THE WOMAN

THE WOMAN (2011)
US
Directed by Lucky McKee

CAST:
Pollyanna McIntosh - The Woman
Angela Bettis - Belle Cleek
Sean Bridgers - Chris Cleek

PLOT:
     When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.

REVIEW:
     When I first found out that The Woman was playing the festival circuits I was quite happy to hear about it. One of the reasons why is because Jack Ketchum is a great storyteller that doesn't pull any punches when it comes to his work. Another reason I got excited about The Woman was because it was directed by Lucky McKee. After watching May (which I love by the way) I think he is one of the fringe directors that is worth watching no matter what. Yet The Woman was supposed to be highly controversial, which just piqued my wanting to watch it even more. So how was the movie?

       As for the acting everyone did an amazingly good job through and through,  but two stood out from the rest. The first one was Sean Bridgers as Chris Cleek, the patriarch of the Cleek family. Even though when he is first introduced he seems almost normal except for he seemed lazy. It's only throughout the film that we see just how messed up the character is. From basically doing nothing around his home to help out except for making everyone else do everything, to hitting his wife or any female that disagrees with him, Chris Cleek is everything I despise in abusive men and husbands. I can easily go into what his religious views are (NAR and the Dominionism anyone) but I'll reframe. Lauren Ashley Carter, who plays Peggy Cleek, though is the viewers way into the family and the one moral compass in the whole film. Peggy you can tell is trapped in a world she doesn't want and is afraid of, but doesn't know what to do except to stay quiet unless something really bothers her. Throughout the whole film she acts afraid of her secret of being pregnant coming out as well. Now this alone isn't that bad, but with her family life and the hints of who the actual father could be just makes her the one lone sympathetic character in the film.

     As for Lucky McKee's directing and how he put the film together has to be talked about as well. The look is mostly clean, but yet at the same time seems somewhat distorted as if almost every scene is somewhat slightly out of focus which actually adds to the feel of the film. The music used in the film is one of the things that got me though. I read online how some people found the musical choices poor as it didn't fit the scene or the emotion that was happening in it. To me though, it felt like after hearing it there was no other choice. Yes, you wouldn't expect a happy sounding song to play during a violent scene, but by doing this, it just made the scene more jarring and much more hard hitting. I applaud who ever was in charge of gathering the music for the soundtrack.

     The actual feel of the film is just incredible. Now I'm going to go ahead and say that the first part of the film moves a little bit slow. Not Audition slow though, as the pace does pick up about halfway through. And that is one of the things that is so brilliant about The Woman. It starts out where everything seems mostly normal for a family with just a few cracks showing through the shine. You are introduced to the whole family and their demeanor in turn. It is only after we're firmly implanted into the family mindset that the film picks up its pace and never slows down and the viewer is stuck just like Peggy Cleek is in the film, watching all the happy pieces fall away and we're left with the true horror of the family. And what is even worse is you can't look away as all the dirt and filth is exposed quickly. I'm not going to ruin the true shocks in the film as they are not hinted at in anyway in the film which just makes each scene more brilliant and harder hitting. But the true genius of this film is that it makes you feel something at the end. Whether it's disgust, filthy, or just a feeling of being hit over the head with a sledge hammer, The Woman makes you feel something. As for me, I felt like I was ran over by a truck after watching it and I want to thank Lucky McKee for it, as only two other films made me feel that way (The River's Edge and Se7en were the films). He made a film that shows true horror. To bad most people won't watch it. 

BEST DEATH:
     Chris Cleek's more than deserving slow painful evisceration.

BEST LINE:
     Says the man with nine fingers.

FUN FACTS:
     Chris Cleek repeatedly uses the word "anophthalmia" in reference to one of his daughters. Unilateral anophthalmia is the congenital absence of one eye, and bilateral anophthalmia is the congenital absence of both eyes.

     The Woman is a sequel to the 2009 movie Offspring, also written by Jack Ketchum.

      The Woman has won multiple international movie awards. And well deserved in my eyes.

     Writer Jack Ketchum has a role in the movie Header based off of Edward Lee's book of the same name. Edward Lee also has a role in the same movie.

     Stay after the credits to watch  what happens to the youngest daughter. It just made the film have much more of an impact.

MICROCINEMA

MICROCINEMA (2011)
US
Directed by Skip Shea

CAST:
Aurora Grabill - Miss
Alexander Lewis - Peter Martell

PLOT:
    Peter Martell is a highly educated well-to-do young man with a lot of free time on his hands. He spends this time watching snuff films. One day he makes the bold decision to cross the line from observer to participant, aspiring to bring a philosophical element to his own kind of snuff films.

