BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON (2006) - Black Comedy / Horror

Starring: Robert Englund, Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals.
Directed by: Scott Glosserman
Review Written By: Joey D

The 'Black Comedy' genre has been extremely popular over the last few years and we are not talking about movies starring Queen Latifah or Ice Cube! The comedy stylings of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright in both Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz provide the perfect description of a well-balanced concoction of giggles and guts. Although this guaranteed money-making formula can be extremely hard to achieve and films such as Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon show how NOT to make a dark-sided comedy.

Set in a world where fictional killers such as Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger were actually once dicing up real teenagers, the story follows Taylor (Angela Goethals) and her video crew as they make a documentary detailing the life of Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), a serial killer in training. What begins as a simple film showing the delusions of a man with an abusive past quickly becomes video evidence of Vernon's killing spree.

The film isn't the worst thing you are likely to see as it does have some very interesting scenes and the cutting between documentary-style shooting and cheesy, choreographed horror shots is a unique concept. Although this does not make up for the movies short-comings and ultimately does not make Behind The Mask a film worthy of the DVD collection. It starts off with a lot of promise and the legendary movie killers referencing would make the common horror junky hot under the collar but after this initial pleasant surprise, it becomes barely entertaining.

The acting is below par from the entire cast, including the legendary Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wishmaster) who is in the film for a total of around three minutes. Angela Goethals destroys the atmosphere of the supposed documentary by making it very obvious that she is acting and in several instances it was clear that she was aiming to win an Oscar due to her 'look at me, i am in a movie' kind of attitude. Nathan Baesel who plays Leslie Vernon is tolerable at first, then completely destroys his performance by over-emphasizing the fact that he is a psychopath through annoying ticks and quirks such as his inappropriate desire to constantly hug Taylor - is he a psychopath or a teddy bear?!

The writing and direction is actually the finer material that runs through this average movie. The dialogue between characters is very naturalistic and is unfortunately butchered by the actors which makes it all the more unbelievable in a situation where the audience is supposed to believe that they are watching a documentary. The original storyline and direction from Scott Glosserman is a unique addition to the genre and with a bit more care and some better casting, this review could have been praising this as one of the most original horror plots ever committed to celluloid.

Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is by no means the worst horror comedy to ever grace the DVD market but it is in no way worth the price attached to it. Sure it has a very unique and interesting approach to its target audience by using cultural references from the past such as the popular horror movie killers in order to make people take notice, yet the substance it provides from its own perspective lacks what made the predecessors of the genre legendary.

Not funny...Not scary...Not a black comedy...Not very impressive!

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INSIDE / A L'INTERIERE (2007) - Horror

Starring: Alysson Paradis, Beatrice Dalle.
Directed by: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury.
Review Written By: Joey D

French cinema has always been known to push the boundaries of taste and visual decency. Films such as Irreversible and Haute Tension were infamous on their release due to their extreme content and unrelenting effects on their audiences. Inside is no exception...

Inside - French title: A L'Interiere - is the story of Sarah (Alysson Paradis); a pregnant woman who survives a serious car accident which kills her boyfriend who, alone on Christmas Eve, is paid a visit by a rather nasty guest (Beatrice Dalle - Trouble Every Day). What follows is a night of terrifying proportions.

To say that Inside is a challenge to watch to the very end without pressing the stop button prematurely is the understatement of the century. Sure there is a fair few buckets of the red stuff with some chunky stuff thrown in for good measure but the real power of this film is its sheer brutality. Nothing is hidden from the camera and as the blood flows, every gritty detail is covered by several camera angles. Movie Maestro rarely has to turn away in disgust but Inside really is a testing experience.

The two lead actresses put in stellar performances with special mention going to the psychotic killer played by Beatrice Dalle. Everytime she lights a cigarette, an audience member bites a nail down to the finger as this becomes a clear indication that somebody is going to meet a grisly end at the hands of an extremely disturbed woman. Alysson Paradis creates a character who starts off as a generic damsel in distress but soon becomes a danger to any potential psycho that plans to disturb her holiday season.

The writing plays a very small part in the film as the lingering shots and gratuitious violence does all the talking. Although this is not a negative comment as too much dialogue would probably destroy the film's pungeant tone.

Overall, Inside is not a film to be enjoyed and unless you have a multi-region DVD player, its doubtful that you will see a completely uncut copy of this vile movie. If it was just the violence and the brutality that created this gritty experience then it would be easier to give this film 5 stars in every category but by the grim finale, you are stripped of any positive feelings towards what you had just watched.

Not recommended for the weak of stomach, heart or anybody with morals...a sickening yet well presented piece of filth.

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RULES OF ATTRACTION, THE (2003) - Art House Drama

Starring: James Van Der Beek, Shannon Sossamon, Jessica Biel, Ian Sommerhaulder.
Directed by: Roger Avery
Review Written By: Joey D

Sex, violence, drugs and all manner of unruly language seems to ooze out of every recent motion picture that a once-tasteful Hollywood produces. Unfortunately, the majority of the above are used to extend the films time to the one hour and thirty minutes benchmark rather than add any substance to a sub par production.

Thankfully, the film adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis’ controversial novel, The Rules of Attraction uses common sleaze to its advantage by breaking all taboo whilst maintaining a faithful reconstruction of an already brilliant book.

