THE 19 BEST FILMS OF 2014 - A WORK IN PROGRESS

Ok here are my 19 favorite films of 2014.  I had 20 films listed but someone pointed out to me that ADULT WORLD came out in 2013 so I removed it and the empty space is reserved for films I haven’t seen yet that have gotten good buzz such as THE OVERNIGHTERS, BOYHOOD ETC.

My favorite 19 films of 2014 – A work in progress.

1.) THE GUEST

2.) X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

3.) GODZILLA

4.) HOUSEBOUND

5.) FOXCATCHER

6.) WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL?

7.) CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

8.) THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN

9.) VARSITY BLOOD

10.) PROXY

11.) WHEN ANIMALS DREAM

12.) MR JONES

13.) BLUE RUIN

14.) VERONICA MARS

15.) LET THE FIRE BURN

16.) CHILDREN OF SORROW

17.) AFFLICTED

18.) V/H/S VIRAL

19.) HOW WE GOT AWAY WITH IT

FOXCATCHER

The actors are trying so hard in their respective roles in FOXCATCHER that one can almost see  steam coming out of their ears but this is a good film.

First and foremost of the actors involved is Steve Carrell, the subject of a lot of hype and best actor Oscar buzz.  He is really convincing - Alternately reassuring, pathetic, and scary. Generally, not a fan of his but he is good in this dramatic part. His "horses are stupid" speech and the helicopter scene are amazing as his scene with Vanessa Redgrave playing his mother - The actor totally inhabiting the role.

It doesn't try to shed any great light on what occurred between the Schultz Brothers and John Du Pont relying instead on a well-constructed script and a lot of implied action. The end is bit rushed but we do largely get Du Pont. I appreciate a film like this that doesn't telegraph everything, leave some challenge to the viewer to interpret.

In particular what occurred between Du Pont and Mark Schultz (a focused performance by Channing Tatum) – Was it something sexual?  This is left to the audience’s imagination although I felt it was implied.

Another thing I liked was its portrait of old money wealth as degenerate and ugly whether being able to purchase any useless item like a tank or as a shield covering up Du Pont’s mental illness and deteriorating state.

It moves very fast in the last 15 minutes after Mark Schultz loses in the 1988 Olympics Wrestling event and leaves his house.  Dave Schultz, his brother, was a poor substitute.  Carrell’s Du Pont is a needy person but also one suffering from delusions.  All of this is explained in the two hour running time.

Also this film makes good use of its exterior location shots, Foxcatcher estate especially, to show its characters moods and feelings.

                                  

  

WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL?

The annoying toothpaste jingle that a number of the characters end up singing throughout WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? is as good as an example as any of this film's clever balance of uncontrolled lunacy and multiple layered plots that all run into each other by the middle of the story.

Director Sion Sono’s masterpiece COLD FISH ratcheted up the emotional peaks and moments of titillation with such relentlessness one couldn’t breathe.  Here the gore is much more unreal and also much less than I expected going in.  The film has basically no nudity or sex but that’s not necessary as this is a filmmaker’s fantasy – An action story within a movie within an action story.

The story of a team of amateur filmmakers colliding with two warring yakuza gangs as well as the actress daughter of one of the Yakuza heads and the young man who idolizes her sloppily spills out full of shameless overacting by the cast (which includes many familiar faces for those who are fans of Japanese cinema) and gleeful craziness.

The end result is a pretty good film that perhaps errs a bit too much on the side of gentility and humor despite the death and gore but in the end I have to salute Sono for skillfully using the filmmaker as the deux ex machine – Best use of a plot device in a film I saw in 2014.

  

THREE FILMS - WHEN ANIMALS DREAM, THE DEN, THE TRIP TO ITALY

WHEN ANIMALS DREAM

Danish werewolf film that reminded me of GINGER SNAPS in its linking of the onset of puberty and female sexuality to lycanthropy and  LET THE RIGHT ONE IN in overall vibe and the ending.  The narrative was slightly disjointed at times and also illogical (Why didn’t they just leave the town they lived in?) but overall ambitious, creative, and interesting with a good performance by Sonia Suhl.   

THE DEN

At first this felt like the gimmick running the show and it’s a good gimmick – The whole movie is told through either an online chatting site or a webcam.  The reaction by the police and her friends seemed illogical to what was going on around the heroine and the pacing seemed off, rushed at times, but then the last half hour kicks in and it turns into an online version of HOSTEL with some quite good action/scare scenes.  76 minutes long and it’s a tad rough in places.  I would love to see what a better director could do with this clever idea.     

