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Movie review: Bye Bye Man (2016)

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

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USUALLY I would try to school up a bit before watching a horror movie, which is hard to do without coming across a few spoilers.

In this instance, I’d managed to steer clear of any online chatter, namely because it didn’t receive much fan fare out here.

(Which in of itself is something of a give away).

So, I pretty much went into this cold.

So there’s only up from there, right?   Right?

Regardless I ploughed straight in and immersed myself into the movie, willing, welcoming the storyline to hit me with the best killer punch it could offer.

Instead, all I got was a lacklustre effort to introduce a new ‘monster’ to scare the new generation.

And all I could think was, ‘What ever happened to the good old days of Freddy, Jason, and Michael?’

Why does Hollywood find it so hard to introduce a new villain to the horror genre?

Is it that we have become so conditioned with the mainstream output that we can no longer be subjected to the true sense of horror villainy ever again?

Did the likes of Craven, Carpenter, and Cunningham / Miner plant such a strong foothold in the arena, that it’s proven so hard to shake ourselves free of those shackles?

We’ve had a few instances of it since with Sadako/Samara in the Rings franchise, but even then, the last outing left us wanting.

More recent successes in the genre have stemmed from the Everyman or the psychological arena to produce the scares, with the Mumblegore movement proving highly successful as a result.

So, where do we go from here?

Can we expect a return to these kind of movies again?

And more importantly will the impending It movie prove to be the movie to change all this?

There’s certainly a lot of pressure on Andrés Muschietti to deliver.

Right now though, we are subjected to the Bye Bye Man, where you can’t think or say his name or else you’ll feel the wrath of his bony finger or a slobbering bloody hound.

The film does try to pepper in the usual ingredients to make a worthy horror, but instead it gets lost in its own ethos.

There’s seances, psycho killers, and illusions to mess with your head, which plod along nicely enough, but the threat never feels real enough.

And I was a little thrown by the lead, who never really felt charismatic enough for me to care, and I too became lost in wondering who exactly I should root for and why I should actually bother.

There were a couple of surprises, namely in the appearance of Carrie Ann Moss, where the hell ha she been lately?

And a brief cameo from Faye Dunaway declaring La La Land the winner of Best Picture.

Both these women were not enough though to save this film from a dire plot whilst wanting to be something it wasn’t and will never amount to.

It’s a shame, because on paper, it had potential, but the writing was slack and the character development was sorely lacking.

  • Paul Farrell

Movie review: The Eyes of My Mother (2016)

18 Tuesday Apr 2017

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The short running time of 77mins belies the amount of substance to be found within this movie.

Shot entirely in black and white, The Eyes of My Mother tells the story of Francisca, who lives on a farm with her mother and father.

Her mother is a trained surgeon and teaches Francisca to remove the cows eyeballs, a curious practice that Francisca adopts throughout the movie with questionable methods.

Their lives are turned upside down though when a door to door salesman, Charlie arrives at their house.

A struggle ensues that results in Charlie killing Francisca’s mother. Her father walks in on the act and over powers Charlie and chains him up in the barn.

As Francisca’s father becomes a shell of his former self, Francisca practically raised herself and constantly looks for the affection from her father.

Alone in the world, she spirals into a warped sense of reality where she removes Charlie’s Eyes and vocal chords and keeps him locked up as her ‘pet friend’.

When her father eventually passes away, Francisca becomes truly lost, preserving his body in the bath and reaching out for some sense of love and identity with the world.

It’s a beautiful shot piece with plenty of questions asked around nature vs nurture.

Are we the subject of our surroundings?

And because of this, there is genuine emotion attached to Francisca’s journey.

It packs a hefty punch which had been classed its graphic nature too hard to watch, but Nicolas Pesce’s directorial debut as a must watch and all eyes (hopefully intact) will be on his sophomore outing, Piercing, which is due out next year.

– Paul Farrell

Movie review: Unfriended (2015)

17 Monday Apr 2017

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STRAIGHT OFF THE BAT, I should declare that I’m not a big fan of found footage horror.

Don’t get me wrong, when it’s done right, it can be executed really well ala [REC], or The Tunnel, but more often than not, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

And i’s fast becoming a stale genre in my book.

Despite this, Unfriended falls strangely on middle ground.

I have to commend the movie for pushing the horror genre into a contemporary setting and placing it where the current generation spend their time – through social media.

By using this format, we are introduced to a small group of friends and our intended victims.

What I also found intriguing and bold about this movie was the subject of this movie too, cyber-bullying.

