John’s Horror Corner: Underwater (2020), a healthy dash of The Abyss (1989) and a deep sea secret ingredient…
MY CALL: I really enjoyed this! It’s no classic or anything, but it’s very well-made, well-acted, well-written and boasts excellent visuals and energy. MORE MOVIES LIKE Underwater: For more strangeness at sea, go for The Abyss (1989) or Cold Skin (2017).
36,000 feet deep, under tons of pressure and reaching the Mariana Trench a company managed to build a deep-sea mining facility. And not ten minutes into the movie the worst possible thing that could happen happens: there’s “a leak.” Running, screaming, compressions, explosions… in lieu of anything resembling an introductory first act the excitement starts right away and the urgency sets in fast as crewmen navigate collapsed hallways to escape flooding, crawl through claustrophobic crevices passing a harrowingly dead comrade, and burrow through cement rubble to save another.
Our survivors include Norah (Kristen Stewart; Snow White and the Huntsman, Jumper, The Messengers), Captain (Vincent Cassel; Westworld, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Black Swan), Paul (T.J. Miller; Deadpool 1-2, Ready Player One, Cloverfield), Rodrigo (Mamoudou Athie; The Circle, Jurassic World: Dominion), Smith (John Gallagher Jr.; 10 Cloverfield Lane, Hush, The Belko Experiment) and Emily (Jessica Henwick; Game of Thrones, Godzilla vs. Kong, Iron Fist, Star Wars Episode VII).
Faced with impending crushing doom if they remain, Captain advises they all “walk” miles across the ocean floor to another work site despite the tremendous danger in doing so. But however dire things may seem, this is where things get fun. Sure, Norah and Captain are our brass tacks pragmatists, but Paul (Miller) is here to bring moments of levity in the form of dry humor—and I love him for it. As their suit spotlights blare but fade into the distance of sea dust and darkness, we feel tiny and consider what lies in the dark depths beyond their lights’ reach. Giant squids or other sea monsters, Lovecraft’s Dagon and his deep ones, toe-pinching crabs… or nothing more than dive suit crushing water pressure and a limited oxygen supply?
Director William Eubank (The Signal) delivers an energized movie based more on event and action than story or character arc. And everything about this movie was good. The mining facility sets look good, I love the CGI depths, the deep sea suits look great, and when someone dies you feel it (more gut-punching shock than emotional loss). In fact, the occasional dead body or death scene will take you quite off guard.
I really enjoyed this. But make no mistake, there is no depth to the plot. The plot is suuuuper basic. But that also doesn’t matter because I liked the appearance and performances and writing (for characters) and the events were exciting and the effects were cool. Solid Friday night popcorn flick. Watch it with the lights off since so many scenes are dark and any glare from a light in the house will hurt the experience.
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John’s Horror Corner: The Suckling (1990; aka Sewage Baby), a very schlocky, very gory mutant monster baby B-movie.
NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW NSFW
This is a gory, insensitive movie with highly inappropriate imagery
about a mutant monster fetus!
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MY CALL: This movie is highly inappropriate (particularly in the first 20-30 minutes… and I liked it much more than I should have. Definitely an excellent choice for lovers of gory 80s schlock. MOVIES LIKE The Suckling: For more baby horror, try The Unborn (1991), The Unborn II (1994), Grace (2009), The Night Feeder (1988), It’s Alive (1974), It’s Alive II: It Lives Again (1978), It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987), the remake of It’s Alive (2009); and for pregnancy horror go for Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Demon Seed (1977), Inside (2016), Inside (2007), Still/Born (2017) and Good Manners (2017; As Boas Maneiras).
After awakening from a dream including a topless murder-nurse, a surgical abduction and a homicidal doctor, we learn that a young mother-to-be (Lisa Petruno; Troma’s War, Galactic Gigalo) was the sole survivor of a brutal brothel massacre. As her story is recounted, she was planning to give her unborn child up for adoption. But pressure from her boyfriend led her to an illegal abortion business… in of a brothel.
