3 - Inferno

Starring:

Irene Miracle......Rose Elliot

Leigh McCloskey......Mark Elliot

Eleonora Giorgi......Sara

Daria Nicolodi......Elise Stallone Van Adler

Sacha Pitoeff......Kazanian

Written/Directed by:

Dario Argento

Release Date:

1980

Running Time:

107 mins.

The second in Argento's "The Three Mothers" series, Inferno tried too hard to be like its previous entry, Suspiria, and fails. While it's still a decent flick, a lot of it is very confusing and hard to follow, and unlike Suspiria which uses style to move the plot forward, it seems like a lot of Inferno's visual style is just... there. It holds no real relevance to the plot, nor does it advance it

That said, the visuals in Inferno were great, as was the music. From my understanding, a band named Goblin did all the music for the film.

This is not really a sequel to Suspiria, just in the same "world." The plot is that three witches, or "Mothers", who each personify the word "sorrow", invade three cities. Inferno takes place in New York.

The acting was, to be blunt, bad. It made the film seem cheesy and overdone, which obviously didn't add to it whatsoever.

The death scenes were pretty okay. To be honest, I can't even remember a lot of them and I watched it only two days ago...

I do have to say, however, that Ania Pieroni is gorgeous. She's the music student you see staring at Mark near the beginning of the film. Wow.

2. Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch House

Starring:

Ezra Godden......Walter Gilman

Chelah Horsdal......Frances Elwood

Directed by:

Stuart Gordon

Written by:

Stuart Gordan/Dennis Paoli, H.P. Lovecraft

Release Date:

November 4, 2005

Running Time:

60 mins.

I can't really review this because I didn't really understand what I was watching. I really disliked it... it may be the worst Masters of Horror episode I've seen. It was just boring, in my opinion. Nothing of importance really happened... there was barely any story, the acting was weak, and the script was faulty.

Seriously, that's all I have to say. Watch it if you're a fan of Stuart Gordan, I guess, but I wouldn't recommend it for any other reason.

1 - Suspiria

Starring:

Jessica Harper......Suzy Bannion

Udo Kier......Dr. Frank Mandel

Joan Bennett......Madame Blanc

Stefania Casini......Sarah

Alida Valli......Miss Tanner

Miguel Bose......Mark

Flavio Bucci......Daniel

Written by:

Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi

Directed by:

Dario Argento

Release Date:

February 1, 1977

Running Time:

92 mins.

98 mins. (unrated)

So I loved this movie. Audiences' reactions are usually divided into two groups for this film, it seems. One side loves it, and the other hates it. I've never really encountered anyone that has been just "...eh..." with it.

Reasons I loved it:

The Music: So I think this now holds the title for "Movie with My Favorite Score." It was so creepy and beautiful at the same time, I couldn't/can't get over it. To borrow an allusion someone else said, "It's like a Disney score to a horror movie... which just makes it even scarier."

The Cinematography: Was gorgeous. Okay, if for no other reason, watch the film for the visuals. The colors are orgasmic, as is the scenery.

The Suspense: I dislike how a lot of modern horror movies lack suspense. It's just one "Jump out and BOO!" scene after another. This movie, while maintaining some sudden scares, relies heavily on suspense. It builds up to the moment where you know something is going to jump out, waits a few seconds, and then has it scare you.

The plot concerns Suzy Bannion, an American ballet student who is to attend a prestigious dance school in Freiburg, Germany. As soon as she arrives, a young woman races out of the school, screaming, into the woods. A gratuitous murder scene takes place, and so begins the terror. Suzy encounters very strange characters at the school, including the strict Madame Blanc and the ill-tempered Olga. The one character that Suzy gets along with is Sarah, her roommate.

Suzy and Sarah become friends, and Sarah informs Suzy of some "secrets." Like almost always, I hate giving away spoilers, because... let's face it. Do you want to watch a movie if you already know exactly what's going to happen? If so: sorry, go to Wikipedia.

The deaths in the movie are interesting and different... examples include a girl falling into a room full of razor wire and struggling to get out, a dog accidently eating its man, and some other cool ones.

Do keep in mind, however, that the movie focuses more on style than it does on story. There isn't much dialogue... I would say there is more instrumental music than there are spoken words, actually. From what I've read, this seems to be a common theme in most of Argento's films. Whatever, I still loved it.

Go into the movie with an open mind, and no real expectations. It is cheesy at moment, and a little over-the-top, but I think that that's just part of its deliciously creepy charm.

Happy October!

I LOVE October, mainly because I love scary-ness (not real life scariness, I should say). That said, I entered a challenge on livejournal to watch 100 horror movies in the 31 days of October.