THE TRIP TO ITALY

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in a sequel to THE TRIP (which I gather is edited from a TV series) .  Better locales than the first film but much of the same jokes.  Yes, Michael Caine imitations are funny as is the man in a box but less so with repetition.  I laughed a bit and I liked it overall but I hope they come up with some new material if there’s a third film/series.  

KLAUS KINSKI AND THE ICK FACTOR

Just watched SCHIZOID a moderately entertaining slasher from 1980 (with a strong Giallo influence).   It was moderately entertaining and this was largely due to the presence of the always disturbing Klaus Kinski.  I am well aware he was a horrible person in real life who allegedly molested his own daughters among other things (Try watching MEIN LIEBSTER FIEND for Kinski unleashed) but he really filled up the screen with his icky presence.

Truth is when he applied himself, he was a very good actor (AGUIRRE WRATH OF GOD for example).  Like Jack Nicholson, he generally worked best in films where he was crazed from the beginning as opposed to at least partly trying to play a more controlled role.

AGUIRRE with its paranoia, insane hatred, and panic was perfect for Kinski.  FITZCARRALDO, also a brilliant film and also by Werner Herzog his provoker/punching bag/collaborator/adversary, where he played a slightly more lucid role is also good as it allows him to show the obsession of a self-deluded man.  In addition to SCHIZOID, Kinski made many other low budget horror and action films.  He is almost always the best thing in them.

The creepiness of Klaus Kinski on screen might have been a reflection of who he was off screen.  This was his presentation of an uglier self.  The persona as the truth of the actor’s human spirit.  

FOUR FILMS - TUSK, ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS, RAGNORAK, DON'T BLINK

TUSK

I'm not much of Kevin Smith fan but I really enjoyed this super ridiculous, almost whimsical horror film. On the surface it bears a faint resemblance to THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE but is a much better film -horrifying but also very funny in places. The man-walrus hybrid is one for the nightmares. Excellent performance by Michael Parks as the serial (walrus) killer and also an amusing turn by an unrecognizable Johnny Depp.

 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS

Wild documentary about the heyday of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus and their film production company Cannon.  While it's chock full of crazy anecdotes (my favorites are the ones involving Ninjas, Sylvester Stallone’s arm wrestling film OVER THE TOP, and their competing Lambada movies), in the end this is a cautionary tale about spending money you don’t have.  Effortlessly makes the case (without necessarily meaning to do so) for Cannon as a pop culture signpost.  Fast paced and easy to follow and unapologetically exploitative at times much like a Cannon film itself.

RAGNAROK

This Norwegian family friendly lake monster story takes a very long time to get going but once it does, a combination of good monster effects, thrilling chase scenes, and a great location makes it a thrilling experience.  So to rephrase, the last 40 minutes is dynamite, a lot of talking and set-up before then. 

DON’T BLINK

I’ll give this film a little credit for working its very limited conceit well – A group of friends visiting a remote lodge for the weekend find everyone has vanished and they themselves begin to disappear one by one.  I say it’s limited because there’s no monster here, no aliens, no slasher in a hockey mask.  What there is is a constant sense of dread and the usual genre features – One guy goes crazy, people don’t disappear when expected only to disappear the very next scene, a blackout, etc.  In the end, the pay-off which is non-existent does not justify the hour and a half before.  Kudos for the consistently tense mood but it’s an unrewarding disappointment at the end.  

FIVE FILMS - DUMB AND DUMBER TO, FILMAGE: THE STORY OF THE DESCENDANTS/ALL, THE SWIMMERS, A HARD DAY, BEFORE I DISAPPEAR

DUMB AND DUMBER TO

Would you think less of me if I told you I really enjoyed this movie, even more than the first film?  It’s certainly filled with more jokes per minutes and fine tunes Jim Carrey’s and Jeff Daniels Three Stooges/Beavis and Butthead hybrid schtick down to a beautiful science.   Next to SHALLOW HAL, Harry and Lloyd are the Farrelly Brothers greatest creation.  

