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Reviews
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
A sign of things to come
Rob Zombie's directorial debut is a retrospective treat 15 years after its release. Seeing how far the director has come and then revisiting this is a serious reward for anybody who has enjoyed watching his evolution.
Known for his wild music career, this is the film that showed us all that he was more than capable and ready to take the world of horror by storm.
House of 1000 Corpses, for those who don't know, follows two couples who wind up in the wrong home with the sadistic Firefly family after picking up a hitchhiker on the road. Their terror quickly escalates into torturous madness at the hands of a family that would give those from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a run for their money.
This is an absolutely hellish movie. It's sheer depravity and senselessness creeps slowly into the viewer and leaves behind a feeling of sheer disgust by the time the end credits roll. The introduction of now famous characters such as Otis, Baby, and Captain Spaulding is a chilling one and perhaps the uneasiest of their portrayals.
This is not a perfect movie by any means. Zombie's desire to experiment is strong in this one and, while it is perfectly entertaining, it is easy for the viewer to see that he is still finding his footing and hasn't quite mastered himself just yet. Zombie's more visionary abilities would come out later in films such as The Devil's Rejects and the underrated Halloween remakes, but this is a perfectly acceptable debut, one that shows a spark of genius yet to unfold in its entirety.
The Vicious Kind (2009)
Adam Scott's tour de force
Anybody familiar with Adam Scott knows he is more than capable of giving solid performances, mostly comedic and on point.
This is Adam Scott at his finest and also his most unique performance. His performance in this movie will make you laugh and cry and almost simultaneously at that. I have never seen anything that made me feel one way or the other about Brittany Snow but she holds her own against Scott in this one and the two create a compelling dynamic that is a pleasure to watch.
This isn't the comedy it is listed to be but if you're willing to sit through a somewhat depressing story with top notch performances then this will leave you more than satisfied.
Arc (2016)
A surprisingly efficient indie gem
As an aspiring film maker, I like to research indie movies as much as possible. This one came to me as a recommendation on Amazon, and I was surprised with what I found.
IMDb says this movie was made with a two-thousand dollar budget and if that is true I am impressed as everything about it appears to be something with a much larger value. The lighting is questionable in some places and impeccable in others, and it comes as no surprise to see two cinematographers credited. Either way, the cinematography is at the least always interesting to see.
The acting is top notch, particularly from Christopher Cassarino and Martha Harms who, together, provide the greatest elements that the movie offers.
The story is bleak and somewhat cynical and the characters are mostly unlikable but the story still draws you in and despite your ability to really like these people you can't help but feel for their plight. When story of two characters concludes by the end of the movie you feel the heartache with them.
A few minor issues aside, this is a real indie gem that marks the sure signs of a capable director finding his voice, and I look forward to seeing the content he creates in the future.
8/10