Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead  (Horror,  2014) (18) D: Kiah Roache-Turner W: Kiah Roache-Turner, Tristan Roache-Turner P:  C: Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, Leon Burchill, Luke McKenzie. 1h 38m. Australia.

Synopsis :  Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers & experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her & teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor – together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.

The beginning of the movie starts in a similar manner to the world war z book, detailing what seems to be 3 different stories revolving around the early stages of a virus outbreak. A father, Barry (Jay Gallagher) wakes in the night to protect his family from a stranger found in the kitchen, a woman Brook (Bianca Brady) who is doing a zombie inspired photo shoot is soon shocked to discover the model is now an infected and gas to fight for her life in her studio. A native aboriginal man Benny (Leon Burchill) out hunting with his brothers soon discovers that one of them has turned and he is now being hunted.

As these three apparent strangers get entwined with other survivors their salvation comes in the guise of a zombie nitro charged armored car of the apocalypse and a few new and intelligent surprises for  the tired zombie/infection genre to boot.

Brook gets abducted by a psychopathic disco loving military surgeon who likes to “make a little love and get down to-night” while he is torturing and researching  Zombie’s in the back of a military van. Meanwhile her brother Barry is making his own discoveries about the outbreak while on a mission to find his sister.

Writer and Director Kiah Roache-Turner is no stranger to high-octane movies starring Gallagher,  while Wyrmwood is his first full length feature,  his two previous shirts, Roadrunner and WarGames are both past paced black comedy action films. He manages to keep the pace and laughs constantly through this quirky feature.

Australia has not only produced some really interesting twists in the zombie field with classic movies like Braindead (1992) and they have managed to mix things up in the Spierig brother’s Undead (2003) who also threw the vampire world into a spin in Daybreakers (2009), so it’s no surprise that Wyrmwood opens up new avenues here while keeping the unique Aussie comedy element. While keeping itself fresh throughout,  there are lashings of blood and gore, stinky breath Zombie’s in this funny horror flick.

While the budget was low it does provide great effects and is truly a great film to watch, it’s not perfect but in a similar vein to other indie horrors, it’s just great fun and is entertaining throughout. It does tip a hat to other low brow classics like Evil Dead (1981), the director has a hard on for Mad Max (1979) even addicting references in his short movies. There is a curious scene when the group pass a zombie girl by the side of the road in a red jacket,  is this a homage to Don’t look now (1973)? And a well handled scene where the group get trapped overnight in a car surrounded by zombies, is reminiscent of The Battery (2012).

Rating –  8/10

 

T : A true labor of love this film took 4 years to make as it was worked on at weekends.
Q : “this truck runs on zombies, no zombies no truck.”
TIL : there’s a lot more to the zombie genre that’s finally being explored!!
BS : setting fire to the zombie in the freezer….
DGI : Knock a shot for every kill
V: Verdict
L: Selected zombie Movie Road movies
A: Zombie vs Infected.
PD : Post Discussion – coming soon

Kisha

Bad Timing (1980)

 

Bad Timing  (Drama, Mystery, Thriller,  1980) (18) D: Nicolas Roeg W: Yale Udoff (screenplay) P:  C: Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel, Denholm Elliott, Daniel Massey. 2h 9m. UK.

Synopsis : The setting is Vienna. A young American woman is brought to a hospital after overdosing on pills, apparently in a suicide attempt. A police detective suspects foul play on the part of her lover, an American psychology professor. As doctors try to save her life, the detective interrogates the professor, and through flashbacks we see the events leading up to the woman’s overdose.

TAGLINE : A Terrifying Love Story

Three very secretive and explosive characters are instantly fascinating in this movie, starting out on the operating table we soon learn that a young woman Melina (Theresa Russell)is assumed to have attempted suicide, while her ever caring new lover Alex (Art Garfunkel) awaits outside trying to keep himself together. Cutting back into the past we learn more about the lovers and their volatile relationship, the drunkenness, jealousy and rapid start and spiralling decline. A brilliant detective Netusil (Harvey Keitel) has his suspicions about the case and turns into a vicious Colombo while trying to sort through the sordid affair.

