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:

 

The Lords Of Salem (2013)

"And out of the darkness, the Zombie did call
True pain and suffering he brought to them all
Away ran the children to hide in their beds,
for fear that the devil would chop off their heads"

 Hellbilly Deluxe - Call of The Zombie

During my time in history class in both high school and college, I was always quite fascinated with the Salem Witch Trials. Although briefly coved in both venues, they seemed to stick with me even after my time in the educational establishments. The thought that people where being prosecuted and killed for something so outlandish seemed to resonate deep in my subconscious. These events caused a mass hysteria, and as a result women who didn’t fit the preverbal mold of the 1690’s God-Fearing Massachusetts woman were subsequently targeted.

Written & Directed by Rob Zombie, The Lords of Salem uses the events of The Salem Witch Trails as a catalyst for its story. Set in present time Salem, a local Radio DJ receives a mysterious Edison vinyl record from The Lords. Thinking this record is nothing more than some local band, the DJ plays the record on the air while coining the name The Lords of Salem for the group. The strange musical score on the record awakens something evil and the women of Salem start acting strange

The film stars Sherry Moon Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, Devils Rejects, Halloween), Bruce Davison (X-Men, Harry & The Henderson’s), Jeff Daniel Phillips (Faster), Ken Foree (Dawn of The Dead, Devils Rejects, Halloween, From Beyond)  Meg Foster (They Live, Leviathan, Masters Of The Universe), Judy Geeson, Patricia Quinn (Rocky Horror Picture Show), and Dee Wallace (The Howling, Cujo, E.T., Critters).

The Acting is very good, Sherry does an excellent job as Heidi, The film is predominantly revolving around her and her mental transition. The supporting cast all do a great job as well, all putting forth solid performances and making the film very entertaining.

The film is a relatively slow burning film with the final 15 – 20 minutes being like a psychotic acid trip, and generally creeping you out with extreme imagery that undoubtedly will stick in your head for a couple days after you watch the film. While the images of the finale are great I feel the story was completely lost at that point. They did such a good job crafting this creepy story and the conclusion, while visually awesome, was quite lackluster. So much so that it took me out of the film.

The film is decently light on gore and red stuff until the finally. You get some burnings, C-section births, demon baby, and a bludgeoning. The film is also full of nudity, full frontal nudity from many women, and some women that should not have been nude. Sherry shows off her booty yet again as well.

I really like Zombie’s films, this one was not an acceptation. I do feel the films finale was cool but didn’t really resolve. This actually took the wind out of the sails for the film. I felt that it was leading to something more, and it never really did. GLP give the effort a 3.5 stabs out of 5. Zombies movies are always very entertaining, and I like that his love for early 70’s and 80’s cinema show through in his shooting style. The find out more about The Lords of Salem visit the Official Website, Facebook, or Twitter pages. This film is currently still in theaters with a VERY Limited release, but if you have a all region DVD or Blu-ray player you can import the DVD from Amazon UK for about $16. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

 

Kill Theory (2009)

If you were in a situation that required you to kill in order to survive, would you do it? What if the people you had to kill were your best friends? It’s an interesting concept to think of, I would like to think that I wouldn’t kill my friends, but unfortunately humans are primal creatures deep at our core. When were a backed in to a corner and its life or death we all would react differently.

Kill Theory is a story about just that, If you were put in a situation where it was kill or be killed… would you do it? Basically a group of college kids go out to a cottage for one last hurrah before graduation. When one of them is brutally killed, they find out they are not alone, and they all have life or death decisions to make.

The film stars Ryanne Duzich (Friday Night Lights), Teddy Dunn, Daniel Franzese (I Spit On Your Grave Mean Girls, Party Monster), Agnes Bruckner (The Pact, Blood & Chocolate), Patrick Flueger (Brothers, Mother’s Day, Footloose), Steffi Wickens, Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy), and Taryn Manning (Hustle & Flow, 8-Mile, SoA, Hawaii 5-0). While it did not possess the greatest acting, it was still good. At times I felt Daniel Franzese frantic crying and screaming was a little much but his delivery was still good. Taryn is fantastic as always while she doesn’t have many lines she still shows why she is successful. Ryanne Duzich, Agnes Bruckner, Theo Rossi, and Patrick Flueger did great jobs as well. Ryanne is very good as Amber, I am surprised I haven’t seen her in more stuff. She’s talented and very beautiful. I hope to see her back in action soon.

