I’m sure every family has their quirky
rituals, but for the Le Domases theirs are deadly.
Bright-eyed bride Grace (Samara Weaving) is willing to endure a lot so she can wed the love of her life Alex (Mark O’Brien), the prodigal son of the Le Domases – a mega rich family who made their fortune in the gaming industry, think Parker Brothers or Milton Bradley. She’s endured advances from Alex’s alcoholic brother, snarky looks and comments from his disapproving father and aunt. All to become part of a family unit she always desired growing up as a foster child. But the leers and sneers were the easy part, she must participate in one more ritual…to become a true member of the family, she must choose a card from a mystical box and play a game.
Unfortunately for Grace, the card she’s given is “Hide and Seek” (the one card every potential family member dreads), where the family must capture its newest member and kill her in a ritual sacrifice before dawn….as I said, every family has their quirky rituals and who am I to judge… I mean, hell no!
What ensues is a bloodthirsty, light-heartedly sadistic cat and mouse game set around an old gothic country manor. This is The Most Dangerous Game meets You’re Next.
The script is fun, the cinematography filled with close-ups to accentuate the claustrophobia of being trapped in a house hiding and fighting for your life, but it’s Weaving that’s the big stand-out. The whole cast are fantastic, Andie McDowell especially, is gloriously evil – have we ever seen her in this sort of role ever?? However, after showing us her scream-queen chops in The Babysitter Samara (niece of Hugo) Weaving is an absolute horror mega-star in waiting, this is the perfect vehicle for her and she absolutely shines as the blood splattered bride.
The Diagnosis:
“Seek” this one out, it’s gory fun with a deadly sense of humour.
Here’s the thing with apocalypse movies – and forgive me
if we’ve trod over this territory before – but when the world ends, the real
world (the one on the other side of the silver screen) goes on.
The classic example being the Matrix. It supposedly was a replication of society at the height of our technological development, but if that’s the case, why did they choose a time BEFORE iPads, smartphones, and Netflix’s Skip-Intro Function?
And so, in Zombieland 2, there’s a tongue-in-cheek conversation between our beloved heroes from the last movie, and a new character called Madison (she’s the ditzy blonde who features heavily in the trailers).
In it she describes an app idea she once had (pre-end-of-world)
where you can book people and use them as a personal chauffeur, “Because the
taxi industry is super corrupt you guys”.
Our cast ridicule her notion for its obvious flaws – not least of which…. who the hell jumps into a strangers’ car without any vetted protection? (her solution – customers can rank each driver under some sort of rating system…) It’s a scene very reminiscent of the one in Memphis Belle – where one of the crew of the titular WW2 bomber tells a mate about his plan to create a chain of restaurants that serve the same food everywhere. These days that’s the goal of every eatery – from fast food to Michelin – but back then, the concept was ridiculous. Why go to a place far away to eat the same food you’d get at home?
Anyway. The more I
type this, the more I think I have trod over this insight before…
But there is a reason for that! The Uber scene rams home the point that Zombieland (the first one) is TEN YEARS old. Which means as a universe it will never know Instagram, Influencers, and idiot presidents. Yes. That’s right. A world where zombies are real is a world where the survivors get the better deal…
Mind you, it must be said, the original film was released
at the height of the zombie craze – which we can all believe was ten years ago
– and as with a lot of films that are good (if not great) constant re-watching makes
it feel a lot more recent.
But back to the film itself. Three of our 4 original
heroes have all aged very well. Stone (Wichita), Harrelson,
(Tallahassee) and Eisenberg (Columbus) all pretty much look like they
did in 2009. But we do a LOT of growing
and changing in our first 20 odd years, and so Abigail Breslin (Little
Rock) who was 13 at the time of the original film, has done just that and her
character is understandably restless. Because
as crappy as life is when survival is day-to-day, the fact is if you can
survive it (and our 4 heroes quickly show that when it comes to killing
zombies, they are now a well-oiled machine) you look to horizons further afield.
