Rate the Last Film you Watched 2: Electric Boogaloo

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The Thing (1982) dir John Carpenter

 

A classic John Carpenter horror, a remake of the 1950s The Thing From Outer Space. A group of scientists stranded at an Antarctic research station are attacked by an alien parasite that takes over the body of it's victims and attempts to create a new creature based on the host so it can remain undetected. The scientists don't know who is still human and who has been taken over by the alien. Kurt Russel stars and the score is by Ennio Morricone. It's not really my sort of thing, a bit too gory and gruesome and over-the-top with the special effects, but it's meant to be like that. Kurt Russel is fine but some of the support actors are not. There's a few flaws in the plot, like why does a team of scientists have access to so many flame throwers and other weapons, but it's not meant to be taken too seriously so you have to forgive that. It's good at what it is supposed to be. The score is quite subtle, not one of Morricone's epics that you might listen to on it's own, but it adds to the atmosphere of the film.

7 / 10

 

 

The Invitation (2022) dir Jessica Thompson

 

 

 

Nathalie Emmanuel stars in modern day gothic horror. She plays Evie, a young woman from New York who discovers she has some very rich relatives in England and accepts an invitation to a wedding at a country estate. She and the owner fall for each other but the mansion is also home to a monster. I won't say exactly what sort of monster, although the trailer probably gives it away. The interior is gothic style with spooky statues, sealed off rooms and dark corridors. Some of the waitresses hired for the wedding start to disappear. There's clear references to other types of story. Evie actually says at one point something like that she is in a Jane Austin story. Then there's references to Dracula, not only the basic story and style of he interior of the mansion but it is supposed to be set near Whitby. It's sort of done like a modern day Jane Austen story that half way through switches to horror, a bit like how From Dusk to Dawn suddenly becomes a vampire film. But this has a few horror elements earlier on too, and those are not very well done. They are a bit too cliched and not really that scary. One of them also makes no sense given how the story pans out with the monster almost revealing itself too soon, as if it / the film makers could not resist it reaching out a spooky clawed hand to tap Evie on the shoulder. The acting is fine but the script is a little unimaginative at times. The sets are OK but the exterior of the mansion looks nothing like anything you would find in England, because it's not English, as the film was mainly shot in Hungary. Also the mansion looks very new rather than the hundreds of year's old it was supposed to be. Also with respect to the setting, it's supposed to be in Yorkshire, where Whitby is, yet there is not one Yorkshire accent to be heard. That's fair enough for the lord of the manor, his aristocratic friends and other wedding guests, but you would think at least one of the staff, caterers or people in the nearby village would have an authentic accent.

 

5 / 10

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What I Watched This Week #147 (Oct 21-27)

Green Room
dir. Jeremy Saulnier/2015/1h35m 

Punk band The Ain't Rights take a last minute gig while touring but unfortunately the club, located in the middle of nowhere, is run and frequented by neo-n*zi skinheads led by a malevolent Patrick Stewart as Darcy, playing very much against type.  After antagonising the crowd by playing the classic Dead Kennedys song n*zi Punks f*ck Off and seeing something they shouldn't they end up in a siege situation, locked in the green room.  This is a taut and tense thriller that treats the situation realistically, making the threat seem even greater.  If you've seen the director's revenge film Blue Ruin then this has a similar tone and approach to the material.  Scenes of violence are quick, sloppy and unspectacular making the consequences impactful.  Stewart is excellent here, playing his role with a calm menace that always feels threatening.  Out of the rest of the cast the standout is Anton Yelchin as the band's guitarist Pat.  Like all the best punk songs this is a brutal assault on the senses.  8.5/10

The Miu Miu Affair
dir. Laura Citarella/2024/30m 

 

This short film is a companion piece to the director's over four hour feature Trenque Lauquen , sharing similar themes and the same cast playing different characters.  Luxury clothing brand Miu Miu, part of Prada, are hosting a show in a small town in the Argentinian countryside, Trenque Lauquen, when one of their models goes missing – the search for a mysteriously vanished woman also being the main plot thread of the feature.  The search is conducted by world weary detective Maria Jose (Veronica Llinas) and her clairvoyant assistant Lidia (Laura Parades).  This is a film that is playful with its wry humour but always retains an enigmatic, mysterious atmosphere.  Citarella's two films in the Trenque universe remind me in places of the world of Twin Peaks just less surreal.  The two lead performances are both great and the character types juxtapose really well with each other.  I hope I get the chance to visit this world again sooner rather than later.  9/10 Lime's Film of the Week!