Written by Kelly C. Palmer, Kill Theory’s biggest strength is its script. The dialog is fluid and natural. The overall premise is the most captivating part of the film. It makes you think and put yourself in the same position. That along, makes this film successful. While some areas of the film hit a bit of a wall, the overall arch of the films story is great. There is a lot of red stuff in the film, fans get some shootings, sliced throats, shovel smashes, human traps, eye puncturing, & stabbings. While there was a lot of red stuff, the setting is so dark its hard to tell if a lot of it was effective. It looked good, but hard to tell.

Basically, Kill Theory is a great movie to watch if you want to kill some time with a good movie. The story and premise are great, the acting is ok, and the gore is alright. GLP gives this effort a 3 out of 5 stabs. The film was released on DVD as part of the After Dark Horrorfest Series 4. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

Bludgeon (2013)

I have a huge amount of respect for anyone that goes out of the way to do something they really love to do. There is something about indie horror that I really like. Whether it’s the gritty raw feeling, or the amount of effort that goes into making them I will never know. But it’s always nice to see people actually trying. I will commend and praise that until the day I die.

Concept Media’s Bludgeon is about a serial killer that plagues a small Ohio town for more than 30 years. Girls around the town begin disappearing and as the killers M.O. changes, so does the complexity of the killings. Personally I didn’t care for the film, but I’m not in the business of trashing a film just because I didn’t enjoy it. There are good qualities and there are bad. My goal is to offer up these criticisms as a building tool from someone who appreciates everything about horror.

Bludgeon’s story is great, and based off of true events at that. Written, Directed, and Edited by Shawn Burkett, I really like the inspiration of the film as well as the way the film twists. Starting in the 80’s and eventually working its way into present time was a great way to get the back story. I feel like a lot of films really miss the mark on hitting back stories, this film did it very well.

The acting in the film was so-so, I felt a lot of the actors and actresses did not have a lot of experience, thus a lot of stiffness can be seen early on in the film. The scene involving kids at a pizza place was really hard to watch because of it. However, the shining star of the film is Haley Madison (Quinn). She gave a great performance as Quinn the Pizza Girl. There are some rather intense scenes that she really nailed.

Some of the scenes in the film were very excruciating in length, and I felt this took away from film quite a bit. Bludgeon barely hit the 60 minuet mark and after finishing the film I got the impression that these scenes were long to help drag out the time of the movie. That is not a good feeling to have after watching a film. The trunk, wallet, and photo album scenes are the best examples of this. I think the film could have been better served as a short rather than a full length feature.

I thought the sound editing in the film was great, and the music in the film was good too, however I thought the use of music under dialog was a bad idea, at times Quinn is on the phone and the music interrupts the dialog. A lot of this can be attributed to the parts of the songs not being just instrumental, and the vocals muddying the dialog. The non-musical score was good too. The shriek violin/cello string scraps were a very nice touch.

The blood is ok, at times it did look like face paint though. There is not a tremendous amount of gore in the film. The viewer gets some smashed heads and crushed knee. It looks like there was a mixture of CGI and Practical effects; however the most important kill in the film looked real rough. The viewers also get a naked chick in the beginning of the film as well.

All in all the film is not groundbreaking, but it has its own charm. I think Bludgeon is just a step for Shawn Burkett and Concept Media, I look forward to seeing them improve and keep developing their craft. GLP gives Bludgeon 2 out of 5 stabs. While not the most exciting film it was still worth the watch.  Go get your hands on a copy and watch it for yourself. As I said before I am not in the business in tearing down films, I am just offering my honest opinion, and offering criticisms in hopes they will not fall on deaf ears. Go support indie film making and this film by visiting Concept Media’s Website and Facebook, as well as Bludgeon’s Facebook and Website. Bludgeon is currently available on Blu-Ray & DVD through Concept Media’s online store. Check out the teaser below!