FILMAGE: THE STORY OF THE DESCENDANTS/ALL

Putting on the music critic's hat for the moment, I think this enjoyable documentary overstates the importance of The Descendants, a band I do like (punk with poppy melodies goes back to The Buzzcocks among others).  That being said, this is a very complete story incorporating The Descendants and the spin off band All formed when original lead singer Milo Aukerman went back to school to get his P.Hd as well as various Milo-Descendant reunions.  The linking factor being drummer/songwriter Bill Richardson who was in all the different incarnations.  This is not your standard music documentary about artists who are busy whining about their lives while living in mansions but rather one of performers out enjoying their music even if they didn’t make a lot of money.  Their spirit is infectious as is this movie – A good time filled with the usual band highs and lows and the obligatory ill member story (Richardson dealt with both a blood clot in his lungs and a brain tumor).

THE SWIMMERS

The twists in this glossy, richly shot Thai horror film are visible from miles away and it could have easily lost 15 or 20 minutes for a better paced narrative but it is suitably creepy and dark in places and it is not afraid of making its characters do nasty things.  The thing that ran through my head is how well-suited this story of a triangle of two high school swimmers and the (late) girlfriend they both were involved with and ghosts and a haunting is for America.  It already looked very American in its depiction of high school horrors.

A HARD DAY

This Korean film is all high points of suspense and action.  What exposition is offered is done quickly in between moments of drama which come fast and furious.  In the end, despite the fact that this film is both well-made and a thrilling rollercoaster ride of the first degree, it didn’t make a big impression.  Could have explained the events more clearly especially what’s up with the main character.

BEFORE I DISAPPEAR

Mix humorless hipster oversensitivity with fawning references to Martin Scorcese, throw in one precocious girl for sentimental and humorous purposes and you have this – A movie with the vibe of a film school thesis.  I was impressed with a few of the hallucinatory visual sequences from the suicidal protagonist’s mind and the precocious niece part was well acted by Fatima Ptacek but overall it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be and the end result was a mess.     

RIP MIKE NICHOLS - ON HIS BEST FILM CARNAL KNOWLEDGE

My favorite film of the recently deceased Mike Nichols is CARNAL KNOWLEDGE.

It cuts to the heart of a standard males of a certain generation felt they needed to live up to and how the sexual revolution shook that up (in a bad way)....Jack Nicholson, Ann Margaret, and Rita Moreno - all great performances.  Candace Bergen and Art Garfunkel – less so but they are adequate for their roles.

I saw it less about men’s confusion and anger towards women more as a contrast between Jonathan (Nicholson) and Sandy (Garfunkel)....Jonathan's anger is at women but also at changing sexual mores that he doesn't get at all which leads to sexist bitterness....The end scene with Moreno is amazing, a great finisher.

Nichols primary strength as a director, one that was clearly honed by his time in theatre and on Broadway, was how he framed scenes as standalone episodes rather than lengthy shots that bled into each other.  CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, through each scene of interactions between the characters, establishes each scene of being of great importance to the development of the plot and the audience’s understanding of the characters.  They are like a series of corresponding photographs being looked at in order.

RIP Mike Nichols

FIVE FILMS - KILLER LEGENDS, ST. VINCENT, STARRY EYES, HONEYMOON, ANIMAL

KILLER LEGENDS

Starting right where the director’s last documentary CROPSY ended, LEGENDS is about tracking down the truth about several urban legends (The Hookman, poisoned Halloween candy, the “When A Stranger Calls” killer and baby sitter inside the house house, evil clowns).  This is a really entertaining film that moves quickly through all types of historical horrors, conspiracy theories, and even side issues like racism in the South and dating and pre-marital sex in the 1950’s.  I would love to see a sequel to this film.

ST. VINCENT

It certainly seems like Bill Murray is angling for an Oscar with this performance as he really pulls out all the stops.  I expected him to affect a foreign accent by the end of it.  Murray is a very good actor beyond just comedy and it is nice to see him extending the full length of his acting ability (even if it often seems like he’s trying too hard).  The key to a film like this is sentiment.  I am not a sentimental person but this film very carefully treads the line between too much crying and just enough.  It’s certainly enjoyable even if the end is the usual predictable saccharine happiness.  In supporting roles, Melissa McCarthy is extremely annoying as usual and Naomi Watts does one of the worst Russian accents I’ve ever heard.   

STARRY EYES

The modern day “slow burn” horror when it works as in the case of THE INNKEEPERS not only has a big pay off in the form of a satisfactorily gruesome ending but also keeps the narrative flowing with interesting characters and dialogue and plenty of foreshadowing.  STARRY EYES does all of that even if some of the visuals are from your typical devil worship film – At times I felt like this was ROSEMARY’S BABY but without the baby. What I did like about this film – well thought out relationships between the characters, not too much mystery revealed.  What I didn’t like – A flat ending that has no punch.

