It's hot and the folks in Astoria are bothered. Rival gangs, inter-racial difficulties, tentative friendships and aggrevated relationships stalk the mean streets of New York in Dito Montiel’s autobiographical film. Robert Downey Jr. (Dito Snr.), narrates from Montiel’s titular tome as we are addressed in what looks suspiciously like a project which will be handled overconfidently from a first-time director (Montiel from his own script.) The initial darkly-lit self-importance of the present day gives way to the hustle and bustle of 80’s Queens as everything goes decidedly Do The Right Thing. The story flits from past to present as we see grown-up Dito make the clearly painful trip from California to visit his sick father (Chazz Palminteri), whilst Shia LaBeouf (young Dito) struts the streets of growing pains, disillusionment, dreams and disaffection.

Though Montiel pulls-off an ambitious recreation of authenticity of the era and vicinity, the cohesion with which he should be presenting the temporal differences just is not there. Clearly, as we follow LaBeouf in the sweltering youth of relative poverty, there is a build up to a paternal rift; though once the realisation has been portrayed, one wonders what on earth all the fuss was about - it’s hardly This Boy’s Life. Montiel obviously has more faith in his life story than I do, and seems to think his life was one which was tougher/different/more painful than most others. I shall not ‘spoil’ this film by giving away the revelation, but lets just say it’s a precocious kid who, granted, has seen some tough stuff, is in the rotten situation of suffering an awful lot of unconditional love. Struggles with claustrophobic poverty, racism and violence have been done before and been done better. In short, this is an oft-worn track and one on which Montiel has left no lasting prints.

I don’t recommend leaving a space for this alongside Do The Right Thing, A Bronx Tale, Five Feet Hight And Rising, La Haine, Fresh, Kids etc. I do, however, recommend Dito Montiel pays a visit to an East European orphanage, or similar. 

Poor country boy Ivan Martin (Jimmy Cliff) leaves the countryside and heads to the city (Kingston) in search of fame and fortune. Ivan finds the promise that the streets of the big city are laden with opportunity a myth but refuses to give up on his dream and, although having recorded a hit record, he finds himself drawn into the ganja trade and the rude boy lifestyle.

A lot of films get given the tag’s “Cult Classic”, “Independent film Classic” and similar, and while to varying degree’s they may or may not deserve the titles, “The Harder They Come” is almost the definition of both. Working on commercials and for the BBC in Jamaica, director Perry Henzell always dreamed of making a feature film, and not just any feature film, but one with its roots firmly in his homeland of Jamaica. Perry had told people he not only intended to make such a movie, but he also intended to make it a success and the story of the process (covered in the documentary, “A Hard Road to Travel”) is almost as interesting as the film is good. When people think of Jamaica, feature films are not high on the list of things that come to mind, more than likely they will think of Reggae music and Bob Marley, Ganja and Gangsters or those hideous foreign-owned resorts that the nation’s people are kept out of. For a low budget movie full of a cast of unknowns and the first film made by the Jamaican film industry in 1972, “The Harder They Come” set a lot of firsts and has a resounding effect on influence on film since. This is really one of the first films for which the OST and was an integral selling point for the film, one of the first films to be shot on the then new Super 16 format and certainly the first film by a 3rd world nation that really showed life for the poor in such a nation. The stylistic and plot influences from this film can be seen in movies like Scarface, Taxi Driver, Perdita Durango (Dance with the Devil), Men with Guns as well as in the works of Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
Jimmy Cliff is fantastic in the lead role, utterly convincing as the man who just wants his share of the pie as he sings in the title song “as sure as the sun will shine, I’m going to get my share, what’s mine ... because the harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all ...”. Ivan’s view on life is best summed up by the conversation he has with his devoutly Christian girlfriend in which he says “you want me to go and beg work for 10 dollars a day, I tried that, Id rather die ...” and in the same scene after she calls him a dreamer he replies “me a dreamer? Who’s a bigger dreamer than you, always talking about milk and honey in the sky, well no milk and honey in the sky, not for you, not for me, it's right down here and I want mine now, tonight!” Considering the majority of the cast had never been in front of a camera before the acting is excellent, with standout performers from Bobby Charlton as the record boss Hilton who gives Ivan a measly twenty dollars for his record and Carl Bradshaw as the area’s ganja boss.
 
