The Battery (2012)

What the hell took me so fuckin' long to see this flick?! Damn, this is one of the best films I've seen in a while and definitely the strongest 'take' on the apocalyptic-zombie concept to come along in quite a while.

A pair of baseball players are making their way around the rural upper-East coast, salvaging what provisions they can in the gloomy, desolate aftermath of an infectious zombie outbreak. Their conflicting personalities clash over preferred survival methods and things get even more turbulent upon coming across other non-infected survivors.

I'm keeping my synopsis kinda vague because I feel the less said about the direction this movie takes, the better for those who haven't seen yet seen it. "The Battery" is an immensely gripping movie that's driven solely on its two main characters, their relationship and struggles, and with minimal 'action'. It's done masterfully and never gets boring, despite its more low-key approach to an end-of-the-world zombie scenario. I must stress, it's not trying to be some kind of pretentious 'anti-horror', nor is it played for laughs. While it has its share of passing, casual humor, it's played straight and actually has a highly depressing tone as well. Not to mention a great use of music and is incredibly unpredictable. I straight up LOVED "The Battery" and urge you to check it out.

Christmas Evil (1980)

"Christmas Evil" is one I like to make a holiday viewing tradition out of, seeing as how it's absolutely my favorite Xmas-themed horror movie. It's always appealed to me for its 'psycho-study' layout - along the lines of Bill Lustig's "Maniac", which actually came out the same year and is the one I definitely regard as my favorite slasher film.

Following the trauma of seeing his father dressed as Old Saint Nick and groping his mom on Christmas Eve - young Harry became totally Santa-obsessed. As an adult, his apartment is packed with Christmas shit, he works in a toy factory and goes so far as to neurotically spy on and catalog the the neighborhood children's behavior in his own personal naughty/nice books. As the holiday season approaches and Harry's dismal, detached life weighs on him more and more, he begins his transformation into Santa Claus with some payback plans set for Christmas.

Can't say I would classify "Christmas Evil" as a full-fledged 'slasher' film since it doesn't start in on the body count until pretty late and just for the fact that it doesn't 'feel' like one. It more so goes about chronicling the further mental deterioration of an already disturbed guy with a big boner for Xmas. The way in which it is presented is very convincing for the most part and the guy who plays Harry does a terrific job of not over-selling the 'madness'. When the time comes for him to break out the Xmas van (emblazoned with a hand-painted sleigh motif, of course...), the film imposes some nicely conflicting sentiments of sympathy and disdain surrounding the character, as he spreads both Christmas cheer AND  bloodshed and fear on those who have in the past or DO fuck with him during his Yuletide odyssey. The scene of the asshole church-goers getting fucked up is too awesome.

 "Christmas Evil" isn't up there with films like, "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", or the aforementioned, "Maniac", though it IS a really cool and commonly overlooked film that also captures a bleak, yet FESTIVE 'vibe'.

Alyce Kills (2011)

"Alyce Kills" was a surprisingly decent flick. I'm glad I didn't end up passing on it based on the generic cover art.

A young woman, Alyce, hits the town with her best friend and - after some boyfriend trouble at the club - decide to get totally blitzed and score some ecstasy. While partying on the roof of Alyce's apartment building, the friend falls off and is hospitalized in critical condition. Alyce lies to police, insinuating that her distraught friend went up to the roof alone to commit suicide, which leads her into a guilt-ridden downward spiral. She begins fucking her friends' drug dealer for dope, as well as a roided out douchebag bouncer, and eventually takes to murdering those who had mistreated her friend...

This movie is more of a downbeat drama than a horror movie with not so much of Alyce killing anyone until the end. It works pretty well, however, with some good performances and a relatively 'sleazy' and dreary tone. The more gory material that comes along is actually quite nasty and cool. Recommended.

Good Time (2017)

I tend to like gritty, urban crime flicks and "Good Time" looked like something I should check out after catching a trailer for it a while back. Where I ended up on this one, ultimately, was pretty much split down the middle; finding it to have a very solid first half and a second half that fell a little short.

