E.S.F.R.: November 2011

Thursday, November 10, 2011

MELANCHOLIA

Directed by: Lars von Trier
Released: 2011

the latest from lars von trier. if you're expecting more along the lines of "antichrist," you'll be disappointed-- but if you want a genuinely depressing and thoughtful story, this is it. in short, a planet (melancholia) that's been hiding behind the sun is hurtling it's way towards us, and it will completely destroy the earth. two sisters (kirsten dunst and charlotte gainsbourg) deal with their relationship, the coming destruction, and dunst's crippling depression. much to my surprise, i didn't hate dunst in this movie; she was actually very, very good... maybe even oscar worthy. plus, she looks great topless. it's a slow, absolutely beautiful film that really makes you think about ... well, everything. 9/10.

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS

Directed by: Asia Argento
Released: 2004

holy shit, this was a tough watch. based on the book of the same name, the story follows a kid named jeremiah who was given up by his 15 year old mother (asia argento) at birth, quickly being put into foster care. his foster family loves him and treats him like he was their own. flash forward a few years, and his birth mother, now 23, somehow gets him back. she's a junkie, she's a hooker, she abuses him, his "new dads" abuse him, both physically and sexually ... this kid catches abuse from literally every fucking person he's put in a room with. the movie is basically them on the road; she's selling herself and "marrying" guys all over before they inevitably either run out on her or rape the kid. no character gets any redemption, no one has an epiphany and realizes what they're doing is wrong.. it starts out really bad and gets so much fucking worse. there were a lot of bizarre cameos i didn't expect; marilyn manson (who played a junked out child rapist PERFECTLY), winonya rider, and lydia lunch, to name a few. the film itself had kind of an arthouse feel to it at times, and the production value was on the low side, but it works for a story like this. it's gritty, dirty and ugly. highly, highly recommended. 8/10.

MOST HIGH

Directed by: Marty Sader
Released: 2004

a guy loses pretty much everything in his life an extremely short span and ends up hooked on... everything, pretty much. it's a good portrayal of how drug addiction can go really bad really quickly, although i think often came off a bit extreme. of course, you can't make a drug movie without those wannabe "requiem for a dream" sequences, can you? i liked the story, i liked the acting, i liked the dialogue, i like how when the guy lets his appearance go, he looks almost exactly like frank zappa... my only real complaint (and it's minor) is that it was very obviously shot with a low budget, and it sometimes comes off as kinda student film-ish .. that's ok, though. not the most uplifiting thing i've ever seen, that's for sure. i dug it. 6.5/10.

UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US

Directed by: Aaron Aites & Audrey Ewell
Released: 2008

i'm glad i finally watched this. it's not a good starting point for people; they hop around a lot with stories, and there's no "ok, so here's what happened first" kind of explanation.. you kinda have to know a fair amount already, but that's fine by me. it mainly focused on fenriz and varg, particularly the church burnings and murders (of course) .. it's getting a little tired hearing about all that stuff, but whatever, i guess. it focused a little less on the actual MUSIC than i would have liked.. although i liked hearing what fenriz had to say about "new" black metal. 7/10.

CHILDREN UNDERGROUND

Directed by: Edet Belzberg
Released: 2001

dunno how i missed this one.. a pretty rough portrayal of a few of the 20,000 kids living on the streets of bucharest. these kids basically survive on rotten fish and bags of paint.. they'll fight anyone and everyone, they steal, they do whatever they need to in order to survive. and they're all between the ages of 8 and 16. it's pretty brutal. lots of scenes of these kids getting the shit kicked out of them and/or kicking the shit out of others. one kid, who's about 8, starts slashing his arms with razors because someone was picking on him. an interesting and depressing watch for sure. 8/10.

THE BROWN BUNNY

Directed by: Vincent Gallo
Released: 2003

i'm sorry, this was a boring, pretentious piece of shit. i like vincent gallo a fair amount, and i remember being amused by the controversy that this movie caused at cannes and afterward, but fucking hell, this was NOT a good film. a quick summary: vincent gallo drives a van for 80 minutes, talks to/makes out with a couple girls along the way, meets up with his ex (chloe sevigny), they talk, she goes down on him , roll credits. obviously i'm reviewing it like an asshole and there's more to it than that-- but not MUCH more. i will say the final scene was good... not even the blowjob part, but what you find out before and afterward. and i liked a lot of the shots, as well as gallo's choice to shoot on 16mm. other than that? crap. and yes, i "get" it... he's alone, he's sad and lonely and regrets a particular choice he made in his life, he's searching for love with other girls but can't get that first one out of his head.. blah blah blah. it's still crap. 3/10.

