American Mary (2013)

It takes a special person to be a surgeon. I would like to say I would do it just so I could cut open people…but needless to say, I would completely pussy out. Not to mention all the schooling you have to take…Anatomy is a bitch. I have however always thought what it must feel like to be a surgeon. After all the hard work, your pay off is saving lives. Not bad. But then you hear about bad plastic surgeons…Carpet being used for breast implants, unnecessary bones being broken during procedures. Sounds ghastly but it actually happens, look it up.

American Mary tells the story of what happens when a highly skilled surgical student is pushed too far. Mary, played by the gorgeous Katharine Isabelle, is a promising medical student looking to become a surgeon. She runs into some financial troubles and decides to do something drastic. In the process she is thrown in to the underbelly of plastic surgery and extreme body modification. Only to find out, she’s more talented then she initially thought.

Basically, American Mary plays out like a Revenge flick, then turns upside down and back again. Written & Directed by The Soska Sisters (Jen & Sylvia) American Mary is a drastic leap forward from their last full-length effort “Dead Hooker In a Trunk”. Better writing, direction, quality, and acting overall really help push American Mary where Dead Hooker could have been. Jen and Sylvia also make an appearance in the film as the twins.

The cast in the film did very well. I had no glaring issues with any of the acting, sans the Soska’s German/Swedish accent, but in the end was not an issue since I myself could not have done any better. The films standout star is the beautiful Katharine Isabelle, whom I have had a soft spot for since Freddy V.S. Jason. Here character evolution though-out the film is amazing and very well received. The other stand out is the oddly lovable Beatress Johnson played by Tristan Risk. Her Betty Bop voice and all around sweetness makes her a very likable, and strange character in the film, adding a great deal of depth to the story and cast. American Mary also stars Antonio Cupo, David Lovgren, Paula Lindberg, Clay St. Thomas, and Twan Holliday. All did great jobs with their respective roles.

As far as gore, we don’t get a lot, however when it is used it was done very well. Nothing looked face or overkilled, and there were no harsh CGI moments to make your skin crawl. As far as nudity the guys get some scantily clad ladies with plenty of innuendo, and a close-up of a boob being cut into by a surgical scalpel. The ladies get the underside of an infected penis….gross.

I was very surprised by American Mary, I was expecting the same kind of ride as Dead Hooker but got a sophisticated upgrade instead. I really like the film and even the ending which I didn’t entirely see coming. The Soska Sisters are really fine-tuning their craft and as a result but out a tasteful thriller that is sure to do good things. GLP gives this medical lesson a solid 4 out of 5 stabs for great story, direction, and acting. To find out more about American Mary visit The Twisted Twins Webpage, as well as American Mary’s Facebook page. American Mary is currently in select theater as well as many OnDemand providers. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

Aftershock (2012)

I’m usually not a fan of disaster movies. There are some that I really enjoy, but most of those have been marred by the remakes of the predecessors. Take the Poseidon Adventure, the original is great, but the remake stunk to high heaven’s. Movies like The Poseidon Adventure & The Towering Inferno are great stables in cinema. A new trend in disaster movies has taken over with the introduction of CGI in film. These films try to capture the “what if” idea and push it to a new level. Modern films are just over doing it. I do however appreciate disaster movies with horror elements. Films like Cloverfield, 28 Days Later, He is Legend ect. These films have disaster film elements but are not really considered disaster movies due to the horror aspects of Monsters & Zombies. I can’t really recall a horror/disaster movie until I saw Aftershock.

Written by Eli Roth, Nicolàs López & Guillermo Amoedo, Aftershock is about 3 friends in Chile searching for chicks and a good party. While the friends are at an underground club in Valparaiso an earthquake hits casing massive damage, mass hysteria, and violence among others. To top it off, prisoners of a nearby prison have escaped due to the quake.

The film is wickedly entertaining. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The acting in the film is good. The film stars Eli Roth, Andrea Osvart, Nicolas Martinez, Ariel Levy, Lorenza Izzo, & Natasha Yarovenko. Overall I was pleased with the acting, there is a good blend of English and Spanish which made the film an easy watch. There was also a good amount of humor in the dialog which was a nice plus. Eli did a very good job with his part and was surprised by his performance. Nicolas Martinez stole the show however this his over the top character. Selena Gomez make a cameo appearance too!

The story is great, a lot of things happened that I didn’t see coming which was a great breath of fresh air. Normally these movies can become very formulaic, while still entertaining, but it was cool to see some things come out of nowhere. The effects were ok, a lot of CGI was used, but its kinda hard to get around with a film like this. There was however, a good amount of practical effects too, which helped even out dynamic. The film is surprisingly gory too. The viewer gets some smashing, shootings, impaling, dismemberment, and more.

While this is a shorter review than normal, I can’t think of any glaring anomalies in this film. It’s a fairly straight forward horror film with a disaster twist. The writing was witty, and the acting was good. GLP gives this film a solid 4 out of 5 stabs. I would highly recommend checking this movie out. If not for just the sheer fun of it, but the totally awesome ending. The film is currently available through most OnDemand services. Check out the film’s Facebook page and view the red band trailer below!

GLP Rating:

 

Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)

When I heard about Texas Chainsaw 3D, I was legitimately scared. I immediately thought that the filmmakers were going to remake the film yet again. When news started to break about the film it was mixed. Some stated it was going a prequel, some stated it was going to be a remake. When I heard it was going to be a direct sequel to the original, I finally got excited. I have never been a huge fan of the TCM Franchise. I own them all, love the original, and appreciate the remakes, but the stuff after the original just fall flat for me. I was still a bit hesitant on this direct sequel but was willing to give it a shot.

