Tagarchief: FilmDungeon

The Family That Eats Soil

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

OT: Ang pamilyang kumakain ng lupa

Director: Khavn De La Cruz
Written by: Khavn De La Kruz
Cast: Carlo Catap, Hamid Eton, Gil Mendoza, Elisabeth Marin

Year / Country: 2004, The Philippines
Running Time: 75 mins.

I caught this gem at the International Film Festival Rotterdam of 2005. This bizarre, underground film follows a Filipino family that – as the title suggests – engages in the eating of a meal of soil. Three times a day.

The film opens with a clay animation of a violent rape and shooting and sets the tone right away. Then we meet the family in question during their first meal, a ritual that will return frequently throughout the film. That aside, we follow the separate family members during their independent activities that include pushing drugs, prostituting and murder.

Surreal images and brutal violence mark this feature by Filipino director Khavn De la Cruz. It has a very underground feel to it, and the splatter and gore violence may be off-putting for some. There is also a lot of symbolism to be found, most notably the soil eating that stands for the strong Filipino family bonds (rooted as the earth), and their agrarian background culture.

Rating:

Biography: Khavn De La Cruz (1973, Manila) is a Pilipino underground director who shoots all of his productions on digital video. He is the founder and president of his own production company Filmless Films, where he produced around 60 shorts and 15 features. De La Cruz is also the director of the MOV International Digital Film Festival, which has so far been held in Manila and Cebu City. Olaf Möller wrote about De la Cruz; ‘he might look like a prankster punk, but in the end he’s also an ass-kicking rebel priest’.

Filmography (a selection): The Twelve (2000), Greaseman (2001, two versions; short & feature), Headless (2004, short), Greaseman (2004, short), Small Ali (2004, short), Barong Brothers (2004, short), The Family That Eats Soil (2004), Amen, a Brown Comedy (2005, short), Can & Slippers (2005, short), Don’t Fall in Love With a Super Hero (2006, short), Waiting for a Super Hero (2006, short), G-String Kings (2006), Our Daily Bread (2006, short), Pornoman (2006, short), Aquaboy (2006, short), Rugby Boys (2006, short), Two Super Heroes Taking a Crap: A Toilet Musical (2006, short), By the Suez Canal (2007, short), Squatterpunk (2007), An Open Letter to All Terrorists in the World (2007, short)

Evil Dead II

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie DePaiva

Year / Country: 1987, USA
Running Time: 85 mins.

Evil Dead II marks a welcome return for director Raimi and star Campbell. It starts with a recap of the first film, with the distinction that five friends became just Ash (Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda. After Linda is possessed by evil, Ash hacks her up and buries her. However the evil returns and possesses Ash himself. This is the point where the first film ended. It then turns out that when dawn arrives, evil vanishes and Ash is back to his old self again. He now has till evening to get the hell out of dodge. Of course he can’t (bridge broken, what do you know?) and Ash’s everlasting struggle continues.

Humor makes an entry in this second Evil Dead flick. Big time. But luckily the terror hasn’t been forgotten. The combination of the two make this an even more enjoyable film than the first one. Raimi also takes his visual style to the next level and does an outstanding job in creating one breathtaking shot after the other. The camerawork and editing are just seamless.

Then there’s the great performance by Campbell who deserves much credit for carrying this flick. During a lot of screen time, it is just him alone in the cabin (without other humans that is). With his brilliant physical acting and his great comical timing he totally absorbs the audience’s attention. The slapstick fight with his own hand is an outrageous and comical masterpiece.

But there is more twisted humor to be found. Often this is accomplished with inventive gruesomeness, like the hilarious flying eyeball or the work-shed flight. Another fantastic achievement is the nerve shattering sequence around the witch in the fruit cellar. With this film Raimi, may well have delivered his finest one to date, making this an absolute must-see horror flick.

Rating:

Biography: Sam Raimi (1959, Royal Oak, Michigan) started making 8mm films when he was around ten years old. In his teenage years he first collaborated with his good friend Bruce Campbell, who would later appear in almost all of his films. The style of Raimi is influenced by the Three Stooges, of whom he is a huge fan. By making the short movie Within the Woods he managed to raise the required funds to make his first feature; the outrageous horror flick The Evil Dead. After that he made similar films with varying commercial success. In his films Raimi displays a great talent for creating inventive visuals. Most of his movies also feature slapstick and comic book elements. In 2002 Raimi made Spiderman, his biggest film to date. It was an enormous box-office success and Raimi would go on to make two sequels. Throughout his career Raimi has also produced many films and TV-series, mostly in the horror/fantasy genre. He remains a director with a huge fan base and many exciting future prospects.

Filmography (a selection): It’s Murder! (1977, short), Within the Woods (1978, short), Clockwork (1978, short), The Evil Dead (1981), Crimewave (1985), Evil Dead II (1987),  Darkman (1990), Army of Darkness (1992), The Quick and the Dead (1995), A Simple Plan (1998), For Love of the Game (1999), The Gift (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007)

The Evil Dead

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker

Year / Country: 1981, USA
Running Time: 85 mins.

