FUNERAL KINGS

Hadn't heard of this, until a friend recommended it as his favorite film of the year so far. That's not saying much, since the early part of the year is when they tend to release the crappier movies of the studios' line up.

The story goes; a few altar boys spend their time smoking, boozing and trying to hook up with girls with limited success. When one of their older "friends" drops off a mysterious trunk, their curiosity gets the better of them. They open it to find fireworks, porno mags and a pistol.

I was expecting a shocking, maybe somewhat harrowing tale of life seen through the eyes of a group of 14 year old boys, perhaps a film similar in the vein of "Kids." It wasn't that at all and, while it was amusing at times, it wasn't quite like "Superbad" as one might imagine.

While I enjoyed this film, I felt that it really didn't go all out in any particular direction. There were some tense moments in the film, that could have gone into some really interesting places, but the scenes would end or be wrapped up in a way that had little to no consequence. (And a few conveniences in parts) That was a bit annoying to me.

I liked the main characters, they had a good rapport and their friendship felt genuine. It brought back memories of the stupid shit I did when I was 14, so it had some nostalgia value for me too.

If you're after a cool little movie that's not too dark, not too heavy, but not completely light either, I'd recommend renting it. There's nothing really for you to pay full price at the cinema, but watching at home, you're likely to enjoy it a whole lot more.

THREE FUCKS

PRINCESS

I remember reading about this Danish film when it came out in 2006, but I had heard less than favorable reviews, so I didn't bother until now, as it had always stuck around in my mind as something to see when I got some free time.

Glad I did, finally. This film just blew me away, it grabbed a hold of my emotions and just shook me about. I was amused, shocked, disgusted, infuriated and uplifted.

August, a volunteer worker, returns home to find his his sister has hit rock bottom as a famous porn star and now dead from drug abuse. Her daughter, Mia, has been left in the hands of Karen, a sex worker. August takes Mia and acts as her rightful guardian, but over time, through feelings of guilt and frustration, seeks violent retribution against those he feels responsible over his sister's path and protection of Mia.

The thing I found very effective with this film, was it's use of live action with animation. A few key scenes, showing mostly back story, are played out in live action. It gives the film a sense of realism and having the characters be played by live actors, makes you care for them more.

This film reminded me a lot of the Paul Schrader film, Hardcore and his screenplay for Taxi Driver. These films deal with a man, heading into the underbelly of the world of smut and no one comes out, unscathed.

This would have been fine as a simple action/revenge story, but it's more than that. Watching August trying to bond with Mia gave it a big heart, which saves it from being mere exploitation.

The film left me with mixed emotions and I may need a few days for resolution. Its definitely one, I shall think about and I shall see again sometime soon.

Not for the feint of heart, but if you want to see a good revenge film with something with more substance, then give Princess a go.

FOUR FUCKS

SESSION 9

Browsing through Netflix, I was looking for a decent horror film that would hold my concentration for 90 minutes or so. Having seen a number of horror films, more often bad than good, I'm beginning to lose my patience with a lot of them.

Session 9 kept me wondering what would happen next. Good. The synopsis from IMDB is this:

Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.

The strength of this film is it's back story, which a horror tale of this ilk should have. Take for example, The Shining. A film which takes its time to plant seeds and give you little bits of information, adding more each time, until the climax, where - it's already under your skin and you can't escape from it.

 I found Session 9 to be very similar in that vein. I liked the subtle tone of the film and that it wasn't dwindling, despite it's slow pace. Some people might lose their patience at the film, as there isn't really an identifiable "villain" until towards the last of the 2nd act, but that, perhaps is what kept me going. I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. Ghosts? Psychos? Were the team already in the mental institute? Or perhaps they were all figments of one of the character's imagination?

The climax for me was a little bit disappointing, as I felt they could've pushed the boat out a bit further. Again, I refer to The Shining that builds up to it's bat shit insane final sequence. The climax here was not particularly terrifying, shocking or even all that surprising.

A decent effort for a low-budget horror film, perhaps one to watch during the early Halloween season as a warm up.

An enthusiastic

THREE FUCKS