VOD Review: Therapy (2017)

"Not bad, kid."

I'm not big on video subscription service add-ons in general, but I personally signed up for a Shudder subscription just to be able to see this movie. For $5 a month, Shudder delivers a ton of quality titles to choose from, but it's really the obscure ones like Therapy that made it worth my while.

And yes, the fact that Therapy was written and directed by a 16-year-old is a pretty big selling point. Age shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but to see someone so young create something of this quality begs our attention, as it should yours.

When three vandals decide that they're going to do some French graffiti in an abandoned house, the axe-wielding maniac who stalks its hallways takes exception, killing two of them, and tying the youngest of them up, probably because he wants a girlfriend.

THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE BEST WAY TO GET A GIRLFRIEND...

When the night watchman of the property find the bloody scene, and a box full of video equipment, it's up to two of France's finest to sift through the footage to make sense of what happened there. On those tapes, they watch as five friends head out into the French countryside to pitch a tent in a field, because that's what passes as a fun weekend in France.

FUN FOR THIS GUY, MAYBE.

The camping trip goes well until the gang hears screams in the middle of the night, and decides to go investigate them... although why in the hell anyone with any sense in their head wouldn't pack up, leave the area, and call the Police and let them go investigate the screams is beyond me. They all end up in another old abandoned building, stalked by who we can only guess was the axe guy from the beginning of the movie, and blood is shed.

Can the Cops watch through the footage in time to find and save them? Come on, this is a Horror movie, you don't expect a happy ending, do you?

RUN NOW WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE.

Therapy is a move that I wanted to be excellent, but instead, it ended up being only good. Really good in parts.

When talking about this movie, you almost have to mention the fact that it was written and directed by a 16-year-old kid, Nathan Ambrosioni. I mean, this is a professionally-made movie that has screened internationally and met with positive reviews, so his age is noteworthy here. It's especially noteworthy that at such a young age, Ambrosioni has skills behind the camera. He knows what's scary, and he knows how to put it all together into an effective package. His scriptwriting skills could use some work (his characters are thin, and there are cliches abound), but if this kid is making movies that are this effective now, I can't imagine what he'll be producing with a few more years of tradecraft under his belt.

SHE WON'T BE AROUND TO SEE THEM THOUGH.

This is a claustrophobic movie that utilizes the dark and terrifying atmosphere of its abandoned building setting to the max. Sure, the characters do some stupid shit that makes no sense, but they do it in a creepy locale, and young Nathan Ambrosioni's direction elicits enough dread to make us forgive him for writing stupid characters. The way that Therapy mixes straight forward filming and found footage together was interesting. It may not have worked perfectly (it killed the tension at times), but the way that the movie jumps back and forth between the footage, and the people watching it, kept it fresh. 

All of that said, there's a lot about this movie that makes little to no sense. How is it that the detectives were only able to process and watch a few minutes of the found footage at a time? Is France really that far behind the times? It makes for a nice plot device, but come on, is that the best that you got? And why would you enter that old, creepy ass building in the dead of night? You know the ones that the blood-curdling screams are emanating from? And why was the detective such a train wreck?

The script makes little sense at times. Ignore it, and enjoy the atmosphere.

AND WHY ARE HIS EYEBROWS SO ANGRY?!?

It has its bloody moments, most of them made up of disturbing shots rather than overly-bloody gore gags.

SHE WAS EATING STRAWBERRY PIE.

It's odd to see a French film with nothing in the way of on-screen sexuality, but then it's directed by a 16-year-old kid, so we can understand.

SHE IS NOT NAKED IN THIS PICTURE.

A C+ grade doesn't sound like much of a ringing endorsement, I know, but despite the movie's flaws, it's an engaging, claustrophobic ride that we were happy we experienced. Given that its writer/director was only 16 when he made Therapy, we can forgive him for his shortcomings.

This was an effective little flick that is definitely worth checking out on Shudder.

C+

Therapy is now streaming for free for Shudder subscribers. Click below to check it out.

All relatively unknown, all lovely.

VOD Review: The Neon Demon (2016)

"Nicolas Winding Refn is back on the right track."

(aka Evil Little Girls.)
Release Date: August 30.
Country: USA
Rating: R
Written by: Nicolas Winding Refn, Mary Laws, and Polly Stenham.
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn.
Starring: Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Keanu Reeves, and Christina Hendricks.

I really love Nicolas Winding Refn as a filmmaker. Drive is easily one of my favorite movies of the last 10 years; Valhalla Rising is a mesmerizing, haunting piece of work; and Bronson was just flat-out cool. Only God Forgives felt way too overindulgent and pretentious to me, as if Refn bought into his being hailed as a unique, visionary artist way too much. To me, he's a director like Terrence Malick in that he makes the kind of slow, atmospheric movies that he wants to, and he doesn't care if anyone likes them or not. He's got something to say, and he's going to say it exactly how he wants to.

