Awake (2007)
Starring: Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen and Terrence Howard
Directed by Joby Harold
Icon Home Entertainment
August 2008
Clayton Beresford Jr., a successful young business tycoon living in the shadow of his deceased father, has a relationship with Samantha Lockwood, a woman in his employ, which progresses to the point where they want to marry. However, the tycoon has been keeping the affair secret from his domineering mother whom he knows will disapprove. So he decides to undergo a quick, private wedding ceremony and inform his mother afterward. No sooner has he achieved this than the hospital contacts him with news of a donor heart. Obliged to undergo a life-saving operation to replace his own weak heart, the young businessman finds himself awake during the operation but unable to move. Not only does he feel every cut, but he soon discovers that the people he called friends are not who he thought they were...
Awake is a conspiracy thriller which dips one toe in the realms of supernatural fantasy. Hayden Christensen (the adolescent Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels) is much more convincing here as a trusting successful businessman duped in love for a scheming gold-digger (played by Jessica Alba) and her greedy associates.
The idea of somebody waking up during surgery, unable to move or speak but subject to the feeling of every cut, is a solid and convincing premise which works very well here. I'd go so far as to say it's unnerving to watch the heart surgery scene whilst listening to his mind screaming out in agony and outrage.
The solid manner of moving the young tycoon character into the realms of fantasy is for the script to have his traumatised mind place him anywhere but in the operating theatre, thereby having him learn about the plot to see him off for his money. In this manner, his mind reflects on previous conversations and clues he should have recognised at the time.
Although predictable in places, Awake is a powerful thriller which should entertain (or at least keep interested) both mainstream and genre viewers.
Extras include Deleted Scenes; an Audio Commentary by writer/director Joby Harold; a Making of... Documentary; and a Storyboard to Film Comparison.
Bone (1972)
Starring: Andrew Duggan, Joyce Van Patten and Yaphet Kotto
Directed by Larry Cohen
Anchor Bay UK
June 2006
When classic car salesman Bill and his wife Bernadette discover a rat in their Beverley Hills swimming pool a powerful black man arrives from nowhere to fish it out for them. The couple assume he is the pool maintenance man, but instead he turns out to be a rapist and thief wanted by the police. There is no cash in the house, and it soon becomes evident that Bill has borrowed more money than the couple have. The intruder, known as Bone, gives Bill a deadline in which to drive into town, withdraw some money and get back, otherwise he will rape and kill Bernadette. Bill initially complies, but then gets side tracked by a liaison with a strange woman who was molested by an old man when she was a child and seems determined to repeat the experience. When Bill fails to show up at the allotted time both Bone and Bernadette are aggrieved for very different reasons. They decide to go after Bill, intending to cause an "accident" and claim on the insurance. But Bone hasn't counted on the ruthlessness of Bernadette...
The moment I noticed that Bone was written and directed by Larry Cohen I somehow knew exactly what to expect. I wasn't far wrong. Lots of jazzy The Streets of San Francisco type music, pretty bland characters and a plot which could easily have been played-out in half-an-hour. In fact similar scenarios have been attempted much more successfully in long-running weekly serials, because the format is far too common to be self-sustaining. So we are forced to endure the stereotypical black villain story, and are informed through dialogue that Bone acts the way he does because it is what society expects of him (what?!). Larry Cohen's It's Alive trilogy of films about cannibal babies weren't quality pieces by any stretch of the imagination, but at least they had a hook. There was mystery, there was danger and there was sympathy, all qualities missing from Bone.
On the extras, Jack H. Harris explains how he turned from film maker to producer and could not obtain enough films to please the film company. Bone arose from his liaison with Larry Cohen. The film was shown to test audiences who didn't care, so it was decided they might be more successful with predominantly black cinema goers. Wrong again. Instead of catching the blatant hints that this was a rubbish film the pair remarketed the project as a dark comedy and romance (for fear of repeating myself again... what?!). This time they were apparently more successful - which probably means one blind man turned up at the cinema looking for the bakers.
Extras include the aforementioned comments from Jack H. Harris, a Commentary by Larry Cohen, a Featurette, and Theatrical Trailers. In short, Bone will bore modern audiences to distraction. You could say it's Bone-idle (yes, I did think of that one all by myself).
The Card Player (2004)
Starring: Stefania Rocca, Liam Cunninghan, Silvio Muccino
Directed by Dario Argento
Arrow Video
March 2010
A young woman is abducted, and police detective Anna Mari is forced to play a form of on-line poker against the kidnapper for the woman's life. Initially, the chief inspector had refused to involve the police in manipulative games, which culminated in the first captive being killed in front of their eyes via a video link which the experts cannot trace. But even when Anna convinces him they should play to buy more time, she knows she is no poker player. Aided by a disgraced Irish cop called John Brennan in the investigation to apprehend the killer the media has dubbed The Card Player, Anna soon realises she will need an expert player. However, somehow the killer knows that someone is playing in her stead. It isn't long before Anna becomes a target herself, and the killer isn't finished playing yet...
