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“I don't know how much movies should entertain. To me I'm always interested in movies that scar. The thing I love about Jaws is the fact that I've never gone swimming in the ocean again.” --- David Fincher ::::::::::::: MY CRITERIA FOR DISCUSSION ENCOMPASSES THE HORROR GENRE AND BEYOND, SO I USE THE TERM "NIGHTMARE MOVIES". SPOILERS CAN OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT WARNING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

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Flickan Som Lekte med Elden (The Girl Who Played with Fire)

September 1st 2010 23:50
The Girl Who Played with Fire movie poster
The second part of Swedish novelist Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009), is as taut and compelling as its predecessor, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009). A new director on board, Daniel Alfredson (brother of Tomas, who directed the brilliant Let the Right One In), has added a modicum of difference to the visual narrative, but essentially all the same elements are present, propelled by the superb character-driven storytelling that is at the core of Larrson’s books.
The Girl Who Played with Fire Noomi Repace
Noomi Repace as Lisbeth
The core cast returns: Noomi Repace in the role of damaged goods uber-hacker Lisbeth Salander, and this time the focus is on her and Michael Nyqvist in the role of investigative journalist and all-round good guy Mikael Blomkvist. Blomkvist’s media colleagues remain as peripheral characters, but are there to support him both professionally, and emotionally. There are several new and exciting characters, as the new plot unfolds.
The Girl Who Played with Fire Michael Nyqvist
Michael Nyqvist as Mikael
Blomkvist and his Millennium magazine crew have jumped on board the exposure of an Eastern European sex-trafficking ring. Another investigative journalist and his partner have already done the leg-work, they just need Millennium to frame and publish the findings. But evil forces are at work and the “Johns” who’ve been fingered are none to happy. A triple murder is the consequence, and Lisbeth finds herself the prime suspect. Blomkvist sets out to prove her innocence, and they become dangerously embroiled in sinister goings on that reveal a large part of Lisbeth’s murky past.
The Girl Who Played with Fire Yasmine Garbi and Poalo Roberto
Yasmine Garbi as Miriam and Paolo Roberto as himself
The Girl Who Played with Fire Mikael Spreitz
Mikael Spreitz as Niedermann
There’s a new screenwriter involved in the second installment, Jonas Frykberg, but he works with a similar template to Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg who adapted the first novel. The look of the movie, with its distinctly Eurpoean palette (colder tones and yellow hues), fits the mood of the story and creates a chilly, foreboding atmosphere. Yet the movie isn’t without its warmth and humour (the name on Salander's apartment door, V. Kulla, is a reference to Astrid Lindgren's character Pippi Longstocking and her house Villa Villekulla), even sensuality, especially in a decidedly raunchy love scene between Lisbeth and an old lover, Miriam Wu (Yasmine Garbi). However because of her involvement Miriam, and a boxer (played by Swedish professional and television celebrity Paolo Roberto), become unintentional targets.
The Girl Who Played with Fire Noomi Repace
Desire never plays far from danger
The central villain of the movie remains elusive, but the darkness is soon illuminated. Not before the raw brute strength of Ronald Niedermann (Mikael Spreitz in a role originally intended for Dolph Lundgren) is presented. This is a pillar of a man who suffers from a nerve disorder that renders him incapable of feeling pain, perfect for a standover man. His presence will shadow the movie to the very end.
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Out of the frying pan ...
This is a movie about corruption and salvation, and the weight of one crushing the other. As Blomkvist pursues the exposure of the prostitution merchants he inevitably witnesses collateral damage, for this underworld is a realm much closer to his heart than he first realises. Lisbeth initially panics when she sees her face plastered over “wanted” posters on the street and in the news. Blomkvist waits for her to contact him, they both know they have unfinished business together. Blomkvist understands Lisbeth’s fragility, while Lisbeth feels Blomkvist’s genuine sense of protection.
The Girl Who Played with Fire Noomi Repace
New millennium mercenary
It is Lisbeth’s father, Alexander Zalachenko aka Zala (Georgi Staykov), that is the catalyst that brings them back together, but not in ideal circumstances. Unlike the intriguing, mischievous epilogue from the first movie, The Girl Who Played with Fire ends in semi-tragedy, with a serious fray of rope. And while a nasty loose end from the first movie is tied up, the bridge to the last part of the trilogy (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) is firmly in place, tying the second and third movies together with a blond strand that possesses the deadliest of stings.

