rqwxyz Reviews

Saint (2010)

Fits nicely in the "fun" stack

[6/10 · 1 October 2012]

Well, I liked Sint, I have to say, but in the way you like a film that's about something killing people left and right. The kills, in fact, are one the best things about Sint. They are fun and sometimes goofy but at the same time rather nasty and violent. Sint is what I'd call a lighthearted, fun slasher to have a nice time to, it even has some stupid teens for the Saint to play with and a bit of dark comedy at children's' expense.

I do find some things to like beyond that, but not many. The very first part is really nice. The looks are kind of tale-ish and there's plenty of violence. The teens later at the beginning were annoying and the humor around them too stupid, but they are just like an introductory filling and stop bothering soon, and then, well, things get going driven through a functional plot that only takes away from the good things this film has scattered here and there.

Sint Niklas iconography is indeed rather creepy. He's portrayed as a red-clad bishop wielding a golden and murderous-looking crosier riding a horse and accompanied by a bunch of brutal minions to deliver a maximum of killing and kidnapping. The scenes involving kids are amongst the best ones when there's no much killing going on.

I just can say I liked it but I had my problems with it, although nothing really serious. Just watch it and have fun.

Inside (2007)

Muy angustiante, violenta y claustrofóbica

[9/10 · 3 April 2010]

Esta es sobre todo angustiante, muy violenta y claustrofóbica, pero realmente no recuerdo ninguna película en la que la motivación del atacante sea tan fuerte, densa, visceral y convincente que toda esa sangre y violencia tiene hasta sentido. El tramo final tiene una densidad que uno contempla con horror pero hay hasta algo de belleza y misticsmo navideño. La música es horrible de escuchar, y eso sirve un montón para reforzar la incomodidad y la angustia. Otra cosa que me parece no menor es que es una película corta, empieza tranquila pero una vez que larga la situación se va volviendo cada vez más rara, defigurada e insostenible. Es intensa, pero un poco muy violenta y hay que estar dispuesto a sentarse a verla, porque te termine gustando o no, no va a haber sido nada lindo :)

Deranged (1974)

Buenas dosis de risa, pena y horror

[9/10 · 3 April 2010]

Esta peli está basada en el caso de Ed Gein, un hombre loco que mataba gente y se ponía a hacerse el sastre con sus pieles, y que probablemente fue la inspiración para ese tipo de loco asesino de película que usa la piel de sus víctimas. Acá Ezra Cobb, un hombre no muy sano y con una relación tampoco muy sana con su mamá, cae en la más patética locura una vez que la pierde. Una de las cosas más agradables de la peli es el tono que tiene, en realidad uno siente varias cosas hacia Ezra, uno se rie de él, le da lástima y también se da cuenta que el tipo es un loco enfermo. Y a eso agreguemósle al narrador que refuerza ese modo amarillista de mostrarnos lo que pasa. No estoy seguro de la calidad de la peli en varios otros aspectos. Lo que hace es seguir a este personaje dando varios humores distintos pero al mismo tiempo lo hace manteniéndose muy coherente.

Whispering Moon (2006)

Visual Fun

[8/10 · 7 October 2008]

A really visually fun film about a two guys, one mute, in some kind of relationship and their project to film a documentary related to some homicides of politicians by the use of deadly frogs suspected to be bred in a circus. The film is set in a future(?) where conspiracy theories bloom, after the NASA admits hoaxing the moon landing, but what's really interesting about the film are their visuals. As one of the main characters narrates the story in a rather magical aesthetic, it is visually manipulated, there's the use of this effect of having a hand from outside the action lighting cigarettes or wiping yogurt off the mute guy's face, while at other times a computer menu simply irrupts into the scene to do things like flushing the toilet, adding the right music or setting the moon's phase, amongst many other things like texts, censorship bands or a couple of interruptions with "Movie Quizzes" where the mute re-enacts a film and you have options displayed. Add some really colorful characters like a girl allergic to light, a rather creepy mayoress, the circus people and the TV clips by the mute guy's journalist mother and her guests, and you have a film that's really fun to watch.

Sweet Movie (1974)

I really don't know how to rate this...

[10/10 · 11 September 2008]

Well, this film is nevertheless interesting and quite odd, what happened to me with this one is that I liked the two stories quite differently, The story of the proletarian captain and the postman was really amazing, beautiful and closer to a tangible sense. The other was more of an collection of oddities in Miss World's circular transit of selling herself, which was very fun at times but didn't appeal to my head nor heart as much as the other, in fact, the sudden apparition of the Viena Aktionists became boring after a while. Also this film has a repertoire of amazingly powerful songs, often paired with imponent visuals, The first entrance of the boat was one of those scenes. This film sounds interesting, not only from its music, also for the amount of languages we get to listen. I'd really recommend it if you're not put off by odd films.

