Film Reviews by LC

Kudos for this 'revenge from beyond the grave' film for offering something stylistically different, as instead of the usual gloomy locations we get a horror film set in the scorching sun of Miami Beach, and a killer with a preference for electrocuting his victims. You may be wondering why the people he chooses to kill are so random (the ghostly biker at first doesn't appear to be targeting those who actually sent him to the electric chair), but the final explanation just about works. This film reeks of the '80's, from the fashions, the big permed hair, the soundtrack, the gaudy colours. I'd hesitate to call this a good film, as both acting and story can be highly cheesy, but in its own goofy way it does have some unique things to offer.

WIth leads Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, director Stuart Gordon and music by Charles Band, this is a reunion from the team who made 'Re-Animator' and 'From Beyond', and whilst not quite up to that level, this is still a pretty good film. Don't expect much humour, as this is played as a pretty straight horror, with a nice angle on parent/child relationships, and some stylish direction. It is extremely over-the-top at points (this is a group who have never shied away from pushing the envelope of gore or sex), so it feels a bit comic book and shlocky at times, but if you can accept the premise and run with it, this is enjoyable stuff.

At times this has the feel of a Dario Argento movie, with a black gloved killer stalking a university campus, a funky musical score, a whodunit plot and plenty of dubious dialogue dubbing. Unfortunately however, the script lacks any real twists when it comes to unmasking the murderer, and the gore scenes are not particularly convincing. There is a certain goofy charm in how ridiculous it all is - this is a film in which the killer sneaks around campus with a bright yellow chainsaw, and the final scene is so insane it has to been seen to be believed. Don't take it seriously and there is some cheesy fun to be had, but there's not enough quality here in any department to warrant a repeat viewing.

A psychodrama exploration of a woman with sexual issues (to put it mildly), this features a slippery narrative where reality, fantasy and symbolism collide, leaving the viewer frequently second guessing which strand of what we are seeing is 'real'. Very over the top at times, with exaggerated performances and imagery, it occasionally veers towards the pretentious, but is always gorgeous to look at, with bright vibrant colours and arresting cinematography. You can read the title one of two ways - either as being anti pornography, or of being a work that is in essence the opposite of porn. There is a near endless stream of nudity and sexual content here, but very little of it is actually titillating. Recommended for those who like challenging and offbeat films.

An infamous flop, this Marvel Comics adaptation is by no means a great film, but equally it's nowhere near as bad as it's reputation. Some of the early scenes with lost alien duck Howard finding his way in the world with his new female friend Beverly have a certain goofy charm, but it has to be said that the main bad guy narrative is pretty laboured, and ultimately tiresome. By no means a great - or possibly even good - film, but this is so bizarre and oddball it's probably still worth a look anyway.

The narrative here is functional rather than anything to get excited about (the end in particular seems a little lacking), but in terms of style this film knocks it out of the park. Excellent inventive direction, rich gaudy colours, and a throbbing Goblin-esque soundtrack. There is a nod towards HP Lovecraft in setting the film in Dunwich, but this isn't really an adaptation, more a succession of stylish set-pieces. The dead themselves are also much more unique than the standard shuffling cannibal zombie fare, able to appear and disappear at will, and as likely to kill you by making your eyes bleed as try and eat you. If you like the films of Romero and Argentino, this will be right up your street.

As a big fan of the director's later English dialogue films, I thought I'd go back and check out this earlier work, but unfortunately it didn't quite work for me. The central idea is typically offbeat, but there isn't a huge amount of narrative development over the course of the film, so it's all very one-note. It could be that I am missing some subtleties thanks to the subtitles (the stilted, almost wooden performances in 'The Lobster' and 'Killing of a Sacred Deer' add a lot to the strange feel), but whilst I can see hints of what was to come, ultimately this film felt a little underwhelming.

In terms of script, this anthology film is pretty weak - the linking storyline is generic, and a lot of the individual episodes just seem like adolescent fantasies designed solely to get the female characters naked. Only the segment featuring a futuristic taxi driver comes close to having a satisfying narrative. That said, the animation still holds up well, and the eye-popping colours and designs give this a gaudy, trippy feel.

As far as I am aware, this is the first movies to launch an entire sub-genre of horror movies about possessed hands with minds of their own. The melodramatic plot creaks a bit around the edges, but it has some effective and atmospheric moments, and the blu ray restoration looks fantastic. I'm not sure about the score however, which is relentlessly dissonant and unmelodic for the entire running time - as much as I enjoy experimental music, it doesn't leave much scope for light and shade. [3.5 out of 5]

The premise here is excellent: a girl is reported missing, but no one seems to have seen her - did she ever really exist? It has to be said that the film stumbles heavily in the final act, as the ultimate reveal turns out to be very melodramatic, but up till then it does a great job of keeping the mystery going, and misdirecting the audience. The black and white photography is excellent, and there are a wealth of interesting locations and oddball supporting characters. The inclusion of some blatant plugs for pop band The Zombies feels jarringly out of place (did the band's manager slip the filmmakers some money for the exposure?), but are typical of the film - it's messy, but interesting.

Following the struggles of a perennial underachiever who considers himself a 'dark horse' who will win in the end, this film manages a nice mix of bleakly dark humour, awkward interactions and human drama. The film doesn't quite rank up there with writer/director Solondz's classic 'Happiness', but it's still pleasantly offbeat stuff. The narrative itself is fairly straight, and very tightly-focused on the lead character, so the pace does drag slightly at times, but ultimately it's an emotionally affecting piece.

This Australian coming-of-age drama is charmingly quirky, with its oddball characters matched by some nice directorial flourishes, such as sudden outbreaks of synchronised dancing, or titles ('Later that day' etc) embedded into cereal packets and posters within the film's world. Ironically, probably the weakest aspect is the extended dream sequence towards the end which gives the film its title - it's full of interesting Lynchian imagery(feeling very 'Twin Peaks' at times), but it feels slightly heavy-handed in its treatment of what are ultimately fairly standard adolescent fears. Despite this, the lead characters and their waking interactions are ultimately more than enough to get invested in, and for anyone looking for some offbeat human drama this is recommended.

This horror film is essentially 'Jaws' on land, only with a demonic man-eating car rather than a shark. The premise is goofy enough that I was expecting some low budget trash, but some aspects are surprisingly classy, with some great locations, widescreen cinematography, decent music and general direction. Unfortunately however, the characters, dialogue and acting, are pure '70's B-movie shlock, so this is a very mixed bag. Clearly an inspiration for Stephekn King's 'Christine', this is entertainingly weird fun.

This Stephen King scripted film shows the author at his goofiest, with a central premise so bizarre it's difficult to imagine this project getting greenlit without such a big name behind it. It's actually pretty well directed, and Twin Peaks fans will enjoy Madchen Amick putting in a good turn as the heroine. As for the script? Vampires allergic to cats; shapeshifters with the power to make cars transform or turn invisible; a cop who drives around with his feline sidekick; a side serving of mother and son incest - at every angle this is nuts. Leave your brain at the door however, and it's possible to have some fun with this movie - I refuse to believe that any film where a character is stabbed to death with a cooked corn cob doesn't have it's tongue firmly in its cheek.

Like it's main protagonists, this film is big and dumb - sadly it's only moderately fun. The action is on an epic scale, and the CGI monster fights are colourful and impressive. Granted, that's the main selling point, but it has to be said that the human characters are particularly woeful here, being a bunch of walking cliches with terrible, hammy dialogue. Most annoying are the two children and their bumbling conspiracy-theorist sidekick, who seem to exist only to attempt to add some comedy. There's a potentially interesting storyline here about a hollow earth (why wasn't this tied into the conspiracy guy?), and it looks pretty, but doesn't get explored in any depth. Kong himself is also now so massive in scale that it's hard to maintain any belief in his interactions with the humans (particularly a small child), as they are the equivalent size of an ant - I'm surprised he notices them at all. I thought 'Skull Island' from a few years back was a surprisingly decent film, but this really has nothing to offer other than CGI spectacle.