While The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo felt wholly original because we’re being introduced to characters, The Girl Who Played with Fire allows the audience to enjoy the pure satisfaction of an unpretentious, riveting thriller imbued with the main character empathy generated from the first movie.

Here’s the trailer:

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THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED MOVIE TICKET GIVEAWAYS!

September 1st 2010 01:07
The Disappearance of Alice Creed movie poster
The cool folk at Icon have let me giveaway a few double passes to see the awesome new psychological thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2010) which opens in Australia next week (Thursday, September 9th).

Not only is this one of the best thrillers in recent years, with three stunning central performances and a brilliant screenplay, but it’s also one of my favourite movies of the year.

Send me a private message and tell me what you think is the most suspenseful movie you’ve ever seen. I’ll pick the best answers and send you the double pass, just like that!
The Disappearance of Alice Creed Gemma Arterton

NB: This giveaway is only available to Australian readers.
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Open House

September 1st 2010 00:19
Open House movie poster
Alice (Rachel Blanchard) opens up her home to potential new buyers, which includes striking couple David (Brian Geraghty) and Lili (Tricia Helfer), who immediately take a shine to the house. Brian even takes a shine to Alice. The new home owners move in and make them selves comfortable. Fiendishly comfortable, indeed. This form of perverse comfort involves killing people, and stashing their dismembered bodies in freezer compartments in the garage. David and Lili have a very strange relationship, but codependent it seems. David, however, is keen to break routine, and that involves stashing one of the victims in a crawlspace in the basement … alive and shackled. Poor Alice, trapped like a rat.
Open House Brian Geraghty
Brian Geraghty as David
Open House (2010) is the debut feature of Andrew Paquin, Anna Paquin’s older brother (born in Canada, not New Zealand, like his more famous Oscar-winning sister). Andrew has written and directed, and the production smacks of nepotism. Oh I forgot to mention, Anna and her boyfriend, Stephen Moyer, both have bit-parts in the movie. Yes, very much bit-parts; Anna plays Alice’s best friend Jennie, and has about two minutes screen time, while Stephen gets to enjoy a few minutes more, before being savagely murdered with a kitchen knife plunged into the side of his neck after he succumbs to the psycho-sexual intent of Lili in the plunge pool.
Open House Tricia Helfer
Tricia Helfer as Lili
Because of their success on the True Blood series Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have been used to help sell Open House, and it’s definitely a lure, but it’s deceiving as well. Ironically the movie is actually carried successfully by the performances of Brian Geraghty and Tricia Helfer (arguably two better actors). Rachel Blanchard’s role is borderline thankless, effective only as a catalyst for the collapse of the relationship between Brian and Lili. It is this psychotic breakdown that is at the core of the movie, and what makes it work.
Open House Rachel Blanchard
Rachel Blanchard as Alice
Open House Anna Paquin and Rachel Blanchard
Alice and Jennie (Anna Paquin) have a brief and meaningful
Andrew Paquin’s direction is solid enough, if perhaps a trifle pedestrian. The unpredictable nature of his two serial killers keeps the tension taut and provides some decent scenes of suspense. Overall, Open House plays more like a really good television movie, or even better, a pilot episode to a series about a pair of roaming serial killers whose relationship keeps threatening to implode, but they manage to stay together long enough to keep their travelogue of death afloat. Certainly the last scene of the movie provides ample suggestion for the possibility of a sequel, and I must say I enjoyed the twist that came during the confrontation finale. It’s always good horror fun when the psychos keep a grip on things.
Open House Stephen Moyer and Tricia Helfer
Lili and Josh (Stephen Moyer) have a deeper, more meaningful
The gruesome detail of Brian and Lili’s killing spree is left mostly to the imagination. But boy, that garage must have really started to stink. There is more attention given to Brian’s penchant for videoing the murders, and to Lili’s delusional lifestyle. She is unaware of Brian’s hidden agenda, his private joy. But it’s inevitable Lili will discover Alice. The question is will Alice survive her ordeal? Will Brian be punished when Lili founds out what he’s been keeping from her? Lili is the one who wears the pants, but Brian wants some kind of emancipation, whether it be his own, or Alice’s.
Open House Rachel Blanchard and Brian Geraghty
Alice and David have several quiet and meaningfuls
Open House is best enjoyed for the performances of Geraghty and Helfer. Tricia Helfer could even rival Linda (The Last Seduction) Forientino in the scheming femme fatale stakes. I hadn’t heard Stephen Moyer talk in his natural English accent, and it was a pleasant change, but Anna came across as Sookie (still seemed to be employing her Southern twang) which was all too strange, considering Stephen Moyer was also in the cast.
Open House Anna Paquin
Jennie gets it in the neck ... hmmm, looks familiar


Here’s the trailer:


Open House DVD is out now through Hopscotch Films’ Other label.
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SUFF PREVIEWS: Trash Humpers, The Taint, El Monstro del Mar!

August 31st 2010 04:58
SUFF
The Sydney Underground Film Festival returns for its fourth year, and it’s boasting the most transgressive, and no doubt controversial, program yet. Almost any and every fetish and perversion is catered for. Almost. There is a plethora of short films and around ten features, plus various festival talks and events in and around the screenings.

The festival kicks off early Thursday night September 9th (with a special screening of Luis Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou) to Saturday late, September 11th, at The Factory theatre in Marrickville. Visit the official website for complete listings, ticketing and other information


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Taxi Driver

August 26th 2010 23:51
Taxi Driver movie poster
“The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon, peculiar to myself and to a few other solitary men, is the central and inevitable fact of human existence.” --- Thomas Wolfe, “God’s Lonely Man”

Five features into his distinguished career, but only his third major release, director Martin Scorsese delivered Taxi Driver (1976), the first of three masterpieces; Raging Bull (1980) and Goodfellas (1990) being the other two. At once a searing portrait of emotional alienation and psychological deterioration with a realm of urban decay, and also a blistering study of humankind’s innate loneliness and man’s propensity for extreme violence, Taxi Driver is still as powerful and dangerous now, as it was 35 years ago


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Piranha (2010)

August 26th 2010 01:53
Piranha 2010 movie poster
Wow! Alexandre Aja’s 3D remake (his second after the excellent The Hills Have Eyes) of Joe Dante’s Roger Corman-produced Piranha (1978) is sensational! It’s a spectacular piece of super-trash, an adult cartoon; hard candy for the horrorphiles. If you like your gore extreme, if you (shamelessly) dig gratuitous female nudity, if you appreciate a slick, severed-tongue-in-cheek indulgence in All-American pop culture dumbness directed by a young talented European, Piranha (2010) is the flick for you.
Piranha 2010 Elizabeth Shue
Elizabeth Shue as Julie
There is very little of John Sayles original screenplay that Pete Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg have incorporated into their script. There’s still a lake and there’s still mutant fish (well, sort of). The original resort and summer camp has been changed to Spring Break celebrations. And that’s about it. The original movie featured popular B-movie actors from the 60s and 70s (Barbara Steele, Bradford Dillman, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Kevin McCarthy, Heather Menzies), so Aja has filled the remake with several well-known character actors, such as Richard Dreyfuss, playing Hooper from Jaws (1975), Elizabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, Dina Meyer, plus a cameo from Eli Roth (as wet t-shirt host), and Jerry O’Connell channeling Joe Francis, the mogul behind the Girls Gone Wild porn site.
Piranha 2010 Steven R. McQueen and Jessica Szohr
Steven R. McQueen as Jake and Jessica Szohr as Kelly
The premise to the remake is stupidly simple: earthquake beneath Lake Victoria, Arizona, opens a huge crevice on the lake bed which when explored by Sam (Ricardo Chavira) and Paula (Dina Meyer) reveals a massive cavern and thousands of prehistoric piranha spawn. Unsurprisingly, neither of the marine biologists survives, but one of the ferocious fish is captured and taken to Mr. Goodman (Christopher Lloyd) who is more than a little fascinated