Directed by John Luessenhop, Texas Chainsaw 3D attempts to tell the tale of The Sawyer family directly after the incidents in the original 1973 film. The story then jumps to the present time. A decision made on August 19, 1973 leads the films story as the characters unravel what actually happened that day.

The film is very entertaining; I thought it was clever and decent attempt to make a true sequel. Unfortunately the film is plagued with continuity errors that make the film’s premise impossible. Since the original film took place in 1973, going to present time (2012) would progress the film 39 years. This doesn’t sound like a terrible jump in time, however when you being a few of the characters back from that time period and they don’t age appropriately it takes a great amount of fun out of the viewing. Without giving anything away, a baby from 1973 is brought back as a 20 something in present time…You do the math.

The acting in the film is passable, The cast includes the beautiful Alexandra Daddario, Tremaine “Trey Songz” Neverson, Scott Eastwood, Tania Raymonde, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, Thom Barry, & Paul Rae. With cameo appearances by Bill Moseley, Marilyn Burns, & Gunner Hansen. The films acting is not bad, but Alexandra does a wonderful job with the role of Heather Miller. She gives a decently solid performance, albeit not the most believable. That though is due to the writers.

The gore in the film is great, a lot of blood throughout the film. The viewer gets some chainsaw action, meat hooking, bludgeoning, shootings, car crashes, and more. Some of the death scenes were obviously rush, and some of the people were killed off in weak ways. This is not a detriment, but more of a letdown. There is not nudity in the film but a lot of skin is shown. The guys get the lovely Alexandra in a very open button up that is very reluctant to open all the way. Tania shows a lot of cleavage, and runs around in boy shorts for a while. The ladies get some Trey without a shirt on.

The most shocking part of the film is the decision to try and make Leatherface a sort of hero, or anti-hero. I know a lot of people were very vocal about this aspect of the film. You either love it or hate it. I fall into the love it category, simply for the nice change of pace it sets. I can defiantly see why people were upset though.

The film is a solid watch, I found it both entertaining and distracting. Its boasts solid effects, and acting, while it also shows a glaring continuity mistake the was obviously caught during filming because they never show the date the original events happened. GLP gives this effort a 3 out of 5 stabs for effects and story. I suggest everyone who is a fan of the series to at least give it a shot and watch with an open mind. You may be surprised at the outcome. There is also a funny little after the credits scene as well. To find out more about the film visit the Official Site & Facebook page. The film is currently available for purchase on some OnDemand services, and the Blu-Ray and DVD will be released on May 14^th. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

Maniac (2013)

Remakes are running rampant in the world of horror these days. Some are ok, but most are just disappointing. For many of us seasoned horror fans it's more than just a movie, It's also a time period, a memory. Most of the movies that I hold dear to my heart take me back to the first time I watched it. I can remember the first time I watched the original Manic, I got home from school and my dad calls me into the living room. He said "Blaine, I recorded a movie I thought you would like." All I could think of was oh great here we go. Dad went to the DVR and selected Maniac, I had never seen it. Low and behold he had it queued up to the scene where Tom Savini gets his head blown off. I fucking lost it, my dad was laughing. I told him…you know me all too well. Regardless I think most horror fans don't like remakes because not only do they seem rushed, but they don't hold the same appeal and nostalgia. Still, there are some that can break the mold. 

Written by Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur, & C.A. Rosenberg, Maniac is for, all intents and purposes, a prefect remake. The film is about a mentally disturbed individual named Frank (Elijah Wood) who spends his time repairing antique mannequins and hunting down beautiful women. Frank has mommy issues, and, as a result, kills and scalps his female victims. Frank meets a woman named Anna (Nora Arnezeder) who shares his love for antique mannequins, but Franks unstable and libel to do anything.

As I said earlier, this is a damn near perfect remake. To start off, lets hit the acting. Elijah Wood and Nora Arnezeder take the cake in this film. Their on-screen chemistry is some of the best I have seen. Elijah has already proven he's an uber-talented actor and he reaffirms that in Maniac. Nora is absolutely stunning and her time is well received. She is charming and has a quirkiness that his easy to take in. The rest of the cast has minor roles, however are all acted well.

My favorite part of this film is the perspective. The film is almost entirely shot in first person. The viewer is thrown deep into Franks deteriorating psyche. This adds additional depth to the character of Frank, as well as the films story. Directed by Franck Khalfoun, the camera reacts to everything that Frank does and as a result effectively placed the audience smack dab in the middle of everything. You feel like you are a part of the events, however graphic they are. The story really adds to this effect as it is well crafted and written.

Second is the amount and quality of the violence. There is a substantial amount of red stuff that flows through the film. The viewer is treated to stabbings, slashings, tearings, suffocation, hogties, cleaving, and more. Gore hounds will not be disappointed. The film is also chalk full of female nudity. The male audience will be delighted of the outcome. Nothing for the female fans, unless your into other chicks, which is totally fine.

Look, Maniac is a stellar movie. It hits with such force you will be mentally drained after watching it. I cannot possibly gush anymore about this film without giving away more than I already have. GLP gives this twisted film 5 out of 5 stabs for being fucking awesome. The film is getting a limited theatrical release on June 21st and should follow onto the on demand and home video market shortly after. Keep your eyes peeled for this flick, every horror fan should see it. For more information on the film go check out the films Facebook page.View the REDBAND trailer below.

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