After the procedure, the fetus is literally flushed down the toilet and, like some 80s “alligator in the sewer” fare, the twisted writhing fetus comes into contact with toxic waste. Shortly thereafter, and in the worst possible taste, the woman who performed the operation cleans off her bloody coat hanger of some fleshy morsels and then uses it to hang up her lab coat!
The early monster baby creature reminds of NOES 5: The Dream Child (1989)—and boy do we see a lot of it. In an awesomely gross (and rather uncomfortable) scene, the slimy monster fetus writhes and pulsates like an uncoordinated Pinocchio had just become a real boy and was skinned alive just at the time the Budget-version of the Event Horizon (1997) encountered her farthest reaches of the Universe. As it continues to develop, its digits rot away and flesh is lost—looking more like discount-baby-Frank from Hellraiser (1987). Next thing you know, it’s grown into some demonic beast like The Terror Within (1989), but even cooler in this case!
Once fully formed, this monster looks awesome! As far as rubber monster suits of the 80s, this ranks really high. As if laughing at its own lunacy, this massive monster basically teleports through the household plumbing of its creation to terrorize the brothel inhabitants and pick them off one by one with its hook-like limbs and prehensile umbilical cord. The first death scene is a brutally sloppy decapitation. However humble the budget, the gore and creature effects are ample. And, totally inexplicably, the end scene features a crazy gore-slathered face-melting scene.
Much as in The Unborn (1991), abortion is the real villain of our allegory… or maybe it’s the environmental dangers of improper toxic waste disposal. I guess both were new-on-the-scene hot-button issues back in 1973, the setting of the movie.
I’m really not sure why writer/director Francis Teri never made another movie. As grotesque and inappropriate as it may be, it’s also kind of amazing. Baby horror typically crosses at least some moral lines, but this is more like The Greasy Strangler (2016) of baby horror… only it’s less deliberately funny and not nearly as well-made. Still, I had way too much fun with it.
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The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about the 2018 blockbuster Aquaman. Directed by James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring, Furious 7) and starring Jason Momoa, this bombastic and slightly insane big-budgeted film made over a billion dollars at the box office and proved massive films could be really weird. In this episode, we discuss laser sharks, underwater battles and the excellence of Dolph Lundgren. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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Examining Six Moments That Feature Our Favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters Being Jerks
While rewatching all 23 Marvel Cinematic Universe films for a recent data piece (read it here!), I came across six moments that feature superheroes being super jerks. There’s nothing especially egregious about these moments, however, they provide evidence that Happy Hogan, Captain Marvel, Thor, Tony Stark, Peter Quill and Captain America can be brats who take no issue with casual destruction, jealousy or littering.
None of these moments matter in the grand scheme of the MCU, I just wanted to point out some cheeky moments.
Spider-Man: Far From Home – Happy Hogan lands a plane on top of beautiful tulips
There is a moment in Spider-Man: Far From Home when Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is picking up Peter Parker (Tom Holland) after he’s had a terrible day/night. It’s a nice scene that features the two very likable characters bonding. However, the problem is, Happy lands his plane in a beautiful tulip field, which sends many of them flying. Couldn’t he have parked in another place? It’s a jerk move considering how tulips are big tourist attractions. I guarantee he didn’t pay the tulip farmer.
Case for Happy – He is super worried about Peter and doesn’t care about the tulips. He wants to protect the kid.
Case against Happy – Don’t park in a tulip field. Make the kid walk an extra 100 yards.
Captain Marvel – Carol Danvers destroys a jukebox
I’m totally cool with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) stealing a jerky motorcyclists ride after he made rude comments towards her. However, I’m still not quite sure why she decided to destroy a jukebox to showcase her powers for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). A fully stocked jukebox with about 100/200 CD/records would cost at least $2000. It’s a jerk move, and I doubt the restaurant owner was repaid.
Case for Captain Marvel – Um……It’s better than blowing up the entire bar or kitchen.
Case against Captain Marvel – It’s a legit jerk move. Also, she seems very pleased that she cost a small business a jukebox.
