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Showing posts with label Horror Films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horror Films. Show all posts
Clowns never looked so scary until Pennywise came onto the scene! Adapted by Stephen King's 1986 novel of the same name, this remake of the 1990's It film, channels the same creepy vibes as the original but instead of the brilliantly terrifying Tim Curry, we have Bill Skarsgård! This film will be split into two parts which tells the story of 7 kids as they are terrorized by an eponymous being who exploits their fears and phobias. Say goodbye to all children's birthday parties for me and prepare to be personally victimized by Pennywise come September 8, 2017!
Year: 2017
Director: Greg McLean
Writer: James Gunn
Cinematography: Luis David Sansans
Cast: John Gallagher Jr, Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Sean Gunn
Country of Origin: USA
Rating: R
Time: 88 Mins.
In The Belko Experiment, a 9-5 job never looked so deadly! Directed by Wolf Creek's Greg McLean and written by Guardian's of the Galaxy's James Gunn, The Belko Experiment is Battle Royale set in a office setting. In a twisted social experiment, 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogota, Columbia and ordered by an ominous voice via the intercom to participate in a game of kill or be killed. What could possibly go wrong? (Considering that most people hate their co-workers!)
This should've been an instant hit considering the talent behind it but sadly, the screenplay and direction succumbs to cliches. While the action is wholly satisfying to ultra violence lovers, the beautifully set-up character development and premise doesn't pay off like it should. Instead of utilizing the office space in its entirety as a battle ground and weapon registry, it relies on quick kills via a gun. Regardless, it was a thrilling watch but let's be real, this is no Battle Royale.
It feels like forever since I saw Ana Lily Amirpour's The Bad Batch at Beyond Fest last year! The trailer for it finally came out and it's always a delightful surprise to see how they edited the trailer. Safe to say, there is no misleading or spoilers shown, it is just as eccentric and transcendental as you think it would be. Sal from Crome Yellow and I did a review for it and we were completely enthralled and entranced by the whole cinematic experience. We especially were fond of Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey like always! Catch The Bad Batch when it comes out in theaters June 23rd!
Another year, another list. But unlike most years, 2016 was one for the books and I truly thought my top 10 films of 2016 should encompass the realistic world in which we live. So the films that I picked are not only made by visionaries but are ones that show the beauty of humanity and those that remind us the most important aspects of life. Whether they are stories of people with vastly different background, opinions and experiences, we get a sneak peek into their world and into their shoes. And above all, I found comfort in other people's stories as they took me on an exhilarating ride from the heavens to hell, made me face my fears and even made me laugh to bring light to this crazy place called life. So here we go!
Top 10
American Honey (Dir. Andrea Arnold)
Andrea Arnold is one of my favorite filmmakers because her films portray life in all its beautiful chaos accompanied by raw intimacy and electrifying performances. In American Honey, not only does it focus on a coming-of-age story of a free-spirited woman trying to achieve her own “American Dream” but it also shows a daring portrait of the socioeconomic landscape of America while focusing on the most underrepresented citizens. American Honey’s gritty reflection of America is uncompromising, relevant and a hopeful place as ever. // Full Review
Green Room (Dir. Jeremy Saulnier)
I can’t think of another film to come out in 2016 that reflects America’s political division amongst its citizens more accurately than in Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room. At the end of the day whether one is a punk rocker or a neo-nazi, Saulnier presents the vicious cycle of vengeance like a master covering all sides of the spectrum whether his characters are on the right or wrong side of the situation. Thinking that this is Anton Yelchin’s last film, the film shares an important lesson of fighting for what you believe in at all cost. Green Room is grounded in realism and it is powerful in its execution and style that makes it an unforgettable and scathing ride. // Film Review
Spa Night (Dir. Andrew Ahn)
Andrew Ahn perfectly captures a specific corner of the Korean-American experience set in Koreatown, Los Angeles, with his directorial debut, Spa Night. Watching Spa Night as a Korean-American, the film hit too close to home because my problems never felt more validated until I saw it on the big screen. I saw myself in David played by Joe Seo who delivers a powerfully restrained performance, who feels the burden of exploring oneself while trying to abide to familial obligations. Ahn’s acute direction is finely tuned and hones on the specificity of the never before seen culture and stories of second-gen Asian Americans and that we desperately so need. // Trailer
