The Seasoning House (2012)

Genre : Horror/Thriller
Country : UK

Cast :
Rosie Day : Angel
Sean Pertwee : Goran
Kevin Howarth : Viktor

Director :
Paul Hyett

Summary
The Seasoning House: where young girls are prostituted to the military. An orphaned deaf mute is enslaved to care for them. She moves between the walls and crawlspaces, showing the little kindnesses when she can. When fate brings the men that murdered her family and the reason she ended up in the whore house, a chain of events begins that will end her captivity ...

My opinion

"The seasoning House" is another movie that'll make you feel uncomfortably. It's definitely not for sensitive souls who are shocked easily. This movie isn't a Horror movie. The sadistic and brutal overtones marches forth throughout the movie and are brutally stopped by a devastating revenge caused by the urge to survive. There's no explicit gore that hits you like a sledgehammer, but it's the evocative atmosphere that makes you feel disgusted. It's a dilapidated hovel with timbered windows and an interior that's not looked after for years. No one comes to admire the furniture but comes there to satisfy his animal appetites and to take it out on those innocent girls.

It's situated during the Balkan war in the 90s where the army brutally conquered villages and slaughtered everyone except the younger girls. These poor girls were transported to this remote hovel as prostitutes and were abused at will for a lot of money by sadistic men. Some girls don't survive this brutal treatment and are simply wrapped in a blanket and dumped somewhere. To think that these practices actually occurred in these parts makes it worse and shocking realistic.
 

The girl Angel, who is a deaf mute, actually gets a preferential treatment (sounds pretty stupid, I know) and is responsible for drugging the girls and the care and cleaning after more scum has come along. There is no escape and submissively she performs these tasks. Until she actually gets an emotional bond with a new girl who is horribly abused afterwards. The moment a unit of soldiers arrives, who are also responsible for the death of Angels family, and a huge dude abuses that girl severely, Angel jumps in to help her in a rather bloody way and flees away between the floor and walls.
 

The first 40 minutes are quite slowly and have a claustrophobic tone, where you can see Angel browsing through the corridors and carrying out the tasks in a trance, while dodging away from grabbing perverts. Personally I thought the gore part wasn't that hard. The more the oppressive discomfort was present. I was sometimes painful to watch, and not in a physical way. The whole movie feels like a crazy ride on a roller coaster: First excruciatingly slow, then breathtaking and surprisingly fast, to end up in a slower pace.
 

The only criticism I could cite is that it is rather implausible that a simple girl, armed only with a kind of scalpel and a syringe with heroin , could outwit and defeat heavily armed soldiers. Most of it was also pure luck they were eliminated. The final scene will make you feel relieved and will give you a good feeling. Especially the face-to-face confrontation with Goran is a highlight. Just how could Angel crawl back in that narrow tube ?

Conclusion: a tough and confrontational movie that will jolt you a conscience with a sledgehammer. A piece of advice: don't watch this on your first date. It might give a false impression !

My rating 7 /10
Links : IMDB

Forbidden Ground (2013)

Genre : War
Country : Australia

Cast :
Johan Earl : Wilkins
Tim Pocock : O'Leary
Martin Copping : Jennings

Director :
Johan Earl,Adrian Powers

Summary
When an allied charge on the German lines goes horribly wrong, one man finds himself stranded in No Man's Land. Reuniting with two other survivors, together they must help each other as they charge into the unknown across the muddy wasteland as the Germans quickly hone in on the desperate trio. Tensions rise between the soldiers as they are surrounded by explosions of grenades with the constant rattle of machine guns in their ears. Time is running out as they make their way back over enemy lines as an impending attack could soon take them out.

My opinion
An Australian attempt to create an image of the terrible battles that were held in WWI. They managed to show that on a small scale. Military units in dirty miserable conditions, sitting in mud and other dirt waiting until they were driven into a certain death. The whistling of bullets and explosions of bombs. The fear in the eyes of young soldiers who probably didn't even know what this war was about.