A New York reprobate and his mentally retarded, tag-along brother rob a bank and, after getting dye bombed and stashing the money in a pizza joint, seem to be pretty much in the clear... That is, until the slow-witted brother panics and runs from a cop, landing him in Rikers. From here, his bro who made a successful on-foot getaway sets out to free his sibling - along the way getting mixed up with some other forms of degenerate city scum through a course of chance events...

Up until a certain point - around the halfway mark, it seemed - this movie had me amply roped in, but I just found myself not quite finding the rest nearly as engrossing. The continual involvement of a certain character seemed a bit abrupt and what transpires from there just came across as far too questionable. "Twilight" star, Robert Pattinson, in - what I guess could be considered his 'breakout' role - does a decent enough job, though his character isn't given much time time to be fleshed out at all and the same goes for about every other character - namely Jennifer Jason Leigh - whose part was incredibly rushed. Overall, I was considerably disappointed with "Good Time". I feel there's a better movie in this that was lost due to iffy direction...

Jungle (2017)

"Jungle" is a bit of a departure from what I've seen from prior Greg McLean works - like the "Wolf Creek" movies and "The Belko Experiment" - in that it goes for more of a harrowing survival story than the carnage-laden stuff I've enjoyed from him in the past. And, low-and-behold, I dug the hell out of it.

Three backpacking buddies are offered by a experienced traveler the opportunity to hike into the Bolivian jungle to search for a missing tribe. Sold on what could only be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as well as earn those National Geographic photography bucks, the four trek out into the dense jungle, but one of the men soon proves to be the weak link of their expedition when he gets a nasty case of trench foot and doesn't appear able to continue on. They make an attempt to raft down the raging river, but debate over navigating the harsh rapids leads to the men splitting up into two groups - one pair of them taking the river route and the other two proceeding on foot. For the rafters, shit doesn't go too well and they are separated - leaving one guy hopelessly lost in the jungle and forced to survive.

Among the things that this movie does well is making the South American jungle seem like a total bitch to be lost in. The poor bastard here is forced to extract parasites from under his skin, wanders upon quicksand, battles psychosis and more; and it happens to be based on a true story of a traveler who suffered this deadly ordeal (including stuff they had to omit from this film for time...) back in the early '80s. There's text at the end provides a few details involving some of the other guys in their party that was pretty interesting and could almost warrant a movie in itself, I thought. Also, Daniel Radcliffe - a former child star who shit bags like other former child star, Shia Lebeouf, should definitely take notes from as how to keep your career going and NOT become a retarded waste of life - pulls off his pretty physically demanding role incredibly well - even going so far as to do some of that 'method acting' shit in dropping a ton of weight to look emaciated. Could have done without some of the unnecessary flashbacks/cut-aways, but in all, "Jungle" is a very solid and enjoyable movie, just don't go into it expecting tons of violence and bloodshed.

1922 (2017)

Time to boot up the ol' Netflix again for the latest Stephen King adaptation which, I do say, have all been pretty damn good as of late - what with the theatrical first chapter of "It" and "Gerald's Game". The trend continues with "1922" - based on a short story out of King's 2010 collection, "Full Dark, No Stars" which puts us at a current three-for-three score on King flicks. I think it definitely pays to keep Mick Garris away from the director's chair on these adaptations.

Set in the year the title indicates, a farmer is butting heads with his wife over their acreage and whether or not to sell it and move to the city. She's adamant in doing so and he's more than reluctant to give up his farm. As their arguing heats up further, the farmer goads his son into aiding him in what he claims is the only conceivable measure to take - killing the nagging bitch. So they do and dump her down a dried up well next to the house. What follows is a downward spiral for the father and son, comprised of ghostly visions and unforeseen problems that look to damage their initial intentions...

The story here is presented in a very bleak and grim tone, thanks mostly, to the rural, period-piece backdrop to which it's set. Each performance is choice and, for the most part, the pacing is solid, despite the slow-burn approach. There's also some fun shit involving rats and a reasonably effective murder scene. Give "1922" a look.

Gerald's Game (2017)

There seems to be an influx of Stephen King adaptations lately which has brought to the screen (via, Netflix...), "Gerald's Game", based on an early '90s King novel that I was previously quite unfamiliar with. Not sure how the book compares to the movie, but it definitely offers a heavy, HEAVY dose of King's brand of psychological-drama.