One of the excellent plot devices and a standout moment from the movie is the cinema showing of Django which Ivan attends with Jose, in which he is totally fascinated by Franco Nero’s genre defining performance and, when fearing that Django may die is told “Don’t be a fool man, you think the hero can die before the last reel”, the film leaves a big mark on Ivan and plays a pivotal role in “The Harder They Come's” finale. There are so many standout scenes in this film though, showing us both the highs and lows of Ivan existence as he goes all out after his dream of success and good living. Classic are the moment when, as a now legendary gunman on the run and anti hero for the oppressed “sufferers” of the Kinston Ghetto’s are the scenes when Ivan dressed in full rudeboy regalia takes his own glamorous gunman shots and sends them to the newspapers and when he takes a luxury car for a spin on a golf cause. Ivan's record, Jimmy Cliffs fantastic reggae standard “The Harder They Come” becomes a hit as his legend grows, but by now the law is closing on Ivan leading to one cult films most memorable scenes as Ivan, like his screen hero Django faces off against insurmountable odds and cal'sl out “one bad man, who can draw.” I recently read an article in which actor Benicio Del Toro listed this as one of his top 5 favorite films of all time and it's good after 30 years people can still see the genius in this movie from Jamaica. Passed off as yet another Blaxsploitation movie in the USA and given the tagline “he’s got a plan to stick it to the man,” the director took back the rights from Roger Corman and went on to sell the film himself, it took him 6 years but the movie finally made a profit. The film has gone on to find legendry status amogst fans of cult film, reggae and people who just like a damn good movie.

Great Characters, great scenes, great music and a great movie

Troubled mathematical genius, Maximillian Cohen (Sean Gullette) is on the brink of what he believes could be a major discovery; a numerical key to formulate a pattern from seemingly random occurrences. His intention is to apply his findings to the stockmarket but some Jewish fanatics have other ideas.

Many people will by now be familiar with the work of talented director Darren Aronofsky via the stylised but honest drug film, Requiem for a Dream, which has gathered steady acclaim through word of mouth since its release in 2000. Less well known is his first feature length film, Pi, released 2 years earlier. Though less polished and well rounded than Requiem, Pi is an incredible first feature showing Aronofsky’s great talent for presenting an insular nightmare which is expanded to even greater effect in the later and better known film. At a mere 80 minutes and coming in on a borrowed budget of just $60,000, Pi won the Directors award at Sundance in the year of its release and heralded the move from promising student to world-renowned talent.
“When I was a little kid, my mother told me not to stare into the sun, so once when I was six I did.” So says Max as we see him unconscious on the floor with a bloody nose, the result of one of his frequent and debilitating migraines. It is unclear as to whether such brilliance was the cause of such brilliance but the relationship between nature and mathematics is one which fascinates our protagonist, believing as he does that everything in nature can be explained through numbers, that nothing is random.
Under the watchful supervision of mentor Sol (Mark Margolis) Max is on a mission to unlock a numerical key which he believes could help him crack the stockmarket. With an almost monstrous computer spread around the room, he obsessively eyes the figure of the market in line with his predictions. However, the content of his head is a much desired thing and he is pursued threateningly by Marcy Dawson (Pamela Hart) and not so threateningly, at least to begin with, by Lenny Meyer (Ben Shenkman,) each for their own ends. Marcy is similarly interested in the stockmarket angle but Lenny's need is devoutly based in his religious faith, Kabbalah.

Filmed in scratchy, grainy, high-contrast black and white with a drum and bass soundtrack and ominous score, Pi is audibly and visually like an intellectual nightmare, which is, in effect, just what it is. Though it has roots in the thriller genre as he is oppressively tracked by Marcy and increasingly so by Lenny, it is his inner turmoil, his agony and the weight of knowing something so huge that is really the subject of this film. It is his obsession with a 216 digit number which may ‘just be a number’ or may be the answer to literally everything; the stockmarket, computer ‘consciousness’ or, as Lenny believes, the name of God in numerical form. It is the latter which fuses perfectly the idea of nature and chaos as opposed to structured predictability as Max, a non-practicing Jew, is forced to reassess his ‘faith in chaos.’