So our family – after taking up residence in an abandoned
White House (what a gag rich movie this would have been if the first film
happened after 2016… ) soon find themselves going their separate ways.
This leaves room to introduce new characters and they’re
all pretty much as you see in the trailers.
The afore mentioned Madison (played by Zoey Deutch – the daughter of Lea Thompson. That’s right – THAT Lea Thompson, as in Back-To-The-Future-Lea-Thompson!), who SLAYS the air-head architype. Avan Jogia as a hippie douche called Berkeley, Rosario Dawson as Nevada – a kick ass motel owner and Elvis fetishist – Luke Wilson as Albuquerque (a character clone of Tallahassee) and Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch as Flagstaff – a carbon copy of Columbus.
All of them have room to play and own screen time, which
does detract from our original 4 from doing anything super interesting or
growing (character wise) although you could argue that’s not necessarily
important in a film like this, as there is definite joy to be had.
Signature elements also make a return including awesome interactive
GFX in the form of commandments – they’re the new rules! Plus Zombie Kill Of
The Week – now in the form of Zombie Kill Of The Year.
And new components are introduced that expand the films mythology – all ticking off the Surgeons of Horror check list of what makes a good sequel. In this case it’s not an entirely original idea, but it’s still cool, because zombies and evolution are concepts that lead to outcomes that are never-not-interesting.
Prognosis:
Scene stealer award definitely goes to Deutch. And although he seems to always play the same
guy all the time, Thomas Middleditch is an immensely talented actor capable of
very subtle and convincing range (just search all the stuff he’s done on
YouTube with Pete Holmes. From L.A. dude, to French fop to gentle German, the
man has some serious talent). In this
case, we get to see him act….violent…
Zombieland was also, at one time, trialled as a TV series and a pilot was released. Which was not bad, but it didn’t go anywhere. However, that would have meant that somewhere with some writers, storylines would have been discussed.
Be interesting to see if they borrowed any to put into this
film.
All up the end result is just as much fun as the
original, which means you will genuinely lol.
But don’t go in expecting ground breaking/mind blowing twisty
insights. Because that’s not this kind
of movie. It’s just sharp story-telling
fun.
Although when it comes to incorporating really dark humour with clever GFX and left-field music choices, Deadpool is the standard bearer, so this film could have done to have been made a few years earlier. But then again, when your 4 leads are all academy nominated/winners, we should all be grateful we got a sequel in the first place.
Antony Yee
PS: The Columbia pictures woman has never been as
awesome as she is in this film.
PPS: There is also an (early) end credit sequence that brings back an old favourite. Well worth it.
Australia seems to be bearing a knack of producing brutal, confronting horror films of late with its earnest and gritty portrayal of the Great Southern Land’s dark underbelly. The Furies is no exception, subjecting its audience to a savage tale of survival with a sci-fi twist. As the title of the movie suggests, The Furies could clearly be drawn from Greek mythology and the Erinyes, a trio of female deities who enact vengeance by punishing those who have wronged. In the tales, the Erinyes are formed by a trio of infernal goddesses, who carry out swift judgement on their assailants, although interestingly this trio shifts throughout the films narrative, but primarily centres on our lead heroine, Kayla (played by Airlie Dodds from the brilliant Killing Ground and the much-anticipated The Gloaming) a high school student who is kidnapped along with her best friend Maddie one night, and awakens in a metallic box labelled Beauty, in the middle of the Australian outback.