The image I'll remind of this movie was that of the arrogant superior who, without hesitation, gives an order to attack, although this would lead to a needless bloodshed. Because this was totally unnecessary and pointless in this stage of the battle, since they were planning for a heavy bombardment on the German positions. It was a showcase of egocentric display of power. I don't understand how come those hundred men in the trenches don't jump on that fagot coward collectively and chased him on the battlefield with a gun.

Anyway, the introduction of this film is the rush towards the German position, realizing  that no one will reach the other side alive. Don't expect grand heroic scenes like in "Saving Private Ryan", but rather limited images and close-ups. A clear sign that this is a low-budget film. The three soldiers Sergeant Major Wilkins , private O'Leary and Corporal Jennings , survive the massacre and end up in no man's land between the two lines. The rest of the battalion is spread over the mud-filled grounds. From here on starts the biggest part of the movie, because going back to their own trenches takes time. Corporal Jennings is very badly injured (A full leg torn away) which makes that the withdrawal is not so evident. This section is therefore extremely boring. It's not because of the acting. The acting is still acceptable despite the circumstances . But to be honest, a slowly receding threesome is not much to work with and to get an exciting story.

Eventually they made up a parallel story in which the wife of Sergeant Major Wilkins plays a leading role. She's pregnant and wants an abortion. Something that wasn't obvious to do at that time. Eventually she asks the help of a nurse who doesn't have experience with this operation. Obviously this ends up in a complete tragedy. And what a coincidence ! This nurse is the fiancée of Corporal Jennings, who at the same time ceased to live on the battlefield.

"Forbidden Ground"  mostly succeeded in visualizing the atmosphere and the horror in WWI, now 100 years ago. In terms of content, it's a disaster and the story itself is a bit far fetched.

Het verdict 2 /10
Links : IMDB

The Iceman (2012)

Genre : Biography/Crime
Country : USA

Cast :
Michael Shannon : Richard Kuklinski
Winona Ryder : Deborah Pellicotta
Ray Liotta : Roy Demeo

Director :
Ariel Vromen

Summary
Richard Kuklinski is working as a porn film lab tech until his mob bosses persuade him to change his career into that of a contract killer. For years, Kuklinski gains a reputation for cold blooded professionalism even as he raises a family who are kept in the dark about his true career. Unfortunately, mob politics ultimately forces him to secretly work independently with the psychopathic Robert 'Mr. Freezy' Pronge.

My opinion

You see the Iceman crying?

Once and a while I do like watching a raw mob movie like "The Godfather". And when it's based on true facts then this is really a special treat for me. Not that I have the ambition for a career change in my personal life :)
Although you can foresee what it is about (especially if you've already heard about Kuklinski) and the film is fairly limited in terms of content, I found this a damn excellent played film which captivated and intrigued me to the end. I have seen the interview of Kuklinski, but I didn't think it was that interesting. I thought it was really just an assassin working for the Mafia. However, the film shows that besides the fact that this was his daily job, Kuklinski actually performed these murders also for pleasure and perhaps as a retaliation. An ice-cold killer with a deadly twist in his sick mind.

Actually, only the career of Kuklinski and the way he combined this with an apparently perfectly normal life as a family man  to the outside world, is shown in this film. That is the only criticism I can come up with. It's only limited to that issue.

The performances of Michael Shannon (Also played General Zod in "Man of Steel") are truly extraordinary and admirable. He plays the cold-blooded psychopathic killer brilliant. First that imperturbable "Je mon fou" look and then turning into that cozy family man who looks in a loving way at his children. Terribly oppressive, terrifying and giving you the shivers. His natural stature helps him to create the image of an impressive Polish guy. It's obvious that thanks to his acting, the movie is lifted up to a higher level. A brilliant moment and a clarification that Kuklinski doesn't only kill people for a living, was the moment he asked James Franco to pray to God to see if He would come down to rescue him. Eventually he simply killed him. It was just a game for Kuklinski at that time and a clear and precise way to demonstrate his dominance. A face that never shows any emotion, except when things go differently than planned or the moments he feels insulted or indignant about someones actions. You can see the rage building up together with an inner gurgling growl . That's the moment when the beast in him emerges. Breathtaking !
 

