Spanish Theatrical Poster
During a casual walk-through of the prison where Juan is begin working at the next day, some loose cement in the ceiling collapses, slamming into his head and injuring him. Forced to drag Juan’s body to the nearest empty cell, the guards must abandon the young employee when a riot sparks off and a wave of violence forces them to flee for their lives.
Shortly after being pulled to safety, Juan awakens in the cell to the shouting of the bloodthirsty prison population swarming the halls and realizes he’s as good as dead if he’s discovered fully clothed, looking like a guard. Stripping himself of all personal items that may reveal his identity, his only means of surviving this ordeal may be to convince the leader Continue reading »
Promo Poster
A tight-knit group of cops head out after their comrade’s funeral to serve up a little “justice” to the dope smuggling gang responsible but their payback is abruptly cut short when both cops and crooks are confronted and attacked by snarling, ravenous zombies! After taking heavy casualties on both sides, a tenuous truce is struck and a plan is set in motion; fight their way to the elevator, climb down to the first floor and fight their way out of the building. Even the best laid plans, or in this case half-assed plans, can go south though and the survivor count begins plummeting as zombies and their own stupidity gets the best of them. Can the remainder of the cops and robbers make it out of the building to safety and what lies in Continue reading »
DVD Release
If you’re one of those people who feel that the need for a plot often gets in the way of a perfectly good film, you’re in luck, because the second Emmanuelle film sincerely doesn’t care about structure, progression, character arcs, or any of that other crap the givers of expensive seminars insist are the sacred rules of screenwriting. Follow along with French diplomat’s wife Emmanuelle (or “Manny” as I affectionately call her) as she meets up (and has sex) with her husband in Hong Kong, and meets and has sex with a few other characters as well. The lucky ones include the teen daughter of a friend, a masseuse, and a polo player covered in tattoos. A notable exception is Christopher, a pilot staying at her husband’s estate for awhile, who somehow manages to offend Continue reading »
Mutants: The New Zombie?
Billed on some French posters as a cross between 28 Days Later and The Fly, David Morlet’s Mutants combines zombie cinema with something different, something we don’t get much of these days, scary mutants! What originally began as any other zombie apocalypse film quickly revealed itself to be something different, even a bit intriguing. You find yourself really becoming engrossed in the concept and taken in by the mutants. Be prepared though as all of that quickly wears off when the questions the film raises never seem to be adequately addressed.
Mutants isn’t a bad flick, not by a long shot Continue reading »
DVD Release
In the ultra-religious metropolis known as Meanwhile City, masked vigilante and lone atheist Jonathan Preest hunts the dangerous leader of the Duplex Ride cult referred to only as The Individual, a man responsible for the death of a little girl Preest was hired to protect. Before he’s able to dig any deeper though, the Ministry arrests him and he remains in prison for a few years before being given the opportunity to assassinate The Individual, a task sanctioned by the Ministry itself. Who is Preest and what connection does he have to a parallel universe in which four average people are inexplicably drawn to him and his world?
What a wonderfully original and unique Continue reading »
DVD Release
Actress Nikki Grace wins a part in a remake of a Polish film that was never completed due to what some call a “curse”. After that, your guess is as good as mine, since Inland Empire seems to operate on several levels of fantasy and reality, including Nikki’s life and the film in progress.
Inland Empire is probably the closest David Lynch has gotten to a pure, uncompromising personal vision. In addition to being the director and sole writer, he’s behind the camerawork and the editing, and has a big enough budget to make a good-looking film with name actors like Laura Dern. The result is rather like if Lynch had been able to think his ideas directly onto film (or digital video, in this case) without the Continue reading »
U.S. DVD Release
Two foxy college students, Marie and Alexia, head to Alexia’s house in the country to relax and do some studying. That very evening, their weekend is ruined when a burly man invades the house and brutally slaughters Alexia’s family, making off with her in his truck. Marie follows, determined to stop him and rescue Alexia. But there is more going on in this scenario than we think we know…
Director Alexandre Aja gained international attention with this blood-soaked nail biter, and it wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling. High Tension did indeed induce the titular state in me for quite awhile, but then there’s this unconvincing plot twist… I won’t reveal any more, although Continue reading »
Blood – The Last Vampire (2009)
Sony / 2009
Directed by Chris Nahon
Written by Chris Chow, Kenji Kamiyama, Katsuya Terada
Cast: Gianna Jun, Allison Miller, Liam Cunningham, Koyuki
Review by Brian Harris
A half-breed vampire girl named Saya hunts monstrous vampires for a secret society called The Council. Their wish is to kill enough vampires to lure out the most powerful of them all, Onigen. When Saya is sent to infiltrate a high school stationed in a military base, the military and a lone student get wrapped up in The Council’s business, forcing Saya to break away from her employers to protect her newfound friend as well as find Onigen for her own personal revenge.
How could this have gone so wrong? Blood – The Last Vampire had the makings of an incredibly entertaining vampire action-fest, instead it came off stiff and awkward. This was one of those films that really suffered from a lack of direction; I mean who was this exactly being aimed at? The “Engrish” many of the Asian actors were forced to speak was occasionally hard to understand and the English-speaking (read: Westerners) actors FELT like English actors that had worked Asian cinema before. If you’re familiar with HK cinema and the westerners usually cast in those films, you know what I’m talking about.
I don’t know, I found the action and production design quite good, though this could have used to action sequence trimming, but it all just felt so empty and bland. I could probably whine about the CG vampire beasts and the constant CG blood-sprays but, for me, it neither hurt nor helped this production.
Blood – The Last Vampire is worth checking out, maybe once, but I don’t plan on purchasing this. Director Chris Nahon brought some wonderful visuals to the table but not one single thing else. Dialogue was all robotic and unnatural, not one single character is remotely likable or even sympathetic and it just ended feeling really soulless and unfocused. Is it Asian cinema? Western cinema? French cinema pretending to be Asian but using Westerners? Who knows, I have no need to see it again.
Vinyan (2008)
R1 / NTSC DVD
Sony Pictures / 2009
Directed by Fabrice Du Welz
Written by Oliver Blackburn, Fabrice Du Welz, David Greig
Cast: Emmanuelle Béart, Rufus Sewell, Julie Dreyfus
Review by Brian Harris
Unable to let go of the possibility that their son, swept away by a tsunami, may still be alive somewhere in the jungle, Paul and Janet Belhmer hire a triad gangster to lead them to a tribe that may have knowledge of a young white child living in the wild. The deeper they travel, the further the Belhmer’s draw apart as slow, creeping despair and insanity begin settling in.
I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for Du Welz’s next film and I can honestly say Vinyan does not disappoint. Obviously it’s not a straight
up horror flick so viewers interested in the horrors of Calvaire will be sorely disappointed; Vinyan is a subtle, supernatural thriller that touches on themes of grief and guilt. As the film progresses the tension becomes almost unbearable and then…well it sort of bottoms out. That’s certainly not to say the film isn’t effective, it just doesn’t seem to carry the tension evenly throughout the film.
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Sewell and Béart’s performances were exemplary, especially if you’re familiar with their previous work. Emmanuelle Béart’s turn as the anguished Janet Belhmer was fantastic and her desperation only added to the absolute insanity of the final chilling act. Production values are out of this world and the cinematography is beautiful, Vinyan sports some of the best imagery I’ve seen in years.
Vinyan takes its time and it’s neither graphic nor gory so keep that in mind when you check the film out. I plan to purchase this as I’m a dedicated Du Welz fan but those of you not into alien landscapes, wild, undead tribes of children and betrayal so unexpected it will blow your mind, Vinyan may not be your cup of tea. I say give it a shot.
