The Fly

David Cronenberg’s The Fly is the directors biggest box office success. It is also Cronenberg’s most accessible film for mainstream moviegoers. Cronenberg succeeded in creating an original sci-fi masterpiece. Keep in mind that The Fly is a remake of the 1958 Vincent price classic. David Cronenberg was the right man for the remake job.

I generally hate remakes. Especially remakes from the horror and sci-fi genre. Remakes in these genres (especially horror) are for the most part guaranteed moneymakers. The sad thing is that newer generations of horror fans know more about remakes (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn of the Dead) than they do the original films. The majority of these films completely destroy the significance and strengths of the originals.


Cronenberg lends his psychosexual auteur touch to The Fly resulting in a worthy remake. Like Stanley Kubrick, Cronenberg transforms a films source material into his own unique vision. Cinema offers the grand opportunity of unique vision. Directors like David Cronenberg use it to their advantage. Most directors are just worried about the paycheck.

Jeff Goldblum stars as scientist Seth Brundle in The Fly. Goldblum was the appropriate choice for playing the eccentric and fast talking scientist. Brundle is obsessed with international notoriety and fame. A man that wants to change how people use transportation in the world. He also is also sometimes half asses in his ambitions. This eventually results in Brundle getting drunk and becoming a hybrid of man and fly.


Like most of Cronenberg’s film, The Fly features monstrous sexual flesh. Brundle’s love interest (played by Geena Davis) dreams that she gives birth to a gigantic maggot. Cronenberg has always had an obsession with gynecology (see Dead Ringers). He could even be called the Sigmund Freud of horror. Only David Cronenberg could find sexual elements in typewriters (Naked Lunch), infections (Shivers), car wreck injuries (Crash), and VHS tapes (Videodrome). The world of David Cronenberg is much darker than his nerdy exterior displays.

The Fly is one of the best sci-fi films of the 1980s. David Cronenberg was able to successfully make the transition from underground subversive horror director to mainstream director. He has shown no sign of halting of lengthy career. A History of Violence and Eastern Promises (which I think is one of his greatest films) is a testament to that.

-Ty E

Day of the Dead (2008)

Steve Miner is a name some of us has heard before. He directed several Friday the 13th sequels as well as Lake Placid and Warlock. As the list shows, these films should not be taken seriously. So what happens when a shitty director takes a serious remake. Well, we wind up with Nick Cannon fighting zombies along with a bunch of teenagers. We all know the plot, a group of survivors hold down a military bunker in hopes for the zombie out break to stop.

As per usual remake fares, we have tons of over-editing and useless grain in the shots. To be honest, Ving Rhames is nothing without his mustache. That was a horrible move for the director. The reason i would even want to bother with this film is for the Ving kicking ass like he did in Dawn of the Dead. Mena Suvari might be a good actress, but not in this film. Her acting was some of the most flawed i have seen. Of course, i blame the director, for making such a weak script. For thickness on the characters behalf, they enlist such traits as "afraid to fire their weapon" to try and get some depth to them.

Of course, we have the cutout characters, such as the punk kid with spiked hair. Of course the characters are stupid. Loaded with inane dialogue, this film breaks so many borders on how to make a horrible film. Not being a fan of Romero in the first place, I still couldn’t see this film failing so hard. Barely entertaining, the film only has key highlight moments.

FUN FACT: Dead People can apparently stand up

When you finally see the first glimpse of a zombie, it makes a similar noise as the Sand People in Star Wars create. Talk about a genre killer. This has so many bullshit scenes that it is impossible to take this film seriously. I didn't know Molotov cocktails melt your skin instantaneously. From the way this film looks, it appears that Miner invested most of the budget in shitty special effects and CGI gore. That was not a wise move, if anything, he should have invested in a CGI story.

The only way i could ever recommend this film is by promoting the neat decapitations. It's hard to recommend a film only on gore value. That is truly how you know horror is on the rocks. Much of the gore is digital but we are treated to lots of exploding heads and melted flesh. Many little nods are thrown around, referencing Return of the Living Dead and even Snyder’s update on Dawn of the Dead.

The zombies in this film are premiered by a glimpse inside the blood cell as this totally hypothetical transformation gene is created. They now can drive cars, leap & climb ceilings like Spider-Man, and their flesh mutates instantly. There is also a vegetarian zombie in this film who bears a similarity to the national mascot for all Romero films. See; Bub.

This is worse than your average low budget fare, no wonder it was given to straight-to-video release. I never thought I would say this, but the only thing that actually made this film any better, was Nick Cannon. Day of the Dead without Nick Cannon’s racist remarks would be like a zombie movie that didn’t make sense. Wait...