Confronting her in her ordeal are a series of gruesomely masked antagonists that are hellbent on hunting her and the fellow survivalists down through predatorial and disturbing means that echoes the themes from Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game, but director Tony D’Aquino amplifies the ferocity to keep the pace and tension at its highest throughout the film. Hindering Kayla along the way is her own disability, epilepsy, that is being triggered regularly and when she blacks out, somehow can still see through the masked marauders eyes that are pursuing her and her fellow female survivors. Despite her setbacks, Kayla is determined to turn the tables, find her friend Maddie and soon realises how serious her plight is and must use her wits and strength to play ‘the game’ and find a way out. The subject of hell and its torments are constantly at the forefront in The Furies and there are obvious comments to be held over the subject of how women are treated in society as they are exposed to, but why should they take part this ‘so-called’ game that has for so long been heralded by men. What would happen if women chose not to tolerate this behaviour anymore and reinvent the rules to put the power back in their favour? The pendulum has indeed begun to swing, and God forbid any who have wronged or inflicted any kind of oppressive behaviour towards women. The phrase, “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’ comes to mind as we begin to champion Kayla’s growing strength and we as the audience will her to enact the vengeance these weak-minded fools behind ‘the game’ deserve. We can only hope that she somehow sees it through to the bitter end and survives, even if she does, what world then awaits her?
The Diagnosis:
The Furies is a savagely brutal insight into what lies beneath the veil of humanity through this bloody, demonstrative tale of survival. It may be a low-budget affair, but director Tony D’Aquino wrangles out enough disturbing and abhorrent scenes that the audience, like Kayla must endure the horror to its conclusion. Another fine entry into the Australian horror scene.
MONSTERFEST AUSTRALIA 2019 SCREENINGS
THU, 31ST OCTOBER, 9.30PM: GU Film House, Adelaide Event Cinemas, Myer Centre, Brisbane Event Cinemas, George St, Sydney Capitol Cinemas, Manuka, Canberra Event Cinemas, Innaloo, Perth
We’re all aware of the stories behind the crazed occults and sexual degradation that lurk in the depths of American suburbia. Sensationalised through the late 70s, the myth that surrounds the wealthy devoting their lives in secret gatherings dedicated to the dark lord Lucifer and his minions, has been bubbling away under the surface ever since. Every so often it will awaken and threaten humanity, driving people into frenzy or a state of panic towards these heathens, only to simmer again. We also aware that there is no truth behind these stories too right? That they are merely the stuff of fancy and whispers generated to send ripples through the neighbourhood to cast a shadow over those who just don’t seem to fit in…. Right?
These moments of hyperbole are at the core of Chelsea Stardust’s directorial feature debut as she rips the world open and ridicules the how the “other half” live with their vain pursuits for eternal life and satisfaction.
Stardust’s muse to subject this world upon is pizza delivery girl, Sam, (expertly played by Hayley Griffith) who ventures beyond the borders of her route in the hopes of getting a decent tip. She gets more than she bargained for through her naivety and stumbles into a satanic ritual in need of a virginal sacrifice.
What follows is a series of comical mishaps as Sam falls from one farcical scenario to another as the heightened mania drives the affluent satanists to extreme measures to ensnare their virgin. The coven is led by the brilliant Rebecca Romijn as Danica who is suitably macabre in her hellbent pursuit and is supported by Arden Myrin as Gypsy, who has pursuits of her own to lead the coven, and a cracking cast of cameos from Jerry O’Connell and Jordan Ladd.
Sam isn’t alone in her turmoil though, as she shares her burden with Danica’s daughter, Judi (Ruby Modine – Happy Death Day) who has her own handy insights into the black arts that could potentially see them through the night and not chained to the sacrificial altar.
The Diagnosis:
Director Chelsea Stardust serves up a delightful platter of blood and mayhem from behind the doors of the rich and the fantastical elements that can be borne from satanic rituals. The effects are gloriously horrific and the cast play beat perfect performances, making this a rippingly fun ride of a movie and well worth your time.
MONSTERFEST AUSTRALIA SCREENINGS
FRI, 1ST NOVEMBER, 7PM: Event Cinemas, Myer Centre, Brisbane
SUN, 3RDNOVEMBER, 6PM: Event Cinemas, George St, Sydney GU Film House, Adelaide Capitol Cinemas, Manuka, Canberra Event Cinemas, Innaloo, Perth
Porno manages to tap into the celluloid lovers mainstream by essentially setting the film entirely within the confines of an art deco cinema with a strictly early 90s vibe and setting. In doing this, film director, Keola Racela catapults the audience into a world that invokes nostalgia and tackles some fun themes reminiscent of the time.
