The Curious Revelations of a Beautiful Horror Mind

Frontier(s) (2007)

My favourite movie I have seen thus far this year is Xavier Gen’s 2011 film, The Divide. It is raw, gritty and painful to watch. You leave the film uncomfortable and uneasy about the material depicted. Much like the ending of Stephen King’s the Mist, you are not quite sure about what just happened. After this most recent uneasiness I experienced after viewing The Divide, I felt the need to re-watch Mr. Gen’s other epic tale, Frontier(s). If you were expecting me to say Hitman, I fear you are misguided, because even Timothy Olyphant could not save that train wreck of a film. No, unfortunately Mr. Gen’s attempt at a “Hollywood” film blockbuster was muddled and more of a flop that belongs on the raspberry list. Rather than dwell about the non-successful films my favourite new French filmmaker has made, let us conclude that Hitman was an outlier in his growing resume of great films to his name.

The notoriety of Frontier(s) was built up in 2007 when the film was deemed too violent for an R rating and was removed from the After Dark Horror Fest. This publicity is the best kind a horror film creator can ask for, as a buzz that is generated surrounding the film was depicted as too graphic and disturbing to even be viewed. Of course this does nothing but excite avid horror movie fans to do whatever they can to get a copy of the film. However, this technique is only successful when the hype is worthy of the film produced. Unfortunately the resulting high expectations were almost an impossibility.

In the not too distant future where political turmoil in France dominates and groups of thugs and gangs run the streets. When one group of thieves flees Paris to lay low in a quaint little inn outside of the big city, hoping to have some fun and wet their “whistles” for a few days before re-grouping, the group finds that they are in bigger trouble than they could have ever imagined. While I do not think that Frontier(s) is the strongest film in this new surge of French exploitative films to make its way onto the small screen, I will argue that the film is wonderfully strange and eerie tale that draws you into the strange world of a group of French neo-nazi cannibalistic hillbillies.

The story is simple and easy to follow, even for those who detest the idea of reading subtitles. There is not a lot more going on in the film other than watching crazy and sadistic Neo-Nazi Frenchmen attempt to re-populate the Earth in their own image. The film is no more graphic than Haute Tension or Inside, but what it successfully is, is an enjoyable and well depicted torture porn film. This label may seem strange for some because the film does not dwell on torture and gore; and it is not sensationalized in a traditional way that torture porn typically is. But with the successful usage of tension building in conjunction with intermittent graphic content, the film is effective at maintaining excitement and mystery. It is weird, graphic and intriguing. Plus it has pigs.

Irréversible (2002)

Time destroys everything

In 2002, the Cannes film festival had a controversial film about the sequence of events that occur after a woman is brutally raped compete. Irreversible was shot in reverse chronological order, and ultimately emphasizes the revenge of the event that occurs earlier in the night. By beginning with the vengeance of the assault, we are forced to think about the implications of what has transpired.  

I get excited about films that use reverse chronological order as a technique to depict the content of the film. When used properly, this order of events ends up altering our emotions regarding a typically universal subject matter, and engages us to think differently about the content. Most notably my favourite movie to do so is 21 Grams, a film that came out in 2000 directed by Alejandro Gonzalez and depicts 3 different character stories that intertwine with each other.

When I first watched Irréversible years ago, I was excited about this technique used. One problem that can occur as a result of the reverse chronological sequence is that a film may start off very strong and generates a swift hard punch, but by the end of the film (or the beginning of the sequence), there is not a lot of tension or surprise. Irréversible skirts around the tension, and I do think it generally trickles off by the end of the film. That being said, I do think the plot line is simple and is presented in a pleasing manor and is genreally enjoyable. 

The film is not meant to be “enjoyed” but rather appreciated from an artistic standpoint and endured for its raw power. It is successfully a beautifully structured and filmed piece of cinema. But I don’t think it is original. While, the filmmakers of Irréversible are successful at generating unique emotions in the film, I am generally not a huge fan of the film. The content matter does not bother me. There are a variety of scenes that depict graphic violence in an over the top fashion, that a number of critics have argued is overwhelmingly brutal and unwatchable. While, I don’t find the content to be overly traumatic, I have seen many films depicting rape and violence towards women that I believe are far better executed and more terrifying. My problem is that I am left with a feeling of being underwhelmed by the story and thinking to myself, do I really care about what I just saw? I am oddly concerned that all I am really left with is the notion that the filmmakers just wanted to make a shock and awe film, depicting the depravity of man and what lengths we will go to for vengeance. 

