Tag: THRILLER

AMUCK! (1971)

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Written & Directed By: Silvio Amadio

Cinematography: Aldo Giordani

Editor: Antonio Siciliano 

Cast: Farley Granger, Barbara Bouchet, Rosalba Neri, Umberto Raho, Patrizia Viotti, Dino Mele, Petsr Martinovitch, Nino Segurini

The secretary of a writer and his wife investigates the disappearance of her lover – their previous secretary – and finds herself the target of the couple’s erotic desires and a murder plot.

When it comes to older foreign films, especially let’s say Italian or Spanish. They truly encapsulate and showcase culture going through a transition at the time, trying to be as modern as the times that the film was made, but also still having a classic-looking feel. 

The female characters always dress well and in style. The protagonists are usually sexy and beautiful. With homosexual activity or seduction. It is surprising some of these films as they are more explicit than some of the films coming out today, which are supposedly more open-minded. Which then makes the scenes like these sexy though a bit more fetishistic.

Especially here as many scenes have a slow motion softcore scenes that are quite revealing and usually same-sex. There are quite a few that make the film at times feel like it’s more lesbian erotica with a plot, with gorgeous women. Not necessarily regular or ordinary-looking women. It offers a distraction or entertainment. As the film has a mystery at its heart, though you know who is guilty, the only question is how or why.

Though shot more for a male viewing audience as it has that day through it, most of the women appear naked or topless, and all seem to have great voluptuous bodies and petite frames.

Though the erotica is more in the first half, making it seem like the film will be a sexual liberation movie most of the time. The second half becomes mortgage, dramatic, and fashionable, yet slows down and becomes dull and not quite as titillating or flashy.

One wishes that there was more mystery to the whole endeavor. Which is at heart a giallo 

Barbara Bouchet looks so incredible that you can barely take your eyes off of her throughout. Except when co-star Rosena Neri Osnon screens who has the more dangerous-haired look. Whereas Bouchet is the innocent, Neri is the liberated wild card.

Ultimately, the film feels like more of a tease with nudity rather than too much action. The action that there is is more exploitative than Romantic, leaving a more will they are won’t they question in the minds of the audience rather than any real or threat of violence.

One of the few strengths of the film is the rather surprising ending, though an explanation more than anything else, and perfectly unpredictable as no one in the audience would have guessed it.

More to look at if you admire the female form and how it’s filmed, kind of like a film filled with beautiful bombshells and a weak mystery.

Grade: C+ 

DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS (1972)

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Directed By: Luciano Ercoli 

Written By: Ernesto Gastaldi and May Velasco 

Story By: Dino Verde, Ernesto Gastaldi and May Velasco

Cinematography: Fernando Arribas 

Editor: Pedro Del Rey and Angelo Curi

Cast: Susan Scott (Nieves Navarro), Simon Andreu, Frank Wolff, Carlo Gentilli, George Rigaud, J. Manuel Martin, Luciano Rossi, Claude Lange

After a French stripper is harassed by a man who wants a cache of diamonds stolen by her late father, she flees to England in the company of a doctor, but danger follows.

There is a murder mystery at the heart of this film that seems to take a backseat to showing the body fashions, styles, wigs, and beauty of the film’s star Nieves Navarro. As the film practically worships her as much as most of the male main characters do in the beginning 

So much so that it feels like like a star vehicle as we see her in states of undress and high fashion, where each scene seems to be her in a new outfit or look even in her striptease in which it seems like she does blackface or it’s just very heavily tanned with an Afro wig. She manages to burn through the scree. She manages to burn through the screen. A chance for her to role-play and these costumes, even as she plays the same character.

Their scenes of her whole striptease and scene of her eating by a fireplace that plays more like sex between her and her married lover, then just simple foreplay, especially with all the close-ups of their faces. As the film tries to exude glamour, class, and a fair bit of being campy.

Now, once the second half of the film starts, it almost feels like a different film. This is where it becomes more of a murder mystery and it’s not as magical or fun. The reality seems to set in. 

