Absentia (2011)


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Huge thank you to Roshiq, who mentioned this movie in his list of Top Horror Movies of 2010/2011. This is a great little horror gem with ridiculously tight acting and a refreshingly original script. It's rare nowadays that you have a horror movie that really spends time on character development (Innkeepers comes to mind as one of the recent exceptions), and it's refreshing when it happens - In Absentia, you truly get to know your two main characters, Callie and Tricia - These are truly real women with baggage that you can truly sympathize with. Their relationship is also incredibly well-done to the point where, at the end of the movie, I really didn't want to let them go. That doesn't happen very often.

This is definitely a slow-burner, and for those of you who can't tolerate low-budget, this is definitely not for you... However, this movie does a LOT on its limited budget to build characters, suspense, pathos, and a really interesting storyline.

Recommended.

3.75/5.


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Rio (2011)


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Unfunny, poorly written, painfully formulaic, and oddly racist at times. What a waste of some gorgeous animation.

2/5.

Awesome movie. One of my favorite Pete Walker films.

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Decided to give this a watch even after reading some not-so-great stuff about this low-brow indie effort. And I must admit that I am impressed.

The casual viewer will knit his confused brows and think "the folks have stumbled into a Bermuda Triangle of sorts inside the forest", try to look for coherent explanations throughout this slow-burner, and dismiss the ending as being incoherent and melodramatic.

But for someone who appreciates surreal films tinged with atmosphere and moody horror, this film is really, really good. Just remember, you are left with questions rather than answers when the end credits start to roll, and THAT is the hallmark of a good film - it makes you think and stays with you for awhile after it is over. A lot of stuff is implied and is left to the imagination, and if watched carefully, the ending provides the answers to the questions posed throughout the film. You will find solutions to everything - the eerie music, the path's destination, the human psyche, philosophy of life. And the most important one of them all - why the popcorn girl of the town's theater insisted on being a part of the group. The deaths are evenly spread out, and some are particularly jaw-dropping.

Another strong point of the film is the performance of it's actors. The lead pair do their bit but the supporting characters are strong and perform to their fullest potential. Some nice shots compliment the cinematography and the direction is to be commended as well. Bear in mind that this is an indie effort and so it does really well for what it is.

All in all, recommended for those who love surreal, moody films which make you intrigued. If you are thinking of some slashing kills, gore, nudity and explanations/reasons behind everything, best to stay away.


* * * ½

Dagon

Compitent extrapolation on Lovecraft's themes marred by a lack of atmosphere and the most uninteresting, bland leading man I've ever seen.

Totally agree with you, CG! Yeah, I knew this is a perfect film for you :D...it's got the elements that's been handled nicely to fulfill your taste of quality horror. So glad you liked it.:)

Really looking forward to see more of this director(Mike Flanagan)'s works in future. Already read some great things about his short horror feature Oculus the man with the plan and trying to find it now. As a horror filmmaker I think he's got a great potential to do some more awesome stuffs in Indie arena. I think he'd gave more or less the same treatment for the story even if he got the higher budget. He's those kind of story teller who completely like to move on with in-depth characterization & mood of the events ...not seems like to exploited or dominated by CGI stuffs to creep you out.

>> Take Shelter (2011) : A-

>> The Theatre Bizarre (2011) : B+

>> The Three Musketeers (2011) : C-

>> The Artist (2011) : A

>> Underground (2011) : C

I love Pete Walker - have you seen any of his non-horror?

Just saw Psycho. Classic :)

Attack the Block. I was mightily impressed.

Seeking Justice

Not overly original but really entertaining. A modern take on Strangers On A Train with elements of Fight Club. This was a lot better than I was expecting after reading some poor reviews.

The Other F Word

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Quite dull really but a few segments kept it from being a total waste of time. Lars Frederiksen taking his kid to the park was a highlight for me :D But it's basically rich rockstars moaning about how tough they've got it. It would've been more interesting seeing punk parents from the underground scene. You're better off reading Jessica Mills column in MRR than bothering watching this.