With a fascinating and increasingly and frighteningly plausible plot, inspired and nightmarish visuals, Darren Aronofsky's glimpse into the psyche of a genious is both style and content.

A group of five criminals break into a warehouse at night and tie up the two watchmen so they can steal a truck load of laptop computers. Meanwhile the notorious head of an Albanian crime group is being transported to Strasburg on charges including the slavery and forced prostitution of young girls and women. When the security forces transporting him are ambushed and most are killed by members of his Albanian mob, the remaining members make a break for it and hold up in the same warehouse which is the scene of the heist. Surrounded by psychopathic gang members intent on freeing their boss those inside the warehouse must set aside their differences and unite if they are to have any chance at all of surviving the night.

The nest is the second feature film directed by Florent Emilio Siri who has since gone on to direct Bruce Willis in the Hollywood blockbuster Hostage. His first being Une minute de silence (Not a film I have seen) and he has also directed two of the video game series Splinter Cell based on Tom Clancy's characters. Making its French debut in 2002 hype has been slow building for this one, with the Internet playing as it often does a role in getting people to take notice. Thus it finally got its release in English speaking regions. Amongst the films ensemble cast the most recognisable face (To non French audiences anyway) is probably that of Samy Naceri who plays maniac behind the wheel Daniel in the highly successful Taxi series of movies and also stared in overlooked but enjoyable French gangster film La Mentale AKA The Code.

The French seem to have a knack for making these quality action films that match and in many cases surpass their Hollywood counterparts on a fraction of the budget. The Nest is basically an unofficial remake of John Carpenters Assault on Precinct 13 and before anyone starts I know that was a remake of Rio Bravo, but lets face it, Assault is the movie being remade / homaged / re-imagined or what ever the hell the current trendy phrase is for using some one else's ideas in your film. Now I have not seen the official Assault remake so I can’t really pass judgement although most people are of the opinion its crap (You can say crap when you’re just an Internet reviewer and not a paid scribe). Still I doubt the "Official" remake will touch this, as this is tonnes of fun something that seems to be lacking from mainstream Hollywood action films at the moment. The Nest looks great, is well lit, well edited, well shot and well directed. The actors all give top performances that suit this kind of flamboyant gun-play movie and nobody really hogs the limelight meaning this really works as an ensemble piece and not as is the current trend across the ocean as a star vehicle. Not a match in terms of cult grittiness for John Carpenters Assault on precinct 13, but then that was a film very much of it's time and budget, if this had been labelled as a remake it would however have been a worthy one. Different and fresh enough to be a great film in its own right but retaining some (not all) of the key elements that made that film such a classic.

The way the different characters interact is handled well as they try and put aside their differences to pursue the common goal of not being dead. The bonds between the criminals and the main three French security force members are well constructed with quick but well acted scenes highlighting certain friendships, which mean you believe they care about each other as the film progresses. At one point the two main male members of the heist gang hold hands and matching tattoos of north and south can be seen on there hands which a nice touch. The female roles are good here with actresses who while attractive do actually look as if they can kick some ass and so you are not asked to step outside of realty as some skinny bimbo beats down tough male opponents. The warehouse location for what is basically a siege movie is used to its full effect as the Albanians move ever closer the more claustrophobic the space becomes and the more foreboding it seems. The gang members all where light intensifying masks which give them the look of wasps (the film starts with a wasp documentary on TV). This is a great idea making them a faceless enemy that just like wasps attack without fear and in large numbers. The Albanian Boss is suitably played and is a convincing piece of work and in effect becomes the wasps queen which they seek to defend. The fact that the cops look at pictures of the women his organisation held as prostitutes who have numbers branded on their backs like cattle certainly adds to the menace of the main bad guy.

Packed with great scenes, excellent characters, big guns and wave after wave of deadly wasp looking Albanian mobsters to be gunned down The Nest is a great example of quality French action cinema.

