- Udo Kier as Baron Frankenstein - "Flesh for Frankenstein"
"I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer"
From the opening sequence, in which a man is dispatched in a comedically violent manner by way of a cricket bat, directors Stacey Edmonds & Doug Turner firmly establish the tone of the film. It is in no way meant to be taken seriously, and, while structured in the traditional slasher horror format, manages to provide an ample amount of laughs through an incredibly effective use of what I will call 'horror misdirection'.
'Idiocracy'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Idiocracy"
"Idiocracy" is Mike Judge's second full-length, non-animated film. I hope you've all done yourself the service of viewing "Office Space", many, many times. If not, do yourself a favor, and watch it - it's one of the most astoundingly funny films I've ever seen, and underneath its relatively simple plot is a level of intelligence and a depth of social commentary, one would not expect from standard comedy fare. After experiencing the near perfect balance of both subtle and blatant humor throughout "Office Space", we can only ask - Why did it take six years before Mike Judge was given another shot at directing? And could his follow up film showcase the man's brilliance as effectively as his prior film?
'Ils' aka 'Them'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Ils" aka "Them"
The first two-thirds of "Ils" are truly terrifying. There is an incredible amount of suspense on display, from the opening sequence, forward. Moreau and Palud are incredibly adept at creating a tense atmosphere, which doesn't let up even slightly from the moments our protagonists find themselves trapped, to the beginning of the third act. There are long, drawn out sequences of suspense that rival absolutely anything American cinema has produced in the last ten years, and even a few genuine shocks spattered throughout. The shock sequences are so rare, however, and are built on the foundation of an incredible amount of suspense, that when they do occur, they nearly stop your heart.
'In the Dominican'
Written by Jason Pitt
"In the Dominican"
When watching a short film, you have to be willing to allow certain deficiencies to pass without judgement. Analysing a 14 minute film is much different than dissecting a feature. One can't expect a short to meet the same quality of plot and structure, character, dialogue, and all those other trademarks of quality (or not) feature films. It's simply unreasonable to expect.
'In the Soup'
Written by Scott Wood
"In the Soup"
Not many people out there will recognize the name Alexandre Rockwell, and I suppose even fewer will recognize his film "In the Soup". To fill those less fortunate to not have experienced Rockwell's solo efforts, he directed the second of the "Four Rooms", the one where the bellhop gets trapped in the room where the man has his wife tied up, and is accusing him of sleeping with her. As I recall, I think I liked this room the best of the four, as it gave background to the character of Ted (Tim Roth), and also had a very acute sense of style and desperation.
'Incredible Hulk, The'
Written by Scott Wood
"The Incredible Hulk"
Direct comparisons, I'm sure, will be made between this Louis Leterrier incarnation and Ang Lee's "Hulk" of 2003. Consensus to this point is that Lee's vision was an unpleasant mess (which it was). And for those that still cared about the potential franchise, Leterrier promised the Hulk movie that they wanted in the first place. After seeing "The Incredible Hulk", I'm not entirely sure they got what they wanted. Then again, I'm not sure they even knew what that was in the first place. Did they know that a film like "Spiderman 2" could exist?
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
I thoroughly enjoyed the fourth instalment in the "Indiana Jones" franchise. It was a wonderfully enjoyable film throughout most of its running time. It was exciting, funny, and Harrison Ford certainly hasn't lost any of the Indy charm or sarcastic wit and dialogue delivery that made the character so memorable more than 25 years ago. It was an exceptionally risky proposition, attempting to revive a classic film character nearly twenty years after the previous film. I mean, come on, Harrison Ford is a senior citizen, and Steven Spielberg hasn't directed a truly memorable film since the early nineties. (This of course, is only my personal opinion.)
'Inferno'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Inferno"
The thematic sequel to "Suspiria", "Inferno" really has nothing to directly relate it to it's predecessor except the inclusion of a book titled “The Three Mothers” that suggests three witch sisters living throughout the world; Mater Suspiriorum in Frieburg ("Suspiria"), Mater Tenebrarum in New York ("Inferno") and Mater Lachrymarum in Rome ("Mother of Tears"). With the exception of the book that tells an overlying story arc that connects the three films, they aren't related in any direct fashion.
'Intruder'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Intruder"
"A new dimension in terror", hardly. What an ill-fitting tagline. It seems to have nothing to do with the movie. Anyway, "Intruder" is very enjoyable nonetheless. I suppose the tagline above is better than the other tagline which was used- "If this one doesn't scare you... you're already dead". I don't think I could count how many movies that has been the tagline for, if I used all my extremities. Anyway, about the movie...
'Iron Man'
Written by Jason Pitt
"Iron Man"
I really wish they hadn't used Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' during the closing credits of the film. It's not that I dislike the song, or that I even felt it didn't compliment the film. It just seemed so obvious. They didn't have to use the song, because really, it doesn't have much to do with the film (or comic) thematically. But we all knew it would be in there somewhere. I just would have been nice if they did the opposite of what everyone expected. The reason I mention this, is that this is really my only complaint about the entire film. And it's a small one at that…