GLP Rating:

Would You Rather (2013)

It’s hard to fathom a game I used to play in high school being anything more than sexual fueled attempt to make out with girls while drinking. But as faith would have it, that memory filled teenage game has now been twisted into some kind of moral dilemma of life or death. The stakes are high, the choices are harder, and the game is no longer for kids.

IFC Film's Would You Rather follows Iris (Brittany Snow) a 20 something girl who looks after her sick brother after her parents pass in some sort of accident. Inheriting her younger brother’s medical bills and assuming the role of “mom” Iris is propositioned by a very rich man named Shepard Lambrick (Jeffery Combs), the founder of some health foundation, to attend a dinner party and play a game. The winner of said game will have all of the medical bills, outstanding debt, and other things paid for. All you have to do is win, but when dinner begins she finds out she may have gotten more than she bargained for.

Would You Rather is a terrific movie. The whole movie there is this air of despair that is really hard to shake. As the films story unfolds, the scenes get more intense and actually keep you on the edge of you seat. The director (David Guy Levy) did an amazing job capturing the raw emotions of the characters though out the situations they are facing, All the while capturing the beauty of the setting around the chaos happening round it.

The acting is great in this movie. The legendary Jeffery Combs takes his acting chops to another level as Lambrick, and Brittany Snow steps out of her teeny shadow with this matured roll and adult subject matter. Porn Star Sasha Grey shows she can do more than give a good lay with her very dark portrayal of Amy. Kevin’s dad himself John Heard also makes an appearance in the film as Conway. Trailer Park Boys very own Robb Wells also appears in the film as the slight comic relief.  Overall the film was very well acted and a lot of the actors truly surprised me with how well they did.

The special effects make up, while minimal, were very convincing. At times I found myself cringing with what the possible outcomes of the situations would be. I kept thinking for the worse but never truly hit the nail on the head. I was pleasantly surprised with the effects.

The film also makes you think. If you are giving an extreme choice, and had to make a decision, what would you do? The film brought a whole new meaning to the game would you rather and might I say, completely changed my outlook on the shear possibilities of it.

Would You Rather is just another example of a great independent horror film. I will not be disappointed if films like this continue to be released. Would You Rather earns itself a 5 out of 5 stabs for creativity, acting, setting, and writing. Dare I say best horror film of 2013? We shall see. Would you rather is currently available OnDemand though iTunes. For more information on the film check out their Facebook page. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

House at the End of the Street (2012)

I am not much of a fan of these PG-13 diet horror films. The target audience is evident when you watch films like this. Teenage kids going to the movies without parental guidance, looking to get handsy with one another while the lights are out and a "scary" movie is playing. We have all done it. However my generation was watching films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, and other 90's fair. Teen movies now days feel watered down, and safe. Where's the thrill? All I can see are jump scares.

House at the End of the Street (HATEOTS) is precisely why mainstream horror films are starting to decline. The stories are all the same, the thrills are made be sound, and the efforts seem rather lackluster. To make this brief I did not enjoy HATEOTS. I found it very slow and awkward. I knew going into it that it did very well in the box office, and nailed its target demographic. However seasoned horror fans were less than stoked on it, and most voiced their frustrations openly.

Basically the film is about Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) a teenage girl who moves to a small town from the Windy City. She make friends with Ryan (Max Thieriot) her next door neighbor who still lives in the house his parents where killed in. Things get strange and Elissa is faced with a terrible situation.

The only 3 good qualities of this film are Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, and the plot twist at the end, which wasn't even that good. I respect what the writers tried to do, but watering down a potentially good story to sell to kids is not what horror is about. Horror is intended to scare, thrill, and evoke terror in the audience. I did not get any of that. As I said Jennifer and Max did a great job, they are both very talented actors and I enjoyed watching them interact with each other. The overall film is just lacking that true grit of horror.