The location is so integral to the central theme of buried, underground sex and shenanigans that we all harbour and fear of letting loose our greatest indulgences; the stuff of taboo that we are unwilling to face the repercussions of our fantasies. There was a time that those who wanted to get there kicks would do so in underground cinemas and lurk in the shadows of the auditorium to satiate these desires. Racela knows this and deliberately pokes fun at our shame by unleashing a sex demon that has been contained within a snuff film deep in the cinema’s basement on the quintet of characters (who just so happen to be Christian, which amplifies their repression) who are subjected to a journey where they must vanquish their inner most thoughts and survive the night.
Forming the quintet is assistant manager, Chastity; projectionsist, Heavy Metal Jeff; Abe; Todd; and the stereotypical jock, Ricky, all of whom quander a secret that they try to keep buried.
In addition we have the cinema manager, Mr Pike, who serves as a minister in the eyes of the youthful contingency, but he too has a concealment that he wishes to contain within his office. All these characters are ripe for a sex demon to seep their way into their minds, and pleasure them to death.
The Diagnosis:
This is pure fun and gloriously plays for laughs in the most puerile of senses, but equally casts the characters into a predicament that requires instincts, strength, faith and a little bit of kink.
Maybe it’s because I just saw Stranger Things and coming down from an IT high, but this film just seemed to miss the mark for me. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark follows the old folk tales we have heard before but great to see it get a filmic depiction of the cartoon series I remember as a kid called Freaky Stories, which I heard from a friend of a friend of mine was very enjoyable with little twisted tales like the woman had spiders in her beehive hair doo. This movie emulates these old folk tales with the fantastical contribution of monsters designed by Guillermo del Toro.
It felt as though this style would work better as a Netflix or Stan episodic series as elements didn’t know where they wanted to be. It definitely felt half-baked like they were still mixing the ingredients together.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark follows a group of kids living in the suburbs of USA in the mid 1960’s, while breaking and entering an old mansion they steal a book from a dead girl that causes all manner of spookiness to ensue.
Scary stories are written in the book as they appear to devour those who were there when the book was taken. Mischievous hijinks abound.
The Diagnosis:
The monsters were great but with a half-baked ensemble from the get go. It was difficult to get hooked. Take two episodes of Stranger Things with a glass of IT twice a day to wash out the taste.
Dr. Richard Lovegrove and Anesthesiologist Kelsi Williams
TheDead Don’t Die is a classic example of how marketing can abuse the cinema-going public into flocking to the cinema in anticipation of a certain type of movie based on its trailer, only to be completely underwhelmed. Packed with an awesome cast in Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits, and Danny Glover, to name but a few, we’re led to believe that the film would tap into a beating, bloody pulse, with rampaging zombies and killer comedy lines akin to Shaun of the Dead. In some ways, it felt like “they” were trying to market an independent, off-beat film and project it into mainstream culture to ride the coattails of a genre that is hot property right now. You could argue, that this is the job of a production distributor, and if they are comfortable with pulling in the punters and forego the negative backlash, then so be it. In this humble writers mind, it sets the movie in a bad light and the shadow that this may cast will be forever enveloped in darkness.
