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"Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl"

2010-04-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

If you do not realize that this title tells you a) exactly what kind of film this is b) what happens, then sod off!

Enjoyable enough, but not very innovative (hah!). Discussing this with J. resulted in the opinion that "more slapstick" might've worked: the very first scene was quite funny, but the rest was over the top blood-spouting (in a fun way, mind you), crazy action and dialogue, but nothing more than that.

Hey, a film that has a National Wrist-Cut Contest can't be bad!

3/5

"Salvage"

2010-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

"something bad" has escaped, and in a sleepy street the military is hunting it down

that description is utterly wrong; it is about a mom who tries to assure the safety of her very-angry daughter, currently hiding in a house nearby. and this transforms her from a "simple mom" to "wild blood-covered relatively-ass-kicking" woman.

low-budget, it was said, but it worked well enough.

3/5

"The Eclipse"

2010-04-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

During a literature festival, a local widower becomes enamoured with a writer of ghost-appearances, while facing some of his own ghosts.

Wonderful film! Wonderful characters, beautifully shot, good (simple and "effective") dialogues.

This film touched something deep down inside. A multitude of things, most likely, and most of which are not at all that interesting. The subject (ghosts, writing), the setting, the music (angelic and choirs, original! and very well done. parts of the score reminded me strongly of Current '93), the pace.

5/5

"Macabre"

2010-04-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Gang of 20-yo's picks up a hitchhiker and are invited into her house... uh-oh!

Indonesian slasher-horror. Not good, but quite entertaining.

And it does add something to the film to hear Evil Mum say with a strong Indonesian Accent: "Breng ze naar beneden. Haal de gereedschapskist."

3/5

"European Fantastic Shorts #2"

2010-04-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

"Black Hole" : funny!

"Guliver", not really bad, but the safe-the-planet! message was way too thick. Liked the animation and the (original) Slavic language.

"FARD": abstract animation in which a flashlight is discovered that shows the 'realistic' side of everything that it shines upon. Good!

"Tile M For Murder": deadly scrabble. well-executed.

and more...

"Collector"

2010-04-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

'Saw'-clone in which Evil Baddie creates many deadly traps in a house.

Besides the "trick" of adding a burglar who tries to safe the family, it is nothing new. Yes, a rusty pair of gardenscissors and a tongue is not a happy sight, but if you have to rely on those images because you have nothing else that "makes" the film...well, I "break" it. (sorry, bad Dutch-to-English)

Oh, and the horror of an "Collector 2, out soon!" ending!

2/5

7th day

2010-04-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have been running, again! Ok, it wasn't a triathlon, a mere 5km, but after 4 hours and (quite) some alcohol, it made me Damn Proud of Myself.

Needed food throughout the day. Needed music. Even brought iPod for short interludes inbetween films.

Doubting weblog: very cliché, all them verbal tricksies and jokers. Don't mind the "having to" keep up, hell I'm anti-dating as we speak and I'm the last one to make a problem out of that, but it seems so cheap. Jottings in tiny moleskin become sparse.

"Phobia 2"

2010-04-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

5 shorts, Asian horror style.

Liked them. Some good scary scenes, some funny moments. Don't feel like commenting on each of them, but the "put more hair in front of her face!" remark during the filming of a horror-flic (where the zombie-actress becomes, ... a zombie!) was very good.

Oh, and the first short, "Novice", about a monk and his ghostly tormentor, very rough and welldone.

3/5

"House Of The Devil"

2010-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Babysitter and a devil-worshipping house... get the picture?

"Thé 80's horror that was never made!" is how the festivalguide described it. This ode to the genre did a good job. The film was slow but not boring, took its time, no fake scary moments, just one big climax at the end.

4/5

"La Horde"

2010-04-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Policemen on revenge-tour and Nigerian druglords have to work together when Seriously Vicious Zombies (and fast!) are taking over everything.

Blood! Zombies! Crazily funny old man. Heads being Seriously Smashed against Walls. Repeatedly. Like, for 2 minutes. Or at least a minute. That is pretty long, for most heads.

Enjoyed myself thoroughly.

4/5

"Exam"

2010-04-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

8 people in 1 room. 1 exam. empty "question" page. 80 minutes.

Very abstract movie (think "Cube" or "Nothing") and one I was really looking forward to.