Sam Raimi’s first feature film is a low budget horror shocker that would find an enormous cult support and send its creator to the Hollywood directors A-list. It would also spawn two sequels, comic books, lots of toys, a number of videogames and even a musical.

The story is simple: five friends take a holiday to a deserted cabin in the woods. Over there, they find a morbid archaeological artifact; Necronomicon Ex Mortis, the book of the dead. They also find a tape-recorder and –stupidly– play the recordings. The professor’s voice on the tape utters spells from the book and thereby resurrects the evil spirits in the forest. These spirits quickly head towards the cabin to possess the living. Once a human is possessed, bodily dismemberment is the only way to beat the demon that inhabits the body.

The execution of this gruesome tale is nearly flawless. From a slow and suspenseful build-up to the gore-drenched ending. In the meantime it provides more scares than a truckload of other eighties horror flicks. The young cast performs well. As opposed to many modern horrors the viewer can genuinely believe that these people are terrified. Raimi also creates tension with good use of sound and dazzling camerawork. The Evil-POV shots are especially a brilliant invention. The special make-up and gore effects are impressive considering the shoestring budget.

There are also some scenes of controversy. Most notably of course the tree-rape scene. Although the envelope in horror has been pushed further over the years, this remains a shocking scene when viewed today. Bruce Campbell’s character Ash is still fairly undeveloped at this point. Something that would drastically change with the follow-up Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn.

Rating:

Biography: Sam Raimi (1959, Royal Oak, Michigan) started making 8mm films when he was around ten years old. In his teenage years he first collaborated with his good friend Bruce Campbell, who would later appear in almost all of his films. The style of Raimi is influenced by the Three Stooges, of whom he is a huge fan. By making the short movie Within the Woods he managed to raise the required funds to make his first feature; the outrageous horror flick The Evil Dead. After that he made similar films with varying commercial success. In his films Raimi displays a great talent for creating inventive visuals. Most of his movies also feature slapstick and comic book elements. In 2002 Raimi made Spiderman, his biggest film to date. It was an enormous box-office success and Raimi would go on to make two sequels. Throughout his career Raimi has also produced many films and TV-series, mostly in the horror/fantasy genre. He remains a director with a huge fan base and many exciting future prospects.

Filmography (a selection): It’s Murder! (1977, short), Within the Woods (1978, short), Clockwork (1978, short), The Evil Dead (1981), Crimewave (1985), Evil Dead II (1987),  Darkman (1990), Army of Darkness (1992), The Quick and the Dead (1995), A Simple Plan (1998), For Love of the Game (1999), The Gift (2000), Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Gone in 60 Seconds

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: H.B. Halicki
Written by: H.B. Halicki
Cast: H.B. Halicki, Marion Busia, Jerry Daugirda, James McIntyre

Year / Country: 1974, USA
Running Time: 98 mins.

Stunt driver H.B. Halicki ventured into film with this independent flick that features the longest chase scene in film history. Halicki did everything himself; producing, acting, writing, directing and of course performing the many car stunts the film contains. The result is a somewhat unbalanced but nevertheless entertaining piece of popcorn cinema.

The story revolves around Maindrian Pace, a professional car thief who accepts the job to ‘collect’ 48 cars within a week. He and his colleagues start stealing cars all over L.A., but run into trouble when they attempt to nick a yellow Ford Mustang from 1973. Pace has to outrun the entire police force through several states, wreaking havoc wherever he goes.

The lack of story is compensated with car stunts galore, and Halicki knows how to pass on his passion for automobiles. Enthusiasts will revel at the sight of all great classic models on display here. Action fans will certainly enjoy the powerful stunt work, and movie fans in general might enjoy the seventies haircuts, atmosphere and music.

Still it feels a bit empty. Perhaps it’s the lack of personality of the characters, or it might be humor that is missing a bit. In any case it feels like a true ‘friends and family’ movie, which is something all cinema fans should definitely encourage. Besides, there is plenty to enjoy. The build-up is already reasonably suspenseful and once the chase starts, there is barely time to breathe. Halicki certainly deserves credit for realizing his dream and creating a one-of-a-kind movie in the process.

Rating:

Biography: H.B. Halicki (1940, New York – 1989, New York), also known as Toby and ‘The Car Crash King’ started his career in the towing business of his family. As a teenager he decided to move to California after losing two brothers. By the time he was 17, Halicki owned and operated his own body shop, while he simultaneously collected a wide range of automobiles. In 1974 Halicki made his feature debut with Gone in 60 Seconds, for which he contributed his enormous collection of cars. Several of those were damaged beyond repair during the shoot. After the film Halicki continued collecting cars, and he became owner of one of the largest private car collections in the world. In 1989 when Halicki was shooting Gone in 60 Seconds 2, he was killed when a telephone pole fell on him during a stunt.

Filmography: Gone in 60 Seconds (1974), The Junkman (1982), Deadline Auto Theft (1983)