We Are What We Are (2013) Now I'm Hungry

Yeah, I'm hungry, but I may never look at stew the same way again.

Let me just say that I'm increasingly impressed by director Jim Mickle. I first saw his work on the daring zombie-rat thriller Mulberry Street, then in what I believe is one of the very best vampire movies I've ever seen, Stake Land.  Mickle and co-writer/frequent star Nick Damici add another quality entry onto their resume with We Are What We Are, a remake of the 2010 Mexican film, Somos lo que hay.  Mickle and Damici go in a somewhat different direction and the result is a quietly creepy film that is photographed beautifully and well-crafted with suspense and some genuine chills.

The matriarch of a small, unassuming family (Kassie DePaiva of TV's One Life To Live...don't ask me how I knew that) suddenly dies one rainy day, and the family is consumed with grief.  They're a bit of an odd family, the girls (Julia Garner and Ambyr Childers) pale and soft-spoken, but very close with each other and their younger brother (Jack Gore).  Despite the death of their mother and through the kindness of the town (especially the motherly neighbor played by Kelly McGillis), the father (Bill Sage) insists that they will go ahead with some kind of ritual that their family has observed for decades.  While the father is very spiritual, the ritual is less religion than it is tradition.  In the meantime, a local doctor (Michael Parks) stumbles across a finger bone after the rains and is determined to find out its origins.  He's got the extra added motivation of having had his teenage daughter go missing - maybe this is her?  It's not a total spoiler to say that the Parker clan's ritual involves dining.  Missing people + a dining ritual?  I think you can put two and two together here.

The girls, Iris (Childers) and Rose (Garner) struggle with the idea of the ritual, wondering if they should rebel against their quietly firm (but simmering with rage) father.  Iris wants to act on her attraction to the deputy (Wyatt Russell), a former high school crush.  Rose wants to get their brother out of the house and away from the ritual.  Meanwhile, Doc Barrow (Parks) is closing in on the truth about the Parker clan and what may have happened to his daughter.

I won't spoil the ending, but it takes an intriguing strange turn that doesn't really seem out of place at all, despite what happens.  We Are What We Are is a beautiful-looking movie, with a structure and frame that really speaks to the telling of a story.  Director Mickle can put another knot in his success belt, in my opinion, as he tells an atmospheric, steadily-building story that has its abundant quiet moments coupled with scenes of meaty gore and bloodletting.  The acting was really good all around, with Sage showing understated menace, Garner and Childers showing a struggle with innocence, and Parks as a sad, hopeful, and vengeful father.

Now, while you wait for dinner, enjoy the trailer...

You're Next (2011) Livin' Up To The Hype

Yep, it was exactly as good as I thought it would be.

The home invasion subgenre of the horror film is extremely hit or miss.  Nice people in a house, bad guys break in, yadda yadda yadda, blood everywhere and maybe one nice person left alive.  It can be a formula, as most films are anyway, but when the filmmakers spice it up with snappy dialogue or strong characters or well-executed twists, it peaks my interest.

You're Next was made in 2011 and made the festival rounds before its wide release in 2013.  Written by Simon Barrett and directed by Adam Wingard, it's a well-paced, energetically creepy whodunnit with one of the best "final girls" in recent memory.

At a remote but opulent seasonal home, Paul and Aubrey Davison (Rob Moran and Barbara Crampton) prepare to welcome their children for an anniversary celebration.  It's a big home, still being renovated, and it makes lots of nice little bumps and creaks.  Crispian Davison (A. J. Bowen) and his Australian girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson) make their way to the home, and it's hinted at how dysfunctional the Davison family is.  Erin is happy to make the trip, though.  Once everyone is there, it doesn't take long for the dinner to break down into bickering, passive aggression, accusations, and...oh, yeah, a dinner guest getting a crossbow bolt in his forehead.  From there, it all breaks down as three men in farm animal masks begin picking off the family one by one.  With no leader stepping up, Erin rises to the occasion, trying to keep herself and the remaining family members alive.  And there's definitely more than meets the eye in regards to Erin, and in regards to the entire sticky situation.