Afterwards, later, long long discussions about the ending with J.

I think it is a great film. The concept is worked out quite nicely; it never bores, it doesn't stretch scenes to quickly cut through time and pace. It's all about dialogue, plot ("there is no such thing as plot!" sorry mr Forster) and storyline. Acting, setup, all done well.

This kind of film is very dependant on its ending. And here the negative points creep in. Deus ex machina, plus one fact which is simply illogical...

here be spoilers

...I mean, why would the CEO even be there?? There is no reason, imho.

I think it could've been slightly changed so these points wouldn't have bothered me anymore. And in my opinion they try to do a very brave thing: present a very powerful bio-engineering company whose CEO actually has a heart and moral values.

But, the way they ended it now... alas. Still, a big recommendation though.

4/5

"Wild Hunt"

2010-04-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

real-life RPG goes astray

Yawn. Please. Not special, boring and slow at (many) times. Must admit that even the Q&A with the composer and an actress (no, not the lead actress, that would've been worth while) wasn't really interesting.

2/5

"Leslie my name is evil"

2010-04-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Very Christian Boy is thrown into mental turmoil by girl from Charles Manson gang

many hippy-music-video-moments, characters shallow, film boring.

I was so not in the mood for this (kind of) film. It probably would've gotten at least 2 or 3 stars, but this verdict reflects my mood when I watched the film.

1/5

last-but-one day

2010-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

fighting own demons cancels out part of the film-watching fun, but that will be annihilated tomorrow, mark my words.

(or temporarily forgotten, but in the light of the life of stars and planets, that is the same)

Promotion (yay, go H./J.! well done!). Wasabi-nuts. Sushi. Personal Banshees.

"Thirst"

2010-04-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

priest joins test for new medicine, becomes infected with deadly virus -and- becomes vampire, coveteth his neighbour's wife...

Fun enough moments. Asian-style. Very nice flute-melody during openingcredits; wonderful mix of church-like melodies and fantasy-tunes.

long, but nice enough. Wondering whether the recurring virus v.s. drinking blood symbolizes the Good vs Evil fight; would be tricky, because in order to let Good win, he should die (vampire-cells "kill" viruscells). But suicide is not an option in Christianity. Tough choice.

here be spoilers

he choses for Bad, sex and titties

4/5

"Tears For Sale"

2010-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Everlasting wars robbed Serbia of its (virile) men. Women go in search for A Man.

Fairytale, visually very rich, Slavic music, fair bossoms heaving with passion.

Liked it. The (thin) story was a bit stretched up, editor obviously loved his scenery and aforementioned heaving, but all in all it was well-executed.

"Spider-whiskey" scene worked very very well for me. Sad and happy at the same time. A wonderful sad and beauitiful moment. I kind of want to give it 5 out of 5.

4/5

"Rampage"

2010-04-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

boy goes on killingspree in his town. Uwe Boll.

not crazy, not playing videogames, quite aware of what he does, he starts a massacre and gets away with it.

According to director Uwe Boll afterwards, partly a satire on rich bankers, losing millions, still earning millions.

Not bad, not overwhelmingly good.

3/5

"Mermaid"

2010-04-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Girl grows up, discovers love.

"Russian answer on 'Amelie'"... ouch, that does usually not bode well. And it doesn't. Girl supposedly can perform "magic tricks" (fantasy-element, it is never really explained) when needed, doesn't speak for quite some time because she doesn't feel like it... coming-of-age &etc &etc

But I could not find much sympathy for her (no hate either, just nothing). I could not really care, "things simply happened to her" and I looked at them and shrugged my shoulders.

J. and me were both reminded of "Happy Go Lucky", with the big difference that J. liked that film very much, and I really did not. What that means... bollocks if I know.

2/5

"Dark and Stormy Night"

2010-04-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

black-and-white ode & parody of the scary Agathe Christie films of the '30's

It's a trick to make a parody and if the film doesn't provide anything else besides that trick, then 1h30m is a bit long... would've been much nicer as a 30min short.

3/5

"Malice in Wonderland"

2010-04-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Alice, but located in surreal trippy London.

There an explosion of "Alice in Wonderland" films and series these days (the miniseries - 2 episodes - "Alice" is good! go watch!) and therefore I held my expectations back.