Terrifier 2
dir. Damien Leone/2022/2h18m 

Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is back in time for Halloween, this time hunting down teenage girl Sienna (Lauren LaVera) who is the only person in the world who can kill him thanks to a prophetic vision and magic sword from her comic book artist father.  So one of my biggest gripes with the first Terrifier is that there are no characters and no story.  Here, Leone has gone too far in the other direction because this has way too much story and it's all stupid, as are the characters.  This is nearly two and a half hours long and for a film that tries so hard to be edgy and shocking the main thing I felt during this was boredom.  There's one notorious scene in this film that I thought was overly malicious and not fun to watch.  Not that I was offended, it was just trying too hard, and the longer it went on it became less shocking because of it.  The practical effects are very effective but sometimes you should go for the whole less-is-more thing.  Like the first film, what saves this is Thornton's performance.  He's very compelling to watch but again, like the gore, the more there is the less scary it becomes and I think we spend too much time with him.  Imagine spending half of the Halloween film following around Michael Myers.  By the end he'd be just some guy.  3/10

High Tension
dir. Alexandre Aja/2003/1h31m 

High Tension is a French slasher about two young women, Marie and Alex (Cecile de France, Maiwenn), spending time at Alex's parent's country house when it is invaded by a man (Phillipe Nahon) who kills Alex's family and abducts her, with Marie spending the rest of the film trying to save her.   The two lead performances are solid enough, and Nahon has a menacing presence, but the big twist towards the end didn't really work for me.  This would've worked better as a straight-forward slasher, but it tries to be too clever.  The first act, which is basically a home invasion film. is well done with some very tense scenes and quick, violent bursts of brutality but the rest of the film can't match that atmosphere.  5.5/10

Witchfinder General
dir. Michael Reeves/1968/1h27m 

Vincent Price stars as real historical figure Matthew Hopkins who was responsible for hundreds of witch hangings during the English Civil War in the mid 17th century.  This film follows Hopkins and his brutish right hand man John Stearne (Robert Russell) as the conduct one of their hunts.  Although not totally historically accurate, especially the ending, this has the ring of authenticity to it, in large part thanks to Price's performance.  He plays Hopkins without any of his usual camp theatricality, making him monstrously methodical and cold.  There's a calmness to him in the torture and execution scenes that is chilling.  Next to him Russell feels like he's overacting a little but his character is a good contrast to Hopkins.  The low budget is evident and none of the supporting cast really stand out, not that they're bad, but this is still a suitably bloody account of one of the darkest parts of England's history.  7/10 

Starve Acre
dir. Daniel Kokotajlo/2023/1h38m 

Starve Acre is a British folk horror starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark as Richard and Juliette, a couple grieving the death of their son while staying at Richard's father's farm, which he recently inherited.  A local folk tale and a dead rabbit are just the first signs of something evil haunting the land.  This is a slow burn of a film that spends a lot of time establishing character, particularly that of Richard who is an archaeologist - that connection with the land being an important theme here.  There's a great use of the beautifully bleak Yorkshire countryside, the landscapes dominating the film at times.  The slow introduction of supernatural elements is done so that it could be read as part of their trauma before they totally take over in the final act.  Smith and Clark are good here, their pain and grief coming across are real and painful.  As folk horrors go this is pretty standard fare with nothing especially unique – my measuring stick in this genre being the incredible Enys Men – but it's well made and worth watching.  7.5/10

