Film Reviews by LC

Essentially a melodramatic family drama played out against a backdrop of a dystopian sci-fi horror, where organ trading is the hottest commodity. For some reason everyone is dressed in goth outfits and sings, relentlessly. The music isn't particularly memorable, and after an hour the endless singing does start to wear thin, but it does add to the overall bizarre feel, which is the film's strongest selling point. I'm not sure I'd ever want to watch this again, but I have to admire it's willingness to go full-on bonkers, and for that alone it's entertaining enough.

I was expecting a straightforward murder mystery, but this is a much stranger, more artsy film. The whole movie is very stylishly shot, and a great snapshot of swinging 60's London. The central character of David Hemming's photographer is certainly no hero, but much more flawed and interesting, flipping between jaded boredom and manic energy, whilst the sexual politics of his interactions with women will probably often feel uncomfortable to modern audience. The murder mystery plot is there, but it doesn't play out in expected fashion, and seems to exist more to throw a light on the central character - does he treat what's in front of him as real, or just material for his art? Just how much of what we see in the film is real? This film asks some intriguing questions, then lets the audience make up their own mind.

This is a solid thriller - it's well shot, looks great, and the acting is decent, but it just doesn't have quite enough thrills to take it to the next level. It all works, but quite frankly I could have done with a little more actual rollercoater carnage - as it is, this is a bit like a Jaws film in which the shark only makes a couple of attacks.

PS - For those renting the blu ray, Disc 2 contains the uncut version of the film, so you might as well just skip the first disc and go to this one.

Appearing to be about an equal mix of historical fact and wild flights of fancy, the director's trademark retro black and white noir visuals merge seamlessly with found footage for an intriguing whole. The narration adds to the hypnotic, dreamlike feel, and whilst it does slightly run out of steam towards the end, this is still stylish and unique enough to be highly recommended for those looking for something a bit different.

The plot here is a bog-standard revenge thriller, and nothing to get too excited about. Where this film entertains is in how ridiculously over the top it is, with the screen literally gushing blood from a series of inventive kills. Characters are similarly ludicrous - as well as the titular machine-gun for an arm heroine, we also have a villain with a rotating metal bra that acts as a deadly drill - that's the kind of lunatic film this is, and after a while it's impossible not to laugh and enjoy the silliness. The only real downside here is the picture quality, which even on blu ray looks pretty cheap and nasty. Close-ups are fine, but any background detail is lost in a blur of pixilation - I'm guessing due to budget this was filmed on the equivalent of cheap digital camcorders. A shame, but if you can overlook that, there is some good, bloody fun to be had here.

There's plenty to enjoy in this 'Psycho'-style horror - it's well shot, the performances are fine, and it's heavy on moody atmosphere. At the same time, it has to be said that the pace is rather slow, and the climax is ultimately underwhelming. A lot of good build up, but this ultimately a film that slightly fizzles out.

Bit of an odd one this - clearly it's not meant to be taken seriously, but aside from a few gags there's not much in the way of laugh-out-loud humorous dialogue either. The whole thing is so over the top it's ridiculous, and almost feels like a spoof of the action-movie genre, but maybe that's the point. Some fun visuals and fight scenes, but ultimately it's all style and very little substance. Fun if you're in the right mood, just don't expect a serious thriller.

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.