When Andrew Jarecki undertook to make a documentary on New York’s most highly ranked children’s party entertainer, David Friedman, the story he uncovered was much deeper, darker, and more complex than he had bargained for. With the use of David’s own extensive home video footage, Jarecki pieces together the fragments of a family struggling to maintain a semblance of normality in the wake of a father and son’s arrests for child abuse.

Andrew Jarecki must have thought he’d struck documentary gold when his original idea gave way to a decidedly more sensitive and secretive subject and he’d certainly have been proved right when Capturing The Friedmans won the 2003 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance film festival. His film concerns the Friedman family whose outwardly and, evidently, inwardly pleasant and unremarkable middle-class Jewish, peninsula-dwelling existence blew apart on Thanksgiving 1987 as police raided their home in search of child pornography. Events took a bizarre turn and father Arnold and son Jesse were both arrested for sexually abusing boys in their care, a community was rocked and the family, consisting also of mother Elaine and further sons David and Seth, had to cope in the fallout.

What is probably most striking about this film is the level of objectivity it maintains, particularly when you consider the sensitive and prevalent nature of paedophilia in the media, striking as it does terror into the heart of every decent parent and disgust to the pit of every good citizen’s stomach. However, Capturing The Friedmans isn’t really about the crime but the family in free fall in the wake of allegations so catastrophic the family is destined inevitably, as a unit at least, to never recover. As the film opens with nostalgic home video footage coupled with scrawls of each family members name, it’s clear where the focus of the documentary will be and that this family is about to be players in its own sorry story. It is David’s own footage from the eye of the storm that provides much of our (sometimes uncomfortably) frank insight into the downward spiral of a family in the wake of serious allegations. Jarecki skillfully weaves the escalating devastation by interspersing the footage with his own ‘factual’ accounts from professionals involved in the case, witnesses and the alleged abused.

If ever the old 'it's not black and white' cliches were applicable it’s surely here, as the dubious investigation and ‘evidence’ paints the Friedmans case with a very dubious palette of murky greys indeed. Between the contradictions of the testimonies and the blatant shortcomings of the investigation, there is little factual evidence to uphold the case. For the Friedmans part, their side of the matter is every bit as frustrating; with no definite denial of the charges they are not so much in denial as in a refusal to accept the situation, instead remaining in horrifically static limbo, awaiting their fate as we are left to witness at first-hand the upsetting change in family dynamic. As Jarecki manages an unusual level of objectivism replacing the usual sensationalism, there is scant factual basis on either side for the viewer to make a judgement. There seems very little to indicate eighteen year old Jesse is guilty of anything at all and of Arnold we can be sure of only two things; that he is a paedophile and that he was in possession of the child pornography which set off this remarkable chain of events. To what degree he is guilty of anything further, of the large-scale abuse of which he was accused, we cannot be sure. Though this is why, amongst an undoubted witch-hunt even Matthew Hopkins himself would have been proud to have orchestrated, that this documentary is so difficult on the viewer; because it asks us to make judgement in the light of what is not only an abhorrent crime but one more linked to social ostracism and media-panic than any other in our society at present. Yes, we all hate a paedophile don’t we? But how willing are we to pin blame where there quite possibly is none just because this person has a dark and secret love absolutely unacceptable to the rest of us? Does that make them an immediate danger to their own children and any in their neighborhood they may come across, be preying on? Well that folks is something you are going to have to answer for yourselves, as Jarecki certainly isn’t going to do it for you, and for that matter neither will the Friedmans. We all take to this experience our own beliefs, judgements and moral values on this devastating crime, but how willing are we to let them go and see only the facts?

Genuinely worthy of its critical esteem, Capturing The Friedmans is fascinating, emotionally heartbreaking and beautiful. Not only a poignant reminder of the shortfalls of the legal system, but also of the workings of society and community when the panic of modern-day witch-hunt strikes. Utterly captivating and equally tragic, this is very powerful stuff 

The Shogun's former decapitator-in-chief turns Lone Wolf with his young son as they wander the dusty tracks as masterless samurai, always keeping an eye out for the Shogun's nasty ninja’s.

