DVD Review: BENEATH THE FLESH (2009)

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

BENEATH THE FLESH

Written & Directed by Randall Kaplan

Distributed by Pathfinder Pictures

 

I have always prided myself on my ability to interpret symbolism. Whether it be in a book or a movie, I can usually pick up the deeper meanings that are implied within certain things. But with that being said, I am completely lost as to what was going on in BENEATH THE FLESH.
If you're not familiar with this collection of short films, then you're not alone...I watched them, but am still clueless as to what I saw. Here is the plot synopsis courtesy of the DVD cover:

BENEATH THE FLESH is a collection of nightmares that will crawl under your skin and burrow its way into your mind. In 'Id', a man is tormented by a twisted creature in his apartment. In 'The Basement', two men confront each other in a damp, filthy basement. In 'The Child', a withered man nurtures a strange entity. In 'The Insides', a man believes something is growing inside of him. Finally, in 'Boxhead', an old man is visited by a childhood friend that could be his darkest nightmare. The victim in each story is forced to confront a fear that is eating them from the inside out. They will deal with this fear or die with it.

When I say I don't know whats going on in these films, I am not kidding. Each film is a head-trip that squeezes your brain as it tries to make sense of what it is seeing. 'Surreal' is about the closest word I can use to describe the feeling, although 'annoying' has to be close as well. I don't like it when I don't know what's going on, especially in a film.

Take, for example, the first film, 'Boxhead'. In this film, a wisp of a man is bullied and belittled by the people around him...as he talks to a weird paper-mâché looking creature in his apartment. Every now and then, the scene shifts to a young boy that crawls in and out of a box. That's it. No explanation or even real plot that I can find. I suppose the implication is that the little boy is the man as a child...but we never get any indication of that.

All of the films in this set are like that. And, all the films are directed by the same guy, director Randall Kaplan...which might explain the vagueness. I'm not saying he does not have talent. They are all shot well and have some excellent uses of lighting...but those are the only two positives I can list. Some might call these films experimental and some might label them as controversial. Me, I'm going to chalk them up to 'creative expression' and leave it at that.

I'm not recommending this collection, simply because none of the films entertained me. I was more annoyed than anything after I had watched them all, to be honest. I can certainly think of better ways to spend an hour of my life.

-MSB

 

 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

 

DVD Review: BLOOD RAIN (2005)

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------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

BLOOD RAIN

Directed by Dae-seung Kim

Courtesy of Pathfinder Pictures

Released: 2005

Before you roll your eyes at the title of this film, let's clarify something here: this is NOT the craptastic vampire failure that is Uwe Boll's 'BLOODRAYNE'. Oh no. This BLOOD RAIN is actually a masterful mystery-whodunit? set in 1800s Korea.
Here is the synopsis, courtesy of the HanCinema website:

It is the 19th century Chosun dynasty, an era of loathing and vengeance towards Catholics. A transport ship carrying paper to the palace burns into ashes, and investigator Won-kyu is sent to the scene. Brutal murders follow suit, which are traced back to a curse by a Christian who had his whole family beheaded seven years previously. The climax builds to an unexpected ending…First, this movie is stunning to watch. The sets and costumes are done with vivid detail and the cinematography is wonderful. All of these elements are set against the backdrop of an excellent mystery thriller.

I cannot really say anything else about the plot because A) it is a bit complex to summarize, and B) too much information could ruin the story for you. But needless to say, the script is very well written and entertaining. I would even go so far as to say the dialogue is impressively witty and certainly never dull.

My sole complaint about this film is that there is not an English dub-over feature, meaning you can only watch it with sub-titles. This doesn't necessarily hamper the experience for me (because I've watched dozens of sub-titled films over the years), but I would really rather listen to the dialogue instead of reading it. Again, this is strictly a personal preference and should not discourage you from watching the film.

The acting in BLOOD RAIN was also top notch, as is the characterization. It is somewhat rare (in my experience) to find foreign period pieces that do not place an emphasis on stereotyping certain characters. For example, in many martial-arts movies, there's always the stereotypical 'humbled master' going up against the 'braggart but skilled villain'. I'm pleased to report that this movie does not have ANY of the typical stereotypes. I was very surprised by this, and because so, found the movie more enjoyable as a result.

As an added bonus, the film includes a decent bit of gore as well. One of my favorite (and one of the goriest) scenes is when a man is drawn-and-quartered. For those of you that don't know what this entails, this was an extreme punishment-torture that was used back in ancient days. They would place a person flat on the ground and then tie a horse to each limb (one for each arm, one for each leg). Then, they would whip the horses and the person was basically ripped apart. This is obviously very gruesome and BLOOD RAIN does an excellent job of showing it.