HONEYMOON

What I wrote about STARRY EYES in terms of strengths but even more so in terms of weaknesses.  A methodical well-handled build-up unfortunately fizzles out at the end.  It’s creepy and presents the mystery as a series of puzzle pieces to be put together by the viewer but the ending is uninspired and lacks focus.  Extraterrestrial components of the plot in the end seem silly.

ANIMAL

Some decent actions scenes can’t redeem this completely unoriginal monster story.  It quickly devolves into people in an enclosed space who don’t like or trust each other against an outside threat.  The monsters themselves look like a mish mash of every other horror movie creature of the last 30 or 40 years.  Total snoozeville.  

THE GUEST

The premise of a family grieving over the loss of a son in combat, dealing with their own dysfunctions, who are visited by man who states that he served with their son and was his friend,  is a terrific premise for any kind of film but especially a horror film.  The stranger who knows you and your family, who seemingly helps you but is hiding something dark practically writes itself.

THE GUEST uses this as the take-off point but has a colossal shift in mood and tone in the last 40 minutes.  Without giving too much away, it really creates a terrific debate on whether the anti-hero is evil or just a victim himself.

Director Adam Wingard uses standard film conventions and bends them even further than his last film YOU’RE NEXT.  In particular, the scenes of violence which often come faster than expected and occur without any tension building set-up leaving you knocked out.  The film also meshes together in seamless fashion many different genres from action (the shoot-out with the military police scenes) to slasher films (the finale at the high school Halloween dance and the 80’s type synth music soundtrack).  There’s also quite a lot of black humor.

I would have to say with apologies to any films mentioned earlier in 2014 that this likely the best film I’ve seen this year with a month and a half to go.  Exciting, dark, unpredictable, thoroughly entertaining with a great performance by Dan Stevens as the lead.

   

INTERSTELLAR, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, AND THE USE OF THE METAPHYSICAL IN SCIENCE FICTION FILMS (DON'T DO IT)

I did not like INTERSTELLAR at all.  I am a sci fi purist I guess and I hate it when films combine that with metaphysics and new age nonsense. I don't even like 2001 for that reason and this is far worse. Also it's dreadfully long, very dull, and full of uninteresting characters.  It wouldn't have hurt to have Anne Hathaway eaten by some kind of alien lifeform.  Only good thing I can say is it's always nice to see Michael Caine in anything.

Getting back to the introduction of metaphysics into sci-fi, it’s quite a tricky thing to pull off.  Generally, to work it has to be grounded in the world of the real, of science.  SOLARIS (the original) and BLADE RUNNER are two examples where the notion of something more than the immediate story works but what is there, a self-aware planet and self-aware robots, is explainable by the film’s take on science.

I have never cared for 2001 despite its overwhelming visuals, sound, narrative switches.  The whole thing at the end with Keir Dullea becoming an old man is just ridiculous to me. It’s pointless inscrutability ruins even the good parts like HAL’s breakdown. In the end, it’s just another black monolith of meaninglessness for the monkeys to throw their poop at.  

THE CHASE AND THE PHYSICALITY OF MARLON BRANDO

THE CHASE is one of the few Marlon Brando films I'd not seen before.   It's big and messy, half-seedy potboiler, half grand statement on civil rights and the evils of the South (but poor whites taking the place of black people). Good performances - Janice Rule (an underrated actress) Robert Duvall, Richard Bradford, James Fox (playing an American) . Jane Fonda, Angie Dickinson, EG Marshall are just okay and the only bad part is Robert Redford who is really miscast as a rough guy, escaped prisoner. He looks like he just stepped off a catwalk not a chain gang.

Getting back to Brando.   One of the (many) great things about Brando's acting is the physicality of it. He has some of the best fight scenes in his film resume of any actor and his sense of inhabiting space within a scene is intuitive. One of the most unpleasant things I've ever seen in a movie is the scene here when Brando receives a slow, sadistic beating from a mob of bullies yet you can't take your eyes off Brando, how he reacts to this. The greatest actor of all time? I think so.

THREE FILMS - SOUL BOYS OF THE WESTERN WORLD, THE BABADOOK, THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME

SOUL BOYS OF THE WESTERN WORLD

Very nice documentary about the band Spandau Ballet.  I’m a Spandau fan so I’m prejudiced but viewing this film objectively it is a very good documentary because it places the band’s story in the context of the times giving a through presentation of influences and events in Britain and what they meant to people’s lives..   The band members seemed a bit reticent to say anything bad about one another because they have reunited but problems are addressed – warts and all but not overly emotional.  Overall, this is good fun and of course the music is fantastic!   

