Movie Review; The Loved Ones [2009]

 

'When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the senior prom, she comes up with a wild and violent plan for revenge.'

 

As I mentioned in the previous post, I love foreign horror films. I love the fact that they are willing to go a step further than most other films, and aren't afraid to get down and dirty [take that however you'd like] with the blood and guts category. The Loved Ones is no different. Hailing from down under, this Australian film is fucked.. and I mean really fucked up, everything from [SPOILER ALERTS!] knives in someone's foot, to drilling holes in someone's head- just so someone can pour boiling hot water from a kettle into the hole- this film has it all.If you don't mind further spoilers, go on and read ahead- time to for me to get into more detail!

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The Loved Ones is mainly focused on a boy named Brent, who recently lost his father in a car crash- which he may or may not have caused- since he swerved off the road to avoid what looked like a half naked man all cut up and on the edge of his life. Since then, Brent has turned to drugs, music, and his girlfriend Holly, as a means to escape the pain of losing his father. Being as this is senior year in high school, the prom is coming up; and a seemingly innocent looking girl named Lola [who later is also known as 'Princess'] asks Brent if he's up to going to prom with her. Considering Brent is dating Holly, it's assumed that's why he denied her. It's only then that things start to go bad for Brent.. and I mean bad. As I kind of said above, this movie is fucked. There's nothing normal about Lola- she's psychotic, delusional, and almost child-like with her 'play thing'. Lola [and her even more psychotic father] seem to do this for fun! [as far as I noticed, there was no real explanation as to why Lola does this to boys she likes] She even goes so far as to cut a huge heart into his chest and carve her initials- "LS" [for Lola Stone]- into it...with a fork! [see below] If that wasn't enough to make you cringe, Lola actually throws salt at his wound.. I mean, jeez! All this for a prom rejection? Did I forget to mention that Lola and Daddy stick him with a needle of sorts so he can't even scream? Cause that totally happens as well.
 

   

When Brent eventually succumbs to the numbness of  everything he's gone through, he actually manages to somewhat escape- if only for a few minutes.. He then gets pinned to the chair [remember the knives in the foot I talked about earlier?] with a knife in each foot- hammered into the floor! The film as a whole is actually really fun to watch [y'know from a horror movie fan's point of view]. There's a weird side plot that involves the other guys Lola's had 'fun' with, but thankfully it's doesn't disturb the film in it's entirety too much. The only part that I felt was unnecessary, was the actual prom- like the one that Brent was going to with Holly before this whole situation with Lola and her Dad- there's a scene that's roughly 5 minutes long [even if it feels like 15 LONG minutes] of seeing all Brent and Lola's classmates dancing in a school gym- which actually ends up leading to a sex scene between Brent's friend and a goth chick. It just feels like it's in the way of what we actually are here to watch.

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I guess what I'm trying to say is "Prom is Torture." [Okay, even for me that was a bad pun..]but seriously, that's where I'm going to leave you. I won't spoil the ending- cause I feel that it's easier to watch it than to actually explain it, plus it's pretty damn awesome- but I will leave you with this one thought: Be careful this school year, kids.. Thankfully, I'm out of High School, but if this movie taught me anything, it's don't straight up decline a girl's request to go to prom with you, give her a legitimate reason [even if saying you're going with someone else isn't considered 'legitimate' in this case].. I mean, hell- look at poor Brent here.. [does he live through the night? Guess you're caught guessing until you watch!] all he said is "Sorry, I'm going with Holly.. sorry." and look where he ended up. In all, I'd give this  movie a solid 4/5: it's a fun film, the content is good, and being a foreign film, it automatically wins a few extra brownie points. what have we learned today? STAY AWAY FROM THE [seemingly] INNOCENT KIDS! 

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Be sure to 'like' the fan page for Firework Eyes & Haunted Hearts on Facebook; which you can find here, or even follow me on Twitter. [visit my profile here] If you have a Tumblr, be sure to follow me here or my more horror explicit Tumblr here [please be aware, that my second Tumblr page has inappropriate content for readers/viewers under the age of 18] Have a suggestion for a new post or movie review? Send me your comments and/or ideas anywhere mentioned above. Until my next post though, CHEERS!

