McGheeTerry

Volumes of Blood is a horror film centered around the community of Owensboro, KY, or more directly, the library in Owensboro, KY. While this may seem insignificant from a review point of view, I assure you, it isn't. But more about that in a minute.

This film had me tossing my hands in the air and giving up in frustration after just watching the first three minutes of it. Then I hit the 3:20 mark in the film, and caught my first glimpse of true indie film making genius!

The writing in this film is good, the dialogue is pure genius, and the cinematography is nothing short of amazing.

The story centers around a group of four friends inside the library who have to come up with urban legends off the top of their heads. Each story is unique in plot as well as feel. D.P. Bonnell is credited with the cinematography, and just from this film alone, I can not heap enough praise their way. Taking a singular location and making it feel different for each of four urban legend stories, as well as the original plot takes a lot of skill, talent, and hard work, and every bit of it shows here.

The dialogue itself, while sometimes a little over the top, has it's own fair share of genius. The urban legends of the film may not make it into youthful circulation, but I assure you, some of the jokes and one liners surely will.

Now, let's talk Owensboro for a second. It is clear from just watching the film that the community itself plays a major role in supporting the film as well as becoming part of it, and as a film maker, that is always refreshing to see.

I feel like there is so much more to praise about this film, but it really can't be done without spoiling the movie itself, so I'm sorry for that, but rest assured, this film is 100% Indie Film Group approved! There are plenty of mediocre indie films in circulation out there, but Verite Cinema's Volumes of Blood is definitely not one of them. This is a great film for both film makers, as well as those who just enjoy a good horror film with a twist!

The Frankenstein Theory takes a very unique and original look at the Mary Shelley story of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus under the pretext that a heir to the "Frankenstein" family has found notes and family memorabilia to suggest that the creature is indeed still alive in the Arctic north. The film is shot from a documentary perspective as it follows a group of five film makers and Jonathan Venkenhein, the great, great, grandson of Johan Venkenhein which was the actual creator of the Frankenstein creature on their journey to discover the truth. Timothy V Murphy ("The Lone Ranger", "Appaloosa") gives a perfect performance as the guide Karl, as he tries to distill in the crew the dangers of heading out across the Arctic with nothing but snowmobiles and a childlike misunderstanding of what exactly they are getting themselves into. Kris Lemche nails the furiously curious role of Jonathan Venkenhein, who is a young professor who has been so consumed by his families history and the possibilities, that he has been suspended from the University in which he teaches. Directed by Andrew Weiner who co-wrote the story with Vlady Pildysh, the film is able to overcome the documentary tiredness that some films fall into and stand alone with good acting and great cinematic shots. The creature, who is played by a very well seen but unknown actor and stunt man named Roger W. Morrisey ("The Lords of Salem". "Hellborn") is perfectly placed and never over used. This is more of an imaginatively tense and scary fall through an unlit cave than it is a spotlight heavy horror movie where the creature is highlighted in detail and posed for each high definition shot. Come take a look at the Adam of Venkenhein's labors, and see for yourself, just how wretched are the ways of men, both past, and present...

Director Nicolas Winding Refn ("Drive", "Bronson") puts together a visually stunning film in Only God Forgives. The plot might seem to move slowly for some, but a true fan of the art of acting as well as anyone who enjoys a good play will be very excited to watch as the story unfolds like a flower from a Golden Shower Tree.

The story takes place in Thailand, where the streets are filled with a slow moving mass of chaos and the sets lit with neon that drapes shadows through the pattern of the architecture. This is a very disturbingly beautiful picture that makes perfect sense to only those who don't need a leash to lead them along.

Most of the dialog is in Siamese and subtitled, save for a handful of lines that are mostly given by the overly dramatic and emotionally manipulative character of Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) who plays a very overbearing and demanding Westerner in a foreign land that she finds to be beneath herself.

Ryan Gosling plays the part of damaged son to perfection, with his well timed glances and movements that are never out of sync with his frenzied state of calm.

Aside from the Cinematography being almost perfect in every scene, one of the great aspects of this film is how it takes our main character on a very uneven trajectory. One moment you think he is going to be the hero, the next, the villain. If you had to sum up the character in one word, you would be hard pressed to decide between tortured and broken.

The only critique I could give is that the soundtrack sounds like a mix of movies you have already seen, from Inception to Tron Legacy, sometimes it is a distraction and does not mend well with the scenes as they are playing out on screen.

Only God Forgives is not a movie for all to enjoy, as some will get lost in the artistic feel of it and others bored with the theater like performances. However those who will find it entertaining, will not soon forget about it.