As almost everyone is a suspect as they all seem to be fascinated or stalking the lead female character, even both. Even the married man’s wife becomes a suspect, and she seems to resemble an older version of the main character, the actresses look alike

The main female character is the truly interesting part. She seems to be the bait for all of the characters, including the audience.

There is even a ridiculous action scene that seems obsessed with the female character who keeps seeming to hit her silence in the balls times throughout a scene.

The film offers plenty of twists and turns, though it does feel lengthy at times. The film isn’t as thrilling or spooky as expected, and a movie of this kind that resembles a Giallo. Though it feels like a naughty version of a police procedural from the 1970s on foreign land. We see the before, the actual crime, and the after with an investigation. 

It’s also not the most artistic as the first half works more as a relationship drama with lavish locations and some intrigue. It ends up being more fun than expected.

GRADE: B-

SUBSERVIENCE (2024)

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Directed By: S.K. Dale

Written By: Will Honley and April Maguire 

Cinematography: Daniel Lindholm 

Editor: Sean Lahiff 

Cast: Megan Fox, Michele Morrone, Madeline Zima, Matilda Firth, Andrew Whipp, Atlas Srebrev, Manal El-Feitury, Antoni Davidov 

Follows a struggling father who purchases a domestic SIM to help care for his house and family, unaware she will gain awareness and turn deadly.

The film seems like it should be a bit more exploitive and dirty, but the right mix of being trashy and a B-Movie that is pure entertainment and thrills. 

One would have enjoyed this film more if one didn’t dislike the lead actor  Michele Morrone playing the husband, performance. The roles he has been seen in before are in Netflix‘s erotic Fifty Shades of Grey Italian knock-off 365. So while he is definitely Candy for the ladies, his performance is quite unbelievable only because looking at him he never is convincing as the faithful husband mentally Latroy though just as Megan Fox is eye Candy for the audience so is he?.

It’s an interesting sci-fi thriller with an eroticism laced through it. The film stays entertaining throughout. Though you know what will happen most of the film a satisfying time waster 

The best film Megan Fox has been in, in a while. Used her perfectly as her looks seem her to seem unreal or crafted and she is believable throughout. A bit of a comeback for her. 

Will admit watched this film because Madeline Zima was part of the cast and she has more of a supporting role. 

The film does well in building its futuristic science fiction world to be believable and create a tight if comfortably familiar story.  

Grace: C

IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE (2024)

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Written, Directed & Edited By: Gregory Jardin 

Cinematography: Kevin Fletcher 

Cast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Reina Hardesty, Devon Terrell, David Thompson, Madison Davenport 

A group of friends gather for a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend arrives with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires and grudges.

It feels like the film is too in love with its cleverness just like the characters are. Though most are unlikable and insufferable.

It earns its stripes as it is definitely a dark comedy. That is too cruel at times. That tries to justify itself. Though it truly lives up to its title. 

At times the film feels like the recent release Bodies Bodies Bodies only here you at least get characters rather than types.

The film is inventive and stylistic, but you can’t admire it because it’s too busy moving on to the next dazzling piece. 

In this film so much happens too fast that the film seems afraid to rest as everything must be done and can never be allowed to sit stop and think especially the audience throwing you off balance so that you truly never know what will happen next 

It also doesn’t help that the film and the script seem to want most of the characters to shine. There isn’t truly that much room in there. 

You get the feeling that maybe the filmmakers or film doesn’t trust itself by standing still that there must be a bunch of distractions so the few questions. Which makes the film come across like a game trying to play with the audience.

Essentially, it feels like a group of actors getting together and scratching the material into a comedy group exercise or comedy group trying to make a film to serve all their sensibilities. 

Luckily, the film does get better as it goes along as you gain some knowledge about the situation, the characters, and some of its rules and plays the questioning of identity that doesn’t get that deep but tries to have fun test itself into deeper waters once we get to know them and their true colors start to show 

It’s a film to enjoy as long as you don’t think too deeply about it.