Thor – Thor flips a gigantic table
I understand why Thor (Chris Hemsworth) flips the gigantic wooden table in the first Thor movie (He’s pissed off….). However, the Asgardians are going to have a heck of a time getting the table off its side. It’s a gigantic table loaded with cutlery, food and golden chalices, and I don’t envy the people who will have to muscle it back in place. His breaking of the coffee mug is super jerky too.
Case for Thor – He’s a god who is used to doing what he wants without consequence.
Case against Thor – He’s a god who is used to doing what he wants. The dude doesn’t care about the underlings.
Iron-Man 2 – Tony dumps strawberries on the floor
Of all the jerk moves in this list, this is the least egregious. But, it’s still a jerk move so I had to include it. There is a moment in Iron Man 2 that features Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) spilling a bunch of strawberries on the floor (end of clip). It’s cool that he gave the guy selling the strawberries an incredibly expensive watch for the strawberries. However, he just dumps them on floor when he gets to Pepper Pott’s (Gwyneth Paltrow) office. I get that he owns the building, it just shows he doesn’t care that people have to pick up the mess.
Case for Tony – Compared to Ultron, dropping strawberries on the floor is a minor issue.
Case against Tony – It’s inconsiderate and a waste.
Guardians of the Galaxy – Peter Quill is a jerk to a nice lady
The opening of Guardians of the Galaxy features, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) being a charming cad who dances around, and is capable of escaping badass villains. However, when he gets back in his ship, he is super rude to a woman when he tells her that he “totally forgot about her.” I get that the scene is meant to establish that he is a “cool” womanizer who hooks up with many women (and does weird Jackson Pollack-esque stuff in his ship), but, it’s super jerky that he would be so brusque towards her.
Case for Peter – He just survived a dangerous mission and might not be thinking.
Case against Peter – Come on man….You didn’t have to say it like that. Don’t be a jerk.
Captain America: The First Avenger – Cap shows zero appreciation towards the people helping him out
In order to save some captured soldiers, Peggy (Hayley Atwell) and Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) grab a plane and transport Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) over enemy territory. It’s crazy dangerous, and very brave of Howard and Peggy. During this time, Steve doesn’t say “thank you,” he gets jealous about Peggy and Howard having “fondue,” and then gives her orders. It’s a jerk move.
Case for Cap – Dude is super serious and not sure how to act around women.
Case against Cap – Peggy and Howard are risking their lives to help you. Show some appreciation.
Obviously pointing out these moments is meant in a tongue-in-cheek manner. I just wanted to share these slightly jerky moments in hopes of making you chuckle. Did I miss any?
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MY CALL: Middle-of-the-road, but still entertaining territory. There’s some macabre nudity, necrophilia, an undead baby, mystical carnies and voodoo dolls. I’d call it passable lower budget 80s fare due for its diversity of effects.
MORE HORROR ANTHOLOGIES: Dead of Night (1945), Black Sabbath (1963), Tales from the Crypt (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), The Uncanny (1977), Screams of a Winter Night (1979), Creepshow (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985), Deadtime Stories (1986), Creepshow 2 (1987), After Midnight (1989), Tales from the Crypt Season 1 (1989), Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Grimm Prairie Tales (1990), The Willies (1990), Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), Campfire Tales (1997), Dark Tales of Japan (2004), 3 Extremes (2004), Creepshow 3 (2006), Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Chillerama (2011), Little Deaths (2011), V/H/S (2012), The Theater Bizarre (2012), The ABCs of Death (2013), V/H/S 2 (2013), All Hallows’ Eve (2013), The Profane Exhibit (2013), The ABCs of Death 2 (2014), V/H/S Viral (2014), Southbound (2015), Tales of Halloween (2015), A Christmas Horror Story (2015), The ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016), Holidays (2016), Terrified (2017; aka Aterrados, a pseudo-anthology), Oats Studios, Vol. 1 (2017), Ghost Stories (2017), XX (2017), The Field Guide to Evil (2018), Shudder’s series Creepshow (2019) and Xenophobia (2019).
