sim87 Reviews

Groupie (2010)

Mark L. Lester's Comeback?

[4/10 · 12 August 2010]

Finally a new picture from the man that brought to us some great B-movies in the 80s and early 90s.

So, what about the Lester-trademarks in this film?

First, the plot is bluntly obvious. The whole "who" and "why" is clear from the first few minutes. I never watched a Lester-film for the plot though, but for the feel and make. But why do his recent works have to pretend to be thrillers then? I think this picture in particular would have worked out better if the obvious hadn't been camouflaged as a thriller but if the whole set-up just had been presented as an action/slasher movie.

There were plenty of topless scenes as an end in itself. It's what we are used to from all the Lester classics. However, I missed the giant bullet holes from the old times. Even though there weren't any more than two shots fired in the whole movie, two elephant-size bullet holes would have contributed to the (actually very lame) end.

Last but not least, the film has Eric Roberts in it! Rating +1 just for the sake of it.

The Insatiable (2006)

don't expect a horror movie and you will love it!

[9/10 · 25 January 2009]

I came to watch this movie randomly just because there was Michael Biehn in it and I was pleasantly surprised! I understand that many people who expected a horror film were disappointed because that's just not what it is (it's also kind of a mistake of the producers because when watching the trailer, this looks like a sinister horror-thriller). In fact, it's a satiric comedy about a loser-type named Harry who falls in love with a vampire. he's supposed to kill her, but instead he locks her up in his basement and feeds her with rabbits to prevent her from dying. For me there is an over-all grotesqueness over this movie, starting from the idea to lock someone up in a basement (which is utter reality for some examples lately here in Europe...) over to stuff like the pillory that Harry forges for his succubus so they can have sex without her being a danger for him. There is a number of extraordinary classy scenes such as the one where Harry, obsessed by the beauty of the vampire in his basement, orders some human hemoglobin online as a special gift for his mistress. When he comes to choose the blood type, he picks "my type" with a unique smile of satisfaction :)

Also the side characters like Cyndi, Harry's double-minded neighbor or Javier, the guy from work who always picks on Harry and considers himself as a "sexual tyrannosaurus Rex" make the movie insightful and worth watching.

By the way, I saw this movie first without knowing about it being a low-budget flick for an estimated 700k dollars. After a second watch, I noticed that maybe the music is somewhat elevator-style and the cuts and fades are not that smooth as they are in big-time blockbusters, but unless you have an eye for it, you won't realize. It's a great little movie that you shouldn't miss.