Noteworthy On Netflix - 1/9/14

     Now that the holidays are over we all have time to get back to what's important - watching movies on Netflix streaming.  It turns out that several of my favorites from 2013 are now available, so I'll be babbling more than usual about a few.  These are by no means the only worthy genre movies on Netflix, just a handful of titles I'm familiar with that I believe are worthy of your attention. 

     Availability changes often, but all of the following titles were available from Netflix at the time of this posting.  The genre listed after the title (Documentary, Horror, Comedy, Action & Adventure,  or Sci-Fi & Fantasy) describes where you'll find each movie in your onscreen groupings.  Try doing a manual search if one seems to be missing.  Please note: sometimes my thumbnails won't be exactly the same thumbnail that Netflix is using.

     If you have recommendations of your own, please share in the Comments section below.  You can watch a trailer for each movie by clicking its title.

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Maniac (2012)
Horror / 1hr28min / NR / HD

     I've never really cared for the original Maniac (1980).  The late Joe Spinell was a little too convincing as the titular scalp collecting psycho.  In what I suppose is a bit of a back-handed compliment, Maniac was too sleazy for me to enjoy watching.  I felt like I needed a shower afterwards.  To my mind, then, the 2012 remake was one of those rare instances when I believed a remake had a genuine opportunity to eclipse the original.  Sadly, I didn't care for it.  The new Maniac was too sleazy for me to enjoy watching.  I felt like I needed a shower afterwards.  It may not eclipse the original, but it at least equals it.  Bravo?

     Seriously, though, attention must be paid.  The Maniac redux may not be to my taste, but its first person point-of-view conceit is skillfully maintained and undeniably effective.  There were several instances wherein I just wanted to turn away from the ugliness unfolding before me.  It sounds like a good horror movie, doesn't it?  Well I suppose it is.  It certainly got under my skin more than any other movie this year.  Star Elijah Wood is believably unhinged throughout.  Wood had already demonstrated a simmering undercurrent of darkness in the often dour television comedy Wilfred, so I knew he had it in him.   

     Maniac succeeds in being the most unremittingly grim and unpleasant viewing experience of 2013 for me.  That's a compliment, by the way.  It doesn't surprise me at all that it's turning up on a lot of year end best of  lists.  Whether or not you want to submit yourself to such a grim and unpleasant viewing experience is a question you'll have to answer for yourself.

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Aftershock (2012)
Horror / 1hr29min / R / HD

     Multi-hyphenate Eli Roth seems to be every genre fan's favorite whipping boy if they're all done bitching about Rob Zombie.  Roth is just a producer / actor here, but the tone of Aftershock is definitely of a piece with his own filmography as a director.  In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in Chile, circumstances are made exponentially worse by a nearby collapsed prison spewing lots of very rapey hardened criminals into the streets.  One wonders if the director of Hostel has ever had a good experience traveling abroad.

     Aftershock isn't a great movie, but if you've enjoyed anything else with Roth's fingerprints on it, you'll probably enjoy this.  I love that last shot.  The Green Inferno (2013), his forthcoming ode to Italian made gutmunchers like Cannibal Holocaust (1980), seems poised to continue Roth's tortured travelogue.

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Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
Drama / 1hr32min / NR / HD

     I don't know art, but I know what I like.  Even though it peters out before the end credits roll, Berberian Sound Studio was the most fiercely original genre movie I saw last year.  An homage to both Italian giallos and old school sound editing, director Peter Strickland's chronicle of a mild mannered sound engineer's descent into madness has haunted me.  Not surprisingly, the movie's sound design is incredible, so be sure to watch it with the proper tech.

     I unwittingly watched Berberian Sound Studio without subtitles (much of the dialog is in Italian), and I actually think that enhanced the experience for me, accentuating the loneliness and paranoia of being a stranger in a strange land and not really knowing for certain what's happening around you.  For the record, the version streaming on Netflix has subtitles, but I'm not sure I want to watch it that way.  I suspect my own inferences were probably more sinister and upsetting than what actually occurs.  With or without subtitles, Berberian Sound Studio is beautiful to look at, disturbing to listen to, and highly recommended.  I have no clue why Netflix has it listed as Drama rather than Horror.

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Grabbers (2012)
Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy / 1hr34min / NR / HD

     Sometimes you just need a good, old fashioned, well crafted, meat and potatoes creature feature.  Refreshingly free of self-reflexive irony and boasting surprisingly good FX (both CGI and practical), Grabbers was easily the best of the lot in 2013.  Horror / comedy is a hard combo to nail, but you just can't go wrong with drunk Irishmen battling tentacled beasties.  Though not yet available on Netflix, Big Ass Spider (2013) has a similar vibe and is also worth checking out.