The Card Player is one of a number of current DVD releases of Dario Argento films from Arrow Video. Horror aficionados might know him through his older films such as Demons and Suspiria, or more recently by his contribution to the Masters of Horror anthology series. However, he has delved more deeply into police procedural murder mysteries/thrillers - a genre which he reportedly feels most comfortable with.
This is a good representation of his dramatic suspense material, with Stefania Rocca and Liam Cunningham both powerful in their central roles. The use of computer crime, although heavily on the increase, is usually in the form of embezzlement, so the idea of the computer application being the unwitting channel for crime threw me back to the excellent Lynda LaPlante scripted Killer Net, in which a CD-ROM game was being controlled by a third party. This being the case, the film would also have worked well as an episode of any number of police detective serials.
The plot motors along at a cracking pace, and the climatic scene is gripping, but I have to say it didn't take much reasoning to work out who the killer was, particularly when a time discrepancy is explained.
Any fan of Dario Argento's work should welcome this release, as it contains a double-sided sleeve, a collector's booklet, and a poster. The disc itself contains a Making of... featurette, a gallery and ten minutes of trailers for his other films.
Chaw (2009)
Starring: Tae-woong Eom, Yoon Jae-Moon and Josiah D. Lee
Directed by Shin Jeong-won
Optimum Home Entertainment
March 2010
A policeman from Seoul, Korea is transferred to a small community in the hills. The town is proudly crime-free, but expecting an excruciatingly slow pace, he is surprised to find a young and conceited detective investigating the circumstances leading up to the discovery of some mutilated bodies. Partway into a murder investigation it becomes apparent that they are looking for a large and savage animal. The detective hires a well known hunter trained in Finland, but when faced with a huge boar he turns out to be somewhat less than a hero. The boar is killed and publicly shown to much media acclaim. However, an old and grizzled local hunter convinces the newly arrived policeman that the boar responsible is significantly larger, and he is proved correct when it attacks the packed town hall during a celebration, looking for its mate. The policeman and the hunter set up an expedition to track down the monster, but they discover that conventional bullets simply bounce from its ultra-thick hide...
The promotional blurb from Optimum Home Entertainment cites The Host as an influence in the new wave of Asian (and in particular, Korean) monster movies. I remember seeing The Host at a cinema in the Trocadero Piccadilly Circus and not quite knowing what to make of it. It was certainly more of a monster movie in the traditional Godzilla respect.
Chaw follows a natural animal's (albeit a gargantuan one) exploits, and so has a closer connection to something like Razorback. It's intelligently directed in the early scenes, wherein only tantalisingly brief glimpses are shown, but it also holds-up when seen in its entirety for the first time when breaking through the wall into the town hall. Subsequent appearances when charging or chasing are well-rendered in CGI.
The characters are well-defined; I particularly liked the inclusion of the policeman's mother, who clearly suffers with mental problems and proves increasingly unpredictable. On top of that the woman next door is deranged, looking after a doll like a baby and neglecting the little boy in her charge. The police captain is lazy and weak-stomached, the detective is vain, and the elderly hunter dark and resentful. Only the newly arrived policeman appears in any way normal. But such is life, and it does work well.
The humour is another matter; when subtly applied and kept dry it succeeds in spades, but a little too often it reduces itself to the school playground, becoming very childish and slapstick. So the tone switches constantly from suspenseful to lightly comedic without ever getting the balance quite right. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable evening's viewing.
Haxan - Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922)
Starring: Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan and Elith Pio
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Tartan DVD
September 2007
Haxan (from 1922) is a difficult one to quantify. Intending to primarily be a documentary describing the facts and legends surrounding the interesting subject of witchcraft and Satanism, it uses sketched depictions, models, animation and specially shot fictional film footage to lecture rather than entertain viewers, and suffers from getting caught between being a public information film and a Fritz Lang-type short.
You could be forgiven for thinking that this DVD contains two features. On the menus Haxan is listed as the main film, with Witchcraft Through the Ages sitting as a special feature. In actuality, they're the same thing. Haxan is tediously long at 104 minutes. Each line of subtitles seems to remain on the screen for an age, and I came dangerously (or should that be blissfully) close to falling asleep within the first five minutes. Furthermore, the original soundtrack is curiously unrelated in style to what is happening on screen. Rather than complimenting the piece it's manically fast and grating, which is almost certainly why we're offered two alternatives scores - one being the Brontt Industries Kapital in Dolby 5.1, the other by Geoff Smith in Dolby 2.0.
Witchcraft Through the Ages is the same feature, only mercifully 28 minutes shorter because of a narration replacing the subtitles. Although this makes the experience somewhat more palatable, William S. Burroughs' tone is conducive with the Green Cross Code Man instructing us on how to negotiate a crossing of the road, or perhaps an old piece of wildlife film covering the lions of the Serengeti.