BENNY'S VIDEO

Directed by: Michael Haneke
Released: 1992

i watched this shortly after watching "the piano teacher" ... benny's video was very good. not amazing, but very good. out of what i've seen from haneke, i liked this the least-- but i still liked it a lot. the guy's definitely got a style... bleak, dark, hopeless subject matter and beautiful camera work. fine by me. 7/10.

PEEP WORLD

Directed by: Barry W. Blaustein
Released: 2010

the youngest sibling of an extremely dysfunctional family writes a best selling novel that airs the familys dirty laundry. there's more to it than that, but that's the gist of it. actually, if you've seen vinterberg's "the celebration", it's very, very similar.. but different and funny enough to still be quite good. it all comes to a head at their father's 70th birthday party... a very funny movie, and very dark. pretty killer cast, too. i was surprised that i even wanted to see it, as i fucking loathe sarah silverman, but i actually really liked her in this. 8/10.

THE PIANO TEACHER

Directed by: Michael Haneke
Released: 2001

slowly but surely i've been digging into michael haneke's output... this and "funny games" (the haneke directed, shot-for-shot american remake) are proving to me that he's a filmmaker i should have started paying attention to a long time ago. "the piano teacher" is a slow, quiet film with a seriously dark sado-masochistic edge. the acting, the writing, and the music(!!) were all amazing.. and the cinematography is some of the most beautiful and effective i've seen in a while. lots of recurring shots and lots of extremely long takes; the kind that go on and on and on until you think it's too much, but they just keep going. there was one scene in particular that made me pretty goddamn uncomfortable (for those who've seen it: piano teacher + mother = horror), and that's always something i can appreciate. i can't wait to see more haneke. "benny's video" and "the seventh continent" are already in the netflix queue. 8.5/10.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Directed by: K. Lorell Manning
Released: 2011

i got to see this one at the rhode island international film festival (where i was working, woohoo for getting paid to watch movies). a pretty typical after-the-war type story; guy comes home from four tours of iraq pretty burned up and with a temporary loss of the use of his legs. they put him in a shitty VA rehab where he gets stuck in the PTSD ward... this gives it a pretty big "cuckoos nest" vibe (fine by me). i picked up on a little "johnny got his gun," too, although the influence was minimal. HNY is an extremely sobering portrayal of soldiers after they come home from war, mainly focusing on the treatment, or lack thereof, that they receive. i was lucky to see the screening that i did; there were a ton of vets in the audience, all of whom agreed that the story was dead on. this is a really, really good film, and one that i think everyone should view at least once. 8/10

THE LIVING WAKE

Directed by: Sol Tryon
Released: 2007

an artist/writer who's never finished a project (not jesse eisenberg, the other guy) is diagnosed with an unnamed disease. the film chronicles his last day alive. the odd thing about the disease is that it's "extremely punctual," and he knows that he'll die at precisely 7:33PM. he and eisenberg, his loyal man servant and only friend, spend the film riding around in a bicycle rickshaw visiting people who they deem worthy to receive an invitation to his living wake. it's an extremely strange film filled with black, absurdist humor. when i was watching it, i said to myself "it's like a 90 minute 'monty python' sketch" ... upon reading reviews, someone described it as "a 'monty python' sketch gone long." guess i wasn't the only one who felt this way. one aspect i thought was really cool was that i couldn't, for the life of me, figure out where it was supposed to take place, or during what time period. recommended for fans of absurdist/black comedy. 6.5/10.

PREDATORS

Directed by: Nimrod Antal
Released: 2010

not bad, especially considering i was expecting total shit. decent enough story, good action and suspense.. the acting was mostly good, the major exception being adrian brody. i dont know if he wasn't right for the role or if they just wrote a shitty character, but he really bugged me. his character was a holier-than-thou type, the guy with all the answers, the tough lone rogue type... lots of stupid one-liners from him, too. i can't stand that shit. but overall, it was a decent action flick. 6/10.

AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY

Directed by: Matt Harlock & Paul Thomas
Released: 2009

if you've never heard bill hicks' standup (for SHAME!), but have even the slightest interest, see this. it's a great starting point for the uneducated, but even if you've seen and heard all his material, it's still cool to know how things worked for him. there's not really much to say, if you're a bill hicks fan, you wanna see this. if you're not, but you want to be, you wanna see this. my only complaint was the style of filming; there were very, very few "talking head" style interviews. 95% of the movie was voiceovers from family members and friends with pseudo live action/animations going on. i don't know why, but it bugged me. 9/10.