There are fleeting moments of a real carefree romance between the taboo couple, a professor and student, from their random meeting and every encounter after is overcast by a nasty undercurrent getting uglier as the affair progresses. Things soon starts to get away from them somewhere in Austria in the late 70s.

It’s fascinating to see the cracks appearing and the characters change as you learn more of the personal histories, quite similar to getting into a relationship with this stormy and intense couple yourself. As you’re forced to look deep into the dark erotic study of this pair of unsympathetic lovers.

There are regular flashbacks to the hospital where doctors are struggling to save the life of Melina. The urgent pace is captured by erratic camera movements and harsh sounds,  otherwise the camera work is incredibly clever following the smooth art Garfunkel playing the moody controlling sophisticated intellectual, lusting after the young drink and hope student who he later finds out is married but separated from the nerdy quiet and laidback husband Stefan (Denholm Elliott).

While being quite an arty film, it certainly captures the summer lovin of the 70s in an erotically claustrophobic method,  utilising mirrored shots and uncomfortable encounters,  it slowly swings from psychological thriller to explosive confirmation.

All the characters are quite charming in their own way, Melina,  a seductress pulls in the needy Garfunkel as he tries to remain young in the bed of his strident,  realising he can’t quite control or connect with the youth of the times his need for possession leads to strange behavior,  the intense police officer (Keitel) systematically plots together fragments of the case. As a viewer you can see the cogs turning in the desperate mind of Garfunkel s he studies his lovers drunken behaviour in common bars her joviality

The film is quite typical of director Nicolas Roeg, whose style is often disjointed, he goes the extra mile in this film during the “quadrant” sequence where the thoughts of the actors are heard before they speak. The obvious attraction to Teresa Russell is profound in this movie and the adoration of her comes from many angles, including from the director himself who married her two years after the film’s release.

 

Rating –  7/10

V: It captures a true summer of love in the 70’s the distorts it through drunkenness and abuse.. and in a similar vein to a Coen movie it is charming without really knowing why. The fragmented linage of the movie makes it an interesting whodunit, while being drawn into a web of dark sexuality and a feverish love story. It’s so beautifully set that each scene could be classed as a work of art.

R: War of the roses (1989), They were sisters (1945), Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
OST: Surprisingly I didn’t hear any Simon and Garfunkel
TIL : SPAR are popular in Vienna
DGI : Drink whenever one of characters does and it will keep you pretty happy.
L: Amour Fou, Musicians in Films, Suicide attempts in movies.
PD : Post Discussion – Coming soon.

Kisha

Dalkomhan insaeng – A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Dalkomhan insaeng – A Bittersweet Life  (Action, Crime, Drama,  2005) (18) D: Kim Jee-woon W:  P: Park Dong-ho, Eugene Lee C: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Shin, Min-ah, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Roi-ha, Lee Ki-young. 2h. South Korea.

Synopsis :  When doing right goes very, very wrong… Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn’t proceed by his boss’s orders.Ruthlessly violent, it illustrates the ethical codes in the Korean mob and how they clash with personal morality.

TAGLINE : When doing right goes very, very wrong.

The dingy dark gangster lifestyle is split in two by love and obsession, ultimately driving a crime boss and his prized employee apart. Bittersweet delivers a story this is as simple as it is deep. Sun-Woo (Byung-hun Lee) is the main runaround, bodyguard, bouncer and confidant to Mr Kang (Kim Yeong-cheol) a masculine power boss who has fallen for a much younger beautiful musician who he is obsessed with and finds it hard to express his feeling to as he feels inadequate and fears that he is being strung along. So he sends his dedicated trustworthy henchman to fetch and carry his new squeeze while searching for clues for her infidelity. Once Sun-Woo discovers the truth and makes amends to keep everyone safe as he feels the need to protect everyone involved, things escalate and spiral wildly out of control.