Set in the fictional American town of Camden, Sean Bateman (James Van Der Beek), Paul Denton (Ian Somerhalder) and Lauren Hynde (Shannyn Sossamon) are disturbed college students trapped in a destructive, mixed sexuality love triangle that’s fuelled by their hormonal delusions. Sean is constantly finding love letters from an anonymous admirer, Lauren breaks her vow of celibacy to seek out an appropriate replacement for her absent boyfriend and Paul is a homosexual male looking for companionship in an AIDS aware eighties.

As basic and familiar as the story sounds, Brett Easton Ellis’ play on words aided by Roger Avery’s artistic direction make this a thoroughly mind-bending assault on the eyes. The film begins with Lauren’s introduction to her side of the story which, as written in the book, starts mid-sentence. The proceeding ‘End of the World’ party scene expertly weaves Lauren, Sean and Paul’s introductions together using camera trickery, such as reverse motion and camera trail diversions, creates an unnerving introduction to an extremely relentless ‘head fuck’.

The Rules of Attraction does not contain an overflow of barely existent characters that are mentioned towards the beginning but are never actually addressed to the camera, instead it uses its less important characters to further extend the web of lust and deceit. There are notable cameos from Kate Bosworth, Eric Stoltz, Clifton Collins Jr and a show stealing scene, featuring Faye Dunaway and Russell Sams.

The controversy that surrounded the film on its release is not completely media induced hype. The scenes of a graphic nature which include gratuitous sex/rape, offensive language and a sensationally nasty suicide moment were penned to make the censor’s heads spin. In fact, the only place in Europe to obtain a full uncut release of the film is in France where the suicide scene and Lauren’s rape encounter are in their full entirety.

The film’s artistic direction may not be to all tastes, its controversy may be a reason to stray for weaker natured viewers and the thought of seeing James Van Der Beek as anyone other than Dawson Leary might suggest a bold career move but the Rules of Attraction delivers all the factors required to boost an art film into mainstream cinema.

Quite possibly the most important film ever.

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RATATOUILLE (2007) - Animated Family Comedy

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Peter O' Toole, Lou Romano & John Ratzenburger
Directed by: Brad Bird
Review Written By: Joey D

Opening the door to childhood fantasy proved profitable to both Pixar Animation Studios and Disney when Toy Story entertained young and old moviegoers alike. Several computer-based animated films followed but none quite as revolutionary as their slick debut. Then came Finding Nemo that once again set a new benchmark in animation with it’s pristine look and realistic water scenery, it was clear that Pixar were onto a winning formula. Then the competition stepped up the game with Oscar nominated penguin epic Happy Feet, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

It had become apparent that Pixar were going to have to re-revolutionise the market that was once so firmly in their grasp, which is when they created two of their most advanced movies to date. The first came in 2006 with the fantastic Cars, the next has taken the dismal 2007 sequel-packed summer by storm.

Ratatouille is the story of a rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt – King of Queens, Reno 911) who is tired of living the supposed vermin lifestyle. After secretly stealing fine cheeses and spices from an old ladies house, he develops a liking for finer cuisine and prefers to cook than indulge in the literal garbage that his colony are used to devouring. A chance encounter followed by a hilarious shoot-out scene with the old lady causes him to be separated from his family. On his travels to re-join the colony, he ends up in Paris where he meets Linguini (voiced by Lou Romano – Cars, The Incredibles), an unlucky kitchen ‘bin boy’ that could potentially make all of Remy’s dreams come true. By devising a way of making Linguini a human puppet, the two face a crooked head chef, a cruel food critic (excellently voiced by Peter ‘O’ Toole) and an unlikely romantic interest.

To say that Pixar have made a film worthy of the competitor’s standards would be the
understatement of the year as this truly is a masterpiece, not just in animation but in all aspects of modern cinema. Not only is it a perfect example of universal family appeal as adults can enjoy this as much – if not more- than the kids but it is also Disney/Pixar’s most beautifully animated feature film since Finding Nemo. It is often easy to forget that you are in fact watching a glamorized cartoon as the computer imagery is perfectly drawn. The scene in which Remy is making his unintentional journey to Paris sets a new standard for state-of-the-art aesthetics as the camera follows his speedy adventure in which he quickly dashes through sewers, building pipe works and wall cavities, all done in such detail that your only possible reaction is to gaze in complete awe.

Once again, Brad Bird’s direction is without fault and makes a point of focussing on the relationships of the central characters by providing key scenes consisting entirely of persona building dialogue. Where Disney Pixar rely on Andrew Stanton (Director – Finding Nemo, A Bugs Life) to provide a consistent flow of dialogue and action in almost equal measure, Bird is expected to show the dynamics between the story’s main bubble faced characters in a way that only he can.

Ratatouille is an absolute gem with some hilarious moments as well as some real heart felt scenes which shows without mercy that Brad Bird and Pixar are not forces to be reckoned with. Until the release of the next Stanton project Wall-E (which judging by the trailer, could be a potential Oscar winner), Remy the rat’s delicious concoction of fragrant humour and tasty animation will leave no patron unfulfilled.

Bon Appétit!

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