A middle-age couple drive out to a secluded vacation home to spice up their dwindling sex life with a few new 'kinks'. The husband pops a dick pill, handcuffs wifey to the bedposts and, as he's trying out a few deep seeded rape fantasies, he drops dead from a sudden heart attack. Of course, the Mrs. is still shackled by both arms to the bed without keys and WITH a hungry stray dog who roams in for her husband's (and potentially HER) body. As time progresses, a dialog develops between a mentally materialized version of herself and her dead husband who offer her insight into such matters as the downfall of their marriage, methods of survival and how a traumatic part of her childhood made her who she is...

The concept is fine and the two leads' performances are exceptionally strong. In all, I enjoyed "Gerald's Game" as a cryptic 'exploration' of a mentally scarred character being forced to face past traumas and how they steered her life - all while facing impending death. The ending is pretty fucking 'out-of-left-field' and totally unpredictable (unless, of course, you've read the book...) and definitely had me confused, but not enough to take away from the bulk of the movie I'd just seen. It's worth checking out if you like King's more psychologically-driven stories.

It Comes at Night (2017)

I was interested in checking out "It Comes at Night" since it was in theaters (though not quite long enough in my area for me to make it to a showing, apparently...) - having not given much away in the trailer I'd seen, but looking like something that may be well worth checking out. Hell, anything without James Wan's name on it seems to be more or less worth the price of a movie ticket in today's mainstream horror climate, what with stuff like "The Witch", "Don't Breathe" and the like. It definitely didn't disappoint. This one is a dark, paranoia and character-driven apocalyptic piece, stripped of the usual horror cliches and tropes.

A family of three, seeking safety in their rural home from some kind of deadly contamination that's befallen the earth, take on a further leaven of perturbation when they allow another surviving family to stay with them. As it turns out, moral conscience does NOT supersede self-preservation when you're facing an otherwise cut-throat dystopian world stricken with the threat of infection...

It needs to be said - if you're looking for something along the lines of "28 Days Later" or "The Crazies" you're not going to find it here. The overall focus of "It Comes At Night" is not the catastrophe that is plaguing humanity, nor does it even go about explaining in ANY real detail WHAT the hell this virus is - how it's contracted (airborne, physical contact...) or what it actually does to those who get it (though it's made clear they need to be promptly burned once the first signs of it are detected...). In these respects, the movie roots it's horror elements primarily in the mental distress and desperation of characters doing whatever they feel they have to do to protect their loved ones as opposed to being chased around by ravenous, infected ghouls. I'll say, this movie kept me pretty far on edge for it's entire run-time and hits hard with a exceptionally harrowing conclusion. If you're looking for a tense, moody and really well acting horror movie give this one a go!

Cop Car (2015)

I must have been really out-of-the-loop lately because "Cop Car" really flew under my radar until pretty recently. I had come across a positive  review on a site I frequent and it sounded like something I'd like and, sure enough, it was a immensely entertaining 'road-thriller', in my book.

A pair of young boys (around 9-years old...), who are running away from home, come across a police car out in the Colorado boonies. Finding the driver's door unlocked, the two decide to play around inside the unattended cruiser until they find the keys, prompting them to take a joyride across the wide open countryside. It turns out the car belongs to a local sheriff who was in the midst of disposing of a few bodies. When he comes back to find his car gone, he embarks on a desperate search for it...

There's a bit more that leads to the climax of "Cop Car" that is probably better left unsaid for the sake of avoiding too many spoilers. But yeah, that's the overall gist and I gotta throw out a hearty recommendation for this gem. I mean, it's not a perfect film by any stretch and doesn't go all hard on the 'graphic' material, if that's what you're after, but it keeps the fun rolling at a good clip and the performances are all very good. Ironically last named, Kevin Bacon (cuz he plays a cop... get it?), pulls his role off well as the frantic and highly crooked, coke-head sheriff and the two child actors are incredibly believable. Also, the desolate, bleak rural setting evoked fond memories of other such tense classics like, "The Hitcher" and "Macon County Line". "Cop Car" is well worth checking out.

