Inside [À l'intérieur] by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury [2007]

Title: Inside / À l'intérieur
Director: Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
Starring: Béatrice Dalle, Alysson Paradis
Runtime: 83 minutes
Year: 2007

I've never heard so much good about a single movie as I have about Inside [exceptions being Halloween and Jaws]. And like those movies, this is one I'd recommend to anyone and everyone. There wasn't a single aspect or scene that disappointed me.

First of all the two main characters are strong female leads, a nice treat. Both are easy to identify with, easy to fall for, and very human. An element most horror villians lately seem to lack.

First we have Sarah, a young pregnant woman dealing with the recent death of her boyfriend. She's so distant and cold you'd almost assume she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the scheduled birth that is to take place the very next day. Almost as though she is left to just go through the motions, alive but not really living. The photographers scattered around her home just echo the reality that she is now just merely a shell of her former self.

Once the amazingly put together character, commonly refered to as La Femme, enters the picture the blood just starts to pour. Plenty of blood. No chainsaws, no hardcore ammunition, just everyday scissors and knitting needles. Never again will those simple objects be looked at as just household items. You could arm an army with these bad boys and get the job done as La Femme clearly demostrates. Basic tools tend to always get the job done the most visually appealing way when it comes to horror, time and time again.

As the movie gets going there's this heavy, nauseating feeling that just comes over you that prove just how damn good of a job this pair of directors did. They managed to pull of a constant urgent sense of emergency, the ongoing dread of no escape. This castrophobic moment where all Sarah can do is scream and beat at the walls that are keeping her confined is all to easy to relate to.

It seems easy enough to toss around buckets of blood and ruthless masked monsters, but to pull off what these dudes did? That level of suspence that keeps you demanding to know what's going to happen next. Man, all I can say is thank you. Easily one of the best films I've seen in recent history and already an instant classic in my collection.

I had waited quite a while to see this little number, but the wait was well worth it.

Highly recommended.


Jo

ps. If we've got each other linked, please update it to http://www.nightlyaccounts.com/ Thanks, ladies and gents.

The Toolbox Murders by Dennis Donnelly [1978]

Title: The Toolbox Murders
Director: Dennis Donnelly
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure
Runtime: 93
Year: 1978

I don't think I've ever seen a movie rule so hard for the first 20 minutes or so only to flop so hard afterwards, as is the case with The Toolbox Murders.

Having opened with a lovely string of events including a sweet kill featuring a drill, it would of been better for the movie to continue at that pace. Unfortunately, it takes a total nose dive with a rambling half-assed serial killer, as charming as he may be.

Another thing, why make the serial killer be the one character everyone in the room would assume it to be? So obvious you wouldn't think it possible. Unless that was the angle they were going for? Eh, I don't know.

I'm aware that tons of people can't stop saying positive things about this film, I just don't see it. Even with some stellar parts, I'm left with this overall 'blah' feeling towards it.

Not recommended.


j.

May by Lucky McKee [2002]

Title: May
Director: Lucky McKee
Starring: Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2002
Source: Generation X Video

Creepy goth girl, unheathly obsession with dolls, bisexual and a lazy eye? A modern day Juliet, ha. This movie is straight up weird, but weird is good, right?

The beginning comes off kind of weak and rushed. Lazy eye means wearing an eye patch? And then kids hating you? I don't know what school you went too, but wearing an eye eye patch at my elementary school would of likened you with a pirate, and therefore made you the coolest kid ever.

In traditional form, kid gets bullied in grade school, has wonky parents, and grows up demented as can be. May is charming cause she lacks all social skills, you kind of want to take the girl to the salon and let out her inner hot girl. Instead, she ends up taking you to the butcher to crave out a few of your best assets for her new doll collection.

This movie is in every way creepy and once you get past the slow moving beginning the pace finally picks up and a movie worth watching is finally presented. Many try to be different, but this one succeeds flawlessly, May is just strange. The cast did a fabulous job, and Anna Farris is now my favourite annoying lesbian, it was nice to see her outside her token funny girl role.

Recommended.

j.

Alone With Her by Eric Nicholas [2006]

Title: Alone with Her
Director: Eric Nicholas
Starring: Colin Hanks, Ana Claudia Talancón
Runtime: 78 minutes
Year: 2006
Source: Blockbuster

Now this, ladies and gents, is a little too plausible. All it takes is a creepy dude with some spare time on his hands, surveillance equipment at his disposal and viola! Let the stalking begin. Thank you, Eric Nicholas, for reminding me to close my curtains at night and avoid any conversation with strangers.

The entire film is shot from a POV aspect and the lead character [Doug played by Colin Hanks] could easily be the All-American poster boy for voyeurism. Except he steps out from behind the camera and slides himself into the story. This little number starts out with Doug out and about taping random up skirts, daily interaction, and clevage shots of beautiful women.. I'm sure you have your own little Doug running around town- minus the murder tendencies I hope.

Doug quickly becomes fixated on one young lady, who he spies crying over a recent break-up. That fixation leads to him planting video and audio cameras all over her apartment streaming a live feed right to his multiple monitors. He has her schedule down to a tee and sets up a random, daily meeting of sorts at the local coffee shop. Having some insight [understatement much?] into her daily conversations, movie watching, and music preferences, he slightly has the upper hand in winning her over with their extensive list of common interests. Of cource Dougs blueprint for them to fall for each other and live out a creepy existance doesn't quite go as planned. She starts dating a boy from her place of employment... and a hair brush on her night stand takes care of her sexual needs, apparently. That's when things start to get really interesting.

Recommended.

j.