A modern concept that had its fair amount of repercussions in an environment that has proved hard to police.

As the film opens up, we are given an indication of the movies intent as our protagonist, (If you can call her that) Blaire surfs the net for the death/suicide of Laura Barns, before Blaire then embarks on a cyber chat with her friends, Mitch, Jess, Adam, Ken, and Val.

However, somewhere along the way, someone has hacked into the chat room and from there on in, a series of games come about which antagonises the group and we slowly learn of their involvement in Laura Barn’s downfall, through the cyber-bullying that they played out on her.

One by one the friendships unravel and they are picked off with gruesome and bloody outcomes.

Who is behind these attacks?

Is it one of them, or could it be the spirit of Laura Barns out for revenge?

As I detailed in my intro, my verdict of Unfriended is that it lay in the middle ground and here is my reasoning.

Whilst it does push the horror genre into new and untested territory, and it certainly delivers a clever and insightful approach to this world, where it falls short is in its characterisation.

As we learn more about the friendship group and their secrets and true personalities rise to the surface, the less likeable they become.

Yes, this does make their comeuppance a deserved and relatable one, the preverbal fly in the ointment is that the audience is left not really giving a shit about what happens to these characters.

A massive flaw in my opinion.

You need to have a character that the audience can identify which otherwise the story falls flat and that is where it left me… Deflated and uninterested.

But its success in the box office and pending sequel seems to say otherwise.

I’d be keen to hear your thoughts.

  • Paul Farrell

Movie review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

15 Saturday Apr 2017

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HATS OFF to The Autopsy of Jane Doe for attempting to contain the entire movie within the same “four walls”.

The exception being the prologue, (when the body is discovered) and the epilogue.

This is testament to the acting prowess of the films leads in Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch, who most of the scenes involve just the two of them, so they have no choice but to carry the story.

Thankfully, we’re in good hands as they take on the roles of Father/Son team of the Morgue in which the film takes place.

Tommy (the father) has resigned to his role as the town coroner, much like his own father and takes pride in his position.

In some cases it would seem at the expense of forming a solid relationship with his son, especially with the absence of a mother figure.

Austin (the son) has spent most of his life trying to fill the chasm between his himself and his father.

He becomes a medical practitioner and studies under his father’s guise, but with one eye on the outside world, whilst feeling forever entombed.

The beauty of this film comes with the arrival of the Jane Doe, and the beginning of their dissection, when supernatural elements begin to occur.

The deeper their investigation goes, the more scars that appear in their lives, and the darker their domain becomes.

The scare and thrill factors are secondary to the humanity that is on show, which some horror fans may be disappointed by, but there is enough gore and blood on show to rise this psychological, supernatural horror above the level of most its recent counterparts in the genre and is a gem of a movie as a result.

– Paul Farrell

Movie review: Antibirth (2016)

13 Thursday Apr 2017

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THIS MOVIE slipped under the radar last year, and whilst part of me can understand the reasons why.

Largely this movie is not to everyone’s taste and it’s raw, independent vibe can put certain viewers off, who are used to the polished, Hollywood mainstream.

Antibirth though is definitely worth of closer scrutiny as it embarks in an area not often looked upon, body horror, and even more so, the effect of pregnancy.

It often feels like a strange hybrid between something that David Cronenberg would produce and 1997’s Nowhere, with its strange and complex tale.

Namely, we follow Natasha Lyonne’s (Orange Is The New Black, Yoga Hosers) character, Lou, a drug-addled, pill-popping woman living in a remote town in Montana.

Unwittingly, she had become a part of a science experiment when her dealers use her as a science experiment with a new drug that they are pushing.

The side effects of which, induce pregnancy in women.

The question is, without the ‘usual’ method of insemination, who are what is growing inside her?

Lyonne has her character down pat and infuses some of the type of roles that she has become known for struggling with drug dependency.

She is ably supported by some notable female actors though in the under-used Chloe Sevigny (potentially just ringing this one in) as Lou’s friend, Sadie, and the welcome sight of Meg Tilly on the big screen as a quirky, eccentric stranger with more than a few secrets of her own.

Ultimately, it’s a strange concoction though, which some critics have described as muddled and confusing, and with no sense of direction.

But I for one, for one found it refreshing, despite the feeling of swimming upstream in treacle.

There’s enough intrigue to keep you within the story as Lou’s plight and body transformation elevates into the bizarre and grotesque.

This is only Danny Perez’s second feature, (which he wrote and directed) and if he were able to harness his voice whilst maintaining that raw energy throughout, he could very well be a director to keep an eye on in the future.