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Zombies of Mass Destruction

August 25th 2010 05:44
Zombies of Mass Destruction DVD cover art
It’s zombie snigger time! “A political zomedy” reads the tagline. It tries hard; it bites and tears a-plenty, but ultimately it shoots itself in the foot. I’d be tempted to shoot it through the head and put it out of its misery. Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009) isn’t the worse zombie comedy I’ve seen, there are puh-lenty of those crapozoids out there littering the DVD shelves. But ZMD is nowhere close to the calibre of Shaun of the Dead (2004), it’s not even on the same level as Zombieland (2009).
ZMD Janette Amand
Janette Amand as Frida
ZMD is an indie flick, the debut feature from former boom operator Kevin Hamedani who directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Ramon Isao. The movie is a essentially a satire (but not a very good one) on American foreign affairs and homophobia dressed up in zombie shenanigans as a metaphor for all the conflict and prejudice imposed upon the gay folk and Middle Eastern immigrants who proudly call America their home. The majority of the jokes are pitched at homosexuals and Iraqis and Iranians. The other gags are indirectly referenced to zombie movie culture, like when son reminds dad that a zombie bite will lead to infection, “Haven’t you seen any zombie movies?!”, and dad replies, “You know I’m a vampire man!” … Mildly funny.
ZMD Doug Fahl and Cooper Hopkins
Doug Fahl as Tom and Cooper Hopkins as Lance
What did impress me was the high level of gore, even though much of it wasn’t actually horrific, but over-the-top: geysers of blood from chomped necks, arms being torn off at the slightest yank, zombies chewing on their own eyeballs, a guy having his face peeled off like a cheese wrapper, impalement, dismemberment, and the proverbial gut-munching. Special effects supervisor Tom Devlin even gets the movie’s opening credit. Other credit – zombie gore and effects – goes to Kristoffer Larsen. It’s a solid mix of CGI and gooey prosthetic work, and the blood is a convincing hue and consistency too


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La Horde (The Horde)

August 23rd 2010 05:33
The Horde movie poster
Gallic flesh tearin’ zombie mayhem! The Horde (2009) is a blood-soaked carnival ride; all loud noise and ferociously exhilarating. For a screenplay co-written by four people, there’s not much plot; several cops on a vengeful mission to free a kidnapped colleague end up in a derelict apartment high rise on the outskirts of Paris. After the initial confrontation and conflict with the murderous criminals who had taken their friend hostage, a more serious problem presents itself: the dead are returning to life and are possessed with a ravenous appetite for human flesh. The zombie plague is upon us once again!

The Horder Eriq Ebouaney
Eriq Ebouaney as Ade
The Horde packs a lot of action and carnage into its 90-minute running time. And there’s a fair amount of running too. These zombies are of the Dawn of the Dead (2004) remake kind: they don’t shuffle around like George Romero’s sluggish undead, they run like motherfuckers and wail like hounds from hell. They want your guts and they want them now! Co-directors Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher don’t pull any punches; they go for the jugular and rip the throat out. Like [REC] (2007), the ghoulish situation is presented as a claustrophobic nightmare, with lots of handheld camerawork and low lighting


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Dressed to Kill

August 19th 2010 23:13
Dressed to Kill movie poster
It’s been thirty years since Brian De Palma released his giallo-inspired, blatantly Hitchcockian assault on the senses tagged as the latest fashion in murder. Dressed to Kill (1980) excited and offended audiences when it was released and had to be trimmed considerably in order to avoid an X-rating in the US. It was one of my early “adult” movie experiences (as it had been rated R18 in NZ) which I watched with mates on VHS (back in those glorious pre-cert video days). Later I scored a full-size poster, which is still one of my favourites. The movie hasn’t exactly aged like fine wine, but there’s still much to savour.

WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!
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Wilderness

August 19th 2010 01:06
Wilderness movie poster
British juvenile delinquent bullies push things too far and as a result a young prisoner commits suicide. The ward of seven boys is subsequently sent off in an officer’s custody to a nearby, supposedly, uninhabited island for intense character building. On the island they are hunted by an unseen killer armed with a powerful crossbow and a pack of ferocious, man-eating Alsatians. Who will be left and what will be left of them?

Written for the screen by Dario Poloni, who has penned Christopher (Creep, Severance, Triangle) Smith’s new period nightmare Black Death (2010) and directed by Michael J. Bassett, Wilderness (2006) offers nothing new in terms of plot and character, in fact it’s more obvious as an amalgam of Lord of the Flies (1965), Deliverance (1972), Scum (1979), and Southern Comfort (1981). Its strengths lie in the decent performances, the brisk pacing, and the execution of violence. However this is a tough, demanding picture because there are few characters that aren’t obnoxious or arrogant or both


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