After the murderess Katherine White (Martine Beswick; Trancers II, Critters 4) is put to death, a journalist (Susan Tyrrell; Wizards, Digital Man) investigating her origins interviews Katherine’s uncle Julian White (Vincent Price; Theater of Blood, Scream and Scream Again). In this wraparound story, Julian explains that this small town in Tennessee has quite the history of murderers, and he educates the journalist on four such stories—each occurring further back in time.
In the first story we meet the awkward Stanley (Clu Gulager; Piranha 3D, The Willies, NOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge, The Initiation, Feast I-III, The Hidden), who is completely enamored with his lovely boss and has a curious co-dependence with his sister. When he finally gets his boss out on a date, things take a violent turn resulting in her death. But even in death, Stanley remains infatuated—and the consequences for his actions endure full-term.
We wind back the block for the second story as a 1950s man (Terry Kiser; Friday the 13th part VII, Weekend at Bernie’s) on the run stumbles across a voodoo practitioner and demands to learn his secrets. But in doing so, he finds a fate worse than death.
The third story takes us back yet further in time to a traveling carnival of the 1930s, when a local woman falls for a glass-eating carnival performer. The problem is the very jealous and voodoo-doll-savvy carnival owner (Rosalind Cash; Death Spa, Tales from the Hood, The Omega Man) doesn’t approve of this romance. The death scene is gloriously bloody with some of the best special effects of the movie.
The fourth story goes all the way back to the Civil War when some kids capture soldiers, mutilate them, and execute them in the name of their macabre magistrate (made from dead parents). This might have been the most satisfyingly gruesome of the segments.
Director Jeff Burr (Leatherface: TCM III, Puppet Master 4-5, Pumpkinhead II) landed in middle-of-the-road but still entertaining territory. There’s some macabre nudity (aka zombie boobs), necrophilia, the zombie baby is pretty awesome (even if awesomely dumb), mystical carnies, and playing with voodoo dolls. So yeah, for its low budget, the movie relies on its zaniness a bit… but that worked for me.
Was this awesome? No, far from it. I’d call it passable 80s fare due to its diversity of effects shenanigans even if the execution was of low production value. But more than anything, what I appreciated in this anthology was that its stories all had a theme reinforced by the wraparound: the long and curiously murderous history of a small town.
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The MFF podcast is back, and this week David Cross (of the Award Wieners Movie Review Podcast) joins us to discuss the excellent 2018 film Mandy. It’s one of my favorite movies of recent memory, and I love every choice that director Panos Cosmatos made. The revenge film is a blast to the senses that overloads your eyes with red hues, blood explosions and dreamlike cinematography that creates a trippy experience. In this episode, we discuss chainsaw fights, low budget filmmaking, and the excellence of Nic Cage. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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MFF Data: A Totally Unnecessary Look at How Much Damage King Orm’s Tidal Waves Caused in Aquaman
Quick note: This obsessive data analysis about a throwaway scene in Aquaman that is quickly forgotten, is not meant as a knock on Aquaman. I love that a scene involving trillions of dollars of property damage and billions of pounds of trash being dumped back on the world’s shores is like the 45th craziest thing in the movie.
Aquaman is an insane film that features Dolph Lundgren riding a seahorse, casual destruction of wine shops, anti-climatic final fights, and a gigantic creature killing the absolute ever-living sh*t out of unsuspecting crab monsters. It’s a bombastic spectacle that made enough money to sink a boat ($1.1 billion) and has a respectable 65% Tomatometer score.
It’s almost been two years since I watched Aquaman for the first time, and I still can’t shake how I felt during a three-minute scene in which the villainous King Orm (Patrick Wilson) sends land-dwellers a warning shot by unleashing massive waves that send billions of pounds of trash, hundreds (or thousands) of the earth’s warships, and countless thousands of boats back onto the shores. It’s a doozy of a warning shot (and a great trailer moment) that undoubtedly killed thousands, destroyed hundreds of miles of natural habits (how many turtle eggs were destroyed?), and did far more damage than anything that happens in Man of Steel (fun podcast episode about the final fight here), or The Avengers. Also, I’m pretty sure it made Dwayne Johnson jealous that San Andreas only caused around $10 trillion in damage.
