FILM REVIEWS
WORDS: IVY PEARL
HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES After receiving Cult status in a virtual instant, House of a 1000 corpses is a modern classic. Musician Rob Zombie’s full length directorial debut is brimming with ideas and the plot is sometimes undecipherable, yet the horror visuals and cut aways are inventive with a few good shocks thrown in for good measure. This tribute to the 1970’s drive in movies (Such as Tobe Hooper’s ‘’Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) deals with a group of hapless city youths who collide with rural family of inbred killer hicks. Members of the family include childlike sexpot Baby (Sheri Moon, the directors real life spouse),Otis (Bill Moseley), a self-styled, Manson-like messiah and of course Captain Spaulding, a crass psycho-killer clown. Rich in pop cultural references and heavily influenced by classics such as ‘’Motel Hell’’ Zombie’s love of the genre shines through and acts as a love letter that horror fans will identify with and find rewarding. It’s obvious that Zombie’s past experience behind the camera was making heavy metal rock videos, as Corpses (as it is affectionately referred to by its fans) is one big long music video. This is all very fun, but unfortunately the movie isn’t low brow enough to be considered as a satire. Ultimately, Zombie’s excitement at being given a large budget from Universal Studios (considering he had never directed feature length before) has drowned any key ideas that could have been developed, hence making a frenzied horror fest. For cult film fans this is a must see but remember to just stick with it as the shocks at the end are worth the wait.
MEN IN BLACK 3 So the galaxy defenders are back for their third, high octane caper which sends Will Smith’s uber cool Agent J back in time to save his future partner Agent K (the very talented Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones reprising his role). If the thought of sitting through the limp second MIB movie leaves you cold, be assured, this spirited sequel is likeable and fun and worth a watch. A script supplied in part by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) helps the film along in terms of quality to ensure this MIB outing remains more akin to the original, rather than the snore-fest that was MIB2. A brilliant turn by Brolin, who plays a 29 year old Agent K (Brolin is in fact, 44 years old…luckily the film is self aware enough to mock this in an amusing way) who’s Texan drawl is as convincing as Lee Jones’ genuine one. The odd couple dynamic between the two agents is endearing and warm with genuinely funny dialogue that seems so effortless it seems ad lib at times. In a clever move, the film dips into the 1960s (apparently Smith’s idea), the era that lends itself to fun sets/wardrobe and jokes that everyone can enjoy and be apart of despite age/background/ alien/human. This film may not stand up to the test of time, and the audience may feel like Agents K and J have used one of their memory wipe gadgets to remove this sequel from memory in years to come, but all in all, this film is the epitome of summer blockbuster. Feel good vibes, great effects, and a fun familiarity that comes from a much-loved franchise. Smith is back to being one of the world’s most loved stars, pleasing old fans and hopefully gaining new ones on the way.
SNOW WHITE Without spoiling the film for any of our readers, there is nothing cutesy and Disney about this Grimm version of the classic children’s story. Yes, there are similarities such as the compulsory dwarves played by the formidable likes of Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Nick Frost and Bob Hoskins, all shrunk down to pint size. Less of the whistling whilst they work and more a haunting dirge sang besides a funeral pyre of a fallen comrade. Watching the impressive film debut from Xbox and commercial maestro Rupert Sanders, his background in orchestrating visual fireworks shows means this film has stunning effects throughout. The action and battle scenes ensure a pleasing movie for both sexes, as well as the aesthetic perfection of Charlize Theron. The evil stepmothers of past have been driven by self-generating narcissism, whereas Ravenna seems to be a woman with a past with a legitimate hatred of a male-dominated world, and the film even hints that she may well be a victim of sexual violence. Her silent simmering and unblinking performance is powerful and terrifying. For a film that is visually stunning, entertaining, brilliantly acted in parts but sometimes loses the plot; this is a promising directorial debut that shows great promise for the future. Snow White is another addition to the new breed of character in cinema, the young, female warrior. She takes her place next to Katniss Everdeen, another warrior princess. Long may they reign.
FREAKS! Considering Todd Brownings masterpiece is in its 80th year since release, this film is neither boring nor irrelevant. The original video nasty was banned for three decades as the performers featured in the movie were seen as too deformed, making unpalatable viewing. This film is so important to movie history, that a new viewer will recognise many aspects from recent cultural referencing shows such as Family Guy (The eerie ‘One Of Us’ song is littered through modern television for example). Freaks is a movie that does what it says on the tin; Browning literally gathered America’s most infamous Freaks and showcased them on film for his audience to see. Exploitive yes, mistreating? No. It is well documented that Browning respected his cast, drawing on his personal experiences from his youth (Browning worked and lived with a travelling circus in his early years) and paid the stars of the film well for their services. Most of the cast were working as legitimate ‘freaks’ and saw it as their trade. In a world where reality TV prevails and such ‘norms’ as the Kardashians are famous for being famous, our curiosity into ‘how the others live’ is still raging and this is an excellent example of where these humanistic urges come from. Ultimately, the Freaks are depicted to be the ones with honour, trust and faith in humanity while the ‘normals’ are seen to be the real freaks. It’s an interesting story that incorporates love, conspiracy to murder and genuine horror. Who is the man and who is the freak?
rebeliciousmagazine.com
80 REBELICIOUS MAGAZINE