The plot becomes more complex from this point on, not so much as new twists and turn but just simply by the depths that each party goes to while trying to right a wrong that wasn’t a wrong to start with. Even with the cultural differences aside it’s pretty easy to see the full extent of the inhumane extremes of hate and love that are displayed here. but as matters spiral out of control the lines get blurred,  prides takes over and it all becomes nonsense like an arguments when someone realises they are wrong but refuses to back down.

As with a lot of South Korean movies, this film is also dark yet vivid with colours, burning with emotions and packed with fast paced violent action scenes. This style is enhanced by robust acting from Lee Byung-hun and Kim Yeong-cheol and the fun is backed up by colourful characters that are met along the way including Kim Hae-gon the crazy go-lucky gun dealer who has a short-lived but memorable candid scenes. Kim Roi-Ha (Memories of Murder (2003)) appears as Mun-suk, the ambitious, cocky sidekick who contributes as a streak of rude uber violence which doesn’t seem to amplified among the violent playground.

Director Kim Jee-woon whose previous works include another bittersweet story but in a guise of a ghostly horror movie Tale of Two sisters (2003), is never shy of flooding his audience with a combination emotions. The cinematography finds small quiet emotional scenes to slow down for in-between the chaos, keeping the film real and grounded. It sits very nicely on the fence between soppy drama and a fighting action quest, not letting up one side for the other.

it’s pretty easy to chuck this film in the revenge series along with a lot of other Korean films such as Memories of Murder (2003) , Host (2006), and the Vengeance Trilogy (2002+) itself, but is it simply vengeance that’s going on here? Despite the Buddhist quote at the beginning of the film which does lay out the main plot, it should have been something from Hagakure.Sun-Woo acts more like a Samurai, showing great honour and obedience to his master Mr Kang. The film is more of a brutal stoney faced redemption story

It’s not often that a film this good comes along, and it’s hard not to lay out some lavish praise for every aspect.

Rating –  10/10

V: A stunning film from every aspect, a perfect example of blending amazing action with quaint drama. Bringing an age-old story of master and servant from an obscure code of conduct into the modern light. Personally for me the film takes my breath away every time I watch it, it never loses that crisp, slick edge.

Q : “One late autumn night, the disciple awoke crying. So the master asked the disciple, “Did you have a nightmare?” “No.” “Did you have a sad dream?” “No,” said the disciple. “I had a sweet dream.” “Then why are you crying so sadly?” The disciple wiped his tears away and quietly answered, “Because the dream I had can’t come true.”
BS : There are so many good scenes, one that I adore without giving away too much plot.. is when Sun-Woo is purchasing the guns from the strange fur coated dealer who plays a game with him, who can load the gun the fastest…
5B : 5 Best – Lee Byung-hun, Roe-ha Kim
L:Selected South Korean Films, Revenge films, BitterSweet Movies, My Top 30 films of all time.
PD : Post Discussion – to come

The Banished One

https://youtu.be/stY-DO7RfCQ

Duration 1.34

Dir: Mattijn Franssen/Netherlands/2009
Link: http://www.mattijn.com

Subtle earthy animation with folklore nourished roots..

This exceptionally short mixed media story, seems to have similar style to Strings or work influenced by Del Toro. Mixing live action and puppet style animation a simple but deep story is told. The banished one, is sent away for whatever reason, out of the city into the wilderness. He bonds with the fauna, the flora is a little more difficult but eventually he takes and connects with a tree. Before the ones who banished him turn up and wage war.  He salvages what he can and flies off into the ether..

Speaking strongly about the connection of man and the natural world, the Banished One,  seems to suggest that we need to break free and demons or masters who tie us down and get back our natural kudos.  The style of natural world is very calm and neutral in contrast with the hellish scenes that start and end the movie. Shapes are key to understanding the creatures, elements of forest animal are incorporated to form new creature’s that look familiar.