Eat (2014)

Self-cannibalism certainly seemed like a 'body horror' concept I can get behind, which is what got me to check out "Eat" and, while it's not what I would consider a terrible movie, it just kinda fell flat for me.

A struggling, long out-of-work actress who is facing eviction and an empty fridge, counters the woes of surviving in Tinsel Town by gradually taking bigger and bigger bites out of parts of her body. Starting with the skin around her fingernail which leads to the wrist, then toes... All the while, she's put on suicide watch, barely avoids a parking garage rape and starts dating her shrink who may not be all he seems...

This struck me as some kind of MTV remake of "In My Skin". The scenes of her chomping down on her flesh looked pretty good as far as FX go, but aside from the gooey gore, there was just way too much 'filler'. At points it felt like the movie was starting to lose track of the self-consumption angle, of which, is never really delved into enough or was made to matter all that much. The movie is too 'light' in tone to make its subject matter 'disturbing' or its lead character and her self-destructive behavior seem impacting when all is said and done. On top of that, the writing is horrible. The dialog is downright cringe-inducing and there's way too much of it. Again, not a terrible flick, however, had "Eat" gone a bit 'darker' and cut down on the lulls in gore (which was well done...) I think I could've gotten into this film more.

Green Room (2016)

I really liked Jeremy Saulnier's, "Blue Ruin", and his follow-up film, "Green Room", definitely kicks things up a notch on all counts. To be perfectly honest, I recently re-watched this flick after having initially attempted to sit through it a few months ago while much too tired so I was kinda in-and-out then and didn't think much of it. It's a shame it took me so long to get my ass in gear and give it a proper shot, cuz it ended up being a very cool flick.

So, a touring punk band is struggling to get a real paying gig and are given the opportunity to perform at some neo-Nazi compound venue. After their 'controversial' set - kicking off with the Dead Kennedys, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" - they stumble across one of the headliner's band members murdered in the green room. From there, the bands barricade themselves while the 'head honcho' skinhead (Patrick Stewart) is called in to handle the ever-delicate situation of exposing of the witnesses, while they, in turn, fight for their survival...

It doesn't take too long for "Green Room" get rollin' and KEEP rollin' once the initial shit hits the fan. The violent confrontations between punks and Nazis is extremely 'gritty' and intense - far more than your standard Hollywood-horror violence for the most part. The manner in which Stewart and his white supremacist 'flunkies' map out their plans to thwart police involvement and ultimately 'remedy' the stand-off situation gives the film a very grim and 'realistic', visceral vitality. The dual standpoint represented between the bands and the captors made for an interesting sense of trepidation for the viewer, I thought, in knowing things the victims don't yet know, while still offering up some surprises. The performances are all pretty solid and the pacing is fast. You got plenty of gruesome kills, including dog maulings, shotgun-head blasts, box-cutter and machete slashings, etc. I'd put it up there with "Don't Breathe" as the best wide-theatrical horror release of 2016.

Waldo the Dog (2010)

"Waldo the Dog" is a strange and twisted "love story", of sorts, that pretty boldly goes about challenging the viewer into feeling sympathy for a rapist. However, it's not done in a 'exploitative' or boorish way, which really helps the film achieve a deeply weighty and tragic resonance.

A guy rapes a chick he's been 'cyber stalking' and falls into a state of self-hatred and regret. Cut to the following year, he is now homeless, non-speaking and constantly wearing a black rubber dog mask. We see his dismal, day-to-day life on the streets as he scrounges for food, willingly takes abuse from random people (seemingly as a means of contrition...), trains at a wrestling gym (where he obviously takes MORE abuse...) and continues to stalk the girl he attacked. When he ends up saving her from being assaulted by some other guys, they develop a friendship as he continues to withhold his true identity from her...

"Waldo" is a film that has its problems, but manages to 'work' really well in a multitude of ways. For instance, the way it's shot almost documentary-style gives the overall aesthetic look of the film a "rawness", without it actually being a faux-doc. There's an authenticity to it's look through the hand-held camera work and the fact that quite a bit of the public reactions to Waldo's presence appear genuine. Another unusual 'pro' is in the film's slowness, which is usually a gripe with me, but I actually found it to be a major strength with this one. The film benefits greatly from the way it takes its time establishing Waldo's dismal, guilt-ridden existence and the odd connection between him and his 'love interest'/prior victim without ever feeling extensively drawn out or groundless. What I felt didn't quite work was the very ending which I thought was too forced and seemed tacked on, needlessly. Seemed like it could've ended more effectively about 5 or so minutes sooner. In all, "Waldo the Dog" is a surprisingly unique and engaging indie- flick. Highly recommended.

Blue Velvet (1986)

My favorite David Lynch film is definitely "Blue Velvet". Hell, I would go so far as to classify this one as one of my top favorite films of all time. It's just such a fantastic 'journey' into the mysterious, lurid and completely scummy undertow of an otherwise hygienic, picturesque 1950s-ish town. Plus, it contains Dennis Hopper as easily the greatest psychopath ever portrayed on screen...

It all starts when Jeffrey finds a human ear in a vacant lot and turns it over to the local police station. A while later, when his curiosity as to their investigation leaves him with very little info, he luckily sparks up a friendship with the head detective's teenage daughter who fills Jeffrey in on a few key details pertaining to the case. He decides to do some sleuthing of his own by worming into the apartment of a lounge performer who is apparently mixed up in kidnapping case involving her family and a crazed lunatic named Frank. Jeffrey's unintended entanglement in this dangerous criminal world lands him in the clutches of Frank and his goons.

"Blue Velvet" is one of David Lynch's more 'coherent' movies - a far cry from stuff like "Eraserhead" and "Lost Highway", which, as much as I love those films, I really dig this one as a more linear structured, 'noir'-type flick. Great performances from the lovely Italian bird, Isabella Rossellini - whose performance as the frequently raped and battered club singer so drastically affected the late fucking idiot critic Roger Ebert's opinion of the film, showing what a clueless 'cuck' he was. Dennis Hopper, like I said, is phenomenal as the Nitrous Oxide huffing nutcase perv, Frank, whose sexual degradation of women is exceptionally creepy and unpredictable. His spazzed out dry-humping/beating of Rossellini in his debut scene is a pretty fucking bugged out moment, as well as the oddly surreal scene of some androgynous freako crooning into a light bulb while Frank gets misty-eyed. "Blue Velvet" is a great film that is in parts disturbing, sleazy, and intriguing.

Stranger by the Lake (2013)

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Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1971)

Bad girls causing mischief, all in the name of Satan, is the name of the game in "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" - a very engrossing and oddly 'disturbing' little Euro-gem. It's based, in part, on the relationship of teenage New Zealand killers, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme.

A pair of rich, sexually charged Catholic schoolgirls bow out of their strict, god-fearing lifestyles and turn to the wicked embrace of Satan in order to satisfy their hormonal lust for being just plain naughty. Such activities include teasing a mentally retarded farm hand with the cruel art of seduction, fucking with the gardener (also retarded...) by killing his precious birds and snitching to the priest after catching a couple nuns dyking out. They end up getting a bit carried away in their antics when one of their lured seduction victims becomes a murder victim...

The cinematography, acting and score are all very solid. It's got a high 'sleaze factor' without being abundantly 'trashy', I thought, which mostly comes from the fact that these actresses look particularly young and they spent  a good portion of the film in highly 'suggestive' situations. However, appararntly these girls WERE of age so my conscience is hereby clear. The story is well executed and ends on a pretty 'dark' note. It's not all that factual to the Parker/Hulme case, however - having more to do with the girls' close-knit relationship and presumed lesbianism than the murder of one of their mothers, which was what actually transpired in New Zealand back in the '50s - as seen in Peter Jackson's film, "Heavenly Creatures". "Don't Deliver Us From Evil" is it's own animal, overall, portraying this bond between two inseparable girls as pretty twisted and ultimately tragic. Also conveying a possible, underlying contempt for Catholicism that I couldn't help but pick up on. I strongly recommend this one for fans of Euro-sleaze cinema.