THE BABADOOK

However you view this film as supernatural horror or as metaphor for dealing with grief or something else, the first hour or so is superb but when we start seeing a physical visualization of what might be occurring, the film descends into predictable territory.  On the plus side, It’s genuinely scary in a few places and has an excellent performance by Essie Davis.

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME

South American horror film that is sort of a cross between TIMECRIMES and OCULUS but with less of an edge and a happier ending.  Needed more action to boost the events.  Perhaps a little more gore or sex.  I did like the explanation of what’s happening and I give it points for a creepy atmosphere and methodical set-up scenes for what happens later but I also felt it was holding back (and not in a good gothic horror way).

FOUR FILMS - THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN, EXISTS, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN, GONE GIRL

THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN

There is nothing new in this possession film (including the end) but the presentation is so tense, so perfectly paced that you don’t care.  Really, really scary at times.  The centerpiece of this film is the performance of Jill Larson – She’s both relatable and terrifying.  Maybe the best performance I’ve seen in a film all year.

EXISTS

This Bigfoot found footage film by Eduardo Sanchez the co-director of the BLAIR WITCH PROJECT is pared to the bone, 80 minutes of horror movie muscle.   This is both a strong point and a weak point.  Strong – as the action sequences with Bigfoot on the outside of the frame or slightly out of focus or charging in suddenly are really heart pumping.   Weak – in that there isn’t much to the film beyond that.  Still this film is a really good time and never dull.   The viewer is on the edge of their seat for its duration.

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN

Not a remake of the original film but a meta inside joke take on the original film set in the present. By the end, it's more like a slasher film with all the usual clichés and predictable plot developments but I'll give it points for at least trying something different and for a few super gory kills.

GONE GIRL

The age old book vs. movie debate – I thought the novel made both husband and wife into much more multi-dimensional characters whereas the movie is much flatter.   I also felt Rosamund Pike seemed out of her depth.  The role required a stronger actress.  The story is still a good one and most of the twists are still there.  Overall, okay but could have made a better adaptation with more diary entry voiceovers in the first half and a few casting changes.

FOUR FILMS - HOUSEBOUND, V/H/S VIRAL, THE CANAL, THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT

HOUSEBOUND

Excellent New Zealand horror/mystery full of twists and turns and a plucky heroine – I really dug the relationship between her and her mother.  All this and an exploding head too!  A total win in every way (story, pacing, characters, acting).

V/H/S VIRAL

The third V/H/S film is much better than the second but not as good as the first.  The first vignette about an evil magician and his cape would make a great movie by itself.  The second vignette is also excellent (and pretty nasty).  Third story is well-shot but goes nowhere at the end.  Wraparound story sucks.

 THE CANAL

Another haunted house film that borrows from a lot of sources everything from INSIDIOUS to THE RING to DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK.  The resulting mish mash is scary at times if predictable.  Entertaining nonetheless.

THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT

 Found footage film that does a good job building the tension through the first hour + (very creepy) and also establishing the characters unfortunately it is all downhill from there as the ending is rushed and not scary and disappointing.

FOUR FILMS - VARSITY BLOOD, ABC'S OF DEATH PART TWO, THE LAST SHOWING, DEAD SEA

VARSITY BLOOD

A compact little slasher film that is very simple but effective. It's easy to make a good slasher film as long as you follow the rules and this one does-Neat chase and kill scenes, effective deaths, cool killer disguise as high school mascot.

ABC’S OF DEATH PART TWO

The vignettes are less inventive visually than the first movie but the stories are better thought out and good stories beat visuals any day of the week so better than the first film. Favorite stories - M, X, B, Z, V 

THE LAST SHOWING

Some unanswered questions at the end (strains credulity a bit) and a bit slow at the beginning but overall a slick little suspense more than horror film with Robert Englund at his creepy best.

DEAD SEA

A while ago, I wrote that a giant lamprey that preys on humans would be a good idea for a horror movie and lo and behold we have this film as well as BLOOD LAKE on the Animal Planet TV channel.  I'm glad Hollywood is meeting the public's demand for giant lamprey horror movies. THE DEAD SEA is just okay slow burn not too ridiculous but not engaging or scary either.  The lamprey is glimpsed briefly and in between there is a lot of exposition but it is handled competently.

