walterdiaz-50874

This is an incredibly fascinating film by Kasi Simmons. Beginning with this preamble, Eve's Bayou takes us to the Tennessee Williams country of the deep south and introduces us to the rarest of motion picture institutions: an affluent black family. (Judging by the movies, most blacks live in inner city ghettos.) Ultimately, however, this film is not about skin color, but about the deeply-rooted bonds that join women together, which not even the most tragic of mistakes can obliterate. The setting -- a small town in Louisiana during the 1950s -- serves its purpose, but the themes broached by the writer/director are anything but parochial in nature. If there's a weakness in Eve's Bayou, it's that the setting isn't used as effectively as it could be. Placing the film in and around the swamps of Louisiana affords a rich opportunity for atmosphere that isn't utilized. Several throwaway shots of reeds and water establish the location, but do little to imbue the bayou with a life of its own. Nevertheless this is one good movie you shouldn't miss.

Despite the title(which to be fair has a meaning that relates to the ongoing of this film) this is about the infamous Ugandan ruler Idi Amin- who has, I must add, has been portrayed stupendously by Forrest Whitaker(who won an Oscar for this). The Last King of Scotland explores the turmoil and troubles surrounding the beginning of one of the country's darkest recent periods: the Idi Amin regime, which lasted from 1971 through 1979 and resulted in thousands upon thousands of deaths. (The exact number is unknown, but is estimated to be between 80,000 and 500,000.) Based on actual events, the movie takes us into Amin's inner circle through the eyes of an outsider who is initially charmed by the charismatic leader until Amin's true nature begins to bubble to the surface. The Last King of Scotland does not refrain from showing the brutality of what Amin's reign becomes. The film contains its share of gruesome images, including a torture scene that depicts in unflinching detail what happens to someone who betrays Amin.

If you don't mind horrific, grotesque comedy that mixes the gore of George Romero and Dario Argento with the quixotic irreverence of Monty Python and Delicatessen, Cemetery Man provides the opportunity for a funny, strange time at the movies. Moreover this is a highly atmospheric film and Soavi's love for the horror genre shows in the composition of almost every scene. Soavi uses the time not spent on raucous action to cultivate a sense of atmosphere and craft surreal beauty in the limited setting of the graveyard and that in my opinion is as good as any to see this film.