-Maq

36 Fillette

Catherine Breillat’s 36 Fillette has been called the “French Lolita.” Aside from the fact that the female lead is only 14 years old, the films aren’t too similar. 36 Fillette follows the young teenaged and big breasted Lili. She is obviously sexually frustrated and ready to “bust out” so to speak. She desires yet cock teases a middle aged man.

Lili can’t articulate her feelings. She pretends she doesn’t want sex when her body screams for it. She even causes the middle age suitor to put a couple bruises on her. Still, she goes back to this man. His dominance attracts her. Lili can only lie to herself for so long.

Female sexuality is central to the works of director Catherine Breillat. Her film Fat Girl (which is probably her best) makes 36 Fillette look weak by comparison. Nonetheless, developing teenage (and even preteen) sexuality also is a main focus of Breillat’s work. One must wonder whether or not she is reflecting over her own adolescence. Her obsession speaks for itself.

Jean-Pierre Léaud (I think of him as Antoine Doinel) consoles young Lili in 36 Fillette. A wise man indeed, he fuels Lili’s ambition for sex. Unfortunately for Lili, the man she desires is far from being as charismatic as Jean-Pierre’s character. The young “man” she later settles for is just desperate (and Lili could careless).

Breillat invites controversy with her films. Her style is something new which is respectable. My only complaint is her films always seem to be lacking something. I probably lack the female intuition.

-Ty E

Them

AKA Ils

Them is a film that debuted in Europe in 2006, "terrifying" the nation. It is based on actual events which, when known, are pretty horrifying. While it is a very effective film and has a great feel, the film does drag in many spots and leads to much frustration. The plot has a minimalistic feel. A loving couple in their inconveniently placed home one night, become under siege from a group of unidentified things.


Them had a lot of hype for me. Seeing the clips and the trailers, it seemed that it might even scare me. With these expectations in mind, i set out to begin watching it. The action picks up rather quick within the first 15 minutes and doesn't let up until the end. It runs at about 77 minutes, which is not long for a feature length film, but keeps you entertained, which is a great thing.

The directing style seemed bland, too many contrived shots on things of no purpose and the lack of lighting to add to the feel. The lack of lighting worked for The Descent but was not needed in this film. Even in areas of natural light, it was still too dark. It's hard to praise a stalk/slash film for having realistic actions. We all claim we would grab a knife, but who knows? Terror has an adverse effect on the brain and we won't know until we are placed in said situation.

Many of the sets were manufactured to thrill and scare, which was annoying. Scenes like a plastic sheet corridor in her attic and manufactured sound effects to startle. The plastic scene looked ripped from Child's Play 2. It was like a French survival horror version of Shyamalan's Signs, except without aliens.

The sound effects were extremely effective at times, rarely getting dull, but what this film did reminds me of what Open Water did, take an event that not much is known about, and give it some expressionist feel to it and try to create wacky situations and moods. Most of what happened could not even be possible for the attackers to do. By halfway through the film, i knew only the ending could save it. It had gotten repetitious and undeserving of this title.

Most French directors even seem to come in Duo's now. This couple also being responsible for the beyond horrendous unnecessary remake of The Eye. It seems one persons vision of a film is not enough anymore. The single most powerful theme in the movie was the ending. Based on a true story, once it dawns on you, i promise your jaw will hit the floor. If you want the full effect of this film, it's best to not watch any of the trailers or clips. You know how American trailers love to throw every scare scene in a 2 minute mash-up, call it a trailer, and ruin every chiller moment.

-Maq

Nobody Loves Alice

Nobody loves Alice is a full-length debut independent horror film directed by Roger Scheck. The plot follows a very overdone plot of a “I love you so much I’m going to kidnap you” sort of pattern, but with a higher dosage. Alice is an adorably shy new secretary at her new office. She can never seem to find love, so she forces people to love them. How, you might ask? By binding and torturing them of course!


I had only a few problems with this disturbing gem and one of them is the length of the film. For a film of this uncomfortable caliber, for my own sanity, should be around 40 minutes. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that this film had me on edge for most of its runtime. Nobody Loves Alice can be called the lovechild of May and Misery.

The director really seems to have directing down, this being his first film and all. The acting of course is a mixed bag for being an independent. We have our natural talent, and then the lesser works. Alice was a perfect role for the lovely Nitzan Mager. She might seem to have a heart full of gold, but rest assured, this bitch is stone cold.


Despite it’s low budget, the film has some greatly filmed scenes with some realistic bloodshed. The set of the torture room was intense as hell. It must have taken a while to splatter all that blood on the wall and mattress. I only had a few real complaints with this film, one being the stupidity of the characters at random intervals. One second they will have a great idea and do something completely original for the “psycho-chick” genre, only to walk into a room and completely lose their guard.

