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jallardj
Reviews
Murder-Set-Pieces (2004)
what's the matter with you, gore hounds ?
A friend of mine told me about this "shocker" in the past year. A miserable "fully cut" edition came out six months ago and, to be honest, watching it just made me starving for the director's cut. When I finally received and watched my copy (from xploited cinema), I felt that all those critics, comments and reviews have been a bit too rude with Nick Palumbo's picture. Almost anyone says "It's plot less", "Nothing new here !", "Bad acting festival but nice topless babes", " Dull rip-off of the best moments in vintage horror", blah blah blah, blame it on Hollywood horror, folks, and give "Murder set pieces" a break !!!
If we compare this movie with similar classics like "Maniac"(1980), "Henry: portrait of a serial killer"(1986) or even "The boys next door"(1984), we can easily notice that all these memorable pictures were built on a "light", murky, thematic and global script too, without working either on what gourmet-viewers could call characters development or complete cinematic "seriousness". I don't understand why most of viewers loving past horror flicks may have found this one a boring one. At least...it's fresh and it fits with our 21st century and its tons of ridiculous web porn offers and silly fashion magazines.
Some intelligence here ? Not really! Is that film illogic sometimes ? YEAAH...sure! (what do you think ?) Bored of these films ? getting too old for true horror ? Just ask yourself the question !
"Nothing of this would have been shocking (or censored) in 1981", is this what you mean?? Smile guys, don't spit, they don't do such pictures anymore...
This film contains scenes of inventive, stylish violence and extreme nastiness (I agree, it is not an unseen craziness, but it's a nice try). The acting is o.k (so are the babes...!). The photography is made of sex images, luxury situations, neon lights, casinos, whores, motel lightnings and we feel the spirit of Las Vegas in a different way this time. Good visuals, good soundtrack (freaky) and...good effects for murders too.
In a word, it's just above the average of all these easy, comfortable movies like "Cabin fever", "TCM" (2003 and 2006), Saw (I, II, III), ..... and that's why it's banned everywhere. It is pervert, sick and twisted, not "brillant" or "politically correct", not for grandma too !! CAUTION: Not a film for people who can't stand hard rape scenes.
Good work, Mr. Palumbo !!! (8 out of 10) Free advice 1: Stay dramatic,keep the tension high when comes the ending.
Free advice 2: Ignore the sharks you're swimming with.
Vengeance (1980)
An incredible retro experience into the mouth of killing instinct...
The first time I saw SCREAM FOR VENGEANCE was in the following year my dad bought our first VCR. The video club who owned the copy at the time gave us 1000$ of free rentals for an unlimited time. But in fact, they closed before we spent the half of credits. This film remains, after all these years, one of the goofiest picture I've ever seen. But it is probably the strongest example of what a perfect Z films blend should be. As a gory fruit cake, this picture is a divine mixture of past ordinary people fashions, fast cars chasing, kidnapping and rape scenes, self-defense and "involuntary" men and women slaughtering, bad dialogues... The most interesting element of the film is the soundtrack.An excellent(really) fusion/ rock performance of course played by musicians who were friends of the director or some actor(s). I'm not kidding at all, I strongly recommend to the persons owning the rights for this film not less than a double CD edition for the fourth coming DVD issue. To be honest, I really don't think it's gonna happen, even not for a poor single low-fir edition. The picture is still rare and,due to a very low-budget film making and distribution, This hallucinogenic "chef- d'oeuvre" of late seventies might stay unknown forever. Find a VHS copy is already a tough crusade. I keep dreaming...