The Fits (Dir. Anna Rose Holmer)
Anne Rose Holmer’s stellar debut film, The Fits, is an emotionally visceral, visually stunning and haunting meditation on the anxieties of adolescence. Newcomer Royalty Hightower is mesmerizing to watch, transforming Toni from tomboy to dancer, all while battling with her own complexities with identity and gender through assimilation. With Holmer’s singular vision, DP Paul Yee’s dreamy shots, and the intoxicating soundtrack, The Fits is an ethereal and spellbinding experience that viewers deserve and rarely see in cinema today. // Trailer
The Nice Guys (Dir. Shane Black)
If anyone could make a thrilling and super-charged buddy cop comedy, it’s Lethal Weapon’s Shane Black with The Nice Guys. You have never seen either Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe quite like this who deliver terrific performances especially Gosling who makes a hilarious turn as an inept alcoholic detective. With hysterical one-line zingers, slapstick comedy and the terrific chemistry between Gosling, Crowe and newcomer, Angourie Rice, The Nice Guys is a sidesplittingly hilarious and refreshing neo-noir film you cannot miss!
The Wailing (Dir. Na Hong-jin)
Once every few years, we get a film that is overwhelmingly stunning in its singular vision and originality that we wonder what did we ever do to receive such a gift? Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is that film and it’s easily one of the best films of the decade. The film’s poetic portrait tackles themes of identity, toxic masculinity, and isolation, which bursts with sensitivity and shows blackness in all its painstaking beauty. It’s exploration of the complexities of black homosexuality within the community and family has never quite been shown on screen till now and that’s something to laud about. // Trailer
You already know a dinner party with your ex and her new lover isn’t going to go well. Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation amps up this “dinner party from hell” story with themes of grief and isolation to deliver a chilling story that you won’t forget. She crafts a suffocatingly tense psychological thriller with razor-sharp precision and artistry. The Invitation is her most masterful and finest work yet. // Full Review
There has never been a film like Toni Erdmann. It’s hard to begin to explain the brilliance of the film because the whole film is an accumulation of “You Just Had To Be There” moments. Maren Ade’s father-daughter story provides some of the most iconic scenes in recent cinema that will have you simultaneously tearing up from ROFLing till you choke and sobbing your heart out. It’s a film that is as outrageously silly as it is profoundly moving and makes us question the important aspects of life like human connection and humor. It's a rollercoaster of a film that you must experience to understand why Toni Erdmann is one of the greatest films of 2016.
Arrival (Dir. Denis Villeneuve)
Based on the 1998 short story, "Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, Denis Villeneuve does the impossible and creates the most artistically intelligent Hollywood film. Accompanied by a booming score by Johan Johannson, Villeneuve crafts this ultra smart story that dares to ask big questions about life and actually answers them with nuance and meticulousness. Profoundly intimate and epic, Arrival is what Interstellar tried to be and failed. It’s hard to believe that a film like this was even made, but it’s one that came at a time to remind us that we need to stand united now more than ever, with empathy and understanding, no matter how alien and fearful our world may be.
Runner-ups:
Hunt for Wilderpeople
Evolution
Train to Busan
Rogue One
Embrace of the Serpent
Zootopia
The Junglebook
Star Trek Beyond
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Witch
The trailer for one of the best films has arrived and it's Julia Ducournau's cannibalism film, Raw. This French-Belgian horror film stars Garance Marillier as a vegetarian college student who, following a hazing ritual, becomes a cannibalism. Crome Yellow and I did a full review for it after we saw it last year at Beyond Fest and we were completely floored by this tantalizing coming-of-age story (See Review). Now, we get not only one but two spanking new trailers for Raw! Be prepared, you're not ready for this!
The two trailer gives off very different vibes but nonetheless, it's an intense story that touches on everything I love: sisterhood, female sexuality, and of course, cannibalism! And despite how jarring the trailer is, Raw is one bloody brilliant film with incredible performances and unforgettable scenes that truly re-invent the cannibalism genre. You cannot miss this when it comes out, March 10th!