REVIEW:
     Skip Shea sent me an email last week about a short he has out that called Microcinema. I have to say that I do like getting emails from directors about their work, short or long. I just hope that more directors get in touch with me about their work as I love seeing new films.

      I would have to say for the most part the short works reasonable well. The acting is decent from both actors that are in it as well. Alexander Lewis does a good job as someone that has watched to many torture porn movies and that has gone to his head. So he does what anyone with a serious mental health issue would do and that's to become a murderer himself and record it for prosperity.  As for Aurora Grabill, for the time she was on screen she did a good job. I really liked the last line she mentioned in the short as well. The audio was nicely done as was the sound effects toward the end.

     Yet if there is one thing that I think was overdone, it would be the rape scene. Now don't get me wrong, I think it was a nice twist to the short, and before the hate mail comes pouring in watch the short to know why I said what I did. I just think that it went on just a tad to long. Part of the reason why this scene works well though is because of the sound design which I mentioned before. For a short, this movie tries to be something different which I applaud Shea for trying, specially the twist at the end. Yet  there is something missing from it, and to me it would be a true ending. But for a short, it ends at a good point and leaves you wanting to see what happens after the victim is dragged away and that is something that not a lot new directors know how to do. Also I would love to know more about "Miss" as she was more interesting to me than Peter was.

BEST DEATH:
     No one dies in this one, but Peter wishes he was dead though!

BEST LINE:
     I'm giving them the gift of release from the suffering that is life.

FUN FACTS:
     Skip Shea has a uncredited role as a mental patient in Shutter Island.

     Shea has directed five short films, and has a sixth one coming out soon.

BLOOD FARE PRESS RELEASE

  
Well I got back from watching Cirque De Soileil 's Dralion in Tallahassee last night (really good by the way) and I found a press release for this movie coming out shortly called Blood Fare waiting for me in my inbox. So I watched the trailer for it and it seems like it would be a fun cheesy type of movie. So here's the press release for it.

     Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging Completes Digital Coloring Of Female Action Filmmaker J.A. Steel’s “Blood Fare”
     SALT LAKE CITY, UT. – On September 27, 2011, J.A. Steel, the award winning female writer and director, announces the completion of the digital coloring of her fourth feature film “Blood Fare.” The up-and-coming colorist, Jeff Pantaleo, completed the digital coloring on the newly developed Scratch workflow at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI).

     “Blood Fare” is a Civil War ghost story with a modern twist, by J.A. Steel and Co-Producer Christian K. Koch. It is the tale of Corporal Henry Trout (S. Edward Meek - “Wild Stallion”), who in 1861 fought valiantly in a forgotten skirmish after the first battle of Bull Run. 150 years later, he will come face to face with his descendants as the battle for blood continues on a haunted battlefield. Tyler (Brandi Lynn Anderson from the upcoming Syfy original series “ZEROS”) and her brother Chad (Adrian West), Henry's fifth generation grandchildren, will challenge the very legend of Charon the Ferryman, as the lines between the living and the dead become blurred.

     Gil Gerard, internationally recognized for his lead role as Captain William ‘Buck’ Rogers in the science fiction movie and television series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”, plays the character of Professor Meade, mentor to the protagonist Tyler, in “Blood Fare”. Gerard was recently seen in the Syfy original movie “Ghost Town”. International action star, Kim Sonderholm, most recently seen in the newly released “Little Big Boy,” appears alongside Gerard as Professor Malick.

     In addition to Gerard and Sonderholm, several other amazingly talented actresses and actors have joined the “Blood Fare” cast, including Michelle Wolff (“NCIS”, “Chicago Hope”, “ER”, and “Providence”), Savannah Ostler (“Vengeance”), Bridget McManus (“Wanted”), Scott Beringer (“Ocean’s Eleven” and “21”), Brenden Whitney, Alison Trouse, Thomas J. Post, Antonio Lexerot and April Knight. Marcus Intheam, Salt Lake City star radio DJ of “Marcus in the Morning” on Z-ROCK 94.9 and “The Real L Word Live Lounge” host Natalie M. Garcia add live broadcast talent.

     Chris Hanson, one of the most recognized special makeup effects artists of Hollywood, joined the crew of “Blood Fare” as Special Makeup Effects Supervisor. Hedemonstrated his unique creativity in “Hellboy”, “Underworld”, “Men in Black”, “Men in Black 2”, “The Green Mile”, “The X-Files”, “The Faculty”, “Spawn” and many other productions.

     Steel rounds out her crew with Director of Photography Michael B. Call (“127 Hours”), Co-Producer Christian M. Koch, who has worked with Steel on her first 3 films, and Executive Producer Jessica M. Bair.
“Blood Fare” is a green, sustainable film production, and Eco/Sustainable Production Executive Micheline Birkhead was on set to ensure the project meets green certification requirements.