That's both good and bad to me, as his movies are unique, visually stunning, and they most definitely push boundaries. They can also alienate viewers with their oddity, and above all else, the way that he uses sex and violence to get his point across. So, good and bad.

The Neon Demon is his most accessible film since Drive. It's also his most controversial, and depending on your taste in art, maybe even his best.

Nah, that's still Drive. 

Jesse is 16-years-old and gorgeous, and even though she's sweet, young, and naive, she moves to L.A. to pursue her dream of being a model. She signs with an agency who doesn't care that she's a parentless minor, and it's not long before she starts drawing the eye of everyone in the industry's hottest players, and lands a job. A job in which her naked body is painted up in gold by some skeezy photographer. 

SURE SHE'S ONLY 16, BUT IT'S ART.

Jesse makes quick friends with Ruby; the makeup artist with a heart of gold, who also happens to be a rapey pedophile who really, really wants to sex her up.  Ruby tries her best to help Jesse navigate the shark-infested waters of the modeling world, and to keep her safe from the likes of Gigi and Sarah, two fellow models who hate the fresh new face on the scene, and want to destroy her.

THIS BITCH RIGHT HERE...

As Jesse gets more and more popular, and her ego grows to match her profile, things become extremely dire for her; everyone either wants a piece of her, or wants to break her down. I won't say anything else about the plot here to avoid spoiling it for you, but suffice it to say that it's a model-eat-model world out there, and fresh young ingenues lie Jesse really don't stand a chance. Unless they're dangerous themselves...

DON'T ACCEPT THOSE FLOWERS!

The Neon Demon is a meditation of feminine beauty. Or maybe it's about how women can be so obsessive over their looks. Or maybe it's about empty, shallow people who have nothing to offer the world but their beauty, and how there are always people out there who are happy to exploit that beauty. It's also the story of a beautiful young girl who is hated by her peers, because she makes them feel less wanted. And cannibalism. Possibly witches.

It's basically about fucked up people.

This movie is not going to be for everybody, and if someone said to me "This movie was a piece of shit and I hated it!" I would completely understand. It's sleazy, disturbing, and at times it feels like little more than an excuse for Winding Refn to jerk himself off, both artistically, and literally. There's a subtle beauty to the film though, as Refn and crew don't waste one single shot, and they certainly take their time setting the tone with each scene. Subject matter aside, it's a truly gorgeous film to behold.

DEFINITELY GOT A SUSPIRIA VIBE FROM THIS ONE AT TIMES.

As far as the subject matter goes, it's definitely an examination of the psyches of gorgeous models, and those who surround them. The girls are messed up enough with their shallow, vapid, empty world views, and it's interesting to see how they chew up and spit out everyone around them in pursuit of fame and adoration. The people around them are just as debased; some want to exploit their beauty, and some want to possess it. Some want to rape it. It's a creepy world out there for beautiful girls, even if sometimes they are their own worst enemy.

We started this movie thinking that it was about Elle Fanning's character. She's sweet and naive, and we just knew that she was in trouble. Then after a while, it felt like it was all about Jena Malone, and her predatory motives and disturbing habits. Then we were pretty sure that it had been about Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee's characters all along. The movie shifts gears, sometimes unexpectedly, and at the very least, that kept things fresh and unpredictable.

The cast all did a great job in this one, as the usually likable young lades who played the leads all managed to make us despise them equally. If there's one standout to us though, it's got to be Jena Malone. Her character arc surprised us, and she managed to skeeve us out in a way that we haven't been in a long time. She really committed to her role, and it shows.

ALSO, THIS BITCH RIGHT HERE...

As with most of Winding Refn's movies, The Neon Demon is an exercise in style over substance. There's plenty of substance to be had here too, but it took a backseat to the stylish visuals at many times throughout the movie.

AND THIS BITCH RIGHT HERE TOO... THEY'RE ALL CRAZY!

Jena Malone, WTF are you doing?!? I asked that question out loud twice during this one.

SCREAM RAPE AND THEN RUN, GIRL!

Cannibalism, scissor violence, knife violence, attempted rape, flowing vagina blood, and that whole eyeball thing... this movie has plenty of gore and violence throughout, even if some of it is implied, rather than shown.

I'VE NEVER SEEN RED SOAP BEFORE. NEAT.

Abbey Lee and Bella Heathcote take a shower together; Elle Fanning is sexually-charged; Jena Malone does her best to seduce, and almost rape, a 16-year-old girl; and then there's that other Jena Malone scene... This movie oozes sexuality and dysfunction, and some of it is downright horrific. 

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT FIRST DATE MOVIE.

The Neon Demon is a very artsy film, so that means that there's going to be some great dialogue, as well as some lines that feel pretentious as hell. In context with the scenes that they come from though, these are the lines that stood out to us.

• "I need to get her out of me!"
• "I'm a ghost."
• "Room 214, it must be seen."
• "She was right. I am dangerous."

SHE JUST LOOKS EVIL.