There's nothing more exciting than hearing the words "All-Female Directed Horror Anthology". As much as some of the best horror films have been directed by men, the truly horrifying stories seem to come from female perspectives (The Babadook, Goodnight Mommy). So you can imagine my trauma after watching the latest trailer for the all-female directed horror anthology film, XX.
Four deadly tales from four killer directors consisting of Karyn Kusama (The Invitation), Annie Clark aka St. Vincent who makes her directorial debut, Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound), and Jovanka Vuckovic (The Captured Bird) in addition to award-winning animator, Sofia Carrillo (La Casa Triste) help weave the stories all together to create one ultra suspenseful tale of terror! Also, I'm loving the poster design! The film premieres at Sundance Film Festival on January 22th before slaying the rest of us all when it hits theaters and VOD on February 17th.
Year: 2016
Director: André Øvredal
Writer: Ian B. Goldberg & Richard Naing
Cinematography: Roman Osin
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Ophelia Lovibond
Country of Origin: UK
Rating: R
Sal from Crome Yellow and I had the privilege of attending Beyond Fest--LA's best and baddest genre film festival--where we got to watch the scariest film of this year, The Autopsy of Jane Doe. After the police find numerous gruesome murders in a house and a seemingly pristine corpse of a nude woman in a shallow grave, father and son coroners, Austin and Tommy Tilden must find out how she died. As their examination progresses and no closer to a conclusion than they started, they start to speculate that a supernatural element is at play.
Brought to you by the Filmmaker who brought us The Troll Hunter, Øvredal expertly crafts a minute by minute mystery thriller that creates a suffocating atmosphere that never lets up. This has got to be the scariest film I've seen this year along with South Korean film, The Wailing. I love it when the initial premise morphs into another theme that I would've never imagined! The film's incorporation of supernatural elements creates a chilling climax that you soon won't forget. So if you're a masochist like me, go watch this film when comes out December 21st so you'll be plagued with nightmares for the rest of your life!
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October was by far my favorite month as it was Beyond Fest (see reviews) and Halloween all in one month so you know it was absolutely bonkers! Beyond Fest is LA's biggest and baddest genre film festival in LA and even though it's my 4th year attending the festival, as always it reigned chaos! In addition to watching as many horror films as my brain can handle (ie: 10 Horror Masterpieces), I saw breathtaking and humanistic films like Denis Villeneuve's Arrival, The Eagle Huntress, Moonlight, and We Are X! Many of these films possessed a universal message about the inspiring power of the human spirit and a powerful look at just what it means to be human. As you can see, October did not disappoint!
Year: 2016
Director: Julia Ducournau
Writer: Julia Ducournau
Cinematography: Ruben Impens
Cast: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella
Country of Origin: France | Belgium
Rating: R
Time: 99 Min.
Sal from Crome Yellow and I had the privilege of attending Beyond Fest--LA's best and baddest genre film festival--where we got to watch the best cannibalism movie of this year, Julie Ducournau's Raw. Following a veterinary college initiation ritual where she has to eat a rabbit kidney, vegetarian Justine becomes consumed with cannibalism tendencies. This film has everything I love: sisterly love, exploration of female sexuality, and a refreshing spin on the cannibalism genre! This is Ducournau's directorial debut feature and it's an absolute stunner that is crafted with confidence and innovativeness.
Raw took the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes Film Festival and even made grown men faint when they saw it at Toronto International Film Festival! Sal and I are not sure EXACTLY which scene they fainted because there isn't anything outrightly grotesque that warrants a fainting spell so for those with weak stomachs, this film is A-OK! It's all around intensely engrossing film with a brutal coming-of-age story that will give you sweat-inducing flashbacks of your college years and an in-depth look at a girl's transition to womanhood, blood and all.
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Halloween is a week away so I thought why not do a live stream where I share 10 horror masterpieces. Some may be obvious but if you don't know the other films, I urge you to seek them out because they truly are an unparalleled cinematic experience in itself. No matter if these films are of the supernatural, psychological thrillers, or slasher genre, all these films dare to push the boundaries of the horror genre that inevitably changed the game. This is a long one so get yourself some popcorn and let's talk about some scary movies!