FOUR FILMS - 7500, THE DEAD 2:INDIA, THE SCRIBBLER, MALIGNANT

7500

This horror film about supernatural events on a plane is genuinely thoughtful and surprising. Does a good job of establishing who the characters were and what they were all about. Goes in an unexpected direction at the end. Cheesy special effects but otherwise an entertaining film with a few scary moments and a nice plot twist.

THE DEAD 2: INDIA

The first movie worked because of its African location. This sequel, set in India, doesn't make as good a use of its locale also more human interest storylines compared to the first film detracts from the action but the zombies here are great - slow moving, everywhere, genuinely creepy. Not as good as the first film but fun to see especially when you thought zombie films were passe.

THE SCRIBBLER

This movie throws a lot at the viewer (even a talking dog) but is ultimately a hollow nothingness that makes no sense.  Hipster rubbish that is full of forgettable uninspired visuals....Not recommended.

MALIGNANT

Sort of an updated version of the Terminal Man with alcoholism.  Overall forgettable but saved a little bit by the usual over the top Brad Dourif.  Without Dourif, this film would have been less than nothing.

TWO FILMS - GODZILLA, X-MEN:DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

(Back to blogging at least for the time being.  Hubs was a wash-out.  Still looking for a new job)

A little bit of catch-up on some movies I’ve seen.  These are two of the better movies I’ve seen this year....

GODZILLA

Great fun although it does take a long time to get going and really teases the audience with the reveal of the big guy (who does look great).  I like the fact he can show facial expressions much like earlier Godzillas'.  It feels more like a 70's disaster movie at times than a Godzilla film.  The climax just kicks ass all over the place.  A great big orgasm of a film.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

A near perfect two hours of superhero action coupled with a brilliant classic storyline. The DAYS story in the comic book is fairly complex but the movie did an excellent job of making necessary changes to fit it into a two hour movie. Some of the best action scenes I've seen in a superhero movie. In the running as the greatest comic book movie of all time....But what I as a child of comic books and a lifelong fan geeked out on the most was the appearance in the credits of Apocalypse, the villain in the next movie. He is easily my favorite X Men villain and one of my favorite Marvel characters of all time.

THE DONATE BUTTON PLUS NEWS ABOUT THIS BLOG

There is now a donate button on all three of my blogs for anyone who wishes to send me a payment through paypal (the button links with my paypal account).

Monies sent will both help me with daily expenses as I am still unemployed (since December) with no prospects on the horizon and also subsidize my poetry and writing.

I also am temporary suspending writing on my two blogspace blogs as I am going to see if I can earn some money through clicks on Hubpages (  http://rajdronamraju.hubpages.com/ ).  If that does not work after a month or two and/or a good number of posts then I will come back to blogspot.  Please follow me on Hubpages.

I will continue with poetry as usual on my wordpress blog.

And thanks to anyone who makes a contribution.

Peace and Regards, Raj

FOUR FILMS - HOW WE GOT AWAY WITH IT, THE SACRAMENT, LOCKER 13, BLOOD GLACIER

HOW WE GOT AWAY WITH IT

Quite powerful in its own way.  Hard to describe without giving away plot details but one of those films where seemingly meaningless conversations between characters later make sense.  A cleverly put together and ultimately very subtle film that really stayed with me after it was over.

THE SACRAMENT

The interview between Gene Jones as a Jim Jones type cult leader and AJ Bowen as a visiting filmmaker is one of best scenes I’ve seen in a movie this year – tense, clever, upsetting.  The rest of this film is old news for those who recall the story of Jonestown although the always excellent Ti West (The Innkeepers) builds tension well and Jones’s performance is truly excellent.

LOCKER 13     

I appreciate the fact that each of the stories in this anthology film has a reasonably good ending and overall does not feel the need to be gross or overly violent.  The tone here is like Alfred Hitchcock Presents or Tales from the Darkside.  Of course, this more genteel approach might also be a hindrance for those expecting more straight horror.  It all sets up the last story which is a continuation of the wraparound although the first story with Ricky Schroeder as a boxer is the best one.

BLOOD GLACIER

This Austrian high altitude Thing rip-off takes a long time to get going and due to the fact that the monsters are models as opposed to CGI, we get only limited creature shots as if someone is holding the model just off camera and shaking it.  I did like the strange ending but overall could’ve been a lot better.