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Reviews
We Are What We Are (2013)
Family Honor or a Sense of Right and Wrong How does one decide
What makes a movie a horror movie, or a genre movie, scares, kills, gore, a mixture of theses. We are What We Are the latest from Jim Mickle, a re-imagining of a Mexican film by Jorge Michel Grau by the same title. Now I will admit I am a big fan of Jim Mickle and Nick Damici and their previous films Mulberry Street and Stakeland.
We are What We Are is an intense, thriller about a family, the Parkers who have lived on their property since early colonial times in upstate New York. They are good God fearing folk who keep to themselves and have their traditions. The movie starts with the mother Emma Parker dying in a freak accident during a bad rain storm. This changes the family dynamic and the 2 teenage girls Iris the oldest and Rose are now thrust into the role of patron of the family. Iris and Rose both struggle with wanting to please their domineering father, while protecting their baby brother and their budding adolescence.
This family has secrets and as the movie proceeds, these secrets are slowly exposed as we see the family moving towards a climax. On a parallel path we see a doctors investigation to a mysterious discovery and the teenage daughters struggles with the realization of what role their mother had in the family. This is a family that is run by the father and their traditions have been passed down for many generations and when they are revealed I was both horrified and enthralled.
This movie moves at a good if a bit slow pace but with a film score that helps build the suspense and mood till, you know something has to happen, but will it be what we all expect. It is brilliantly shot with some dark and disturbing scenes. It does not disappoint and the ending will leave you talking for sure.
Redline (2009)
In space when racing everyone hears every crash
OK, every year at TAD there is a film that Adam and the programmers champion and rave about and I think OK, I bought the pass we will see. Red Line was one of those movies, the trailer showed high energy anime from Japan dealing with racing, aliens and more.
The movie centers around an illegal race on a forbidden planet, it is more than a car race, as they race everything from cars, to ships to outrageous vehicles. I went into this movie with absolutely no expectations and was very surprised.
This movie has aliens galore and a bar scene that makes the scene from Star Wars look like a church picnic. It is a simple story about this illegal race and our hero who has to win at all costs but the animation and music are out of this world.
This movie, is loud and the animation is excellent and the characters are funny, scary and just down right disgusting, all in all it's a fun race.
Much better than I had expected.
Father's Day (2011)
Tag Line: fuckman is back, all fathers beware
The year is 2010 and TAD is missing a Canadian short film and there to step and fill the gap is Astron-6 with a fake trailer for "Fathers Day. The audience howled with laughter and screamed with shock and horror and basically ate up this fake trailer.
Then as the months went by before TAD 2011 came rumors that Astron-6 had gotten together with Troma and made Father's Day into a feature film in the Troma/Grindhouse tradition.
We have the dreaded serial killer "fuckmanicis" on the loose killing random fathers in the most horrible fashion. Father Sullivan knows there is only 1 man who can stop "fuckmanicis", the only man who once had almost killed him Ahab. He sends a young priest to find Ahab and convince to stop the horror once and for all.
This movie is a pure grindhouse treat and I use that word truthfully, this movie works on so many levels due to good acting and effects that fit with the movie. I saw the premier at TAD 2011 and the crowd literally devoured this movie.
Ahab, together with the son of one of "fuckmanicis" victims and the young priest track the serial killer, dodging corrupt cops and a society that doesn't believe "fuckmanicis" exists. The movie goes from a standard serial killer to much more, including some awesome claymation and other special effects.
If you are a lover of Troma movies or Grindhouse movies you will love this movie. Astron-6 has done an amazing job with such a limited budget. Oh yea here's a spoiler alert this movie won people's choice for TAD 2011.
Exit Humanity (2011)
When everything has been taken from you by zombies is there any reason to go on.
The civil war has end for Edward Young and he thinks his life can return to normal and put the war behind him. He is very wrong. Exit Humanity, not your typical zombie movie, set after the civil war and a zombie plaque has sprung up, from the war or because of the war, is unknown.
The movie is told through Edward Young's journal as he first seeks his wife who may or may not have fallen victim to the zombie plaque and then eventually seeks and locates both his wife and son. They have both succumb to the zombie plaque and Edward Young has to kill them both. His real quest then starts to put his son's ashes to rest and in the same act hoping to find some sanity in a world gone mad.
Along his way he meets others and shares his story. This movie shows a man's struggle with his own acceptance of humanity and struggle for sanity when he not only loses his family but loses them to non-worldly means, i.e. zombies.
He meets a woman who may have answers to his questions and a madman trying to in his own twisted solve the zombie problem. This is not your typical zombie movie but it is beautiful shot and has some really strong performances by Dee Wallace and Mark Gibson in his first starring role.
John Geddes has made an impressive zombie movie in my opinion and I have seen more than my share of zombie movies.
Monster Brawl (2011)
Monsters meets Wrestling
OK, I saw Monster Brawl at TAD(Toronto After Dark) and the crowd ate up this movie which makes it even better.
The premise is simple a PPV featuring 8 of the most horrific movie monsters fighting to the death till the ultimate winner is decided. This movie is fun and entertaining. It features great performances by Art Hindle as colour commentator sasquatch Sid Tucker and Dave Foley as announcer Buzz Chambers and the play there roles with such straight candour that you believe we are watching an actual PPV.
The monsters are played for the most part by actual wrestlers and even features actual UFC referee Herb Dean as himself. This movie is well paced and moves with a nice fervour. The action is simple but effective and the special effects are well done and add to the movie.
The plot is simple with an "Monsters" division versus an "Undead" division finally crowning the ultimate monster. Highlights include swamp gut and some nice back stories on the monsters and creatures.
This movie is best viewed with a bunch of friends over some beers and would make an awesome lead in to an actual wrestling or UFC PPV.