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The Stepfather (1987)
John Locke Kills His Family - sufferforyourart.com review
There's nothing quite like a satisfying little thriller. It doesn't pretend to be too important or ground-breaking, it doesn't make its villain too omnipotent, and it doesn't have too-smart-for-its-own-good subtext. This modesty takes the intriguing premise of Joseph Ruben's The Stepfather and raises it to a whole new level, creating a classic and unnerving thriller for the whole (dead) family.
Jerry Blake (Lost's Terry O'Quinn) is the titular stepfather of Stephanie (Jill Schoelen), a 16-year-old high school student with a knack for picking fights and being a generally ill-behaved brat. Her mother Susan (Shelley Hack) trusts her new husband to the utmost degree, but Stephanie feels that there's something wrong. What neither knows is that Stephanie is more than correct: Jerry is a serial killer obsessed with family values, and Stephanie's teenage angst doesn't jive with his need for perfection. Meanwhile, Jim Ogilvie (Steven Shellen), the brother of Jerry's last wife/victim, is on the hunt for the elusive murderer.
Director Ruben crafted quite the slice of horror thriller cinema with this 1987 gem, opting to let O'Quinn's frightening performance carry the film. The general execution is handled with pure professionalism, and the cinematography by John Lindley is very nice to look at, but it's all really rather ordinary. The entire film acts as framework for O'Quinn, who chews this well-developed scenery like a lesbian with carpet. Of course his most frightening moments, where his anger takes over and he becomes a rambling psychotic are easily noted as some of the more intense elements, but even the quietest moments are best called unnerving. We as the audience know from the very beginning what he is, so to see and hear him giving monologues about keeping the family together and how important it is to him is
kind of creepy.
The supporting cast does their job well enough, never upstaging O'Quinn but also never diving into mediocrity. Jill Schoelen plays a 16-year-old girl like she should, as a 16-year-old girl. She's never too smart for her age or overly stereotypical, but at the same time she has an active and somewhat immature interest in boys and talking on the phone. She's believable, and I liked that. Shelley Hack as Stephanie's mother gives off enough insecurity to make it as a widow looking for the missing piece to her life, adequately combining weakness with love for her daughter. Our proposed hero Jim comes off as a bit one-dimensional, but Steven Shellen's intensity gives him just enough believability to float rather than sink.
Of course, all of these characters are nothing without a good script, and Donald E. Westlake delivers. It's not the most original execution, and follows a pretty straightforward storyline. Westlake doesn't burden us with any over the top twists, instead relying on an intense character riding a unique premise. The simplicity of it all is admirable and while the script could have been helped by a more complex plot, it could have just as easily been hackneyed junk. Considering all of the possibilities, it's comforting to know that keeping everything simple and unassuming can still create entertaining, if sometimes subtle, thrills and chills.
The Stepfather isn't a masterpiece, but it's still quite an achievement. Taking an idea that could have just as easily been a Lifetime Original Movie and morphing it into one of the more disturbing low key thrillers of the '80s as well as creating one of the greatest opening sequences in horror is commendable, especially when you're the same guy who directed The Good Son.
For more horror reviews, visit sufferforyourart.com
Zombieland (2009)
A Zombie Flick by Zombie Fans for Zombie Fans
As a regular Michael Bay apologetic, I feel I have a solid appreciation for entertainment for the sake of entertainment. A movie doesn't have to have groundbreaking social context or an overreaching message, nor does it have to have an original or complicated storyline. It just needs to be fun. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland.
Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is one of few survivors of the big ol' virus outbreak that, believe it or not, has turned the world into a post-apocalyptic hellhole. He survives by following a set list of rules he keeps with him at all time, and which pop up on-screen as a reminder whenever a rule is used. Columbus is on his way to, well, Columbus and on the way meets up with grizzly bad@ss and Twinkie enthusiast Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), who follows no rules and treats the apocalypse like a zombie-infested playground. These two heroes eventually meet up with sisters/con artists Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), with whom they discover the secrets to being happy in Zombieland. While wreaking bloody havoc.
What we have here is a fun flick made by zombie fans for zombie fans. The plot is mostly predictable and full of holes, but it doesn't matter because it's having fun while helping us have fun. For every silly moment there's at least twenty hearty laughs to be had, whether it be from the crazy editing, the gratuitous gore effects, the witty banter, pop culture references, or just a fun celebrity cameo, it's all good. I don't think I went five minutes without laughing, while everyone around me got a good few more in. The witty banter part is important above all else, as it's what carries the movie in between zombie gutting, thanks to the energetic and perfectly timed performances by its leads.
Jesse Eisenberg is a guy to watch. I didn't get to see Adventureland, but he peaked my interest in the trailers. Now upon seeing him here, I pray to the almighty David Bowie in the sky that he doesn't end up like Michael Ceral who started out with a similar routine and, well, still uses the same routine. This dude has perfect comedic timing, bringing fresh helpings of nervousness and sarcasm to the table. His narration brought a lot to the proceedings, adding laughs on top of the laughs, and his overall charm and nerdy understanding of zombies helped me really feel for him. He's like some sort of bizarre mutant laugh salad. With really crunchy croutons.
Speaking of fresh acting, welcome back Woody Harrelson to the Legion of Bad@ssery! The man sweats victory here, while allowing us some dramatic characterization to help add some emotion to the predominantly fun, happy-go-lucky film. He's not a complex character, but he has more than enough depth for a movie about blowing off rotting corpse heads. In the end he, as well as the rest of the cast, are just like each other in the most basic yet important aspects, and are ironically brought together by the zombie apocalypse. It's really all very touching, and I dare you not to feel just a little saddened when the film gets into Tallahassee's backstory. I triple dog dare you.
