Chicago – When a film has gotten viewers so invested in a character’s plight that it prompts them to shout at the screen, it’s clear that they are in the hands of a master filmmaker. Consider the legendary stories from the initial theatrical run of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” when audiences found themselves screaming at Vera Miles to not investigate the fruit cellar, where her imminent doom appeared to be waiting.
After helming six celebrated narrative features, the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have proven to be masters of suspense in their own right. Though their films often run only a hair over 90 minutes, they leave the audience feeling drained. By the time they reach their third act, I always find myself perched on the edge of my seat while my holding my breath with the hope that no harm will come to the protagonists. Yet while Hitch...
After helming six celebrated narrative features, the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have proven to be masters of suspense in their own right. Though their films often run only a hair over 90 minutes, they leave the audience feeling drained. By the time they reach their third act, I always find myself perched on the edge of my seat while my holding my breath with the hope that no harm will come to the protagonists. Yet while Hitch...
- 8/28/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
For those of you as yet unfamiliar with the genre the “giallo” (plural “gialli”) is a 20th Century Italian genre of literature and film that gets it name from its literal meaning (“yellow”) in reference to its origin as a series of cheap paperback novels with trademark yellow covers. From its birth back in 1963 with Mario Bava’s “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” (“La Ragazza Che Sapeva Troppo”) the genre has given birth to such colourfully monikered fare as Luciano Ercoli’s “The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion” (1970), Mario Bava’s “Twitch of the Death Nerve” (1971), Sergio Martino’s “Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have The Key” (1972) and Pupi Avati’ s “The House With Laughing Windows” (1976). Such masters of the genre as Mario Bava (and his son Lamberto), Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi and Sergio Martino have delighted fans since back in the 1970′s...
- 2/3/2011
- by Nick Turk
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Directors: Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani Writers: Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani Starring: Cassandra Forêt, Bianca Maria D'Amato, Marie Bos, Delphine Brual, Harry Cleven, Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud, Bernard Marbaix, Jean-Michel Vovk I was really disappointed this Halloween because I thought I did not have any horror films to review...so, in cases like these, I typically pop in old reliable (Dario Argento’s Suspiria) to get me through the night; but tonight, without knowing what to expect, I happened upon a screener of Amer and for whatever reason I opted to pop it into my DVD player. Honestly, I had absolutely no idea that Amer was a horror film -- and I certainly did not suspect that it would send my head spinning in blissed out neo-giallo delight! Amer (French for "bitter") is split into three distinct chapters, each focusing on Ana at distinct points in her sexual evolution: prepubescence, adolescence and adulthood.
- 11/1/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Written and directed by Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
Featuring Marie Bos, Delphine Brual, Harry Cleven, Bianca Maria D'Amato, Cassandra Forêt, Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud, Bernard Marbaix, Jean-Michel Vovk
Supposedly told in three segments, Amer is a giallo-inspired story of young Ana’s sexual and sensual growth from girl to woman. At least that’s what the directors are saying.
Surrealist and extremely hard to follow (or to invest in emotionally), Amer is openly an ode to the films of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, but decidedly leaves out something that both directors usually had a plot. Depicting a series of actresses as the confused and confusing Ana as she grows from girlhood to the prime of womanhood, Amer attempts heavy handedly to repulse and excite without creating any drama or narrative. That kind of thing can work, but it doesn’t work here. Frankly, I’m a little baffled at how...
Featuring Marie Bos, Delphine Brual, Harry Cleven, Bianca Maria D'Amato, Cassandra Forêt, Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud, Bernard Marbaix, Jean-Michel Vovk
Supposedly told in three segments, Amer is a giallo-inspired story of young Ana’s sexual and sensual growth from girl to woman. At least that’s what the directors are saying.
Surrealist and extremely hard to follow (or to invest in emotionally), Amer is openly an ode to the films of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, but decidedly leaves out something that both directors usually had a plot. Depicting a series of actresses as the confused and confusing Ana as she grows from girlhood to the prime of womanhood, Amer attempts heavy handedly to repulse and excite without creating any drama or narrative. That kind of thing can work, but it doesn’t work here. Frankly, I’m a little baffled at how...
- 8/6/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.