I’m not sure what it is about the Day of the Dead storyline that jars so much.
On paper, it boasts an interesting premise of science vs state. Always at conflict in the real world and makes sense that they would come under close scrutiny when faced with a post apocalyptic world full of zombies.
Arguably though, it is the weakest movie from George A Romero’s original trilogy, and yet, it has now mastered two remakes, one released back in 2008 and one Day of the Dead: Bloodline tries to make its own mark on the subject, leaving many to ask, ‘what’s the point?’
The bones of the original film are still present, with an underground bunker containing some civilians reside under the rule of military personnel.
The changes are significant though. The first is a strangely confusing beginning marking the initial outbreak in a typical American street before taking us to a scientific laboratory to essentially show us the outbreak again, but from the viewpoint of lead character Zoe Parker (Sophie Skelton) a medical student who witnesses her friends and peers all wiped out as carnage ensues within the facility.
Before all this occurs though we are introduced to Max (Johnathon Schaech, a creepy patient who has a serious crush on Zoe, and in case you missed the heavy hint, also happens to have a mysterious blood type. Like that’s not gonna come back later.
Just as Max forces him myself in Zoe, the living dead make their entrance, forcing Zoe to go from one ordeal to another.
Both of her worlds will collide again though, as we pick up our story again as we time jump to a few years down the track, where Zoe lives in the afore-mentioned bunker, and formed a relationship with Baca, the younger brother to the Lieutenant running the military outfit, Miguel.
Cue conflict both internally and externally.
It is on a medicinal run back to the laboratory when their troubles really begin as Max who has somehow partially survived, becoming both walking zombie and human, (essentially this version’s Bub) and perhaps the answer to their salvation.
Of course it won’t go swimmingly for the survivors, but by this point everything feels so bland and blah, blah, blah, that we have gone beyond the point of caring.
Schaech gives a decent performance as the ‘villain’ of the piece, but the one small thread that we can hang onto is that Skelton actually gives a solid performance as Zoe, and this keeps you intrigued enough to push you towards the films conclusion, but just barely.
The Diagnosis:
It’s a fairly stable effort, but neither diminishes or improves upon the original film. Characters are two-dimensional and the plot line is weak, leaving you ultimately back to your original thought… what’s the point.
Here’s the interesting thing about horror as a genre.
If you are a fan of romantic comedies and suddenly find yourself in the middle of a real life meet-cute, you’re likely gonna continue to be a fan of romantic comedies.
Get whisked away by aliens and fly in a space ship? Your love of sci-fi will probably deepen. (Provided the experience is more ET and less The Thing – ie: orifices remain probe free).
Like westerns? Drop that person on a horse. Love porn? Give him a threesome.
But take a horror fanatic and chase them with a chainsaw wielding clown, or strap them to a slab and cut parts off their body? Probably not gonna be an enthusiast any more.
For only in horror could it be argued that the majority of those who love it, do so in the hope of never touching it. Much like the greyhound who catches the rabbit, it’ll ruin them.
And so, we come to the meta-meta film Fake Blood.
It is a “documentary” made by real life film-makers Rob Grant (no Red Dwarf fans, not that Rob Grant) and Mike Kovac.
In reality they have made two low budget independent horror films – Yesterday (2009) and Mon Ami (2012). You can imdb them.
Despite the no-small-achievement of making 2 feature films, both still have day-to-day lives (one as a jobbing actor, the other as a freelance editor) and off the bat you get a sense that this is a sore point for Rob (the film’s narrator) who is very much hungry for wider recognition.
That’s when they get emailed a fan video where said fans walk through a hardware store re-enacting a scene from Mon Ami.
The scene itself is fairly innocuous, but the fans’ take on it is disturbing. So much so it starts Rob and Mike on a quest to explore violence in films and their responsibility (as film makers) to it.
It begins as an almost fun investigation as they use real people to help them shoot actual guns and fight trained martial artists; all in a quest to discover first hand their “differences” to their movie counterparts.
Then the opportunity presents itself to interview someone who seems to have first hand knowledge in killing people…
The film then unfolds at a decent clip as the two men get drawn into a criminal underworld where people disappear. BADLY. Which gives everything a level of gritty realism very much outside their previous forays into zombie horror and black comedy violence.
