#3 “The Woman”, and I’ve Got A Crush on Charlotte Gainsbourg

29 08 2013

Stephen King calls Jack Ketchum “the scariest writer alive.” Jack Ketchum got together with filmmaker Lucky McKee to make “The Woman” as a sequel to Ketchum’s novels about feral cannibals living in Maine. In “The Woman”, the books’ last surviving cannibal is captured by a dysfunctional middle-class family. Sexism and patriarchy are dissected just as thoroughly as in “A Serbian Film”, but the worst of the violence is kept off-screen. The crescendo of the plot comes too easily, the ending has one twist too many, but the acting and direction make this movie worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Gainsbourg makes me sigh. Now, what would happen if Charlotte were to go feral? I can already imagine her in a bar punching somebody upside the head. Both women have directness and grace. Both speak their own language, whether it is art or nature. Both live life on their terms (spoiler: woe betide the family man in “The Woman”). Something to meditate upon.





Movies You Should See: #4 “Sex House”

27 08 2013


This is webseries is a spoof of “Big Brother”, and like a lot of humor from the website The Onion, it’s pretty dark. This is the next-to-last episode. The wacky, sexy contestants have rebelled against the oppressive show producers and gone feral. They now subsist on the mold growing in the ventilation. They have not seen the sun in months. Conversation is reduced to rituals of survival. Yeah, this is pretty cool.





Ten Movies You Need To See… #9: “Kill List”

18 08 2013

Two affable army buddies in England get together to drink some beers, have good times, then go out and do a bit of work. The blokes are hitmen. Their families know it, and the income is pretty good. Until a client gives them a list of names. When the buddies go kill these people, it turns out those listed are a) loathsome, b) thankful to be killed, and c) already aware of the buddies’ identities. Suspenseful, but the ending has a typically British scare that may fall flat for Yankees.





Ten Movies You Need To See…: #10 “The Loved Ones”

18 08 2013

High school teen guy is kidnapped by quiet girl from school and her crazed dad, so that she can have a proper date to their own private prom. Comical? Could have been, but it ain’t.
This Australian film mixes squirm-inducing menace mixed with strong, rich characters. The small cast and limited locations make it feel claustrophobic, and the events seem plausible.
Beyond the ughhh parts, this movie is a great examination of families devastated by violent crime.








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