Shark Night 3D (2011)

I watched Shark Night 3D last year for the first time and was disappointed, and I have been sitting on this film trying to decide how I feel about it. Recently I watched it again to firmly solidify an opinion on it. Unfortunately, the second viewing of it was no better than the first. It was really that bad. I was really disappointed that I did not like, pretty much anything about this movie. Time, and time again I make the point that I can forgive films for lacking script, plot and acting. But what I cannot forgive a filmmaker for overlooking when producing a film is heart. Shark Night 3D was about as bland as rice pudding. 

What I think was the biggest problem with this movie was not even to do with the film itself, but the fact it was released in September of last year. There is a science to when you should release a film onto the silver screen. During the fall and winter months we are expecting intellectually stimulating films that make us think and feel. However, contrasting these “smart” movies, in the summer months we are expecting dumb fun. This is the time of year we see Michael Bay movies with explosions, or in the horror world, we expect movies like Piranha. So before even watching Shark Night, the film is already set up to fail. No, I don’t want to watch dumb blondes get eaten by sharks in 3D in the fall and winter months. It is not what I am expecting to see. 

That being said, I am fairly certain the film would have failed regardless of when it was released. I have now seen the film twice, and I can’t really tell you what happened. I do know that upon my first viewing I did guess almost every single scene and plot feature from start to finish. In one sentence or less this is Shark Night. College kids go away to the glades to have some much needed chill time, when sharks are unleashed on them things go wrong. Who lives and what parts of them will still be intact? Who cares. What I can stand by is that Joel David Moore was obviously the best thing in this film. I am quickly becoming a super fan of his. The man is just so quirkily fun in any role he takes on like in Hatchet and his small role in Chillerama, you just can’t help but like him.

I think what was so shocking was that with a budget of $25 million, at least decent CGI sharks could have been produced. The fact that the sharks were nothing but comically poorly constructed, turned the film from bad fun to just bad. I don’t mind predictable, but at least it should be fun. Shark Night was neither fun nor entertaining. The characters were mindless automatons. But we can’t really blame the actors, it is not as though they had a lot of substance to work with.  I was expecting a bad film, but I was anticipating something more along the lines of Snakes on a Plane, who was also directed by David Ellis. But hey, I guess you win some and you loose some. 

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

I am a proud Canadian. Without sounding ethnocentric, I think Canada is the greatest place in the world to live. I’m so proud, that if I didn’t think it was cliche, I would get a Canadian flag tattooed on me — somewhere. What’s not to like about this huge land mass? We are the birthplace of the best sport known to man, hockey and we have more hockey rinks than we have Walmarts. Socialized health care, need I say more? Poutine and Maple Syrup are staples in our diet. Need I mention Canadian bacon? Gay Marriage is legal here. Sharon, Lois and Bram AND Mr. Dressup are way cooler than Mr. Rogers any day! Without the list going on forever, no Canadian list is complete without mentioning the fact RUSH is from Canada.

As amazing as Canada is, one department we tend to lack in, is in the movie department. This is largely due to a lack of funding provided to the arts. Therefore usually the films which are produced are done so with poor production quality, such as these gems: Killer Bees! (2002) and Bikini Girls on Ice (2009). However, once in a while a film is produced in Canada that makes me proud to be Canadian, such as Ginger Snaps (2000) and Martyrs (2008) and most recently Tucker and Dale VS Evil (2010). 

Tucker and Dale VS Evil is a fun, quirky and cute horror comedy that makes you both laugh and feel warm and fuzzy inside. There is a true heart and soul to this film. Written and directed by Eli Craig as his first full feature, we are brought into the cliche world of hillbillies vs good looking college campers. But what is unique the film is that the protagonists are actually the hillbillies, played by the loveable, sweet and bumbling Tyler Labine and always funny Alan Tudyk. The chemistry between these two is amazing, in an effortless kind of way. Really, what makes this film is the dynamic between these two talented actors. 

When one college girl gets into an accident and is saved by Tucker and Dale, the rest of the college group automatically assume the worst, that she is abducted. With a series of unfortunate events that occur as a result of this confusion is what makes up the bulk of the film. Coordinated in such a humorous fashion with a witty script, the flick did not require a cast with amazing talented skills or amazing production quality. 

What I find so surprising about the movie is that I forget that this is a horror film. There is an ample amount of blood and graphic gore, but above anything the film makes you laugh and feel empathy for stereotypical bumbling hillbillies who are misjudged. Growing up in a hippie family, in an area of the bible belt in Alberta, Canada, my family was outcast a lot, as we weren’t the “norm”. We weren’t white protestant, with 2.5 kids, whose father wore a suit to work where went to church on Sundays and got our portraits done once a year at Sears. I had friends who weren’t allowed to come over to my house because I apparently lived in a heathen house because it was covered with African and Indonesian artifacts. So Tucker and Dale resonated with me, the moral of the story is: don’t judge a book by its cover. 