Why has it been on my mind for so long? I think it’s because nobody on the planet seemed to care or remember the insane moment of destruction. Which makes sense, considering that like 10 minutes after the killer waves we see a gigantic octopus playing gigantic drums.
Take a look at the clip below, and you’ll understand just how much decimation is caused by Orm’s wave.
In the film, the news reports say that the ENTIRE Atlantic coast is hit by gigantic waves. Here’s a map for reference.
Here’s a collage of the aftermath of the wave. Since these waves happened in North America, South America and Europe, I’m assuming no area of the coast was safe from the waves and floods.
I’ll never be able to correctly guess the amount of damage (I wish I could), however, it’s safe to assume the waves caused trillions of dollars of damage. The following data backs up my assumption and proves that a scene that nobody remembers was incredibly deadly (and somehow totally forgettable) .
- I’m assuming all the waves are similar to what hit Aquaman and his dad.
- I don’t think the waves are sophisticated enough to pick and choose which boats got wrecked. That would be bonkers……or, it would be really on brand for Aquaman.
- I found a visualization of all the ships (tankers, cruises, shipping boats, fishing boats) in the ocean right now. I think many of the ships became collateral damage which would add a lot to the destruction total considering cruise ships can cost $555 million.
- According to several very handy articles, I learned the world has roughly 4,500 very expensive warships that include aircraft carriers (which are home to very expensive airplanes and weaponry), submarines, corvettes, destroyers, cruisers, amphibious craft and tankers. I don’t think all of them were destroyed, however, I’ll bet a healthy amount of them were wrecked.
- In the clip I included above, I counted (at least) 51 warships that were pushed onto the land (I have no clue how many sunk). At the very least, the damage to the 51 ships, and nothing else, is around $150 billion (the submarines and aircraft carriers would take up $23 billion of that). Also, what happened to the all the planes that are typically on an aircraft carrier? They must be in the water somewhere, which means dozens of planes that cost at least $15 million (with weapons costs not included) are on the bottom of the ocean.
- Towing or transporting massive ships can cost up to $8 million dollars. So, just imagine moving the 51 ships (that we see) and all the others that are damaged or sunk.
- The waves that hit land must’ve destroyed thousands of docked boats, and flooded thousands of homes and businesses. Through some fun research I’ve learned that waterfront properties cost 46% more than inland properties. So, the expensive condos, homes, businesses, parks, roads, and anything in the vicinity of the waves and battleships suffered massive damage.
- Some of the most expensive homes in the world are located on the Atlantic ocean. If any of them are hit, the total goes way up.
- The massive tsunamis that hit Japan in 2011 caused close to $309 billion in damage (earthquake destruction is included), and Hurricane Katrina had an economic impact of $250 billion. If coastal cities were hit all along the Atlantic, just imagine the damage.
- It’s very possible that New York City, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Buenos Aires, Boston, Miami and dozens of other major cities. Also, imagine if Orm blasted the Gulf of Mexico cites. That’s easily trillions of dollars in damage.
- The amount of “dirty water” left after a tsunami or tidal wave can cause massive health issues. The floodwater carries oil and contaminated water to wells and other areas and leads to infections, cholera and health issues. The clean up around the world would cost billions.
- Orm should be annoyed at the billions of pounds of trash dumped into the ocean. However, his waves killed a whole lot of ocean life. Dude is a jerk.
- What if the waves, or an errant warship ran into a coastal power plant? Here’s a map.
- If the massive waves hit an oil tanker or a drilling station, the clean up would cost billions.
- There are many Atlantic Ocean seaports in the United States and Africa. The destruction would be Huge. Ports can cost up to $7 billion dollars.
Conclusion – I’m hoping that all of this research showcases just how much damage was done after the insanely damaging warning shot. All of it is totally unnecessary, however, I learned a lot while researching this data, so I’ll take it as a win. In the end, Aquaman is an insane movie that can inflict trillions of dollars in property damage, and then quickly forget about it, that makes me happy.