As a film – despite their best P.R. attempts to neither “confirm or deny” the events in it – Fake Blood is clearly a mockumentary. Ie: Blair Witch without the witch, found footage where the coverage becomes conventional where it needs to be.
And despite the fact it tries to pass off certain elements of the film as “real” (which almost NEVER works, as real life is never “cinema clean” – especially when you’re presenting your work as a true verite experience. The biggest giveaway tends to be in the performance. Another is HOW things are captured by the camera – but this is all stuff for another review) the really interesting aspect to Fake Blood is its constant jumping out of itself.
It portrays the 2 film-makers interviewing “real” people who have lived through “true” horror, then cuts to re-enactments of those horrific moments, then cuts to the men SHOOTING those re-enactments, and then have them interview the people in the re-enactments!
Both Rob and Mike eventually come into conflict (the heart of all good drama) as Rob’s ambition to make an attention-grabbing film starts to betray its original idea. Something that’s all super meta because despite being dressed as a documentary, the film is clearly a written drama from the outset.
And on top of all THAT, you do want to see how it ends. So from that point of view they have both made a good film that, at the very least, will make you think. And that’s as real as any film-maker could hope for.
Prognosis:
As dramas go, it’s a solid fake. As documentaries go, it’s a poor imitation of the real thing.
– Antony Yee
Catch the screening of Fake Blood at the MidWest WierdFest.
You can already purchase discounted day or full festival passes to the 2018 festival here, through the festival’s ticketing partner site FilmFreeway. (Tickets to individual films will be available closer to the festival, directly via the website of the Micon Budget Downtown Cinema). Go on. Get weird!
Cruising down the freeway, with music blaring on the car stereo, we are introduced to Jax, as she sings along in a slightly off-key manner and seemingly without a care in the world.
But who is Jax? Why is she drifting through the desert with a devil-may-care attitude?
This beautifully shot short film, which has been making a mark on the festival circuit and setting tongues wagging enters into the viewers world with an aimlessness that echoes the ever-expanding landscape which marks its setting, somehow lures you in and with each passing frame, we discover more and more to Jax’s complex character.
With Academy Award nominee, Colin Campbell at the helm, this film is in safe hands as he crafts together a story which unfolds smoothly and each reveal feels natural as a result.
Writer Rakefet Abergel has a firm grasp on her creation of the titular Jax, and it should come as no surprise that she takes on the lead on-screen too.
Her shift from naivety and innocence, to a strong, dynamic confidence is a believable one, and in many ways the viewer is left feeling sympathetic to her plight, which is a testament to Abergel’s craftmanship.
The Diagnosis:
A well crafted story that hinges on Jax’s character.
Thankfully both writer and director have the make up to produce a complex figure that is definitely not who she seems.
The journey is an enduring one but with a destination is well worth the wait.
Jax In Love is still doing the festival circuits at the time of writing.
Do yourself a favour. If it’s in your neighbourhood, check out one of the following festivals and catch Jax In Love and many more:
Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Kreuger.
All names that have made their mark in the horror movie industry and beyond, such was the impact that these characters had in arguably the golden era of the genre.
Since then, filmmakers have struggled to emulate the success and somehow fallen short. The Scream franchise took the genre and gave it a new twist, but this only led to filmmakers trying to repeat this success too and as such we got the torrid I Know What You Did Last Summer as a result.
Now, when you throw the name Victor Crowley into the ring, few people will know you you are referring to, and yet due to director Adam Green’s passion we have now seen 4 feature films based around this grotesque creature, hell-bent on vengeance and bloody mayhem on the Bayou.
It’s attracted staple actors of the horror genre such as Robert Englund, Tony Todd, Danielle Harris, and notably Kane Hodder, who took on the role of Victor for the Hatchet film series.
It is however, the latest instalment that has seen the character’s name take centre stage, thrusting him into the limelight once more and in effect serving as something of a re-boot to the series.
So, why is it then, that the franchise has slipped under the radar?
Well, with closer scrutiny of Victor Crowley, you could understand why, because on face value, it appears to be an example of painful characters, and poor performances. However, as the story unfolds, and the deeper into the swamp we submerge ourselves into, the more the dialogue starts to build in strength and the wit rises to the surface with abundance.
Sure, the characters are incredibly two dimensional, but that only allows their demise when it comes to be sweet. Oh, so sweet.