Mattijn has created a simple and beautiful movie,  I believe it’s him as the live character but don’t quote me, if so it’s a great personal touch. It’s amazing just how much plot can fit into such a short time but it looks like a polished piece of work.

As an artist who works in a lot of mediums check out his website where there are many more animations and the possibility to buy some artwork.

R: 6/10

Kisha

Clown (2014)

Clown  (Horror, Supernatural,  2014) (18) D: Jon Watts W:  P: Eli Roth +3 C: Laura Allen, Andy Powers, Peter Stormare, Eli Roth, Elizabeth Whitmere Christian Distefano. 1h 39m. USA.

Synopsis : A little boy’s birthday party gets ruined when his entertainment (clown) cancels. His father finds a clown suit and becomes the new entertainment but something is weird about it, there is an evil curse and it won’t come off. He specializes in eating little kids… everything after that goes down hill.

The title is accurate, this film is indeed about a clown. Not just any clown though, this is the original clown. A dark comedic, deranged thrilling mystical horror, sometimes entirely over the top but delivering the dirt on all those urban myths about Clowns that we like to scare each other with on Youtube. It’s all revived by a slightly obscure director Jon Watts who has an fragmented collection of film under his belt, it seems that with the influence of Eli Roth he’s able to initiate a new film chapter incorporating the historical horror clown, mincing in some of the modern creepy myths circulating on the internet and fusing this with bitter olde European folklore including something which I think relates to the Harlequin story http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/11/the-mysterious-harlequin-part-one/.

There seems to have been several horror clowns in cinema history, all of them brightly colours vile monsters who have given people more nightmares than clowns have ever brought people joy! With similarities to IT (1990) revamped with The Fly (1986) with a dash of Wolfman (2010),  with a few gruesome stomach churning scenes.

When a father is called upon to replace a clown at his son’s birthday party, he finds an unusual suit in a house he is clearing out, quite convenient. After the party Kent (Andy Powers) can’t get his new suit off, despite using an electrical blade on the neckline and lacerating himself he only manages to remove some of the nose which has fused with his own.

Slowly recognising his transformation but not quite understanding the reasons why, an overactive Van Hellsing styled savior makes an appearance in the guise of a nerdy Karlsson (Peter Stormare). Who explains the folklore back story in an erratic paranoid way, the clown suit transforms the wearer into a demon like creature who preys on children and has to consume 5 of them before the winter is out. Karlsson had to deal with a previous owner and was in charge of keeping the suit hidden but he fucked up. Soooooooo.. Kent is changing into a kiddie eater, Karlsson is out for his head and his wife is trying to save him and trying to stop him from eating their son. As the movie gets progressively darker and colder, the risks and dangers become more tortuous as this nightmare starts to take effect, there are regular scatterings of humor, rainbow head shots and caramel nose bleeds.

The daily life of the helpless Kent and Meg (Laura Allen) is gradually turned upside down as this subconscious second persona is building and taking over Kent’s body. There are regular low key violent moments mostly aimed at the children in the film, and without trying to give too much away I will note that there are no featuring scenes, for me this was a bit of a let down although are we getting desensitized to gore and violence in films? Despite this; the film is tremendous fun, while maintaining the creepy side it introduces a new demonic monster and successfully creates a great addition to the horror clown genre, and the sky’s the limit with the formula here of an enchanted clown suit , I would imagine any flaws could be built on and ironed out with a sequel or two.

Overall great performances from Eli Roth as the transformed killer clown, Stormare plays a convincing cardigan cloaked savior and overall the film is a treat for those who like a well scripted story instead of full on buckets of gore. There is a little bit of a horror romance going on with the main couple which does have similarities to The Fly (1986) especially as the Mr in the relationship is turning into a beast!

 

 

Rating –  7/10

V: I started out dubious over yet another clown movie but i was hooked by the time folklore was mentioned, it gives a precedence that the fear of clowns is a much older much deeper in the human psyche. The clown character develops into something way more sinister than I had expected. I especially like the infrequent not so gory scenes and the link with the dog eating the nose…I don’t want to ruin any surprises

R: Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), Babadook (2014), Annabelle (2014), Horns (2013), Found (2012)

OST: Nothing to report here..
TIL : Never try on a clown suit
BS : I really like a small inconspicuous scene where some kids are playing a war game online together when the clown visits one of their houses and the other characters are kicking the crap out of his character while he’s being stalked by the clown.
Q: “It’s not a clown suit it’s the skin and hair of a demon”
5B : Peter Stormare, Eli Roth
L: Selected Clown Movies, Folklore Horror Movies, Transformation movies
PD : Post Discussion to come.

Wargames

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR42rZMRLU8

Duration 5.37

Dir: Kiah Roache-Turner/Australia/2009

Another epic action film short from Aussie Kiah Roache-Turner. In a similar vein as Roadrunner the director serves up a quick slice of mindless violence but in the guise of Rambo action tomfoolery. Using his favourite actor Jay Gallagher as the main here, spruced up in full combat gear and being attacked by hostile forces. Jay, as an unknown soldier battles bravely until a quaint twist at the end then he has to battle a new foe.

I’m starting to see a pattern emerging here with Kiah’s work, he’s obviously very happy with Jay’s acting and the two get along seamlessly. The Carlos Condit lookalike is superb in action shots and has a great War FACE!!! (show me your warface!!! Sgt Hartman (Full Metal Jacket) would be proud) I love the camp action shots and over the top antics, then the transition into the real world. The trio of hardened killers end up as squabbling children.

Another funny and violent high octane short from an overactive and talented mind.

R:7/10

Amadeus (1984)

 

Amadeus  – (Biography, Drama, Music,  1984) (PG) D: Mios Forman W: Peter Shaffer P: Saul Zanetz+2 C: F Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Toy Doctrice. 2h 40m. USA.

Synopsis :The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told by his peer and secret rival Antonio Salieri- now confined to an insane asylum.

A stunning film portraying the rise and fall of a social misfit who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time. Amadeus (1984) is based on the 1979 stage production of the same name. Recounting a fictional story of the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  (Tom Hulce) through the eyes of a jealous rival Antonio Salieri, (F. Murray Abraham) the destructive saga is recounted as a confession to a priest by the aged Salieri who is currently in an asylum after an attempted suicide.

A vast challenge even for the veteran director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1975) But he pulls it off with his own unique brand of virtuoso passion and a meticulous approach. Utilising the incredible acting skills of F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce who each play composers who are in competition for Emperor Joseph II’s (Jeffrey Jones) attention. Salieri being the present court, favourite, feels admiration and threat from the untameable raw talent of the young and oblivious Mozart. Salieri then tries everything to dispose of his giggling party animal rival, through deceit, seduction and greed.

From the opening scenes, Tom Hulce’s high-pitched maniacal laugh (much like my own) and childish behavior paints the character of the beloved Mozart, a comical pervy, dirty minded foul-mouthed virtuoso eccentric genius. In contrast we learn about the pitiful Salieri in languid flashbacks detailing him as a constant mediocre wanna be who brown noses himself to the top.

The melancholic yet scintillating narrative provided by Abraham’s as the senior Salieri , whose vocal ones gives his own tough overtures to all situations, heavily laced with sarcasm and personal pain and bitterness of the young genius and nothing more.

Amadeus, The man. The music. The magic. The madness. The murder. The mystery. The motion picture

This bitter and sweet movie, as much as it centres around Mozart is in fact about Salieri’s failures and his hatred for the youthful man. His perceptions getting more contorted as his actions become more desperate.

This movie boasts an interesting blend of Mozart’s music, including my all time favorite Requiem. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but what is charming is the stunning costumes, and exceptional attention to detail. It’s funny while being quite tragic at times, it’s courageous on many levels and re-creating a historic Salzburg and many acclaimed sets and stages.

The actors were put through their paces and their dedication is visible. Hulce learnt how to play the piano and harpsichord so the shots could be more versatile. Abraham spends hours in make up to age himself for the asylum scenes. On the whole the movie is

Rating –  10/10

R: La Vie en Rose (2007), Farinelli (1994), Immortal Beloved (1994) Marie Antoinette (2006)

Q : He was my idol…
They are all so beautiful why don’t I have three heads?
No, but I’m the best!

OST: Amazingly full on Mozart here…
TIL : Hate can drive a person quicker than love.
BS : Sadly I’m going for a scene that has been mimicked and copied a million times. When Salieri is reading the music and drops the pages (in slo mo) out of mixed emotions of hate, love, admiration, fear etc..
5S : F Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce
L: Musical Biogrpahies, Selected Costume Drama,

PD : Post Discussion – TO COME

Kisha

Crooked Rot

 

Duration 4.19
Dir: David Firth /UK/2008
Link: www.fat-pie.com

You can also view this in reverse here http://youtu.be/SLp3tyCacxU

Life, sex and death? Or just an unusual imagination.

I’ve been a long admirer of David Firth for a quite a long time now and have enjoyed a lot of his flash based animations like the heroic bass playing Burnt Face Man,  ultimate creepy guy Salad Fingers and other random sketches that he has lovelingly produced. A sort of young hero in the world of modern surreal animation and definitely a cult figure. Crooked Rot doesn’t come as a surprise! Although I wasn’t aware of David doing a lot of Stop Motion Animation (Call myself a fan huh).

I’ve never really tried to make sense of David’s work it has a dreamlike.. no scrap that..  nightmarish ambiance, David has a talent for getting a lot of people out of their comfort zones. to try and make sense of this fully I think I’d need therapy but it does suggest interesting themes about relationships, birth, death and communication, this is purely if you look at the symbolism.

You could stretch it to suggest it tells about relationships,  birth, life and death. The symbolism of the male and female head, the egg and the halo could represent offspring and god,  or alternatively it could just be an experimental piece while David tested out a new camera?! Who knows?!  Either way it’s a quirky little animation that you can watch either forwards or backwards. Not entirely sure why but give it a go, you might get something out of it. then again you might not.

News – A-Z Finally Fixed!

I’ve only just had the break through brain wave on how to organised the A-Z.

It’s been bugging me for ages, but as Baz Luhrmann predicted certain thoughts blind side you on a Tuesday afternoon when you least expect it.

The A-Z. was getting pretty messy but now I’ve amended the page and the tags of the few reviews I have done and lo and behold all posts will automatically go onto the A-Z. once they have been posted! it might get some fine tuning here and there and if you’re really lucky I’ll also fancy the page up with some graphics.. but in the meantime it’s great not to have something that is up to date with minimum effort from moi… enjoy!

I’d better point out that the new system won’t be alphabetical and movies with more than one title (those listen in their native language and English) will be in both categories..

Selected 15 Films of the 2010’s (so far)…

Response to And So It Begins Movie blog (check out this blog it’s brilliant!).

This was a difficult choice as I rarely look at the dates on movies! Your list was very inspirational as I had only seen a handful of the movies, (some items to add to the “to watch” list) and it was a pleasure to see Kynodontas – Dogtooth (2009) on there but I thought it was a 2009 release!? My bad if it is 2010 then it will definitely make my top 10 and is in my top 30 of all time!! I adore that film to so many levels. I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and chuck in my Selected 15 films although the list is rough and off the top of my head, and I’m typing on my mobile so please excuse any strange auto corrections! And this is in no way ordered.

01.Runsdkop – Bullhead (2011)

Love at first sight! Finding Bullhead – Rundskop was the best mistake I had made in 2011. The film is brutal and powerful whiled dealing with deep personal issues and the aftermath of a terrible childhood altercation, the Flemish cattleman Jacky( Matthias Schonenaerts)  has a strange alternative lifestyle and aggression problems since the incident. It’s so beautiful, a real roller coaster ride with a bittersweet ending.10/10

02.Jagten – The Hunt (2012)

Initially i assumed an actual hunt would take place,  for a criminal or person or that some Danes were going all Deer Hunter on us, instead it’s a sordid and difficult film about an entire town turning on a school teacher after a child speaks out about abuse. Madds Mikkelsen plays a humble character in this raw story, it’s dark and chilling throughout. 9/10

03.The Hunter (2011)

There are two main anchors for me in this film, as a long time enthusiast of both Tasmanian Tigers and Willem Dafoe, not much could go wrong. A lone American hunter, Martin (Dafoe) is tasked to search out the possible last tiger long after their apparent extinction, his placement in Australia is a family of peaceful conservation activists who he becomes deeply attached to.Willem is then faced with a powerful struggle between his job and the consequences of it. A sombre,  slow-burning depicting a complete journey , beautiful long shots over the Australian outback and amazing acting all round even from the two very young starlets 10/10

 04.Holy Motors (2012)

As part of my introduction to Lofi Sci-fi,  holy motors was a sudden shock to the system,  something unique and are inspiring. Mr oscar  (Denis lavant) plays a supercharged agent who takes over various roles of people like an alien guardian angel,  chauffeured around by Celine (Edith Scob) who also takes care of all other arrangements for him. Breath taking scenes in this avant garde super film. A small cameos from Kyle,  Eva Mendes and OSTincludes let my baby ride by Doctor L. I can’t praise this enough. The Merde character goes international with a feature in Japan. 10/10

 05.A Field in England (2013)

Black and white historical occult masterpiece with a touch of blackened comedy. Ben Wheatley takes a further step into the surreal with this mystical jaunt into the bizarre. All the familiar faces reappear, with the addition of Reece Shearsmith who plays a mild mannered assistant on the hunt for an alchemist who has stolen his masters books to search for a hidden treasure in a field..  In England… the film is beautiful and haunting, the slow motion possession scene with the Blanck Mass OST running in the background is possibly the best 5 minutes of cinema history ever. 10/10

 06.Mandariindi – Tangerines (2013)

This movie blows apart any Hollywood blockbuster with dazzling special effects. Its so on point and so deeply real, the lead is Ivo a father like figure who has stayed behind during the civil war to harvest his tangerines. He then finds himself harboring two soldiers from opposites sides of the war, educating them and freeing them of hate as he heals their minds and bodies. It’s just beautiful all round, sentimentally and in the lavish landscapes of Estonia. It does have a bitter edge, it’s not a daydream that everything will be alright. I can’t praise it enough. 10/10

07.Blutgletscher – Blood Glacier (2013)

Icy, gory, mutant bloody nature gone wild HORROR! From the first preview of this I was in love, for me this was the next I can’t wait to see movie after Trollhunter (I should get excited about movies more often) A likeness can be found of Thaw, The Thing and Evil Dead all melded together with a strong European flavour of throwing traditions to the wind. It all lets rip in this unusual creature feature. A Glacier turns red with a mysterious algae which starts to mix the genes of the local wildlife as well as supersizing them. A small arctic research team and a local MP out making a publicity documentary about how much she loved the wildlife and conservation are all subject to this surreal onslaught of mutant animals and their attacks it also has in one of the best lines in a horror movie.. “Stop eating that banana while you’re crying“. 8/10

08.Essential Killing 2010

As a quiet person i am drawn to quiet films, and this one is almost silent, in a similar vein as Gözetleme Kulesi –Watchtower (2012) which should have made this list if I had checked the date of it. Either way this is a bleak story of a prisoner of war taken from the hot desert to the cold tundra of …?? possibly Russia, maybe eastern europe. The main protagonist is Vincent Gallo who masterfully takes this story by the reins. Without ever speaking he initially tries to surrender but then makes a break for it. traversing an alien landscape trying to.. get home? it’s never clear but the sweeping camera shots make the desolate landscape beautiful, in this harrowing story. 9/10

09.Kill List (2011)

I can’t stop raving about this film, I absolutely love it to bits, it’s raw, it’s dark, gritty and shrouded in mystery. Ben Wheatley is a master at creating a dark mystic story centered around two dodgy hitmen and their new kill list contract from a strange “Client”. Occultism, gory and bloody killings and many many questions make up this thrill ride into the unknown. I have a review and post discussion for this. It’s raw, hard hitting,  mysterious, violent and thought provoking.9/10

10.Mientras Duermes – Sleep Tight (2011)

After seeing Cell 211 I have been very interested in that acting abilities of Luis Tosar who plays the hardened criminal. He returns in this warped story of a superintendent of an apartment building who believes that he cannot be happy and secretly enjoys inflicting pain on others, a new tenant in 5B is his new target and unable to ruin her happiness with his usual methods he sinks further into depravity to upset his young woman. Luis is like a little black raincloud over each tenant and worker in the building acting like H? from the Resident at times,  the style of the community within is much like Junet’s Amelie but with the addition of a psychotic bully, turns the sweet tale into a horror thriller. 8/10

11.Les 7 Jours de talion – 7 Days (2010)

Now we’re in the territory that i like the most! I love deeply disturbing and psychological films. this one justifies itself but making the original bad guy the lowest of the low, raping and killing a child is frowned upon by most. So it’s easy to accept what’s happening. It’s quick gorey and sick but it’s not over the top. There is a huge sentimental umbrella over the film. It raises a lot of questions about what a parent would really do to a killer peado if they got their hands on them, wrong and right it turned upside down, walls of sanity broken down. I live for cinema like this, its’ uneasy and darkly thought provoking. 9/10

12.Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

Easily placed in my top films of all time. Strange story on how I discovered the film in the post discussion. Meanwhile I will elaborate on this strange film. Set in 1983 and based on fragments of memories and snippets from the time, the arboria labs hold captive a young girl with amazing and unknown psychic powers.  The film explores her origins and that of her captive in vivid textures and tones.  For me the film is stunning on all levels, an amazing OST from Sinoia Caves / of Black Mountain, who produces a thronging deep sound throughout.10/10

 13.Bellflower (2011)

As part of my introduction to Lofi Sci-fi,  I was quite open for a range of new movie styles and stories,  thinking I had started to own the genre, I was knocked sideways by this incredibly cheap movie. It’s so passionate, as the director and co lead is pulled into a strange psychological love triangle. It’s raw, bittersweet and an intense butter drama. I adore the soundtrack and the lost and lonely theme plus heavy lashings of  Mad Max  (1979) appreciation throughout.10/10

 14.Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

This film, often listed as  a lo fi sci fi movie but I think it’s more modern fantasy. It portrays the unusual lifestyle of a young girl who lives in the in an independent southern community with her father who has a few puzzling problems of his own. With the beautiful soundtrack including my fall time favourite Balfour Brothers and the spirit of the south I adore this somewhat strange film about discovering the world while growing up in a tousled community from the perspective of a young and vibrant mind.9/10

 15.Thanatomorphose (2012)

This movie was so elusive but eventually after a couple of years,  searching far and wide I found a copy in the second hand shop! A dark, morbid, unsettling, sexual spiral into the abyss is the best way to describe it. A creative Canadian girl wakes up one day rotting. Thanatomorphose itself means a fear of rotting. When the rot starts every emotion is masterfully played out, in this dark fear filled movie. It’s quiet and slow, a small cast enhance the loneliness and isolation. The film has already been copied so it’s potential is clear. I do urge that this original is watched.for me it’s one of my favorites depressing and disturbing movies. 10/10