New photos surfaced from Spike Lee's Oldboy remake..

It's no secret that 'Oldboy' is one of my favorite foreign films [read my thoughts on the film here] ever. [next to 'Pan's Labyrinth'] So when I heard about the fact that Spike Lee was gonna remake it, I naturally got offended. Now, I've already in part talked about how I think this remake is actually gonna be pretty insane, and I'm now more curious than upset, but we have to wait til November to find out if they are making the twist at the end the same as the original. [I personally don't believe they'll do it exactly the same due to North American audiences "not being able to handle it"] Up til now, we only had a trailer, and some small hints about this remake, and honestly, I felt some off these 'hints' didn't help us understand anything. [but I suppose that makes sense; so they can build the suspense] However, now newer photos have surfaced, and yes- they're making me much more excited! [thank you Bloody-Disgusting for posting these!]

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[For those of you keeping count at home; that IS Samuel L. Jackson..]

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 [The most we know about this guy, is that he's our villain.. his name? no idea as of yet..]

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[Who is this woman, and how does she tie into the story? we'll find out November 24th!]

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 So what do you make from these photos? Do they really tell us anything? Let me know your thoughts in a comment! Also, Be sure to 'like' the fan page for Firework Eyes & Haunted Hearts on Facebook; which you can find here, or even follow me on Twitter. [visit my profile here] If you have a Tumblr, be sure to follow me here or my more horror explicit Tumblr here [please be aware, that my second Tumblr page has inappropriate content for readers/viewers under 18] Have a suggestion for a new post? Send me your comments and/or ideas anywhere mentioned above. Until my next post though, CHEERS!

The [first] trailer to Spike Lee's Oldboy remake has been released! WATCH IT HERE!

I'm sure many horror fans agree that sometimes foreign films are a lot darker, and even more gorier than [most of] the American ones. One foreign film in particular; Oldboy is a Korean horror/suspense film that is extreme not only for it's content, but for the plot of the story itself. [you can read my spoiler-filled thoughts of Oldboy here] One thing about Oldboy is that it's got a lot of graphic topics being covered that I, feel would only suit in a Korean film. [for those of you who have seen the film, you know what I'm talking about.] Oldboy was in fact an adaptation of the graphic novel written by Garon Tsuchiya and illustrated by Nobuaki Minegishi and is the cult film that gave director Chan-Wook Park his name in the movie business. The film is about a man who is set free after 15 years of imprisonment by a mysterious character, who then gives his victim a only few days to figure out the reason for this horrific “punishment” [and even then, that's nothing compared to the twist at the very end of the film] What gave the film it's popularity is probably [as I'm convinced] because of its brutal nature, plot twists and most of all, it's examination of the dark side of human emotions. Naturally, being an older film, [and Hollywood being out of ideas] It came time that this Korean cult classic was needing to be remade! [I know, I'm kind of skeptical, myself.]

[just think; rather than Min-sik Choi- as seen above- this time it's Josh Brolin who's being cast into the hellish world known as "Oldboy"]

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 However, in what feels like a million years later, the trailer has finally surfaced [was released today in fact!] and although some are worried, I'm actually feeling kind of confident now that I've seen it's red-band trailer. Looking at the trailer though, Spike Lee’s take on the classic is [as he intially promised] "just as grimy and graphic" as Park’s had in mind when he made his version back in 2005, and it seems that this version of the film goes far and beyond to recreate many of the shocking moments from the original Oldboy. In fact, if you look carefully enough- some of the scenes in the trailer look to be even more gruesome than the original! Whether or not you choose to enjoy the idea of a remake of what I feel is a classic in cinema, is up to you. Although I love the original, I figure maybe it is time for Americans [who aren't aware of the original] to step into the dark & twisted world of Oldboy. Here, you can watch the trailer for the remake, and as you can see [which is what's got me excited] the hallway fight scene from the original will be incorporated in the remake [but in my opinion, no one can do it like Min-sik Choi!] and was that Samuel L Jackson I saw?!

 

[Josh Brolin- left | Min-sik Choi- right. who played the character better? Guess we'll have to wait and see the film for a final say.. Opinions?]