The film is what it is. There are few goods and a whole lot of bads. The film was also filmed in 2010, and was just released at the tail end of 2012. My guess is that the studio released it to capitalize on the success of the lovely & talented Miss Lawrence. All and all its not a terrible way to kill some time, however I'd have your phone handy to relieve boredom. GLP gives this effort 2 out of 5 stabs for Jennifer and Max's performance only. The film has been released on Blu-Ray and DVD, and is also available on demand everywhere. View the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

The ABC's Of Death (2013)

Outrageous, twisted, over the top, sadistic, appalling, and fun as hell! Magnet Releasing and Drafthouse Films' The ABC's Of Death was one of the most anticipated horror films of 2013. Did it live up to the hype? I will let you be the judge.

The ABC's of Death is a fairly simple movie. The concept was give 26 directors a letter of the alphabet, give them 100% artistic and creative freedom, and have them make a short film based a word that starts with the letter they were given. I think part of the reason this film had such hype, is because of the names that were attached to the film. With directer's like Angela Bettis, Yûdai Yamaguchi, Ti West, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Jon Schnepp, Xavier Gens, and Jason Eisener why wouldn't there be a crazy amount of hype for this.

I really enjoyed The ABCs of Death. I thought for the most part, the film was well put together. There are some very outstanding shorts present here, and some that are not. With 26 different shorts present, your probably not gonna like every one of them. At some points I was cringing, at other times I was saying WTF is going on.

ABC's has some very good shorts, I didn't actively make mental note or write down what ones I thought were good. I simply went by what one evicted some sort of emotion out of me. Weather it be cringing, gagging, laughing, ect. I was out to enjoy the film, and went in with an open mind. D is for Dogfight by Marcel Sarmiento was defiantly my favorite, It was shot beautifully, and the use of slow motion was a very nice touch. Jason Eisener's Y is for Young Buck was another stand out for me. I love everything about Eisener's short film, the shooting style, soundtrack, film filters, and of course the absurdity of the whole thing. Eisener is defiantly and upcoming director to look out for.

Other good ones were A is for Apocalypse, F is for Fart, H is for Hyrdo-Electric Diffusion, J is for Jidai-geki, K is for Klutz, L is for Libido, Q is for Quack, S is for Speed, T is for Toilet, U is for Unearthed, W is for WTF, and X is for XXL. All of these shorts were shot well, and were entertaining.

The shorts there were the absolute worst of the bunch were Ti West's M is for Miscarriage, Andrew Traucki's G is for Gravity and Adrian Garcia Bogliano's B is for Bigfoot. I am not sure what these directors were thinking but these shorts were just terrible. Most notable of the bunch is Ti West's M is for Miscarriage, being the shortest and laziest. I honestly felt I could have directed the SAME EXACT thing, shot for shot. I thought it was disrespectful, and the biggest let down of the shorts. I am a rather big fan of Ti's and felt he just didn't care enough to put forth any effort. While these were the biggest flops of the film, it still doesn't take away from the overall picture.

Magnet Releasing has hit the nail on the head once again with The ABC's of Death, proving that they are steadily becoming a force to be reckoned with in the indie horror film world. I have nothing but positive things to say about Magnet, and am very excited to see what else they have in store for us horror fans in the future. The ABC's of Death defiantly lived up to the hype, even though some of the shorts were sub-par. ABC's delivered everything a horror fans salivate over. Gore, Nudity, Absurdity, Laughs, and overall entertainment. GLP gives this blood soaked effort 4 out of 5 stabs. The film was released on 1/31 as a pre-theatrical OneDemand release, which Magnet is defiantly doing right. Although the rental price is a little pricey at $10, its well worth it. Be sure to check out Magnets Facebook page for more information on upcoming horror releases, as well as more information on The ABC's Of Death, and check out the films Facebook page as well. The ABC's of Death will be hitting select theaters on March 8th. Check out the NSFW trailer below.

GLP Rating:

I Didn't Come Here To Die (2010)

When it comes to indie horror films, I usually go in with low expectations and plan on being disappointed when its finished. So when I rented I Didn't Come Here To Die (IDCHTD) it was no different. I sat down and was ready to spend most of the movie on my phone. This time my phone never left my pocket. IDCHTD held my interest, and I finished the film with a huge shit eating grin on my face.