If you like this random data, make sure to check out my other data posts! Also, check out the Movies, Films and Flix podcast, we just started a new series called Final Fights, it’s about epic final fights in movies. Listen wherever you listen to podcasts.
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MY CALL: This was a fun, well-executed horror movie with solidly disturbing imagery. This is also a convoluted film that may confuse viewers with its time-hopping recipe of 10% prequel, 0% of the advertised reboot, 45% paralleling The Grudge (2004), 40% paralleling The Grudge 2 (2006), and 5% acknowledging The Grudge 3 (2009) timeline. So I’d recommend you watch parts 1 and 2 first. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Grudge: Well, The Grudge (2004), The Grudge 2 (2006), Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) and Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003) would be the best place to start; followed by The Ring (2002) and Ringu (1998), then Ju-on (2000) and Ju-on 2 (2000). I’d skip The Grudge 3 (2009), but I’d highly recommend Lights Out (2016).
I hope you wanted more ghost-croaking and well-placed jump scares, because that’s what you’re getting! And while better in scares, effects and execution than the original Ju-on: The Grudge (2002), Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003), and maybe even passing The Grudge (2004) to reach The Grudge 2 (2006) jumpy-fun quality, this sidequel lacks the clarity in storytelling of its 2004/2006 predecessors. Or does it? At first it may seem to have radically disjunct, piecemeal, timeframe-hopping confusion when actually, like many of the later Saw sequels (parts IV-VI), this “sequel” is best viewed right after freshly seeing The Grudge (2004) and The Grudge 2 (2006).
Why? Well, this franchise installment makes basically no effort at all to explain the “rules” of the ghost, the origin of the ghost, why this ghost has “a grudge,” what’s up with the little boy ghost, or why on Earth we’re seeing scenes that take place in two timelines (2004 and 2005) prior to the present (2006). Wait… or was the present 2009? So… how many timelines? See? This gets confusing if your Grudge game isn’t strong.
When we see a caretaker leaving Tokyo to return home to Pennsylvania, she mentions Yoko (the caretaker prior to Sarah Michelle Gellar from the 2004 movie). Then we jump to 2006 as Detectives Goodman (Demián Bichir; The Nun, Alien: Covenant, Machete Kills) and Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough; Oblivion, Mandy, Black Mirror S4: Crocodile) come across the scene of the long dead and shockingly decayed body of Lorna Moody (Jacki Weaver; Bird Box, Haunt)—whose 2005 timeline is later explored—and questions the deeply disturbed Faith (Lin Shaye; Critters, Insidious 1-4, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Chillerama). Then we back up again to 2004 and we meet expecting couple Peter (John Cho; Searching, The Exorcist series, Sleepy Hollow series) and Nina Spencer (Betty Gilpin; The Hunt, Stuber, American Gods, GLOW). And what the heck happened to Detective Wilson (William Sadler; Tales from the Crypt S1, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, VFW, Ava’s Possessions) in his great and very creepy cameo? The actors all did great and the atmosphere was consistently unnervingly creepy. But all these disparate stories are just confounding.
What’s going on here is that this sequel takes place before and during the events of The Grudge (2004) and The Grudge 2 (2006)… and apparently The Grudge 3 (2009) as well. Yup… This was first advertised as a franchise reboot, but that it most certainly is not. Writer and director Nicolas Pesce (Piercing, The Eyes of My Mother) succeeds in making very engaging and very creepy scenes that pack a mean punch. But the connections to the other two films, while obvious, are also somewhat tenuous. I’d like more direct mentions of some key events or characters to coax me along as to “this is why this is important.” It certainly would have eased my confusion in the first 30-40 minutes of this movie—when I thought I was watching a reboot! But you know what, it’s still pretty entertaining. And again, had I just seen the previous films (right before this), the storytelling would have worked much better.
Disturbing and grotesque imagery of self-mutilation and twisted cadavers infested with writhing maggots serve up some eerie surprises. In fact, horrifying dead bodies (like in The Ring, but different) is quite a strong suit in this film. That, and the franchise-typical jump-scare fare.
