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अक्टू॰ 2005 को शामिल हुए
नई प्रोफ़ाइल में आपका स्वागत है
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I should probably start by saying that I knew very little about this film going in. I knew that there was a family and in their home was a mysterious door that remained locked at all times.... just like the bedroom door in my house... So I threw the DVD in with bated breath and within minutes, I was as comfortable as Fred Krueger during a coffee shortage. Why? Because the film opens with a kick-ass steady cam shot that moves through the house introducing all of our main characters and the rooms they'll be playing in. All in one take! Yep. I knew I was in good hands, and it only gets better, people.
It's hard to talk about the plot of THE ROOM, because it's all about what you don't know; however, I can give you a little something to chew on. I mentioned the door, but what I didn't tell you is that it appears out of nowhere. All the characters and the audience know is that it wasn't there five minutes ago, it's locked and nearly every square inch has letters carved into it Now this dysfunctional family must solve the mystery of the door before they end up killing each other. (Yes, they're not the happiest group of people and there's a crap load of stuff going on with them, but we need to leave it at that.)
If you know me by now, then you know that my favorite films are usually written and directed by the same filmmaker, as it is in this case. When one person shoulders the task of bringing their own material to life, you almost always get that "magic" that is otherwise hard to accomplish, and by "magic" I mean a clear vision for the material. Writer/director Giles Daoust proves once again that my theory is correct. THE ROOM has that unique stamp of somebody who knows exactly what kind of story he wants to tell. One example: when we view flashbacks in the story, every color is stripped from the film with the exception of red. When we see this color scheme we know we are in the past. That's just one M&M in a king size bag of originality. (Huh?? Well, okay it sounded good to me!)
The script is exceptional, but from the beginning it doesn't take a NASA scientist to figure out that THE ROOM is more of a thriller then a straight horror movie. I'm not even sure if it's a thriller - maybe a drama? Aww, screw it; it's a little of everything, I suppose. But let's talk about that cast. No joke here people, this film contains some incredible acting and great characters. I was drawn to two of them, especially mainly because of the actors themselves. The first being Melinda, played by Caroline Veyt. Not only can Caroline act amazingly well, but she is beautiful, sexy and most intriguing. Her eyes are so striking, they practically jump off the screen at you. The kind of eyes that you want to cut out, and wear on a chain around your neck. Very intriguing girl, that Caroline.
The other is Max, played by Philippe Résimont. He's a frustrated composer who is clearly ticked off at the world because things have never gone his way. He can't sell a piece of music to save his life; he despises his mentally challenged son; he hates his daughter because she's pregnant and won't divulge the father's name, and is basically disgusted by his wife 24/7. Yep, he has a few problems. But what makes him so interesting to me is that you never know what he's going to do. One minute he's cracking jokes, usually at the most inappropriate times (genuinely funny jokes though) and then the next minute he's hitting his wife in the face. Nice! You never know what to expect from him, or the shifting dynamic of this group of characters.
The last point I want to make is about the door itself and the 'alternate reality' associated with it. Obviously, the idea of a door appearing from thin air is completely impossible, but I still found myself engrossed in the situation and story. I would have bet all the money in the world that the door really existed and I think this is attributed to Giles' deadly serious approach to the material. The whole film relies on the believability of these characters and the situation they're in, and if you're not invested in it right from the start, then the film goes completely to crap. Every element of film-making here - from the set design to the music - is excellent, making it work as well as it does. I also had to know what the hell was behind that door. What could it be? Eventually we get the answer and it IS horrifying. Good pay off there.
You can probably tell I enjoyed this very much. It's not often when I experience something as completely original. If you enjoy atmosphere, great characters and cool imagery then this one's a must-see. But remember, THE ROOM is far from being your traditional horror movie, so if that's what you're looking for you've come to the wrong room. Uh, I mean place.
It's hard to talk about the plot of THE ROOM, because it's all about what you don't know; however, I can give you a little something to chew on. I mentioned the door, but what I didn't tell you is that it appears out of nowhere. All the characters and the audience know is that it wasn't there five minutes ago, it's locked and nearly every square inch has letters carved into it Now this dysfunctional family must solve the mystery of the door before they end up killing each other. (Yes, they're not the happiest group of people and there's a crap load of stuff going on with them, but we need to leave it at that.)
If you know me by now, then you know that my favorite films are usually written and directed by the same filmmaker, as it is in this case. When one person shoulders the task of bringing their own material to life, you almost always get that "magic" that is otherwise hard to accomplish, and by "magic" I mean a clear vision for the material. Writer/director Giles Daoust proves once again that my theory is correct. THE ROOM has that unique stamp of somebody who knows exactly what kind of story he wants to tell. One example: when we view flashbacks in the story, every color is stripped from the film with the exception of red. When we see this color scheme we know we are in the past. That's just one M&M in a king size bag of originality. (Huh?? Well, okay it sounded good to me!)
The script is exceptional, but from the beginning it doesn't take a NASA scientist to figure out that THE ROOM is more of a thriller then a straight horror movie. I'm not even sure if it's a thriller - maybe a drama? Aww, screw it; it's a little of everything, I suppose. But let's talk about that cast. No joke here people, this film contains some incredible acting and great characters. I was drawn to two of them, especially mainly because of the actors themselves. The first being Melinda, played by Caroline Veyt. Not only can Caroline act amazingly well, but she is beautiful, sexy and most intriguing. Her eyes are so striking, they practically jump off the screen at you. The kind of eyes that you want to cut out, and wear on a chain around your neck. Very intriguing girl, that Caroline.
The other is Max, played by Philippe Résimont. He's a frustrated composer who is clearly ticked off at the world because things have never gone his way. He can't sell a piece of music to save his life; he despises his mentally challenged son; he hates his daughter because she's pregnant and won't divulge the father's name, and is basically disgusted by his wife 24/7. Yep, he has a few problems. But what makes him so interesting to me is that you never know what he's going to do. One minute he's cracking jokes, usually at the most inappropriate times (genuinely funny jokes though) and then the next minute he's hitting his wife in the face. Nice! You never know what to expect from him, or the shifting dynamic of this group of characters.
The last point I want to make is about the door itself and the 'alternate reality' associated with it. Obviously, the idea of a door appearing from thin air is completely impossible, but I still found myself engrossed in the situation and story. I would have bet all the money in the world that the door really existed and I think this is attributed to Giles' deadly serious approach to the material. The whole film relies on the believability of these characters and the situation they're in, and if you're not invested in it right from the start, then the film goes completely to crap. Every element of film-making here - from the set design to the music - is excellent, making it work as well as it does. I also had to know what the hell was behind that door. What could it be? Eventually we get the answer and it IS horrifying. Good pay off there.
You can probably tell I enjoyed this very much. It's not often when I experience something as completely original. If you enjoy atmosphere, great characters and cool imagery then this one's a must-see. But remember, THE ROOM is far from being your traditional horror movie, so if that's what you're looking for you've come to the wrong room. Uh, I mean place.
Okay, so there are only about two things in this world that get me hot. One: the sound my XBOX 360 makes when it starts up, and the second: an attractive girl covered in blood, carrying a large red fire axe. Yep, that about does it for me. Seeing how the poster of THE 8th PLAGUE depicts one of these magical properties, I was more then pleased when asked to review the film.
THE 8th PLAGUE is about a girl with gorgeous green eyes named Launa who heads out to the town of Halcyon Springs with a few others, to look for her missing sister, Nikki. Launa and the gang quickly team up with local police officer, Buck, and the mysterious Mason (D.J. Perry), another local. Shortly afterward, they come across the deteriorating Halcyon Ridge Correctional Facility, where the majority of the film plays out. It's on this hallowed ground where our heroes learn that the 'curse of The 8th Plague' is still very much alive. What's the curse you ask? Watch the freaking movie! Jeeeeeez!
So watching THE 8th PLAGUE, at first I found that everything was pretty much business-as-usual. Nothing was overly impressive, but nothing outright sucked, either. The majority of the first act is spent following Launa and her friends as previously described. We are treated to a few creepy sequences but for the most part, it's straight-ahead story development. Some people will like this and some won't; my feelings were somewhere in between. The music and cinematography were great, but even then I found myself a tad bored at times. I think the problem was that I didn't care much for Launa and company. A simple scene showing them hanging out laughing together would have helped. A few jokes, perhaps?
Once the gang runs into Mason, (a.k.a. the mysterious local who knows a thing or two about a thing or two) that's the key plot point of the whole movie. It's an important moment because a) D.J. Perry comes into the picture and he's damn fun to watch, and b) the almighty red axe is introduced! From this point on, when they head out to the abandoned Correctional Facility, is where the film begins to earn its gold stars. Once inside, most of the 'Scooby-Doo crew' decide to look around, except for Crystal (Hollis Zemany) who decides that she wants to screw her dorky boyfriend and quickly strips down. ("Mmmmm .gratuitous sex ." Homer Simpson moans.) While the scene felt completely out of place in such a serious film, it was still a treat to watch. The girl's got some good lookin' stems, nice stomach and boobies to die for. We thank you Hollis, from the bottom of our skeevy little hearts!
But where THE 8th PLAGUE truly shines is in the gore and special effects department. One of my favorite scenes is when one unfortunate demon takes an axe to the mouth. It was very well-done considering the budget, but even in a mega-budget film it would be pretty damn impressive. I mean, during the final twenty minutes of the film it's as if everyone's taken a blood bath, literally. Main characters are dying left and right, the plague is working overtime, people are cutting their eyes out, pools of blood the size of small lakes are forming everywhere. It's pretty insane! Even my wife couldn't watch it anymore, and she eats racks of raw meat for breakfast! The final minute is pretty cool, too. (Do I smell a sequel? Oh, no that's just puke on my shirt from last night. Damn Playboy Mansion parties!)
The only real complaints I have with this film were with the pacing, a few sketchy acting moments from the supporting cast and some of the production values. I love that artists today can make films reasonably cheap because of technology, but I find it nearly impossible to invest on an emotional level when dealing with digital cinematography. I'm just constantly reminded that I'm watching a movie. That's the format's main downfall; nearly impossible to ignore. With that being said, the filmmakers did a great job with what they had. I don't think the film could have looked or sounded any better. To die-hard horror fans like us, this is nothing new, anyway. At this point, half the stuff coming out now is shot with the more affordable digital format, which I support one-hundred percent.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by THE 8th PLAGUE. I think it's a solid first feature for director Franklin Guerrero Jr. and crew, so much so that I would easily check out his next project based on the quality of this one. If you happen to stumble across it at your local video store, it's definitely worth picking up. I give you my guarantee that it's better then most other flicks you'll find dominating the middle shelf.
THE 8th PLAGUE is about a girl with gorgeous green eyes named Launa who heads out to the town of Halcyon Springs with a few others, to look for her missing sister, Nikki. Launa and the gang quickly team up with local police officer, Buck, and the mysterious Mason (D.J. Perry), another local. Shortly afterward, they come across the deteriorating Halcyon Ridge Correctional Facility, where the majority of the film plays out. It's on this hallowed ground where our heroes learn that the 'curse of The 8th Plague' is still very much alive. What's the curse you ask? Watch the freaking movie! Jeeeeeez!
So watching THE 8th PLAGUE, at first I found that everything was pretty much business-as-usual. Nothing was overly impressive, but nothing outright sucked, either. The majority of the first act is spent following Launa and her friends as previously described. We are treated to a few creepy sequences but for the most part, it's straight-ahead story development. Some people will like this and some won't; my feelings were somewhere in between. The music and cinematography were great, but even then I found myself a tad bored at times. I think the problem was that I didn't care much for Launa and company. A simple scene showing them hanging out laughing together would have helped. A few jokes, perhaps?
Once the gang runs into Mason, (a.k.a. the mysterious local who knows a thing or two about a thing or two) that's the key plot point of the whole movie. It's an important moment because a) D.J. Perry comes into the picture and he's damn fun to watch, and b) the almighty red axe is introduced! From this point on, when they head out to the abandoned Correctional Facility, is where the film begins to earn its gold stars. Once inside, most of the 'Scooby-Doo crew' decide to look around, except for Crystal (Hollis Zemany) who decides that she wants to screw her dorky boyfriend and quickly strips down. ("Mmmmm .gratuitous sex ." Homer Simpson moans.) While the scene felt completely out of place in such a serious film, it was still a treat to watch. The girl's got some good lookin' stems, nice stomach and boobies to die for. We thank you Hollis, from the bottom of our skeevy little hearts!
But where THE 8th PLAGUE truly shines is in the gore and special effects department. One of my favorite scenes is when one unfortunate demon takes an axe to the mouth. It was very well-done considering the budget, but even in a mega-budget film it would be pretty damn impressive. I mean, during the final twenty minutes of the film it's as if everyone's taken a blood bath, literally. Main characters are dying left and right, the plague is working overtime, people are cutting their eyes out, pools of blood the size of small lakes are forming everywhere. It's pretty insane! Even my wife couldn't watch it anymore, and she eats racks of raw meat for breakfast! The final minute is pretty cool, too. (Do I smell a sequel? Oh, no that's just puke on my shirt from last night. Damn Playboy Mansion parties!)
The only real complaints I have with this film were with the pacing, a few sketchy acting moments from the supporting cast and some of the production values. I love that artists today can make films reasonably cheap because of technology, but I find it nearly impossible to invest on an emotional level when dealing with digital cinematography. I'm just constantly reminded that I'm watching a movie. That's the format's main downfall; nearly impossible to ignore. With that being said, the filmmakers did a great job with what they had. I don't think the film could have looked or sounded any better. To die-hard horror fans like us, this is nothing new, anyway. At this point, half the stuff coming out now is shot with the more affordable digital format, which I support one-hundred percent.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by THE 8th PLAGUE. I think it's a solid first feature for director Franklin Guerrero Jr. and crew, so much so that I would easily check out his next project based on the quality of this one. If you happen to stumble across it at your local video store, it's definitely worth picking up. I give you my guarantee that it's better then most other flicks you'll find dominating the middle shelf.
It was probably a year ago when I first heard about Craig McMahon's MACHINED, and I gotta tell you - I was instantly intrigued. There's just something about a creature being part-man and part-machine that runs around slaughtering people. That and plus the poster art looked damn cool. So eventually I found a good time for viewing it, in the dark, no distractions and I was pretty impressed. There are not many films like MACHINED, I can promise you that! This tale is about a big, fat, hairy guy who goes by the name of 'Motorman Dan', who has a few personal problems. For one: he likes to jerk off while reading about serial killers; two: he dreams of having a "pet" serial killer of his own, and three: well, he's fat
So eventually, Dan accidentally runs over a young man named Ryan, (Jose Rosete), who was trying to flag him down for a ride at the time. Oops
Dan's bad. Oh, well, it's all good; more body parts for his dream "killing machine". After Dan adds the final touches to his creation, he lets it loose all over town, (that being his garage). One problem
Ryan has a few friends, who along with his sister Angela are determined to find out what happened to the unlucky young fellow.
MACHINED succeeds in many ways, atmosphere being one of them. Honestly, they nailed it so well (pun intended) I felt like I was right there in the grungy garage of horrors with the robotic killing machine, fat Dan himself and of course, his hairy back. I think director Craig McMahon accomplishes this by keeping the film very dark, both in tone and the impressive camera work. I don't think there's one shot even hinting at sunlight. It also helps that there are many first perspective shots in the film.
The sound design is second on the list of well-used elements. The effects were awesome, most of them coming from the killing machine itself. It's very interesting how McMahon combines the score with the sound effects. At times when the machine is walking around you can hear the nuts and bolts squeaking, but eventually those sounds become part of the score, which is insanely cool.
Now for the first negative aspect: the acting. For the most part the cast does a descent job, but there were definitely a few spotty moments. Our lead actor, Patti Tindall, who plays Angela, does a descent job but I would have liked her to have been a little more realistic with her reactions. I mean, here she is fighting her brother who is now a robotic killing machine, and she acts as if she deals with this crap everyday. Maybe downplaying her emotions was a directorial choice, but it didn't work for me. My favorite cast member overall was David C. Hayes, who plays 'Motorman Dan'. He was rather brave with his choices and definitely comes across as being the most charismatic of the bunch. Now if he would just take a lawn mower to his back, we'd be all set. He'd probably make more money selling his back hair then he got for acting in the film. There's also one pretty bad apple in the cast, but I won't name names. See if you can guess who it is The second element that didn't rock my boat was the characters. I'm not sure if it was because of weak performances (at times), the way they were written or the lack of realism that shooting with digital video sometimes displays, but I wasn't emotionally invested in them. During the finale, when Angela is going head-to-head with what's left of her brother, I could have cared less who won. I'm guessing that's not a good thing.
Overall, I found MACHINED to be problematic at times, but it's definitely interesting and I'm damn glad I experienced it. Notice how I said "experienced it?" I say that because it's such an odd and unique film. I would recommend you check it out, but just don't go in expecting greatness. Keep in mind that it's pretty much a better-than-average independent film and you'll be in for a solid ninety minutes.
MACHINED succeeds in many ways, atmosphere being one of them. Honestly, they nailed it so well (pun intended) I felt like I was right there in the grungy garage of horrors with the robotic killing machine, fat Dan himself and of course, his hairy back. I think director Craig McMahon accomplishes this by keeping the film very dark, both in tone and the impressive camera work. I don't think there's one shot even hinting at sunlight. It also helps that there are many first perspective shots in the film.
The sound design is second on the list of well-used elements. The effects were awesome, most of them coming from the killing machine itself. It's very interesting how McMahon combines the score with the sound effects. At times when the machine is walking around you can hear the nuts and bolts squeaking, but eventually those sounds become part of the score, which is insanely cool.
Now for the first negative aspect: the acting. For the most part the cast does a descent job, but there were definitely a few spotty moments. Our lead actor, Patti Tindall, who plays Angela, does a descent job but I would have liked her to have been a little more realistic with her reactions. I mean, here she is fighting her brother who is now a robotic killing machine, and she acts as if she deals with this crap everyday. Maybe downplaying her emotions was a directorial choice, but it didn't work for me. My favorite cast member overall was David C. Hayes, who plays 'Motorman Dan'. He was rather brave with his choices and definitely comes across as being the most charismatic of the bunch. Now if he would just take a lawn mower to his back, we'd be all set. He'd probably make more money selling his back hair then he got for acting in the film. There's also one pretty bad apple in the cast, but I won't name names. See if you can guess who it is The second element that didn't rock my boat was the characters. I'm not sure if it was because of weak performances (at times), the way they were written or the lack of realism that shooting with digital video sometimes displays, but I wasn't emotionally invested in them. During the finale, when Angela is going head-to-head with what's left of her brother, I could have cared less who won. I'm guessing that's not a good thing.
Overall, I found MACHINED to be problematic at times, but it's definitely interesting and I'm damn glad I experienced it. Notice how I said "experienced it?" I say that because it's such an odd and unique film. I would recommend you check it out, but just don't go in expecting greatness. Keep in mind that it's pretty much a better-than-average independent film and you'll be in for a solid ninety minutes.