Liked it. Surreal dialogues, surreal environment while still London-ish. Main character quickly catches on, not wondering around with Bambi-eyes in no-comprendre style. Some good rhyming. Good music.

4/5

"Pontypool"

2010-04-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

In the studio of a talkshow radiostation, a DJ, his technician and his producer are suddenly confronted with people who call in with very strange sightings of chaos, killings, scary mutterings &etc. There seems to be no reliable source that affirms or negates them, and whatever roams around there seems to close in on the radiostation...

Was very curious about the film, expectations were high for two reasons: radio(-stations) means something special to me, and the (teaser-) storyline sounded quite interesting, particularly because of its non-film aspects. Can they pull it off to just show a host who is merely talking? What's the use of the visuals?

I was not disappointed. There are logical gaps and irregularities in the storyline, but all in all they did a great job of telling a scary story that keeps a good grip on you, while all you actaully do is watch a host getting more and more confused and scared. There is a parallel with the craziness of the copy-paste news-aggregation that happens so often these days in which no basic fact-checking whatsoever is performed. The visuals did a good job of drawing you into the studio. In hindsight, I suspect they tweakes angles and focus throughout the film in such a way that the images become more and more paranoid.

The guy has a wonderful voice by the way. Not just the good low rolling voice, but the small repetitions in sentences, his intonation... all done quite well.

here be spoilers

It could be argued that they arrive in very large illogical steps at the solution, but I can't say I didn't mind that much. To me, the director does a credible job of showing some people who are fighting for their sanity, grasping any straw that floats by.

5/5

"Goemon"

2010-04-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Robin Hood" is not quite by accident caught up in politial assassinations on the highest level. oh and there is love. there is always love.

Same guy who did "Casshern". Say no more, say no more, you mutter? "Don't tell me, dear sir, for I can foresee this film?"

No you can't. It is even more over the top than you can possibly imagine. No really, more.

CGI to the 9th power. Action to the 11th. Was it worth it? I enjoyed myself, and over the top can be fun because, well, why not? But no, this was too much, alas.

3/5

"Time Out"

2010-04-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

while in coma, guy enters "no man's land" where a quest needs to be taken...

oh, don't make me write about it. Not interesting, it could've been so much more. It was all tell,and show what you tell. That's kind of missing the ideas and possibilities of film.

Characters not that interesting, bit slow...

2/5

"Crazies"

2010-04-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

rural town becomes infected with virus that turns everybody into Angry Killer Zombie...

remake, and not too bad (easy to say, I do not know the original). Liked the shot of the truck being thrown forward by the force-wave: it only lasts for 2 seconds, but the visual is wonderful.

In general: good but very, very common in its kind.

3/5

"Seventh Circle"

2010-04-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

a young guy, coming from nowhere, takes over the local youth with mysticism and his presence

started well, then took a huge dive down towards the bottom of Bad-Sad-Not-Interested, again slightly better in the end

3/5

"Symbol"

2010-04-20T20:00:00.001-07:00

Guy in a white room with pettite angelic johnsons coming out of the wall, while a boxing match takes place in Mexico...

and the 2nd reel was not rewoud, and therefore we saw the image upside down, its video and audio reversed, and therefore the film was stopped...

and therefore I cannot say much about this film, except that it was funny

"No Smoking"

2010-04-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Bollywood; guy gets a really tough treatment to stop with smoking

supposedly based on a Stephen King short story?? That's what I heard afterwards, dunno whether people can confirm.

Very surreal, Bollywood-ish, some wonderful music, not too much dancing and singing. Editor should've done a slightly better job, at least 15 to 20 minutes could've been cut out without deminishing the impact of the film. Love the surreal story and setting though.

4/5

"Mary & Max"

2010-04-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

friendly Australian girl and Asperger-syndrome American guy share their difficulties through letters.

I'd love to give this clay-animation 5 out of 5, because it is the kind of film that I usually really like and I am simple-minded enough to focus on that and nothing else.

here b

Loved the fact that all 'special effects' (ice, water, foam) were also stop-motion animated, and loved the fact that the story took a seriously more 'adult'-oriented direction with Mary becoming an alcoholic like her mum and almost commiting suicide.