In conclusion, Haxan does have its moments. The masks and costumes and the cleverly incorporated animations are impressive. Additionally, some of the live-action antics will make some people smile; particularly the Devil's shenanigans. However, the whole is unlikely to hold the attention of mainstream or even horror viewers, perhaps only appealing to those wishing to study factual references to witchcraft.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold
Directed by John McNaughton
Studiocanal
October 2011
Henry is a serial killer who moves from city to city, leaving behind a string of bodies, killed by various methods. He associates no importance to the process, although he realises it is important to keep on the move. Arriving in Chicago, he moves in with Otis, an ex-con buddy who is soon drawn into his dark world. When Otis’ s sister arrives in town looking for work, she is intrigued with Henry and, after hearing about some of his exploits, happily attaches herself to him and his sinister psyche. Henry begins to school them in his way of life, causing them to take a direction from which there is no return...
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was filmed in 1986 but, due to its bio docudrama approach and certain scenes of violence, it wasn’t seen in its entirety until 1990. I’ve seen the edited version of this film and, to be brutally honest, in terms of the number of scenes there’s not much difference. John McNaughton was a fledgling director at the time, and undoubtedly wanted to make a big impact on the movie business - although he admits that he had no idea what constituted an unreasonably brutal scene in the eyes of the censors. The opening montage of dead bodies in various locations is one such segment which had to be removed. Now that it’s back in place, it isn’t lengthy but it does somewhat change the structure of the entire film. Rather than have Henry tell his back story to the police in a scene arrangement which starts in the middle - as with the other, frankly awful, Henry Lee Lewis semi-fictional biography - what we get here is a more palatable linear tale of how the key character brings everyone down around
him.
Henry is based on the notorious serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas. He is portrayed here as an almost totally emotionless individual, with cold inner rage and sexual frustration. Although acting performances are solid and convincing, this is not the type of film I normally enjoy. However, for anyone who loves this movie, there is a veritable plethora of extra features on this Blu-ray Special Edition. Alongside the expected Making of... documentary, there is a featurette on Henry Lee Lucas, an interview with director John McNaughton (which is so long that I fell asleep watching it), an exploration of the altered scenes, deleted scenes and outtakes with commentary, stills gallery, and original storyboards.
Hush (2008)
Starring: William Ash, Christine Bottomley, Claire Keelan, Stuart McQuarrie and Robbie Gee
Directed by Mark Tonderai
Optimum Home Entertainment
July 2009
Zakes and on/off girlfriend Beth are driving along the M1 late at night. It's raining hard and they're both tired and irritable. When a white lorry overtakes them the back slides up and for an instant Zakes catches a glimpse of a naked woman caged and screaming inside. He calls the police on a mobile but the number plate is too dirty to be read. Satisfied that the police will investigate, Zakes pulls into a service station to put up the posters required for his job. Beth is disgusted that Zakes hasn't done more to help the captive woman, and elects to make her own way home. Zakes waits in the car for her to come to her senses, but when he spots the white lorry and a hooded figure, and finds her broken necklace, he realises with horror that Beth has been taken too. He trails the lorry, and what follows is a rollercoaster ride of terror and pain as Zakes determines to recover his girlfriend from a mysterious assailant...
I'm certain I've mentioned before how a film created by a first time writer/director can either be inspirational or insipid; delightful or disastrous. Luckily, this time around it's very much the former. The brains behind this gem is Mark Tonderai, and what's more he's British. The fact that Hush has been nominated for a British Independent Film award, may give you some insight into the standard we're talking about here. There's no doubting that, like the early scenes of Jeepers Creepers, this film owes a debt of gratitude to Duel (written by the great Richard Matheson and directed by a young Steven Spielberg), certainly with the heavy use of the lorry and the faceless driver. In fact, the hooded figure goes a long way to empowering Hush; you can almost see it becoming a franchise (yee, Gods!).
The small handful of characters are the most believable I've seen in some time. Not only do they react realistically to events, they are changed by them. At the forefront of these is Will Ash, whose portrayal of Zakes couldn't be more convincing. There's no compromising here; no making the character fit situations. Everything Zakes does throughout the film is based in truth; no more so than when he chooses not to involve himself directly until his own girlfriend is abducted. A few things in the context of the story are not explained, but that's fine, as a person in Zakes's position wouldn't necessarily learn everything that is going on. They would only be concerned with recovering their loved one. In this respect, it is a long time since a film has intelligently piled on layer upon layer of tension, so that you are literally biting your nails and sitting on the edge of your seat. It's simply wonderful when a film arrives which does this with such flair, because they are so few and far between.
Tonderai so obviously has a talented eye for good drama, suspense and action. The film is tightly edited, with good continuity. In this film he plays cleverly with our nerves. I think we should keep a close eye on his progress in the industry, because judging by Hush, he is already a force to be reckoned with.
There is a nice collection of extras too, with seven featurettes, a commentary, interviews with Mark Tonderai and William Ash, and deleted scenes. Buy it now.