The Neon Demon is an interesting movie that we could have easily hated, but somehow got us to really like it. Whether you will like it or not really depends on how you feel about Arthouse films; this is definitely a Horror movie, but it's also a very nuanced and visually-charged movie.

Rent accordingly. 

B+

The Neon Demon is available now on VOD, and will hit Blu-ray & DVD on September 27th.

The Neon Demon showcases some gorgeous women, even if they are all up to some pretty horrendous things. They've even got their own Horror Hottie post which you can check out right over HERE.

Theatrical Review: Blood Father (2016)

"Mel has still got it."

(aka Daddy Got A Gun.)
Release Date: August 26th.
Country: France
Rating: R
Written by: Peter Craig and Andrea Berloff. 
Directed by: Jean-Francois Richet.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, William H.. Macy, Miguel Sandoval, and Dale Dickey.

Back around 2008, or maybe it was earlier, Mel Gibson went on an Anti-Semitic rant that basically cost him his career. I get that Hollywood has a large Jewish presence which wields a large amount of power, and that it's not nice to say mean things about people, but if everyone who said something mean or hateful about another person (or group of persons) lost their jobs, especially when they opened their mouths when they were drunk, then there wouldn't be a lot of employed people in the world.

The point is, the guy who thrilled us with the likes of Mad Max, Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, Payback, and Signs was blacklisted, and he's been relegated to playing parts in smaller movies over the last few years.

Blood Father is no doubt a smaller film too, but it's a really good one, and it lets Gibson shine in a way that he hasn't in a very long time.

John Link is an ex-con who lives in a shitty trailer in desert, making ends meet as a tattoo artist. He's doing his best to keep on the straight and narrow; he's been in AA for two years, and his best friend is his sponsor. He's also someone that you don't want to piss off.

IF THIS IS HIM CLEAN, I'D HATE TO SEE HIM ON A BENDER.

John has been searching for his long-estranged daughter, Lydia, who ran away from home and hasn't been seen in months. When she calls him out of the blue, asking him to help her out of a bad situation, he jumps at the chance to make up for being such a shitty, absentee father. He picks her up and brings her home, telling her that he'll keep her safe from whatever danger she's in... which works out well until three Cartel members show up and try to kill them, destroying his home in the process.

THAT GIRL IS TROUBLE.

The two take to the road, with pissed-off cartel members, pissed off white supremacists, and a tatted Sicario all out for their blood, but John is one bad hombre himself, and there's no way that he's going to let these scumbags hurt his baby girl. Because he's the Blood Father!

SO LOVING. SO NURTURING.

First of all, any idiot out there who tells you that Blood Father is basically Taken Part 4, or anything even remotely close, is an idiot. Idiot, I say. there, I said it three times for emphasis.

I expected Blood Father to be an all-out action fest in which Mel Gibson runs around beating people to bloody pulps left and right, but it ended up being more than that. There were plenty of emotional beats, and even some humor, that balanced the action, and made the more visceral moments of the movie feel like they meant more.

The thing that really sold this movie for me, was seeing Mel Gibson in full bad-ass mode. John Link isn't some unstoppable bad-ass who strikes cool poses, or who says the perfect, awesome line every time he speaks, but the way that Mel Gibson plays him makes him seem formidable as hell; he's an ex-con who you just know isn't the type of dude to fuck with, but he's also really likable and deeply flawed, which makes him seem more realistic.Mel Gibson is ferocious in this one, but he's real, and that makes all the difference.

The relationship between John and his troubled-as-hell daughter felt genuine to me, even if it was a bit schmaltzy at times. I've seen tons of movies that have played the "estranged parent/child come together and learn to love one another again" card, but the way it's done in Blood Father made me forget just how familiar that trope is. I credit Mel Gibson and Erin Moriarty for that. Both were excellent in their roles.

AND LET US NOT FORGET HOW AWESOME WILLIAM H. MACY IS.

I honestly thought that the ending was a bit of a letdown. There was some great build-up, excellent character development, and tension to spare throughout this one, which lead to a quick (albeit awesome) finale, and a sappy epilogue that just felt misplaced. It's a minor gripe, but it irked me.

Also, the way that Michael Parks' character was written felt really odd to me.

AND THE BIKE GETTING TRASHED WAS A DAMN TRAGEDY.

Necessity or not, Mel should have never shaved that beard. It was wicked.

BEARD FATHER.

We get some bloody gun violence, and Mel Gibson kicking various ass in pretty visceral fashion.

YOU CAN BIND HIS HANDS AND HOLD HIM AT GUNPOINT, BUT YOU CAN NEVER REALLY HOPE TO CONTAIN HIM.

None, although Erin Moriarty was looking sassy in some of her skimpy outfits.

SASSY.

At 88-minutes, Blood Father is a lean, mean, road revenge picture with heart, all of which is anchored by two great lead performances. If you're a Mel Gibson fan, there's no way that this movie won't give you maximum enjoyment, even if only for his inspired performance. 

B+

Blood Father is on VOD, and in limited theaters, now.

Erin Moriarty was a bad girl in this one.