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Movie review: Kratt (2021)

04 Saturday Sep 2021

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Rasmus Merivoo’s latest feature Kratt which is currently screening as part of the 2021 Sydney Underground Film Festival taps into a warped fantastical world, resurrecting the magic of fairy tales in the vein of The Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen. Here the director propels the stories through a modern lens, with the impact of the internet and social media.

Part of its charm is that the story is told through the eyes of a couple of teens Mia (Nora Merivoo) and Kevin (Harri Merivoo) who are forced to stay with their Grandmother (Mari Lill) while their parents go on a spiritual retreat. Just when they think that their world is heading straight for a world of boredom, and seemingly the only people in town without wifi connection, Mia and Kevin stumble across the instructions to build their own kratt – a mythical creature formed from hay and household materials (think something similar to the golem). The promise that the kratt could bring them wealth and fortune is an opportunity that they are not willing to miss and bring some much needed life into their dull lives.

All does not go according to plan however as the kratt enters into the body of their grandmother and the kids are compelled to find work for her for fear that the entity may turn on them at any given moment.

There are moments where Merivoo blends the quirkiness of eccentric locals from business guru to an occult-like group dedicated to facebook, and wielding torches at the first sign of trouble, and mop-headed priest, who believes he may be of service to 

The kids through the power of God.

The Diagnosis:

Merivoo taps into the old-Estonian folklore and places it firmly in a modern-day setting, but keeps the quirks embedded into the tale to bring a little edge to the scene.
There is subtle humour on display here too with performances played with tongues firmly in cheek adding  a little flavour to the narrative along the way.

  • Saul Muerte

Kratt will be available to stream from September 9, 2021 8:30 PM GMT+10

Movie review: An Ideal Host (2021)

04 Saturday Sep 2021

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Since Donald Sutherland pointed his finger and wailed in the closing credits of 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers I’ve loved the whole alien assimilation scene. Currently screening as part of the 2021 Sydney Underground Film Festival comes an Australian voice to the subgenre in An Ideal Host. Channeling that voice is Robert Woods in his directorial feature debut, who fires off on all cylinders with that unique Australian humour, pulling in the words from screenwriter Tyler Jacob Jones and bringing them to life. 

Leading what appears to be an idyllic life, Liz (Nadia Collins) and Jackson (Evan Williams)as they set themselves up in a country town with their sweeping views of a serene yet rugged landscape (and cows).
There’s a little more going on beneath the surface as Liz seeks to have everything perfect and in place ahead of a dinner party for the close friends, They’ve even rehearsed a wedding proposal to be performed before their guests during the course of the evening. And yet, you constantly question Jackson’s true motives.

All of which comes secondary when an old friend, Daisy (Naomi Brockwell) invites herself along to the occasion with the threat of destroying the tranquility with her wild and unpredictable ways. Daisy would prove to be the last of Liz’s problems however, when further unexpected visitors make their presence known and start to take control of the human bodies and a plan to take over the town and beyond.

What strikes you about this film though besides the comedy beats is the special effects on show, a testament to Woods vision, when the tentacled creatures make their presence felt. The beauty on display though is the way that Woods slowly dials this up through to a carnage-filled conclusion, leaving you grimacing with glee. You can tell that he has honed his craft with an energy that entertains and delights the audience.

The Diagnosis:

Director Robert Woods proves again that Australia has a distinctive voice when it comes to horror. His blend of humour, effects and narrative shine through to the fore.
The beats when hit are strong and effective which is orchestrated with precision.

An Ideal Host surprises through the shifts and tones which also proves that Woods can draw you into the narrative before unleashing a gritty, and savagely satisfying end.

  • Saul Muerte

An Ideal Host will be available to stream from September 9, 2021 8:30 PM GMT+10

Movie review: Hotel Poseidon (2021)

31 Tuesday Aug 2021

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Dave (Tom Vermeir) is a reluctant caretaker of the titular Hotel Poseidon, which lives and breathes its namesake, through the visuals that ooze and breathe its putridity through the screen and submerges you deep within its sensuous void. 

The fact that our hapless protagonist has succumbed to the world around him drifting from one alluring scene to the next, lures the viewer deeper into its dark abyss.

Bequeathed to him by his late father, the aquatic themed hotel embodies the characteristics of the Greek God with its swings of temperament, once providing a mood of destruction and anger in a wake of earth shattering proportions before drifting into a jubilant buoyancy, lifting its occupants into a heightened frenzy before crashing once more into melancholy.

Like our protagonist, some of the emotions become overwhelming and the hotel guests overbearing, smothering the essence of humanity out from between its decaying walls. Dave often has to retreat into a false slumber in order to rest from the fury, but it’s always short lived. His infatuation with some of the guests also bring him to decrepitude; a human shipwreck banked on the ocean floor struggling to breathe. The longer he stays submerged, the higher the stakes that he will become a permanent resident in the watery grave.

Stefan Lernous manages to craft a hypnotic film both with his direction and writing style and works this in harmony with Geert Verstraete’s visuals. It’s clear that Lernous draws from his acting theatrical background to draw the best from his cast allowing each of them to flourish to provide strong performances across the board.

The Diagnosis:

Beautifully shot and drenched in humanities faults to the point of smothering and heightened to the extreme.

It’s a slow beast however, which may not suit all tastes.

  • Saul Muerte

Hotel Poseidon will be available to stream from September 9, 2021 8:30 PM GMT+10

Movie review: Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It (2021)

30 Monday Aug 2021

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And so it comes to pass that one of the Surgeons of Horror’s favourite film festivals rears its beautifully ugly head to shed light on the dark and distrubed side of the celluloid screen.

Opening up the 2021 season of the Sydney Underground Film Festival is an Australian premiere from Kazakhstan that at face value can be poorly judged based on the opening 10 minutes. We’re painted a picture of a guy, Dastan (Daniar Alshinov) who seemingly is trapped in a loveless marriage, which he is forced to endure because of expecting their first child. This tone suddenly shifts however when Dastan suddenly goes on a fishing road trip with his two best friends, one who is trying to tap into his business prospects, the other a district police officer, all of who are bumbling buffoons, well outside of the comfort zone and trying to make the most of their outing. 

To damn their characteristics isn’t one that scoffs at their downfall but more so embraces their faults with a humorous response to their ill choices along the way.

I read somewhere about the comparisons to The Coen Brothers movies in style and tone, and for this I can totally picture it, especially some of their earlier movies such as Blood Simple. The similarities see these loveable characters trip and fall over their own blunders in a journey that will question if they will see the end and live to tell the tale.

Along the way our trio fall foul of a quartet of questionable characters from the underbelly of the criminal world, who also come with their own level of ignoramuses. These brothers argue and object to their own decisions, tripping over each other to gain a level of power over one another, much to their own detriment.

In a chance encounter, Dastan and his friends witness the brothers blow the head off of a minion. From her on in, Dastan must strive to last the night and find their way back home without the know-how or intellect to do so.
Throw into the mix, other oddities in a one-eyed spiritual kick-ass vigilante hell-bent on the revenge of the death of his dog; an enraptured odd young lady with the aid of her equally strange father, then we’re treated with a unique and funny tale that s a joy to behold. 

The Diagnosis:

Let this one absorb you and you will be entertained by the farcical, heightened dark comedy on display.
There is a lot of fun on display here, and director Yernar Nurgaliyev manages to dance with the sense of humour aimed at your everyman trio subjected to the ridiculous in order to survive and provide a wake up call to the things that matter to them.

A great festival opener.

  • Saul Muerte

Sweetie, You Won’t Believe It will be available to stream from September 9, 2021 7:30 PM GMT+10 

SUFF 2019 – Movie review: Girl on the Third Floor

12 Thursday Sep 2019

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CM Punk is on the precipice of leaving the wrestling ring and embarking on a career in horror movies, including the much-talked about remake of Cronenberg’s Rabid by the Soska Sisters.

First up though is Girl On The Third Floor, which sees Punk as a married man about to embark on a home D.I.Y. project of an old Victorian house in time for his pregnant wife to move in, but not all is as it seems within the house, including its token living component. Surprisingly, Punk was incredibly convincing in the lead role (Don Koch) who appears to be the dedicated, hard-working husband but slowly reveals that he is a guy used to getting his way in business and the bedroom, and is easily led astray by his many vices.
Punk is used to putting his body through the extreme measures in both his martial arts and wrestling years, and at times his facial expressions channel those of Bruce Campbell’s Ash as he is pitted against otherworldly sights.

When Don meets the mysterious neighbour Sarah, he succumbs to temptation, and ends up with more than he bargained for when he treats her as a one night stand. Just like his renovations, Don soon finds the walls tumbling around him and his life falling apart, revealing some disturbing sights, hidden within the house. 

Director Travis Stevens weaves a world that oozes slime, puss, and blood that seeps into the crevices and delicately shifts between mystical suspense and body horror that ticks along at a decent pace. The shifts in tone and narrative position are equally strong, as the audience continuously shifts their perception of the characters, none-more-so than Don’s wife Liz, who comes across as a little vapid and overbearing until she is given her moment to shine and present a more rounded, complex character facing a tough dilemma that thrusts her front and centre and taking charge of the situation.

The Diagnosis:

Stevens serves up a promising debut feature that questions our discernment of the characters at play, and challenges our preconceived ideas by lifting the lid on what we wish to remain buried. In doing so, he exposes our inner thoughts and desires and rips them apart so that there is nowhere to hide. Can we face those demons and is there strength in us to change our ways or be forever damned? 

  • Saul Muerte

Catch the screening of Girl on The Third Floor at the Sydney Underground Film Festival at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

Screening times and tickets available below:

FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER – 8.30PM (Cinema 1)

SUFF 2019 – Movie Review: Dreamland

11 Wednesday Sep 2019

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Every so often a film will come along that can be truly classified as unique and Bruce McDonald’s (Pontypool) latest feature can proudly sit in this category. Like a glass of smooth whiskey, Dreamland scintillates the senses and warms the cockles as it seeps into the bloodstream. As expected from its name, McDonald provides a narrative that draws you in deep and hypnotises you into a state of transcendence. 

At its heart, Dreamland is a hitman with a heart movie, but what makes it stand apart is how the storyline transfuses Eastern European mythology with a Far-East culture and spiritualism. This injected with a cool jazz music that would make Martin Scorsese swoon, we are carried through a journey where the audience can drift along with relative ease knowing that we are in the safe hands of a more than accomplished director.

It’s not just about style though, as the substance is grounded by some heavy-hitting performances from Henry Rollins, Juliette Lewis, and Stephen McHattie in his dual role of the afore-mentioned hitman, Johnny and jazz trumpeter The Maestro. McHattie is magnificent in his portrayal of both parts and adds weight to McDonald’s composition. 

When hitman Johnny learns of children being smuggled and sold off to a collective group, he endeavours to free them of their torment and quit the business ahead of high-profile wedding. There is trouble ahead, but more than Johnny possibly bargained for as the wedding guests are from a vampiric bloodline, with the groom resembling Count Orlok, who has a blackened heart set on making one of the kidnapped young girls his blushing bride.

The Diagnosis:

Dreamland is a simply glorious film that entices you into a beautiful world with a rich soul.
It is a mystical journey that sends the audience beyond the physical realm and transports you through a dark and disturbing land whilst surrounding you with an invisible ray of light to shepherd you to a sublime conclusion.

  • Saul Muerte

Catch the screening of Dreamland at the Sydney Underground Film Festival at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

Screening times and tickets available below:

FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER – 10.30PM (Cinema 1)
SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER – 6.00PM (Cinema 2)

Movie review: Fingers

07 Saturday Sep 2019

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One of the reasons I love the Sydney Underground Film Festival so much, is that each year you can guarantee to view some of the most off-centre films from the industry.
No matter how hard you try they refuse to ‘fit-in’ to the mainstream, perfectly content to live among the strange, surreal, or bizarre.
This year, Fingers can proudly sit among this prestigious group of outcasts, described by SUFF as a ‘quirky and off-the-wall jam’.

We all have our phobias, and for Amanda, it’s fingers. So when she is confronted by a fellow worker who is missing one of his digits, she freaks out and spirals into a world that she is forced to endure and overcome her demons.

Fingers soon blurs the boundaries as we are presented with Dr. Scotty, a self-help psychologist, who aims to guide Amanda on her journey; Two masked hit-men; and a curious old dude played by Michael St. Michaels who some viewers may recognise from The Greasy Strangler.
Each of these characters come with their own curiosities that slowly seep to the surface and sheds light on all our of our oddities that we try to keep buried beneath the surface.
In doing so, the characters must own up to their “weaknesses’ and embrace them.
For without them, humanity will never grow and become trapped in their own personal hell.

The Diagnosis:

Whilst Fingers may not suit everyone’s tastes, those that relish the strange and quirky souls of human life, will find great satisfaction from this little gem.
If you can push beyond the first 20mins, you will find yourself absorbed into the narrative and willing to plunge into the dark and twisted mind of director, Juan Ortiz (Jennifer Help Us).
Particularly striking was Jeremy Gardner as the unhinged hit-man, Talky, who treads the fine-line of madness, mayhem, and vulnerability with effortless ease.

  • Saul Muerte

SUFF 2019 – Movie Review: Tone-Deaf

06 Friday Sep 2019

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It’s been 5 years since director Richard Bates Jr released Suburban Gothic, and his latest feature, Tone-Deaf harnesses a similar blend of wit and horror from its lead actors that has become closely associated with this auteur. Those that enjoyed Bates Jr’s approach to the celluloid form will appreciate the inclusion of this movie in this years’ Sydney Underground Film Festival. 

Tone-Deaf offers a topical insight into the gulf that divides the Baby Boomer generation and the Millennials. Robert Patrick is magnificent as disgruntled home-owner, Harvey with an axe to grind with the current generations’ attitude or neglect towards all that his generation has built or established.

On the other side of the divide is Olive, who is going through her own crisis after losing her job and splitting from her dead-beat boyfriend. At first Amanda Crew’s portrayal of the struggling Millennial comes across as sipid, and I found it hard to engage with her, but once she holes up at Harvey’s Airbnb, she soon starts to shed some of her harsh exterior and we soon warm to her. Which is a good thing too, because once Harvey goes nuts, we need to champion for someone in the narrative.

Speaking of Harvey, when we’re first introduced to him, I found it a little jarring too as we’re greeted to the first of many soliloquies as he addresses the audience, but at least it doesn’t go to Clint Eastwood Gran Turino grumbles. In fact, Patrick’s performance is more on the lighter-side of darkness as he delves into the melancholy, which allows us to warm to Harvey despite his obvious affliction.

The Diagnosis:

As the movie plays out, we’re treated to a see-saw of oppositions that continually ebbs and flows without the slightest hint about who will come out on top. The humour peppers along and provides reprieve from what could be construed as a bleak outlook but Bates Jr clearly has fun ridiculing the obvious disconnect between the generation gap.
Whilst the horror is slight, this home invasion thriller manages to entertain and delight through the ensuing conflict. 

  • Saul Muerte

Catch the screening of Tone-Deaf at the Sydney Underground Film Festival at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

Screening times and tickets available below:

FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER – 6.30PM (Cinema 3)
SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER – 8.00PM (Cinema 2)

Movie review: Trauma

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

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Who do they call upon when other ‘Surgeons’ fear to tread? but yours truly, “Howling Mad Moon” Maguire. The assignment presented to me has been described as “the most shocking, brutal and extreme horror film in recent times”, and with a title like Trauma you can only expect some kind of residual scarring after witnessing the events that unfold through its narrative.

This film sure ain’t for the faint-hearted and sets the tone straight away by ramming it straight down your throat in such a confronting way that its not surprising that it has been likened to A Serbian Film in its nature and depiction of humanity at its worst. There’s rape, torture, and incest all within the first scene that leaves you feeling sick to the stomach and grimacing at the prospect of where Chilean director Lucio A Rojas will take his audience next.

Where he does take you almost teases the audience into a false-sense of security to juxtapose the intro, as we see an incredibly intimate scene between two women, breaking the cardinal rule of any horror film, so our hopes of their survival are in doubt, if Rojas were to play by those rules.

But what is survival? It’s as if the meaning of that word is irrelevant in this world in upheaval through the turmoil of General Pinochet’s rule in Chile.
The question should be more about ‘What does it takes to exist?’ as Rojas shines a spotlight on the plight of the country of his birth at a time when the world just turned its head. (This echoed by one of the police officials in the storyline) Rojas does everything he can to deny you this right, by forcing you to watch.
The pain is highlighted further as we journey alongside four female characters in search of a weekend getaway and slowly getting to know each of them through some wonderful character development, only to be crushed by the realisation that their world is about to clash with the dark and twisted underbelly that resides in their haven.

The Diagnosis:

You have to have a strong stomach for this one and the opening scene may turn viewers away. That’s not to mention the harrowing ordeal that takes place throughout the films narrative. If you can brace yourself, prepare to be educated in a time that the world wanted to ignore and forget by a director who has a firm grasp on what that reality means to him and those of his country.

The most shocking thing is that this is just a whisper of time that we bear witness to. There are other stories are left untold are the ones that leave you haunted and scarred by the unknown. Trauma lives up to its name and then some.

– ‘Howling Mad Moon’ Maguire

Catch the screening of Trauma at the Sydney Underground Film Festival.

Screening times and tickets available below:

FRIDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER – 10.30PM
FRIDAY TICKET

Movie review: Kuso

01 Friday Sep 2017

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“What the fuck did I just watch?”

It’s hard not to view the directorial debut from Flying Lotus without uttering these words into the mix.

Kuso is a film best described as an experimental, avant-garde piece that suits the twisted mind of it’s artist.

His music that blends hip-hop and electronic into a stylistic and fresh approach to the scene that has had people both gripped in either love or despair, so it should come as no surprise that Flying Lotus carries this across onto the visual canopy of film.

When the film premiered in Cannes, there were reports of people walking out of the movie in disgust. The numbers of which may have been grossly overestimated, but when viewing Kuso, you can understand the temptation to turn away.

Whilst I too felt the compulsion to revolt in the comfort of my chair when watching the film, I felt compelled to see it through and challenge myself not to resort to the knee-jerk reaction to what was being laid bare.

Flying Lotus flings everything at the viewer not only to confront our visual senses but also to shed light on the grotesque and ugly of society.

The film is essentially broken into 4 vignettes that are interspersed throughout the post-apocalyptic narrative following the mutated survivors of an earthquake in Los Angeles.

Labelled as a body horror that would have the likes of Cronenberg and Lynch proud.

We’re thrust into a world with a talking, singing boil; inter-dimensional creatures getting stoned in an apartment, and a large bug that lives inside a doctor’s anus set to cure a man from his fear of breasts; a kid who is prone to self-defecating and feeding his faeces to a creature in the forest; and a woman who eats concrete and steered by God to travel down a hole in search of her missing baby.

The end result is a mishap of the strange, vulgar, and wonderful.

It’s not for the faint of heart and could steer the hardened viewer away from the screen.

While it may suit the fans of experimental and challenging films, I challenge the average viewer to step outside their comfort zones and witness a spectacle like no other.

But be warned, some of the images may scar you. It’s been awhile since a movie from this genre has warped the senses and disturbed the soul.

 

  • Paul Farrell

 

Catch the Closing Night Event screening of Kuso at the Sydney Underground Film Festival.

Screening times and tickets available below:

SUNDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER – 08:30 PM
SUNDAY TICKET

Kuso Poster