I Am Not A Serial Killer (2016)
Starring: Max Records, Laura Fraser, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Baldwin
Directed by Billy O'Brien
Bulldog Film Distribution
February 2017
John Wayne Cleaver (a nice name which suggests a sort of hero slasher!) is a 17 year old boy who helps his mother at the mortuary removing organs from bodies and replacing blood with embalming fluid. He has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with serial killers to the point he has a therapist (he even tells people that he has to be nice to them because he is actually thinking about killing them!). The town is living in fear as several people have been killed or gone missing. When John spots someone acting suspiciously on more than one occasion he surreptitiously follows the figure to a surprising revelation. But it’s one thing knowing who the killer is, it’s quite another doing something about it. Everyone treats John with distaste, mistrust or ridicule, so he is obliged to take matters into his own hands. However, the killer knows the enemy, and events lead to an astounding game of cat and mouse...
Christopher Lloyd is already a minor legend for his eccentric appearances in Taxi and Back to the Future, but the real star in this movie is Max Records. He perfectly portrays a teenager who is an aloof (but not necessarily cold) passive-aggressive with the presence of a victim unless he has something to say. Although he doesn’t bond with anyone (his family and one friend quite plainly outsiders) you can’t help siding with him... proving the acting is spot on.
There are obvious links to the excellent Donnie Darko: occasional black humour against a bleak subject matter (John uses an unwanted panda hat Christmas gift as a disguise in the latter stages), and the ‘nobody’ with sociopathic tendencies who uncovers corruption within a relatively small community whilst riding a bike! However, it’s a very different film with its own clever moments. I don’t want to give too much away, but there are plenty of surprises. I particularly like the scene wherein John follows the suspicious hooded figure as another person is apparently abducted, only to witness the revelation that the supposed victim is actually the aggressor.
John’s morbid fascination with killer and dead bodies is entirely conducive to the plot. The groundwork for the rather unusual finale is carefully laid out in plain sight, so that you can’t see the wood for the trees, so to speak.
There is nothing forced or contrived about I Am Not a Serial Killer; it flows with a real sense of professionalism. Even the kills are not the main scenes; there is no need for extreme violence and gore in a movie which so obviously feels comfortable in its own skin (which is ironic when you view the conclusion).
The film is a British/Irish co-production filmed in America. It has been almost universally acclaimed, and not without just cause. Director Billy O’Brien has done a sterling job (matched by a perfectly weighted score), and I’m certain we’ll be seeing more of Max Records (check out on the extras the test scenes filmed when he was younger).
Intacto (2001)
Starring: Monica Lopez, Leonardo Sbaraglia and Eusebio Poncela
Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Momentum Pictures
October 2003
A bank robber is the only survivor of a passenger plane crash. A casino employee tracks him down and explains how luck is a real force passed from person to person. They team up, travelling to many illicit gambling or chance games played for high stakes, such as houses, cars and even people. The casino man now possesses the means to confront his corrupt and unnaturally lucky boss; but the game is Russian Roulette, and the old man has seen many opponents die. Meanwhile, a police detective is on the trail of the bank robber, and can't avoid getting caught up in the game...
It's difficult to know exactly how to quantify this film, and I'm not certain I want to try. Words don't come easily, because there's very little to describe: no multiple layers, no diverging or converging plot-lines, no interesting characters, no action or stunts, no humour, no suspense... Need I go on? I'm afraid there's not even enough here to stimulate the most complacent and accepting viewer of weekday afternoon TV films.
Another problem is the chaotic structure. The director clearly has no feeling for how scenes should be played out. Or perhaps it was an editing fault, in which case the whole thing should have been left on the cutting room floor. It's not the language which is to blame, although it can be a little disorientating to watch a Spanish film with English subtitles, only to have some characters switch to English and back again for no discernible reason. No, the cuts are far too abrupt and frequent, jumping from scene to scene, back and forth, before any real tension or cohesion can be realised.
As for the story... I can't even say with any conviction if I've accurately described the plot with my little synopsis, because this is one of those films you watch and think to yourself "What the hell was all that about?!" Give this one a miss.
I Survived B.T.K. (2010)
Starring: Carmen Otero and Charlie Otero
Directed by Marc Levitz
Lions Gate Home Entertainment
February 2011
Charlie Otero was a teenage child on 15 January 1974 when he returned home from school to find that his parents and two younger family members had been viciously murdered. These were the first victims of the serial killer who would later be known as B.T.K. (Blind, Torture, Kill). Thirty years later, after many more killings during the 1970s and 1980s, a man called Dennis Rader was eventually arrested and convicted of the crimes. He is currently serving several life sentences. This is the story of how Charlie Otero, day by day, attempted to put his life back together...
I fully expected this to be a dramatisation of real life events, but discovered it to be a feature length documentary. After a description of the horrific events of that fateful day in 1974, we begin with Charlie just being released from jail after a three and a half year stretch. According to those closest to him, he was allegedly manipulated to certain actions by his ex-wife. He briefly meets a couple of old friends, before attempting to go on with his life. Charlie has been in a dark place, but he comes across as vengeful and railing at the world, which is normal in my book, considering what he has been through. They are events which will never leave him.
