A "tourist grief" is someone who likes to visit the sites of the crime or the homes of serial killers. The rental has short changed her mind and the way the film into the somewhat looser incident "Dark Tourist" renamed. This helps the film but unfortunately not much because of the predominantly for TV acting director Suri Krishnamma has delivers a really good movie here, whether because now "grief" or "dark" in front of it stands. Jim (Michael Cudlitz, "Southland") indulges since early childhood an obscure hobby: he spends his vacations regularly in order to visit the haunts of famous serial killer. He takes pictures of the places where the murderers grew up and attended the places where they committed their cruel deeds. The pedantic control freak leads the rest of the year, a nondescript life as a security guard and maintains only a few superficial acquaintances. This year's trip takes him to Louisiana, in a small town where the killer Carl Marznap (Pruitt Taylor Vince, "Identity") caused mischief who burned down his home, including therein parents as a teenager. Here Jim learns two very different women know: the waitress Betsy (Melanie Griffith, "Crazy in Alabama") and the mysterious prostitute Iris (Suzanne Quast, "Criminal Minds"). And then there's a strange man, but it is not unknown for Jim. More and more drifts Jim in the sweltering heat of Louisiana in his morbid thoughts worlds from which soon leads to unforeseen events and cruel. "Dark Tourist" varies between uncertain delusional psycho trip and character study of a nondescript man back and forth, the obsessive follows more and more its long retained obsessions. Director Krishnamma details it completely and so delivers an improbable and lengthy thriller-drama that can convince both psychologically and the mechanical stress. The only downfall is it can get confusing at times in regards to motives. Slowly progressing "Dark Tourist" in front and at some point inevitably wonders what the director was really getting at here, but all is explained in due time. He describes Jim initially as a neurosis-driven, unobtrusive guy whose compulsion to control is to give his life structure so that it does not drift off into the dark worlds that fascinated him since childhood, he lets Jim's madness in the course of the film more and more take the line, without good reason to call it. After all, the trip to the place of work of a serial killer is not Jim's first, he indulges in this strange desire for so many years. Why just the murderer and arsonist Carl Marznap become Jim's nemesis now, remains unclear. Thus, the film becomes more and more removed from its foundation of credibility or logic. In the course is Jim's changing state of mind more and more in focus, its behavior results does not make sense. The totally necessary subplots to waitress Betsy and the prostitute Iris act plated, credible and above all for the course of the film. Seems Jim Betty initially to seek psychological support, he pushes her away again soon on her own, only to turn to the despised him whore iris, however (in the truest sense of the word) carries around more with it than at first sight can be seen. But it is only a means to an end, to fetch one of Jim's dark secrets to the surface, which is also, however, can contribute to the voltage or usefulness of the film. In addition, in "Dark Tourist" the characters are rather unique and made to be unlikable from the start. Jim is a taciturn loner, to which one can find no access at all and the one is always disagreeable in the course of the film. Betsy is an unpretentious spirit whose face is childish and squeaky voice will voice will fit it. In the few scenes that Iris is granted, it is also not possible to gain access to her character. This is due less to the actors as to the inaccessible subscribed roles they must play, these are dark and difficult characters. Both Cudlitz and Griffith and also Quast and Vince perform their characters well, the directing style also helps flesh them out too. "DarkTourist" is a slow burning and increasingly suspenseful thriller in its 82 minutes duration, revealed here by and by one or the other (the viewer cold-sheeting) secret and then culminates in a completely surreal finale that over the remaining patience of the viewer might feel confused. The paralyzing sultry Louisiana carries over to the spectator who can not imagine Krishnammas intention nor do with what is shown particularly much. So bleak and disturbing "Dark Tourist" may be, he just does have some meaning and purpose with his pseudo-psychological approach that is based neither on logic voltage. We have to give Monster pictures for discovering this film for finding this film and releasing to the Australian market, overall it is an above average little thriller that we recommend you check out, especially if you are interested in serial killer culture. We do get some trailers and extra too. Overall 3.5/5
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Author: John Mathews Movie: 4/5 After the indie success of "The Pact" Nicholas McCarthy makes with "Home" (the original title of "At the Devil's Door") the second trip to the horror genre. Here, the writer / director remains faithful to the concept of its predecessor, and attaches great value back into plenty of atmosphere and subtle horror. The film has already gathered itself quite a bit of buzz and its easy to see why. The film opens up on a beautifully shot open dirt road in the outskirts of the desert. Here is when we meet the young Hannah (Ashley Rickards), who sold her soul to the devil for money. Hannah returns back home, but it is evident strange things are happening. She is progressively becoming possessed. The tension builds and McCarthy certainly knows how to get under peoples skin, with Hannahs ultimate change being a haunted and intense opening to the film. Hannah mysteriously has disappeared and her parents want to put the house on the market to end their pain and suffering. So the hire broker Leigh (Catalina Sandino Moreno) to sell the apartment. But evil is still present and it is looking for someone new, which is soon Leigh's sister, Vera (Naya Rivera from "Glee"). Leigh eventually