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Room 237 (2012)
Documentary / 1hr43min / NR / HD

     More of a stream of consciousness game of "what if?" than a proper documentary, Room 237 explores various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece The Shining (1980).  Those expecting a traditional documentary structure will be sorely disappointed, but viewers more interested in the interpretations themselves than the talking heads spouting them will have a blast.  At the very least, Room 237 will spark an urgent need to give The Shining another watch to see if any of these theories here hold water.

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American Mary (2012)
Horror / 1hr42min / R / HD

     Yet another movie that's making a lot of year end best of lists, American Mary chronicles medical student Mary Mason's descent into a subculture of individuals seeking a qualified physician to perform elective "modification" surgeries not covered by their HMOs.  It's a testament to how good Katharine Isabelle's lead performance is that you'll find yourself rooting for her even after Mary goes off the rails.  As good as Isabelle is, though, supporting player Tristan Risk steals every scene she's in as Beatress, a sweet natured stripper who's had herself surgically altered to resemble Betty Boop. 

     I'm always a sucker for body horror, and filmmaking duo Jen and Sylvia Soska have crafted a unique and well mounted entry that leaves me excited to see what they can make of their next assignment.  A second chapter in the See No Evil franchise-that-nobody-asked-for doesn't seem as ambitious a follow-up as I might have hoped for, but more power to them if they can make a silk purse of that sow's ear.

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Dredd (2012)
Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy / 1hr35min / R / HD

     Remember when the good guy was the good guy from frame one, the bad guy was psychotically evil, and you knew the bad guy would ultimately have justice served to him by the good guy in the most sadistic, gratuitous, and gratifyingly ironic way possible?  Dredd even figured out a way to serve that justice in slow motion and make it a pertinent plot point rather than pointless grandstanding.  Dredd shoulda been way more successful at the box office, and it has "cult film" written all over it now.  Mark my words - a Cult Of Dredd will rise up in a decade or so and demand a sequel.

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Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)
Documentary / 1hr33min / NR / HD

     The late visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen pioneered his own form of stop motion animation called Dynamation that brought fantastic creatures to life in movies as varied as The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953), 20 Million Miles To Earth (1957), Jason And The Argonauts (1963), and Clash Of The Titans (1981).  He was truly a visionary, and this fine documentary is a fitting tribute to his work.  Harryhausen's influence on genre films is incalculable.

     Adrienne caught me crying while watching this, and I felt obliged to explain to her why I was so touched.  I struggled to find the words.  If you've ever seen and enjoyed any genre movie then you owe this man a debt of gratitude.  Respect. 

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Sightseers (2012)
Comedy / 1hr28min / NR / HD

     My previous assessment of Sightseers:

     "(It) delivers pitch black humor, random acts of violence, and two versions of Tainted Love.  'Nuf said.  See it."

     I stand by that.

Sightseers (2012) delivers pitch black humor, random acts of violence, and two versions of "Tainted Love". 'Nuf said. See it. - See more at: http://www.moviesatdogfarm.com/2013/05/movies-at-dog-farm-trailer-park-volume.html#sthash.iiHLgVAm.dpuf

Sightseers (2012) delivers pitch black humor, random acts of violence, and two versions of "Tainted Love". 'Nuf said. See it. - See more at: http://www.moviesatdogfarm.com/2013/05/movies-at-dog-farm-trailer-park-volume.html#sthash.iiHLgVAm.dpuf

Sightseers (2012) delivers pitch black humor, random acts of violence, and two versions of "Tainted Love". 'Nuf said. See it. - See more at: http://www.moviesatdogfarm.com/2013/05/movies-at-dog-farm-trailer-park-volume.html#sthash.iiHLgVAm.dpuf

Sightseers (2012) delivers pitch black humor, random acts of violence, and two versions of "Tainted Love". 'Nuf said. See it. - See more at: http://www.moviesatdogfarm.com/2013/05/movies-at-dog-farm-trailer-park-volume.html#sthash.iiHLgVAm.dpuf

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Movies At Dog Farm Slips On A Bloody Banana Peel - Funny, Yes?

 "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."
                                                                                                - Mel Brooks

Fisting in New Zealand!  Dead Alive (1992)

     I'm courting disaster by attempting to define a subgenre, but I struggled with devising post topics for the Ultimate Gore-A-Thon  because I wasn't really sure what I felt defined a gore movie.  The term always makes me think first of movies that use graphic, over-the-top violence to comedic effect - movies like Re-Animator (1985), Evil Dead II (1987), or Dead Alive (1992).  So why is that?