Were the animations not top-notch? They were. Was it too long? Perhaps a tad. But there were scenes that worked fabulously, really moved the audience, yet yet yet something seemed to be missing to give it a full 5 out of 5

4/5

"Diagnosis Death"

2010-04-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

teacher and student find each other in evil "ward 13"-ish drug trial test

lighting errors, snappy dialogues, cliche, yet quite amusing.

"What is your favourite childhood memory?"
"Getting myself off with Elmo"
[shot of leg in bed with Elmo giggling "ow, that tickles!"]

"I've just had the red pill pushed up my ass, so shut up Morpheus"

3/5

day 5

2010-04-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

Running in the park. Then a coffee, and another.

Oh wait, sorry.

Retry.

A white porcelain cup, little crunchy cookie to the side, fairly solid foam, plus for that, not very strong espresso underneath, minus for that, not too bitter, likeable.

A detailed chemical analysis will follow.

(there!)

"REC 2"

2010-04-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

where REC left off; same house, still some zombies left...

Enjoyable enough, this sequal provided some backdrop for the virus/contamination and how it all "came to be".

Many discrepancies ("they wanted to contain it, that is why they chose this flat"... what??? it is in the middle of the fucking city?!), many illogical moments (the way some "special forces" entered rooms, the illogical suggestion that understanding the chemical principles of "possession" will help to cure it (where is the "higher element", be it devil or God, here??))

Still... enjoyable enough. Then again, it was "Survival Of the Dead" before this one, that helped somehow.

3/5

"Verrassingsfilm: Survival Of The Dead"

2010-04-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Irish clan vs. Irish clan. Island. Zombies. Bla bla. Killing, blood, ripping entrails out of bodies...

Ok, so it was not "Bitch Slap".

I wish it was.

With this film, Romero, once one of the great masters of the zombie genre, seems to have lost it.

Pretending to be much more than a zombie-flic, it became much much less.

I guess when an inexperienced director had shot this, I would've given it 2/5, but mr. Romero should've known better.

1/5

"Amer"

2010-04-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Three phases in the life of a girl: when she is pre-teen, when she is a teenager, and when she is an adult, her sexuality and the dark side of her psyche.

Ode to the giallo genre. which has never been my favourite.

Beautiful images, some good cuts, strobo-editing.. But the leather-crackling because irritating, the repeating scene merely boring.

Probably well-done, simply not my cuppa tea.

2/5

"Masterclass: sound in films"

2010-04-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Simon Boswell (British, and yes, he made it by taking the train), composer of many Italian, Hollywood and British films, gave a masterclass on sound, music, and scoring a film.

What I liked: the way he described the old-fashioned cutting method: as soon as the music didn't "fit" (or suit) the film anymore, it was cut. So soft transition. And somehow, those rough audio editing methods kept the pace going. "Don't show the same thing twice." If the images are romantic, the music doesn't need to be. Make sure the music adds something to the visual, instead of repeating it.

I think I was hoping for a bit more technical explanation of his experiences, "what works" &etc, how to use the combination of score, musical instruments and timing to add something unique to the on-screen image...

It was quite entertaining though, and he had some nice stories to share.

"Possessed"

2010-04-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

cue the tinned Scary Asian Children With Long Hair Standing In Corners Far Far Away (Or Very Very Close, When Script So Demands).

Sybolism. Christianity vs Paganism.

Hope. Faith. Death.

Nothing new to the genre.

3/5

day 4

2010-04-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

(personally) fourth day

Children in fluorescent yellow shirts are cycling the streets. Guys with serious fluorescent jackets tick off marks on their notepad. Oh happy days in which a primary school cycling and traffic exam was the Difficult Thing of the Week.

And yes, I did cycle more carefully. Until I came to the park, and they were no more.

"Life and Death of a Porno Gang"

2010-04-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hardcore burlesque performers take their porn-cabaret-political-social-satire show on the road in current-day Serbia. Locals, enjoying the show, don't always appreciate the confrontation, particularly not in the cold morning-air.

Snuff-films, AIDS, bestiality, porn, rape, you see it all. Yet it is not a cheap trick with obscenity to provide a cheap thrill. Filmed as a documentary it shows a group of people trying very hard to be themselves and not afraid to show the world what they think of it.