IDCHTD is a film written & directed by Bradley Scott Sullivan. The film is about 6 volunteer workers that head out to the woods to start clearing it out for underprivileged kids. After a while unfortunate accidents start to happen around the camp, leaving each of them fending for themselves. The usual suspects are all here The Jock/ Douche Chris (Niko Red Star), The Goody Two-Shoes Miranda (Madi Goff), The Indie/ Emo Chick Julie (Indiana Adams), The Pussy Whipped Guy Steve (Jeremy Vandermause), The Quite Guy Danny (Kurt Cole), & The Leading Lady Sophia (Emmy Robbin).

I really thought this film was great. It was a refreshing take on new horror. Writer/ Director Bradley Scott Sullivan did a great job flipping the conventions of the horror genre by placing the victims fates predominantly in their own hands. Not to mention the film filters and effects are a homage to Grindhouse cinema of the 70's and 80's. The subtle film grain gave IDCHTD a very nice tone, as well as a slight feeling of maturity. I felt like the camera angles used were complimentary to the film as well as creative.

Acting in this film was really good. All of the actors took their roles and ran with them, Most notably Madi Goff as Miranda, I wanted her to die so bad, where as I felt sympathy for Jeremy's character Steve at one point. The actors all did great with their respective roles. I have to admit something ..I think I fell in love with Emmy Robbin while watching this movie. She is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! She did a fantastic job with the character of Sophie.

The visual effects in the film were done really well, you could tell there was some CGI but I didn't think it was too over done. The practical effects used in the film were great, considering that the budget for the film as approximately $100,000. The viewer gets some serious death including one involving a chainsaw. This film really takes a big leap for Indie Horror, offering up a sophisticated new school slasher feel without conforming to any of the so-called "RULES".

If I can sum up my thoughts of IDCHTD, I would have to say this film is great. The film has humor, gore, and great acting. It also far exceeded my expectations. GLP gives this indie effort a whooping 5 out of 5 for outstanding cast, effects, film editing, and direction. Not to mention a pretty sweet soundtrack featuring one of my favorite artists Passion Pit. I will defiantly be looking out for Bradley Scott Sullivan's future efforts, and buying up the DVD once they become available again. In the mean time, the film is currently available all major OnDemand video providers. Be sure to check out the film's Webpage as well as their Facebook page. Check out the trailer below.

GLP Rating:

To All A Goodnight (1980)

To all a goodnight is one of those slasher flicks that had always alluded me. Whether I would just skip over it, or put it back on the shelf for another whose box art was cooler, This film never made it to my VCR. Finally in the age of technology, I was able to watch this film for the very first time, and just in time for Gory Little X-Mas. As I was watching, the film reminded me of another film that is near and dear to my heart and prompted me to do some investigative "online" research.

Without giving anything away, To All A Goodnight is about an all girls school called the Calvin Finishing School for Girls. Right off the bat the viewers are thrown into the story, with a girl running from a group of other girls laughing chanting and giggling. One of the girls is wearing a Santa hat and holding and axe. We soon see the group of girls has cornered the young girl and frightened she accidentally falls to her death of some balcony. The story then jumps 2 years later and we see a person in a Santa Claus costume start to pick off the occupants of the Calvin Finishing School that have stayed for Christmas Vacation.

While the movie isn't terrible, it's not the best slasher film out there. The print is extremely dark (almost as dark as "Humongous"). One of my biggest pet peeves with most obscure slasher titles are the transfers. This VHS backup is so dark, at times its so hard to see whats going on you miss something awesome. This is all to common though with these older horror flicks, especially the ones that have yet to get official releases, much like this one. The transfer is watchable, but I would make sure you pay attention, cause it's very easy to miss whats going on.