Európa kemping (1992)

bears that eastern European absurdism that just paints a grin in your face

[8/10 · 6 August 2008]

This is a very funny film, it sounds funny, looks funny and bears that eastern European absurdism that just paints a grin in your face. The films goes on in a camping, Europa Camping, where many different and colorful people enjoys relaxation while two guys desperately and often ridiculously seek a bomb.

Although it was confusing for me at times, partially because of the flawed subtitles it got aired with and partially because it's quite speedy as weird and fun situations come one after another, I couldn't resist laughin even in some parts I wasn't completely getting. As a colorful note, it was fun when I realized that one character's gist was that he actually was unable to express properly XD

If you run on it and are in the mood for some good laughs, give it a go.

Shichinin no tomurai (2005)

Deviously cute and darkly funny

[7/10 · 28 June 2008]

I just caught this film on cable and gave it a watch on my mother's recommendation, as the premise was quite fascinating: Parents who abuse their children take them to a camping trip to sell them for organs.

In between the fun of witnessing the sudden overreactingly caring parents, we witness how the kids' health is tested by drugs and exercise and at a point picked as they were fruit by the wealthy clients. But if that's not colorful enough, we learn that if one kid gets "disqualified", the money will be shared amongst less people, which leads to some twistedly funny situations XD

The film is, first of all, very fun, as the uncaring parents we indeed quite colorful characters, but also quite crude, although that crudeness dilutes by the ridiculousness that arises. There's nothing remarkable about the aesthetic of the film, but that's not really important in this case.

After all, a nice film to watch. :)

Skin Crawl (2007 Video)

ask it what it offers...

[7/10 · 29 November 2007]

Oh my, I would really recommend giving this film a miss if you're craving for a canonic cinematic experience with good acting, effects and production values. Don't watch it if so because you simply won't like it, it has none of it. Now, If you're aware that you're about watching a cheaply produced movie, with acting that could range from annoying to hard-tried and a simple story, you'll find Skin Crawl is quite enjoyable, its simple story is actually driven through a fun and twisty storytelling, towards the bloody satisfying ending the cover promises. This movie simply delivers what it promises, so if you'll give it a go, do it with the right expectations and you'll have a nice time.

The Wailer (2006 Video)

A movie with potential but VERY bad choices...

[3/10 · 9 May 2007]

Despite the beautiful locations and the inarguable intensity of the first scene, despite the great make-up effects and the right approach on the monster, I found myself waiting (hoping) for the movie to end (or to begin) for most of the lenght of the film. I don't know if it is me, but I found the music really really annoying and unfit, thus making me really uncomfortable in the moments where the movie was supposed to be comfortable... I could almost guarantee absolute boredom for about most of half the film. First half is just... plain uninteresting, and when things finally happen to happen, it gets pretty better but in absolutely no way makes up for the indifference it creates... you're already bored of the characters, and you just don't care for them... (In fact, I found Michelle the only likable character, but maybe cause she gets not much screen in the first half and the pretty good acting). As I stated in the summary, it could have been good but the movie suffers from ,not many, but really bad choices.

High Tension (2003)

Why, Aja, Why did you do this to me?!

[7/10 · 16 April 2007]

Oh why?! Why???!!!! I just COULDN'T believe what happened to this movie, How could the director turn a really shocking and gruesome film where the tension is indeed extreme into a nonsensical deception? This could have been indeed one of the greatest horror movies ever made, but at the end it crumbles beyond any hope of recuperation by having this twist that is felt like being there for the sole reason of having one, as the whole and almost perfectly achieved atmosphere of desperation comes in an important extent from the realism of the events.

But even when the ending of the movie was a really unhappy choice, I really enjoyed most of the film, I recommend watching it and simply stopping it when it has 10 minutes more to go if you don't want to go like "Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" in simple disbelief. that's it.

Crutch (2004)

Watchable, uneasy, not for people who tend to scandalize

[6/10 · 16 April 2007]

I can't really tell whether I liked the film or not, but what I do can say is that it is an uneasy story about a boy that happens to be gay (I don't buy the preyed thing...) and everything around him just going wrong, So it is not like you're going to enjoy it or have a good time, which is quite an achievement by itself, but at some (but few) points things get pretty... TV-ish, I would say. Acting at moments is noticeably awkward, and that is not a luxury you could afford while dealing with such an angstful environment. Some things get a little bit too dashingly resolved, which makes some "passages" sadly missable. The movie has spirit and is quite watchable, given how boring/ridiculous most disfunctionality films are. Anyways, is not a film you should watch if you tend to get scandalized (You really shouldn't, since it has a high level of subjectivism, the director is not only telling his story, he's also playing the teacher's role). I'll just give it a six, by now, it qualifies for its slot in the rack :)

Survive Style 5+ (2004)

poorly intertwined but you shouldn't care!