     Steel is a director, producer, actor, videographer, editor, fight choreographer and stunt person, in addition to writer and composer ... and even a distributor ... a unique woman in Hollywood. “Blood Fare” is Steel's fourth feature film. Her action horror shocker “Denizen”, her action supernatural thriller “Salvation”, and her action feature “The Third Society” reflect in many ways Steel's real life hobbies of Muay Thai kickboxing, cave diving, motorcycle riding, firearms and edged weapons. All three movies are available on Amazon.com.
Steel lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, preferring the peace of the mountains for her screen writing.

BEDTIME FOR TIMMY

BEDTIME FOR TIMMY (2010)
US
Directed by Thomas Nicol and Becky Griesheimer

PLOT:
     Night falls, shadows creep out, and the time has come for little Timmy to go to bed. But can he brave the ominous gaze of his closet door?

REVIEW:
      When I reviewed Thomas Nicol's The Window Into Time last week, I mentioned that Nicol had a short film he directed with Becky Griesheimer that will be at Fantastic Fest this year. Well, he sent me a link to it so where I can watch and review it as well. So without anymore waiting, here's the review for it.

     There's something completely fun about this short that is just magical. Part of the reason for this is that it brings back memories of childhood and it's fears. I mean who wasn't afraid of having your closet open when trying to go to sleep at night ( I was), and how you kept thinking that something was in there once your room lights were turned off and it was almost pitch black. The smallest sound would send a chill down your spine and your mind would go into overdrive imaging imaginary monsters of the worst possible kind.  The other reason why this short is so fun is the simplicity of the idea and its execution.

       The sound design for the short is nicely done with just enough loudness to make it seem peaceful until the first of the door creaks to the rocking chair's slight tottering. The animation is fluid and fun to watch as only stop motion claymation can be. The story is well put together and to the point with no time wasted as well. I fell in love with everything about the short and the meanness to it that happens at the end as it is a shock and I wasn't expecting it all, which just pushed the short over to my loving it. Thank you Griesheimer and Nicol for creating something magical.

BEST DEATH:
     I'm not going to tell, as it will ruin the fun of the short.

BEST LINE:
     Nope, nothing here as there isn't one line of dialogue spoken.

FUN FACTS:
     Bedtime For Timmy won Best Animated Comedy at Dragon-Con this year.

     The short is also playing at Fantastic Fest this year.

BLEACH: JIGOKU HEN

BLEACH: JIGOKU HEN (BLEACH MOVIE 4: THE HELL VERSE) (2010)
JP
Directed by Noriyuki Abe

CAST:
Masakazu Morita - Ichigo Kurosaki
Fumiko Orikasa - Rukia Kuchiki
Kazuya Nakai - Kokuto

PLOT:
     Ichigo Kurosaki heads into the Gates of Hell, which is where Hollows who had committed evil during their lives as humans are sent, to save his youngest sister.

REVIEW:
     I'll admit that I love anime, and the series Bleach is probably my favorite. Part of the reason for this is that what can't be done in live action films can easily be done in animation. Another reason is that where most movies try to have both story and the look, few pull it off to a level of total immersion. One such movie that pulls it off completely is Blade Runner.  Now that's not to say all anime is amazing and gets every aspect correct. In fact, I would have to say that only about 15 percent of them do. But what keeps people watching it, is that most anime has an ever evolving storyline. With the movies though, most are based off of series that have been running for a while, so sometimes it's hard to jump right in and enjoy the story and action. So how does the fourth Bleach movie hold up with all this going against it.

     I guess I should first give some background on the series so where most people that are reading this won't be completely lost. Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts, then he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper and member of the mysterious Soul Society. While fighting a Hollow, an evil spirit that preys on humans who display psychic energy, Rukia attempts to lend Ichigo some of her powers so that he can save his family; but much to her surprise, Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo quickly learns that the world he inhabits is one full of dangerous spirits and hidden agendas. Throughout his time as a Soul Reaper he has to take on the Soul Society to free Rukia who has been falsely accused of crimes while keeping on eye on his closest friends around him who also begin showing powers after being to close to him. All that has happened is due to a rogue Soul Reapers who want to take down the Soul Society with evolved Hollows, no matter the cost of life to anyone.

     I'm going to go ahead and start with the one thing that I truly didn't like about the movie and that is Ichigo's final form in hell. On a series that prides itself on having style as well as substance, his final armor is just junky looking. Another thing about it, is that after having so much action throughout almost the entire run of the film, the ending was almost anti-climatic. Okay, so maybe there was two things that bugged me. Yet one thing that did catch me by surprise more than anything else was the sound design all throughout the film. From the distance echos of souls in pain, to the cries of despair and anguish from Ichigo when in his full Hollow form. What helps the feel of the movie out as well, is the background music which adds a tension to most scenes with what is a mixture of dark choir music put to an industrial rhythm. Now if only I can find a copy of the soundtrack.