You don’t necessarily need to have seen the Japanese originals (2002, 2003) or even American remakes (2004, 2006) to enjoy this, but it certainly helps to know what’s going on. However, if they are recently familiar to you, then this sequel/sidequel seems to thrive on the foundation built by its forefathers regarding “the rules” of Kayako and the origins of the ghost. And like its predecessors, I’d say this was jumpy but largely empty fun. The film is well-made in many respects, but nothing here is going to resonate for long.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #264: Rush, Racing Films and the Excellence of Daniel Brühl
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week John Leavengood and I are starting an epic series about racing movies. We’re starting with the excellent 2013 film Rush, and then we’re tackling Driven, Days of Thunder, Ford v Ferrari, Speed Racer and Death Race (2008). In this episode, we discuss shooting a racing film on a budget, the excellence of Daniel Brühl, and the joys of driving fast through Italian countrysides. Enjoy!
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MY CALL: A very well-made addition to the revenge subgenre. It’s nice to see a rape-revenge movie that focuses less on the rape (for its on-screen shock value) and more on the revenge. Tolerably far-fetched, enjoyably feisty, and still managing to pack some intensely gory punches. MORE MOVIES LIKE Revenge: Well, I’d simply not compare this to the likes of The Last House on the Left (1972, 2009) or I Spit on Your Grave (1978, 2010).
Cheating on his wife with his young mistress, Richard (Kevin Janssens; The Room) sweeps Jen (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz; Rings) away to his luxurious desert vacation home for a weekend tryst. Such behavior can certainly come with its share of consequences. But for Jen, those consequences are not as expected when a pair of Richard’s hunting buddies unexpectedly drop in for the weekend as well. They seem nice… at first. But we watch as their congeniality quickly transmutes into lustful aggression and a general apathy regarding her sexual battery. Yeah, this doesn’t play out well for Jen.
Soon everyone feels scared and threatened (for very different reasons) and all three men have turned against Jen, who desperately runs for her life barefoot through the rocky desert where she is pushed off a cliff her death. But, oh… she survived that!?!?!?!
At this point a strong suspension of disbelief is important for one’s enjoyment of the film. From here on, most things that transpire feel like the product of a graphic novel and little is credible. But if you can just let that go, there’s definitely great fun to be had…
Brutally mangled, impaled, struggling to even wheeze for breath and oozing blood, Jen fights to survive via ludicrous actions against ridiculous odds. And then she begins to hunt her offenders as they also hunt her. The violence is surprisingly abrupt, a bit brutal and unapologetic. The exploding head gag is a gory mess of awesome. Things just get more bloody and extreme as the film approaches its end, with the splatter-festiness amplifying to MAX in the final scenes. Moreover, we observe more male nudity than female for change (and little to never does it feel exploitative).
Sure this film wanders into incredulous bonkers town in some (in my opinion, at least) forgivable ways, but it is actually quite engaging and occasionally even fun watching Jen exact her vengeance on these horrible men who have wronged her.
I read some comparisons to some mean rape-revenge films like The Last House on the Left (1972, 2009) to which I say NO. These are not similar or comparable films. One takes you on the vicious on-screen journey of mean-spirited rape and victimization, and the other doesn’t show it happen. Yes, it’s a horrible concept. But one of these films is clearly much easier to watch than the other… and gorgeous to watch. As if emulating Michael Bay, the colors are bright and the film boasts some great cinematography of xeric-scapes and caverns. Tackling her first feature film, writer and director Coralie Fargeat succeeds with style.
This film spins the revenge subgenre on its head by steering clear of sensationalizing sexual assault and tilting the execution of its revenge into staggered moments of Evil Dead (2013) intensity. At one point a completely naked person is murderously chasing someone down a blood-doused hallway with the ill-dexterity of sprinting across a sudsy Slip’n’Slide. It’s intense, but you’ll probably squeak out a laugh at the mania transpiring before your eyes.
This is a fresh and more tolerable flavor of revenge movie, but not at the expense of thrilling intensity. Strongly recommended.
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