13/10/2012: Soylent Green [1973]

Charlton Heston, you must pick roles specifically based on the memorable ending lines. After leaving such an impact on cinema as Taylor in Planet of the Apes, Heston returns to another dystopian envisioning of earth, a world with just as dark a secret as the Planet of the Apes. While Soylent Green may not be the widely famed classic Planet of the Apes is, I don't think anyone who watches it will ever forget the ending.

30/09/2012: Tombs of the Blind Dead (La Noche Del Terror Ciego) [1972]

While perusing my local independent rental store the other day, I happened across a copy of Tombs of the Blind Dead an intriguing Spanish documentary about the handmade mannequin industry in the 70's. The movie follows the story of hard working Bet, as she meets an old friend and decides to take a vacation and head out into the beautiful countryside by train. Along with a dramatic retelling of Bet's life, we get the world's first view inside the mannequin industry that dominated Spain in the 70's.

10/07/2012: Constantine [2005]

Constantine is one of my guilty pleasure movies. Sure it wasn’t a box office hit nor has it unfortunately spawned a number of sequels, but I’ve spent almost a year thinking about rewatching it. Well, memory served right, and while I had forgotten much, it only served to make Constantine better the second time. With the perfect mix of some of my favourite themes and styles I can only hope that a sequel is still to come.

16/06/12: Lost Highway [1997]

 Once again David Lynch is able to create the strangest of stories in the first 10 minutes, with the dial cranked all the way up. Then suddenly he is able go beyond the dial and create such an inexplicably weird movie that is undoubtedly surrounded by hundreds of theories with everyone frantically piecing together the story in any way that makes sense. That is why I love David Lynch and why you should expect some spoilers ahead. But even with those, Lost Highway will turn you around enough times you still won’t know what happened.

14/06/2012: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 [1986]

Last night I had the urge to dig out and put on my Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 DVD. While it doesn't have anything close to the serious and realistic feeling of terror that the first one does, TCM 2's craziness gives us a sequel different enough from the original that we don't feel that standard feeling we get when a sequel isn't up to par with the original.

10/06/2012: Basic Instinct [1992]

After watching Sharon Stone's outstanding performance in Total Recall I decided to check out Basic Instinct again. I'm not sure if I've seen it before, Michael Douglas crime movies seem to kinda muddle together. I do know that I have seen Basic Instinct 2, although I can't even remember who is in that one. Either way, Basic Instinct is one of the best crime thrillers there are.

26/05/2012: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [2011]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a movie that was hyped about for quite a long time and yet, in the end never came to a theatre near me. I was a little disappointed, and only now have I finally had the chance to see it. For those of you who don't enjoy slow-burn mystery thrillers, stay away, the rest of you, jump on in.

07/04/212: L.A. Confidential [1997]

I finally got around to watch L.A. Confidential, which ranks at #75 in IMDB's Top 250 movies list, and I've seen it on countless others as well. After watching it I have no problem saying it has earned that spot, and while it's not my absolute favourite, it definitely set a bar in filmmaking back in 1997.

14/04/2012: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [1974]

 With the air of Friday the 13th still hanging around I decided to follow up with another couple of horror movies. While Jason may be the patron saint of that day, Leatherface is without a doubt his equal in the realm of horror and is one of the landmarks in the history of horror movies.

09/04/2012: Unknown [2011]

I think it was the combination of having seen another movie called Unknown, and Liam Neeson's other action thriller Taken, that always made me think I had actually seen Liam Neeson's 2011 outing, Unknown. On top of that the movie had clearly not struck me as anything significant and so I passed happily by it, not knowing what I was missing.

16/03/2012: Reservoir Dogs [1992]

Quentin Tarintino is a name most people will recognize but who's movies not everyone will have watched or liked. Many claiming to love his famous film, Pulp Fiction without ever having seen it. He is undeniably a master filmmaker who has been one of the most influential men in the business since he quit his job at the video store and set out to make Reservoir Dogs.

02/03/2012: Safehouse [2012]

Safe House showed up a couple months ago with an action packed trailer that featured a CIA thriller story in the vein of the Bourne trilogy. After convincing my friends that Act of Valour was a waste of good theater money, we decided to check out Safe House. I will say the big screen does it justice primarily with the surround sound, particularly the gunshots and explosions.

03/03/2012: Dead Hooker in a Trunk [2009]

I once read an interview with the Soska sisters which asked why they used a trunk instead of the trunk. Their answer was with a trunk it could be anyone's trunk and not just theirs, it could possibly even be your trunk.

04/02/2012: All Good Things [2010]

So I watched this movie based on two things. The trailer I saw for it and the big names I saw in the trailer. The trailer gave me no real idea of what the story was about. What I made out from it was a husband who had a secret and may or may not be a lawyer.

28/01/2012: Surveillance [2008]

"You probably read the end of a book first, don't you? "
"Yeah. "
"That is no way to live."

Surveillance is a film by Jennifer Lynch the daughter of David Lynch. This being so, her father has set the bar extremely high, having given us Mulholland Dr., Eraserhead, Twin Peaks and Lost Highway. However the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and Jennifer Lynch proves it with Surveillance.

