Isolation

Mad Cow, Frightened People

An Irish farmer allows a local scientist to do experiments on his cows, with horrifying results! Don't let the premise fool you, this film is anything but silly. Isolation (2006) is a serious horror film that is surprisingly good.

When I popped the DVD into the player, I was expecting a campy, fun horror movie. Boy was I ever wrong.

Set entirely on one man's farm with a small group of characters, the title of the film is quite apt. The feeling of isolation is strong throughout the film. Also, the feeling of claustrophobia is present (especially in the water scenes). A farm can be a vast, expansive place; but inside the barn and inside the small stalls, everything feels up-close-and-personal. The atmosphere and pacing reminded me of the classic lowbudget masterpiece, Halloween (1978).

There were no frills, quick editing, or CGI; just a straightforward, solid, well crafted horror film. Sometimes that's all you can ask for.

Well, there was one more thing that I would've asked for from this movie: a light moment. Isolation was so dark and serious that it became sort of a detraction. Not one smile was cracked, not one moment of joy was had. In one of my favorite horror movies, The Exorcist (1973), there was a scene with some playful banter between a detective and a priest. That scene eased some tension before building the tension up again in the next scene. It's kind of like a rollercoaster, and most good horror movies know that there has to be some lighter scenes to offput the tense and dark scenes.

Despite all of the tension and darkness, Isolation left me with a good feeling. A feeling that not every modern horror film is bottom-of-the-barrel junk.

My Rating
ABOVE AVERAGE

The Day The Earth Stood Still

It's the end of the world as we know it

Movies with violent aliens are action movies. Movies with peaceful aliens are moral-driven social commentaries. The Day The Earth Stood Still has peaceful aliens.

Directed by Robert Wise, of West Side Story fame, The Day The Earth Stood Still was tense, clever, and constructed to always keep the viewer interested. It certainly deserves it's place in the sci-fi classics.

Klaatu, a peaceful humanoid alien, came to earth with his robot, Gort, bringing a message. He is immediately met with violence, and, after escaping from a hospital, must go into hiding. There is an obvious anti-violence and anti-nuclear message in this film. If this movie were made today, it would come off as heavy-handed.

As a matter of fact, this movie is being made today, in remake form. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if the remake shied away from the social messages and focused on the dazzling visual effects found in the story. Klaatu will be played by Keanu Reeves. I can't think of a better fit. Keanu's performances are always so wooden and unnatural, playing an alien who has no human emotions seems perfect.

--Above Average

Dead Alive

Schlock and Awe

In ancient Rome, gladiators fighting to the death drew huge masses of spectators. In the old west, public hangings were huge events and drew large crowds. Now that such public carnage is no longer around, where can people go to sate there need for viewing carnage? "Dead Alive" can fill the gore void.

I would venture to guess that the average movie-goer knows Peter Jackson as the director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. But most don't know about his sordid past as a horror/comedy director. "Dead Alive" was Jackson's third feature, and he didn't have any studio execs looking over his shoulder, so he was able to include all the excess of extreme gore that he wanted.

The gore may have been excessive, but it was presented in a humorous way, so it was far less disturbing than it could have been if it was presented in a realistic manner. The humor in this horror/comedy was not conventional-movie-comedy. Instead of humorous situations, one-liners, and sight gags; "Dead Alive" has loads of gross-out gags. I'll give one non-spoiler example: A woman, who is turning into a zombie, is having custard with guests. While they are eating, pus shoots out of the woman's arm and into her guest's custard. He, of course, proceeds to eat the pus-laden custard. Funny stuff, I know.

Jackson packs so much gore into this movie that it seems like an addiction. Jackson reminds me of a small child that learned how to make a noise on an electronic toy. All afternoon, that same electronic noise is played over and over again until you just want to smash the toy against the wall. But Jackson directs with such glee that it is hard to be annoyed while you are watching all the fun being had.

--Average