filmjunkie333 Reviews

In China They Eat Dogs (1999)

WOW! A philosophical gangster comedy!

[12 September 2004]

I have seen both IN CHINA THEY EAT DOGS and it's prequel, OLD MEN IN NEW CARS, and I have to say that this is the best of them. Where OLD MEN is a little more formulaic and recognizable as an average crime comedy, CHINA has fantastically bizarre elements that surprise and alarm. It's amazing how comical death can be if handled in the right way.

The film does bring up genuinely philosophical questions of right and wrong that, in my household, spurred interesting discussions about morality vs. social norm.

By the end of the film you most likely will be thinking about the same things and hoping that in your last hours you too will be able to avoid the men in the funny pants.

The Manson Family (1997)

Amazing true horror!

[10/10 · 2 September 2004]

I have seen the final version of this film with 5.1 Dolby surround and I have to say that it is a work of art.

Van Bebber uses a fantastic blend of cinema that ranges from 70's grind house to images that invoke the films of Kenneth Anger.

Though some reviews have been down on the film as being "exploitation" due to it's use of gore in the film's violent scenes, I saw it as more of a kick to the head of the audience. Van Bebber uses it as a device to remind us that the murders were truly awful and that films like "Helter Skelter" do more harm to perpetuating Manson as an icon by not making you aware of the horror of the actions.

The film will be opening soon and I have to say that I'm going to see it again.

Fantastic.