Speaking of demise, the deaths in Victor Crowley are brutal and savage with enough blood and guts, and gory detail that you’ll laugh, squirm and delight with each gut wrenching kill.
The Diagnosis:
Never judge a book by its cover. It may take a while to warm to but let yourself be taken over by this feature and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
It’s balls-to-the-wall fun and churns along with a bloody glorious rampage.
Watch it and make Victor Crowley the horror household name that it deserves to be.
The first thing that grips you about Torin Langen’s anthology of Halloween themed horror is that it’s very much his universe.
A sickening, twisted world where the very heart is nothing but a dark and throbbing beast, dripping with stuff of nightmares.
Essentially 3 Dead Trick or Treaters serves up four short stories, each with their own tortured journeys for Langen to share, interwoven by a paperboy lured by curiosity to the films bleak conclusion.
This labour of love project is such a glorious treasure to behold, absent of dialogue which makes the horrific scenes all the more painful to endure.
But like the fore-mentioned paperboy, the viewer feels compelled to know more and this Langen has you ensnared.
From the first chapter (Fondue) and its teen lovers pact that is pushing the boundaries of their companionship to try out something new, something that may push them to the limits of no return; To the Witchery themed chapter (Malleus Maleficarum) that similarly pits a couple who delve into a world of barbarity, but will they both be able to take that journey together or will one of them crack?
(Stash) then takes the voyeur into the next chapter where a homeless trio is forced to the brink of despair in order to survive.
By this stage the theme of rejection starts to ring strong and true, building to the films climax but not before the final chapter (Delivery) plays a master hand of misdirection and and a slight injection of humour.
The Diagnosis:
This is Torin Langen’s playground.
A world filled with lost souls and the tortured, empty vessels of humanity, all searching for some sense of belonging.
They will push themselves in order to find ‘that fix’ whilst battling rejection and depravity.
In doing so, Langen has firmly established himself as an artist that we should watch with keen interest.
– Saul Muerte
Catch the screening of 3 Dead Trick or Treaters at the MidWest WierdFest.
You can already purchase discounted day or full festival passes to the 2018 festival here, through the festival’s ticketing partner site FilmFreeway. (Tickets to individual films will be available closer to the festival, directly via the website of the Micon Budget Downtown Cinema). Go on. Get weird!
It’s fast approaching March and for those crazy folk in Wisconsin it can only mean one thing… the return of the much-anticipated MidWest WierdFest and all the strange mayhem that comes with it.
So it seems fitting that our first film review from the festival line-up should take place in Wisconsin, Attack of the Tattie-Bogle, but first things first, what the fuck is a Tattie-Bogle?
It’s not as the name suggests some kind of potato snot.
No, this is a Scottish term for scarecrow, but although it may bear some similarity to The Town That Dreaded Sundown, this film goes for all out realism with its characters reactions and the ordeal that they are faced with.
Set on Independence Day, where we see a mixed group of patriots, liberalists, and romantics, who gather at a remote cabin to celebrate the festivities only to be forced to use their wits and guile from a rampant and bloody attack.
As the movie winds you in, my first reaction felt a little stifled as the acting and pace felt a little strained and the dialogue, although going for naturalism comes across a little forced at times.
This is all forgiven by the time it reaches the first onslaught, which comes thick and fast, with such brutal savagery it tears apart the senses with stark reality.
Half the group is dispatched with quick severity, which is a good thing as it would have been hard to track who’s who without this swift attack.
From here on in, it’s anyone’s guess who will survive and with each attempt of escape and moment of solidarity quickly snuffed out by the attacker, the tension mounts with incredible unease.
By the films conclusion at just over the hour mark, you certainly feel like you’ve gone through the wringer. And the film satisfies as a result.
The Diagnosis:
Despite some dubious acting and dialogue in places, director Pete Macy offers a delightfully savage look at the slasher genre in which the brutal reality shines through and becomes its champion.
Check this out to see a low budget, bloody film which pits the question of what would you do when confronted with an ambush in a land far removed from your own.
– Saul Muerte
Catch the screening of Attack of the Tattie-Bogle at the MidWest WierdFest.
You can already purchase discounted day or full festival passes to the 2018 festival here, through the festival’s ticketing partner site FilmFreeway. (Tickets to individual films will be available closer to the festival, directly via the website of the Micon Budget Downtown Cinema). Go on. Get weird!