After years of silence, B.T.K. resurfaces, sending a number of correspondences to the police. After a time, and before Charlie Otero can exact his own justice, the perpetrator is arrested. It never fails to amaze me how almost everybody who has unsuspectingly known a serial killer states how nice or harmless they seemed. Charlie and his surviving sister attend a number of preliminary hearings, and we get a sense of just what they have suffered and endured across the years. Matters spiral further when his son is seriously injured in a traffic accident, and doctors have no idea whether or not he will pull through.
There is a sort of closure for Charlie. Rader is convicted and sentenced (although he shows no remorse), and there’s good news concerning his boy. I have no idea why this is a docu-film, as opposed to a TV documentary, but it does incorporate most key points in Charlie’s life leading up to the sentencing of his parents' murderer. The subject matter means it’s not enjoyable to watch, but it is professionally filmed and edited. You feel naturally pleased that his life is making a very positive turn.
The Machinist (2004)
Starring: Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh
Directed by Brad Anderson
Tartan Video
August 2005
Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is a machine operator; just one of a bored group of men. The difference is Reznik hasn't slept for nearly a year. Racked by extreme fatigue, his body is becoming increasingly emaciated. As a consequence of this his mind plays a series of warped tricks on him, until he seriously begins to doubt reality. As a result of his negligence a fellow worker suffers an accident in which he loses an arm. Reznik is alienated from the workforce, and his guilt soon turns to paranoia. As a series of Hangman notes appear on his fridge, he discovers the two people he can still rely on are not what they seem at all. Reznik believes someone is trying to exact revenge on him for the accident, but the real truth will threaten to tip him over the edge into insanity...
This is one of those films you feel compelled to watch; once you've pressed that play button you're not going to press stop until it's over. That's testament to the film's good plotting. There are layers upon layers which reel you in and immerse you in the so-called subterfuge until you're not quite sure if The Machinist is a contemporary thriller or a Chronenberg-like fantasy. I suppose it's a bit of both, but the closest film comparison in terms of style would be Donnie Darko. Especially the final revelations, and the fact that it leaves you thinking and trying to make sense of certain aspects. I prefer that in a film; I don't particularly like neatly tied-up packages.
Christian Bale (currently finding fame in Batman Begins) is near faultless in his performance here. The lengths he went to to get into character surprised even the writer and director. Simply put, Bale just stopped eating and wasted away, risking serious health problems, until he barely existed. I'm not sure a mere movie warrants those extremes, but you've got to give the man credit, because he pulls it off with aplomb.
For me, the best scene is when he takes the little boy on the ghost train. The way Bale reacts to the increasingly depraved scenes of death and violence, trying to protect the boy, are the film's only humorous moments. But it doesn't stay that way for long. I think if I'd been taken on that ghost train at a young age I'd have had a seizure too.
Extras are: Director Interview, Commentary by Director Brad Anderson, The Making of... featurette, Trailers and 8 Deleted Scenes.
A great and original film.
Manhunter (1986)
Starring: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen and Brian Cox
Directed by Michael Mann
Optimum Home Entertainment
September 2011
Will Graham is an ex-crime scenes investigator, who retired after catching and imprisoning Dr Hannibal Lector. He was stabbed but affected by a greater extent after trying to put himself in the mind of Lector and as a result spending a short time in a mental facility. His friend and colleague, Jack Crawford, persuades him to return and head the investigation into a new serial killer, dubbed by insiders as The Tooth Fairy. After visiting the latest crime scene, Will visits Lector in jail in order to re-enter the required mindset, but Lector immediately begins to play mind games with him. When it is discovered that the killer has corresponded with Lector, Will sets up a sting with himself as the target. However, the plan goes disastrously wrong, and Will is left with only a few hours left before the next full moon killing...
I have fond memories of this film. Red Dragon, upon which this film was based, was by far the best book from Thomas Harris, no subsequent book involving these characters coming close. Similarly, this film knocks spots off those films which followed: the vastly overrated The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and the inevitable Red Dragon inferior remake. This film, looking crisp and new on Blu-ray, simply exudes style. The direction by Michael Mann, is meticulous in making everything look slightly off-kilter. In each scene he uses a piece of architecture or furniture and has it take over the shot - even filming at table height or at acute angles on the street.
Also, the book has been expertly transposed, losing none of its tautness. There’s a constant feeling of time running out, highlighted by tints of colour indicating the present feeling portrayed. The acting is pretty much spot on - particularly Brian Cox as Hannibal, and William Peterson (of CSI) as Will Graham. You genuinely want to slap the reporter, and that’s the sign of good characterisation. We are more than halfway into the film before we see anything of the lifestyle of the killer and his tentative relationship with a blind woman, which soon turns sour.
This 25th Anniversary Edition contains the Original Theatrical Cut, and the Director’s Cut. There are a couple of nice special features too: The Manhunter Look featurette, and the Inside Manhunter featurette.
