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Reviews
Heads Are Gonna Roll (2004)
An Effective Use of the Short Film Medium
Heads Are Gonna Roll was a surprisingly effective use of the small-budget, single set short film. As with most Short works it asks the viewer to actively participate in suspended disbelief and engage in the story. I was surprised at how competent it was. Certainly evidence that given more money and opportunity Mr. D'Amato could compete in a more mainstream arena, potentially delivering more than the weak standard fair we have come to expect from modern film-making. I would love to see an adaptation by Mr. D'Amato of Trevanian's novel Incident at Twenty-Mile. This short certainly showed to me that D'Amato is more than capable of delivering a story artistically and compellingly and outside the genre hew seems to have been pigeon-holed into.
This short film is available as an extra feature on the DVD for Mr. D'Amato's film Vampires -vs- Zombies. Heads Are Gonna Roll is the Far superior film. And worth the price of the rental or purchase. The only connection between the two films is that the casts cross over almost identically.
Please remember that Short works are experimental in nature, intended as an opportunity for a filmmaker to spread his wings and branch out. Would that more filmmakers took this opportunity.
PLEASE don't stop experimenting, Mr. D'Amato. I, for one, support you wholeheartedly.
And should you seek a critical audience for your short works, not always easy to find in the present climate, I encourage you to take a look at the Great Lakes Film Association. There is a Great Lakes Film Festival, and a fledgeling annual GLFA Music Video Festival and GLFA Horror Film Festival. I work with them in a limited capacity. And your work, should you desire to submit, would certainly find an audience.
Heads Are Gonna Roll is a fantastic example of the potential of one filmmaker. A calling card. It has its faults. All low budget Short works do. But hopefully it will be noticed and recognized for its merits.
Igby Goes Down (2002)
A Rare Masterwork
Kieran Culkin stars as Jason Slocumb, Jr. "Igby."
Ryan Phillipe as James Daniel Ford, er, Ollie Slocumb.
Burr Steers insists this film originated as a novel he'd intended to write for a great many years... watch for yourself. That's impossible. This film, with a few exceptions, is a modern adaptation of Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I would be pissed, but Steers creates such a wonderful film. Truly exceptional.
The degeneration of Amanda Peet was truly painful to watch for anyone who has seen this happen in real life. The same with Bill Pullman, his marginalization due to illness was a blow my heart still has yet to recover from. And the betrayal of Sookie Sapperstein is so painfully authentic that anyone who has suffered that kind of senseless, unprecipitated heartbreak cannot help but fall inside.
Some of the best aspects of Holden Caulfield have been lost in this port of Salinger's work, but they have been replaced with aspects of Jason Slocumb you never expected to find.
A movie I must own as soon as possible.
As soon as possible.
Hellboy (2004)
Quite Possibly The Greatest Comic Book Adaptation Of All Time
All of my friends told me to stay away from this film.
All of my friends were wrong.
HELLBOY is quite possibly the greatest comic book adaptation of all time. And a solid film in it's own right. Guillermo Del Toro's visual style was perfect for the world of Mike Mignola. The characters came alive, three-dimensional, complete.
I have made it a habit to see all of the recent comic adaptations. I do this more as a show of support to something of my childhood than in expectation of quality or pathos. I was disappointed in the Schumacher Batmen. I was revolted by Berry's Catwoman and the new Punisher and Hulk movies. I enjoyed League of Extraordinary Gentlemen even though they took a brilliantly crafted work and watered it down so thin its taste was barely recognizable. I thrilled to see my X-men on screen - even though it wasn't them and the nobility of Erik Lehnsherr had been stripped of him and for some reason Bryan Singer had decided to adapt an adaptation rather than actually work from source. X2 was a little better. Though I encourage you to skip it and read Chris Claremont's novelization instead. Still, it was nice to see Collossus. Blade 2 was a farce. Spiderman surprised me. Spiderman 2 was a complete waste of time. When I read that Bryan Singer had signed to direct the new Superman movie I breathed a heavy sigh of discontent. I eagerly anticipate the new Batman film, even though the changes they have made to the storyline. I trust Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker even though I did not appreciate Memento. Following and Insomnia were good films. He has the proper temperament for a Batman film. The idea of a Fantastic Four film directed by the same man who directed Barbershop frightens me. The idea of a Tom Cruise Iron Man excites me. The idea of a Nicholas Cage Ghost Rider... whatever. Call back when you decide to go back to acting. I thought the idea of making Hellboy into a live action film was a terrible idea, doomed to failure. I'd always thought it would make a good anime but not a live action. I can admit when I am wrong.
Beautiful cinematography. Creature effects that utilized CG only when necessary. Lovecraftian references. References galore to the real world occult. A painstaking replica of the Spear of Longinus, in reality on display in the Hofsburg Treasure House in Vienna. Such detail. Such an epic feel. And yet such simple emotion underlying each character.
I understood John Hurt.
I understood Abe Sapien.
I understood Hellboy.
I even understood Grigory Rasputin, a man who has lived so long that he has actually come to believe that the world would be better given a fresh start and in his hands. I know people like him. I understand the mindset. The best villains aren't truly villains when you scrape beneath the surface.
Hellboy was a much more three-dimensional film than Spiderman 2 which has gotten so much press lately and been called the greatest comic film ever made, just as last year X2 received the same accolades. They had more action. Perhaps they were more kinetic. Hellboy had more depth and more visual texture making it more cohesive as a story and as as an exercise in the visual medium of film.
A good film.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Perhaps The Most Original Dracula Story Ever Told
The Satanic Rites of Dracula was perhaps the most original Dracula tale ever told and one that I am very glad to have seen and have in my collection. It is best to go into this film completely cold, with no foreknowledge of plot. Whatever you are expecting, you're wrong. A truly cross-general film.
Solid acting from principal cast members. Excellent direction.
And regardless of what others might say, certainly no more loose with the mythos than Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula or the classic Bela Lugosi films.
Watch with an open mind and you will be surprised.
This is my first experience with the Hammer Dracula. I'm off to find more.
Invasion: Anime (2002)
The Invasion Has Begun, And With Angela Alexander At The Helm We Can Only Hope It Will Be A LONG Occupation
I saw Invasion: Anime at the 2003 Great Lakes Film Festival.
Helen McCarthy was particularly insightful. She gave me the impression that to share a dinner conversation would be the very height of well-spent time.
Mingling with guests at the convention I was disheartened to find that appreciation of documentary is declining. It really is unfortunate, and a statement particularly true of American audiences. How has our appreciation for art become thusly decimated?
A certain amount of elitism leveled against this film due to its subject matter. Sad, really. Invasion: Anime, like all good documentary work, is more about the human condition than exclusivistic premise. The skilled documentarian, like the actor or director, strives to open the awareness of her audience to knew thoughts. Angela Alexander is certainly successful.
One hopes this film will open doors for further forays into filmaking for Ms. Alexander. She certainly has an uncommon talent.
Thoughtful. Insightful. Certainly recommended. Invasion: Anime is for anyone geared more for the novitiate, those NOT completely versed in the genre of anime. This film opens doors with a come-as-you-are simplistic elegance that serve to broaden the potential audience base completely into the mainstream. And the list of individual artists and commentators that made themselves available to Ms. Alexander is certainly testament to her ability.
Definitely a piece worth the effort if you find it available in your area. As of this writing, September 2003, this film has not been picked up for distribution and is available only on the film festival circuit. Hopefully that won't long be the case.