THE BUNNY GAME

Directed by: Adam Rehmeier
Released: 2010

when a film (that isn't a porno) opens with an unsimulated act of oral sex, complete with "the finish," you know you're in for something good. 

"the bunny game" isn't a film so much as it is a work of art.  there's a very small plot: bunny, the drug addicted, homeless prostitute is just trying to get by.  after we're shown several instances of exactly how she's treated by her johns (i'll give it away, they don't treat her too nicely) she meets hog, a truck driver, who kidnaps and tortures her for days.  that's basically the story.  but this film isn't about story, really.  it's an exercise in extremes.  when you view it, you feel like you want to look away...  you feel like you probably should look away, but you can't.  the brutal, sadistic violence in this film is second to none.  this is probably due to the fact that it was, like the oral sex in the beginning of the film, completely real.  rodleen getsic (bunny) is perfect.  she has her head shaved, she's beaten, she's spit upon, she branded several times, chained up, made to watch her own videotaped torture... and all she can do is scream and cry.  go and read some interviews with her; she explains where it all came from and what the filming process was like.  it's a truly haunting thing to witness.  seeing someone so broken, so helpless..  it's unlike anything i've seen before.  credit also must be given to jeff renfro (hog), who, until this film, was just a truck driver for hollywood films.  from what i understand, there was no real script to speak of, just an outline of bullet points and set locations.  all of his sadistic actions against bunny were real, and they were his.  he made the choices.  that, in and of itself, is truly disturbing.  i can only imagine what demons he was letting out during the production...

this is not a film you'll sit down and watch when you're in a good mood.  this isn't a feel good film, it's fueled only by negative and nihilistic emotions.  there's no redemption, no hope, nothing but brutality and filth.  this should be playing in art galleries and museums, because despite what you may think of it, it is a very real work of art.  surreal, brutal, ugly, and completely exposed.  7/10.  

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Directed by: Drew Goddard
Released: 2012

in a time where virtually every "mainstream" (by which i mean "not direct-to-dvd") horror movie is a remake, this was an extremely welcomed breath of fresh air.  upon seeing the trailer for the first time, i thought "oh great, five kids who you don't give a shit about die in the woods.  haven't i seen this eight million times?" the answer to that question is yes and no.  yeah, we've all seen a million movies where some dopes go into the woods with the intent of drinking and having sex, only to be brutally killed-- but you've never seen it like this.  this is something different.  it's something new, something interesting.  unfortunately, i can't really say much at all without giving the whole story away, and it's something you'll want to be surprised by.  that said, the trailer, while it doesn't give everything away, does offer some insight as to what's really going on.  all i'll say is this: nothing is as it seems, but everything that happens is deliberately calculated and controlled.  despite the title, this is not your typical "cabin in the woods" movie.  8.5/10 

CATFISH

Directed by: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Released: 2010

this is classified as a documentary, but it seems that a lot of people (including myself, to a point) are questioning as to whether or not it's actually real. authenticity aside, this was a very interesting movie that i enjoyed quite a bit. a photographer (nev) meets an eight year old girl (abby) on facebook who starts painting pictures of his photographs. they're not amazing or anything, until you realize that an eight year old kid painted them. he develops a kind of "working relationship" with her, and of course, ends up becoming involved with the rest of her family. her mother, father, sisters, brother and friends all add him on facebook, and he starts to have a long-distance-we've-never-met-in-person relationship with abby's older sister, megan. megan is an amazing musician, singer, a painter herself... then nev realizes something's not quite right. he digs deeper and deeper into this family's life and realizes that nothing is what it seems to be. he and his filmmaker friends travel to michigan to meet the family, and.. you'll have to see it. the filmmaker's use of things like gmail, facebook, google earth, etc. are all weaved into the way the story is told, and it actually makes it quite interesting. it's as if these websites almost become characters themselves. 8/10.

MARTYRS

Directed by: Pascal Laugler
Released: 2008

goddamn. that's pretty much all i can say... this is one of the most brutally violent films i've ever seen. that said, i thought it was great. in short, a girl gets kidnapped and tortured by a family when she's a little kid. she escapes, gets put in an orphanage, and becomes friends with another girl. 15 years later, they're out of the orphanage, and the girl wants revenge (naturally.) she walks in the family's house, kills everyone, and then shit gets crazy. i can't say too much else or i'll give away the story, but if you're a fan of extremely graphic (and well done) gore and violence, then you owe it to yourself to see this film. and the ending is phenomenal. i read that there's an american remake in the works (of course) that will have a different ending. i don't plan on seeing it, as i felt the story was wrapped perfectly the way it was. oh hell, i'll probably see it anyway. 8/10.

THE SHRINE

Directed by: Jon Knautz
Released: 2010

a journalist, her boyfriend and their journalist friend travel to poland to investigate a missing persons story. they end up in this creepy little town inhabited by a religious cult (seemed kinda satanic to me) that's into human sacrifice. there's a massive, dense cloud of fog over the horizon at all times. it never moves, and no one ever goes in it, except for our three main characters. the two girls come across a demonic looking statue in the fog, which starts crying blood and moving after they see it. they and the guy end up getting kidnapped by the cult and shit goes downhill from there. the first act was kinda shitty, but it picked up in the second and third.. it felt like all the best parts of "the exorcist" without all the boring shit. overall, the film had a pretty creepy feel to it; any gamers who've played "resident evil 4" will see the comparison-- natives speaking their own language, being stuck in the woods, the whole cult thing, weird zombie-ish creatures, etc. my only real complaint was the lack of subtitles. yeah, the film was in english, but i'd say about half of the dialogue was either polish or demonic gibberish, neither of which had subtitles. the gibberish i can understand not subtitling, but when a demon chick says something to someone (in gibberish) and they actually reply, you kinda feel like you missed something. either way, it's worth a watch. 6.5/10.

