Mordred666

Love Like Poison is a fascinating little film. I viewed it at a small French Film Festival (in South Africa no less), and did not expect too much. And honestly, that is what I received - not too much, but brilliantly presented and charmingly executed.

Following the story of young Anna as she struggles with becoming a woman, her grandfather's mortality and a young boy's affection, Love Like Poison captured me from the start. The film plays with the idea of childhood innocence and the fragility of adulthood. It delves deep into the flaws of every human being, but accentuates the beauty of its naivety. It does all this with a wonderful charm about it.

Many of the scenes might make certain viewers slightly uncomfortable, but that is where the film succeeds, and where it needs to go in order to explore the themes that it presents. Furthermore, it does not place judgment on the actions and conversations of the characters as they reflect what is in all of us.

Lastly, I will mention that the film would never have succeeded as it did, without its subtle hint of comedy. These very subtle bits are sometimes, in fact, laugh-out-loud, regardless of the circumstances. All the more reason to take life less seriously, and be able to laugh at the perfections and flaws of the human condition. The speech by Anna near the end in particular is beautiful and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

8/10 I loved it...

Let me start off by saying that I love Cradle of Filth, and I am a big fan of Dani Filth. So, I was excited to see a film starring him, as well as CoF's music.

That being said, the movie is bad. Very bad. It is a difficult film to watch due to bad scripting, bad acting and bad special effects. Off the bat, I want to give the film a 3 or a 2 even. But, I didn't. The reason for that is the very reason that kept me watching - to find out what happens and for more laughs. Also, they managed to find some very good-looking actresses willing to take off clothes.

The movie kept me interested enough to carry on watching (not the story or script, just to see how people die), something that many big-budget films occasionally fail at. Other than that, I had a great laugh. Considering I watched it alone, it would be a great film to watch with some friends and a drink - assuming you are looking for a comedy involving splattering heads.

I don't want my review to say that the movie is good. It isn't, at all. The point is that I am sure even the director and Dani (who had to work together, I assume) must have had their own laughs watching this, due to their very sick and hilarious brand of bloody humor.