The movie will take you on some twisty turns and one crazy-fun ride as you peel back more and more to find out the answers.  Everything fits in this movie, from the writing to the direction to the acting by a great ensemble cast of genre veterans and newcomers.  Bowen and Crampton are horror movie favorites, and the movie features appearances by producer/actor Larry Fessenden (I Sell The Dead), writer Barrett, director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Inkeepers), and actor/director Joe Swanberg (V/H/S).  It's truly Vinson's movie, however, as she breaks out in her performance as Erin.

Like I said:  definitely a fun ride, and several notches above the usual home-invasion horror/suspense offering.  Fine acting and a truly suspenseful and often a tad gory journey through a night of terror, secrets, and boards with nails in them.

Now, here's the trailer to enjoy...

Open Grave (2013) A Twist On The Whodunnit

The "whodunnit" subgenre of mystery always holds possibilities for something fun.  From guessing the "who" to the "why," it's the next best thing in audience participation to actually being there.  And it's easy:  just keep watching or reading and the mystery will be solved.

The problem with reviewing whodunnits is accidentally revealing spoilers.  So, I'll do what I can, but I can only go so far.  Seriously, I can't even put the right labels on this blog entry without revealing what happens in the film, Open Grave.  Part of the fun is getting there, and slipping in a label that spoils it:  no fun.

Open Grave was written by Chris and Eddie Borey and directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego (Apollo 18), and stars Sharlto Copely (District 9, The A-Team) as a man who suddenly awakens in a pit during a late-night thunderstorm.  Lightning flashes reveal the soft, squishy ground he's recovered on:  the pit is filled with dead bodies.  Before he can do a total freakout, and wracked with pain from some unknown cause, someone lowers a rope down and helps him out.  The man finds a house in the darkness, occupied by several other jumpy, rightfully paranoid people.  The thing is, no one knows who they are.  Their memories are pretty much wiped, although there is some instinct memory.  One of them knows how to load and reload a gun.  Another can speak Latin.  But all of them have no idea how they got to this house, why the pit is full of dead people, and how the puncture marks got on their arms.  Slowly, the group searches for clues and starts to realize that something is definitely not quite right.  In some areas, there are dead bodies bound to trees with barbed wire.  One of the group who presumes he was a soldier encounters an emaciated man trapped in a barbed wire fence - an encounter that goes south really quickly.

I can't go past this point without including clues that point toward the twists that make up the rest of the movie.  It goes in a direction I wasn't expecting, and that's not a bad thing.  All I can say is that it's an interesting take on a somewhat familiar scenario.  Clues come in, but it keeps you guessing until the revelation kicks in.

Despite a couple slow spots, and they really weren't even that slow, I found the story engaging and had some fun trying to put the pieces together.  The acting was very good, especially from Copely.  He's never disappointed me, and he is great in this.  Josie Ho, who plays the mute woman who also can't communicate in English, takes the ball and runs with it.  She provides clues and emotional insight with facial expressions and body language, connecting us to the movie without a word.  The movie just plain looks good as well.  I wasn't much of a fan of López-Gallego's previous effort, Apollo 18.  It wasn't horrible, but just didn't mesh with me.  Open Grave was more my flavor, and I found it worth the money to rent it.

So, you think you've had it weird when you wake up in a place you don't recognize, make sure you still have your memories.  Until next time, dear readers, check out the trailer...

Stoker (2013) Hitchcockian Heebie-Jeebies

OK, this will be the first blog entry that I've written that will take time over two years to write.  Well, not really.  I started it on New Year's Eve, 2013, and hopefully will finish it in 2014.  The way I've been blogging lately, I can't seem to guarantee that.

Nonetheless, let me tell you a little about what I thought of 2013's Stoker.  The movie, written by Wentworth Miller (one of the stars of TV's Prison Break) and directed by Park Chan-Wook (the original cult film Oldboy), pays tribute to the great Alfred Hitchcock without ever really ripping him off.  Miller stated in interviews that he was inspired by Hitchcock's Shadow Of A Doubt, and I do see a touch of Hamlet in the basics, but the finished product here completely stands on its own.