THE CALL OF CTHULHU

Directed by: Andrew Leman
Released: 2005

i hate it when really good ideas are ruined by poor execution. this film, which was shot in my hometown of providence, RI (i only know this because i recognized a neighborhood right near where i work.. oh, and it's lovecraft), tells the H.P. lovecraft story of cthulhu. the story was good, if you like lovecraft. but what's really interesting about the film is that, although it was filmed in 2005, they tried to make it look like it was shot in 1925. and they did a fairly good job; the makeup the actors wore was caked on their faces, there was a good use of intertitles, vignettes were used to highlight important details, etc.. just like a film from the 20's. however, the real downfall was the fact that they shot on video, not film. i imagine this was probably a budgetary constraint, but it really, really took away from the feel of the movie. you can add as much film grain as you want in post, it's still gonna look like video. despite all the lengths they went to ensure an "old time feel," shooting on video was massively distracting, and it killed it for me. the whole thing reminded me of something guy maddin would do (and has done), but he does it better. 4/10.

RED STATE

Directed by: Kevin Smith
Released: 2011

first off, this is not a horror movie, and i'm kind of annoyed with kevin smith for promoting it as such. just because a film has violence and gore doesn't make it horror. anyway.. three kids trying to get laid end up being kidnapped by a westboro-baptist-church-type-family. the ATF gets wind that these people have a shitload of illegal, military grade weapons, so they get involved. there's a massive shootout between the church and the ATF, and that's pretty much it. obviously, there's more to it, but that's the gist of it. save for the preacher (played brilliantly by michael parks), the characters are relatively uninteresting and have little to no development. it feels like kevin smith had a cool idea, ran with it, and got lost along the way. with some better direction and a few more decent actors (even john goodman as the ATF agent wasn't all that impressive, and i usually love his work), this could have been a lot better. it wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. kevin smith -- stick to comedies. but travel back to the mid-90's first. 6/10.

YELLOWBRICKROAD

Directed by: Jesse Holland & Andy Mitton
Released: 2010

another unknown to me, recommended by a friend. this was a weird one: from the description, you figure it'll be another boring, stereotypical horror story... and it's nothing like that. in 1940, the 600something residents of friar, NH all started walking up a trail in their town. none of them ever came back. some were found murdered, others froze to death, but the vast majority just vanished. flash forward to know, and the crew above is writing a book about friar, trying to figure out where the people went and why. so they decide to walk the trail. and that's where shit gets really weird. after a few days of walking without much incident (minus some equipment issues), they start hearing this 1940's era jazz music kind of emanating from the woods. it gets louder depending on where they are, and oftentimes the sound is so unbearable that they have to stop and cover their ears. and it's the same song over and over again. some people start to go insane. some people contemplate suicide. i really can't say a whole lot without giving the plot away, but i can assure you that this is NOT a "people who get lost in the woods and everyone gets killed by a ghost" horror story. when it's over, you'll stare at your screen in silence for a few minutes, then loudly proclaim "what the FUCK?" 7/10.

MY LIFE WITHOUT ME

Directed by: Isabel Coixet
Released: 2003

i'd never heard of this one before i watched it. in short, a 23 year old married mother of two finds out she has two months to live. without informing any friends or family of her condition, she makes a list of everything she wants/needs to do before she dies. things like "tell my kids i love them many times a day," "sleep with another man," and "make someone fall in love with me" ... those last two are what the film really focuses on, and that's where it kinda lost me. not because i disagree with it or didn't like it or anything, but because mark ruffalo (the guy who falls in love with her) showcased some of the most pretentious overacting i've ever seen. i found myself rolling my eyes throughout almost all of his scenes.. and it's too bad, cause i think he's a pretty decent actor. his performance aside, i liked the film. it wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. oh-- and it's a sad one for sure. 6.5/10.

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME

Directed by: Keven McAlester
Released: 2005

i've only gotten into roky erickson's music within the past few years, but i've been a huge fan since i first heard his material. this film has been sitting in my netflix queue for months, and i finally got around to watching it. it's great. it really is. the film focuses on both the 13th floor elevators as well as his solo work, but it's more about his mental illness and the horrible conditions he lived in for so many years. and honestly, i was glad about that-- not that i wouldn't love a whole film all about the music, but the stuff i was really interested in learning was what the fuck happened to this guy? insane amounts of drugs, lengthy stays in mental institutions (in the 60's and 70's, eeeesh), many, many arrests, becoming a hoarder ... it all shows in his face today. it's almost sad to see this amazing rock musician in the state he is now. granted, he's back to playing live and recording, and his life is back on track (well, as much as it can be when you're schizophrenic), but still, it's almost heartbreaking. an amazing watch for fans and newcomers. 9/10.