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.