becomes haunted from the evil presence in the house, to the point where it follows her and she cannot escape the horror. "At the Devil's Door" has the makings of another horror hit, because Nicholas McCarthy has created some spine-tingling moments that may cause film goers to lose sleep, with even experienced connoisseurs genre. One a technical level McCarthy really has nailed the use of filmmaking; lighting, camera work, sound and timing are so effectively coordinated so that every moment of shock sits with you. Even though often it is already clear what will happen, I have rarely been scared so many times in a row in exactly the same film. It is something that you have been waiting in vain in the horror genre in recent years. Naya Rivera gives a fantastic performance, considering this is her first feature, let alone horror film. By the time the evil begins to invade her you feel compassion towards her character. This is mainly due to her fantastic acting and character development, all of the characters in this film are likeable. The film can almost be seen as a three part structure, the first being a possession movie, mirroring such classics as 'The Exorcist', 'The sentinel'. The second structure we have a haunted house film, making reference to 'The Amittyville Horror' and 'Legend of Hell House'. This segment focuses more on Vera's sister experiencing the horrors of the house. Finally we have the third act which plays into demon child films, such as 'The Bad Seed' and 'Rosemary's Baby'. This segment specifically effects Vera and what unfolds is truly horrifying. McCarthy is obviously a big fan of 70's horror (he mentioned it during an interview I conducted with him), and uses atmosphere in his films, rather than excessive gore and cheap scares. This indeed feels like a homage to older gothic films of that era, the tension built overtime. The creepiness is thanks to the dark atmosphere which remains surprisingly high also the structure of the store is unconventional and works, ultimately without a common thread we first follow Hannah, then Leigh and Vera in the final, which are plagued by the same demon. The constant changing of the protagonists is to give us an opportunity to learn about them and keep the pace fresh and consistent. The constructed plot raises more questions than answers, but the audience does get hints at information and answers. Although I really like it when a movie does make room for interpretation, one can lose here by the lack of action and actress interest and attention. In short, you will be exposed to a series of shocking moments, without any connection, which comes after a period of steady consistency. If your a fan of classic horror, we highly recommend you check out at the devils door. Video: 4/5 Sandman films present 'At The Devils Door' in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. As mentioned earlier this is the film that makes use of the frame, from the wide lens opening shots, video quality is an essential. The colours are very vibrant, despite this being quite a dark film, the hue lighting of blues and oranges come across rich and consistent. The black levels remain very strong, this is important for the darker scenes where the image does not go too dark and creates a nice contrast balance. The film appears to have been shot digitally, thankfully the transfer is free from digital grain or noise, there are slight signs of artefacts compression, this could be due to the production of the film. Overall a very strong and solid video presentation. Audio: 4.5/5
The audio here has been presented in a 5.1 sound mix and has been encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1. It really does show off, especially with tension scenes, the sound begins to rumble your system. Very effective and deep audio experience. Extras: Sandman certainly don't skimp on the extras as we get a wide selection of engaging content to inform us about the production history.
Overall 4/5 Note: Check out our interview with the director here exclusively on The Director's Suite Cast. In the opening credits we see through a veil pictures of the rough coastline of Denmark, detached houses in the dim evening light, old bunkers that are like dead whales on the beach and again the wind blowing through the dune grass. This is the home of Marie, who lives with her silent father and the silent, seated in a wheelchair, care mother in a small town on the coast. We meet Marie in two important points in their lives at the beginning of the story: An exam at the doctor because of a small rash on the chest and on the first day of their working Einstieges as a worker in the local fish factory. More people than in the two contexts will not get to see during the rest of the film as the viewer. It is a very small, closed, somehow fallen from the time in the world. As strange as the medical examination - the doctor is looking for the rash and examines Maries fingernails, her gums and their back - which is also the atmosphere in the fish factory. The young men make really like Marie and her beautiful eyes, at the same time it is also an outsider treated with reference to their 'crazy' mother. This dim, obviously suppressing a dark secret atmosphere pervades the entire film and makes the break-up of violence all the more frightening. It is also less of the content of the mystery, which seems surprising (because there is still too many relevant suggestions, especially Marie's dream sequences), but it is the slow progress of history and it is exciting to see how it could go on for now. The magical realism consistently maintained until the end draws the viewer into its spell. Jonas Alexander Arnby has presented a remarkable debut as a director in his surreal and suggestive imagery. His approach to tell a coming-of-age story with genre elements of the horror film makes the entire movie appear as an allegory: The question of personal identity, which role if I was a young man can play in the society around me and if I'm in 'my place ', I think again which makes it unusual and new. Similarly, questions for social exclusion and respect for all others a major role. The questions are raised in a realistic