The supporting cast is also beautifully complemented. Winona Ryder as Kuklinski 's wife was irrefutably perfect for this role. The moments when she begins to realize that something is not right and the mood swings are getting worse, are played superbly. She also looks fragile and like an angel. Especially when Kuklinski takes her in his arms.
Ray Liotta was way better than in "Killing them softly". His scarred face with those icy eyes make him perfect material to interpret a mob boss. Calculated and insensitive. The moment where he has to liquidate Rosenthal was magnificent played.And yes, David Schwimmer performed to my surprise as the Jewish Rosenthal. I didn't recognize him immediately with that huge mustache and ponytail. But unfortunately he reminds me every time of Ross. The way he moves and the way he talks. Every time I expect him to talk with that slow depressed voice. But actually it didn't bother me that much.Ventimiglia fitted just perfectly in this movie and despite the limited role Chris Evans delivered a meritorious contribution.
 

The content of the film was basically limited to the necessary things in Kuklinski's life. His recruitment by Demeo and the dirty work he does for him. His family life that he tries to protect and to shield from the rest. And finally his arrest. And that was for me a downer. For example, they only used 10 seconds to shed a light on the youth of Kuklinski. He grew up in inhumane conditions bearing inexpressibly physical violence. This short fragment shows how he is terribly beaten by his father. I think it's a missed opportunity they didn't use that item more. The fact that Kuklinski grew up in a totally antisocial environment with parents who really didn't give a damn about their children, partly ensured that Kuklinski degenerated into a violent person. Both his father and his religious mother regularly used physical violence. One of his brothers died cause of that. Afterwards he was even physically abused by nuns as an altar boy, and he was a victim of bullying. It was probably at this time that he has undergone a metamorphosis. Philip Carlo goes deeper in this matter in his biography of Richard Kuklinski "The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer" (I never read it , but I sure will now). Kuklinski apparently brutally killed one of the bullies with a club and got rid of him with deadly efficiency. Kuklinski claimed that he then realized that it was better to give the punches then to receive them. Apparently the part about the youth of Kuklinski leaves a big impression on the reader. Unfortunately this is completely omitted in the film .
Why wasn't there also a broader explanation about the developments in his eventual arrest ? For how long were the feds watching him already ? Was it his panicky way of working at the end that finished him off ? Had he made ​​a mistake in his paranoid mood? Which informants worked on the case ? How did they proceed to infiltrate Kuklinski 's world? And why wasn't there a momentarily flash of this case in the courtroom ?
 

Despite these personal criticisms, I thought it was a very good movie. A story about the interwoven lives of both an ordinary family man and a ruthless serial killer with a conscience issue. An adaptation of a voluminous literary work can be problematic and it's understandable there are fragments left out. Yet I had the feeling that it was still rushed through in a high gear. For me however, the final scene is sublime and shows the masterful performance of Shannon and the accuracy with which he has studied the beast Kuklinski and has portrayed him.
This film won't leave you cold (appropriately) ...
 

My rating 8 /10
Links : IMDB

Life of a King (2013)

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
Cuba Gooding Jr. : Eugene
Dennis Haysbert : Searcy
Malcolm M. Mays : Tahime

Director :
Jake Goldberger

Summary
Ex-felon, Eugene Brown, establishes a Chess Club for inner city teenagers in Washington, D.C. It's the story of a man who wants to give those Afro-American kids something they never had : a future.