I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad I’m not hung like a bear

Zombie Strippers (2008)

With a name like “Zombie Strippers!” what do you expect? The movie is as predictable as “Snakes on a Plane”, it has snakes, planes and Samuel L. Jackson angry on a plane and it delivers exactly what the title says. The acting in “Zombie Strippers!” is almost as bad as the script. The cinematography is terrible and I think for the first time Uwe Boll can give a hand on filmmaking. The movie is stupid, in fact – it is one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen, but I was expecting it to be, so I did not have a lot of expectations for the flick. But “Zombie Strippers!” embraces cliché jokes like in “Scary Movie,” but adds an X-rated twist. It is an entertaining B-rate horror-comedy flick, with clever dialogue, intense gore and over abundance of nudity.

The movie it is clearly a political and social commentary of writer, director Jay Lee. “Zombie Strippers!” begins in the not so distance future with Bush being elected into his fourth consecutive term as president. War is ramped and the US has declared war on every country in the Middle East, Canada, and the independent nation of Alaska. The problem at hand is the US is running out of people to serve in the army, so scientists have devised a solution which is to reanimate dead soldiers and use them to fight for them again. While this may seem like an interesting and prospective solution, predictably these undead creatures become zombies. The special unit force titled “Z squad” has been brought in to get rid of the zombies and unfortunately one of the soldiers becomes infected and escapes the group only to end up in an underground strip club, owned by sleezy owner Ian (Robert Englund.) 

Kat (Jenna Jameson) is the lead stripper at the club and becomes bitten by the escaped solider. As a zombie she returns to the stage to continue to strip and only gets better; the men respond only now to the stripping of zombies. After popular request by the crowd, more of the girls turn over to the dead side to develop the uninhibited talent of a zombie stripper. The longer the strippers are zombies the more their bodies deteriorate and look like corpses and I myself, began to feel a bit sadistic as I am looking at naked zombie women dance around. Necrophilia? Okay – ultimately it is a comedy and you just can’t take it too seriously. 

Political statement aside the film offers a decent plot, for what it is trying to produce. It is simplicity at its best. The movie is easily eighty percent, if not more, just of stripping. But with a title like “Zombie Strippers!”, if there was not an abundance of T&A I would be disappointed and feel slightly teased. The amount of nudity would boarder line on vulgar if the movie was not so funny. The amount of scenes with vagina, tits and ass being shoved in your face outnumber the ones with clothes. But hey – they go all the way, why half ass it. “Zombie Strippers!” makes no apologizes for being a dark comedy horror flick, it is uninhibited.

Jenna Jameson attempts to make a go at a legitimate acting career in films that are not in the back area of the video store that say “adult’s only.” SO – what does Jenna do, she stars in a film that has her with her clothes off for almost the entire film and you watch her rubbing herself off on a stripper pole. However – this newfound attempt to legitimize her career in mainstream Hollywood almost seems like a laugh at stripping industry and is actually quite funny. “Zombie Strippers!” seems to make a joke at the whole profession. Really it is worth it alone to watch the movie to see Jenna Jameson reading Nietzsche.

These are my own two cents on the stripping profession; I do not think that nudity and stripping makes women subordinate and objectified. These women are making a choice to make shit load of money off of men who are silly enough to toss away their hard earned money to look at boobs. Women may be viewed as objectified and pieces of meat, but what is entertaining is that these strippers in the film end up treating the men like pieces of meat by devouring them and treating them as nameless, faceless cattle. So – from a feministic approach to the film, I see the film as depicting women as domineering, powerful, independent women who do not need men for anything except a quick easy buck and a taste of blood. As more and more of the strippers become zombies, the way the women are exploited normally as hot-beautiful curvy voluptuous women the gore and gratuitous violence increases.

My final thoughts – It is “Night of the Living Dead” meets “Showgirls.” It is campy, sexy and gory and I love “Zombie Strippers!” Take that Stripperella. 

Friday Feast Fest!

I’m stoked - spending my Friday having a Feast marathon.

Blood, gore, comedy, scares, crazy-ass-man-eating monsters….love it. What better way to spend a gross Friday than by watching some hicks getting eaten by a hungry monster!

Truly the Feast flicks are an underrated trilogy. Feast, Sloppy Seconds and a Happy Finish are on my list tonight <3 stoked! 

Also - a 4th instalment coming up (rumours are flying!) 

…………………….excited

Inside

What a better way to get my angst for this semester out than by watching “Inside.”

POKE 

You’re still alive!

Fuck that movie is amazing. I think the word is epic. 

Yes, I know it’s 8 am, is there anything wrong about watching a movie again like that bright and early in the morning? Yes I am well aware of the subject material. 

PS: They’re re-making it, I died a little inside (heh) when I heard that!

B