HESHER

Directed by: Spencer Susser
Released: 2010

a nihilistic, anarchist, homeless metalhead who's some kind of bizarre guardian angel/superhero. he wanders into one family's life (said family just lost their mother/wife to a car accident) and only causes problems. rainn wilson plays the father, a pill popping sadsack who refuses to get off the couch (or put pants on) except to go to grief counseling. his son is about 12 or 13, who's equally filled with grief, but being a kid, doesn't know how to express it. natalie portman (who apparently is in every movie ever) plays the "romantic interest" for the kid. hesher, in a roundabout way, is actually a good influence on these people, they just don't realize it. it's tough to explain without spoiling too much, but it's definitely worth seeing. 7/10.

DOGTOOTH

Directed by: Giorgos Lanthimos
Released: 2009

until i watched this, i don't think i'd ever seen a greek film. and i don't know if they're all like this, but DOGTOOTH was fucking DARK. it's a comedy, i guess, but there's a lot of borderline disturbing stuff going on... parts of it reminded me of harmony korine's work, though i can't put my finger on why. a family of 5 lives in this crazy compound-like-home. the kids have never, ever left the compound. they don't have names. they don't know what most things are called (ex: "salt" is called "telephone", ie, "please pass the telephone"). they don't watch TV or movies, but they do watch videos of themselves that their father films. they're completely, 100% sheltered from every aspect of the outside world. the father brings in a coworker who doubles as a hooker so his son can get laid (why, i'm not sure, as the daughters are never taught about sex). she, not really knowing the severity of their sheltered life, starts talking to them like they're regular people, giving them new ideas. things go downhill from there. i HIGHLY recommend this film. 9/10.

three more quick things about DOGTOOTH:

1. there's a lot of sex in the movie. none if it is enjoyed by anyone. it's often uncomfortable to watch.

2. some of the best film violence i've ever seen was in this. there's only a couple quick outbursts, but they're simple, to the point, and pretty damn brutal.

3. my favorite part of DOGTOOTH, style wise, is the camera work.. or lack thereof. to the best of my recollection, there is ONE moving camera shot in the entire film. everything else is completely still. characters move in and out of frame, their heads get cut off, as if the camera was just placed in a room and no one was operating it. it reminded me of the first two or so minutes of this scene from ELEPHANT (that scene happens to be my favorite from the entire film). but DOGTOOTH utilized that style so well... it added to the unsettling and real nature of the film.

LET ME IN

Directed by: Matt Reeves
Released: 2010

i had no idea what to expect going into this, as i knew virtually nothing about it (except that it was a remake; i've never seen the original). it was a vampire movie, sure, but that wasn't really the main focus... it was a story about two lonely, sheltered kids, one of whom happens to be a vampire. the acting from the two kids was pretty outstanding. lots of very interesting camera angles/shots. and i really dug the ending. 7/10.

FRONTIER(S)

Directed by: Xavier Gens
Released: 2007

not bad at all, although not what i was expecting. it seems that they didn't know if they wanted to make a anarchist/political revolt/uprising flick, a nazisploitation flick, or a texas chainsaw massacre ripoff. all of these elements collided into one relatively decent film. not my favorite out of newer french horror, but still worth a watch. i think i expected something different because i'd always heard this mentioned along "inside" ... and other than the fact that they're both french, and have pretty good gore, there's nothing similar about them. unless they were directed/written/whatever by the same person(s), i haven't looked that up. 7/10.

DEVIL

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle
Released: 2010

m. knight shananana's latest abortion about 5 dopes stuck in an elevator, one of whom is "the devil." i don't know why i watched it, maybe because i was drinking cheap beer, feeling mean and looking for something to hate? funny thing is, it wasn't absolutely horrible like i thought it'd be, but it was pretty fucking stupid. acting was semi-decent, the premise was pretty ok, but as usual, executed horribly. and of course, it had a "twist" ending, as was to be expected... but it was really, really fucking dumb. like, dumb to the point where you watch it and say "really? that's it? are you kidding me?" don't waste your time (as if you needed to be told that). 3/10.

HELLRAISER

Directed by: Clive Barker
Released: 1987

somehow i managed to avoid seeing this until a few nights ago. stupid, i know. it's a classic. 9/10.

THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

Directed by: Simon Rumley
Released: 2006

judging by the title, i was expecting a low/no-budget horror flick-- this is not the case. a nearly bankrupt aristocrat in the UK is forced to sell his massive (seriously, the place is fucking huge) estate, but in order to do so, he must leave and head to london for a few days, leaving behind his terminally ill wife and his schizophrenic (and possibly retarded) man-child of a son. a nurse is hired to take care of them while he's away, but the son (james) wants to be "the man of the house," so he locks her out. he then proceeds to take care of his mother, much to her horror. i can't really say too much without giving things away, so i'll just say this: due to the strikingly familiar "requiem for a dream"-esque shots which often border on ripping off aranofsky, the filmmaker creates quite a bit of tension. there's lots of flashbacks and flashforwards that make you question what's real and what's hallucinated, and there were some scenes that made me downright uncomfortable. worth a watch. 6/10.

ZERO DAY

Directed by: Ben Coccio
Released: 2003

essentially a re-telling of the columbine shooters "basement tapes." a really well done fake-documentary that, of course, ends up exactly as you'd think. the kids weren't supposed to be dylan and eric exactly, but they're damn close. a really good film if you're obsessed with the columbine shooting (or school shootings in general) like myself. 6.5/10.

VISIONEERS

Directed by: Jared Drake
Released: 2008

a very black comedy set in the near future (i think). jeffers, a big brother-ish company, pretty much runs everything. what they say goes.. words are now pronounced differently ("chaos" is pronounced "CHay-os"), people don't dream, giving the middle finger (pic above) is an acceptable and welcomed greeting, etc. then people start exploding from stress, quite literally. zach gilafinaksisissisiisasksasks reexamines his life when he decides that he doesn't want to be one of the exploded. the social message (big business destroys everything) is pretty strong, but not heavy handed or forceful. recommended. 8/10.

THE SUNSET LIMITED

Directed by: Tommy Lee Jones
Released: 2011

well, it seems the movie i'd be most likely to write myself has already been written. two men in one apartment for 90 minutes, discussing the philosophy of life and god. one's an ex-con who admits "if it ain't in the bible, i don't know about it," the other's a suicidal non-believer. it's like a philosophical boxing match-- back and forth until one guy falls. some of the most brilliant and thought provoking dialogue ever written (provided by cormac mccarthy, author of "the road"). i can't say too much without revealing details, but if you're looking for something to really make you think about life and what it all means-- this is it. 10/10.

BURIED

Directed by: Rodrigo Cortes
Released: 2010

my respect for ryan reynolds as an actor has increased significantly. i was happy that the entire film was him in a coffin, no flashbacks, no cutaways, nothing else. the "socio-political undertones" that i'd heard about weren't too heavy handed or forceful, which would have greatly detracted from my enjoyment. there were a few small plot holes here and there, but nothing i couldn't forgive. highly recommended. 8.5/10.

STOIC

Directed by: Uwe Boll
Released: 2009

the second uwe boll film i've seen in the past two weeks.... and once again, it's not total shit. four prisoners share a cell, and three of them end up abusing the fuck out of the fourth, which results in his suicide (sort of). the entire film takes place in the cell, which i really appreciate, because it gives boll less to work with when telling the story... and i've read that most of the dialogue was improvised, which i also like. there's lots of uncomfortable, degrading prison abuse spliced with interrogation interviews of the surviving cellmates... it's all pretty bleak. uwe boll may actually become a capable filmmaker yet, even if he is just a modern day exploitation filmmaker (my opinion). 6/10.

THE LAST EXORCISM

Directed by: Daniel Stamm
Released: 2010

would have been really good if they stuck with the story they set up. a priest goes around the south performing exorcisms, but he explains to the audience (in the faux-documentary format) that the only reason it ever "works" is because these people believe it does. he knows it doesn't work, and admits that he doesn't believe in demons, but he does it because it makes his clients feel better. that, and they pay him a shitload of cash. if they'd stuck with a story about a corrupt preacher, i would have been interested. instead they fucked it up by giving it one of the most cliched endings i've ever seen... hell, the whole third act was fucking stupid. i can't believe i wasted five bucks on it. 2/10.