My opinion 
Apparently "Life of a King" is the true story of the ex-detainee Eugene Brown who founded a chess club in the slums of Washington, to keep teenagers of the streets and to teach the philosophical significance of a game of chess. I say "apparently"  because I read on the internet that the real Eugene Brown only gave chess lessons at an elementary school, and certainly not at a high school. Also he would be too afraid to hang around with teenagers driving fast cars, waving with guns and trade drugs. So this movie is 95% fiction. The idea to establish a chess club for underprivileged children came from one Sergeant Michael Brown (no relation incidentally) who served in the fire department in Washington D.C.

Whether it is a slightly modified version of the real facts, actually isn't relevant. I thought it was a fascinating and poignant film about underprivileged kids who escape reality every day and don't think a descent education is important. They flee into the criminal world and turn against the social values. "Life of a King" belongs in a list of films that have appeared over the years. The content is twofold. On the one hand we have the rebellious youth rejecting any form of authority except that of a local criminal. On the other hand, we have some good Samaritan who believes that these young people do have a future and tries to help them. The subject is nothing new and there are a whole series of movies with a similar theme. From "Boys Town" and "Blackboard Jungle" to "Class of 1984" and "Dangerous Minds" . In all these movies a figure emerges who has the will and patience to put the derailed youth back on track. The biggest cliche in all these films is the fact there needs to happen a tragic accident before everyone comes to their senses.

Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a wonderful part. I'm not a big fan of Cuba, but I thought this was a magnificent performance. He always has such a somber and sad look on his face that perfectly fits this role. A broken man after a long imprisonment who realizes that his only purpose, just like a pawn in a chess game, is to protect an important person and at the end gets sacrificed. That's the message he tries to convey to the young kids. Clifton (Carlton Byrd) is the leading figure of the young ones who's dealing for a local drugs lord. He's the only one who doesn't believe in the chess game of Eugene but immediately realizes that the latter is not quickly intimidated. Tahime (Malcolm Mays) is the timid boy with family problems and follows Clifton blindly until the end. Peanut (Kevin Hendricks) is the soft hearted of the classroom and gets handed the role of victim.

The message Eugene wants to tell, is that life is like a chess game. Once you understand and apply that to daily life, there are opportunities to escape the downward spiral. At times I found it very moving. But you have to admit that this is just an average movie with the usual cliches and predictable situations. This movie will finally end up on some TV channel that broadcasts more of this moralizing, with life stories filled, movies.
A beautiful rendition in a well known framework.

My rating 6 /10
Links : IMDB

Dead Souls (2012)

Genre : Horror
Country: USA

Cast :
Bill Moseley : Sheriff Depford
Jesse James : Johnny Petrie
Magda Apanowicz : Emma

Director:
Colin Theys

Summary
Johnny Petrie learns on his 18th birthday that he was adopted after inheriting a farm in Maine. Eager to start a new life, Johnny leaves home so he can began afresh in this "new" dwelling. However, Johnny soon discovers that the farm, which has been abandoned for eighteen years since his natural family died, harbors a horrifying history about the deaths of said natural family.

My opinion
A movie that comes in my list of a mediocre but "not quite good" horror movie. Things started very promising. The apostate priest who, cause of a strange reason, kills his whole family. His wife and two older children are killed in an explicit way. Of course one member of the family remains unharmed. The newborn Brian was hidden by his older brother in a drawer. Thus the ritual can not be accomplished and the priest nails his family on a cross and eventually commits suicide. What the actual ritual is, is not really clear in this film. A bit of a weird idea of the priest to connect Christianity to a primitive religion of Egypt.

The start wasn't that bad. How the priest slaughters his family gave me the impression that it would be an acceptable horror movie. I could predict that in the distant future the saved son would return to his home as a teenager and would be confronted with his mysterious past. The introduction of Brian and his kind of weird mother pointed out it was clearly a low-budget film. Once the mother goes to the hospital and the boy, now called John Petrie, goes to the town where the house is for sale of which he's the only heir, it gets a little better and even at times a little exciting. The cliché ingredients are again used such as ghosts  appearing around the corner, creaking floors and doors that open by themselves. There were also moments when something appears behind someone and afterwards there is nothing anymore when that person turns around . It's all in there, and after the umpteenth time you're kind of bored of it. There's only one commendable moment in the whole film as Brian stands next to his old crib.