New York Ripper (1982)
Starring: Jack Hedley, Andrew Painter and Andrea Occhipinti
Directed by Lucio Fulci
Shameless Screen Entertainment
October 2007
A serial killer is at large in New York. His penchant is for cutting-up beautiful young women. On his trail is a police inspector who is told by a couple of phone witnesses that he speaks like a duck. Subsequent taunting phone calls received by the inspector confirm this. An intended victim survives to tell the police about a man who is missing two fingers, who accosted her on the subway, but she was actually attacked after that incident and identifies the wrong person. When the man she identified is dragged from the water, having been dead for some time, it means he couldn't have been the killer. The inspector is back to square one. Then the killer makes another attempt on the victim who survived, and the pieces begin to come together...
New York Ripper is the first of many violent horror and exploitation films to be released by Shameless Screen Entertainment. It was previously banned and the prints ordered out of the country by the BBFC. In my opinion, it seems a strange marketing strategy to attempt to capture a retail audience of perverted sex and extreme violence mongers, with descriptions like vile and shocking, and quotes such as "The sickest movie ever made!"
As with Phantom of Death, another early Shameless release, I expected to hate this film, but was rather pleasantly surprised. The only really gruesome scene is the one in which a secured victim is seen to be sliced with a razor blade from the forehead and down through one eye. All other set pieces are no worse than many other horror films, such as a Friday the 13th flick or John Carpenter's The Thing, also released in 1982. Most of the victims are quickly dispatched (at least on-screen) and the killer is not seen in the same frame until the end of the movie. Perhaps it's just me, but scenes of a straight kill are considerably less disturbing than those depicting rape or prolonged torture, and luckily they are not present in this film.
There is more of a 1970s feel at play here, with a jazzy McCloud or The Streets of San Francisco soundtrack which proves curiously innocuous during the murder scenes, when you might normally expect menacing or at least creepy music. However, the notion of the killer speaking like a duck is intriguing and proves effective, enhancing the moments when the psychopath lets go. This works well as a murder mystery, suspects mounting up along the way before being whittled down as their stories are played out. I thought the killer might be Daffy Duck or The Penguin from Batman but, all joking aside, was relieved to discover there was a valid reason for the voice which also ties-in with the motive for the killings.
The violence of the murder scenes is not what should be emphasised in the marketing blurb, because it is merely an aside to a relatively good plot-driven murder mystery. This is New York Ripper's first excursion on to DVD in the UK and, like Phantom of Death, is certainly worth a look.
Pig Hunt (2008)
Starring: Travis Aaron Wade, Tina Huang and Howard Johnson Jr.
Directed by James Isaac
G2 Pictures
October 2009
John is a city boy who as a youngster had spent time on his uncle's ranch, but he is certainly no stranger to hunting. Now his uncle is dead, and he returns with three friends with the idea of checking out the property and getting in some wild pig hunting. Unfortunately for his friends, John's girlfriend Brook tags along. When they stop at an isolated gas station store they are told the local legend about The Ripper, a huge three thousand pound black boar which has killed many animals and a handful of people. Of course, John's friends consider this a tall tale at best - especially considering they are very soon met with a new problem. Confronted by the Tibb Brothers, local past compatriots turned violent enemies, who insist on accompanying the group, matters are made even worse when the group fall out over cannabis plants found growing on John's uncle's land. Pretty soon one of the brothers is dead, and all hell suddenly breaks loose as the surviving brother and his redneck family and friends seek bloody vengeance. A nearby hippy commune seems a possible place of refuge, but is it really the haven it promises to be...?
I had already seen trailers for this movie on previous DVDs for review, and I wasn't impressed. But prepared to be proved wrong in my preconceptions, I sat down with my impatient head on. It all seems so stereotypical at the beginning, with the cool and perfect hero, the Lara Croft-like girlfriend, and the immature teenage friend, very much in the vein of the characters in some of the Friday 13th films or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre boy in the wheelchair. Then there are the inevitable rednecks. So there is the expected nod to Deliverance and others of its ilk. On face value you would think Pig Hunt and Dying Breed to be virtually identical films, because they share so many ingredients.
However, Pig Hunt possesses significantly more depth than the aforementioned example. There's so much peril here that you don't get a chance to tire of any one danger. Whether by accident or design, the conflict is piled on in layers, exactly as it should be in any story of triumph over adversity. There is internal and external argument, the life or death threat of the locals, and of course The Ripper itself, which plays a much more prominent role than the Tasmanian Tiger in Dying Breed. I particularly liked the concept of the hippy commune and the origins of its members. A much better film than I expected, although I'm disappointed at the lack of extras; there's only a trailer here.