RAMPAGE

Directed by: Uwe Boll
Released: 2009

holy shit, uwe boll made a film that isn't complete garbage. it wasn't amazing my any means, and it seems that the film was made for the sole purpose of showcasing senseless violence, but that's alright sometimes. it's the "i'm not gonna take it anymore" story at it's most basic. kinda like "falling down" or "taxi driver" with the violence amped way the hell up, and without any real thought or meaning behind it. the camera work is what most people seem to complain about (ALL handheld, extremely shaky and almost always a medium to extreme closeup) .. while it took some getting used to, i think it actually gave the film a really great sense of anxiety and claustrophobia. 6/10.

NIL BY MOUTH

Directed by: Gary Oldman
Released: 1997

brutal, honest and real. my rating would probably be higher if i was able to watch it with subtitles.. the cockney accents and fast paced dialogue made it tough to understand at times. 7/10.

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Released: 2000

i've seen this movie more times than i can count, and it never, ever ceases to amaze me every single time. in my eyes, everything about this film is absolutely perfect-- the cinematography, the spastic editing, the score (about as perfect as you can get, if you ask me), the acting, the technical aspects, the fact that wayans and leto were forced to abstain from sex and sugar for a month before filming so they'd know what it was like to crave something, the fact that leto dropped 40something lbs. and hung out with NYC junkies for weeks on end to get into his role... oh, and TAPPY TIBBONS, nuff said.. it's a perfect film, as popular and trendy as it may be. as much as i liked "pi," "the fountain," "black swan," and "the wrestler," i don't know if aronofsky will ever top this. 10/10

PEACOCK

Directed by: Michael Lander
Released: 2010

cillian murphy is more convincing as a female than a male. this one's a quiet little film that's a real downer. anything involving multiple personalities & mommy issues is right up my alley. recommended. - 8/10

THE FOUNTAIN

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Released: 2006

i finally got around to seeing this one. definitely great, though it's probably my least favorite thing that aronofsky's done. i don't mind movies with little explanation, but this one seemed to have NO explanation. we're thrown into this story (rather, three stories) without knowing much of anything. i'd like to watch it again. i read he's doing a director's cut; apparently he wasn't pleased with the cuts he was forced to make right before the film's release. looking forward to that. 6.5/10.

GRAPHIC SEXUAL HORROR

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THE VANISHING

Directed by: George Sluizer
Released: 1988

the original, not the american remake (which i've yet to see, but i've heard nothing but horrible things). this was great. an extremely tense film with a truly shocking ending, even by today's standards. 8/10.

TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL

Directed by: Guy Maddin
Released: 1989

the fact that this was made in 1989 and it looks about 60 years older than that is really what made it great for me. i've never seen anything done that way before; switching to an "old style" of film when telling a story from the past. great stuff. amazing use of sound and mise en scene. 7/10.

CUBE

Directed by: Vincenzo Natali
Released: 1997

the acting was pretty bad, save a few characters, but overall the film was quite good. i like the claustrophobic effect achieved through a lot of the shots, and the math stuff, while i had absolutely NO concept of what the fuck they were talking about, was very interesting. i've been reading about it, and it seems that people are/were pissed off about the ending and lack of details in the film (how they got there, why they're there, where "there" is, etc)... it's obviously much deeper than that, and it can be interpreted a million different ways, which is why i liked it. 7.5/10.

ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN II

Directed by: Rob Zombie
Released: 2009

100% fucking garbage. i can't believe i wasted my time on it. even watching it while drunk didn't make it enjoyable. i was able to tolerate his first installment, even though i found it highly unnecessary, but this... this was crap. and it's a shame, zombie's made some good films. 1/10.

RED

Directed by: Trygve Allister Diesen & Lucky McKee
Released: 2008

an extremely atypical revenge story about a man and his dog. absolutely heartbreaking and maddening at the same time. 9/10

EL TOPO

Directed by: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Released: 1970

i need to watch it again. i really, really enjoyed it, but unfortunately i wasn't able to give it my full attention. i recently bought the "films of alejandro jodorowsky" box, so "the holy mountain" and "fando y lis" will be viewed soon. 7/10.