Then there is the introduction of Emma. A girl that came from i-don't-know-where and moved into the house, because it was already empty for some time. She wasn't very convincing and changed spontaneously from an arrogant kid to a loving and seducing teen girl. They are complete strangers for each other, but suddenly it seems as if they know each other for years. Together they come to the incoherent and incomprehensible discovery what the priest was trying to achieve and something is brought up as the "fifth nail". Then there's a senior police officer who retired after the incident who's still looking for the truth. They will organize a seance to find the solution.

And from here on it just get worse. The ghosts look abominable and the effects look very outdated. When victims return as living dead and want to finish the unfinished task, it really starts to look completely amateurish. In particular how the kids save themselves in the final scene. That looked like a really old 70's horror movie. The highlight was a zombie falling into a nail that finished him of.

A mixture of all sorts of horror genres with a strong start, but a historically bad ending

My rating 3 /10
Links : IMDB

Bless Me, Ultima (2013)

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
Luke Ganalon : Antonio
Miriam Colon : Ultima
Benito Martinez : Gabriel

Director :
Carl Franklin

Summary
A drama set in New Mexico during WWII, centered on the relationship between a young man and an elderly medicine woman who helps him contend with the battle between good and evil that rages in his village.

My opinion
I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful.

A simple and beautiful imaged coming-of-age story. The film is based on a novel by Rudolfo Anaya, an American author and one of the founders of modern Chicano literature. Antonio tells the story of him growing up in New Mexico under the watchful eye of Ultima, a curandera or healer. Ultima has knowledge about healing herbs. Most people see her as a person who possesses supernatural powers and cures diseases caused by evil spirits. Those diseases are believed to be a punishment from God. Others see Ultima as a kind of witch ( Bruja ) who can transform into an owl. Antonio accompanies her while she collects medicinal herbs. He visits with her the sick and begins to understand the connectedness of nature with the process of healing even though he never gets an explicit scientific explanation about the healing process, how she casts spells onto witches or why she sometimes decides not to intervene.

Don't expect a flashy entertaining and action-packed movie. Despite the film proceeds in a sluggish manner while creating an image of this community in Guadalupe, the film was able to captivate me. I've never read the novel. So I can't judge whether the film follows the book to a great extent or not. The main part of the film shows the relationship between Ultima and Antonio. You notice immediately that there is a very strong link between those two from the first moment they have met. The fragments where Ultima passes her knowledge of medicinal plants and herbs to Antonio, are beautiful and very emotionally. The moment Ultima is on her way to heal an uncle of Antonio is actually a key moment. There is a curse on him by the daughter of a local resident named Tenorio Trementina. Eventually, Antonio faces a kind of exorcism, followed by the application of a kind of voodoo ritual.

The ongoing theme is Antonio's Christian faith that is developing, while being confronted with primitive rituals . The moment he celebrates ​​his First Holy Communion and supposedly be one with God, he sees the chance to get an answer on a question about Narciso. The fact that he receives no response ensures that there is doubt about the whole Christian faith. The death of a boyfriend who disbelieves cause there's been done so much injustice to him, probably also has a big influence.

The acting of Ultima and Antonio by Miriam Colon and Luke Ganalon is excellent and credible. Colon is a female Mexican version of "Gandalf" with a strong personality despite her old age, and a furrowed, tanned face that radiates wisdom. However, the best player is Ganalon. Superb acting. The supporting cast is perfectly chosen.

So if you want to experience a zen-moment among all the other action-packed and exciting movies, then you should try this film.

My rating 7 /10
Links : IMDB