I'm going to leave this review a little bit short, as this is one of those films that you just need to see to appreciate. But it is definitely a winner (as proven by the numerous awards it has won) and you definitely should check it out.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Pathfinder Pictures

DVD Review: BLOODY BEACH (2000)

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m a big fan of the slasher-flick subgenre, but only so long as the plot is original and the film is well done. For example, SPIRIT CAMP is one of my favorite newer slasher films. The premise is technically unique and the film blends a perfect mix of dark comedy and horror. Finding such balance is hard to do, and any film that pulls it off is note-worthy in my book.

For these reasons, I bring up BLOODY BEACH, a Korean slasher romp from a decade ago. Yes, this is an older film, but it is one definitely worth visiting. The plot of BLOODY BEACH is this:

A group of friends, who know each other only through an Internet chat room, decide to finally meet in-person and schedule a weekend ‘vacation’ in a rented beach-house. But one of the original members of the group who was thought to have killed himself, a man with the handle of Sandmanzz, starts killing the group off one by one. But who is the Sandmanzz? And why does he have a grudge against them? As the body count rises, so do the suspicions. And before the weekend is over, the group must discover who among them is the killer…before time runs out!

Before sitting down to watch this movie, you have to remember the times as they were and keep that in mind. This film was done back in 2000, when Internet chat rooms were in full bloom and ‘safety guidelines’ for meeting face-to-face (or why you shouldn’t) were not well publicized. Thus, a group of strangers meeting for the first time face-to-face was still a viable option, albeit a bad one.

The other thing to keep in mind about this movie is that it IS a foreign film and therefore some of the cultural aspects might throw you for a loop. But if you look past them, you will find a gem of a slasher film, one that I know I’ll revisit before too long.

I loved the way this movie was filmed. There are several unique camera-angles that really give an interesting perspective on the scene. It’s hard to describe in detail…you’ll have to see for yourself what I mean. I also liked how the plot kept building suspense. You are literally guessing and re-guessing about the identity of the killer. And when this person is ultimately revealed, you’ll get a nice jolt of “Ahhhh…I should have seen that coming!”

Although it’s not as gory as I would have liked (there’s a couple of excellent ‘slash’ scenes, though, one in particular where a guy gets his fingers lopped off by a set of pruning shears), BLOODY BEACH still didn’t disappoint when it came to the red stuff. And the production crew didn’t have to use a lot to get their point across. The thrills and spills were indicative of the suspense, and this only added to the terror.

My sole complaint about this film was the lack of an English dub-over. I found reading the subtitles a bit too distracting, and some scenes forced me to backtrack, so I could see the action after I had read the dialogue the first time-around. But that’s my only gripe. This is a well done, well-thought-out thriller, and one I’m glad to add to my collection.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Pathfinder Pictures

DVD Review: HOT WAX ZOMBIES ON WHEELS (1999)

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
--William Shakespeare

Well Bill, I will tell you whats in a name. What's in the name of this film is the word Zombie. But that which we call a zombie in this film is not a zombie at all, therefore smells about as sweet as a dirty diaper on a hot summer day.

Before I go any further, here is the basic plot from the Pathfinder Pictures' website:

A sleepy fishing village is terrorized by a band of hairless zombies on motorcycles. When a bodacious female biker and her muscular henchman, both bent on ridding the world's human population of pesky body hair move into town it's up to the town's lingerie shop owner, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's best friend to battle hairlessness for the sake of Planet Earth.

Ok...that being said, lets start with the positive things about this film. Unfortunately, this will be the shortest part of the review. Ok...first off, the movie was filmed in a coastal town in California, so you get to see some beautiful scenery. Next, the picture quality is outstanding for a low budget film such as this. The DVD cover looks kinda grainy, so I expected the movie to be the same way, but it was shot very well and looks very good. Lastly, the film has one of the best titles I have ever heard.

Now on to the negatives.....lets start with that awesome title. HOT WAX ZOMBIES ON WHEELS. Man, I love the sound of that! Any movie with the word zombie in the title is a friend of mine! But...there is one major issue here....there are NO zombies in this movie! Wait, what's that you say Zombie Hayes? There are no zombies in a film that contains zombie in the title! You heard me right...not a single zombie in the whole film. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Well, no "living dead" zombies anyway. Apparently what they consider a zombie in this film is someone who just acts brainwashed and has ridded themselves of "pesky body hair". In the plot it mentions "a band of hairless zombies on motorcycles." That should have been one of the coolest images in cinema..unfortunately, they just weren't there.
Next, the acting is bad. Some performances are worse than others, but overall they are pretty lacking in the acting department. Next is the use of silly sound effects throughout the film to try to get a laugh. This attempt falls flat and adds nothing to the humor.
Now I know I shouldn't take this film to seriously. I mean, it is obviously a comedy film, and a very silly one at that. But even a silly B-movie can be fun, but this film just was not. After watching this film, you will not need a waxing salon, because you will probably be pulling your hair out with frustration!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer (only if you are not prone to epileptic seizures)
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to visit the official MySpace page of Hot Wax Zombies
CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Pathfinder Pictures