NEW movie review; the film? Oldboy [2005]

 

I was going to wait to do this review tomorrow [considering it's nearly midnight, and I gotta be up for 8:15am tomorrow, school starts at 10] but it can't wait; Oldboy is one of those films that needed to be reviewed as I finished it. [quite literally, I just finished it] What can I say about this film? One thing.. holy fuck. I promise, that's a good thing. So let's get on with this review, shall we?

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Due to the nature of the film, I naturally didn't want Stephanie watching as well. So with her at her brother's place for the next 2 days, I figure this is my chance to watch the films that she has no interest in. So like I said, it's hard to choose words to describe this film. I feel that 'HOLY FUCK..' sums it up pretty good. But that's because it's really all I can really say right now. [I keep thinking of the film] The thought [and the acting] that went into this film is just so so so extreme, and at every turn, my jaw hurt from being on the floor. [or in my case, the bed] Oh yeah, did I mention our friend Oh Dae-su [the main character] actually eats a live squid? [don't say I didn't warn you.]

 [yeeeeeah, that's kinda gross, bro.]

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The ending actually kinda bugged me at first [SPOILER; the fact that he was locked up for 15 years for THAT?!] but as the ending delved deeper, and we find out who Mi-do truly is.. I couldn't help but be impressed. [grossed out, but impressed] I can safely say of all the revenge films I enjoy, this one is certainly up near the top of the list; cause it's fucking beautiful.. and it damn well knows it, the story telling, the acting, everything.. I'm officially finding myself I'm still in awe of everything that I just witnessed with my own two eyes.. [this film officially makes me want to watch MORE Korean horror/thrillers; cause they're too fucking awesome in their own brutal way.] One last note; Although this movie is fucking weird, creepy, amazing, and all sorts of other adjectives I could choose from, I strongly recommend it.. y'know, if you've got the stomach for it. CHEERS !

NEW Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth [2006]

One thing I noticed when talking to a new friend whom I met yesterday about horror movies is that I actually am a fairly large fan of foreign films. One such foreign film is Pan's Labyrinth. I actually saw this movie in theaters twice when it first came out.. primarily because I was late the first time around [I had paid to see 'Wild Hogs' but when I saw that this was in theaters, I naturally chose Pan's Labyrinth] I absolutely love the atmosphere within the film itself and the story behind it. Just knowing that [as the movie portrays] fantasy/make believe is a much better place then real life/reality. This film shows that sometimes, it's better to get lost in a fantasy world rather than live in reality.. If I had to choose a favorite character though, it would have to be 'Pan' or 'The Faun'. Just the way that Guillermo Del Toro had envisioned him [Del Toro is the director], and then made him come to life is very essence of a beautiful creature in my eyes. For those that aren't aware- Pan is the god of the Earth and the forests [according to myths and fairy tales] So naturally Guillermo Del Toro made Pan look exactly like he was part of the Earth. [see below for a picture of Pan from the movie]

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Now bear in mind, being a foreign film- it is subtitled. It's spoken in Spanish and the amazing part is all the actors that were in the movie, actually spoke Spanish as their first language.. Everyone except for The Faun. Pan was actually played by Doug Jones [who is American], whom you may know from other movies..even if you don't know it.

[This is Doug Jones- in case you weren't aware..]
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If you still don't recognize him, don't worry too much- not many people do. It's because Doug is actually known for wearing very obscure costumes when playing a part in a movie.. Here are some other examples of characters who Doug Jones has played in other movies, whether you've realized it or not.

The Pale Man

..definitely an odd character to say the least; He's also from Pan's Labyrinth

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The Angel Of Death- Hellboy2
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Abe Sapien- Hellboy 1 & 2
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Billy Butcherson- Hocus Pocus

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Needless to say, Doug Jones has played in multiple movies without us being aware, all because of the costume. [If you watch the special features of Pan's Labyrinth, he actually says that Pan was the most comfortable suit he's worn yet..] So there you have it, Pan's Labyrinth. It's one of the best [if not the best] foreign horror/fantasy movies out there- the story is superb, the acting is well done, and Doug Jones plays not one, but two characters. [although one doesn't speak] If you're into horror/fantasy type movies, check this one out.. I promise you will not be disappointed.