[8/10 · 12 April 2007]

There are 5 stories that somehow connect but not really intertwine (this is the deceptive part), however, I liked all of them, the movie puts a especial emphasis in bizarreness, but it doesn't go too far.

Wife and Husband- This is in fact the fantastic part of the movie, the silentness of the wife is the main tool for getting you into that sweet vacillation of whether things are real or not, but there are lot more, as the costumes she wears every time (Which reminds me to a movie knows as "héroe" by this latitudes) and the phase-shifts. Here we also have the sweet dose of violence.

Killers - I got pretty surprised when I ran into "Big Chris"! The contrast between Jones and the translator was way bizarre. There's not much going on here, since both of them are like a lone functional character.

Birdman- The "strange" vector of the film, yet the cutest, Keiichi's perspective keeps the frankness of children accurately. I LOVED the teacher scene.

Yoko the Creative- Oh god, Yoko's ideas for commercials are so unfunny they become funny, and Yoko is funny herself. Really laugh with the way she laughs and with the wild winking when she's having her "afflati". Here I may mark two characters I would had LOVED to see a little bit more of = The café girls. The accident girl was so funnily pathetic, and that were really strengthened by the uncaring friend. I wonder what would have happened to her if she'd got a third scene!!

The Housebreakers = And again we find a bizarre contrast, this time between the "ugly" and the "sexy" burglars. This story takes little of the film's length and it is also the most disconnected one, but adds a funky "sexuality" note.

And to finish, I liked the music.

Kissed (1996)

Much more than a necrophiliac girl

[9/10 · 11 April 2007]

Maybe the greatest achievement of the film is that it was able to deal with an subject such as necrophilia without falling into tastelessness. It's easy getting horrified at the idea of people being sexually attracted for corpses, but the relationship of mankind with death (That primigenial and fascinating fear) can go that far and, if you think of it, it goes way far beyond . If you are not willing to get into any reflexions about how the dead are treated, you may fell uneasy about the film. The contrast between Sandra and the other people manipulating bodies (the teachers, the embalmer) is rather eloquent.

But what I personally liked the best about it is how it figures relationships, elucidating the insane need of one not having the other have its own and private corner, the need of forcing the other to share it, and the woe that comes from not being able to stand it. In this line, necrophilia becomes just an excuse.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

God! A Dull Catastrophe Film, This isn't even funny...

[2/10 · 10 April 2007]

One of the best things about awful movies is that you can actually have a pretty good time, laugh at it as you haven't at the best comedy and definitely enjoy yourself. But with "the day after tomorrow" none of this happened to me. Bearing Quaid's overacted rictus of overworryness for about the whole film made Watching him die my only longing. I was so naive I was expecting what you would expect of a Catastrophe film, but there's... not much of a havoc atmosphere outside Quaid's face.

but not only was it boring, it was shallow. Some Characterizations are hopefully opened only to get hopelessly lost. I wish I could get back my slot in the "5 VHS for 5 days for 5 pesos" rental pack offer.

But well, even when I didn't like the film at all, I have to admit it has quite a graphical imposingness. Don't waste your time if you're not into that :)

Chuck & Buck (2000)

Not a superb movie, yet a superb characterization

[8/10 · 3 April 2007]

Well, Any person that interacts with people with this kind of handicap on a daily basis will agree that Buck is one of the most (If not the most) accurate portraits ever put on film. That cocktail of obsessive tendencies, cuteness, annoyance, egocentrism and will breaks apart all naive notions of the mentally disadvantaged. This alone makes the film worth watching. But there's more, The effect of Buck's actions and the attitude of people towards him (and the handicapped -I don't really feel comfortable with the term used in the keyword) are brought into daylight exposing a rich scale of reactions that goes from angst to sympathy. I can't agree at all with people that classifies "Chuck and Buck" as a gay movie. It is not its point.

Tideland (2005)

haven't watch anything alike....

[10/10 · 3 April 2007]

I just really loved the movie, As I said, haven't watch anything alike. It is so unique it has to be watched to be believed. I just run into it while shopping some films and the guy just handed it to me (It handed me "Heights" along it, but Oh well, with "Tideland" he made up for it). First of all, it's beautifully filmed. Aside viewer's perception, Jeliza-Rose's point of view is beautifully executed and seems weirdly accurate, it reflects a Fairy-talish atmosphere which manage to embed a particularly uneasy situation into itself, The characters are so functionally surreal you don't even have a gap to feel uneasy. Everything happens in a strange microcosmos which ends up having its own logic. Great to watch.