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
Starring: Asia Argento, Thomas Kretschmann and Marco Leonardi
Directed by Dario Argento
Arrow Video
March 2010
Anna Manni is a detective in Rome's Anti-Rape Unit. Whilst on the hunt for a serial rapist and killer, she is given an anonymous tip-off as to his whereabouts. When she arrives to apprehend him at an art gallery the elaborate classic paintings overwhelm her and she passes-out, hitting her head on a table. When she regains consciousness her gun has gone from her bag, but she doesn't know who she is and can't recall what happened. A man offers her money for a taxi to her apartment, the key for which she finds in her bag. As she begins to recover her identity, she is attacked and raped by the same man - the person the police are searching for - using her weakness around works of art against her. The psychologist she is assigned to informs her she has Stendhal Syndrome, which causes intensive illusions in the presence of fine art. The killer begins to take an altogether unhealthy interest in Anna, finally kidnapping her and keeping her bound. However, when Anna manages to get the upper hand her police colleagues believe the killer is dead. But Anna isn't convinced...
This is another of the current DVD releases of Dario Argento films, this time starring the director's daughter Asia Argento. The recently reviewed The Card Player was originally intended as a sequel to this movie, but ultimately it took on it's own individual identity. That was to prove a blessing of sorts, as The Card Player is in my opinion a finer film - aside, perhaps, from the predictable ending.
The Stendhal Syndrome feels like an extremely long viewing experience; although the running time is 118 minutes, the structure is that of three conjoined segments, each differing only slightly from the last. Anna is effectively made a victim three times, and it makes you wonder where her colleagues are all this time. You wouldn't think they would let her out of their sight, and as a previous victim in reality she would have been removed from the case and sent far away to undergo convalescence. Still, this is based on a novel, and it's necessary to suspend a little disbelief otherwise we wouldn't have a story.
It's a reasonably good film, well acted, but the concept of entering a painting or having a dark figure emerge from one is not exploited enough for my liking. The scene in which she becomes the art she is afraid of by painting herself, becomes superfluous as the character of Anna learns nothing from the experience.
Again, the packaging is good, with a double-sided sleeve, a collector's booklet and a poster. The disc extras are limited to a theatrical trailer, and some trailers from Argento's other films.
Tattoo (2002)
Starring: Christian Redl and Johan Leysen
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Tartan Video
May 2004
A young policeman straight out of training school is caught at a drugs rave party. With his prospective career on the line, he finds himself being blackmailed into joining the Homicide squad. His insider knowledge is needed, but he soon finds himself well out of his depth. Somebody is killing people and removing the skin with their tattoos. He soon learns that the detective who coerced him has been looking in earnest over two years for his runaway daughter, after his wife was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The trade for classic Japanese tattoos by a talented but deceased artist hots up; some will pay millions and others will kill, but the artist's best work is on a woman still alive...
This is a German film with the option of English subtitles. Whilst I'm not a connoisseur of the German language I did listen for different emotions in the voices of the cast... and heard none. Even the movements of the actors were pretty staid, giving the impression they were simply going through the motions. The Homicide detective portrays the strong, silent approach, and the young policeman, almost the same in terms of moodiness, slouches his way through the movie tripping over clues, witnesses and informants as if this were a game of Cluedo.
Although the idea of trade in live tattoos is essentially sound, no one in the film shows any enthusiasm for the proceedings. Granted, in many American films there's lots of shouting and running around for no discernible reason, but here no one raises their voice for the entire duration and you feel like shaking some life into them.
I'm sorry, but with this being the case, why should I show any interest?
Thriller - TV Anthology Series (1973)
Starring: Robert Powell, T.P. McKenna, Dennis Waterman, Peter Vaughan, John Le Mesurier
Directed by Various
Granada Ventures
September 2004
With its eclectic mix of mystery, suspense and the supernatural, Thriller regularly enthralled Saturday night television audiences when it originally broadcast between 1973 and 1976...
Thriller is an early 1970s anthology series of hour-long suspense tales. This set of four DVDs contain a total of ten stories from the first series. The concept was created by Brian Clemens, who was well-known around this time for TV scriptwriting, his credits including The Avengers. Here he writes the majority of the material and supplies ideas for those few scripted by others.
This is very much a product of its time with very formal dialogue and a static upper-middle to higher class structure. There are plenty of giant country houses or rich city businessmen. Pretty much any working class character is a menial serving his or her 'betters'. However, it is rather refreshing at times to see problems combated in a gentlemanly manner, with no unnecessary violence or cursing. It reminds you of the old Raffles series and makes you wonder if the world was ever that civilised.
There is a veritable plethora of recognisable names and faces dotted throughout the series; among them, Robert Powell, T.P. McKenna, Dennis Waterman, Peter Vaughan, John Le Mesurier, Linda Thorson, Dinsdale Landen and Maureen Lipman. Thriller is not as bad as you might expect, but by today's standards it is long and drawn-out. These average stand-alone episodes range from the mildly enticing to the plainly awful. Although there are supernatural elements to some of the stories they are kept to a bare minimum.
Lady Killer has a con man worm his way into the affections of a lonely American woman and marry her in an attempt to claim the life insurance of his first wife. Possession has a couple move into a country house and soon discover the body of the previous owner under the cellar floor boards. Someone at the Top of the Stairs is a variation on The Picture of Dorian Gray scenario (and is "Marvellous!" which is a bad in-joke). Other stories include, An Echo of Theresa, The Colour of Blood, Murder in Mind, A Place to Die, File it Under Fear, The Eyes Have It, and Spell of Evil.