For me the pacing of the film was a little wacky. The start of the film starts off at a decent pace. The viewer gets the first kill about 7 or 8 minutes in. Not a bad start at all, however about 2/3rds of the way trough the movie it hits a lull. You see the film is separated into 3 chunks, 4 if you count the beginning set up. The formula is 1 night, 1 day, 1 night. The killer picks off about 6 or so people the first night. Then the action stops. Its day time so you get a lot of setup. Where are our friends, blah, blah. Then once night falls again, the action is back on. This break up between days really threw off the pacing for me and at times I had trouble paying attention.

Interestingly enough, David Hess directed this little gem. While he is a legend in front of the camera for films like "Last House On the Left",  "House on The Edge of The Park", and "Swamp Thing". His talent behind the camera is less than stellar. I usually don't pay attention to the beginning or ending credits for that matter, but his name really popped out from that screen. Nothing special to see as far as direction...it just sort of falls flat.

The special effects are pretty good considering the time. You get a decapitation, throat slits, head smashing, stabbings, propeller-ing. However since the film is dark its hard to see a lot of the effects which could play in its favor, but I feel like it hurt some of it too because it look like some promising makeup work was achieved only to get hidden by darkness.

To All A Goodnight is strangely similar to another film that came out the same year. That film is the original "Friday The 13th". Its odd but the final minuets are laid out quite alike. The killer reveals their motives and tries to take out the final person. Now these are typical slasher rules and clichés, However at this point in time the slasher genera was just starting to be born, Halloween had only came out a year before and not many films really capitalized on the slasher craze yet.Being intrigued by this I did some research. To All A Goodnight officially hit theaters on Jan 30th, 1988. Made on an estimated $70,000 budget according to IMDB.com. Friday The 13th hit theaters a little over 3 months after To All A Goodnight on May 9th, 1980. Made on an estimated $550,000 and grossing $5,816,321 it opening weekend. I could not find the box office for To All a Goodnight but I'm sure it didn't do anywhere near as good as Friday.

To All A Goodnight is a modest attempt at an early slasher. While the pacing is off and print is very bad it still has some very nice moments and still manages to get some viewing time by hardcore horror nerds during the holidays. For a decent promise and effects To All A Goodnight gets 2 out of 5 stabs. While it's not the worst holiday themed horror I've come across and it predates Silent Night, Deadly Night by almost 4 years...it just falls flat in a lot of areas. It's defiantly worth the watch but keep a backup plan, it could get boring. If your interested in watching this film it may be hard to track down a VHS, and you may be able to find it online, however GLP would suggest heading to our friends at VHSPS to get their 100% VHS transfer. They offer direct from the source VHS transfers, so no cut cable versions, or crappy bootlegs. No trailer to be found...sorry guys.

GLP Rating:

The Bay (2012)

After a nice holiday break, GLP is back with a new review for your reading displeasure.

Upon deciding to watch this film, I really had no knowledge of the movie. I thought is was about some sort of alien, maybe some sort of monster. I did , however, go into watching this film with VERY LOW expectations. After I finished watching it I was not terribly disappointed, nor was I completely satisfied. It was not until I did my homework that I became really disappointed.

The Bay is about the small seaside town called Claridge, Maryland that has an "outbreak" on the 4th of July leaving the small town in a panic. The "outbreak is not that of zombies, but a parasitic one caused by major pollution to the town bay. The movie is told through the oh so OVER USED found footage theme, using different people's footage to piece together the events that happened before and during the outbreak.

Standing alone, the film had great potential, and is not a bad watch. That is about as deep as it gets. On the surface its got some good acting, decent CGI, and decent practical effects. The radio/ podcast interview with the town's mayor really stood out to me. I felt that was actually one of the best scenes in the movie, the authenticity of the interview was a very nice touch. 

My disappointment with this film came from behind the cameras. This film was directed by Barry Levinson. For those of you, like me, that don't particularly follow directors or behind the scenes guys in films, Berry & his previous films have been nominated for multiple Oscars, and He himself won "Best Director" for 1988's Rain Man. Berry has directed such films as  Diner (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Rain Man (1988), Bugsy (1991), Toys (1992), Disclosure (1994) Sleepers (1996) Sphere (1998), Liberty Heights (1999), and Bandits (2001) just to name a few. You would think that a guy with connections like that, and a resume like that could make a movie better than it was. Unfortunately he didn't, and because I now know Berry directed this, I feel less excited about it. 