Tragedy Girls invites you on a candy-coloured journey bursting with cheerleaders, glitter, hashtags, and bloody, flinch-worthy slayings.
Yep, the horror comedy genre got a Millennial makeover.
Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse) and Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool) are perversely likeable BFFs obsessed with two things; each other and their ‘Tragedy Girls’ social media page dedicated to all things murder.
To bump up their online cred, the girls kidnap a serial killer, gushing “we’re your biggest fans, dude!” as he struggles against his restraints and spits out a grocery list of heinous threats against them.
Inspired, the girls gleefully go on a killing spree in their hometown with results reminiscent of something from Final Destination with a Heathers twist.
The death scenes themselves never quite hit those horror high notes, but they never sink to beige level either.
One particularly creative murder in a school workshop involving a saw to the face will make you genuinely concerned for the safety of woodworking students everywhere.
Shipp and Hildebrand are believable teen besties and nail the innocent-looking serial killer facade.
But just when you begin to feel comfortable with the casting choices along comes Josh Hutcherson and you’ll spend a good few seconds squinting at the screen; “oh my gosh- is that Peeta from The Hunger Games?”
It is, and he has a fun cameo as a motorcycle-riding, in-tune-with-his-emotions love interest.
The Diagnosis:
Tragedy Girls is bubblegum horror; you’ll enjoy it in the moment but eventually it will close it’s flavour and you’ll forget about it.
While it succeeds as a fun cautionary tale for the evils of social media, but finds the traditional high-school slasher tropes hard to shake.
Essentially, prepare yourself for #cluelesswithknives.
What does this mean to the genre as a whole? It can spell good news as the movie business see success and a money opportunity to exploit this genre to the bone.
This could mean an outpour of horrendous carbon copy movies that will grate to the bone, but it can’t be as bad as Amityville: The Awakening, Leatherface, or Jeepers Creepers 3 right?
But let’s not be too hasty on the negative-front. What does look promising is that we could very well get some fine horror films churning out over the coming years.
So with that in mind, the team stitched our collective minds together and come up with 18 of the most anticipated horror movies coming out that we would love to bring into the operating theatre and splice them wide open.
Directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Oscar Isaac looks off the dial.
The fact that it has been picked up by Netflix for a release some 17 days after its cinematic release has left some people scratching their heads as to whether or not this film has merit, but that’s old school thinking.
We at Surgeons see this at as a bold attempt at a streaming company to make their move onto the big arena.
If the trailer is anything to go by this film could be a massive hit and shape up the distribution method in a big way.
Cadaver
23 Aug
Some may instantly see comparisons with The Autopsy of Jane Doe with this one, but this story of a city cop fresh out of rehab, who takes up a role at the city hospital morgue, could very well be a trippy affair, where sanity is on the line.
Halloween
19 Oct
You’d be remiss to neglect this one on the list. With the return of Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle in their respective roles, alongside the creative minds of David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, can we finally see Michael Myers rampaging his way that will delight and reignite the franchise once more?
Here’s hoping.
The House With A Clock In Its Walls
21 Sep
Cate Blanchett and Jack Black lead the charge in Eli Roth’s latest feature about a young orphan and his magical uncle who go in search of a clock that could bring about the end of the world.
Could we see a return of fantasy horror on the big screen? Can Roth extend his bloody touch to go beyond the success of Green Inferno?
Whilst this has already been released in the States, the Surgeons team who are based in Australia, need to wait with eager anticipation for Elise Rainer and her team of ghost hunters to delve into the Further once more.
Early reports suggest that Lin Shaye continues to impress in her role, but that the franchise may have run its course. We’ll have to wait and see before we cast our thoughts on the latest addition to the franchise.
2015’s release of The Witch and its success may have reawakened that love of folk horror, which has been embedded in British culture with the likes of The Wicker Man, Witchfinder General, and Blood on Satan’s Claw, has some of our team intrigued by this latest offering.
Set in 1920’s Ireland, a twin brother and sister must endure a sinister presence with a strong hold over them that may result in turning them against one another with drastic circumstances.
Whether you like him or not Jason Statham has a habit of packing a punch when it comes to ‘balls to the wall, testosterone-fuelled action movies.
Now he must come face-to-face come face to face with a 70-foot shark.
“You’re gonna need a bigger air tank.”