Slay
dir. Jem Garrard/2024/1h39m 

Priscilla Queen of the Desert meets From Dusk Till Dawn when four drag queens – Trinity the Tuck, Heidi N Closet, Crystal Methyd, Cara Melle – are accidentally booked to perform in a biker bar that they soon have to help defend against a horde of vampires.  This is a fun and campy film that knows exactly what it is and plays to its strengths by remaining consistently silly.  The four leads are great with each having a distinct role in the group, but I thought that most of the supporting characters were just annoying, especially one called Sheila (Robyn Scott), but I did like the owner/bartender Dusty (Neil Sandilands) who gets a fabulous final act costume change.  This is another film where the low budget is obvious but it does well to pull off a grungy yet glittery feel.  This is most definitely more a comedy than a horror, and they really pack in the jokes here.  Sadly a lot of them are misses, even more if you don't like the overly theatrical drag queen style, but the occasional hits are hilarious.  Not amazing but this is still some decent light hearted fun for spooky season.  6.5/10

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The Bad Sleep Well (1960) dir Akira Kurosawa

 

 

 

A film inspired by the William Shakespeare play Hamlet. But its not the story of Hamlet simply transposed to a mid twentieth century Japanese setting, rather it shares some of the same plot elements. If I hadn't known in advance this was inspired by Hamlet I am not sure I would have picked up on that. I certainly would not call this an adaptation of Hamlet. It's not like how The Magnificent Seven is The Seven Samurai or Cruel Intentions is Dangerous Liaisons, in different settings. It's much more subtle. What is similar is either something you could find in many stories or is changed from what was in Hamlet. There is a man seeking revenge for the death of this father and a brother being very protective of his sister, but those are hardly unique Shakespearian plot elements. Then there are things like a “ghost” appearing, except in this case its not a ghost but a man thought to be dead who is not, or a situation set up to make an accusation in a way that only those guilty are going to understand, but done differently and at a completely different point in the story to when that happens in Hamlet.

 

But all that takes nothing away from the film itself, which is very good. It stars Toshiro Mifune as Koichi Nishi, a young man, marrying into the family of the wealthy CEO of a big corporation, accused of financial and other crimes. Nishi's father was killed (forced to take his own life) some years earlier so that he would appear to take the blame for one of the corporation's misdemeanours. Nishi's existence was not known to the company as he was the son of his father's mistress and never publicly acknowledged. So now he has taken a new identity, befriended the son of the CEO and married the daughter, getting a job as the CEO's PA. He is as respectful to his new wife as he can be. He knows he has deceived her and because of that does not sleep with her. It starts at their wedding, which is interrupted by the police come of arrest one of the company managers and it becomes clear the detectives are after the CEO too, but don't yet have enough evidence. Nishi's job goes further than being a PA and he is tasked with ensuring another company fall guy commits suicide, so he is clearly highly trusted by his boss. It's now just a matter of putting in motion the final parts of his plan to bring down those who killed his father. It's well made and acted and the story progresses nicely. There are some good scenes of Nishi and his wife. She clearly loves her husband and he is clearly torn between pursuing his goals and the guilt he feels towards her. It doesn't go too far in terms of action, no chase scenes, no big shoot-outs or anything like that. It's about the story telling.

 

8 / 10

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What I Watched This Week #148 (Oct 28-Nov 3)

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person 
dir. Ariane Louis-Seize/2023/1h30m 

Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is a teenage vampire who, much to the exasperation of her parents, refuses to kill as she has too much empathy, a decision that is slowly killing her.  She meets suicidal Paul (Felix-Antoine Benard) and he offers his life for hers, but over the course of the night the two form a bond and find a reason to live.  Deadpan humour and charmingly awkward teenage romance add a lightness to what is a very deep emotional drama that is more complex than it at first seems.  This put me in mind of a strange mix between A Girl Walked Home Alone at Night and Napoleon Dynamite.  There's a beautifully staged scene where the two listen to an old record and, without a word, nervously steal looks at each other for an unbroken three minutes and it has more depth and meaning than most films manage in an hour and a half.  You really get the feeling that you're caught up in that dramatic first flush of love where you feel like Romeo and Juliet.  The two lead performances are extraordinary, especially Montpetit, and the direction has a real warmth to it despite being set mostly during the night.  I loved this.  10/10 Lime's Film of the Week!