The director said afterwards he tried to show a picture of present-day Serbia, the part that you never see on the news. I think it is not an easy thing to pull off, but in my opinion he did.

4/5

"TiMER"

2010-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Smart device tells you when you meet the love of your life, assuming him/her is wearing one as well. Girl becomes totally obsessed with it, forgetting what "love" really is, allowing the gadget to take over her social/love-life completely.

I am not a rom-com guy! Rom-com aren't so bad if they didn't have all these squishy rom-com bits floating around. It's like nutmeg: great for soups and curries, but get them out before you serve the dish!

It was less philosophical ("destiny vs. feelings" &etc) as I hoped, but I grudgingly admit it was okay enough.

The Q&A with the director afterwards was nice, because she could explain the choices she made; had obviously thought long and hard about the whole story. Her choice not to go into the deterministic vs free choice discussion - "very slippery slope!" - was made with a reason.

3/5

"Don McKay"

2010-04-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Forest Gump with brains" is lured into bad plot by long-lost highschool-gf, who's pretending to be terminally ill, but guess what...

Liked it! The story isn't that wonderful or original (though a small twist goes a fair way (can one say that? No.) but it is the cast, and particularly main character Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways") who does a great job.

I find it actually difficult to say why I liked it so much. It was a simple film, without pretension, without big budgets, CGI, heavy philosophical debates, mind-bending plotlines... it was good. Oh, and it had overacting that was quite at place right then and there.

4/5

"Transmission"

2010-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

What to do when all electornic transmissions (electricity, TV, radio) suddenly stops? Part of the Eastern Promises highlights. Shot in a sleepy summer-holiday town that by itself looks quite abstract and strange.

The film focusses on the interaction of people and how they cope with the difficult situation. Instead of running wild, boredom becomes one of the biggest enemies and brings forth the hidden hate and dislike that has been smouldering for God knows how long. Or in other words, electricity and mindnumbing entertainment smoothes the peak of aggression (that's my line, not put forth as such by the film)

Fairly slow, some wonderful almost dreamlike shots. Not fabulous, but nice and definitely different.

3/5

"Monkey Boy"

2010-04-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Fairytale of King and Daughter, in parallel with "Elephant Man" monkey boy who, after many years of imprisonment, escapes and roams around in violent ways... until he meets the autistic Inspector's Daughter.

I got the parallells, but for me there were too many chaotic elements. The camera-work (quite shakey, all the way through), the characters (almost all of them as flat as can be), the repeating story (why repeat the fairytale that often? It does not help!) The often too literal sentences.

But, the opening credits, during which the fairytale is told through animation for the very first time, is awesome.

Perhaps I am being too rude. In a fairytale, almost all characters are flat. And the story isn't bad, but it failed to grasp me.

3/5

"European Fantastic Shorts #1"

2010-04-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Some wonderful pieces, some ... less wonderful.

Wonderful:

"One of those days". Judgement day = the eternal office.
"Milovan Circus": animation; sad, melancholy.
"Man Inside", should've dropped the voice-over
"Logorama", won an oscar,. Q.E.D.

Not-wonderful: the rest.

But rest assured: Shorts are Always Great.

"Repo-man"

2010-04-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dystopia, governments all bankrupt, "The Union" loans you a liver or a heart when you need it, but "collects" it when you can't pay.

Professional Hollywood action film. Fairly bloody, considering all. Nice score.

I must admit I was in the mood for an "easy" film, and that's what I got.

here be spoilers

I would've given this film 3/5, but for one of the last scenes, which was so over the top and funny that I can't help but bump it up to 4/5. It doesn't happen often that you see such a combination of passionate almost-sex, love and bloody bits flying around. It was over the top of "over the top" and the "Brazil"-like ending made it all believable enough.

"Island of Dreams"

2010-04-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

The story of a lonely boy in his eco-terrorist role. Shot in black and white, very simple and low-budget.

I didn't mind the cheap decors or the fake snow. I can understand the acting not being top-notch. I did mind the sometimes cheesy lines though, and the fact that some editing was sloppy, because no matter how low your budget is, those are things that you will always have complete control over: you write the lines, and you decide where to fade in the sound, for example.