The New Mutants
12 Apr
When Logan was released and with the success that followed, Marvel were then faced with the enterprise of a much darker world.
In steps, The New Mutants which sees Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) among the imprisoned young mutants as they discover their new-found abilities and potential salvation.
Speaking of franchises, The Conjuringuniverse continues to expand and haunt in more delectable ways to terrify our souls with the much-anticipated return of Valak.
In this instance, Rome is our setting and Father Burke is sent to investigate the mysterious death of a nun. Burke played by Demian Bichir, who I hope is given more time to flex his acting muscles compared to his under-used performance in Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant.
Gary Dauberman from It, Annabelle:Creation, and The Conjuring 2 is back on board to write the screenplay, so expect similar twists, turns, and scares to arise.
In addition, Corin Hardy steps in to direct, who oversaw the surprisingly decent The Hallow from a few years back and has been given the vote of confidence to resurrect The Crow, starring Jason Mamoa.
The Predator
2 Aug
Becoming something of the lesser cousin to the Alien franchise, The Predator universe has never managed to really make a dent beyond its original Arnie feature, which surprises as it is ripe full of potential.
One of the original stars Shane Black is on to direct, so you could argue that there isn’t anyone closer to the source to re-capture the magic of the first film, and he has proven success with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and Iron Man 3, but is that enough to win over fans and the many?
The additions of Oliva Munn, and Thomas Jane, who has had a something of a career comeback with Before I Wake, and 1922 of late, could very well help cement this together.
Where some were left aggrieved following the screening of It Comes At Night, (which is probably the best example of false advertising when it comes to luring your audience in – as an aside its actually a pretty decent and intense movie, just not how it was promoted) will no doubt have their needs met in this movie, which promises an intense and horrific ordeal.
John Krasinski directs and stars in his passion project alongside Emily Blunt as part of a family forced to live in silence from an unknown threat that will attack with the slightest noise.
Another example of how Netflix continue to become a force in the movie market, and another example of folk horror entering into the scene.
The Ritual stars Rafe Spall as a man with a damaged, who joins a group of friends on a camping expedition in the forest only to discover that they are not alone.
Slaughterhouse Rulez
7 Sep
Much discussion has been surrounding this project due to the re-collaboration of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) who both star in and produce this movie.
The story centres on a boarding school that unleashes all hell when a mysterious sinkhole emerges.
Cue comedy and bloody mayhem.
The first film had horror fans divided – a bit like vegemite, you either love it, or hate it. For those that fell into the former category, they can rejoice as the trio of masked psychopaths return to reek havoc on some more prey.
The cast includes Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, The Neon Demon) and Martin Henderson (The Ring, Everest) and is directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Other Side of the Door) but don’t let that sway you as he also helmed the magnificent F, and if he could tap the rage and anarchy unleashed in that movie, we could have a surprise hit on our hands.
Horror production giants, Blumhouse, who have been partly responsible for the rise in recent genre movies will be hoping to keep the trend going and repeat their successes of Get Out, and Happy Death Day.
Truth or Dare follows a group of friends who play a deadly version of said game when those that break the rules start a meet a grisly end.
Critically praised film director, Steven Soderbergh enters the horror arena with his usual approach to exploring different filming techniques, in this instance shooting the entire film on an iPhone camera.
The cast is also impressive with Claire Foy (The Crown), entering a mental institution and once again reality comes into question. Foy is accompanied by Juno Temple (Horns), Aimee Mullins (Stranger Things), Amy Irving (Carrie) and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project).
Venom
5 Oct
If The New Mutants is going to push the boundaires of darkness in the Marvel universe, then Venom will surely rip that apart and enter whole new level of insanity.
With Tom Hardy taking on the titular character, you can expect some hefty weight in the acting department.
It’s a project that is shrouded in secrecy at the moment and just a few screenshots that have been handed out to the media. Lets hope that it will be worth the wait.
Helen Mirren takes on the role of Lady Winchester house, heiress to the Winchester firearms, who becomes obsessed with building a house to trap ghosts with one of the most obscure architecture ever built.
From the creative minds of the Spierig Brothers (Undead, Daybreakers), this movie could be hit or miss.
There are slow burners and then there’s Our Evil, which trucks along at the pace of a clapped out milk float. And yes, I’m fully aware of how old that statement makes me but it’s the only analogy I could come up with that gets anywhere close to describing just how slow the pace of the movie is.