The story follows India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) who both celebrates her 18th birthday and mourns her father (Dermot Mulroney), who dies in a car accident.  A quiet, awkward young lady (who is also a crack shot thanks to hunting trips with her late dad), she's torn apart, but keeps her feelings quiet.  Her mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) unravels and barely holds on to any form of stability.  Enter India's uncle, Charlie (Matthew Goode), a charming and charismatic fellow who's been traveling the world, living adventures that the sheltered India can only dream about.  Right away, you know there's something not quite right with Charlie, but hey, there's something not quite right about the entire Stoker family at this point.  Despite protests from other family members, Charlie insinuates himself into the Stoker household.  And what's not to like when you first meet Charlie?  He's eloquent, refined, plays piano, and has a sweet ride.  Still, he's pretty creepy.  Not uncle-falling-asleep-on-the-recliner-in-his-tighty-whities creepy, but don't-turn-your-back-keep-him-in-sight-at-all-times creepy.  No spoilers here, but the movie hurtles quietly towards a collision between the truth about Charlie and India's painful coming of age.  What intentions Charlie has and how life will unfold for India are things you'll just have to check out for yourself.

The movie is well-paced and beautifully shot, as Park Chan-Wook comes from the recent wave of Korean directors who paint lavish pictures on film.  Each shot is carefully crafted, guiding you by the eyes.  Miller's story is compelling and mysterious, pushing more and more tension on you until the final moments, including the little twist at the end.

Stoker showed up on a lot of top 10 lists for the year, and I can see why.  There are no supernatural elements here, but yeah, that creepiness factor is ratcheted up a few notches thanks to Goode's performance.  I mean,  he was measured and deliberate in Watchmen, but really carries that over to this role.  Wasikowska and Kidman are equally great as daughter and mother, struggling with age and responsibility as well as mourning.

So until Uncle Charlie shows up on your doorstep, take a peek at the trailer right here...

Some Guy Who Kills People (2011) Some Pleasant Surprises

I had heard a little bit about this small film called Some Guy Who Kills People, and with that title alone, I knew I had to take a look.  It smacks of horror-comedy with a wink and a nod which, when done right, is usually a good time at the movies.  I didn't get that, but what I got was definitely a nice surprise.  Yeah, sure, the wink and nod were there, but what I didn't expect was how much heart the movie had.  While fitting firmly in the horror genre, it also owes a lot to the whodunnit as events unfold.

Written by Ryan A. Levin and directed by Jack Perez, Some Guy Who Kills People is the story of hapless Kevin Boyd (Kevin Corrigan), a man just coming off a stay at a local mental hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown and overwhelming depression.  He lives with his mom (Karen Black), works in an ice cream shop with his one friend Irv (Leo Fitzpatrick), and has sad memories of a group of bullies literally torturing him.  One of those bullies, now older and fatter, suddenly turns up dead with a hand axe buried in his forehead.  Sheriff Fuller (Barry Bostwick) attempts to solve the crime, which turns plural when another of the former bullies shows up dead (and headless) - all the while wooing Kevin's mom.  What Kevin refuses to realize is that he has more going for him than he thinks:  he's caught the eye of a young British woman named Stephanie (Lucy Davis), he's a fantastic artist, and he finally meets his 11-year-old daughter, Amy (Ariel Gade), the product of a one-night stand years before.  Amy is a breath of fresh air in his life, even if he doesn't want to breathe.  She's brilliant and straightforward, and also has problems he can relate to.  But there's that pesky issue of former bullies turning up dead.  Everything sets on a collision course in Act 3 that I just won't spoil here.

I really like it when I set out to see a movie, expecting it to be pretty good, and discovering it to be really, really good.  That was the case with Some Guy Who Kills People.  It's deftly written and directly, and the acting is tremendous.  Corrigan, who played a mysterious information broker on the great sci-fi series Fringe, is perfect as Kevin.  He comes across as awkward, nervous, unsure of himself yet harboring dark secrets.  He doesn't say much at first, and when he does, it's in short bursts.  Gade is amazing as Kevin's daughter, Amy.  Whip-smart and outgoing, she's the complete opposite of her father, and she is comfortable and natural in the role.  Bostwick is also outstanding as the town sheriff, equal parts dim bulb and brilliant detective.  He commands every scene he's in, and offers some of the movie's best lines of dialogue.  He's funny, and you often wish he'd use his brain a little more, but man, is he likable.  Really, everyone has shining moments in this film, supporting and main characters.  Davis is sweet and awkward, and the late Karen Black plays the mother as complex and often mean, but ultimately she's a mother who loves her son.