Shogun Assassin must surely be one of the most infamous video nasties, a product of an age not so long ago but which now seems curiously nostalgic to our desensitised modern eyes. “Blood gushes out all over the screen – as if being hosed into the camera!!” Vipco proudly announces on the cover of it’s previously banned 1980 rehash of the first two instalments of the Baby Cart series, itself a version of the original Lone Wolf and Cub manga comics.

Shogun Assassin is basically a violent repackaging of the Sword of Vengeance and Baby Cart at the River Styx films, edited together to maximise the violence and minimise the story for we bloodthirsty Westerners who, in the golden age of gore, didn’t want to be distracted by such mundane things as dialogue, storytelling or historical background. And so we have this bloody classic, re-released for the gore-devouring British general public in the early 90’s who by that time were presumably much more equipped to deal with such levels of violence post 80’s onslaught.

Director Kenji Misumi tells a grave and bleeding tale narrated with the solemn frankness of the aforementioned Cub (Masahiro Tomikawa.) “What a time you chose to be born, Daigoro”, the soon to be Lone Wolf tells his baby son, born into a time of unrest in the empire under the suspiciously unbalanced rule of the Shogun, sporting the obligatory dodgy grey hair and eye brows of the typically outsized proportions. With the tragedy that follows the expert, infamous and feared samurai takes to the road with his young son in tow as they both resolve to live the life of “demons”, making a living en route with the odd spot of contract killing.

What this intro does is set up a rather vague and slow but nevertheless effective build up to the violence it is working towards in the latter parts of the film, which borrows more heavily from the second Baby Cart film. This beginning is a much darker affair than the rest of the film and heavily tainted by the sadness of Lone Wolf, as we find out from Daigoro’s narration. The strange and silent but solid bond between father and son is both fascinating and touching from the eyes of a western society where such a situation would be unthinkable, let alone the subject of a film. But rather than feeling exploitative there is a peculiarly lovable edge to this bond of honour so alien to our society.

As the film moves towards the inevitable extreme violence the pace quickens and the editing becomes as choppy as the swordplay, which is all, of course, set to some pretty decent cheesy 80’s synthesised music. Despite there being much heavier levels of violence towards the end as the murderous duo are sent the Shogun’s most feared and so far undefeated ‘ Masters of Death’, the tone feels lighter and much less serious as the film moves away from the emotional element and gets well and truly into gear as the no holds barred execution it’s marketed as. This certainly hits the spot with the ridiculous levels of extreme violence and silly behaviour we’ve come to expect from this type of film, complete with intentionally humorous throat slitting monologue-“Ridiculous!”

Shogun Assassin is definitely worth a watch as it does pretty much what it sets out to do. Although it is very violent and bloody it’s not of course as shocking as it would have been back in those heady gross-out days of the 80’s. In that respect, however, it feels like a little bit of celluloid history what with all the re-editing and re-releasing and so it has a kind of funny quaintness about it in that respect. In the post-80’s age of liking my violence diluted with a touch of story I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with the move from the more emotive beginning towards the cheesier end. But, this isn’t the Baby Cart’s this is Shogun Assassin and that folks is what it’s meant for, lots and lots of violence, yeah!

A classic piece of “previously banned” cinema, inevitably rather disjointed through editing but nonetheless a rather enjoyable and inventively violent treat - "Ridiculous!"

Shogun Assassin - trailer

A minor traffic accident causes a heated spat between easy-going Tung Choi (Tony Leung) and instantly dislikeable Deborah Fok (Sammi Cheng.) In an attempt to make amends the two end up spending the night together which is the beginning of a tentative love/hate relationship in Joe Ma’s romantic comedy.

