Inside: French Horror

[theRothstanator]

Not "horror," but I have read that "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" (2007) has some rather realistic abortion footage that is reported to make both "pro-life proponents and pro-choice proponents" pause.

I thought that movie was pretty great, but I wouldn't say it has realistic abortion footage. What these girls have to do as far as bartering for an abortion due to government restrictions is a bit brutal, but this film has hardly any blood in it. Towards the end, you can see the fetus in a towel but that is it. I still enjoyed it a lot.

On that note, does anyone here get into Japanese horror? I've been watching a lot of those lately, most notably a couple of films by Takashi Miike, Ju-On: The Grudge, and the second one. I really admire how he uses non-chronological storytelling with multiple characters whose experiences are interwoven. Another good one is Shutter, but I can't remember the director of that. I heard the American version sucked.

I just recently saw Ju-On and thought it was pretty good, though I believe I would have liked it more if I had not seen the American version first. What a piece of shit. I like a lot of Miike's films, and not just the typical horror stuff. Visitor Q is really bizarre film about a family and definitely worth checking out. Another film by him that isn't horror is Big Bang Love, Juvenile A. I hear Demon Pond is pretty crazy, but haven't checked out out myself. Something not done by Miike that I thought was really great is Rampo Noir (or Rampo Jigoku); it's comprised of 4 different vignettes and Tadanobu Asano is in it (the dude that was Kakihara in Ichi the Killer). I think it's safe to say that if he is in it, or if it's being distributed by Tartan Films the movie is worth checking out.

[slut rag]

not only do i try my best to keep up with music and bands (which i do a pretty shitty job of..), but now movies?!

i love horror movies, but it is hard to find some that arent so damn predictable. everytime i ever try to give new movies a shot, i always get burned. like that 8 films to die for bullshit. thats why i like this one movie/documentary i saw on a movie channel...it was called midnight movies. It talked about the original night of the living dead, as well as freaks, and el topo. i finally got a hold of a dvd of el topo and i enjoy it quite a bit. not exactly horror, but it is good shit anyway.

[JMincemoyer]

Finally saw "Inside." Awesome! The scene with the antagonist watching the protagonist from the shadows that was so effective in conveying the idea of control and dread.

Rented "Otis" and "The Orphanage" as well. "Otis" was funny in an off-beat way and "The Orphanage" was a great ghost story. If you liked "The Orphanage" than I recommend Guillermo del Toro's "The Devil's Backbone."

It is unfortunate that American movie studios feel that they must remake the more popular foreign films, when in most cases the remake is inferior to the original. "La Femme Nikita" remade as "Point of No Return" is one of the more glaring instances. Not sure why, but concerning Asian-centric films, I heard a lot of people complaining about having to read subtitles after viewing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Silly really.

I have not seen all of Miike's work, but he definitely pushes the envelope. Second on "Versus" - love that film. It would be nice to have a sequel.

If anyone's interested I recommend "Suicide Circle." The subway scene is classic. The first "Battle Royale", as someone mentioned, is awesome. "Junk" is a fun play on the zombie film. "Wild Zero" features Guitar Wolf in a starring role, but this alien/zombie movie is more silly than anything. A lot of people hail the "Guinea Pig" films, which are straight-up gore fests. If you like fantastic effects then check out "Volcano High." Not horror, but still a good, crazy film.

[jswift]

I am shocked, SHOCKED I say, that no one has brought up "The Story of Ricky" yet.

[kfoll]

I am shocked, SHOCKED I say, that no one has brought up "The Story of Ricky" yet.

Do tell.

Well since we're on the subject, how about "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon"? That was an awesome ironic take on the classic slasher film.

[jswift]

"The Story of Ricky" (or "Riki-Oh", as it as sometimes called)...man, where do I even begin...

Simply put, it's wall to wall, ridiculous kung-fu uber-violence for 90 minutes straight. The scene of a guy getting his head smashed in was utilized by The Daily Show for years.

Has anyone seen "Oldboy"? I hear that some unholy, devil-worshipping mega-conglomerate film studio in LA wants to do an Americanized remake of the film.

That's not as nauseating as the prospect of a Raimi-backed "Evil Dead" remake, but it still makes me want to puke.

[JMincemoyer]

"Oldboy" was incredible. It is horrific to think that an American studio may attempt to remake this film. There is no way to make this film any better. Have you seen "Lady Vengeance?" I have yet to see that, but I believe it is part of the "Oldboy" trilogy. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, "The Story of Ricki-O" is a classic. The head exploding, the wall smashing, non-stop violence and gore!

[theRothstanator]

Have you guys seen Funny Games with Tim Roth? It came out today and it is fucking horrendous (in a good way).

[slut rag]

i remember the commercial for funny games, it did look interesting.
and also, ill take it as noone has seen el topo since noone has mentioned anything about it. try that shit out, it was made in 1970 and is fucking amazing. its actually a mexican film, so you have to read the subtitles to get the full effect.