Change Your Image
lordsteve_666
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Perro Guardián (2014)
A dark soul, in a dark society
Perro Guardian was by far my favorite film at this year's Cinequest festival. The story is simple enough on the surface - dog, an ex- militia man who was spared from prison under an amnesty law now works as a killer-for-hire, having to deal with his demons, and a society in which he has no place. What sets this movie apart is the excellent direction and cinematography. Told exclusively form the perspective of dog, Bacha Caravedo weaves simple side stories into the narrative that happen mostly in the peripheral vision of the movie's main character (and thus the viewer), but providing a wealth of flavor and context - showing us a society that's as corrupted and dark as dog's soul. Dog is superbly portrayed by Carlos Alcantara (that guy is a stand- up comedian in real life ... really??). The Cinequest programmer described it as a 'modern day Latin American version of Taxi Driver', and I can't think of a better description. I'm really hoping that this movie will see a US release.
Wasting Away (2007)
A fresh zombie movie! Finally!
Now, this is one of the very few films I have seen that is only lacking one thing: a bigger budget. Starting from a brilliant idea the Kohnens have developed a smartly silly script and translated this into a nicely paced movie. There are a few lengths but the script manages to cover them nicely while keeping the overall tone of the movie intact. I only wished the filmmakers had had a little more budget for some of the special effects (or potential effects), I'm sure we would have gotten something on the level of Jackson's 'Dead Alive', or at least 'Bad Taste' :) ... btw ... the references to this particular one are lovely ... 'We are zombies! Zombies don't run!' This was by far the best movie that I've seen at this year's 'Another Hole In The Head' festival, and I hope the Kohnens get the chance of another shot at this topic with a decent budget.
Lake Dead (2007)
Just bad ....
Hmmm ... just saw this piece at the Horrorfest and I wish I had used these 90 minutes for more useful activities, like shooting myself in the head or something ...
... but seriously, this is the dumbest plot since 'Slumber Party Massacre 17'. It shamelessly rips of 'Wrong Turn', and in a totally uninspired and lame way.
My rating in detail:
1 star for cinematography (ok, but barely) 1 star for the music (it didn't hurt) 2 stars for acting (sticks out because the rest of this film is so bad) -2 stars for the script
The only positive: James Burns obviously has tremendous fun playing the sadistic Sheriff - it's a pleasure to watch him
Makes for 2 stars overall - and that's generous. Save time and money and avoid this one.
Stagknight (2007)
The stupidest movie I've seen in a loooooooooong time
I sat through this movie yesterday night at the Holehead festival in San Francisco, and it's been a long 90 minutes. Dumb 'jokes', a totally brain-dead plot and characters that you couldn't care less about make for a really disastrous movie. The scripts takes cookbook pieces for a horror film, mixes them in a totally uninspired way and adds jokes that are not really funny. Oh, and most of the gory scenes happen in the off anyways ... probably due to budget constraints ... but that of course doesn't help the movie either. If your brain has it's day off today, you might want to consider watching this movie, otherwise ... stay away.
Evil Aliens (2005)
Splatstick taken to a new level
Last night, I had the honor to see the birth of a cult movie at the San Francisco HoleHead festival, where Evil Aliens had it's world premiere. This movie takes the Splatstick genre as defined by Peter Jackson's 'Braindead'/'Dead Alive' to just another level - a gory one. If you thought the lawnmower was the end of the line, you'll be up for a nice surprise. This movie just works on all levels. Great casting, demented characters in the dozen, raw humor and tons of blood and guts. Acting is great - well over the top, just what a movie like this deserves. Not to forget the subtle references to all the best horror movies out there. All this tied together with an original script that provides punchlines that will become standard references themselves in the future. This film is made with a deep love for the genre. If you dig gory comedies, you really don't want to miss this one! *** Spoilers deliberately avoided ***