environment, however, constrained by fantastic narrative elements into the picture. In particular, the consistently very good actors provide a high degree of authenticity. When Animals Dream" acts at the beginning as a melancholy drama about a young, shy 16 year old Marie, but developed into an exciting momentum a confused story, which conceals more than it at first sight appear. We discover our main protagonist, the village where she lives with her family, and fellow human beings who mean well and less well with her - and finally solve an old mystery, the truth is known and yet secretive.For sensitive viewers it should be said that the number of scares kept within limits, and the death toll is rather small, so I would not call it a horror film, but by emphasizing quiet narrative, the pronounced silence is almost all interested parties and meditatitve imagery the contrast in the course of the film falls particularly strong. "When Animals Dream" is a very quiet, marked by internal stress genre mix of coming-of-age drama, character study and horror story (and in that order), which is for friends of Scandinavian cinema and successful visual language will be of interest , No great masterpiece, but rather a successful and quite innovative contribution for Newcomers who enriched the independent scene. " This film is like nowadays pretty much everything that is not Hollywood or controlled mainstream, a calm and level-headed film that takes its time to pull the viewer into its spell. You then plugged However, once in the small fishing village somewhere in Denmark, leaves a the oppressive and overbearing peculiar mood of the people and their life together not out of her spell. Its greatest strength lies in the young newcomer Sonja Suhl, lying in an enormous performance to the diverse representation of Marie. They both shows Maries vulnerability and uncertainty and gives her yet an independent power they also needed especially later. The film is worth seeing for all fans of the Danish film art - and those who want to be there. It has suspense, drama, a melancholic picturesque language and aesthetic and not least it shows again on sociological psychological level, that man is a wolf to man. Video 4.5/5: As a DVD the transfer is presented in it original aspect ratio of 2.35 : 1 , the transfer is strong. It has an intentional blue hue colour lighting to suit the vibe of the cold outdoors. The black levels are rich and there are no signs of digital grain. Not sure if this film was shot digitally or on film, but it has a film like feel. Almost human is a very visual film and there is a great level of detail it seems. Overall a strong DVD transfer, watching it up scaled on a 1080p television looked fine still maintaining quality. This is a film that focuses on atmosphere and cinematography due to its its large wide lens on the aspect ratio. Audio: 4/5 Audio: Dialogue comes across clear with no muffling or peaking in the audio. Also the dark orchestral score comes across very nicely in Dolby 5.1. Extras: No extras, seeing how its such a rare film, to have this on DVD alone is a huge treat. Overall: 4/5
GATES OF HELL TRILOGY (2014) BLU RAY City of the living dead/ The Beyond/ The House by the Cemetery10/9/2014
Label - Cinema Cult (Shock) Audio - English (Dolby TrueHD 2.0) Region Coding - B TV Standard - PAL Rating - R18+ Year of Release - 1980
RRP: Price: $39.88 Approx: USD $35.35, GBP £21.85, EUR € 27,76, NZD $44.59
In 1986 the world had gone Halley’s Comet crazy. Thousands of people went outside at night to watch the comet pass over the earth that happened on every 76 years. In 1984 a film by the name is ‘Night of the Comet’ was released. The premise of the movie was a comet passed over earth and turned everyone to either dust or zombies. Coincidence that the movie and real life event happened 2 years apart from each other? Probably not, but if 'Night of the Comet' was trying to capitalise on the event of Halley’s Comet which happened two years earlier, then it didn’t need to - it is a great movie that stands on its own. ‘Night of the Comet’ stars Stars Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney, as Regina and Samantha - two sisters that wake up the morning after a comet passes over earth. The strange thing about 80's movies is that you can watch some of them and think it that the time period was earlier - the 80's look the the 70's and the 70's can look like the 60's. ‘Night of the Comet’ -is also no exception as the movie appears as if its shot in the 70's - the retro feel is there all the way through.
Video: 4/5 The restoration of this movie is stunning in 1080p, however, I did notice some possible celluloid scratching in places. Still for a 1984 film that is presented in it’s original aspect ratio, it is impressive to experience. What also struck me about the movie is the affective use of colour. The director has put a red lens over half the camera to give the effect a post apocalyptic blood soaked sky. There is even the use of red lights when walking through doors into hallways. It’s important to note that the Arrow release of this includes a DVD for those that haven’t made the jump to Blu-ray just yet. Audio : 3.5/5 The movie is presented in a Dolby 2.0 Digital Soundtrack. That’s an 80s soundtrack. Lots of ghetto boasters, radio stations and reel to reel tape. Most of the artists are unheard of. At least in Australia anyway. Extras : 4/5 No standard trailers and still production shots here. Arrow’s ‘Night of the Comet’ Blu-ray is full of interesting and impressive extras. It is also important to note that some of the extras are identical to the Shout Factory Blu-Ray release from the USA, but still, Arrow have gone all out with the extras. Here is what is included :
Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Director: Herb Freed 96 minutes / 1981 / Color / 1.85:1 Buy Direct from Vinegar Syndrome Distributor: Accent FilmsGenre Sci-Fi Horror Rating: MA15+ (Strong horror violence) Run Time: 80 mins Visual Format: 1.78:1 Audio Format: Dolby 5.1 LanguageEnglish BUY DIRECT FROM ACCENT FILMS |
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November 2017
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