  • Paul Farrell

Podcast: Full Moon Sessions – Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

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Crazed lycanthropes. Check.

A Wiccan cult lead by a vivacious vamp. Check.

A random dwarf. Err…Check.

And Christopher Lee donning some awesome shades whilst blending into a night club scene. Hell yes.

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French born, Australian film director, Philippe Mora takes the original movie, based on the Gary Brandner novels, takes it by the scruff of the mane and literally shakes the living shit out of it, so that it’s hardly recognisable anymore.

There is a notion that sequels are made to improve upon or enhance a franchise, but here, Mora takes the essence of the original and adds his unique flavour to the mix.

With Sybil Danning serving as his muse by playing the enchantress, Stirba, Howling 2 is a feast on the eyes and plays with your senses.

It’s an acquired taste that has gained a cult following as a result.

And would mark a strange and interesting direction that would prove to not be the last of the franchise, nor the last time that Mora would return to the director’s chair, as he would steer the follow up, Howling III: The Marsupials.

Check out more in the Full Moon Sessions podcast below to get the point of view from The Surgeons.

  • “Howling Mad Moon” MacGuire

Movie review: Train To Busan (2016)

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

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CRITICS AND AUDIENCES have been praising this film for sometime now.

And I may be a little late to the scene, but I finally managed to board the Train To Busan recently to see what all the fuss was about.

And boy did it live up to my expectations.

Not only was it enjoyable and action-packed, it also left you feeling satisfied as a result.

This film will stand the test of time and become a modern classic and should be on every horror fans must watch list.

Here’s 5 Killer reasons why…

  1. Plenty of heartThe first two points are all about character development.

    It’s the core to any good storyline. Make the people care about the characters by building up the relationships they have with each other and in doing so cement our relationship with said character before ripping out our hearts when they inevitably die.

  2. A lot of soul

    Continuing on the character theme, it’s also important to establish flaws in the key characters in which they will be punished for accordingly – death by zombie horde, or overcome and redeem themselves but sub sequentially meet their demise anyway, because  in horror, only the pure of heart and soul will survive.
  3. Stamina to stay the distance

    The perfect recipe for any decent horror is to establish the rhythm and build up the tension to the nth degree by the time you reach the climax.This is when of the key strengths in Train To Busan.

    Most horror films can find themselves derailed by the halfway point, but we’re kept well on track, thanks to the brilliant pace depicted by director Yeon Sang-ho and his crew.

  4. Fucking sick zombies

    When dealing with the big ‘Z’, you’re generally dealing with the archaic shuffling zombies from George Romero’s ‘Dawn of the Dead‘ or the kick-ass-quick in ‘28 Days Later‘.And although Train To Busan does lean more towards the latter, it does add another element to the mix – Mass.

    When these zombies strike, they come as a group and and hunt down their prey with viscous abundance.

  5. Killer instinctAnd finally, to top it off.

    If you’re gonna have a cracking zombie flick, you’ve got to deliver the gore and kills with as much relish and glee as possible to salivate the hungry horde.

    And in this instance I’m referring to the audience.

    It’s not just the methods of the kills that count here, but the brutal reality of it all as our heroes fight blood tooth and nail in the name of survival.

    It raises questions about how we would face such a dire situation, stares humanity in the face and shows us for the savage creatures that we are.

 

  • Paul Farrell

Movie review: Yoga Hosers (2016)

30 Thursday Mar 2017

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The second instalment of Kevin Smith’s True North Trilogy follows in the same vein of its predecessor, Tusk, in that it captures the quirky, dark, and curious side to Canada.

In this instance, the story follows two convenience store workers, Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie, played by Depp and Smiths daughters, Lily-Rose Depp and Harley Quinn Smith.

As expected the movie is infused with pop culture and gamification references such is Smith’s repertoire of language and style on screen.

Perhaps because of its leads, Yoga Hosers has a youthful vigour to the story, which just about makes it passable along with the style and substance involved.

All parties appear to be having fun in the making of this movie and that energy feels infectious as a result.

Behind the glitz though, the movie is simply that.

A facade of fun, but ultimately it’s logic is so far removed from reality that you have no sense of connectivity to the plot.

Essentially the girls end up fending off little yellow wiener men controlled by a Canadian Nazi, Andronicus Arcane.

It’s so convoluted and downright bizarre, that you’re only choice is to go with the flow or tune out.

As it stands it remains to be seen whether or not Smith will complete his True North Trilogy, by closing out with Moose Jaws.