Grade: B- 

KRAZY HOUSE (2024)

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Written & Directed By: Steffan Haars & Flip Ban Der Kuil 

Cinematography: Joris Kerbosch 

Editor: Rene Van Henegouwen and Flip Ban Der Kuil 

Cast: Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, Jan Bijvoet, Gaite Jansen, Walt Klink, Kevin Connolly,

Chris Peters, Matti Stooker 

Set in the 1990s, Krazy House follows religious homemaker Bernie and his sitcom family. When Russian workers in Bernie’s house turn out to be wanted criminals, Bernie has to man up and save his imprisoned family, while slowly going crazy.

This film plays like an extended and demented adult swim short film. Only trying to be as cynical and nasty as it could be well also being anti-religious.

At first, it comes across as a satire of living inside a kind of fantasy sitcom world. Before getting darker and darker a bunch of criminals are introduced into this fantasy and start to literally wreck everything..

This causes the father character head of the family to Sometimes flash into a reality that is much slicker, but also much more violent and cruel. 

The lead glimpses into the main character’s fractured psyche. then can easily figure out what will happen when he finally breaks more often.

Though the film is 90 minutes, it takes so long to get there. It feels like punishment for the audience, as well as the characters finally have the bad guys get their comeuppance.

It still manages his surprise at times it would help if we cared enough about the characters once eight finally starts to move.

This film just feels very low rent, even though the filmmakers have made a cult comedy series of movies with the new kids in gross Norwegian exploit of comedies. 

They also made another horror film starring Nick Frost, who stars. The other film GET AWAY Fairs, is much better as it is a bit more conventional and traditional with a twist. Nick Frost co-wrote that film. This film feels more experimental and inspired to try an expand on an idea and material and not quite being successful at it

Grade: D+

SPEAK NO EVIL (2024)

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Written & Directed By James Watkins 

Based on a screenplay by: Christian Tafdrup & Mads Tafdrup

Cinematography: Tim Maurice Jones and Mark Moriarty 

Editor: Jon Harris 

Cast: James McAvoy, Scoot Mcnairy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi 

A family is invited to spend a whole weekend in a lonely home in the countryside, but as the weekend progresses, they realize that a dark side lies within the family who invited them.

I will admit I didn’t go into this too happily as the trailer pretty much gives away everything 

Luckily, I had seen the original already and was a fan of it so not sure when I learned of the remake though was wondering how they would approach the material.

it’s been Americanized not so much remade maybe rebooted a remix that doesn’t so much as improve, but simplifies. 

Yes, luckily it gives the family at the center, who are the victims. A better chance as well as more to do. At least they strike back unlike the original where you Wonder, why they kept taking what they were dealing with?

Then again film has different reasonings. The original is more of a dark comedy with thriller elements. That is all about societal rules, civility, politeness, and social rules. where this is a more by-the-books thriller, that is intimate and claustrophobic in plain sight

It loses what made the original story, so interesting in the first place. Almost like it’s been defanged to make a more audience, friendly film that tries to add active brutality as its final stamp of shock

There is nothing wrong with that it just feels like water down and feels like it belongs. I don’t feel like they belong to one another, but not originally enough to still form. It’s its own identity.

Though to be truthful, if I had never seen the original, this film wouldn’t be that interesting. It would’ve seemed more like an original thriller that wasn’t anything, in particular, to write home about and feels typical. 

As the original is dark and uncompromising. The true standout stand out of this film is James McAvoy‘s performance where you can only wish the film matched his intensity and performance as it deserves a better showcase and makes me wonder if that is why most audiences give this film high praise so much it

It might also be that it’s rare these days that film of this genre is of superior quality so that sometimes they are over-praised then if the market was flooded with films that matched the quality

GRADE: C+

LAST STRAW (2023)

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Directed By: Alex Scott Neal

Written By: Taylor Sardoni

Cinematography: Andrey Nikolaev

Editor: Nathan Whiteside

Cast: Jessica Belkin, Taylor Kowalski, Joji Otani-Hansen, Jeremy Sisto, Christopher M. Lopes, Glen Gould, Michael Giannone, Tara Raani 

A small-town killing spree lands on the doorstep of a rural diner, where a young waitress must fight for her life throughout one long night.

