FIVE FILMS - LET THE FIRE BURN, SPARKS, WER, 13 SINS, MARA

LET THE FIRE BURN

The best documentaries allow the stories to tell themselves through archival material (interviews etc.) and whatever framing devices are necessary for the audience to understand what they are being shown.  The best documentary filmmakers are those that stay out of the way of the story.  On these grounds, LET THE FIRE BURN succeeds admirably.  Told through hearings held after the fact, interviews new footage etc., we get the complete picture of what happened in 1985 when the city of Philadelphia overreacted while attempting to remove the cult-like organization MOVE from the neighborhood where they were staying ending in a bombing and a fire that killed people and destroyed property.  It’s a riveting story well told and I like how the filmmaker will show the testimony of someone and then show evidence that contradicts it – Something great documentary filmmakers do.

SPARKS

Superhero noir, a SIN CITY/WATCHMEN type mash-up that never goes too far as far as explicit sex (some violence though).  The complex, well thought out story (from a graphic novel source) drives this film and makes it an in interesting watch despite the relatively low budget.  Lots of crazy characters doing crazy things in funny outfits.  Good fun.

WER

I had high hopes for this film as I’ve always felt that there are not enough good werewolf films.  For every THE HOWLING, THE BEAST MUST DIE!, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF is a hundred other dumb b movies.  Sadly, despite a few exciting and scary scenes, this film is a disappointment ruined by a combination of irritating found footage sequences and SPOILER a new look for werewolves that involves people becoming the creatures without physically changing much (how cheap is that).  Also why this film takes place in France with American characters I have no idea.

13 SINS

Yet another watered down American version of a foreign horror film.  Here it’s the Thai film 13; GAME OF DEATH that gets the commercialized USA treatment.  The original is not a masterpiece but is quite fun in a rough, gross, nihilistic way.  The American version is weak.  The challenges the protagonist must undertake to win money are not as bad (or as interesting) as the original film and the ending is a huge cop-out.

MARA

The relatively short running time of this Swedish psychological horror film (70+ minutes) makes this feel more like an episode of a horror anthology show than a film.  Completely unremarkable in every way with a confused ending.  Only thing worth mentioning is the attractive female lead Angelica Jansson.