Pleasant surprises are always welcome when I'm watching a movie, and Some Guy Who Kills People brought some heart and soul to a familiar pair of genres.  Just good stuff from beginning to end.  Great way to cap off the holiday weekend!

Until next time, dear readers, here's the trailer:

Baggage (2013) Including Interviews With Rob Dimension and Jeremiah Kipp

I love a good short film, and I especially love a good short horror film.  Trying to cram quality thrills and chills into a shorter time frame is a challenge and a chance to show off some really great creative chops.

So when my friend, director Jeremiah Kipp, made me aware of a short film he'd made with another friend, actor/writer Rob Dimension, I jumped at the chance.  I've reviewed two of Jeremiah's other films, Contact and Crestfallen, so I knew I was going to be in for something really good.  And I was not disappointed.

Baggage is a short black and white film written and starring Dimension, and directed by Kipp.  Believe me, I'm not going to reveal one single spoiler about this movie because even hinting at it would ruin the surprise.  I can tell you that the film centers on a put-upon office worker trying to make it through his day, then simply trying to have a drink at a local tavern.  When a couple of ne'er-do-wells try to accost him and steal his duffel bag, it escalates into something...well, you'd just have to see.  I'm not spoiling it.

The film unveils itself like a puzzle, with things falling into place as the story reveals more and more.  Dimension is great as the mousy, tentative office worker who is a magnet for jeers and pitying glances.  His character is so intriguing simply from body language and posture, as well as his hushed, unoffensive tones when he speaks.  Pulling double-duty as the screenwriter, Dimension's script melds perfectly with Kipp's direction, and Kipp is no stranger to bringing visceral and emotional images to the screen, no matter what those emotions may be.  I've long been a fan of Kipp's work, and now you can add Dimension to the list of quickly-rising filmmakers who I will be following - and touting - for years to come.

I also had a chance to ask both guys some questions about Baggage - let's start with the film's writer and star, Rob Dimension:

What inspired the story?  Do you have any literary and film inspirations that directly influenced this film?

First, thank you for watching Baggage...I appreciate it. Baggage was a story that started as a talk a few years ago, between myself and a friend of mine, Sal Valente. We were eating lunch and started to discuss how you never know who you are sitting next to in a restaurant or even who you live next to. The world is a crazy place...people are crazy. So, after finishing No Clowning Around and having some mild success, I was thinking of a new film to write and Baggage evolved from that. After I was finished writing, I sent Sal the script and he says, "I can't believe you've taken one discussion and made all of this."

Typically, I've noticed my writing is influenced by the my current movie or television watching. I was on a kick of watching a lot of Hitchcock and Twilight Zone episodes. I really was in love with the black and white look and the use of shadows. I also was at a point where I was thinking about camera movement and how it can affect emotions and uneasiness. I was just in a classic state of mind, I guess.

How did you and Jeremiah Kipp get together for this production?

I had seen a short film titled Crestfallen and absolutely fell in love with the movie. The atmosphere, the visuals, just loved the look. At the time I was hosting a small Horror Club and we were showing independent films, so I messaged the people behind the film and one of then was Jeremiah Kipp. Fast forward about a year or so...No Clowning Around gets accepted at a film festival and Jeremiah was going to attend, so I shot him a message and we ended up meeting. The crazy thing is I basically just pitch him an outline about Baggage and he looks at me and says, "I'm in!" I was flattered and extremely excited and we've become great friends since. It was really just me taking a chance to reach out to someone who I respected and it worked out.

How was the process of making the film?  Smooth, challenging...any funny stories?

 

The process is long but always fulfilling, I mean that. I wanted Jeffrey Gould and his partner Steve Adams (who will be co-directing my newest film - Quackers in 2014) to handle the cinematography and these guys killed it. Jeremiah is a solid director...he pulls no punches, he is intense and is extremely professional. Every person involved was ready for the challenge and they all delivered. We filmed for five days and about 60 hours, plus on the fourth day, we filmed for nearly 24 hours. 