Jigsaw
dir. Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig/2017/1h31m 

Most of the time while I was watching this I was thinking “have I seen this one before..?  No.  No, I haven't.  Wait, have I?  I have!  No?  Oh, yeah I have”.  I think this is the eighth film in the Saw franchise, and by this point they all just kind of blur into one homogenous mess.  It's a shame because I think the original is a really good, tense thriller with a great, if ridiculous, twist.  2/10

Terrifier 3
dir. Damien Leone/2024/2h5m 

It's Christmastime and, five years after the events of the last film, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is back playing Santa and everyone is on the naughty list, especially Sienna (Lauren LaVera) who bested him the last time they met.  Not as long as Terrifier 2, this is still bloated and full of ridiculous bits of lore that makes the whole thing feel like a parody at times, I actually found myself invested in the character of Sienna here.  I think LaVera does a decent job in portraying the trauma and PTSD she's suffering after the last film.  Again, the gore here is very well done but so gross that it becomes banal.  The best thing about this film, as is the case with the others, is Thornton's performance as Art who manages to be both creepy and funny.  4/10

Immaculate
dir. Michael Mohan/2024/1h29m 

Sydney Sweeney plays Sister Cecilia, an American nun recently arrived at a remote Italian convent.  Things take a sinister turn when she becomes pregnant despite being a v*rgin and she starts to think that all is not so holy at the convent.  This religious horror doesn't do anything new and owes a huge debt to the likes of Rosemary's Baby but it does do a very good job of ramping up the tension and supernatural elements at a deliberate pace until it's ready to go for broke in the final act.  There are a couple of unexpectedly gruesome moments that shocked me more then anything in the Terrifier films precisely because they are so unexpected.  Sweeney gives a good performance as a true believer who must become a fighter in order to survive, and there are a couple of memorable supporting performances from Dora Romano as the Mother Superiour and Alvaro Morte as the charismatic Father Tedeschi.  A well made, if uninspiring, thriller with a memorable smash cut to black ending, emphasis on the smash.  7/10

Joker: Folie a Deux  
dir. Todd Phillips/2024/2h18m 

This sequel to 2019's Joker picks up from the end of that film with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) in prison awaiting his trial for multiple murders.  While inside he meets and forms a relationship with Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), the two seeming to make the perfect couple.  The first film was a well made rip off of Scorsese's The King of Comedy elevated by an incredible performance from Phoenix that didn't need a sequel.  Thankfully this isn't taking the predictable route of charting Fleck as he wreaks havoc as the crown prince of crime but instead does something interesting and sees him try to face his many mental health problems while struggling to break free of his anarchic alter ego.  This hasn't gone down well with comic book fans as it strays far from the source material, but not being a big comic book guy myself that isn't an issue for me.  Phoenix is once again excellent, really giving his all in his performance.  Gaga is also good and I liked how her character became a kind of antagonist in always pushing Arthur to be Joker.  Brendon Gleeson has a supporting role as the lead prison guard and as much as I like him, and he does give a good performance with what he's given here, his character is too much of a caricature, one scene even implying that he and some other guards r*pe Arthur.  Steve Coogan also pops up in one scene as a television reporter interviewing Arthur and it just came across as Alan Partridge doing a bad American accent to me.  I haven't mentioned it yet but this film is also a musical - another sticking point for a lot of people – and I think it works well at portraying Arthur's mental state.  I loved the moments where we go full fantasy and Arthur and Lee are singing and dancing on an old school style soundstage like a musical from the 40s and 50s.  But I am a musical fan so I'm probably biased.  Don't believe the anti-hype, not everything here works but it's going for something different and for that alone it should be commended, and I honestly think it's better than the original.  8.5/10