Words cannot describe the tension this film brought out. At times I was giggling at Alice’s cute and shy mannerisms, only to be horrified and distraught five minutes later. Nobody Loves Alice is a physical and emotional ride through relationship hell. I don’t think I will be looking for love anytime soon. This Lifetime movie from hell comes highly recommended.

-Maq

1408

Having a successful film in Hollywood always comes with its hazards. Being an intellectual film is one, apparently. Enter the 2000’s where an original horror story is slim to none. Remakes are popping up everywhere, regardless if the original film could even be deemed popular. What happens when you take 2 talented actors, mix them with a hellish entity based on a Stephen King short, and throw in the Carpenters? Well, you’d get 1408.

Mike Enslin (Cusack) is a bastard author who travels cross-country, visiting “Haunted” houses, hotels, mansions, and even Lighthouses, to churn out book after book on the subject. His reasons are buried and will not be revealed until later in the film (The wait is worth it). He is not a popular author and is shadowed by his former life.


Writing bargain bin novels is no easy choice, which must be why he succumbs to the elusive author stereotype of alcohol and cigarettes. His life is going plainly dull without any real specters until he receives a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel urging “Do not enter 1408” As any ghost hunter would do, he decides to be a hardass and charge in headfirst into this experience of which he might not escape.

Since the films release, I have heard horrible reviews and then extremely positive reviews. Any film is open to criticism but few deserve such harsh criticism, especially when such extravagant effort is shown. 1408 is an original ghost story that does what the genre admitted was dead, to scare. 1408 has its moments of claustrophobia, acrophobia, and the all-out jump-out tactics. Also note the familiar use of the Carpenters hit single "We've only just begun" used to a similar effect as in Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness.

Backed with an impressive script and charismatic actors being charismatic, it’s no wonder the film has it’s good reviews armed with bad. Most of my personal experiences with complaints has been from people who enjoy the horror market as it is, and as we all know, the chances of horror coming out alive is about the same chance we have of a decent Alien vs. Predator movie coming out. It just won’t happen.


1408 is one of the few films that are worth seeing from the hacks at The Weinstein Company. They do not care about the future of film. Apart from sporting both black humor and terror, 1408 (The Theatrical Version) has one of the most touchy-feely endings in a long time. This is not a bad thing, no. Many times, the ending will catch me off guard and produce a tear or two. Expect one of the most epic last lines from Samuel L. Jackson ever.

1408 is a newcomer to horror and acts upon what it came for; to entertain and try to bring something new. It does this and more. Do not expect much, for it does not have expectations, but due to its subject matter, it is a disproportional looks on religion and the close-mindedness of humanity.

-mAQ

Lunacy

AKA Sílení

Lunacy is a film, like no others, that expresses what the entire film is about, only in it's title. Lunacy is the newest addition to the extensive filmography of surrealist Czech Jan Svankmajer. He has spawned award winning artists to have imitated his stop-motion style such as the Brothers Quay. Lunacy is a film that bares no short-comings and is one of his best works.


What is madness? What is insanity? The director takes these unknown depths of the mind and wipes them on the screen. When you first meet Jean Berlot, he is having a horrible nightmare about two pinheads trying to submiss him and straitjacket him. He wakes up violently, causing fires in the hotel where he sleeps. A marquis finds him in his shocked state and offers him a ride. What will become of him as he extends into blasphemy, asylums, and bizarre rituals?


The story is a welding of stories from Edgar Allan Poe and the Marquis De Sade. When you take the utmost horrific tales only to blend them with the bizzaro perversion, Lunacy can be the only outcome. Jan Svankmajer continues to defy all conventions by opening the film with his discussing how art is dead. To me, this might be the most important facet of this film. To create a piece as this, and denounce it as art is a bold move. The settings that he create are of the most peculiar. For instance, in one scene as our leads are riding in a carriage, we see a highway in the background, populated by automobiles and life.


Jan Triska as the Marquis might be the physical embodiment of insanity. His lazy-eye and never ending cackle might add to this, but it is ultimately his discussions. He makes several key notes in the film, disproving God and all origins of religion. After hammering hundreds of nails into a lifesize "Jesus-on-a-cross", of course. Opposite of him is Pavel Liska, who reeks with embarassment and awkward feelings. He is truly the hero, but a pitiful one at that.

No one could ever pull off a meat puppet show besides Svankmajer

Each piece of the film is seperated by a brilliant puzzle piece of a quest involving eyes and a cows tongue. The delirious music in the background only furthers you feeling unnerved. Lunacy is a brilliant and different film for Svankmajer to create. It can seen as a social commentary towards the punishment on the insane. Should the insane lead the insane, or should we resort to punishments and heavy medication? Who is really mad and who is sane? What is sanity?

-Maq