So lets talk about the premise without giving too much away, Basically this town is polluting the bay with something bad, and as a result it is causing a nasty parasite to mutate into an even nastier version. I really enjoyed the overall arch of the story seeing as it was creative, not entirely original, but still good enough. I felt out of all the aspects of this film, The story keep me at attention and as an end result made me like the film.

Found footage films need to be buried in the past. They were cool for a hot minuet but now it's getting to the point were EVERYTHING is being shot in the style. I feel this film could have benefited from solid camera work. Cinematography...not shitty handheld bullshit. This film could have been eerie, and frightening without the found footage effect, however, as a result it become hokey at times and sometimes laughable.

The film is not bad, it mainly suffers from bad decisions behind the camera. I really wish this film would have not used the found footage aspect, I probably would have like it a lot more. The story is good, the acting is decent, and the practical effects are good as well. The movie is just OK with good parts here and there, GLP gives The Bay a 3 out of 5 stabs. If your interested in checking this film out you can do so ONLY on-demand. Check out the trailer below.

GLP RATING

Excision (2012)

When you think of coming of age films, horror does not usually stand out as the leading genre for such a subject. We usually think of films like The Breakfast Club, Almost Famous, The Virgin Suicides, and others where the main protagonist is faced with some sort of life altering dilemma that forces them to essentially grow up. These films are all great, but we hardly enter the mind of the characters, most notably one in which the main character is a psychopath. Excision is a great example of that, the mind of teenage nut job.

Excision is a film written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr. in his very first feature length film. I have to say he did a wonderful job. I had been hearing about this film for some time, reading the blog about how its edgy and weird, but at the same time slightly heart wrenching. I have to agree with what people are saying, this film is all of the above and in most cases more.

The story follows Pauline played by AnnaLynne McCord, and 18 year old outcast that dreams (lucidly) of becoming a surgeon. Pauline has a younger sister with cystic fibrosis that requires her to take some sort of breathing treatment wearing a vibrating vest. We follow Pauline in her dealings with her overbearing mother (Traci Lords), a verbally absent father, and ridicule from her peers at school. Pauline however has a dark secret, she dreams of often extremely bloody surgical experiments that leave her rather aroused.

This film is absolutely fantastic. AnnaLynne's performance as Pauline was seriously some of her best work. Her facial expressions, body language, and attitude personified her character. Being a very attractive female the crew had to utilize make up and prosthetic to achieve Pauline frumpy, and quite honestly ugly character, giving her pimples, cold sores, a sickly pale completion, and greasy hair. For that I applaud the make up crew for doing such an amazing job.

Annalynne's performance was not the only one to shine. Traci Lords did a fantastic job as the overbearing mother. Much like Carries mother in Carrie, Traci's words we biting and unemotional. Traci did a great job of playing cold and unsympathetic bitch. Over the period of the film you see a transition in her character. By that point, however, the damage had already been done. You also get some interesting cameo appearances from Malcolm McDowell, and John Waters that are a nice touch.

Pauline's dream sequences are dark and beautiful portrayals of madness. In these sequences, Annalynn looks seductive and hot as hell. Shedding the ugly girl makeup and showing more of the Annalynn most people are accustomed to. These scenes usually entailed tons of blood, and uncomfortable situations involving body parts. These scenes really pay off, if your paying attention to the movie...you gradually see them getting progressively more intense and as a the film runs out. Exceptional...

I really don't have a single complaint with this movie. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I will say I was expecting more of a horror film when I saw the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Everyone did a fantastic job in this film, this could be one of the best films of 2012. GLP give Excision 4 out of 5 stabs for an excellent story, top notch acting, and dream sequences that will literally make you squirm. To find out more information about Excision check out their Facebook and Official Webpage. This film is currently available on demand through Vudu. You can also purchase the films on Blu-Ray and DVD. Check out the trailer below.

GLP Rating