I love the 90's. Especially 90's teen horror films to say the least. So for my latest DVD haul, I manage to find some DVDs that are not just worth buying but ones that have been very dear to me since childhood. So of course, I had to cop Wes Craven's Scream, The Faculty, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Robert Zemeckis' Death Becomes Her, and Nicolas Roeg's The Witches! I can't wait to show some of these at my annual Halloween movie night and considering that these are from the 90's, it's gonna be a good one! What are you favorite 90's Horror films?
The trailer for André Øvredal's The Autopsy of Jane Doe is here and let me just say, it's the scariest film I saw this year. I had the honor of watching this magnificent film at Beyond Fest and I did not sleep well after. Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch play father and son coroners who investigate the death of a beautiful "Jane Doe". Don't let this terse trailer fool you, there's so much more to this story than what is shown. This film truly is filled with crippling tension and it's haunting storyline will have you disturbed for days. So great that IFC Midnight will be releasing this film December 20th! Sal from Crome Yellow and I will be doing a review very soon so look out for that!
I had a chance to go to Guillermo del Toro's At Home with Monsters Exhibit at LACMA and it was utterly fantastic! We got to see all his inspirations, props, and figurines from all his films from Cronos, Hellboy, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak (see review), and beyond! It's incredible to see up close and personal his private collection that truly embodies not only his works but also the images of his boundless imagination. He had said his monsters are envisioned by the images he saw as a child and that is undoubtedly the most petrifying thing to know once you've witnessed the collection. If you have a chance, go see the exhibit for yourself before it leave in November, you will be equally dazzled and terrified.
Year: 2016
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Writer: Jeremy Saulnier
Cinematographer: Sean Porter
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner, Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots, Macon Blair
Country of Origin: USA
Rating: R
Time: 95 mins.
Time: 95 mins.
Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room has been my most anticipated film of 2016 since it premiered at TIFF last year and it's finally here! Saulnier has a knack for creating engrossing and gripping stories surrounding the theme of vengeance as seen in his previous film, Blue Ruin. Green Room centers on a punk-rock group who's just ending their not-so-fantastic tour when they book an unexpected gig in an abandoned warehouse. After witnessing a murder, the band is forced to fight to the death against the group of maniacal neo-nazis who runs the place. Sounds like my worst nightmare is just about to come true. Yikez!
If anyone could make you shiver in your boots and gag with fear, it's Jeremy Saulnier. When talking about the vicious cycle of vengeance, Saulnier is a master on covering all side of the spectrum whether his characters are on the right or wrong side of the situation. It also hones on the ethos of being a punk rocker in all it's DGAF and vagabond lifestyle. The story seamlessly ties everything together to tell one unforgettable story that is grounded in realism and is powerful in execution and style. Saulnier never lets me down and Green Room is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2016. Get your weapons ready because this film is one hell of a ride!
Year: 2016
Director: Karyn Kusama
Writer: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Writer: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Cinematographer: Bobby Shore
Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Emayatzy Corinealdi, John Carroll Lynch, Michiel Huisman, Tammy Blanchard
Country of Origin: USA
Time: 100 min.
Crome Yellow and I went to Beyond Fest and one of our favorite films was Karyn Kusama's The Invitation! While attending a dinner party and his former home, Will (Marshall-Green) thinks his ex-wife Eden (Blanchard) and her new husband (Huisman) have other sinister intentions for him and the guests. I have been a huge fan of Kusama's earlier works like Girlfight and Jennifer's Body but The Invitation is by far her most masterful work yet! She crafts this suffocatingly tense thriller with such precision and artistry, the results will make you completely rethink dinner parties for good! Drafthouse Films is releasing the film next April which cannot come soon enough!
- Trailer & Poster -
This post was originally posted 12/9/15
OMG yes! The first full trailer of Karyn Kusama's latest film, The Invitation, is finally here and I can't wait for everyone to see this film! We got to see a glimpse of impending insanity within the film in the teaser a month ago but now, we get to see what the hell is actually going on in this film, at least a little more. When Will (Logan Marshall-Green) gets invited to his ex-wife's Eden and her new boo, David's dinner party, he suspects that they have set up a sinister plan for him and the guests. I don't think I'll ever see a Hollywood dinner party the same ever again.