Despite the two films generally negative reception, there’s a part of me that would like to see Smith carry out his vision, if only to see a killer Moose on the loose in Canada.

But I guess that’s just the quirky, warped side of my personality that identifies with the craziness of it all.

– Paul Farrell

Movie review: Tusk (2014)

30 Thursday Mar 2017

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The obscurity of this movie admittedly had me questioning how such a bizarre story could ever be entertained let alone actually pulled of as a feature.

But all ideas and inspirations have to start from somewhere.

When filmmaker Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier picked up on a bizarre advertisement of guys walrus fetish as part of the Smodcast discussions, the subject resonated with Smith to run with this crazy notion and turn it into a feature, Tusk, the first instalment to a trilogy that he’s dubbed, The True North trilogy.

The second having already been released, titled Yoga Hosers, and a final instalment called Moose Jaws is on its way.

The underlying theme that ties these movies together examines the quirky tales born out of the depths of Canadian lifestyle and translates as a warped cousin of the X-Files as Johnny Depp cameos as French Canadian detective investigator of the bizarre, Guy LaPointe.

The central story to Tusk follows repugnant and loathing, podcast host, Wallace Bryton.

His podcast, The Not-See Party is basically a chance for him and friend/ co-host (played by a welcome Haley Joel-Osmont) to mock viral videos of guys making fools of themselves.

This one in particular is of a guy playing around with a samurai sword in his garage when he severs his own leg off.

Wanting to milk this story and take advantage of this poor soul for all his worth, Wallace ventures out to interview him for the podcast only to arrive at the chaps funeral.

By chance however, Wallace believing to be down on his luck, stumbles across a written advertisement in the Gents toilets that piques his interest with a free room and lifetime of interesting stories.

Little does he know that he’s about to get his comeuppance when he meets up with wayward extraordinaire, Howard Howe and his curious obsession with walruses.

Kidnapped and drugged, Wallace then has to face a gruelling undertaking that allows his assailant to transform him into the creature of his curious fantasies.

Will his girlfriend and best friend be able to save him from his ordeal?

What will be left of him by the end of it all?

Tusk is a movie that lives up to its description with its strange tale, which was always going to be a tough sell for audience and critics alike.

It takes someone like Kevin Smith to carry out this vision and brandish it with his unique sense of humour.

And for that it hangs in there just barely by a single thread and may well generate an audience from his loyal fans.

Once again I find myself commending a director on their bold choice and pushing the boundaries of storytelling by challenging themselves and offering something new, even if the execution itself doesn’t eventually pay off.

– Paul Farrell

R.I.P. Bill Paxton

26 Sunday Feb 2017

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FOR MOST PEOPLE, (myself included) Bill Paxton entered our worlds as the unforgettable Private Hudson from Aliens.

As I heard the sad news today of his passing, I instantly started to reflect on Bill’s career and naturally of those films that fall into the sphere of horror.

So gifted a talent, Bill could transcend across numerous genres and even iconic film franchises, such as The Terminator, Aliens, and Predator 2.

As Private Hudson, Bill portrayed the cocky, loud-mouthed and patronising member of the Army Corp that would be slayed by a Xenomorphs on the Hadley’s Hope colony.

But it was a year later, playing Severen in Near Dark, that would capture the attention of this writer.

It’s a movie that probably deserves more recognition and sees Bill once again star alongside Lance Henriksson as renegade drifters, who just so happen to be vampires.

His past is never revealed but you get the sense that Paxton relished playing the more reckless, violent, and sadistic member of the crew.

It’s a role that stands out in a plethora of other movies, but to mention a couple more, Paxton’s performance of Jerry Lambert was another highlight in his career that I’d like to mention.

On face value, Lambert appears to be yet another brash and cocky performance from Paxton, but beneath the surface is a man of integrity and honour that belies this instinctive reaction to his character.

This is a testament to Paxton’s ability to portray depth to his roles and would later see him cast in the likes of Tombstone, True Lies, Apollo 13, and Twister to name but a few.

It’s little surprising that he would turn his attention to directing at some point in his career and what he leaves behind is possibly one of the most underrated movies at the turn of the century with Frailty.

The tale centres on a family led by a fanatical religious patriarch (played by Paxton) who leads them on a series of murders as they try to destroy the demons that are embedded through American society.

Bill Paxton leaves behind such an important mark on the history of film and the team at Surgeons of Horror will forever remember his stellar work over the years.

He will be deeply missed and put thoughts go out to his family at this time.

– Paul Farrell