That's essentially what this blog will turn into during the month of October. Be warned, if you don't like reading reviews of horror movies, don't visit this blog until November 1. I've thought about creating a separate blog for October, but felt it was just better to leave my reviews here. I may review other genres, but the main focus for October will be horror.

That said, if a movie is numbered, that means it's part of my challenge.

Just a warning. =P

Martyrs

Starring:

Morjana Alaoui......Anna

Mylene Jampanoi......Lucie

Catherine Begin......Mademoiselle

Written/Directed by:

Pascal Laugier

Release Date:

September 3, 2008

Running time:

100 mins.

This was heralded as one of the goriest horror movies ever made. Two corrections to that title: This wasn't necessarily a horror movie... it was way more of a revenge/action/thriller than pure horror. Only maybe one or two scare factors were used in the movie, if I remember correctly.

Still, this was an excellent film. I watched the unrated version, and I believe this only applies to that version: The director/writer of the movie, Pascal Laugier, introduced the film with an apology. He apologized for making the movie, but also gave the sentiment that he needed to make it. So he did. And I'm glad.

This movie supposedly scarred a lot of people, mentally. It didn't have that same effect on me. I'm not still haunted by the movie. I don't think of it on a daily basis, but I also will probably not forget my viewing experience.

The two lead actresses were really great. Both were able to portray most main emotions very well, and the movie would be completely different if that wasn't the case.

I should mention that the movie is French. Therefore, it has subtitles. I do think it has an English audio track, but I usually prefer to not watch a movie that way, as it's often cheesy and takes away from it.

Like mentioned earlier, I didn't really find the movie scary. I found it scary with the notion that such a place exists, which it (hopefully) doesn't. I feel it is best to go into this movie knowing as little as possible, so I will just say this: Something very, very bad happened to a girl, and her friend is seeking vengeance for it. That's essentially the main plot of the movie.

That said, please do watch this movie, if you have a tame enough stomach. (;

But I'm A Cheerleader

Starring:

Natasha Lyonne......Megan Bloomfield

Clea DuVall......Graham Eaton

Cathy Moriarty......Mary J. Brown

RuPaul......Mike

Mink Stole......Nancy Bloomfield

Bud Cort......Peter Bloomfield

Directed by:

Jamie Babbit

Written by:

Brian Wayne Peterson and Jamie Babbit

Release Date:

July 7, 2000

Running Time:

85 mins.

Seventeen year old Megan Bloomfield, despite her boyfriend, is accused by her parents and friends of being a closeted lesbian. Suppressing the accusations and trying to convince everyone she is definitely straight because she's sexually active with her boyfriend and is a cheerleader proves fruitless as her friends notice her staring at other girls and realize she only has posters of females in her locker at school.

Megan arrives at True Directions, which is for homosexuals as Alcoholics Anonymous is for alcoholics. With the prompting of the counselor and other campers, Megan admits that she is, in fact, a lesbian, and that she wants to be cured.

There are five steps to go from gay to straight, and everyone at camp must succeed through them in order to graduate as a heterosexual person. These include the campers admitting their homosexuality, rediscovering their gender identity by performing stereotypically gender-associated tasks, finding the root of their homosexuality, demystifying the opposite sex, and simulating heterosexual intercourse.

Everyone seems to want to become straight, including Megan herself. There is one exception, however, in the form of Graham, a girl whom Megan falls in love with.

Trying to find a way out of the camp, Megan and Graham bond together and become friends.

There's more to the story, but I want to leave out as many spoilers as I can.

The acting is great, especially the part played by Natasha Lyonne. I hadn't seen her in much else before this film, but I definitely will try to. Clea DuVall was also great, as was Cathy Moriarty, and Michelle Williams in the few scenes she was in.

I definitely recommend everyone to check out this movie, although be forewarned that it isn't your typical romantic comedy. It satires society's views on homosexuality as if it's a disease, and generally gets its message out pretty clear. Check it out.

Catching Up

So, I've seen a lot of movies that I really don't want to review, but want to write about. So these are some "briefs" about movies I've watched, but haven't reviewed, since starting this blog:

Drag Me to Hell - I like Sam Raimi, but... this didn't do it for me. I felt bored throughout the entire movie, basically, and only liked Justin Long.

The Last Exorcism - Pretty bad. NOT as awful as Paranormal Activity, but definitely nowhere near the hype. The beginning was good... only one part creeped me out.

Fried Green Tomatoes - Sweet. I enjoyed the movie, but, like Steel Magnolias, these type of films aren't for me. I love Mary-Louise Parker, though.

Going the Distance - This one was alright. Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, and Christina Applegate were great, but I just didn't find the movie that funny. Leighton Meester was also enjoyable in her... one minute of screen time.

Up next for review:

Zombieland

Martyrs

But I'm A Cheerleader

Brokeback Mountain