HORRORPHILE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 57th SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL
June 16th 2010 07:38
So, here are my ten SFF highlights, keeping in mind, this is Horrorphile, this is my pleasure of nightmares. In some semblance of order:
From Estonia, a surreal black and white odyssey following one man’s descent into a Hell of sorts, where lust and betrayal mark his every step. Will he be consumed by his own dark desires? Or will his onerous dream finally consume him? Fellini meets Bergman meets Lynch meets Tarkovsky.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
A fantastic screenplay, sensational cast of three, and suspense and tension so taut you could walk it like a tightrope. Debut feature that brilliantly plays on trust and deception, with superbly engineered plot twists. The best UK thriller in years.
The Hunger
From 1983, this was the festival delight for me, since I went in with low expectations, having spent the last 25-odd years thinking of the movie as pretentious, over-produced twaddle, but seeing it on the big screen after all these years, the experience was a lush slow-burn rush.
Supposedly the original cut of Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers from 1967. Well, actually no. Despite the running time being listed in the SFF programme as 124 minutes, this cut was the 107 UK cut which ended up being released on DVD by Warnervideo in 2004. However very curiously the title card of “Dance of the Vampires” had been inserted in where the US re-title cut used to appear. Still, it was wonderful to see this thoroughly entertaining movie wide on the big screen.
Near Dark
Another of my favourite vampire movies, and one that I’ve seen numerous times, originally on rented VHS, and then on DVD once I possessed it for myself. It was never released theatrically in New Zealand back in 1987, as far as I’m aware, so it was a treat to see it in a packed cinema auditorium, and it held up very well, the roadhouse scene in particular.
A powerful WWII drama filmed in stunning monochrome (very unusual for a Chinese feature) that told of the war atrocities committed by the Japanese when they took siege of Nanjing in 1937-38. This will be come to be regarded as one of the great war movies, depicting the horror and courage of those who perished and those who survived, yet still managing a dark poetry.
I know this movie like the back of my hand; a truly sublime example of cinema. F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic freely adapted from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This packed screening of ultra-hip cinephiles at the Opera House was accompanied by a curious live performance from experimental outfit Darth Vegas, who provided familiar themes to juxtapose against the light-hearted scenes, and original incidental music for the more dramatic and creepy scenes. I didn’t agree with the use of well-worn themes such as Mission Impossible and The Pink Panther which turned the vibe far too comedic, however the overall experience was enjoyable, and the digital restoration of the movie was extraordinary, putting my own Kino Video supposed restoration to shame. Miss Death provided amusing sound effects. And the banter between curator Richard Kuipers and guest host Jay Katz was almost worth the price of admission alone.
South Korean ghost-fest told with consummate skill and buckets of dripping dread. The atmosphere was thick, the chills palpable in this tale of supernatural interference and demonic possession. I can almost hear the Hollywood executives arguing over which A-listers and B-listers will star in the US remake.
Red Hill
Debut feature from the very talented Patrick Hughes who not only wrote and directed, but also produced and edited this modern western set in the hills of Victoria, a small one-horse (well, maybe two or three) town called Red Hill where a local Aboriginal man has escaped the nearby prison to return and wreak bloody vengeance on the townsmen who wronged him, burned him, raped and murdered his wife, and left him for dead. Despite an inherent hokeyness, Hughes has made an instant cult movie that taps into classic Boorman/Carpenter elements with gusto and style to burn. Stay tuned for a full review of this closer to its theatrical release.
Mario Bava’s dark gem from 1960 featuring the one and only Barbara Steele in a dual role as a witch princess and her aristocrat ancestor, Black Sunday AKA The Mask of Satan, was another of the big screen treats from the vampire retrospective. I’d been meaning to see and review this for quite some time, and I’m glad I held off watching my DVD.
Special note goes to Dream Home from Hong Kong, which was the most gore-spectacular of all the movies I saw, but was seriously hampered by a wildly uneven tone and clumsy narrative structure. I haven’t been that uncomfortable watching horror violence – in particular an attack on a pregnant woman - in quite some time.
Also The Killer Inside Me from director Michael Winterbottom, which had a great cast and some really strong performances, but looked and moved like a television movie, only with added extreme violence, and a silly ending. I’d like to read the Jim Thompson noir novel perhaps. My problem with Winterbottom is that by being the new Alan Parker - every movie is completely different in style and content from the last - he lacks any distinct style and thus becomes an unpredictable and characterless voice that verges on bland. He's made some undeniably good movies, but he lacks distinction.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
So jealous you saw Near Dark on the big screen....my most anticipated from the list is now Alice Creed...so Red Hill lives up to the hype?
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
(you able to arrange that thing we talked about this week for the meeting?)
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Unable to make meeting this week, will have to be next week. I'll contact you over the weekend.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Will check out your CultProjections reviews shortly mate (BTW, you've left out the 'of' in your link for the St.Tony review).
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Anonymous
Cinema Nut
Film News and Reviews...
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
What a scrumptious feast of a week it must’ve been.
Tracy
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
It's great, thanks. Quite a juggle though...sometimes days pass and I'm not sure where they went....they'll turn up one day I'm sure!
Byee
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile