dixyfifi Reviews

London's Finest (2014)

Bonkers script, slick direction, fun.

[8/10 · 9 April 2015]

Following in the footsteps of a Great British love affair with heist and gangster movie, Hackney Finest hits the bullseye.

The grim story is seasoned by just the right amount of (dark) humour. In this regard, it definitely echoes some of Guy Richie or Tarantino's moments of brilliance.

The characters are, if not lovable, definitely charismatic. The eastern European gangsters are just as hilarious as they are scary.

Hackney Finest is not trying to revolutionise the genre: it embraces it, and definitely delivers.

Another side thing I liked, especially in regards to the current attitude of "spoiling trailers", is that Hackney's Finest trailer stays true to the spirit of film without giving away the very best bits. Refreshing

Calvaire (2004)

The European chainsaw massacre

[3 September 2006]

Based on a pretty simple storyline, the plot drowns slowly to the bottom of horror.

There are too many bad and awkward survivor films those days. This one is an exception to the rule. The very natural atmosphere of the beginning is slowly parasitized by bizarre elements that gives the end a terrible nightmare feeling. The excellent casting and dialogs makes all the difference with many other genre films. If you think that the main character's initial situation is bad (singer for old people), wait to see the rest...

As an European horror fan, I naturally love Hooper's Chainsaw massacre, but it always had an exotic feeling for me. If i identify with the protagonists, it is because of an universal fear of death, torture and violence. This time, it is like the silly rednecks of Texas had taken the plane to play in my backyard. The fact that the setting of this film takes place in a well known environment added some sickness to me.

The climax, insane enough, and brilliantly well built won't let you feel comfortable for a while.

Finally a film that is comparable to the chainsaw in terms of intensity, that doesn't content to reproduce the masterpiece of Tobe Hooper. With its own identity, it reaches the same kind of quality.

I apologize for the spelling mistakes

Wolf Creek (2005)

boring, uncreative, boring, pointless and soporific

[2/10 · 3 September 2006]

Excellent anti-horror film. I've seen quite a lot of bad and cheap horror movie, but this one is just so bad that it will keep me away from the genre for a while.

First of all: it is boring as hell! The public has to endure 1 full hour (I checked during the projection) of crappy dialogs (oh, look, it is going to rain...) and never ending sequences to explain one single thing: The protagonists are just usual young people.

Eventually they get into trouble, but they are so stupid that I couldn't have any empathy for them. Actually, I just wanted them to die quick so I could get out of the cinema and make something of my day.

There is nothing to take out of this flick: Neither the plot, the acting, the dialog nor the violent scenes. I hoped naively for some original ideas, but this film just thrives on bad clichés. There is absolutely no cinematic or creative interest here. Music, acting, script? Nope. Worst of all: it fails at giving this expected chill during the brutal sequences. The rhythm of the story is just the best part: absolutely sllllllllllooooowww.

The only thing that made me smile, is the character of the killer. Once.

I'm surprise of the score of this movie, since consensus after the projection was of a rather dull piece of cinema .

Hostel (2005)

Boring

[4/10 · 7 June 2006]

Stay in your good old motherland, it is safer. The outside world wants your skin (try to avoid cabins too, if you want my advise).

The movie depicts a European machination (from Amsterdam to Belgrad, via Praha) against visiting backpackers.

It's not particularly exciting, full of clichés, and the constant question of nationality (how American victims are more valuable than their foreigner counterparts) makes it a bit pompous, a bit irritating.

Overall visually softer than expected, Hostel is still able to deliver some cheap gore from time to time (hahaha, remember the eye scene). Definitely not a must.

Masters of Horror: Imprint (2006) Season 1, Episode 13

Quite good, but a bit too short

[6/10 · 21 May 2006]

As a frequent viewer of Miike's production, I was waiting to see his first series episode designed for American/occidental market. Well, luckily, he stays true to himself and doesn't restraint his powerful, violent and destructed way to direct. That is for the good point.

The bad point, to me, is that he seems to have try to make a mix from his best scenes and some new ideas, condensed in one "single package". There are many good elements in this episode, but to much is to much (maybe one hour was just too short?).

I don't speak about the degree of violence (which was fairly high), but the efficiency of it. Out of the context, the torture scene of "imprint" is as powerful as the famous one from "Audition", for example, but what make the one from Audition so special, is certainly due to the quiet first hour of the film, and the contrast between the story and its end.

This time, the succession of powerful sequences is too condensed to give any scene a special status, and therefore the whole story looses itself onto a violent patchwork.

Anyway, this way to proceed is quite effective in some way: the over-exaggerated misfortune of the character is more comic (ok, a very dark humor), than dramatic. But once again, it was treated more efficiency in Visitor Q. The point of the episode isn't very clear either: is it supposed to be comic, nonsensical, oneiric, fantastic, gore or even erotic? Maybe all of the above, maybe it isn't supposed to be anything at all, but certainly, I is a Miike Takashi, and that's why I like his work so much: plurality.

To conclude, I would say that I liked it, but there was to much to say in a to short period, and therefore it results in a lack of contrast and a feeling of frustration.(mhh, if we could have stay longer in the mood of the final sequence...)

Renaissance (2006)

Breath taking graphics, great story

[7/10 · 4 February 2006]

I've seen this film in avant-premiere at Imagina Festival in Monaco.

I saw the first trailer four years ago, and from this moment, I was waiting to see the final result. I haven't been disappointed.

It is a full 3d movie with a high contrasted black and white render. Clearly inspired by some comic books, such as the ones from F. Miller. In this optic, it goes one step further than the excellent "Sin City" adaptation from R. Rodriguez. This time, (almost) no Grey or any middle color, but a graphic style never seen before in a realistic animated film.(can't wait for scanner darkly)

The massive use of Motion Capture gives a lot of life and credibility to the characters and we forget really soon the technical aspect to concentrate on more classic elements, such as direction or plot. The direction stays sober and controlled despite the infinite possibilities of the medium, and that is a really good surprise.

The futuristic story (Paris 2053) makes it a classic sci-fiction movie and maintain the viewer interested till the end. Despite a classic base plot (an investigation that goes far beyond initial expectations)the atmosphere and some interesting recurring themes (genetics, absolute power of certain firms...)gives this movie a great interest.

Despite it is an animated film, this one is obviously not made for children. You won't find here any funny pet or any stupid family moral, only the cold reality. It is far closer to a good film noir.

I found that the setting is one of the best aspect of the film: we still feel the well known Paris, but it is morphed by a fine touch of futurism.

Nevertheless, I regret a few mistakes. The montage is sometimes a bit flat, one or two very cliché slow motion effects and some poor dialogs. Even though the technical is excellent, it shows its limits in some romantic sequences (a bit like "final fantasy" did). Those little things makes it a 7/10.

Altogether, it is a successful artistic challenge that you have to watch if you can. The director, Christian Volckman, knows how not to fall into potential traps (luckyly, they didn't ask John Woo to do the job!).

To conclude, it is a film with blasting visuals, an intelligent story and a wonderful art direction. Watch it if you can!

Please excuse me for the spelling mistakes.

Ab-normal Beauty (2004)

Not really interesting

[4/10 · 9 January 2006]

I got this movie for Christmas, I watched it yesterday, and sold it today.

The DVD cover tells "she is fascinated by death, but she doesn't know that death is looking at her".. Soundslike a cheap B-movie, isn't it? Well, it isn't far from truth!

I've seen quite a few Asian films and I can tell this one isn't really interesting. I was expecting more than a poor ready-made thriller like this. The plot takes hours to evolve, but this could be worth(remember Audition...), if the end wasn't so expected.

O.Pang drowns his story under thousand of cheap looking flashy effects while the bored viewer just wonder when he will decide to give it a little bit of tension. The tension comes, at last! to show what?

**SPOILER**

An over exploited pseudo snuff ending with a final revelation that is worth scooby Doo's explanations!

**SPOILER**

I'm not usually specially aware of the music during a film, but this time, the music is so shifted compared to the action that the final result is more comic than anything else. I would just notice a really nice photography and some interesting elements (costumes, lighting) but nothing extraordinary.

Altogether, it is an already seen film maybe able to give the 50+ housewife a little bit of interest. If you aren't familiar with thrillers, try another one, if you are, you don't need to see this one.

Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002)

A bloody enjoyable experience!

[8/10 · 9 January 2006]

I first saw this movie in a small horror festival. A beer in a hand, a cigarette in the other one, I didn't expect to watch something that fun!

The opening scene itself is a tribute to absurd funny gore. I don't want to tell more, but it is one of the most hilarious intro I've ever seen. Since this moment, I didn't stop laughing until the end.

If, like me, you appreciate pictures with over played acting, absurd dialogs, many topless scenes, stupid humor and... some blood too, you will love this one. Of course, we can say that about a lot of films (troma, Fulci...) but this one is just a little bit better in everything. I found it almost as fun as P.Jackson's "Braindead". HG Lewis comes back with his famous humor noir, and is at his best!

I would give a special appreciation for the music: A few good old school psychedelic rock n'roll songs doesn't kill, after all.. does it? And of course, the acting is (intentionally) as bad as you could expect. At the opposite, the special effects are impressive. In fact, it is the perfect mix between a stupid teen movie plot and some old styled gore scenes!

The perfect film to watch with a few buddies and some beer! Don't miss it!

Der blaue Engel (1930)

Not the masterpiece I expected, but still a good film.

[6/10 · 7 January 2006]

We watch, quietly sitting in our sofa, the slow forfeiture of a man, ready to loose everything for a women.

Let's say it: the film hasn't an astonishing realization. "der letzte Mann" tells a similar story but looks much more modern and dynamic, six years before "das Blaue Engel". Murnau's silent movie (also starring

Emil Jannings) stays sober and deep, but J. von Sternberg just annoys a little bit the viewer, at least during the first part. Besides, the acting of M.Dietrich is simply common.

Besides those negative considerations, I really enjoyed the global atmosphere of the film (mostly confined spaces).

**SPOILER**

At the opposite, the big final, can be considered as an almost total success. The mix of despair, shame, broken heart feeling and humiliation that Prof.Rath undergoes is thrown at the viewer during ten breathtaking minutes. The contrast Between a boring beginning and this astonishing end increases the impact.

**SPOILER**

Overall, it is a film that is interesting to see, but not necessarily twice.

Bijitâ Q (2001)

disturbing, powerful, but so hilarious

[9/10 · 5 May 2005]

What is amazing with Miike Takashi's cinema is its ability to surprise you. This film is no exception.

Wery aware of its medium (a DV camera) Miike uses this cheap look to touch the viewer more deeply. The credibility comes from this disturbing proximity of the image (It looks like your holiday film). Recurrent use of subjective perspective, emphasis this. But, instead of falling into a dogma-like movie, Miike pushes the plot to its most unacceptable extremities, sometimes flirting with the fantastic genre.

Miike plays with multi point of views, particularly during the opening scene, in which the girl takes photographs of her father before they sleep together. Desorienting the spectator.

What astonished me when I saw that movie, is the amount of humor (noir)that grows up during the film. Here, shocking situations (necrophilia, humiliations...) become really funny. And from an awful family relationship, the plot evolves to an objectively even worst situation, but subjectively a much better situation for the characters.

Miike plays here with conventional Hollywood vision about family and gives a much cynical and humorist meaning to unity! A really enjoyable film I would advise to open minded mature people.