Ferozz: The Wild Red Riding Hood (2010)

"Ferozz: The Wild Red Riding Hood" has to take the cake as the absolute most bizarre take on the "Little Red Riding Hood" story ever put on film. I don't even really know where to start with this one...

It starts with a deeply dysfunctional family having dinner in their gloomy little cottage - listening to their deranged grandmother rant and rave about sex and accusing her female relatives of being 'sluts'. The meal takes a turn for the... odd when a family-involved rape breaks out, much to Granny's delight. During the second rape, the rapist suddenly dies (for some unexplained reason...) and the victim - who I think was his wife - runs off with her daughter, to which, we cut to two years later where they're now living in a different cottage, I guess. There's another uncle who seems to be the most level-headed of most of these whackos (for a while...) and the brother of the youngest girl (pseudo-Red Riding Hood) who likes to jack off to his sister skinny dipping. She, on the other hand, is trying to seduce her uncle who turns out to be a Satanist...

The whole 'Red Riding Hood' theme doesn't really kick in until the tail end and, even then, the tone doesn't shift away from the sleaze. Everyone in this thing is just horny, incestuous, psycho and/or retarded. There's a scene basically out of nowhere of 'Red' masturbating with the help of a puppy before being sexually "punished" by Granny. So yeah, "Ferozz" is a tough one to sum up and I can't say I "liked it", but it's definitely strange and entertainingly sleazy enough to consider checking out.

When Animals Dream (2014)

I'm actually a bit torn on this one. I want to like it for the same reasons I want to dismiss it as kind of a bullshit, typically 'artsy' horror film, but at the same time I don't want to totally shit on it. "When Animals Dream" is sort of an almost-werewolf-flick that relies mostly on wide shots and quiet characters - shit that can work when it doesn't come across as so flagrant and trite.

A young plain-jane with an almost comatose mother and shitty fish butchering job begins noticing strange hairs sprouting up over her body and is having dreams of snarling creatures resembling herself. The pieces start falling into place when she peeps in on her dad shaving her mom's back and catches a glimpse of the doctor's chart. Turns out, mom is being heavily sedated to keep her from turning into a wild, hairy she-bitch that kills the villagers - which she is apparently known for...

Honestly, I didn't really get 'into' this one. The slowness of it and the whole 'atmosphere-over-story' aesthetic just doesn't work for me. Yeah, it's shot very nicely and in a nice location, but, aside from that, it really isn't that much different than many werewolf movies I have seen. The characters are the dull, quiet type (shoot the sky, not dialog!...), the effects in the end are boring and simple, and the gore is minimal - everyone gets bit on the throat. I really just felt like I had seen this kind of thing before, numerous times. It didn't feel original to me. That said, it's not terrible. Well shot, adequately acted, but that's about it...

Love (2015)

Gaspar Noé's latest cinematic incursion isn't nearly as strong as his previous films as far as violence and 'disturbing' content, but plays out as a more ostentatious 'art'-porn mash-up centering around a toxic love story. Noé's signature 'trashy', yet visually ornate style provides enough value to override aspects of pretension that movies like this tend to secrete.

Much like his most well-known flick, "Irreversible", "Love" is told in a non-linear structure - shuffling the sequence of events detailing the volatile romance between an arrogant, hotheaded American man and a French fille with sexually manifested 'daddy issues'. In true-to-life fashion, their intense relationship begins deteriorating after introducing a 16-year old girl into a three-way sex fantasy situation. Homeboy starts screwing around with the new girl behind his chick's back, slips some swimmers past the goalie and the rest is history. Not even jealousy-laden exhibitionism and tranny sex coercion can save them...

So, the name of the game here: too much drugs and sexual exploration can really sour a relationship. I gotta say, I enjoyed "Love" quite a bit as a much "tamer" example of Noé's style. The 'hardcore' scenes come across as necessary to the tone of the movie, I'd say, though provide nothing 'groundbreaking' as this type of thing is becoming more common practice among auteur film-makers trying to extract 'art' from pornography by using unsimulated sex and marketing it as such. In this case, there's a pompousness to the film, of course, but I thought the more 'hardcore' material worked well, overall, in "exposing" the actors a bit, thus, making their characters seem a bit more REAL. Speaking of which, the characters are well fleshed out and the performances are strong with genuine sounding dialog, for the most part. My hat goes off to the performances.