The film is short and sweet and seems simple at first, then explains how we got to a certain point after the reveal and then continues the story.

Manages to stay throughout where it’s all around revenge where each of the film’s protagonists takes up their own vigilante Justice in any way.

Even though they are sympathetic, none of the characters is particularly likable. It might be that they all seem kind of hopeless in their own way, or at least somewhat stuck.

By making the characters unlikable damaged yet sympathetic, ask the audience to find some sympathy for the characters they never would have normally even if just as victims.

The film is pretty cut and dry though add some spice to the mix that keeps it tasty throughout. In the first half we get to learn about the characters and seems almost to be your typical siege or slasher tail. Once it gets more into the second half of the explanation, it becomes a little more dramatic but also that much more interesting.

As it seems to battle against itself to be labeled more than basic.

However, it does have a scene with the most realistic yet coldest reaction to a character suddenly facing hard out of nowhere.

The end of the film is not necessarily spectacular, but at least it’s interesting and mildly noteworthy and definitely not a bad debut by Director Alex Scott Neal. Interested to see the filmmakers’ next works

Grade: C+

THE FRONT ROOM (2024)

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Written & Directed By: Max Eggers & Sam Eggers 

Based on a short story by: Susan Hill

Cinematography: Ava Berkofsky 

Editor: Eric Kissack and Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. 

Cast: Brandy Norwood, Kathryn Hunter, Neal Huff, Andrew Burnap, Mary Testa, Kerry Flanagan

It tells the story of a newly pregnant couple who are forced to take in an ailing, estranged stepmother.

I don’t know exactly the plan behind this film as the only thing it truly does successfully is make itself look like it’s going to be something more of a horror film or a supernatural film. However, it ends up becoming more psychological than expected.

The problem is that there seems to be no plan by the villain as to what this is all for or if it is even worth it. Though Kathryn Hunter playing the old woman Solange is the only truly noteworthy part of the film. Not to mention the only truly wonderful performance. One only wishes the movie matched her performance. 

For the most part, the movie is dull where the characters are stuck between a rock and a hard place and wonder why they burden themselves. Even though it’s more Brandy versus the old lady as her husband who knows how much trouble the old lady can be is at work and mainly absent.

So the move is a battle of wills between two women trying to become head of the household even though one is almost off to the pastures already. So while it may remind you of the movie HUSH with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lange or MOTHER’S BOYS with Jamie Lee Curtis only with an added hacksploitation angle.

At first thought this film would be a good guilty pleasure that you can have fun with like the movie MA with Octavia Spencer, but while there are shades at times of that type of film. This one takes itself more seriously and instead of violence. Seems to disgust the audience with feces and other body fluids. 

You also wonder don’t these people have friends or other family who could help them in any way, shape, or form? 

One understands the subversive turn in the story though it still remains with the audience asking why any of this happens. What is it all about? By the end, you might be wondering why did you just sit through all of this? Was it supposed to be a starring comeback for star Brandy even though it gives her no scenes to shine?

Grade: D+

THE CHUMSCRUBBER (2005)

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Directed By: Arie Posen 

Story By: Arie Posen and Zac Stanford 

Written By: Zac Stanford

Cinematography: Lawrence Sher 

Editor: William Scharf And Arthur Schmidt 

Cast: Jamie Bell, Camilla Belle, Justin Chatwin, Lou Taylor Pucci, Rory Culkin, Glenn Close, Carrie Anne Moss, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Lauren Holly, Caroline Goodall, William Fichtner, John Heard, Allison Janney, Rita Wilson 

a dark comedy about the lives of people who live in upper-class suburbia. It all begins when Dean Stiffle finds the body of his friend, Troy. He doesn’t bother telling any of the adults because he knows they won’t care. Everyone in town is too self-consumed to worry about anything else than themselves. And everybody is on some form of drug just to get themselves through the day. After Troy’s death, local drug dealers at the school run out of their stash. They convince Dean to get Troy’s stash or they are going to kill his brother that they kidnapped, but they grabbed the wrong kid.