How are those eyebrows not funny?  Blood Feast (1963)

     Well, maybe it's because Herschell Gordon Lewis is the Godfather of Gore, and I can't help but giggle every time I watch one of his movies.  Granted, he was initially just fishing around for a hook when the popularity of the nudies he was producing began to wane, but I find it nearly impossible to watch his seminal Blood Feast (1963) and imagine that the absurdly exaggerated violence on display was seriously intended.  The campy, po-faced presentation of all that luridly colorful gore is precisely why his movies have endured.  You're either in on the gag, or you're not.  If you're not, then you're probably offended.

     To me, the key distinguishing characteristic of a gore movie is that it's more concerned with the aftermath than the action.  A gore movie isn't as concerned with the violent act as it is with the bloody red remains of said act.  A gore movie is determined to let the camera linger lovingly on the mess.  A gore movie is the cinematic equivalent of your buddy blowing his nose, then spreading the tissue wide and saying, "Hey!  Look at this!"
 

Doesn't like fart jokes.  Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

    You know it will be gross, but you can't not look.  It's a testament to your own constitution if you can look and just laugh it off - juvenile, but also comedic.  Comedic gore is a fart in a crowded elevator, intended to either make you snicker like a ten year old or to turn away in disgust because your sensibilities are too fine.  I like a good fart joke.  Funny is funny.  If you laugh, it was funny - no further analysis necessary.  If you've got too big a stick up your ass to enjoy a good fart joke, you're probably not going to like gore movies, either.

    So what's your definition of a gore movie?  Is it movies like Saw (2004) or Hostel (2005) that plumb the depths of photorealistic carnage?  Or maybe it's the elegant beauty of Dario Argento's stylized ultra-violence?  How about tacky cannibal gut-munchers like Cannibal Holocaust (1980) or perhaps the graphic extremities of nearly unclassifiable genre fare like Excision or American Mary (2012)?  If it's the indisputably comedic gore of Japanese genre movies like Machine Girl (2008) or RoboGeisha (2009), maybe you're seeing the same dark humor I am.

     A valid argument can be made for any of these movies epitomizing the gore genre.  I suspect my compatriots in the Gore-A-Thon will address many of these titles with their own posts over the next two weeks.  I look forward to reading them as much as I hope you do.  Shower me in blood, folks!  Help me up from the floor if I slip in the puddled gore!

     . . . but only after you've enjoyed a good laugh at the expense of my personal tragedy, of course.

     By the way, who farted?

A head giving head - the funniest visual pun in any movie ever!  Plus, it gives me an excuse to show Barbara Crampton nude!  Re-Animator (1985) Click the title for an extended clip.

 

Movies At Dog Farm Trailer Park: Volume 1, December 2012

     This is just a quick round-up of recently viewed movies, as well as a handful of titles I'm looking forward to.  Click on any title for a link to the pertinent trailer.  Click thumbnails to enlarge pics.

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     I watched Silent Night (2012) this week - a very loose remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) -  and I really wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  It was more visually ambitious than I expected.  In fact, it was often quite stylish.  Care was taken.

     Unfortunately, I believe it was let down by a script that could have used another pass.  Mostly just a shrug for me.  Here's to hoping that I'll finally find my perennial Christmas horror movie when I watch Rare Exports (2010) on Christmas Day.

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     Though I've seen a handful of exceptionally good genre movies recently - Some Guy Who Kills People (2011), Excision (2012), The Bay (2012) - I haven't really been looking forward to any upcoming releases. Well, that all changed today.

     The first official trailer for Guillermo del Toro's upcoming massive monsters versus massive robots epic Pacific Rim (2013) hit the Internet on December 12th, and I somehow didn't bumble across it until today.  Oh.  My.  God.  July can't get here soon enough.  I was bummed when del Toro's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness fell apart, but it looks like he's still getting his Cthulhu on with these gigantic horrors from the depths of the Pacific.

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     I'm also super excited about American Mary (2012).  Starring Katherine Isabelle (the Ginger Snaps trilogy), this Canadian production wowed audiences at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.  It premieres theatrically in the U.K. on 1/11/13 with a U.K. disc release following on 1/21/13.  Hopefully, this means we can expect a North American release soon thereafter.  I'm going to do my damnedest to procure a copy of this as soon as possible, and I'll be sure to report back.

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     Haters are gonna hate, but I've been convinced ever since the release of House of 1000 Corpses (2003) that director Rob Zombie has at least one more brilliant movie in him.  I think The Lords of Salem (2012) might be that movie.  It releases 4/26/13.

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     Finally, I read today that director Andreas Marschall's giallo homage Masks (2011) has been procured by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for imminent North American distribution.  I'd never even heard of this one before today, but the trailer makes it look like it could be the best giallo that Dario Argento never directed. 

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