One more thing: why have the 'going to adverts' titles been left in? Surely they could easily have been edited out...
Tony: London Serial Killer (2009)
Starring: Peter Ferdinando, Frank Boyce and Lorenzo Camporese
Directed by Gerard Johnson
Revolver Entertainment
February 2010
Tony is a middle-aged, socially inept loner, who wanders the streets during daylight or night time hours searching for something to help fulfil his life. Secluded and inexperienced with people, he doesn't quite know what that missing ingredient is. It could be drugs, a man, a woman, or just plain company. But being a social outcast reaches new lows when a boy goes missing and the father accuses Tony of being a paedophile...
This is a low-budget movie partly funded by the National Lottery. It is filmed on location in and around a London estate and immediately identifiable tourist attraction areas such as Trafalgar Square, the Thames north side Embankment and Soho, managing in doing so to make them all seem a little seedy. I fully expected to quickly become bored with the proceedings, but conversely became curiously compelled to watch. This was in most part due to the considerable acting skills of Peter Ferdinando. The whole would be much lessened without his contribution; the character's entire demeanour and speech is spot on. He is completely devoid of emotions, no smiles or laughs, no frowns or anger. Just total detachment. I can't praise him enough.
There is a very dark and macabre humour inherent in this, which could easily be overlooked entirely by those with no sense of humour or who look on this entire venture as bad taste. In that case, I would suggest buying Disney's Bambi DVD instead. I for one appreciated the irony. When a man arrives at his flat to caution him about not having a TV licence, Tony is unfazed. That is until the man attempts to confiscate his TV, and is strangled with a wire flex for his trouble. The next thing you see is a foot in a dish as Tony begins to cut up and dispose of the body. Another priceless moment is when Tony wakes up with a man sitting up in bed next to him. Tony says good morning to him and asks if he wants a cup of tea - and you just know that he's dead.
This is the debut directorial feature from Gerard Johnson. As extras you'll find two of his short films: Mug, and an early truncated version of Tony, which nowhere near reaches the heights of the main feature. A very pleasant surprise.
The Toolbox Murders (2004)
Starring: Angela Bettis, Brent Roam and Juliet Landau
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Anchor Bay Entertainment UK
April 2005
Nell Barrow, a young woman, rents an apartment with her husband in the Lusman complex, a 1940's building under renovation. The walls are thin and she hears many strange noises. After a call to the police proves to be a false alarm, she is seen as a busybody by the landlord. But the truth is she is worried. Two woman from other apartments have gone missing; unbeknown to her violently murdered by a madman using hardware tools. With help she discovers that the same apartment number is missing on each floor, meaning there is a large area the others are not seeing. The building's blueprints show a number of mystic symbols which create a spell which keeps the killer there, in a grim representation of life.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspired a lot of horror films, one of which was the original Toolbox Murders. So it seems rather strange that Tobe Hooper should be remaking a movie which was influenced by his own Chainsaw masterpiece.
Watching the additional features, it seems the idea here was to reinvent the horror genre, the effect of which had become muted by real-life tragedies in the news. However, in my opinion it's not enough simply to depict a series of violent and gristly scenes. We have to care about the characters, and the plot has to move us along. These killings are well choreographed using old-school techniques, and you have to commend Hooper and his team for avoiding the easy trap of CGI to cut corners, but there's simply not enough of any significance going on the rest of the time.
In many ways this film also carries a baggage of clichés which quite frankly are unacceptable in this day and age. Potential baddies queue-up for recognition: a biker, a creepy handyman, an argumentative caretaker and a long-term resident living in the past. Many classic mystery writers have said that it's against the rules and certainly a cheat to have the killer be somebody not seen as an ordinary character during the plot. I'm not sure any writer should adhere to rules, but in this case it does treat the watching audience with a modicum of scepticism.
No shame is displayed in using a Jason Vorhees-like killer. Inexplicably, Nell goes back to the apartment alone when it's all over, instead of travelling to the hospital with her husband. She knows the killer is missing, so shouldn't be surprised when he smashes through the window to attack her (a trademark of the Vorhees character). And like the final scene of John Carpenter's Halloween, the killer is shot repeatedly, falls from a window and is missing when they look. Killers just never stay dead these days; Michael Myers has a lot to answer for.
This two-disc set is nicely packaged in a slip cover. Extras include: Widescreen, 5.1; a commentary by Tobe Hooper and the two writers; a commentary by the producers; a theatrical trailer; biographies and film notes. Disc two contains: EPK (a short behind-the scenes); a stills gallery; and a feature-length documentary called The American Nightmare. This last extra is extremely good, exploring the connection between fictional film horror and real-life horror depicted by the news (much of it soul-destroying). Some classic horror films are discussed by such luminaries as Tobe Hooper, John Landis, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter and Wes Craven. This feature alone is worth an extra point.
The Toolbox Murders in no way progresses the genre to the next level, as some might have you believe, but it is an above average horror/thriller flick.