Those who are more familiar with director Jim Jarmusch’s work though, may have gone in with a more open mind and curious to see how he would weave a horror-themed element into his minimalist narrative. There’s a reason that big-hitter names are constantly drawn to his style of work as Jarmusch favours character development and eccentricity tends to be brought to the fore among a slow-yet-comedic pace. Movies such as Night on Earth, Dead Man, and Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai resonated with the cinema-going public in search of an alternate view on the celluloid screen. So, I was hopeful that TDDD would pep along and perhaps add something to the genre that would offer something fresh to the mix. Unfortunately the offering is stale and weak in comparison to Jarmusch’s early work and there is nothing new on the slab to satiate fans of the genre. It’s almost ironic that the look and feel of the movie is reminiscent of B-Movie horror films of the 50s, (possibly an area true to Jarmusch’s heart) in that TDDD is trapped in this time and place and feels content to sit in its world, unwilling to conform with modern trends and interests. Similarly, its leads Chief Cliff Robertson (Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Driver) are stuck in the middle-town sentiments, that they are the rest of the town are doomed to the post-apocalyptic zombie crisis that has fallen on them. In fact, it’s the bumbling hermit (Waits) who is content in living amongst the wild and restless that may outlast and outwit them all, which in of itself poses some interesting questions. Questions that by the films conclusion, most viewers would have lost interest.
The acting was strong and a stand out for me was Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out) as the gas station attendant and is fast becoming an actor to watch, but ultimately there wasn’t enough substance to grip my attention.
The Diagnosis:
For horror fans, this movie is D.O.A.
For Jarmusch fans, it’s full of nods and references, but it isn’t on par with his best movies. One for completists only.
Two years ago, I walked into an auditorium to sit down and watch It: Chapter 1 with some horror-loving friends, some of whom were devoted Stephen King fans eager to see what a modern adaptation would look like. I was admittedly a little apprehensive, as I had strong pangs of nostalgia from the 90s mini-series starring Tim Curry, which had its scares but was ultimately let down by its weak ending, which left room for improvement. Further reservations were also abound by my underwhelming reaction to Mama, Andy Muschietti’s directorial feature debut, but I was willing to forego any misgivings and not judge on a token outing from the director and I was also open to seeing Pennywise in the 21st Century and how he would relate to the current cinema-going audience.
It turns out that Warner Bros. marketing team tapped into the social platforms of the “connected” generation and elevated the dancing clown into the pop culture mainstream, thanks partly to the look that was generated by the production team and Bill Skarsgård respectively. Whilst the movie itself didn’t resonate with me the same way it appeared to with the younger demographic, as I found the film lacked in decent scares, resorting to jump scares and it didn’t shift into dark enough territory for me, and Pennywise never terrified or disturbed enough, so I was left wanting as a result. It did however tap into one of King’s strongest elements in his writing and that is in its young misfit characters that unite against a common enemy that was imperative for the movie to have any chance of impacting at all. Here, Bill, Beverly, Ben et al had such a strong connection, that we were willing to go along for the ride for good or ill.
Fast forward to today and the passing of time has seen some changes in the Surgeons team. Some have left for other ventures or simply shifted into a whole new reality, and on this occasion I found myself without my usual horror-loving fiends alongside me and would have to face Pennywise on my own, a juxtaposition to the comrade of adult characters in the film, who depend on one another to defeat Pennywise once and for all.
My expectations were considerably low this time around following the first movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by this second instalment. The scares were still absent, but the adventure packed scenario that The Losers were confronted with this time around were made for entertaining viewing, mainly thanks to Bill Hader (Richie) and James Ransome (Eddie) who churn out strong performances and in many ways overshadowed the more A-list actors, James McAvoy (Bill) and Jessica Chastain (Beverly) who could have just phoned it in and weren’t really able to add much depth to their characters despite the near 3 hour running time.
So if character development isn’t packed into the time frame, then what exactly fills the narrative? It has a fairly weighty narrative, and to Muschietti’s credit, he manages to sandwich in a fair amount of the original story or concept into his version with a few notable exceptions, and in doing so, I was happy to one again be taken along the journey to its CGI-filled conclusion. One that was questionable but still managed to tug at the heart-strings in the quest for victory.