THE COLLECTOR

Directed by: Marcus Dunstan
Released: 2009

way better than i expected. total B movie gore. in parts, it was hard to believe that this was a hollywood film. tooth extraction with a chisel = me squirming. 7/10

SPRSKI FILM (A SERBIAN FILM)

Directed by: Srdjan Spasojevic
Released: 2010

it's a pretty nasty film, i'll say that. the most disturbing thing i've ever seen? absolutely not, as i've seen "the video diary of ricardo lopez" ... the most disturbing fictional film i've ever seen? maybe, i still need to digest it more. the film itself has a very "slow burn" aspect to it.. almost an hour in, nothing truly shocking had happened. but when it happens, it basically doesn't stop. the already-infamous scenes of sexual violence are all very well done (in that they're pretty realistic -- for the most part), and in these scenes, the filmmakers are showing the audience things they've probably never seen, and i'm sure they never wanted to see.

i do have to say that the acting and directing was pretty great.. and it had some of the most unsettling (excuse the film school geek term) mise-en-scene i've seen in a long time. that, coupled with the film's score, which creates a very tense atmosphere on it's own, makes it a disturbing film on a purely psychological level. most may not agree, but personally, i'm bothered by things like a little girl dressed up as dorothy from "the wizard of oz" sitting in a chair on a david lynch-esque checkerboard floor in shadowy darkness, just staring at the camera with no movement. seemingly normal things in abnormal settings always freak me out.

as for it being a commentary on the current serbian government, i can't comment, as i know nothing of serbia, their history or their politics. but, i can say that i'm now interested. from the mostly negative reviews i've read, the political message is very thinly veiled; i disagree, i actually thought the message came across a little too heavy handed. they mention the country they're in about a dozen times, as well as making many references to "a happy serbian family," etc. it seemed forced... which bears the question: did the filmmakers make a torture porn (i'm sorry, i HATE that fucking term) and then realize there's no way they're going to screen this if they don't insert some kind of political metaphor in it, thus having an excuse for all the violence? i think they might have been better off spinning it as showing how far a man will go to support and protect his family. but as i said, i don't know dick about serbian government.. maybe they really are fucking people to death. heh.

there seems to be a lot of discussion as to whether or not this film will get a theatrical release in the US ... i'm leaning towards a big fat fucking no. there's no way in hell this would even pass with an NC-17 rating. i'm sure they'll take it to other festivals, art houses & smaller indie theaters will play it, etc... otherwise just wait for the DVD. i will watch it again for sure, and i'll more than likely buy the DVD whenever it comes out. i see it being one of those films that i have in my collection just to show to people who haven't seen it (similar to "salo," "cannibal holocaust," .. basically all the films that "a serbian film" is being compared to)... it's not exactly the kind of movie that you throw on when you wanna kick back and relax. 8/10.

NAKED

Directed by: Mike Leigh
Released: 1993

absolutely brilliant.. i can't believe i slept on this one for so long. amazing cinematography and direction, and david thelwis was great... i know most of the dialogue was improvised, which makes it even more impressive. the scene with johnny and the security guard, talking about the future/past/present as well as the book of revelations was one of the greatest, most thought provoking things i've ever seen. 9/10.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING

Directed by: Jonothan Liebesman
Released: 2006

not the worst thing i've ever seen, but not necessary at all. pointless story, decent enough gore. r. lee ermey was awesome, probably the only redeeming quality. it wouldn't have been as bad if they didn't call it a "leatherface origin" story, because it's not. you see how & where he's born, what he does for work when he's older, and that's it. takes about 6 seconds. 5/10

INCEPTION

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Released: 2010

almost perfect. there were a few flaws, but they were minor. my girlfriend and i were up all night talking about what the fuck happened in the movie-- not just the ending, but overall. there was a LOT that the audience was left to interpret, which i think is great. nolan didn't spoonfeed anything to you, and he left you thinking, which is something you NEVER see in mainstream hollywood films. honestly, even if the film was a piece of shit, i'd still give it a high rating simply because nolan is the only hollywood filmmaker i can think of who's actually coming up with new and interesting ideas. i hate admitting it, but leonardo dicaprio is a really good actor. seeing him in "the departed" and "revolutionary road" put me on the edge, but this pushed it over. 9/10.

FEED

Directed by: Brett Leonard
Released: 2005

an interesting premise for sure, one that's rarely (never?) touched upon. i'd heard that this film was disturbing, and it is, to a point. i think it's disturbing for certain people.. i was one of them. the whole concept of "feeders/gainers" is fucking sickening to me, which is what really bothered me. decent acting (mostly), direction was ok, story was good. while i did enjoy it, i think with a little more focus and someone else directing, this film could have been much better. 6.5/10.

THE FOURTH KIND

Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Released: 2009

not based on actual case studies, but probably based on real reported events. this movie freaked me out a fair amount, and i thought it was really interesting.. enough so that i've started researching some of the film's claims on my own. while it's not based on true events, the filmmakers did their research when explaining the alien abductions ... everything in the film is unanimous with what real "abductees" have reported. 8/10.