Stakeland

Didn't have to wait long for this one , ok at least as long as i though i would , now for red state . WoW , is what i have to say after just finishing this movie, first lets get the comparisons out of the way zombieland... zombie land is a joke , a well crafted joke but a comedy non the less , this movie takes it self very seriously , the other the road, a movie i loved, the road was grim , but not horror , the cannibals popped up for a minute but i would say it was sci-fi drama, i will say it is more of a feel good movie than the road , though most films are spider and tarnation aside, the road has a bigger budget and they apocalypse did not come from vampires , so it was more visual than this movie, the make up effect here are ok though the vampires do come across as fast zombies , as they are very feral, i think un-romanticizing vampires could be a trend in the twilight back lash, as film makers take back the night so to speak,what the film does well it excels at , very character driven , several oh shit how are they going to get out of this suspenseful moments, and thing i was oh shit i'm scared , like the basement scene in paranormal activity 2 , no i thought it was good story telling and film making but , i suppose there are some who might find this scary, it would be scarier than say last years over hyped indie film monsters, if zombie scare you then yes , if you are easilly creeped then yes , if not and you like horror see this anyway, the holly wood moments were kept to a minimum, this always scores big with me , am i a little jaded perhaps, but as an avid horror fan i am this audience you gotta throw the curve ball and if you are reading this chances are you might be as well

I Saw the Devil

the director of a tale of two sisters, returns with a revenge epic, and Min-sik Choi from old-boy stars ,alongside the guy who played storm shadow in gi joe, in case you are wondering when he pulls out some of the dope moves in this film. received a foreign release in 2010, but i saw it this year, so i would count it thus far as the best film this year, though - it hasn't gotten it's fair share of competition yet.
a good cop goes, bad and you will be surprised at how far he goes to get revenge when his pregnant girl friend falls victim to a serial killer.
going into this film there was a lot of hype about about how extreme this was supposed to be and asian cinema has set the bar pretty high for it's self with stuff like visitor q .
the violence is graphic , to non-horror standards when called for but , much more restrained than you might think, the film is pretty tasteful all the way around considering the subject matter and the antagonists fetish for rape,
the main crux of the movie is the toll it takes on the cop's descent to make this serial killer pay, my only complaint is Min-sik Choi's character could have stood to have been a little more of a bad ass, i thought he tends to give up quick at times when the fight is brought to him, maybe there is an irony in this i was supposed to wink at but i wanted him to be more ford tough like hannibal lecter
oh well,

like charlie sheen says about partying ..whats not to love could be said about this film, tough guy quirks aside, very well paced and acted. if you love gritty and in your face this movie is for you very meat and potatoes, no cerebral lets looks at your daddy issues and see what makes this nut job tick , in either case, its more like a collision course, normally i prefer a sexual element to my torture movies, guy on guy doesn't do it for me , but it was so spy vs spy, it worked
it took me along time to find the subtitled version online but most streaming site should have it , i think i posted a link on my facebook, yes lecture me about supporting horror cinema at the box office and i will say- it never came to my city atlanta with this supposedly great horror scene this movie did not play at the plaza or midtown art- so there i'm sure if it had zombies it would have

we are the night

haven't enjoyed a vampire movie this much since let the right one in, though genre film both not sure either would be a true horror film if we are going to nit pick here , because we are the night never scared me, neither did let the right one in, both films the main character comes from desperate beginnings that's where the similarities end, the only faults are one of the main character, who comes across like alice from twilight, and the heavy handedness to the climatic battle scene, a problem i also had with the wolf-man remake. the theme is familiar but with a different feels more lost boys than anything else which comes to mind aside from the beginning which i found to be slightly girl with the dragon tattoo , but is not a cut and paste of vampire films, it adds to the mythos slightly though the broader origins are left out, but thats where the film strength lies is what they don't tell you, there were several opportunities the could have cheesed it up and gone in a glitzy direction but use restraint. the cinematography had some cool moments , not a dazzling as say night watch and the violence wasn't as brutal as 30 days of night a vampire movie , i felt was actually scary, but it did me well and should hold me over until i can get my hands on a copy of stakeland , which i have the feeling is going to come across as how i am legend should have been made
up next ... we'll say tues my review of i saw the devil

House Of The Wolf-Man

Had this ordered for my birth day, after a long hunt for it, a very limited release, even shorter than human centipede's , talking select showings then straight to video which is elusive to making online purchase your only option. Low budget, though not on the ed wood level, the film is a homage to the universal classics , though it spots it could have stood to take better cues from the celluloid gods its worshiping as it is pace more like the haunting on the hill house rather than Dracula , Frankenstein or the Wolf-man, who all make appearances here. The appearance of a monster doesn't occur until an hour into the movie.
The script is a mixed bag and the story veers wildly off from the mythos of the characters, making me wonder why Ron Chaney whose acting the films weakest , did not make the role more of a lawerence talbot , thing and leave the mad genius to some one else. Unknown Cheryl Rodes, who looks to be a scream queen on the rise is the films stand out.Granted the element of camp is a part of it's vintage charm, the universal films did not directly wink and took themselves seriously, the stereotypes, hunter , nerd ,vixen etc play into the genre but some of the characters could have been more solidly fleshed out though i started believing them in time, right when the movie takes the turn to monsters who dispatch of some of main characters rather quickly, which i give the film the guts for doing, the violence is blood free and rather , tame off camera, monster make up in some case works better than others, the wolf man's body looks like a teddy bear sleeping bag in some shots, the Frankenstein vs the Wolf-man battle is one of the highlights, plays out like a no dq anything goes wrestling match, much more physical , the monster is fleet on his feet rather than a lumbering buffoon, it's a power vs speed thing. the film leaves the movie open for a sequel which with certain elements from this film and a bigger budget, so it doesn't blatantly appear the castle walls are stage flats when the monster slams the were wolf against them , it was a little bit of a distraction, if you are not a true fan of the universal movies , then this might not be for you, but is fun if you can go into it with low expectations and a gentle train of thought on its production short comings and cartoon like story line, glad its part of the collection and if any movie deserves to be remade on a bigger budget with better writing this is one that should be thought of as a pilot or demo reel for a bigger studio