     Now I must say that this movie is a rollercoaster ride all the way through as it barely slows down for a second, and when it does, thankfully it doesn't destroy the feel of the film. Well, except for the end which I went into about before. From the opening sequence of a soul being reborn as a skeleton and seeing the muscle and veins and skin grow back after scenes of a battle with Ichigo in full Hollow form, you know that the fourth film will be more violent and darker than the what is expected. On the animation front of it, I just have to say that it is beautiful to look at, and watch just how fluid everything moves for being hand drawn and not computer animated due to a human touch on almost every frame of the film. While it's not a perfect movie, it is fun and moves at an amazing pace that rarely lets up. And even better, it doesn't make you feel like you wasted your time.

BEST DEATH:
      Garogai's perfect example of how to be a giant pincushion.

BEST LINE:
     What a nuisance. Why won't you remain dead for a couple of minutes!

FUN FACTS:
     Bleach is celebrating it's 10 anniversary of the manga this year.

     Tite Kubo, Bleach's creator, has said that he likes creating characters that have outward appearances that do not match their true nature—an element that can be found in many of his characters.

     Kubo has stated that he wishes to make Bleach an experience that can only be found by reading manga, and dismissed ideas of creating any live-action film adaptations of the series.

     The anime series, based off the manga, has been running on Japan's TV Tokyo since October of 2004, and has been airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim  since September 2006.

     The movie takes place in the middle of  the Arrancar: Downfall arc of the manga and anime series.

THE WINDOW INTO TIME

THE WINDOW INTO TIME (2011)
US
Directed by Thomas Nicol

CAST:
William Kephart - Dr. Schenker
Stephanie Swearingen - Lana Green
Michael Kilcullen - Dr. Morrison

PLOT:
     Dr. Lawrence Schenker, Man of Science, is contacted by an old classmate with an intriguing problem, setting him on a mission to recreate a substance described in an ancient manuscript with no thought to the possible consequences.

REVIEW:
      Well here I am, back after almost a month off, and I feel refreshed and ready to go with more reviews. This time I contacted director Thomas Nicol about his film after I found out it was playing at film festivals, and since where I live can be considered a black hole for culture unless you like country music, I knew I wasn't going able to see it here He was kind enough to send me link to view the short it in it's entirety. So without further waiting, on to the review.

           I must admit I was relatively surprised by the acting in this all the way through. William Kephart does a good job as Dr. Schenker, a scientist possessed  trying to break a ancient mystery that bridges dimensions while not realizing the consequences though warned about them. Kephart also does a decent job as the one voice that is heard in the short. Michael Kilcullen (love the last name for some reason!), though only on screen for a short amount of time,  does well as Dr. Morrison, a colleague of Dr. Schenker, who at first wants help then tries to warn him off of trying to solve the chemical riddle. Stephanie Swearingen also does well as the spurned assistant Lana Green, who winds up as a conduit to something else after being to close to the  mysterious substance.

     The one draw back I have with this short is the audio. It's nothing to big, but when Dr. Schenker is shown talking into the reel to reel recorder it sounds as if you're hearing the actual recording, and when the flash backs are shown it sounds as if he's in the room talking and not the recorded voice. Other than that small gripe the short was a very fun watch and well put together with some great shots and interesting angles. One of the highlights for me was the stop motion animation when used, as it gave the film a otherworldly feel when it was used. The Window Into Time does a great job of capturing the feel of H.P. Lovecraft stories as the short does end, yet it leaves it up to the viewer to decide what happens. I look forward to seeing what Thomas Nicol does next after watching this, and I'm hoping that he gets a full length feature soon to see what he can do with more time to spend on the story.

BEST DEATH:
     Dr. Morrison's header out of a window of not his choosing.

BEST LINE:
     But its scientific and historic significance alone were enough to take possession of my mind.

FUN FACTS:
     Director Thomas Nicol has his short he co-directed with Becky Griesheimer, the animated Bedtime For Timmy, at Fantastic Fest 2011.

TIME OFF ALMOST OVER

Hello to all again,

     Just to let everyone know, I'm going to get started back with my reviews starting next week. Part of the reason for the time off was I was waiting for software to come in to make it easier for me to get screen captures, which just came in finally, so where I can get the pictures I want to show from the movies and shorts I review and not the ones on the web which is sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack.

     Also Daniel Iske got in touch with me again. This time about The Dead Hour Season Two. I'm actually looking forward to watch the new season all in one go again. To view the trailer for Season Two just look below!

     Thanks again Daniel!

    Until next week,
     Ghostwound