The Diagnosis:
Pennywise still failed to scare despite Skarsgård’s unique portrayal and Chapter 2 feels content to rest on a more feel-good, fun ride to conclude the Loser’s Club’s adventures against the dancing clown. Horror fans will once again feel robbed of what could have been a dark and destroying creature that feeds on our greatest fears, but will be entertained nonetheless.
The ultimate test will be if it resonates with the audience for the production distributors to warrant another visit to Derry and spark an ongoing franchise into the mythology of Pennywise. Time will tell.
Saul Muerte
Losers comments
Like comedic relief, Bill Hader has the best lines, but it felt like the director was playing for laughs rather than decent scares.
IT chapter two is a fun romp sadly ending in just one more film about the fear devouring Macroverse entity who appears to cheerfully as a psychotic clown. Bill Skarsgard reprises the role as the young’uns return to Derry, Maine 27 years after thinking they had defeated IT. The adult cast all delivered stellar performances channeling their younger personas but Bill Hader’s Ritchie was a personal favourite. As a fan of the 80’s miniseries I personally liked the updated take on this terrifying journey.
Set among the forest of buildings that is New York, director Larry Fessenden retells one of horrors best written tales ever written by not only shifting the setting and the time period but the focus of the subject. One is reminded of the quote “An intelligent man knows Frankenstein wasn’t the monster. A wise man knows that Frankenstein was the monster?”.
Amidst a dusty warehouse apartment with a shonky makeshift lab we find Alex is struggling to bring his creation to life together with his partner, Polidori, (famous for writing “The Vampyr” in 1816 as part of a contest including Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley).
The strong motif of PTSD plays throughout the film complimented by the cinematic angles and camera movements, as much of the film is achieved using POV shots, which made a far more honest portrayal of the beast, the monster … Adam. Though this film was shot on a budget, this is not at all apparent besides some tight shots during a roof top fight scene but it does not detract from this brilliantly eerie film.
Donald F. Glut takes on both writing and directing duties to oversee an adaptation of his collection of short stories, which serves as a ‘love song’ to Mary Shelley’s creation. It’s hard to believe that Shelley’s novel celebrated its bicentenary last year, and Glut certainly knows his subject, pouring into every crevice of his source material to pay homage to and draw out four stories.
Our first story, “My Creation, My Beloved” set in Bavaria, 1887, is probably the most faithful with a Frankenstein descendant, who is a cross between the scientist and deformed assistant, Igor, continues in his ancestors obsession for resurrection and beauty, only to be thwarted in his own lustful pursuit. Excellent performance here from Buddy Daniels Freedman as Dr Gregore Frankenstein.
The second tale, “Crawler from the Grave” feels like the most fun, and finds ourselves in Switzerland, 1910 and sees John Blyth Barrymore (Full Moon High) as Vincent, another Frankenstein descendant who is hunted down by a disembodied hand from the grave.
Our third story, “Madhouse of Death” felt the weakest of the quartet of tales in my humble opinion, but this could very well be down to taste. Set in Los Angeles, 1948, the story also serves as a salute to the golden era of Hollywood and the film noir detective films with Sam Malone et al, and for that I commend its approach. Essentially we see a detective take on more than he gambled when he uncovers an old house full of crazies and home to a gorilla.
The last tale ends strongly, and in many ways one after my own heart, as those who know me can attest, as it is the most closely associated with the Hammer Horror films that I grew up with as a kid. With “Dr. Karnstein’s Creation” set in Transylvania, 1957, we’re presented with a clever fusion between Frankenstein and the most infamous creature of the night, Dracula complete with torch wielding locals hellbent on turning the tables on the mad doctor who resides in the castle. Another fine performances in this section, notably from Jim Tavaré.
The Diagnosis:
You can tell that the creators are a lover of their subject and embellish Mary Shelley’s story for a modern generation whilst still staying faithful to its origins. Director/writer Glut carves up four fantastic stories that reawaken the macabre moments that made Frankenstein a household name in horror and celebrates 200 years, highlighting the reasons why this ageless tale will never die.
Surgeons of Horror 