MOVIE REVIEW: THE ABCS OF DEATH

Twenty-six horror directors collaborate on an anthology film where each filmmaker directs a segment focusing on a death based on a letter in the alphabet. Among the directors involved are A Serbian Film's Srdjan Spasojevic, The House of the Devil's Ti West, and Black Death's Christopher Smith. Drafthouse Films and Timpson Films produce. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Directors: Adrían García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Ti West, Yudai Yamaguchi, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Andrew Traucki, Adam Wingard, Simon Rumley, Anders Morgenthaler, Noboru Iguchi, Ben Wheatley, Jake West, Marcel Sarmiento, Jason Eisener, Nacho Vigalondo, Angela Bettis

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Unrated contains violence, horror, gore

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

The ABC’s of Death is a strange but fascinating experiment in micro filmmaking. It’s terribly uneven all around but some of the shorts do shine while other repulse. Pretty much every aspect of horror and gore is covered within these 26 shorts. There are overly serious yet well made (A is for Apocalypse ; P is for Pressure) while some are slapstick (K is for Klutz, J is for Jidai-geki (Samurai Movie)). A handful I found inventive, well crafted and very clever (D is for Dogfight, C is for Cycle, S is for Speed, U is for Unearthed). Then there are a few (L is for Libido, M is for Miscarriage, Z is for Zetsumetsu, Y is for Youngbuck) that don’t just push the boundaries of good taste but jump over it all together hedging into repulsive territory. Other shorts are just batshit crazy (W is for WTF!, H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion). Needless to say this is the type of film that I can only recommend to hard core horror fans. The variety and styles on display are interesting and each will affect each viewer differently depending on your own personal taste. Unlike the VHS series, The ABC’s of Death has no over arching story line tying them together so it’s easy to take each piece on its own merits or lack there of.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: V/H/S/2

The search for a missing teen leads two private investigators into a derelict house littered with mysterious VHS tapes in this sequel to the hit horror }\anthology} VHS. As the detectives scan the videotapes in search of vital clues, what they find instead is a series of tales so shocking they are driven to the edge of madness. Genre specialists Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Jason Eisener, Edúardo Sanchez, Greg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, and Gareth Evans lead viewers on a terrifying ride into a world where your worst nightmares come true. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Jason Eisener, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale

Cast: Adam Wingard, Lawrence Levine, Kelsy Abbott, Hannah Al Rashid, Fachry Albar

Release Date: Jul 12, 2013

Rated R for for bloody violence, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, pervasive language

Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

I was fairly impressed with the impressive anthology V/H/S even though it was a tad overlong and a tad choppy. The 2nd entry turns in a more streamlined effort with fewer entries but higher quality overall. So let’s dissect each segment on their own.

Tape 49 – Wrap Around story

The weakest part of the film is the most thankless as well. It’s barely fleshed out more than the original and still doesn’t provide any sort of cohesive center. The story is weak and fairly predictable. It comes off as intrusive and superfluous.
Phase I Clinical Trials
Adam Wingrad’s entry is fun and has a fun sense of humor. It lacks any real scares relying too heavily on cheap jump scares. It’s fun but forgettable.

A Ride in the Park

Eduardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project) & Gregg Hale give the zombie genre a nice little twist. Their short has some nice energy while giving us a first person account of the life span of a zombie with humor and a surprising bit of emotion.

Safe Haven

Gareth Huw Evans, the wunderkid who directed The Raid, gives us the film’s best short of the group. Its head and shoulder above the best in terms of story and technical skill. It starts off slowly but quickly builds to crescendo building some nice teeth gnashing tension and giving us some truly gory images. The latter portion of the film keeps 1-uping itself with insanely creepy images. This probably should have been saved for the last segment because it’s a tough act to follow.

Slumber Party Alien Abduction

Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun) gives a dog’s eye view of an alien abduction. He uses plenty of practical effect and lighting resulting in a decidedly 80’s feel. The short is fun but the idea is limited. The scares begin to repeat themselves as it goes on, just changing locations as it goes.

In the end, it was a smart move to use only 4 segments. The quality of each is stronger and even the weaker ones are still fun. I’d personally love to see a third entry because this series can give us some gems like Safe Haven which I hope they make into a full length movie someday.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

MOVIE REVIEW: HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN



A train rolls into its final stop. From one of the freight cars jumps a weary-eyed transient with dreams of a fresh start in a new town. Instead, he lands smack-dab in the middle of an urban hellhole, a place where the cops are crooked and the underprivileged masses are treated like insignificant animals. This is a city where crime reigns supreme, and the man pulling the strings is known only as "The Drake." Along with his two cold-blooded and sadistic sons, Ivan and Slick, he rules with an iron fist, and nobody dares fuck with The Drake, especially not some hobo.Director Jason Eisener’s blood-soaked return to the Sundance Film Festival is more than just a nod to the grindhouse flicks of the 1970s and ’80s; he ups the ante in a major way, and Rutger Hauer’s performance is a legendary display of brutal ass-kicking and meticulous name-taking that is not to be missed.
Director: Jason Eisener

Cast: Rutger Hauer

Release Date: May 06, 2011

Unrated

Runtime: 1 hr. 26 min.

Genres: Action / Grindhouse

REVIEW:

Hobo with a Shotgun is a fun little film, far from perfect but not fatally flawed. Jason Eisener’s first major film, after winning a faux trailer contest, is full of impressive promise and style. Eisener clearly loves the genre he’s emulating and he shoots his film like a Technicolor nightmare that’s occasionally kind of beautiful. He’s got a keen eye and knows how to frame shots with a keen precision. His casting of Rutger Hauer is also a major bonus to the film. Hauer is clearly committed to the role which is over the top but heartfelt and honest at the same time. He does most of the heavy lifting here, probably with good reason, and the performance alone is worth watching this film. Sadly, the film as a whole does have its issues, the script does seem kind of thrown together which considering the film’s genesis isn’t a huge shock. My biggest issue with it is that it leaves too many dead zones in between the crazy blood spurting mayhem everybody came to see. It’s strange to say this but I kind of felt they didn’t go far enough with some of the insanity, leaving a choppy feel to the flow of the film. The final battle with some nicely designed armored killers is fun but just kind of ends, just like the movie shortly there after. Not quite the quality of something like Machete or Grindhouse but still lots of fun for fans of the genre.

C+