Now mind you, the film does have actual faults. As said, the plot holes are rampant and the plot is very, very predictable. Most of the bigger jokes (aside from the cameo, which was sadly already spoiled for me) can be seen coming from miles away, as can major dramatic moments. We know who's going to get with who, we know what friendships will be made, we know what challenges will inevitably show up for certain characters. However, and this is a big however, did I care? Heck no. Thanks to both the humor and fun editing, I was too entertained to give a rat's ass about any of that.
In fact, Zombieland is a fine example of a very, very funny movie made even better by brilliant editing. The rules that literally pop whenever they're practiced are given a life of their own, and are inserted with a comic timing that rivals Eisenburg's. The "Cardio" and "Double Tap" jokes definitely got the most laughs from the theater and myself, but there wasn't a single ill-timed rule, including the "Don't be a hero" rule that is given just to be broken for dramatic purpose later on in the story. They're a fine touch, along with the overcranking (read: slo-mo) that is shown in the trailer and prevalent throughout the film itself. Bouncing zombie stripper titties, three legged race father-and-son zombies, and general gore are made even more humorous and gruesome at nearly one hundred frames a second.
As long as I'm on the subject of editing, the main titles were some of the best I've seen in years. The whole montage is made up of slow motion zombie attacks that usually interact with the credits, pushing them aside or shattering them, punctuated by Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", which is surprisingly even better than it sounds. The whole thing was a laugh riot, and was disappointing to see end. Luckily, the rest of the soundtrack consists of Van Halen, Sea Wolf, Lou Reed and a bunch of other legends, so the atmosphere given by the opening titles never really leaves.
It's not a perfect film by any means, but zombie fans will love it and the general public (who, from my experience, tend to be made up of zombie fans) should too. It's lighthearted entertainment with one or two little mini-messages to warm our hearts while brains are being splattered across the screen.
Full Review at SufferForYourArt.com
Bone Sickness (2004)
Enjoyable Zero-Budget Bloodbath
Alex McNetti is sick. Like, really, really, REALLY sick, like throwing up and crapping worms and maggots simultaneously sick. Lucky for Alex, he has a very caring, big-titted wife with a mortician friend who has the perfect antidote–ground up bones. If that wasn't enough to mess up the various characters' lives, a hotshot inspector is up and about investigating a few strange murders at the local cemetery, while a possibly related outbreak of the living dead has come out of nowhere.
Director Brian Paulin makes cheap movies, and when I say cheap, I mean CHEAP. The lighting is hardly there and sometimes feels like a shabby Argento rip-off, the the camera-work is almost nonexistent and seems to rely mainly on tripods, and the acting is pretty stiff overall. However, if there's one thing Paulin delivers on, it's the gore. And really, do we expect anything less? The blood and torn flesh is on full display, with some especially well-made zombie action at the end of Paulin's biggest movie yet, Bone Sickness.
Sub-standard production values aside (as always), the concept behind the film is admirably simplistic, and the very few twists work well enough the carry its slim frame. I suppose if I were to review this film and it had more money behind it though, I would have to say that Paulin could use some work in the conveyance department. The story moves along at a slow and sometimes confusing pace, and seems to rest firmly on the knowledge that there will be gore every five minutes. This is no surprise considering the no-budget zombie flick sub-genre, but it is something that could be vastly approved on nonetheless.
The acting, as stated, is often wooden but carries through where it counts. Rich George is fine as usual, here playing the sickly Alex. His wife, played by Darya Zabinski (who actually appears to be getting better jobs than I would have guessed) is somewhat restrained when she shouldn't be, but still offers a solid performance for a Morbid Vision Films production. Paulin himself of course pops up as the mortician, who is given extra creepy stalker tones thanks to that long-ass hair (sorry Brian, just let it go!), and does the job he gave himself well. That's really it as far as compliments go on the acting front. Everyone else is either terribly wooden or not acting at all, though Kevin Barbare as Inspector Seacrest almost pulls through. Alas, he is pulled under.
Now, the effects work. I don't believe I've ever seen a movie where such a thing fluctuates quite like this (I believe the last case was the big budget Virus). In one corner we have a girl being sawn in half and bodies exploding, and then on the other we have bare healthy skin on long-rotten zombies and what appears to be half a rack of cooked pork ribs taken out of a rather well made fake corpse. The fact that this film took two years to make simply emphasizes such bewildering errors in judgment, as it seems the one thing that Paulin would do is pay extra close attention to his gore FX. Don't think I am bashing the film quite yet, though; it is a good film overall, it is simply distracting when certain mistakes are made. Overall, Paulin does a good job and provides a few rarely seen stunts in such a no-budget film, such as the flipping of a car and the aforementioned exploding body.
Another element in the film's favor is Paulin's love of grossing out his audience. Rich George vomiting and shitting worms, only to attempt to devour them afterward really hits a soft spot, and the use of other creepy crawlies throughout adds a sense of ethereal horror that really is quite nice.
Overall, Bone Sickness is a nice try that could have been better, but also could have been a lot worse. You get tits and you get gore, and watching this movie, that's probably all you want. Also, watch out for the twist at the end explaining the zombies, as it's so silly you won't want to miss it.
-- SufferForYourArt.com