There are average cinema-goers who may cringe at the lack of speed, and it is in fairness, both its weakness and its strength.
The longbow that is being pulled is well worth the payoff in my opinion, and could very well be the reason that the film was recognised for its strength in direction at last years A Night of Horror film festival.
Brazilian filmmaker Samuel Galli would take home the “Best Director” award vision, and would the film would also capture the “Best Male Performance” award to Ademir Esteves for his role of Arthur, a man who oozes coolness from the exterior, but deep down holds a secret, that pains him to the core.
Arthur is a man of spiritual nature, who is warned by his mentor that his daughter will become possessed by a demon hellbent on destroying her soul. What would you do when faced with such a proclamation? Why hire a serial killer to protect her of course.
The beauty of this movie is that it somehow manages to ebb and flow through various styles and story-telling techniques that range from the beauty to the most violent and gruesome scenes set to screen.
The fact that it manages to do this with such ease and simplicity without jarring the audience is a testament to Galli’s ability to guide you through each scene that grips you and keeps you intrigued to know what direction he is taking you in.
Added to this is Galli’s decision to use theatre-trained actors and ask them to pair back the performance to the point that it pulls you in further into the dark world that the film is set in. Once hooked, we’re ensnared and taken on a ride that delivers a hefty punch come the conclusion.
The Diagnosis:
Galli’s vision is what steers this unique tale that utilises subtle performances to intensify the emotions and anguish on display.
There’s a fine line between, good and evil, life and death, and Our Evil manages to walk that line with perfect balance of both these extremes.
In order to answer that question, you need to first look at its creator, Darren Aronofsky and his career to date.
His debut feature Pi, would wow the critics of a man who would be driven by madness and obsession with mathematics as a universal language. This idea of obsession is evident in both Javier Bardem’s character and to a degree Jennifer Lawrence’s too in mother!
Two years later that obsession and dedication for the ultimate thrill would transfer into the deeply disturbing and frightening journey of the central characters In Aronofsky’s sophomore outing, Requiem For A Dream. Only this time it would be in the form of alcohol and drug addiction that would ultimately pull their lives apart in pursuit of said dream.
And then again in The Fountain’s quest for the meaning of life through science and medicine which led one critic to describe as ‘rampant, metaphysical codswallop.’
By this time, Aronofsky was in danger of falling somewhere between genius and insanity with his subject choices.
Arguably, The Wrestler would continue this trend with a fine performance from Mickey Rooney, who struggles to fall from grace, continuously being pulled back into the ring and the fame that comes with it.
Natalie Portman would push the boundaries of brilliance in the next feature, Black Swan, that perfectly tapped into the driven ambition of a ballerina and her search for perfection.
Noticing a theme yet? Noah similarly sees the titular character determined to fulfil his vision in Aronofsky’s first feature to lend itself to biblical matters, so it’s no wonder that he would again try from the ‘good book’ and delve into the story of Genesis for mother!
This re-imagining would be told from the eyes of Mother Earth, (Lawrence) as she will do everything she can to protect her house (the Earth), the man she loves, the creator, Him, or God if you will (Bardem).
Throw in a dash of Man/Adam (Ed Harris), Woman/Eve (Michelle Pfeiffer), their sons, Cain and Abel, and a sprinkle of humanity gone wild, and you have the chaotic, unstable world that is told throughout the movie.
Aronofsky’s world is so infused with biblical images and metaphors that some would argue that it’s laid a little too thick, and its this depiction that could easily sway the viewer away from the movie and in essence drove a lot of people from the auditorium in disgust or displeasure in its initial screenings.
And its this depiction that could easily sway the viewer away from the movie
However, if they chose to stick around to its conclusion, you see a significantly strong performance from Lawrence, who like her character pours her heart and soul into every decision and choices that she makes.
And Bardem’s drive for glory and attention (again not a flattering image of ‘our creator) is one that is truly captivating.
The Diagnosis:
The pain and passion bleeds on every frame and Aronofsky taps once more into this need for humanity to strive no matter what the cost for faith, glory and beyond.
The viewer can be left feeling bruised and battered in the journey on screen, but proves fascinating as a result.
It will be interesting to see where Aronofsky transcends to next in his own quest for spiritual enlightenment and salvation.
Surgeons of Horror 