This show is an intriguing failure that seems to be some sort of statement or satire on disaffected teens coming apart at the seams in suburbia after tranquilizing themselves on recreational drugs for so long that they seem to be scared of their own emotions. I wish the film played and explored more of what I just described.

Instead, the film seems more interested in the adult characters, who are not as deep and as types. This only makes their stories seem melodramatic or the product of a soap opera. Which makes one wonder how the film got such a powerful cast for a film that feels more like a desperate Housewives spin-off

The film seems to shy away from too much depth to focus more on the quirks and offbeat comedy.

The film is all surface but tries too hard at times to seem deep almost like a pretty girl reading an intellectual book and you notice over weeks each time you see her she is on the same page as she only does it for the attention or seems smarter than she might actually be

The ending feels too. The end feels too clean cut which one could see if this was based on pre-existing material but as it is an original production, it could’ve been worked on a bit more. It feels too self-serving, trying to please an audience instead of going for emotional truth.

It ends up playing more like a studio version of an independent coming-of-age film. With the parents so busy with themselves, they never pay attention to their own kids, even after one commits suicide, which might be blatant science for attention and help or even subconscious ones.. though the adults seem to anodize themselves with Work and each other as a form of hiding.

The film tries to tighten it like video games and not feeling real trying to achieve a numbness or doing things so that they can feel something. Not fall into the same traps and behavior as their parents, though it seems they easily follow suit.

Has a good score which other than the cast seems to be the most accomplished thing about it.

Grade: C

THE NEW KIDS (1985)

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Directed By: Sean S. Cunningham 

Written By: Stephen Gyllenhaal

Story By: Stephen Gyllenhaal and Brian Taggert 

Cinematography: Steven Poster 

Editor: Rita Roland 

Cast: Shannon Presby, Lori Loughlin, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Eddie Jones, John Philbin, Tom Atkins, Brad Sullivan 

Newly orphaned siblings Abby and Loren McWilliams arrive in a small Florida town to help their Aunt Fay and Uncle Charlie run a family-owned amusement park, and they find that the town is terrorized by a local street gang.

This is definitely a film of its time. A film that is mostly a thriller towards the end turns into an action film in a small town. 

It has James Spader as a southern redneck, a gang leader in Florida, who is a Sharp dresser and has died beach, blonde, hair and eyebrows that almost make him look like an albino. You wonder why his character would hang out with them whom his gang seems to be made up of as they come off more southern redneck stereotypes than he does.

The title gives it away that this story is about a brother and sister, whose parents passed away and who move in with an uncle who may or may not be using them for labor and money to open up his own amusement park. They try to fit in the school, but the local gang takes a liking to the sister and begins to harass her, and when her brother tries to defend her, he becomes their other.

Throughout the film, each of them gets back at one another and ups the ante until the inevitable finale when the gang takes it too far and the brother and sister have to defend themselves against them and any hope of the police getting involved seems absent as there is a sheriff, but he seems to be the only cop we see throughout the film And the teachers seem to turn a blind eye to everything.

The film isn’t bad it it sometimes feels a little ridiculous, but it stays entertaining and seems perfect for its teen audience as long as no one asks too many questions. The film could be easily forgettable and typical of its time, though it has some ridiculous curveballs that keep the audience interested. It is not truly a time capsule of time and genre.

It stays away from being exploited though at times it seems like it’s going that way, and part of the fun is seeing well-known actors playing supporting roles in this film.

It’s definitely a film that has a certain audience, though you can enjoy some more absurd elements that make it a perfect popcorn movie to look back upon. 

Through it all this is more a film to watch for James Spader‘s strange performance amongst the other absurdities. as it is so random yet so captivating a hint of things to come in a showcase a bit of his range. Though also for a villain, he seems to be filmed like a heartthrob more than even the heroic character of the film

Grade: C