We were scheduled to film a chase and mugging scene outside but the weather decided to be uncooperative...which I feel added to the film and made it better, but we needed to scramble for a different location. In Baggage, you see Benjamin at the train station and while filming, we came across a small subway tunnel that got you to the other platform. I mentioned to Jeremiah that the tunnel would be a good and we committed to making that the spot for this scene. 

The next day we start filming and we leave some of our belongings on top of the platform, so my wife, Kim, continues to check on our stuff. She occasionally pops her head up and checks to make sure everything is still there. The next thing we know, we have police there with guns out. The tunnel has two sides and we had cops on each entrance and we had to explain we were filming. They had three more police cars on the way...they thought we were terrorists. It made for an interesting moment of panic. The good thing was we had a permit and were completely legal to be there...but it was scary for a moment.

What do you hope happens with the film?  Festivals, distribution, more film?

Well, people can purchase the DVD at www.YouveBeenRobbedFilms.com and Baggage has been accepted to several film festivals as well is being shown in a few spots for Halloween. Baggage also was shown at Monster-Mania convention in August, which was a massive thrill. 

People can see my first film No Clowning Around online for a short time also on my site. I just finished the script for our next film titled Quackers. Quackers was a concept pitched to me by Buz Hasson from the Living Corpse comic series and I just got busy writing and elaborating on the concept. The Living Corpse team of Buz, Ken and Blair will be working on original artwork for the film also. Jeffrey Gould and Steve Adams will be co-directing the film and handling the cinematography...I'm super excited. I think I have an extremely talented team. I honestly think this is my best screenplay and story yet. People can read more about it and stay up on things at www.YouveBeenRobbedFilms.com or follow me on Twitter at @RobDimension.

How was the transition from one form of entertainment (wrestling) to another (film)?  Similarities and differences?

I was involved with professional wrestling for almost 15 years. Wrestling taught me so many things...it taught me performance and working in front of large crowds. It taught me to drop my inhibitions and be a character and not be scared of the camera. It also gave me an outlet for writing, as I wrote storylines and even wrote for live TV. It also is the harshest reality check about business and people. It really makes you become your own biggest, promoter. I'm fortunate and love to talk, so I think that has also helped make the transition easier.

Most of my wrestling career I was a villain, so I guess playing an over the top villain in movies is like a lateral move...haha!  I've always loved horror films...so I just decided to get off my ass and decided to make what I wanted to see. I encourage anyone who is sitting, debating to create something...go do it. It's the greatest reward when it's finished. When I got the final cut of No Clowning Around, I remember sitting on my sofa and just crying...I felt accomplished.

 

And here's director Jeremiah Kipp with more insight:

 

How was it working with Rob?  Do you see more collaboration in the future?

Rob is an intense and charismatic guy, with a wicked self-deprecating sense of humor.  What I loved about our work together was his sheer willingness to push himself as far as he needed to go.  He was playing a troubled character, and he’s so committed that I think in many ways he took the work home with him.  But on set, you knew the material had strength to it.  I’d work with him again in a second; we’ve talked about it and have been making plans.

What drew you to the story?

There was a slow building dread in the narrative that built to an operatic peak moment at the end.  After doing an incredibly phantasmagoric experimental film called The Days God Slept, I was intrigued by the possibility of locking into a plot-driven thriller which was all about building a mood of tension.  Rob told me the story in person, and even before he asked me to direct it, I found myself drawn into his macabre tale. It felt like a modern variation of Edgar Allan Poe.

What kind of visual influence played a part in how Baggage looked and felt?

The director of photography Jeffrey Scott Gould shares a tremendous enthusiasm for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.  We took the classical black and white 1960s retro feel and pushed that into areas of the grotesque.

Will we see Baggage at any festivals or screenings?

It has been having a strong festival life so far, playing at Monster Mania, New Jersey HorrorFest, Macabre Faire Film Festival and DOA Blood Bath Entertainment’s Blood Bath V Film Festival. We’re happy to be able to present the film to audiences, and hope they enjoy.

Were there any funny behind-the-scenes stories?