If you're curious about a much "lighter" and clearly more personal approach from Gaspar Noe, I'd definitely recommend "Love".

Cheatin' (2013)

I'm always hyped up for anything Plympton comes out with and his latest film, "Cheatin'", does NOT disappoint! Hell, this is his best film so far, if you ask me. It's such an even mix of all of his styles from over the years, beautifully incorporated into one terrific piece of animated art.

After saving her life during a freak bumper car accident, a  muscular pump-jockey and an introverted young book wormy woman fall madly in love. They get married and begin the ideal suburban life, though she begins noticing other women putting the 'moves' on her husband. A wedge is driven between them when a vindictive woman - of whom the husband shot down the sexual advances - snaps an incriminating looking (but, actually innocent...) photograph of the wife and shows the hubby. Distraught and suicidal, he decides to engage in a series of 'revenge affairs' at a nearby motel. When his wife finds out what he's doing, she concocts some elaborate plans to get even with him...

Plympton's animation style and temperament have been pretty diverse over the years - ranging from his first feature, "The Tune" - an 'experimental' musical that boggled the mind as to what ONE animator could achieve, virtually single-handedly - throughout his more sophomoric 'sex and violence' phase, with films like "Mutant Aliens" and "I Married a Strange Person". As of late, Plympton has shifted over into a more 'elegant' juncture with his work - with "Idiots & Angels" and his most recent film, "Cheatin'" - using his familiar hand-drawn style with a softer, more... cultured aesthetic, I'd say. "Cheatin'" is easily his most "cinematic" and harrowing film - telling a awesomely dramatic AND funny story through extremely expressive, non-speaking characters and physical, surreal interpretation. While "Idiots & Angels" was his take on the 'noir' genre, "Cheatin'" goes with a more luminous visual 'flair' and a very Italian, operatic emphasis that definitely compliments Plympton's abject love story.

The film also has a lot of 'dark' touches - namely, the character designs, which are often distinctively malformed - almost praying mantis-like with some. There's also some hilarious toon-sex and a touch of violence in spots - though, not quite as off-the-wall as some of his previous works. Also, the ending shifts into a strange science-fiction climax almost out of nowhere, which was interesting...

"Cheatin'" is a masterful, scrupulous piece of timeless animation that further facilitates Plympton's undeniable genius. Check it out!

My Name is A by Anonymous (2012)

The name Shane Ryan didn't register with me until a few minutes into "My Name is A..." when I had to pause to look him up. I knew I wasn't going to recollect fondly and, sure enough, he's the insufferable hack behind the bromidic "Amateur Porn Star Killer" series. From there, I knew I was in for a rough 90 minutes...

This is an attempted biopic of sorts, focusing on the life and crime of 15-year old Alyssa Bustamante who killed her 9-year old neighbor for fun in 2009. The Missouri teen (now in her early-20s...) is currently facing a life sentence for the brutal murder.

The back of the DVD case has a quote from Pick 'N' Mix Flix (never heard of 'em...) that touts, "Think Kids, Gummo, Ken Park...". Clearly, in some inconceivably pretentious way, that's what this guy was going for, but, I must say, I can't think of a less fitting comparison. This movie is a completely aimless mess that never even comes close to exploring it's subject matter, psychological insight or anything of interest - instead, consisting mainly of emo girls sitting around, cutting themselves and making gun gestures to their heads... Constantly! There is absolutely NO development of this girl or her friends or any discernible lead-up to the crime. There DOES, however, involve a range of other characters who are given their own incredibly meaningless, drawn out scenes of hanging out around a warehouse, pulling a shovel out of a dumpster, putting it back, crying, vomiting, etc. There's also a totally random (and equally boring...) Spanish 'music video' (clearly for the sole purpose of helping this chick's singing career...) thrown in, as if the movie wasn't padded with enough tedious bullshit.

"My name is A by Anonymous" is a beyond dull, semi-'found footage' movie that does absolutely nothing with the material it is suppose to be depicting.

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