Piece by Piece
dir. Morgan Neville/2024/1h34m 

Piece by Piece is a hybrid biopic/documentary about the life and career of musician and producer Pharrell Williams starring the man himself and featuring appearances by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake.  The gimmick here is that the whole film is animated with Lego.  This makes for a playful, vibrant and imaginative film that matches Williams' method for creating music, putting it together piece by piece until you have something new.  This is also a very funny film, making full use of the medium and the absurdity of everything being Lego to make some hilarious visual gags.  Being a family friendly film this does smooth off some of the rough edges of his story but I still found Williams to be an open and honest subject not afraid to discuss his shortcomings.  I love it when the style and form of a film like this matches its subject – Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould and the David Bowie doc Moonage Daydream come to mind – and Piece by Piece does just that with its eclectic and imaginative presentation.  9/10

Strange World
dir. Don Hall, Qui Nguyen/2022/1h42m 

 

Farmer Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal), son of legendary explorer Jaeger (Dennis Quaid), must go on his own adventure deep beneath the surface of the planet when his crops, which also acts as the planet's energy source, start to die.  The plot here is quite simple but it has an excellent third act twist that I though worked really well and fits in with the environmental themes and message of the film.  What works best here is the look of the world beneath the surface, populated by really well designed creatures that feel truly alien, as do the environments.  Not quite as good is the family drama between Jaeger and Searcher and between Searcher and his son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White).  It's the classic case of simply sitting down and talking to each other would solve all their problems, but then there'd be no film.  The performances are all good, with Quaid's bombastic 50s b-movie style bravado standing out to me.  This won't go down as a Disney classic but there are some really good ideas here alongside some gorgeous animation.  7/10

@djw180 The Bad Sleep Well is the least faithful of his Shakespeare films, the other two are much more recognisable.  

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Throne of Blood (1957) dir Akira Kurosawa

 

 

This is Kurosawa's version of Macbeth. It's not like the more usual Shakespearian adaptations that use the original lines, rather it's the same basic story with different lines in a different setting; medieval Japan. It's unmistakeably Macbeth right from the start as the camera pans across a misty, mysterious, highland landscape. Toshirô Mifune stars Washizu (i.e. Macbeth), initially a soldier (I guess you would say Samurai, although I am not totally sure of the correct usage of that) in the army of the local lord (i.e. King Duncan). Washizu and another soldier, Miki (i.e. Macduff), are on the way back from a victorious battle to their lord's castle. They get lost in forest and come across a spirit (equivalent of the witches) who foretells their promotion and that eventually Washizu will be the new lord but it will be Miki's son who succeeds him. They are promoted, Washizu tells his wife (Lady Macbeth, obviously) about the prophecy and it is she who encourages him on the path of deceit, betrayal and murder that will see him full-fill the rest of the prophecy but attempt to change it so that a son of his own succeeds him. One thing I did find slightly odd, and funny, is that whereas in Shakespeare's original (and the historical facts it is based on) Macbeth becomes King of Scotland, here Washizu becomes Lord of Spider's Web Castle. I am assuming that in Japanese “Spider's Web Castle” sounds more impressive than it does in English.

It is very well made, of course, and the actors are good, particularly Isuzu Yamada as Lady Washizu. Like Olivier's Shakespeare adaptions it does not seem dated, and I think the Shakespearian style is what helps there. There is some very impressive cinematography, both of the landscapes and some of the castle interior scenes. One that sticks in my mind is when Lady Washizu hatches one of her plans we see her walk into another room, that is pitch black and then emerge shortly after carrying some bottles of drugged saki. The camera stays fixed for all of this, with the doorway to the dark room in the centre so it's almost like she disappears and then reappears, as if using magic.

Definitely well worth watching if you are into Shakespeare or Samurai films.

9 / 10