Deadgirl (2008)

Directed by Marcel Sarmiento
and Gadi Harel 

Written by Trent Haaga

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

"Deadgirl" was recommended to me by my long-time horror film buddy Sean Hanson (who shared his review of Saw VI for my Movie Review Double Feature this month). In spite of its graphic depictions of sexual violence, "Deadgirl" is not an exploitation flick. It's a horrifyingly realistic portrait of humanity at it's best and worst (okay... mostly worst). 

Shiloh Fernandez stars as Rickie, a fairly empathetic (if somewhat creepy) high school loser. He skips class one day with his best friend J.T., and the pair decide to explore an abandoned insane asylum. In every horror movie, there are key plot points at which the whole horrific trajectory of the film could have been averted with a simple choice. The lesson?: DON'T HANG OUT IN ABANDONED SANITARIUMS!!!! Alas, I digress. Rickie and J.T. break in with relative ease, and drink warm beer while trashing and vandalizing the abandoned asylum. So far, nothing we all haven't done in high school (just kidding!). After they tire of their teen-angst antics, they decide to explore the tunnels in the asylum's basement.

Once in the tunnels, the boys start to get a little spooked. Their fear is justified when a big black attack dog chases them even deeper into the labyrinthine maze of tunnels and rooms. They are trying to find another way back out when they are strangely drawn to a door that's been rusted shut and has stuff piled in front of it. Clearing the debris, Rickie and J.T. pry the door open, uncovering the sanitarium's darkest secret yet.

Inside, the pair find a naked woman who has been gagged, chained to a bed and loosely covered with a plastic sheet. At first they think she's dead, but when J.T. touches the body, it moves. Rickie, as the only real moral compass in the film, insists that they free the girl and call the police, but J.T. sees a darker opportunity and asks "What if we kept her?". Rickie refuses to stand by while J.T. takes advantage of a defenseless woman, but when he tries to stop him, J.T. punches him, hard. Rickie leaves the sanitarium alone and conflicted, but ultimately enables J.T.'s perversions by not going straight to the police.

The next day at school, J.T. tells Rickie that he has to come back down to the sanitarium to "see something". Rickie follows hesitantly, expecting to find that J.T. has killed the woman. He's not far off. J.T. tells Rickie that the woman woke up when he was raping her and started growling and trying to bite him. He beat her brutally to quiet her, only to find that while she can be knocked out for periods of time, she can't die.

Finding that his unwilling sex slave is a "monster" seems to validate (in his mind) J.T.'s sub-human treatment of her. "She's just some dead girl" he says, as if that justifies his behavior. Instead of questioning the origins of a snarling naked woman who can't die and was found behind a door that had rusted shut in an asylum that'd been shut up for years, J.T. just goes with it, acting like she's a cool toy that he's found and is eager to show off to his friends. Enter "Wheeler", a stupid stoner who shamelessly follows J.T.'s lead and joins in the rape and objectification with great eagerness.

Rickie is horrified by the discovery that the woman is apparently not human (at least not in the conventional sense), but still feels compelled to protect her from his morally bankrupt friends. But J.T. is so enamored with his "find" that he begins sleeping in the sanitarium's basement, spending all of his time with the deadgirl. Rickie sneaks in and frees one of her hands one night only to discover that she has alarming, animal speed and strength when allowed to move. Rickie realizes with great consternation that though his goal is to set the deadgirl free, freeing her carries with it its own dangers.

When the boys underestimate the deadgirl once too many, she exacts bloody vengeance, turning the tables on her attackers. The gory finale leaves few standing, and is quite pessimistic. I felt that the ending was the film's weakest point. Without ruining any of the plot points, I'll just say that I was hoping for a more uplifting resolution. What can you do? It was a cynical movie to the end.

I gave "Deadgirl" a 9/10. It was gripping, scary, disgusting and funny. A sad but realistic look into the inhumanity of human behavior. The last few minutes left a bad taste in my mouth, but overall a very strong film. If sexual violence in films is a major deal-breaker for you, this film is probably one to avoid. Be willing to look  past the surface. I think you'll find this is a surprisingly deep film.













I also recommend:

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Directed by George A. Romero
Written by John A. Russo and George A. Romero

Rated R for strong horror violence, mild language, brief nudity and some disturbing imagery.

"Night of the Living Dead" is one of the old movies that is now public domain. This means that anyone with a print of the film can make, duplicate and sell copies with no copyright penalties. So go burn yourself a copy today! Or watch "Night of the Living Dead" for free right now online.

I should warn you before I start: "Night of the Living Dead" is one of my favorite movies ever. Though I will try to give an even, measured review of it, take my bias into account while reading this.

I was first introduced to "Night of the Living Dead" (henceforth to be referred to as "NOTLD") by a friend in high school who shall remain nameless. I watched it alone with the lights off, and basked in the ominous web of tension the film weaves. That initial viewing left me a little depressed and wondering what all the fuss was about. The second time I watched it, I liked it a little bit more, and after the third viewing, I became a fast fan. I have spoken to several other people who have had similar experiences. Like many films, "NOTLD" rewards repeated views. If you've seen it once and didn't love it, I strongly recommend you give it another go.

This time through, I watched the film with some friends who had never seen it before. We watched the digitally colorized version of the film with joke commentary by Mike Nelson of TV's "Mystery Science Theater 3000" turned on for kicks. While it's always fun to laugh at old movies, Nelson's audio track completely destroys the slow-burn suspense of "NOTLD". It is impossible to unnerve an audience with subtle horror while a wise-ass in the front row is making jokes every few minutes. Nelson (in typical MST3K style) tears the film to shreds, criticizing nearly every aspect of the film, from the costuming to the pacing and everything in between. Though many of his criticisms are valid (and many of his jokes are funny), I feel like some of the things that Nelson pokes fun at are the same things that make "NOTLD" such a revered cult-classic.

The acting is pretty bad, but it serves it's purpose, and I've definitely seen worse. Judith O'Dea stars as Barbra ("They're coming to get you, Barbra!"), a young woman who is at a cemetery with her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) when they are attacked by a zombie (played by Bill Hinzman). Johnny is killed and Barbra flees to a nearby abandoned house to seek refuge. From this point on, Barbra is in shock and completely useless. She's the embodiment of what NOT to do in a panic situation. She's nearly catatonic for most of the rest of the film, little more than set-dressing that would have quickly fallen prey to the zombies if not for the arrival of-

Ben (played by Duane Jones), who comes to the house for shelter after being chased by a mob of the undead. Ben is the embodiment of the perfect horror movie survivor. (Or is he? See enlightening fan discussions of Ben's "heroism" here). He's organized, cool-headed, and doesn't take crap from anybody. Unlike Barbra, who wanders around the house in a catatonic stupor, Ben immediately springs to action reinforcing the house's doors and windows with scrap wood and nails.

In reference to the lengthy scenes of Ben nailing boards to doors and windows, Mike Nelson quips "More than anything, 'Night of the Living Dead' is a film about carpentry." While watching someone nail boards up may sound boring, I feel it adds to the overall sense of impending doom. This film was made before much of what we take for granted as "zombie theory" had developed. Reinforcing a safe location with improvised barricades is now considered to be a zombie movie cliche, but it all started here. The time and energy Ben spends reinforcing the house on-screen highlights the vulnerable nature of modern houses. While people often feel safest behind locked doors, the illusion of safety is quickly shattered when someone kicks down a door or throws a chair through a window. One is also acutely aware while watching these scenes that while shutting the zombies out, the survivors are also shutting themselves in, walling themselves off from the world.

Ben finds a radio and turns it on. The news broadcast informs them of a widespread epidemic in which corpses are coming back from the dead and attacking the living. The sound of the TV entices bald-headed Mr. Cooper, his wife Helen, and a couple named Tom and Judy to come up from the basement, where they had apparently been hiding since before Barbra's arrival.

There is immediate tension between the "upstairs people" and the "downstairs people" due to the uncomfortable fact that the "upstairsies" know that the "downstairsies" stayed in hiding like cowards even though they could hear people alive upstairs. They only came up out of self-interest when they heard that there was a radio upstairs.

Cooper and Ben find a TV, which the plug in so they can all watch the news together. Mike Nelson in his audio commentary quips sarcastically that "There's nothing more exciting than watching people watch stuff on TV." This fictional news broadcast has become another cliche in the zombie genre. In a way, seeing coverage of the outbreak on TV makes it more real for the survivors. They get validation that what they are experiencing is not an isolated fluke, but a widespread epidemic that they cannot outrun. Nearly every major zombie movie made since "NOTLD" has incorporated some sort of news broadcast to economically convey a sense that the epidemic is widespread. A clip of audio from this "NOTLD" news broadcast is even reused in Romero's "Diary of the Dead" (2007), reestablishing the fact that the cliche still works.

The pacing of the film is slow and steady, what would today be called "slow-burn" horror. The action of the film advances like the zombies, slowly but relentlessly, leaving the viewers as restless and agitated as the characters in the film. One of the truly terrifying things about "NOTLD" is that the ordeal could have been survivable if the people involved had cooperated and kept cool heads. The panic, hysteria and paranoia with which the characters responded to the situation was ultimately their undoing.

I won't ruin the end of the movie for those who haven't seen it, except to say that is one of the most memorable and disturbing film endings to come out of the 1960's. You will probably find yourself thinking about it for days after watching it. Something about the unique feel of this film stays with you. "NOTLD" has been the subject of numerous academic debates, including discussions of Ben's role as the first (and one of the only) African-American horror film heroes, as well as a whole debate as to whether or not Ben is the hero of "NOTLD" (which is a little like the theory that the evil Empire in "Star Wars" were really the good guys). I think it's a testament to "NOTLD"'s power as a film that it has spurred such conversation and controversy.

I gave "Night of the Living Dead" a 10/10. It is by far the movie that has had the greatest influence on modern depictions of zombies in film. The current zombie film "cycle" (which has included "Shaun of the Dead", the "Dawn of the Dead" re-make, "Land of the Dead", "Diary of the Dead", "Zombie Honeymoon", "Zombie Strippers", "Zombieland" and the upcoming "Survival of the Dead" to name a few) owes an enormous debt to "NOTLD" and George Romero for establishing zombie fiction as a part of American popular culture. While depressing and cynical, "NOTLD" contains valid social criticisms that are just as relevant today as they were in 1968. A true treat for fans of the genre! Check out the original B/W cut of the film for free right here:

A note on editions:
"NOTLD" is available in several different edits. There is the original black and white theatrical version; a 1998 re-edit with a new musical score; a 30th anniversary re-cut with newly-shot scenes starring the original "ghoul", Bill Hinzman; and a 2004 version that has been digitally colorized by "Off-Color Films" (not to be confused with the 1990 color remake of "NOTLD"), and features an optional comedy audio commentary by "Mystery Science Theater 3000" alumnus Mike Nelson. If you are a hardcore fan like me, you will probably want to own the following two DVDs, which between them include all the different versions of the film:

So after all is said and done, which is the best version to watch? If you've never seen "NOTLD", watch the original black and white theatrical cut. It's the way you would have seen it in 1968 at a late-night screening. If you've seen it before, try the color version. The colorization itself is pretty well-done, though I feel the film was a bit more dramatic in black and white. If you consider yourself a fan, watch the re-scored 1998 edit and the 30th anniversary edit with new scenes. I felt that the majority of the changes made to these edits were completely unnecessary, but they're novel and interesting in their own ways.

I also recommend:

U-Turn (1997)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by John Ridley

Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language.

Oliver Stone apparently got into some drugs in the mid-90's. Some of his movies get so fragmented and psychedelic that it's hard to believe they come from the same filmmaker who made "Wall Street" and "JFK". Luckily for his fans, Stone's "stoned" period resulted in some of his most interesting films, including "Natural Born Killers" (1994, one of my favorites) and "Nixon" (1995), which both feature highly-stylized editing and hallucinatory, dream-like sequences. "U-Turn" takes the same drugged-out aesthetic to new heights in a dark comedy that is so over-the-top it'll put you six feet under.

The film opens with a psychedelic credit sequence featuring the protagonist, Bobby Cooper (played by Sean Penn) driving through the Arizona desert in his Mustang with one bandaged hand and a suitcase. Cooper is foul-mouthed and mysterious, apparently on the lam from something or someone. I have to wonder if Terry Gilliam was influenced by this stunning opening sequence when he shot the opening desert scenes for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998), because they are remarkably similar. As we watch, Cooper's Mustang blows a radiator hose, forcing him to pull off the highway to a town called Superior.

Bobby's first contact in superior is a beer-bellied mechanic named Darrell (played expertly by Billy-Bob Thorton). Darrell is a stupid hick, and Bobby wastes no time telling him as much. Underestimating the locals is a mistake Bobby will make more than once, but his feud with Darrell becomes comically epic as the film progresses. As he waits for Darrell to fix the Mustang, Bobby wanders into Superior on foot.

The next of Superior's crazy residents to meet Bobby is a blind Native American who begs on the street corner with his lazy dog, spouting wise to anyone who will listen. The Blind Man is played by a barely-recognizable Jon Voight ("Deliverance", "Mission: Impossible") who gives perhaps the most impressive performance of the film. The Blind Man gets Cooper to buy him a Dr. Pepper from the corner machine for him, because "cola's nothing but flavored water." The Blind Man is also a compulsive liar. Though it didn't strike me until I thought back on it, he contradicts himself at least twice. When he first meets Cooper, he tells him that he lost his eyes in Vietnam, but later he says that he was blinded with acid for "getting smart with the wrong man's daughter". He also says early on that his dog is dead, but we see him walking with it later, alive. Nothing in Superior is as it seems.

As Cooper continues through town, he meets Grace, a half-Native American femme fatale who is carrying large, unwieldy packages down the street. Bobby offers to help her carry them to her car, and she ends up inviting him home. The two flirt for a while, but just when things are about to heat up, Grace pulls away and plays coy. Cooper gets fed up with Grace's games and starts to leave, but she calls him back and they finally kiss. Their kiss ends abruptly with the arrival of Grace's husband, Jake McKenna, who terrorizes Grace, clocks Bobby and throws him out of the house.

Jennifer Lopez is a better singer than an actress (and that's not saying much), but she does okay as Grace. Her attempt at a Native American accent is put to shame by Jon Voight's, but perhaps it's unfair to compare Ms. Lopez to a veteran acting god like Voight. The only part of Grace's character that Lopez really nails is her crazy bitchiness, a character trait that seems to find it's way into every J-Lo role.

Jake McKenna is a brutish, uncouth hick extraordinaire, and is played to perfection by Nick Nolte, in perhaps his most unusual role yet. After kicking Bobby out of his house, Jake catches up to him on the road and offers him a ride back into town. Bobby is distrustful of Jake's motives, considering their recent drama, but cannot refuse a ride in Arizona's deadly desert heat. In the car, Jake makes overtures to the effect that he would pay a lot of money to the man who would kill his cheating, whoring wife. When Bobby doesn't seem interested, Jake shakes the conversation off as a joke, dropping Bobby off back in town.

Bobby continues bouncing around Superior, having repeated run-ins with Darrell, Grace, Jake, a nosy Sheriff (Powers Boothe), and many other strange characters. Two of my favorite recurring characters are Jenny (Claire Danes), a doe-eyed trailer-trash girl who flirts shamelessly with any man that wanders into her line of sight and her boyfriend Toby N. Tucker, or "T.N.T." (Joaquin Pheonix), who feels the need to beat up anyone his girl talks to. The pair haunt Cooper throughout his stay in Superior, Jenny trying to seduce him and T.N.T. trying to start a fight with him.

So here you have the basic premise and cast of "U-Turn". The ensuing adventure is one I won't ruin for you. Suffice to say the plot contains many twists and u-turns, and features elements of suspense, horror, crime drama and dark comedy.

I gave "U-Turn" a 10/10. It is a star-studded masterpiece of cinematic storytelling, transporting the viewer to the middle of nowhere and stranding us there with a cast of unstable and potentially dangerous hillbillies. Like "The Wicker Man" (the original, not the crappy Nic Cage remake) "U-Turn" takes a man from one walk of life and puts him completely out of his element. Though he feels his lifestyle to be infinitely "Superior" to that of the locals, Cooper's sense of superiority is worth less than nothing in the sun-bleached community of Superior, AZ. A haunting score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone (who has composed scores for nearly 500 films, including the Fistful of Dollars trilogy, John Carpenter's "The Thing", "White Dog" and "Kill Bill") rounds out another fantastic film by Oliver Stone.













I also recommend:

Devil Doll (1964)

Directed by Lindsay Shonteff and Sidney J. Furie
Written by George Barclay, Lance Z. Hargreaves and Frederick E. Smith

"Devil Doll" is available to watch for free online here.

"Devil Doll" is the second Lindsay Shonteff / Bryant Haliday collaboration I've watched recently (the first was "Curse of the Voodoo" (1965)). Like "Curse of the Voodoo", the name and the premise had me expecting the worst. While they are both pretty cheesy b-horror movies, both of these films exceeded my  expectations of them. "Devil Doll" in particular is one b-horror movie that deserves to be promoted to a B+.

[I have, since writing this review, bought "Devil Doll" on DVD, and have written a review of the "Continental" version of the film, which includes nudity, and is not available for free online. Read the review of the "Continental" version here.]

Bryant Haliday (who played Mike Stacey in Curse of the Voodoo) stars as The Great Vorelli, an evil hypnotist/ventriloquist who uses hypnosis to manipulate those around him. He headlines his own show with his "helper", Hugo the dummy. Hugo is no ordinary dummy though. He has special abilities that go beyond ventriloquism. While possessed dolls are nothing new to horror films, Hugo exhibits the same squeaky-voiced, knife-happy glee that would infuse the "Child's Play" franchise in the 80's and 90's.

William Sylvester stars as Mark English, a newspaper reporter who's been charged with reviewing the Great Vorelli's act. In an attempt to get close to Vorelli, English asks his girlfriend Marianne to volunteer as a hypnosis subject during a show. Vorelli hypnotizes Marianne and turns her into a rockin' dancer before a crowded theater full of spectators. Then, for the big finish, Vorelli brings out Hugo the dummy, who speaks fluently while Vorelli drinks from a glass of wine, then walks by himself to the front of the stage to accept the audience's applause. Marianne begins to sense something is wrong with Vorelli, but Mark keeps insisting that she get close to him for the purposes of his newspaper story. Unfortunately for the young lovers, Vorelli has developed his own plans for Marianne.

Yvonne Romain (who played Rosa the prostitute in "Corridors of Blood" (1958)) dazzles as vulnerable young Marianne. Her devotion to Mark English places her directly in Vorelli's slimy grasp. Romain's anti-chemistry with Haliday's Vorelli is potent. Like Dracula, Vorelli steals in in the dead of night to prey on pretty young women in a psycho-sexual manner. He mesmerizes them into a state of complete vulnerability and then takes advantage of them, infecting them further with his poisonous presence.

After Marianne's first visitation, she becomes ill and must be bedridden. She raves hysterically, but the doctors can't determine a medical reason for her illness. But Mark has received his own visitation that night from Hugo the dummy, who delivers a cryptic message: "Help me. Find me in Berlin, 1948." Further investigation reveals the key to the horrifying secret of the Great Vorelli and his Devil Doll Hugo.

I gave "Devil Doll" an unexpected 8/10. It plays like a feature-length episode of "The Twilight Zone", but in a good way. Yvonne Romain is a fair actress, and that's on top of being pin-up beautiful. Bryant Haliday is ridiculous as always as the Great Vorelli, but is slimy and creepy enough to evoke genuine discomfort. The story is crude but entertaining, and features enough plot twists to keep you interested. The end in particular is expertly done, but you'll have to watch for yourself to see what I mean. Watch it with friends and food, or watch it right now for free:













I also recommend:


























It has also come to my attention that there is a recent blacksploitation version of "Devil Doll" called "Black Devil Doll" (2009). Though I haven't seen it, it looks ridiculous. Here's a link to the amazon page for it:

"Song" by Little j

I am pleased to announce my first Music Review on Mike's Movie Reviews Blog! My first featured album comes from "Little j", a very talented friend of mine who has contributed several tracks to my own independent film efforts, most notably "Spark of Life". The following is a slightly-revised version of the review I wrote for Little j's album "SONG" on lulu.com: 

"SONG is all folked up!"
This album is amazing! Little j pulls out all the stops on this hay-ride of neo-folk goodness. Little j's throaty singing and raw, solo guitar work become the vehicle for his enlightened lyrics, which range from childlike and primal (as in "10 Stars" and the "EY" shorts) to complex, mournful social criticisms (as in the haunting, yet hopeful track "Oxygen"). For me, the brightest gem in this crowning achievement of an album is a Ween cover entitled "Flutes of the Chi". The always-excellent guitar work shines brightest here, evoking the ballads of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The vocals are equally authentic and well-developed, like a modern Jim Morrison with a country twang. Listen to "SONG" alone with a glass of wine, or make it the backdrop for your next chill session. An invigoratingly fresh slice of modern folk!

Listen to Little j tracks using the media player in the sidebar----->

Shop for "SONG" by Little j

Check out Little j's website: NowHereLove.com

Check out songs by Little j and others: "Spark of Life" Soundtrack

If you like Little j's music, I also recommend:

Curse of the Voodoo (1965)

Directed by Lindsay Shonteff
Written by Brian Clemens and Leigh Vance

Rated PG for mild violence

"Curse of the Voodoo" is available to watch for free online here.

"Curse of the Voodoo" is one of the many classic b-films available to stream for free online at AMCTV.com. I was tempted to skip it because it looked horrible, but for the sake of thoroughness, I went ahead and watched it. Guess what? It didn't suck too bad! It's not a great film, but it was an enjoyably moody and moderately suspenseful voodoo thriller.

"Curse..." stars Bryant Halladay as Mike Stacey, an alcoholic colonial safari guide who splits his devotion between big-game hunting in Africa and endless bottles of whiskey, leaving no time for his estranged wife and son. The film starts in Africa, where Mike leads a big-game hunting trip that veers into Simbazi tribal land. Mike has killed many lions on hunting trips before, but never while in the territory of the Simbazi, who worship lions as gods. According to legend, anyone who kills a lion on Simbazi land will be cursed with death. Mike's companions warn him not to follow the lion into Simbazi territory, but being a staunch western cynic, Mike ignores the warnings, chasing a lion deep into Simbazi land and killing it.

Upon returning to the states, Mike spends most of his time at a night club that features African-American musicians and dancers. The film grinds to a halt for an impromptu dance performance by a curvy African dame. I'm all for some good booty-shakin', but this dance scene lasts at least five minutes and contributes absolutely nothing to the plot progression. While the African night club entertainers serve as a valuable commentary on how colonial societies co-opt native culture for their own use, five minutes of mad gyrating was completely unnecessary.

Mike's friend Major Lomas, who was also with him in Africa, encourages Mike to try to set things right with his wife, who moved (with their son) to her mother's while he was on his last safari. Mike visits his family, but it is clear that after years of playing second-fiddle to Mike's other pursuits, his wife Janet is sick of waiting for Mike to need her. He tries to make a date to meet at his hotel bar and discuss things further, but Janet stands him up.

Like the horrible person that he is, Mike goes home with the first floozie he finds. Unfortunately for her, he promptly passes out on her bed and has loud, screaming nightmares about the Simbazi.The next day, Mike is haunted by phantom Simbazi tribesmen who chase and torment him, but leave no evidence of having been there. He tries to reconcile with his wife, but ends up abandoning her to chase an imaginary tribesmen.

The Simbazi chase scenes are somber and surrealistic. They make this film very much a mood piece. Like the ghouls in one of my favorite cult horror films, "Carnival of Souls" (click link to watch "Carnival of Souls" for free at AMCTV.com), the phantom Simbazi tribesmen that haunt Mike Stacey in "Cult of the Voodoo" are more threatening and ominous than they are harmful. For some reason it is rather disquieting to see a man in a trench coat chased through a park in the London fog by loincloth-clad, spear-bearing African natives.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the film is the commentary on colonialism and the unethical misuse of other cultures. Mike Stacey is a good metaphor for western colonialism; a drunk, ambitious hunter who kills what he doesn't understand. The tribesmen then represent African culture, or rather the common western stereotypes of African culture; primal, mystical, untamed and dangerous. A somber voice-over at the beginning of the film tells us as much:

"Africa; where primitive tribes still practice evil religions which weave a dark web of death around all who sin against their gods."          -Narrator

At one point in the film, an African American scholar makes a reference to "the psychology of the guilt-ridden" when attempting to explain Mike's phantom illness. Given white man's long, abusive history with Africa (which includes, but is not limited to slavery) it makes sense that we have an innate sense of "white guilt". The phantom tribesmen that haunt Mike are like Freudian anxiety nightmare manifestations of Mike's white guilt.

I gave "Curse of the Voodoo" a 7/10. It's beautifully shot in black and white, and while the acting is often laughable, it is good enough to carry the plot. Some have complained that this film is racist, for which a case could definitely be made. I read it as an intelligent, fairly progressive, irony-laced dark satire on colonialism and white guilt. Watch it for free online right here:

If you liked "Curse of the Voodoo", here's another big cat/curse movie for a dark and stormy night: "Cat Girl". Click on the link to see my "Cat Girl" review and to watch "Cat Girl" online for free.













I also recommend:



























*****SPOILERS BELOW*****




I particularly enjoyed the way Mike Stacey lifts the "Curse of the Voodoo" by hitting the tribesman who'd cursed him with his Jeep. "Cat Girl" also featured a curse that was lifted by hitting something with a car. I guess modern engineering trumps ancient curses in most situations. This may be important to remember...

Stream Documentaries for free online!

Hey all, I just found a cool site where you can stream documentaries for free! They have tons of documentaries on a variety of subjects, including Academy Award winners! I did a little browsing and found that they feature several great documentaries I've already seen, including films from Michael Moore ("Bowling for Columbine"), Morgan Spurlock ("Super-Size Me") and Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side"). Check it out here.

Nixon (1995)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson
and Oliver Stone

Rated R for language

"Nixon" is perhaps one of Oliver Stone's most overlooked films. "Nixon" was Stone's first Presidential biopic since 1991's "JFK" (read my "JFK" review here), and though it featured the paranoia and conspiracy theory elements that made "JFK" so legendary, it failed to achieve the same degree of acclaim. Clocking in at 212 minutes, the director's cut of "Nixon" is actually longer than "JFK", which was already a two-sitting film for most audiences. While not as amazing a cinematic experience as "JFK", "Nixon" is a star-studded epic of political intrigue that is well worth the time investment for fan's of Stone's work.

"Nixon" stars Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon. My first reaction to this casting choice was that Hopkins looks nothing like Nixon. Fortunately, despite the physical differences, Hopkins gives a good show of imitating Nixon's voice and mannerisms, and shows much of the raw acting talent that won him so much acclaim in 1991's "Silence of the Lambs". Hopkins was nominated for the "Best Actor" Oscar in 1995 for this performance.

But Nixon is a different kind of monster than Hannibal Lecter was. Hopkins' Nixon is the ultimate two-faced politician. He is so megalomaniacally concerned about his public image that he often refers to himself in the third person, simply as "Nixon". He lies so freely that he seems to have a hard time keeping track of the truth. When secret White House recordings surface, he is forced to reconcile the Presidential persona that he presents to the world with the ugly, petty bigot whose voice he hears on the tapes. Several of the secret tapes feature Nixon using ethnic slurs or expressing racial intolerance. Nixon's response to his own bigotry: "Nixon can't say that. It makes me sound anti-Semetic."

Joan Allen does a fantastic job as Pat Nixon (Dick refers to her simply as "Buddy" throughout most of the film). She is the supportive wife who indulges her husband's delusions of grandeur even when the delusions become realities. As his only friend, Pat tries to remind Richard that he doesn't have to achieve the "stardom" of JFK's presidency to be a good president. She is in a way the most tragic character of the film, deeply devoted to a man who can never be content with what he has. Joan Allen was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" for her portrayal of Pat Nixon. As I researched this film, I came across a hilarious quote which aptly describes Allen's commitment to the role:  

"To tell you the truth, if Oliver Stone had wanted Pat Nixon to wear a G-String and swing from a chandelier, I would have played it that way." 

- Joan Allen

Several other notable actors fill contributing roles, including Bob Hoskins as a very gay J. Edgar Hoover, Ed Harris as E. Howard Hunt, and James Woods (in his first Stone film since "Salvador" (1986)) as H. R. Haldeman. These characters don't have much screen-time, but add significantly to the overall star power of the film. 

The editing style of "Nixon" seems to be a cross between the hyper-edited quick-cut style of "JFK" and the hallucinatory dream-vision style of "Natural Born Killers". At times, images or film clips are jarringly superimposed over one another in a hyper-stylized manner. It is clear that this film marks a transition for Stone from one style to another, and as can be expected, is a little less stylistically coherent for it. 

Fans of "JFK" will appreciate some crossover in terms of plot. "Nixon" captures the Kennedy Assassination from Nixon's point of view. Though Nixon himself doesn't have anything to do with the assassination, the film hints that he has inadvertently come into contact with some of the bigwigs in the assassination conspiracy. A group of anti-Kennedy bigwigs supported Nixon's bid for presidency, and then his path to the White House was mysteriously cleared by the assassination or attempted assassination of many of Nixon's political enemies (including Bobby Kennedy). Aware that he is an unwilling pawn in a larger political intrigue, Nixon keeps his suspicions to himself for fear that he will be assassinated himself. It is even implied that the missing eighteen and a half minutes that were intentionally (and illegally) erased from the secret White House tapes included references to the assassination, which Nixon cryptically refers to only as "The Bay of Pigs Incident".

Overall, I'd give "Nixon" an 8/10. It's a great film with some awesome acting, but its length is prohibitive to casual viewing. While the character of one of our most notorious presidents provided an excellent arena for Anthony Hopkins to work his magic in, Richard Nixon is ultimately not as interesting as Stone's previous films subjects. Ironically, "Nixon" (a film about a President living in the shadow of his predecessor, John Kennedy) is forever doomed to live in the shadow of the much-better film, "JFK".













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Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

aka Kôkaku kidôtai (Japan)

Directed by Mamoru Oshii
Written by Masamune Shirow and Kazunori Itô

Rated R for animated violence, language and nudity

"Ghost in the Shell 2.0" is a CG-laden revisualization of Mamoru Oshii's 1995 cyber-punk classic. I had mixed expectations about this release. On the one hand, "2.0" releases of movies are seldom more than double-dipping on the part of the filmmakers. Rarely does anything come out of these re-edits that actually improves upon the theatrical versions. On the other hand, Oshii himself (for whom I have great respect) helmed the project, and the original voice actors were on board to re-record their lines. When a project's original creator wants to redo a film, you generally assume they have good reason (unless they are George Lucas). The biggest draw for me is that "2.0" is the first version of the original "Ghost in the Shell" to feature full surround sound.

After watching it, I still had mixed feelings. The new scenes are pretty and exciting (especially the lingering close-ups on the Major's computer-generated breasts) but don't add much to the film. Computer generated graphics clash pretty badly with the original animation, though some scenes did benefit from color touch-ups.

One color-changing choice I did not agree with was changing the green tint in some scenes to a sepia-tone. This was apparently done to distance "Ghost in the Shell" from "the Matrix". Long story short: the green looked better. "Ghost in the Shell" predated "the Matrix" by five years, so it's strange they felt the need to go out of their way to avoid "imitating" something that is itself imitative of "Ghost in the Shell".

The dialogue for "2.0" has all been newly recorded by the original cast. I believe some new dialogue has been added in this release, but am not sure as I haven't seen the original in a few years. If there are changes, they don't affect the plot in any major way.

This brings me to another gripe: DVD extras. The "Ghost in the Shell 2.0" DVD has NO SPECIAL FEATURES!!! While you are allowed to chose between dubbing and subtitling and select different audio options, (thank heaven for small favors!) there are no "Bonus Features" whatsoever. This is particularly disappointing because it means several great opportunities were missed. It would have been nice if this DVD included the original theatrical cut of "Ghost in the Shell". Then you could buy both versions of the film at once. It would be even better if in addition to this they added a viewing option in which you can watch both versions side-by-side to compare "2.0" to the original. Maybe there is a fully loaded "2.0" DVD available in Japan, but us Americans are left with a bare-bones DVD. According to other reviews, the Blu-Ray version is just as flawed, though it does includes a few paltry special features.

"2.0" has its biggest success in its soundtrack. The surround sound is great, and uses many of the "panning" techniques that make surround sound fun to have. Inexplicably, some of the music has been changed from the original. I always loved the original soundtrack, so I am a bit befuddled about the seemingly arbitrary changes from the original music. In general, the surround sound is one of the main reasons to watch "2.0" over the original.

I'd give "Ghost in the Shell 2.0" an 8/10. The original "Ghost in the Shell" was a masterpiece of contemporary animation, one of the best animated films of all time. The visual effects they achieved with traditional animation techniques are much more impressive than any of the new CG scenes. "Ghost in the Shell 2.0" turned out to be a case of "if it's not broke, don't fix it." The changes they made were mostly unnecessary and tend to detract from the original film. That being said, if you are a huge fan of "Ghost in the Shell", you may want "2.0" for your collection. It's worth watching to see a shiny new take on a classic, but it is no substitute for the original.













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Saw VI Review Double-Feature!

Sean Hanson, one of my many creative and talented friends, did a review for "Saw VI" back when it came out theatrically. I recently reviewed the DVD release myself. For the first time ever, Mike's Movie Review Blog is having a review Double-Feature! In order to get the convoluted ravings of not one, but TWO madmen, read the reviews below:

My "Saw VI" Review

Sean's "Saw VI" Review

Feel free to leave comments for both. We appreciate feedback!

Heaven & Earth (1993)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Le Ly Hayslip, James Jayslip, Jay Wurts and Oliver Stone

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality.

"Heaven & Earth" is the third film in Oliver Stone's "Vietnam" Trilogy (after "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July"). While the first two focused on the American experience of the war, "Heaven & Earth" captures the tumultuous experience of the Vietnamese themselves.


The film is based on the true story of Le Ly Hayslip, a Vietnamese woman whose village is torn between the opposing political forces vying for control over Vietnam. The film opens with beautiful, serene landscapes of pre-war Vietnam. The vibrant colors and natural beauty make this one of Stone's most visually engaging films.

But war soon finds Le Ly's village. Le Ly's two older brothers join the Viet Cong. They are taught that South Vietnam is their sister-land, and that their sister-land is being raped by foreign invaders. Ironically, when they are off fighting for the VC and unable to protect Le Ly, she is raped by village boys who are convinced she's an American sympathizer. Banished from her village, Le Ly tries to find work as a maid for a wealthy businessman. She is quickly fired when she becomes pregnant with the master's baby.

Le Ly moves to the big cities of the north, far away from her war-torn village. She uses her keen business skill to raise money to support her fatherless child. She is constantly propositioned by American soldiers on shore leave, and continually tells them she's "not that kind of girl", but eventually  sleeps with two infantrymen when they agree to pay her more than she makes in a year.

Enter Tommy Lee Jones as American Marine Steve Butler, who clumsily sweeps Le Ly off her feet. They are swiftly married, and Le Ly comes to America to live as Steve's housewife. Le Ly's mystified by the strange ways of Americans. Steve's family are fat, and have a refrigerator twice as large as any I've ever seen. Le Ly watches in horror as huge portions of uneaten food are washed down the disposal every night after dinner. One of Steve's fat, female kin pushes Le Ly to eat more food "because of those starving people in Vietnam". Steve loses his temper and defends Le Ly's honor, telling the woman "Le Ly can't eat for her whole country".

Steve and Le Ly's honeymoon period ends abruptly when Le Ly discovers that Steve's position in the military involved selling weapons; the very weapons that had been used to terrorize her people. Le Ly becomes detached and starts several small businesses so she doesn't have to be financially dependent on Steve. Eventually the two separate.

Le Ly returns to Vietnam after the war to see her mother and brothers and to sleep in her father's house again, to give his spirit rest as he had recently passed away. She is met with criticism by her brothers, who see her as a "rich foreigner" who they no longer recognize. Le Ly is ridden with guilt, but her mother tells her not to feel bad. She tells Le Ly that if she had stayed in the war-torn village, her boys would have been raised amongst turmoil and death. She had managed to give her children a better life in spite of the hardships of her own.

The shining star of "Heaven & Earth" was Joan Chen, who played Le Ly's black-toothed mother. I had previously only seen Chen as wealthy sawmill heiress "Josie Packard" on TV's "Twin Peaks", in which her acting was pretty horrible. I expected more of the same here, but Chen's performance is truly amazing. She completely melts into the character of Mama, a character that undergoes many changes throughout the course of the film. Her character matures realistically throughout the film's timeline and gives fantastic emotional performances of poverty, hope, love and sadness.

Towards the end of the film, Chen's character appears as an old woman. The old-age makeup effects on Chen for this portion are incredibly realistic. This is especially significant because old-age effects are notoriously hard to make look good (see Dustin Hoffman at the end of "Little Big Man").

I gave "Heaven & Earth" a 9/10. The first half of the film is a solid 10, but the film lags a bit in the second half. Like many biographies, we discover that accurate accounts of peoples' lives rarely have the intricate, elegant narrative structures of fictionalized histories. While not Oliver Stone's best film, "Heaven & Earth" is certainly a strong entry in his oeuvre. I thoroughly enjoyed it!















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