Tony Leung (Chungking Express, 2046, Hero) is a third generation beef noodle restaurant owner with a speciality in tripe dishes and a secret 30 year old sauce recipe. Sammi Cheng (Infernal Affairs, Everlasting Regret) is a cold workaholic who is not averse to the odd cruel outburst of threatening behaviour. When coincidence and bad manners bring the two together the clash of personalities makes for a fiery pairing. In an attempt to sort out their vehicular feud the two find common ground over a mutual taste in beer. However, when this drunken peacemaking ends up in a night spent together it’s the start of a sometimes difficult but surprisingly strong friendship which must stand the test of Choi’s meddling family and emotionally manipulative TV personality girlfriend, Mindy (Niki Chow.)
There is something about Fighting for Love that feels vaguely reminiscent of 1992’s Martin/Hawn rom/com vehicle HouseSitter. Possibly it’s the instantly dislikeable and ill-matched nature of their relationship. Like the earlier American film, Fighting for Love develops the unlikely love match into something decidedly rather likeable and surprisingly sweet against the odds. It is this development of both the relationship and the characters that drives the film rather than the actual plot and as this gathers momentum it becomes more engaging. As a result, the film is a little hard and quite slow to get into but improves considerably in the second half.

Whilst Leung and Cheng do have a lovable on-screen chemistry and some genuinely sweet moments together, director Ma (who also plays Deborah’s father and owner of dog with the temperamental bowels, Happy) allows too few of these scenes and too many with Choi’s bizarre dysfunctional family which perform more as an annoying irritation than a source of comedy, which was presumably their purpose. Niki Chow also works well as the beautiful but vacuous Mindy, whose selfish and manipulative ways threaten to become very destructive. Leung’s character remains reassuringly stable throughout the film as the affluent but down-to-earth guy whose character performs like an anchor to all the upheaval. Cheng’s character, Deborah, unfortunately makes the transition from total bitch to decent human being in implausibly quick time making this feel a little rushed and not particularly believable. Ma does portray the distant father/mildly unhappy home life as a catalyst for change and her shocked reaction at Choi’s affluent lifestyle in contrast to her own less fortunate one as a possible reason for her ruthless and cold business persona. However, this doesn’t quite work but the realisation of the growing bond and affection between the two does and is surprisingly engaging. Comedic moments are pretty thin on the ground but the cruel anti-romance of a scene involving a diamond bracelet did actually rather amuse me, but maybe that’s more an indication of my taste in romance than my taste in comedy.

Successful on some levels and disappointing on others, Fighting for Love is still worth a look if character driven romantic comedies are your thing.

A couple of pachyderms make for an awful lot of trouble in this post Ong-Bak Tony Jaa vehicle. Growing up in a remote village in Thailand, a young Kham (Nutdanai Kong) learns the ways of man's interaction with nature, that co-operation and respect on either side makes for a productive and happy relationship. This is played out with his beloved elephant, Yor Pai, and Yor Pai's baby, Korn, whom Kham loves like family. When Yor Pai is inspected as a token of devotion the King of Thailand, he and Korn are stolen by a mafia syndicate and shipped to Sydney, Australia. Kham, who has by now grown up into formidable Muay Thai master Tony Jaa, is on the trail of the tusky twosome, but this is no easy mission when he finds deeply-rooted corruption and all-round unsavoury goings on with the network headed by the deadly Madame Rose (Xing Jing).

What begins earnestly enough as a simple revenge story showcase for some fantastic fight scenes unfortunately quickly develops into somewhat of an unnecessarily encumbered mess. Opening scenes bode well for a martial arts set-up, with beautiful cinematography of lush landscapes and a sweetly engaging story of familial harmony between man and elephant. However, once director Prachya Pinkaew cranks up the action in Sydney the plot goes to pot in a cluttered muddle taking in corruption, drugs, prostitution and slavery, when trade in endangered species was not only of integral relevancy but would have been quite enough of a device in its own right.

Of course, plot devices are merely a means of engineering the action and showcasing Jaa's talents in spectacular fight scenes, and indeed spectacular they are. Following a very Bond-like treat of a good old-fashioned high speed chase laced with multiple explosions, Jaa proves in no uncertain terms where his talents lie. Once the fighting begins it comes thick and fast in some expectedly impressive scenes, and none more so than the incredible four-minute single take which boasts jaw-dropping choreography and camera work.

