by Josh Reed, followed. Set in the Australian wilds, the film follows a small party
of friends looking for Aboriginal relics which they find - but the area is infected by a primordial evil. Some are infected by this and kill others to provide food for the evil entity leaving, as so often, one female survivor. A nice touch is that she is
teased early in the film to utter the c... word but will only do so when appropriate: guess what her final word is after killing
the last 'baddie'. Am I wrong to say this was not bad for an Australian film.
Crowley, the killing monster, while helping the girl retrieve her relatives' remains. What follows is a series of inventive and
bloody killings as Crowley outwits his hunters until the final scene. Despite the hype, a relatively mundane example of the
genre despite the imaginative deaths - one example is a new version of losing your head over a woman!
A second world premiere, "Primal' directed by Josh Reed, followed. Set in the Australian wilds, the film follows a small party
of friends looking for Aboriginal relics which they find - but the area is infected by a primordial evil. Some are infected by this and kill others to provide food for the evil entity leaving, as so often, one female survivor. A nice touch is that she is
teased early in the film to utter the c... word but will only do so when appropriate: guess what her final word is after killing
the last 'baddie'. Am I wrong to say this was not bad for an Australian film.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Welsh, Louise: The Bullet Trick
Although a review refer to her earlier novel 'The Cutting Room', I found this rather different from my memory of that novel which was dark and Gothic in time. Another review says "reaches new depths of depravity" which makes me wonder what
the reviewer had read as, despite the seedy background of a Soho club with two girl strippers in a private performance and
a Berlin 'erotic cabaret', there is nothing shocking. The main female does appear to be something of a whore but there is
only one relatively mild incident. London in the recent past kicks the story off though this is related in backflash from a
contemporary Glasgow with the Berlin episode at the heart of the tale. The protagonist is a stage magician who is sinking
physically and mentally because he has killed the girl who assisted him in Berlin; complicating this is his possession of a photo which implicates a senior policeman in the mysterious disappearance of a criminal's wife some decades earlier.
The writing is smooth and clear with a light touch despite the rather heavy subject matter and the whole fits well - I am not
overly fond of novels which intercut between the now and the then but it works here. Even the surprise ending is not out
of place.
the reviewer had read as, despite the seedy background of a Soho club with two girl strippers in a private performance and
a Berlin 'erotic cabaret', there is nothing shocking. The main female does appear to be something of a whore but there is
only one relatively mild incident. London in the recent past kicks the story off though this is related in backflash from a
contemporary Glasgow with the Berlin episode at the heart of the tale. The protagonist is a stage magician who is sinking
physically and mentally because he has killed the girl who assisted him in Berlin; complicating this is his possession of a photo which implicates a senior policeman in the mysterious disappearance of a criminal's wife some decades earlier.
The writing is smooth and clear with a light touch despite the rather heavy subject matter and the whole fits well - I am not
overly fond of novels which intercut between the now and the then but it works here. Even the surprise ending is not out
of place.
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