I tried to like this film but I can't say I succeeded. There was too much lacking in the story-telling part. You weren't drawn (or repelled) towards his character, you did not really become emotionally connected. And what were they trying to tell? How a mild, soft-spoken boy might become increasingly more aggressive in his eco-terrorist role? How perhaps he is pushed in that direction by people who are unwilling to believe him?

It wasn't all bad. The fact that he smoked while caring for a little girl who has a severe case of astma for example, helped to make his character less flat. But the absent fight/tension between him and hippy-girl singing we should all love each other, why didn't they explore the differences in approach (his through aggressive action, hers through words and music)?

3/5

"Summer Wars"

2010-04-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Nerdy math-boy is enlisted by popular girl to pretend to be her boyfriend at the upcoming family dinner, when the all-covering "Oz" world through which everything is connected with... guess what, everything! (internet, think Neuromancer in MSN style) is attacked by baddie. While trying to fight off the virtual enemy - who is wrecking chaos in the real world - he becomes accepted and supported by the family.

This could've easily gone wrong, but it was wonderful. Some impressive particle-engine CGI and funny A-Team moment, but more important, a good mix of speed and style in story-telling, believable characters, and feeling.

Koi koi. Liked it.

4/5

"Oblivion Island"

2010-04-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

A girl inadvertedly enters the world where all the stuff that humans forget about is collected. She makes friends and fights an evil guy.

CGI in what I call the "marzipan skin" style. Very soft, edges seem almost too soft to be sharp, soft colours. Not my favourite, but after the first few minutes, I didn't mind at all.

The forgotten-stuff world is brilliantly animated. Not just the backdrops, but the details in everything that happens. There's simply too much to look at, and you don't have the time for that because the story continues in a good pace, with some very simple and therefore very effective funny moments. The animation, the movements, interaction with the environment, facial expressions, it all looks wonderful.

4/5

day 2

2010-04-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining again. I am racing from the office towards downtown Amsterdam. A woman is lying on the cyclepath next to the canal. Me and a scooterguy stop at the same time to check up on her. Her eyes are open. Normal, not drugged-wide-open, nor drunkenly-randomized. When we ask whether she's alright, she starts to perform a few "dancing routines"; left knee on the pavement, right leg stretched out, right knee next to left knee. Rotate 180 degrees, facing the canal instead of the trees. Turning. Moving in small, deliberate movements. Lying down on the pavement again. Not a word.

We shrug at each other, and go our ways.

When I enter the halfdark of the cinema, it smells of dry cinnamon.

"Black Dynamite"

2010-04-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

retro 70's blaxploitation parody & ode.

Amusing, as expected. Not overwhelmingly good, but ... well, "amusing" said it all.

And horrible lyrics, literally describing what is going on. Fun.

3/5

"Cold Prey 2"

2010-04-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

A sequel to slasher-horror. So either it has more background story, or it is even more drippingly bloodier than the first one. Which I hadn't seen.

Slightly too many fake scary effects in the beginning. A very illogical choice of the main character nót shooting Bad Frostman through the head when she had the choice. (she pushes his body with her foot and that proved it?!?! The viewers commonly wept.) Ten minutes later, when the guy has a bloody axe through his chest, she empties a shotgun in his head all the same and when the other dame quietly whispers "but he is dead already!" she has the bloody nerve to mutter "I killed him once before." You should've thought of that 10 bloody crowd-pleasing-poetic-snowmobile-over-moon-lit-blankets-of-rolling-hills minutes ago!

Love the words "Fritt Vilt" though. Say it out loud. Fritt. Vilt. Fritt vilt. Fritt vilt?

3 (out of 5)

Master Key

2010-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

A key that provides passage to parallel worlds, destiny, choices.

The concept was not bad, but there was simply not much to love or enjoy here. The solution to the Big Question was groan-provoking (think Brown's "Da Vinci Code"), the Witch and her Scary Mascara Child became laughable after a while.

The opening titles were great though, and the first 3 minutes, during which you had no clue what was going on, were well-edited. That was only 3 out of many though.

2 (out of 5)

"Genius Party Beyond"

2010-04-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Haven't seen the first one, but the type of film - a few short anime drawn in different styles - usually appeals to me. You don't need to love them all, but chances are fairly big some of them appeal to you.

A "Gorillaz"-ish one was funny. Others were strange, "associative".

4/5