I was fortunate enough to watch this film at last year's Beyond Fest and I was completely blown away. I have always loved Karyn Kusama since Girlfight (Badass Femme Certified!), but The Invitation has got to be her most sophisticated and refined piece of work to date! Crome Yellow and I gush about our love for this film in our full review (See review) and I don't think we're still over it! Accompanied by suffocating tension and gripping paranoia, The Invitation is a exquisite and well-crafted showcase about loss and grief. Drafthouse Films is releasing the film on April 8th so don't forget to RSVP to this party from hell! This is not only going to be one of the best films of this year but one dinner party you surely won't forget.
It's been three years since I was introduced to Ben Wheatley from Beyond Fest and I haven't looked back! He goes 0-100 from his previous film, the simplistic A Field in England to his most decadent piece of work yet in High-Rise starring the most beautiful cast -- Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, and Jeremy Irons. Based on the book by J.G. Ballard, the story follows Laing, a young doctor who joins a community in a luxury building that start to spiral out of control. I'm definitely getting some Snowpiercer vibes with the social commentary on the structure of classism. But knowing Wheatley, he's got something up his sleeve that will blow our brains out.
Written by his real-life and film partner in crime, Amy Jump (Kill List, Sightseers), this is not going to be your average film about class systems. Everything about this trailer oozes with luxury and opulence that I feel like I'm literally swimming in a pool of $100s as we speak. I mean, look at that production design! The 17th century costumes! And all the beautiful white people that are about to embark in the battles of their lives! It is truly going to be a dazzling and exquisite spectacle especially by Wheatley standards. And if you don't know what I mean by that, do yourself a favor and watch my favorite film of his, Kill List. I would also like to take the time out to thank Wheatley for showing Tom Hiddleston in all his naked glory. I can't wait to see it allllllll (;D) when High-Rise comes out on April 28th!
Year: 2015
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro & Matthew Robbins
Cinematographer: Dan Laustsen
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam
Country of Origin: USA
Rating: R
Time: 119 min.
Sal from Crome Yellow and I are really excited about Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. Like REEAALLLLYYY excited! Forget what the trailer shows you, this film is truly a gorgeous gothic love story that is a feast for your eyes and soul. An aspiring writer Edith (Wasikowska) marries the charming and seductive Sir Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) and she finds herself swept away to his remote gothic mansion in the English Hills where him and his sister Lady Lucille (Chastain) resides. Able to communicate with the dead, Edith tries to decipher the mystery behind the ghostly hauntings in her new home.
As stated in my trailer reaction of the film, I was worried that the "ghosts" were going to be too cheesy but having seen the film, the imagery works seamlessly into the story. There are so many elements in this story from the intricate and exquisite production design to the sweeping soundtrack to the dazzling cinematography makes this "horror" story a truly opulent and extravagant film experience. But above all, it's the powerful performances by Hiddleston and Chastain that puts the cherry on top of this stunning tragic love story. I cannot express how much I adored Crimson Peak! I hope everyone loves it despite the film being marketed incorrectly because it really is a film worth feasting on!
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Badass Femmes is a bi-weekly column that I write on Crome Yellow about all the Badass Females in pop culture that has shaped my life.
Like most girls growing up in the 90s, I was fed a steady diet of witchery thanks to Sabrina the Teenage Witch,Charmed and of course everyone’s favorite gothic guilty pleasure, The Craft. My interests eventually changed and a fascination with having powers shifted my attention to the Harry Potter series. Then last year, my love of the dark arts was revived by the coven of witches in Witching & Bitching, a Spanish film following a group of desperate thieves-on-the-run who stumble into the home of some ancient sorceresses. Witching & Bitching has everything you want in a maddening Halloween film, a man dressed up as a machine gun wielding Jesus, growling witches on the hunt for men’s blood and a grotesque gargantuan woman thrice the size of Bigfoot ready to squash her opposition. There isn’t a single thing in this film that isn’t outright bat-shit crazy, but the real MVPs are the witches, or to put it more accurately, cannibalistic witches?!
