DVD review: Deadgirl (2008)

Two high school boys, Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and J.T. (Noah Segan), discover an seemingly lifeless girl (Jenny Spain) in an abandoned mental asylum, she is chained to a trolley with plastic covering her body. She can't speak and looks weak and they soon discover that she cannot die. One wishes to set her free the other wants her to become his sex toy, JT promptly begins to satisfy his sickest and twisted sexual fantasies on the defenseless girl, but Rickie at least has some moral decency left.  Soon the secret is leaked to others and from there things starts to spiral violently out of control. Deadgirl is directed by Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel. The concept is as original as it is disturbing. The pacing is pretty slow but it´s all part of the build up and we get to know and care about the characters. The acting is pretty good but Noah Segan and Jenny Spain are the most memorable. The camerawork and editing is good, the scenes taking place in the abondoned mental asylum is suitably creepy and atmospheric.
Some might be put off by the topic or that it´s not a simple zombie film, there is not many cheap scares and thrills instead there is much more to it, it´s a study of human behavior gone bad....
The special fx are good and while there are some moments of gore and violence Deadgirl doesn't rely on it, it is instead a disturbing look into the human psyche. 
Rating: 6 out of 7. Deadgirl was a nice surprise, been wanting to see it for a long time and wasn´t exactly sure what to expect. It´s weird, entertaining and disturbing and although it contains some blood and gore it´s main focus is character exploration. I think Deadgirl is well worth taking the time to watch this movie but beware, this is not a date movie!

/JL

The best movies of the year 2011, the independent flicks that has received the highest ratings

It´s that time of the year to present the films that has received the highest ratings during 2011, please keep in mind that the blog was started in October 2011 and since then 56 DVD´s has been reviewed.

Rage (2010) Rating: 7 out of 7. It pleases me enormously that only a few days from the end of year, I get one of the best films I've seen in 2011 and I belong to those who had the privilege to see the film before its release on DVD. Rage is a very effective and entertaining film, it´s a extremely well made independent film and has a ton of tension. Rage gets my highest recommendations! 

Torched (Video 2004) Rating: 7 out of 7. Torched is brutal, sick and twisted! It´s a disturbing and creepy film and I recommend it highly to hardcore horror fans! I'm very interested to see what else Nicholson brings to the table in upcoming features.

Gutterballs (2008) Rating: 7 out of 7. Gutterballs accomplishes a lot, especially considering it´s limited budget. Sure it has some faults but it's a movie made by the horror fan for the horror fan. It´s a very entertaining and nice little horror film. I loved Gutterballs! I want a part two or a prequel!

Adam Chaplin (2011) Rating: 7 out of 7!! I’m very very pleased to have seen this one. This is one of the best films I´ve seen during 2011. I look forward to seeing more from Necrostorm!

A Day of Violence (2010) Rating: 7 out of 7. One word: Awesome! A Day of Violence delivers what´s can be expected and much more. I look forward to seeing more of both Darren Ward and Nick Rendell!  A Day of Violence is highly recommended!

Scrapbook (Video 2000) Rating: Scrapbook gets 7 out of 7! It´s a film that is vicious, uncomfortable and uncompromising. An alternative to Hollywood´s tendency to glamorize serial killers.  It´s one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen, I actually found myself  squirming in my seat when watching it, it is that hard to watch. A true gut punch. Not for the squeamish!

Sella Turcica (2010) Rating: 7 out of 7. I really liked this flick a lot. I think that if you just want to see blood n' guts you probably will be disappointed and I can imagine that some may consider that the film is a bit slow but I liked the pace, building up to the total destruction at the end. All in all good effort from the actors and the effects are fantastic! Director Fred Vogel is definitively a director to watch.

The Suppressor (2012) Rating: 7 out of 7. Now this was a really nice surprise, the plot has some similarities with Death Wish 4 but The Suppressor is a superior flick in every aspect. I highly recommend it to fans of action/vigilante films. I will keep an eye out for Ara Paiaya.

/JL

DVD review: Rage (2010)

First of all I would like to thank Christopher Witherspoon for sending me a screener of Rage.
A thirty something man by the name Dennis Twist (Rick Crawford) lives in a suburb just outside of Portland says goodbye to his beautiful and loving wife Crystal (Audrey Walker) and heads into town.
There he unintentionally provokes the wrath of a mysterious motorcyclist. The confrontation between the two, sets in motion a day long battle. Beginning in the form of harmless taunts then quickly escalating into something more serious and then into something unimaginable. Rage is not only written and directed by Christopher Witherspoon, he also produced, shot and edited the film. Furthermore he plays the part of the mysterious and menacing motorcyclist. The plot is reminiscent of Steven Spielberg´s classic tv-movie Duel (1971) but it takes place in a urban setting and is much much more violent and brutal. Strong acting performances from the cast, both Rick Crawford and Audrey Walker are fantastic and Christopher Witherspoon is excellent as the mysterious motorcyclist who gets more and more brutal, he has no dialogue but is very menacing wearing a black helmet with a darkly-tinted visor, a black jacket and black boots. 
The film is not overtly gory but it´s quite violent and brutal.
The soundtrack is very good and helps to create the suspenseful atmosphere. The film is beautifully shot and edited. The pacing kept me glued to the screen.
Rating: 7 out of 7. It pleases me enormously that only a few days from the end of year, I get one of the best films I've seen in 2011 and I belong to those who had the privilege to see the film before its release on DVD. Rage is a very effective and entertaining film, it´s a extremely well made independent film and has a ton of tension. Rage gets my highest recommendations! 


/JL