Man mountain Nathan B. Jones makes for some great 'Kham versus the incredible brawn' scenes and  Jackie Chan pops up in a 'blink-and-you'd-miss-him' cameo, though  this really only serves to highlight another problem, that Jaa has yet to develop 'star' quality. Where he is certainly skilled in Muay Thai, he has no real screen presence and it's a little hard to gel with him beyond the fact that he is the hero of the story. It's a bit premature to afford him status as a young Jackie Chan. Performance wise, it's the elephants and Xing Jing in another Bond-like touch as a transsexual villain who between them steal the show. Warrior King is likewise commendable for its environmental message which, albeit as a bit of a sideline, is still worthily evident. If only it had stuck with this simplicity there would be a film  more worthy of beautifully choreographed fight scenes.

Cracking (literally) fights, impressive cinematography and some great elephant action can only go so far in hiding the messy plot and Jaa's lack of presence.

www.warriorkingmovie.com

Sally (Kin Darby) and Husband Alex (Jim Hutton) move into a large eighteenth century mansion that Sally has inherited after her grandmother passed away. While Alex is busy dedicating himself to his career advancement, Sally spends he time as a stay at home wife, shopping with her girlfriends and planning the decor of their new home. Everything seems to be going well until Sally finds the key to a locked basement room and decides she wishes to use it as a study, although she herself comments she has nothing to study other than shopping lists. In the “study” Sally notices the fire place has been bricked up and becomes determined to open it up again, which goes against the advice of the handyman of craggy old handyman Mr Harris. Sally determined to get her own way and have the fire place restored opens the vent which was used to clean away the ashes, little does she know she has released something and its very interested in her.

Don’t be afraid of the dark was a movie of the week presentation on US channel ABC back in 1973 and as TV movies go this is one of the best, quite possible the best made for TV horror movie ever. Revolving around a central female character Sally Farnham, a lady of leisure and wife to high flying career minded Alex. Sally main role in life is to make Alex look good at dinner parties etc. and play the role of the perfect little woman in his plans for career advancement. All is going well until Sally inherits her grandmothers house and the couple decide to live there.
This particularly Gothic looking 18th century American house holds a dark secret (Don’t they all?). The secret in this case has been trapped in the basement fire place for decades since the untimely and mysterious demise of Sally’s grandfather. And if only Sally had followed one of the key rules in horror, always pay attention to craggy old locals with grave warnings, it would have stayed so. But Sally is a modern independent woman (In a completely dependant on her husband 1970’s way) and there just no telling this stubborn little woman what to do, she wants that fireplace open and if no one will do it for her, she’ll do it herself. Sally opens a vent and pears into the fireplace seemingly unfazed by the fact it covers what appears to me a bottomless concrete hole. Alex returns home to find her peering inside the whole she has opened and promptly tells her they won’t be able to do the work needed open it up as it will be too costly. Sally agrees and follows him up stairs only something is intent on coming after her.

And what is it that’s after Sally you ask, well quite frankly its gnomes (Or at least very gnome like demons), really, really, creepy evil little gnomes and after decades imprisoned all these little bastards want is to hurt Sally. After a series of "Gnome" related incidents sally tries to tell family and friend about the whispering little entities that want to take her spirit only people are not very convinced by her tales of miniaturised evil. Alex is convinced she needs to lie down, the tried and tested movie method of sorting out women’s problems and has little time for his wife’s nonsense. Poor Sally the gnomes are working out a plan to finish her off and make her theirs and it’s up to her to convince people before it’s too late.

Don’t be afraid of the dark is old school horror, no gore, not particularly packed with cheap jump scenes, this movie works by playing on deeper fears and building up a an uneasy feeling which soon moves to creepy and finally terror. The constant whispering of the gnomes as they go about their business is a simple yet fantastic way to get the viewer feeling really creped out and you will be hearing those whispers in your head well after the credits role. The fear of being at threat from a danger no one else will believe, plays on the kind of fear that can get to even the strongest of us. The only thing worse than having others doubts your sanity is when you begin to question it yourself.