There must have been, but when I lock into making a movie it’s all about the execution.  It’s not that I don’t like to have a good time; it’s just that I place all of my thought into making what’s happening in the frame as expressive as possible.  I remember doing crazy stuff like making the actors jump up and down until they were exhausted; I made Rob sprint across city blocks for half a day, we put actors through some grueling special effects makeup. And yet I remember having a really good time making this movie, and had the sense that we were surrounded by generous friends who were excited about the work. That’s what I probably remember best; working with people I love and trust as well as making new friends.  There was that one moment we were filming a scene where the local police surrounded us because what we were doing seemed criminal, but we were able to laugh about it later…

What's coming up on your schedule in terms of filmmaking?

Right now, I’m going into production on a new scary movie called The Minions.  It’s a dark urban fable about a man’s walk home one autumn night, and he decides to walk down The Witch’s Path. He almost makes it past safely, but then two drunken girls appear…and they’re the minions. What happens next is not very nice…  Find out more at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-minions

I want to thank both Rob Dimension and Jeremiah Kipp for taking the time to answer my questions and especially for their (and their crew's) hard work on Baggage.  I highly recommend getting your hands on it, dear readers.  You really won't be disappointed.  

Be sure to keep an eye out for more from Rob and Jeremiah, and you'll see more coverage here!

Until next time, dear survivors, see you on Halloween! 

The Lords of Salem (2012) Little Taste of the 70s

Somewhere in him, Rob Zombie has the most amazing horror film.  He's got a singular vision, a unique eye for detail, and a deep knowledge of all genres of horror.  I'm not saying his present movies are bad.  For me, they're "almost there."  He's got the perfect horror movie waiting in the wings, and he's almost there.

Written and directed by Zombie, The Lords of Salem edges ever so closer to being the definitive Rob Zombie film.  It has that grindhouse look, with a 70s-style title card and aesthetic, even though it's set in modern times.  With his versions of the Halloween movies, he still had to conform to a certain mold.  But with The Lords of Salem, we see him going back to his "I'll do it my way, thanks" style.  While Lords didn't totally grab me, there is a certain flair to it that intrigues me.  It's that closer step to that defining movie.

The plot is straight out of 70s witch exploitation movies, and that's not really a bad thing.  Sherri Moon Zombie plays Heidi, a successful Salem, Massachusetts, nighttime DJ along with her co-stars Whitey (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Herman (Ken Foree).  One night, she receives a mysterious album from a group called The Lords.  Upon playing the record, the strange, archaic music causes her to feel strange and have weird visions of witches.  She gets to know a researcher, Francis Mattias (Bruce Davison), who investigates the record and The Lords, and finds some horrifying connections.  Meanwhile, Heidi's landlord (Judy Geeson) and her two overly-nice friends (Dee Wallace and Rocky Horror Picture Show's Patricia Quinn) take a strong interest in Heidi and her role in the increasing weirdness surrounding The Lords' upcoming concert in Salem.  Heidi's hallucinations increase as she fights the terrible implications they offer and her own personal demons, as she is a former drug abuser.

The visual aesthetic is what struck me the most.  There is a rich palette of colors in certain scenes, especially the dream sequences.  Everyday life looks like...every day life.  But, yeah, those dream sequences.  I saw it written somewhere else that Zombie had channeled Ken Russell in this film, and I'd say that's pretty accurate.  Russell always had the most oddball, foreboding, and twisted hallucinogenic sequences in film, and you see it echoed in the work of David Lynch and Lars von Trier.  Zombie goes for it here as well, and for the most part, it's not bad.  I didn't like the movie as much as I liked his insane House of 1000 Corpses or the twisted buddy-road sequel The Devil's Rejects, but I definitely didn't dislike it.  It fell somewhere in the middle for me, with the hints of something possibly greater waiting in the wings in future films.

Oh, yeah, lest I forget:  this movie features the creepiest Meg Foster performance in years, possibly her most intense role as the ancient head of an evil coven.  If you've seen They Live, you know who Meg Foster is.  Oh, yes, if you're a fan of hers, I think you'll enjoy her scene-stealing moments in this movie.

Until next time - which will be in a couple days, actually, as I have a great interview with two independent filmmakers coming up - here's the trailer: