Review: The Horde (2010)

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen these days. Thanks to The Walking Dead we have seen a resurgence of this horror genre like never before. So it comes no surprise that a lot of films and TV series have come along to get in that z-train of money. Most of these attempts I find to be pure garbage and have the lowest of special effects involved. One day while cruising through Netflix I stumbled upon another z-title but we go international as this is a French attempt at cashing in on the undead craze. Starting it up I honestly had no expectations what so ever. By the end I had a smile going from ear to ear and wish The Horde could keep going.

The premise is as simple as it gets. A bunch of corrupt cops storm a building to get revenge on a gang for killing one of their own. It goes south incredibly quickly but before our “heroes” bite it the undead suddenly emerge and now both have to work together if they want to survive. Again, not much of a story here as it is just a simple premise to get the ball rolling. You would think with the gruff characters and bleak setting this would be a harsh movie to watch. That would be a correct statement for the first twenty minutes but if you stick with it long enough you have one hell of a fun movie.

I could not tell you who these filmmakers are or what their previous filmography is. But I want to go find these people and thank them for making one crazy film. This zombie movie is basically The Raid but with zombies and what makes that even more ridiculous is that The Raid wasn’t even conceived until two years AFTER this film. The Horde is a very low-rez action film as we get the most basics of fight sequences and even the gore is hardly squeamish but that’s where this film finds its charm. It finds beauty out of scenes like a middle aged gangster literally sucker punching his way against two zombies. If that isn’t making you want to go out and find this film let me describe this in a few more sentences.

You got some pretty okay CGI along the way which somehow enhances the goofiness. So when you see a row of zombies get blasted by a heavy machine gun it comes out like jam rather than blood. Then you have some ridiculous characters involved including the aforementioned fist fighting gangster. Nothing can top a man named Rene however; who is a senior citizen, racist spouting, and Santa gut wielding coot who practically steals the film with his antics. If this film somehow lost the rest of this cast and just focused on Rene this could easily have turned into the greatest French film since The Rules of the Game. Top that with some truly entertaining action set pieces including a final stand in a garage that is honestly well paced and shot.

If you are a fan of horror films I recommend watching The Horde. It does have an incredibly awkward start and it you would be pressed into thinking this isn’t a good movie. But stick with it once the zombies come in and I promise you are going to have a wonderful time. Again, not a great movie in a technical sense by any stretch of the imagination. But The Horde stands out from a lot of the clones and competitors which makes all the difference.

Great Movie Scenes #012: Antichrist (2009)

There is a scene in Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist that was a first. In it Charlotte Gainsbourg does something so heinous, so horrifying to Willem Dafoe that I…..Look I can’t do it. Not only would I be a monster showing it to YOU but I can’t think about this scene. It made me gag. It is the only time that I legitimately quit watching a movie cold. Never even went back to see how the thing ended. So instead let’s show this moment of the film which is creepy but not entirely gag inducing.

Creep (Review)

Since the start of this new decade it is quite apparent indie filmmakers have taken over the landscape. Sure, blockbusters and releases by major Directors will never die out, but this truly seems to be an age for the independent market. Not just independent studios mind you; dozens (if not hundreds at this point) of films have come out with a DIY effort. The Duplass Brothers, Mark and Jay, seem to be one of the heads of this new paradigm with Mark giving us yet another outing in Creep. Not only is Creep another successful outing for a Duplass but it is another showcase that independent is where you go for your craving in horror.

Creep follows Aaron (played by Director/Writer Patrick Brice), a cinematographer who goes to the woods to film eccentric Josepf (Mark Duplass). What follows are a series of moments and events that go from odd job to true nightmare for Aaron. Since this is a horror film of the ‘found footage’ type this reviewer was going in for the typical tropes and scares that come with it. While this film does not break new ground in terms of story structure, it must be said Brice and Duplass honestly make a tense film. They actually revolve the scares around the limitations of ‘found footage’ rather than filling the frame of jump scares or stupid, CGI creatures.

It also must be said that with Brice and Duplass being the only figures both in front of and behind the camera this film has a lot more care put into it. In front of the camera we will mostly see Duplass as this unnerving figure whose overall plan for this helpless cameraman gets clearer and sinister as the camera rolls. The film relies more on sort of twisting how the story goes to confuse the audience a bit. So expect a good amount of false leads and the two characters pointing out faults in narrative logic as it goes on. Having said that this film can be incredibly easy to read in terms of where it goes from point A to point B; so be prepared to fully see where the end leads if you are good at predictions.

It should be stressed again how these two are able to make a ‘found footage’ film scary to watch. Since this genre of horror has been played out pretty much anything you can think of has been done to death. While Creep does not change the game with this genre there are nice, subtle touches to keep it separate from the rest. Brice certainly has a great eye for shots so expect some excellent framing throughout and a good sense how a camera should naturally move around. There is also a good sense of pacing where Price and Duplass let the scenes breath and it is more unnerving to linger on moments rather than have quick editing.

Again, Creep is not the most original horror film nor does it do anything incredibly outrageous to change the game. But what Creep does is slight, almost unseen touches to make it an incredibly successful horror film. The performances are genuine, the camera work for a ‘found footage’ film is effective, and these two guys just understand how a film like this works. Creep is another testament to how today’s age of indie filmmaking is changing the landscape of movies. Cause even a slightly predictable movie like Creep can wind up being excellent if you just try a little bit harder.

The Babadook (Review)

Children in movies are, by definition, annoying. No matter what genre, no matter the story, and no matter the circumstances; kids are just the worst when it comes to cinema. Even good movies like It Follows or a classic like E.T. gets on my nerves with how much whining I’ll hear. So when people were saying way back in 2014 that the small boy in the Aussie horror flick The Babadook was absolutely grating I hesitated to give this a shot.  On the one hand the people were right in how child actor Noah Wiseman is worse than nails on a chalkboard. But what makes The Babadook truly outstanding is how it casually makes an about-face and turns a solid horror movie into something much more.

If you don’t already know The Babadook is the titular monster. He is a child’s absolute nightmare from a children’s story and God knows how any publisher thought that was a good idea to print. At first you expect this to be a typical creature feature where the monster attacks the Mom and her child is inevitably in danger. You would be absolutely right but only for the first half of this picture. Very slowly you start to realize this creature is not just a physical danger but also, and mostly, a mental danger. For you see the single Mother, played by Essie Davis, is going through some troubling issues what with her husband dying a horrible death a few months ago. Even if by the end of this film the creature becomes a real entity for the most part we can imagine that all of this is an excuse to really go to town on her child.

Look, I’m not advocating at all that abuse is okay or even punishing your child ala spanking. But Noah Wiseman plays such a perfect, piece of shit kid that it is hard not to advocate some kind of violence. He is breaking things all the time, screaming CONSTANTLY in your ear, and cannot shut up about this “imaginary” monster. It was a close decision to NOT turn this movie off because of how frustrating it is to see this widow trying to keep her son in line. But something weird starts to happen. Eventually the tone of the film switches to its horror state and we, somehow, start rooting for this kid. Mostly because we end up realizing that everything this kid was doing was for a reason which is a trope I personally do not enjoy in films. Somehow we are loving it that this kid turns ‘Home Alone‘ on us and can match wits with this creature.

This movie does a successful job by giving you the creeps. Once the Babadook starts messing with this Mother’s head the film’s tone becomes ‘dread’. Not only does she start hallucinating some truly awful stuff but the quick cutting doesn’t make things better. There is a newscast from a nightmare she has that ends in the creepiest image ever that I don’t wanna spoil. But even to this day I am thinking about that image and I get goosebumps. The titular monster itself is a fascinating thing to look at too. Like a shadow he slinks in the darkness and that design of the top hat & cape makes him stand out from most of today’s horror creatures.

Ultimately though this movie is about how a woman tries to keep her sanity in the darkest of moments. The Babadook might end up being a real creature who poses a real threat but at the end of the day this is all a metaphor for depression. The more she thinks how awful her life is the more power this monster has control over her. It might make scenes of her bad mouthing her son somewhat funny because you don’t expect such horrible things being spouted to a young kid. (And, again, it isn’t like the bad mouthing is not justified.) But then when things get real this becomes a movie about child abuse more than a horror movie and that’s where the genius comes in. Get rid of all the supernatural elements and all you get is a widow mother on the verge of a mental breakdown. If Jennifer Kent doesn’t get more chances to put a spin on more horror tropes then the world isn’t fair.

Hopefully this mildly spoiler filled review doesn’t dissuade you from giving The Babadook a shot. It is a genuinely creepy film and that is a rare commodity these days with the horror genre. But what Jennifer Kent does is spin this creature feature into a complex story about loss, depression, and coping with your child. Again, it can’t be stressed enough that Noah Wiseman portrays the most annoying child in the history of cinema. But stick with this for more than half its run time. Trust me, you will not regard sticking with such an unruly beast before getting to the real terror.

Halloween Edition: OH MOVIES style

Hey gang just a quick announcement for the site. Starting tomorrow you will see a Halloween theme piece every Saturday. Not going to be your standard scary themes set of posts. Just a collect of random films, moments, and what haves yous of what I find scary in film. Hope you all enjoy and definitely scope these features out when you get a chance.

SDCC ’15: Entertainment Breakdown

This year’s buzz at San Diego Comic Con was what you expect a comic book convention: Movies! No I’m joking. It was also about television. Okay, mostly everything was about TV and Film. But hey, they are all based on comic book properties….So there’s that. Not a sign that the industry didn’t learn its lesson from Birdman or anything….(coughs)….

Here’s a breakdown of some of the big teases from this past weekend:

25 Favorite Films: The Shining (1980)

While I am not ranking these twenty five films in any order I must admit we have (sort of) reached the end. The Shining is my all-time favorite film for a variety of reasons. A good reason for it is that this is one of the few horror films that perfectly encapsulates the tone of dread. Listen to what is the opening credits for the film:

Unfriended (Review)

Comedian Dane Cook had a nice observation on how all of us love to turn into critics when we see a trailer in the theaters. Whenever we see a taste of what movies are coming soon we always judge critically even if it is nowhere near the final product. Admittedly, and shamefully, this reviewer is known to do that many times and it came no different with the new, found footage horror film Unfriended. The trailers for this film, in this man’s humble opinion, looked completely dumb and seemed to be another pointless horror entry for the new millennium. After viewing Unfriended it certainly comes across much better than its advertisements, but it will mostly be a hollow victory.

Unfriended takes the novel approach of telling the story all through webcams and browsers. So whenever vital information is given it is through Facebook messages, Google searches, and anything else that is ‘hip’ in today’s tech savy generation. The one thing you can give Unfriended credit is sticking with its gimmick and also showing us what is probably the worst of today’s generation of teenagers. Every single character in this are incredibly unlikable in different aspects and, despite sounding harsh, it feels so satisfying to watch these idiots suffer. It is doubtful that Writer Nelson Greaves was going for anything too deep when he wrote this but it does give some thought while watching how much technology has degraded society to a degree.

The only problem with these aspects is that it quickly becomes frustrating to watch a film totally dedicated to the internet. After the first ten minutes you will basically see all of the film’s tricks, such as creepy ‘glitches’ or the constant texting between the two leads. Plus the film can never quite decide on how some of the tech works. Director Levan Gabriadze will tune characters out on Skype so we can see various web searches or text and it becomes frustrating that no one is calling out how the main lead is ignoring them. Also, never before has the goal of making you hate the characters succeed and fail at the same time. It is satisfying to see these people get what is coming to them but they are still assholes (for a lack of a better word) who have no redeeming value making it impossible to care about them.

The biggest issue on a whole though is the pacing of the film. For a film that does not even hit the ninety minute mark it certainly drags at points. Again, reading text or various websites can only go so far and by the halfway mark it becomes a slog to keep reading. Unfriended also uses various tricks such as loading screen, broken webcams, and an unnecessary venture to Chatroulette to build suspension. You know what is worse than experiencing bad load times on a real computer? Watching people go through the same thing in a film.

You have to give Unfriended credit for sticking to its guns when it comes to the gimmick. Levan Gabriadze made sure this was as real to life as possible to showcase a horror film in today’s computer age. But Unfriended suffers from all the typical tropes of horror films especially in terms of characters and plot. The gimmick itself honestly loses its luster barely a quarter way through and this ultimately could have worked better as an entry in an anthology series on TV in a shorter length. Initial thoughts from the previews seemed to be confirmed then; hopefully there will be a gem in the next batch of previews at the movies.

It Follows (Review)

A lot of filmmakers try to pay homage to what influenced them to get into the industry. Unfortunately when people decide to do that it never really works because you cannot outdo your idols. When you watch a movie like It Follows you can instantly tell Director David Robert Mitchell loves horror films from the 1980s. It Follows feels like a time capsule but also feels remarkably fresh in today’s age of bloated, and non-scary, horror films. Because of its retro outlook it makes Mitchell’s sophomore outing one of the best horror films to come out in years.

Spring (Review)

With the horror genre struggling these days we cannot rely on the major studios releasing anything in terms of quality. Some of last year’s “gems” like Annabelle or yet another Paranormal Activity showcases a lack of creativity. Which is why the independent scene is so important because that is where all the scares are. Go to your ‘Video On Demand’ services and you will see a bevy of horror films just waiting for you to explore. A more recent outing you will notice comes in the shape of Spring; a European romance with a sinister twist.