This movie is a cult legend, the stuff of many a young child or teenagers nightmares, if you saw this as a kid, no doubt the memory of those whispering gnomes and the films finale have stuck with you to this day. There are forums across the Internet with people searching for the title of this movie because it scared the hell out of them when they where younger. Even now as an adult viewing this movie years later on my own in a darkened room (The way this kind of old school horror needs to be seen), those bloody whispering gnomes where giving me the creeps.

Now you see them,
Now you don’t –
NOW YOU’RE DEAD

TV movie supernatural horror genius, still effective 30 years on. Any movie in which one evil gnomes begs another that if he can’t kill her yet, at least let him hurt her (Which is said with almost sexual desperation), is a must watch in my opinion.

Buy It: Try eBay! (There are some good ebay DVD's, but no official release as far as we know)

‘Genetic sexual attraction,’ or G.S.A., is a little-known but increasingly recognised phenomenon whereby blood relations (often siblings) separated at a young age through circumstance meet by chance as adults, unknowing of their blood ties, experiencing immediate, mutual sexual attraction which can, if the two are brave enough, develop into a permanent and loving relationship. Such is the (difficult) subject of this film by one of Cuba’s new wave of revolutionary visionary artists, Miguel Coyula. I say artist rather than director because, as is the case here, Coyula not only performs as director, but also writer, producer, editor, cinematographer and musical composer. As the entire creative force behind the film, Red Cockroaches is absolutely his creation and vision and, in keeping with the work of this new body of independent filmmakers, this digitally shot piece is a ‘no budget’ work, costing an astoundingly nominal $2,000, enabling him to operate outside of the artistic confines of mainstream cinema.

Coyula’s vision is an uneasy one, placing his sensitive subject matter in a not too distant future characterised by prevalent ethnic concerns, iconic consumerism and an undercurrent of shadowy genetics. The frequent rainfall is acid and the titular red cockroaches scuttle largely unseen, reminding us that man’s intervention hasn’t completely overrun the course of nature. Though it is generically sci-fi, Red Cockroaches is in essence a love story, albeit one which cannot escape its uncomfortable incestuous bind. Adam Zarrasky (Adam Plotch), bored with the vacuous charade of his current relationship, happens on a mysterious and alluring stranger, Lily (Talia Rubel), and the attraction is instant and intense. The stiff and stilted nature of his current relationship is characterised by awkward surrealism and surface formalities. Chance meetings with Lily, however, bring relief from this existence and her free nature and sexuality sparks life and obsession in him. The course of true love, though, does not run smoothly for the Zarrasky’s, as the basis of their relationship is a painful one formed of secrets and lies.

Given the subject matter, Red Cockroaches is not going to be to everybody’s taste. Not only is the incestuous nature of the relationship demanding of the viewer, but its dark complexities means it veers through times of emotional and physical abuse. As Adam states “this is by no means the family’s worst secret”, we come to know that this is true, and one idea explored by Coyula is the difference between love and abuse within an incestuous relationship. Though uncomfortable, it is interesting to see the gentle development of Adam and Lily’s relationship from sexual to nurturing, with fluctuating power struggles along the way. Where Adam’s character is more stable, Lily undergoes some dramatic changes; initially sexually exciting, manipulative and womanly, we see her become fragile, insecure and childlike.

Visually, the film makes allusions towards ideas of nature and religion, which are handled surprisingly sensitively given the length and budget of the film. Links between sexuality and nature are strong and linked to femininity (Lily being a name with connotations of female sexuality), where religion (Adam, of course, being a Biblical name) is shown as a judgemental and hypocritical force (a priest prophesises that Adam will “burn in Hell for this”, but were Adam and Eve not both God’s children?) Stylistically, the budget is inevitably limiting, though Coyula adds light touches wherever possible, linking futuristic visuals to the genetic suggestion. Without the generic confines the emphasis is left on the intricacy of this troubling subject. One can only wonder at the creation of the eyes, ears and hands of this man on a big budget.

An astonishing achievement on such a miniscule budget, Red Cockroaches makes for challenging viewing and an unusual exploration of a difficult subject.

redcockroachesmovie.com | hereticfilms.com