It is not hard to see the similarities and inspirations of her father in Surveillance, however, unlike the oddities and insanities David Lynch provided Surveillance is much more traditionally structured film.
It possess Lynchian qualities in it's characters, dialogue and twistedness, which all in all make up most of the movie. The movie centers on a pair of FBI agents who come to a small middle of nowhere police station to investigate a pair of murderers terrorizing the coutryside. The agent set up their camera's and together with the local police interview the three witnesses from the latest crime scene.

Of course all of them have differing stories as they cover up for themselves and their actions. However the movie plays out the accident as it goes showing you what really happened and giving you the pieces to put the puzzle together. Unfortunately I figured out the puzzle pretty early on, but this didn't subtract at all from my enjoyment of the movie. It is truly the characters, and their actions and interactions that make this movie great. The witnesses make up only part of the cast, with the local cops, FBI agents and the murderers all presenting just as much and just as interesting characters.

I think that the dynamic of the murderers is my favourite and I rather enjoy the ending of the movie. The setting of Saskatchewan's prairies (where you can watch your dog run away for days) is a stark contrast to the brutality of the movie and the cramped interview rooms. The cast is an interesting mix of a few comedians, giving a great dark comedy but also some stellar and serious performances. I don't want to ruin much, but if your looking for a great violent and bloody murder mystery, or are a fan of David Lynch I recommend checking this out.

Trying to think of some kinda rating system/symbol. More original than just star. Any ideas leave a comment.

Links:
Surveillance IMDB
Surveillance Netflix

22/01/2012: The Minus Man [1999]

So I think this is the first time I have ever seen Owen Wilson in a movie that is not a comedy and playing a serious character. The Minus Man stars Owen Wilson as a serial killer.

Now you're thinking, Ok, so instead of a comedian Wilson is a brutal murderer. However The Minus Man is nothing of the sort. It is a rather a deep and interesting psychological thriller and somewhat of a character study. Vann (Wilson) is the character you feel for and want to understand, not some monster you wait to get caught. This movie is all about the interaction between the character. Not about police chases or murders.

Wilson give us a great performance along with a great cast, to tell a story that your not sure how it will turn out. The Minus Man is not everyone's movie, you need to be in the mood to watch it. It is not an action filled and violent movie about a serial killer but instead a psychological character study about Vann and why he is the way he is. He is portrayed very well, and the movie shows how he interacts with the world having no emotions.

I would recommend this if you are a psychology student or a fan of slow burn serial killer studies. That is really a small group I would think. The movie is not un-enjoyable and is very well done, it is just not something everyone would watch.

Links:
The Minus Man IMDB
The Minus Man Netflix

22/01/2012: Wizard of Gore [2007]

So the titles a little confusing. I mean is it missing a The? IMDB calls it The Wizard of Gore but the posters clearly state it sans The. Oh well, on with the meaning behind the title. Wizard of Gore (god that reads awkward) is about a newspaper journalist who witnesses a stage magicians performance and well let's just say it We're not in Kansas anymore off-Broadway. The magician, Montag the Magnificent, is pretty far off his rocker and his show is quite the same. Starting with a couple disgusting acts, Montag proceeds to pick random women from the audience, who in some kinda trance strip down and make no sound while Montag butchers and murders them in rather disturbing ways.

However Montag is an illusionist and when the audience begins running in fear he reveals his trick and the women are fine. Soon after however, these women are not fine and show up dead as killed on stage. Edmund the reporter/journalist/magazine whatever, begins to investigate these deaths and soon things spiral out of control as you question what is real and who is sane.

I won't detail the plot further, but if your a fan of strange unexplainable mysteries you should be pleased, just don't expect to many clues to totally explain everything. Wizard of Gore is in fact a remake of a 1970's movie of the same name. However the Magicians performance is about where things stop. Edmund and the mystery are original and the movie is apparently an improvement story wise over the original if  the deaths are a little less elaborate.

The movie however doesn't shy away from the gore and nudity of the horror genre, and creates quite the atmosphere. Edmund lives in a strange early 18th century style of suits and room furnishing, living in a world of an underground culture, along with it's usual dark and neon colours, drugs, prostitutes, tattoos and piercing that come with the territory. This is a good look and helps set the tone for the films, which also feature strange camera angles, troubled dream flashes and of course a magicians showmanship.

While a remake this movie falls more in the shadow of The Illusionist and The Prestige. I personally loved those two movies, and was recommended Wizard of Gore when I asked if anyone new of any similar movies.

While it doesn't truly measure up in that department it does fit as their equivalent in the horror genre. So if your looking for something similar to The Prestige check this out if you like horror. Also if you haven't seen those two, watch them! And if you can recommend me anything similar to any of these three movie tell me in the comments below, I would love to find something like them.

So according to this poster it is The Wizard of Gore, all to confusing when you're not sure of the title.

Links:
Wizard of Gore IMDB
Wizard of Gore Netllix
The Prestige IMDB

13/01/2012: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo [2011]

So I finally got out to see TGWTDT in theater last night, surprisingly it's still playing for the 3rd? week in a row now. Now first off, I went in there having seen the Swedish trilogy, so I already new what the basic plot was.

