sdurb-39169 Reviews

Green Room (2015)

Saulnier Scores Again

[9/10 · 8 October 2022]

I've been following this guy Saulnier since "Murder Party" came out on dvd. After a long hiatus he came back with the impeccable "Blue Ruin". After the success of that crowdfunded film, he hits us with a full assault on the senses with "Green Room". From the cinematography to the audio, everything serves the story and enhances the viewing. The writing and acting is top notch. This is the cream of the crop when it comes to siege films. Saulnier is a master of displaying graphic violence without being exploitative or excessive - it's brutal and blunt. This director has not disappointed yet and has become one of my favorites.

The Green Inferno (2013)

What You'd Expect

[5/10 · 8 October 2022]

In the great tradition of the cannibal films of the 70's and 80's we have Eli Roth's "The Green Inferno" - minus the rape, genital mutilation, and real animal deaths. Not saying these things are good, but Roth plays it safe and presents us with a sanitized version of those films. The gore is mostly fantastic, like you would expect from Roth (see Hostel 1&2), except for the ant scene maybe. The cgi just didn't work for me right there. The writing would have worked if the characters didn't venture off into bizarro territory. The diarrhea scene, human pot edible scene, and the masturbation scene are hilarious but take away from the film and Roth could have played this more seriously. Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox remain the kings of this genre, but a decent effort from Roth.

Hellraiser (2022)

We Have Such Sights To Not Show You!

[3/10 · 8 October 2022]

Poor lighting or post production color choices hide what little gore was in this 2 hour snooze fest. Thanks to Disney for taking out all the BDSM and subtext from Hellraiser so they could placate the mainstream horror fans. The Cenobites look shiny and lack the intimidation of the originals. Certain creative liberties were taken that greatly changed the lore of the Box. The OG Hellraiser had great human characters with motivations that made sense. The remake gives us two stories really. One story about an addict and another story about a wealthy man infatuated with the Box. The writer's way of connecting the two stories is convoluted and makes for a forced twist ending. Many of these things would be more forgivable if this wasn't two hours long. It drags and attempts to build tension, but ultimately fails to deliver on that tension. This is definitely bottom 4 of all Hellraiser films.

Dead Ringers (1988)

Cronenberg's Overlooked Gem

[9/10 · 11 August 2022]

While not as well known as much of his filmography, Cronenberg's Dead Ringers still contains the hallmarks of his work. Jeremy Irons steals the show with a duel performance of a lifetime, easily the best example of a single actor portraying multiple people in a single film. The "body horror" exhibited in this film is of a very different sort than usual for Cronenberg. I feel that this film asks "what is identity and what is our connections to one another?" Success and downfall is connected not only to our own identities but to the relationships that we have. This movie is important and powerful, dissolving some of the cold and clinical subtext that Cronenberg typically provides. A very humane film and one of Cronenberg's finest!

Prey (I) (2022)

Sloppy CGI For All!

[3/10 · 11 August 2022]

The best monster films ever made were done with practical effects. Prey is far from one of the best monster films. This is one of the slowest building action films I've ever seen. Why is the predator hunting small wildlife? The predator's design felt like a massive downgrade from Mr. Winston's excellent designs. The animal cgi, blood, and gore was laughable. Predator's best days are well behind us.