En Passant (2005)

You can’t really find too much in terms of independent short films revolving around a talking head, so I wasn’t really expecting much in “En Passant”, a seven minute short that revolves basically around two talking heads. Two people sit across from one another in a dark room discussing serial killers. They discuss motive and person, the individuals and the methods of murders they engaged in. What’s perplexing about this film is not that these men are discussing these killers as if they’re defending one of their own family, but how they have the ability to commit these heinous crimes. Continue reading

Supercross (2005)

SupercrossIf you needed any verification towards the quality of “Supercross” you need look no further than the first ten minutes. After our character narrates that he and his brother are close, and that just because they’re close doesn’t mean they never compete, and that their father dreamed of having them as Supercross stars, we’re subjected to a nearly ten minute long opening featuring a montage of motocross sequences set to a dramatic scores and flickering credits. Oh joy. And then there’s the actual film after the stunt show. We’re dragged along with pool cleaners whom rely on their jobs and have nothing else in their lives except their job, which they rely on, and their bikes.

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Fizzy Days (2005)

fizzydaysThe plot is severely simple. Eddy (who bears a shocking resemblance to Roger Daltry) wants to impress the girls, and having a guitar just isn’t doing it. So, in order to grab some tail, he gets a job so he can afford a motorcycle. Bikes, which are affordable, just don’t garner enough attention aside from laughs. For the novelty of its plot and the time it’s set in, “Fizzy Days” is worth your attention; it’s not only entertaining, but utterly unique in terms of humor and characterization.

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Serial Killing 4 Dummys (Serial Killing 101) (2004)

1010101This is just one of those movies that are so bad, they’re just damn good. The quality, filming locations, bad acting, and nonsensical story all pretty much made for a film that shouldn’t be taken too seriously by the audience and should be approached with an open mind. It’s pretty obvious that the makers attempted to make a real slasher, but then, halfway, decided to just make a satire, which is why this has two movie syndrome, where one half of the film feels so different from the second half. What starts off feeling like another slasher film inevitably becomes a cheesy, campy, dark comedy about killing.

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V for Vendetta (2005)

If you’re expecting an average comic book adaptation from “V for Vendetta”, then you’re out of luck. McTeigue’s film is both an excellent action film, and a brutally intelligent political thriller fixed to the modern socio-economic and political currents with biting satire, and an almost demented subtle commentary that only those in touch with the current political events can and will catch on towards; suffice it to say “V for Vendetta” is far from your typical superhero actioner. Set in a semi-Orwellian society, the Wachowski’s altered the eighties era story Moore set to the political current in his home country to coincide with America’s direction and its current tide of terrorism; Moore’s hero V is a pure terrorist, by many definitions, but this hero is also a freedom fighter.

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Clerks II (2006)

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“Shit, now where am I going to brings girls to fuck?” asks Randall upon witnessing the video store in flames. Gee, how utterly hip, edgy, and hard rock of him to say. Oh Smith, “How doth thou sucketh”, said the lord. Hey, I enjoyed the “Clerks” animated series, but alas that’s as far as my love goes for the “Clerks” franchise extends. The first one was an entertaining albeit mediocre comedy and then movie fans proceeded, and continue to give Smith a continuous hand job in terms of his career that has continued well into his thirties, and “Clerks II” is a listless sequel with the usual cast appearances and pop culture gags that drop like a deflated balloon.

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Frankenstein's Bloody Nightmare (2006)

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“Frankenstein’s Bloody Nightmare” basically has its head on tight with intentions of being both experimental and surreal, and in many respects, Director Hand knows how to convey both a nightmarish and surrealist theme with a hazy picture that drifts from plain and sterile to multi-colored and intense. Hand’s film has a very noticeable Lynchian feel as yet another take on the Doctor Frankenstein character. Hand’s film is a pure mixture of sixties psychedelic grind house exploring the sheer utter madness behind a man seeking to help his wife.

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