The biggest difference in the movies is the feel to them. The original, is extremely story driven, with the actual visuals of a good quality, but nothing spectacular. I found the original had the bonus of being in it's intended language, with actors who I didn't know as 007, who I only knew as the characters, and who did a great job.
The remake is clearly a high budget American production, The visual level is a step up, with the camera angles, cuts/edits/shifts, and overall visuals clearly of a higher quality then the original. However it has the problem of a well know cast, I find, if I know the actors well, I can sometimes only see them as that. I spent the whole movie comparing, and trying not to see Bond.

The opening sequence of the movie is quite a CGI marvel, but the symbolism in it can only be recognized by those who new what they were watching. I think that was one of the problems with the remake, although having seen the original trilogy I didn't experience this. I thought however that the story was less explained in the remake, especially the clues, which are the heart of the mystery. The Swedish one does a great job of showing you the clues and letting you piece them together along with Mikael. The remake I found did a little of the work for you or otherwise didn't always show enough, in a couple glimpses of the clue to allow you to piece it together.

I'm not sure if anyone is aware of the movies raw brutality when they go to see it, not having read the book or seen the original. The remake, didn't tone anything down from the original, still keeping the grueling rape scenes and violent imagery. I know that almost everyone around me physically jumped when Mikael almost gets shot (I knew it was coming) which was good. Also the entire audience laughed when Lisbeth appears on screen with her Fuck you you fucking fuck shirt. They also laughed when Lisbeth asked Mikael permission to kill the killer, which I wasn't sure was really what was intended there.

The biggest controversy (might be a bit strong of a word) over the remake was whether Rooney Mara would do as good a job as Noomi Rapace. While Mara does a great job, and some say does a better job, I still prefer Noomi Rapace's version of Lisbeth to Mara's.

Overall, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a very high quality movie that matched the original but both have their merits, the real test will be when the entire trilogy is remade and we can compare again. Currently I like the Swedish version the best, it is better in storytelling and mystery, while the remake has the advantage of a Hollywood budget, and distinguishes itself that way. If you like the originals I recommend you watch this and if you've only seen the remake I highly recommend the original to help with the at least two year wait for the next two remakes.

Since when could they have bare breasts on movie posters?

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568346/

02/01/2012: The Apocalypse Watch [1997]

The Apocalypse Watch is based on a Robert Ludlum novel of the same, which is why I picked up this DVD.  Made for T.V. this movie runs 2 hours and 54 minutes, something movies just don't seem to do anymore. The movie is low budget but it's held together by the strong writing of Robert Ludlum's novel.

The movie is a spy thriller with a very intricate neo-nazi conspiracy for what other than Global Domination. It is not a cheesy as it sounds, and with Ludlum's novels as a basis, the conspiracy is massive but not unbelievable. My disappointment however with this movie is that it cuts out a lot of the novel, specifically the ending which was one hell of a reveal.

My enjoyment of this movie was probably due to the greatness of the novel that inspired it. When it comes to the spy genre James Bond will always be at the top, with this movie stuck in the shadows. Ludlums novels do get a proper movie treatment with the Bourne series. I really can't suggest this movie to Ludlum fans with the expectation this adaptation is faithful to the book, but it still captures much of the conspiracy and ideas of Ludlum's book.

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120027/

27/12/2011: Mulholland Dr. [2001]

So this half of my review is without researching anything about the movie, just having simply watched it. (You'll understand soon)

All mystery movies follow the same structure, start out with only asking questions and then begin to give small answers while increase the number of questions. Then end with a big reveal tying everything together.

Mulholland Dr. does only one of these. For 2 hours and 22 minutes this movie simply makes you ask more and more questions, every turn and twist just leaves you asking what the hell just happened. Ans as you get closer and closer to the end waiting for things to tie up in a nice little conclusion the movie continue to just throw questions at you. I am still mostly uncertain about exactly what happened, I think a second and third rewatch would be required, and a wall of post-it notes connected like a spiders web accompanying it. All I can say from watching it is that it, I wasn't disappointed only angry and actually with a strong desire to rewatch it again.

Well, I didn't google to hard and have decided that I will watch this again, with the help of

David Lynch's 10 Clues to Unlocking This Thriller:

• Pay particular attention in the beginning of the film: at least two clues are revealed before the credits.
• Notice appearances of the red lampshade.
• Can you hear the title of the film that Adam Kesher is auditioning actresses for? Is it mentioned again?
• An accident is a terrible event... notice the location of the accident.
• Who gives a key, and why?
• Notice the robe, the ashtray, the coffee cup.
• What is felt, realized and gathered at the club Silencio?
• Did talent alone help Camilla?
• Notice the occurrences surrounding the man behind Winkies.
• Where is Aunt Ruth?

So overall this movie runs along the lines of Memento, in its coherency, and requires at least one rewatch if you want to understand it. You will hate it if you require that the answers be spoon fed too you and all threads wrapped up. However if your enjoy a mind boggling mystery requiring some thought this is one of the best movies in that category.

Not an official poster but I like it best.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166924/