Repo: The Genetic Opera

Story: A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however.*taken from IMDB*

Review: Ever watch a film so different that the first viewing leaves a bitter taste in your mouth? Well that is about the sum of my feelings after my first viewing of Repo: The Genetic Opera. It was weird and I did not know what I was in for. I did not expect an actual opera. Dumb huh?

Repo is a gothic rock opera made by one of the directors of Saw II, III, and IV. After seeing Repo you can see where his true passion lies. Making unique cinematic experiences. He certainly did. Directors do not make movies like this anymore.

Now onto the actual review. While the synopsis is quite small the overall plot of the film follows far more that just a simple plot. The film Repo men, with Jude Law, took the plot and used it. Many claiming that it ripped off. I will not speak on that films behalf, I have not seen it even though I do own it. The plot is nothing ground breaking but it does have its moments that are really great. What most people what to know about this film is, "How is the music?" It is good, really good. It does have some off songs but most are really good.  The songs that did not work personaly for me where the songs are done in the classic opera singing style. They are not bad they are just to me the weakest songs. There are huge highlights in the music. Zydrate is a song that will be stuck in your head for days. Darren Lynn Bousmen and Terrence Zdunich really wrote some great songs here.



The performances are all pretty good. The true standouts here are Terrence Zdunich as the Graverobber and Anthony Head as The Repo Man. Terrence commands your attention when he is on the screen. The song Zydrate is his moment, he steals not only that scene but the entire movie. Anthony Head has some great moments and songs, from organ repossessions to his songs. The only performance that can be done without is Paris Hiltons, she has never been a good actress or singer. She does her best, and at times she can be a bit annoying. Her face falling off during a song makes up for every flat moment or line she has.



Recommend?: Yes, I do recommend this. Films like this need to be seen. While it will not be for everyone, many will actually hate this film. Watch it and if you do not like it watch it again. It is already a big cult hit, and it deserves it.

NEXT WEEK: THE DEVILS CARNIVAL

Live event and movie review. 

The Avengers (2012)

"Finding the characters' voices was easy; finding the structure was brutal!" - Joss Whedon

After four years of build-up, five block-busters, years of anticipation, hand-wringing, finger wagging and internet speculation we can finally see The Avengers. Like many other films of 2012, gone and yet to come, it certainly is ambitious. There were times when the movie looked like it would never get made, and a time where it almost looked like DC was going to push through a Justice League movie before it (though that project never materialized). There are many criticisms I can throw at this film but in the end, one way or the other, it delivers.

Earth is threatened by the fallen Asgardian prince Loki whose defeat in Thor has made him bitter but now has help from a strange, otherworldly benefactor. Colonel Nick Fury manages to escape the trickster god's wrath and is forced to re-open the 'Avengers initiative', a project hinted at in the previous Marvel films (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger). For some reason the 'initiative' was scrapped, but the reasons why are not really dwelt upon. You get a sense that much story and character development was cut to keep the movie's pace fast (director Joss Whedon recently admitted as much) but these omissions does not damage the film, but I digress. The first two recruited is Steve 'Captain America' Rogers and Natasha (Black Widow) Romanov. Rogers is unhappy as he lost decades of his life and is stuck in a more complex, less simple time, but accepts the mission and slowly finds himself becoming the leader of the group. Though introduced in Iron Man 2 we get to see Black Widow in action and get first-hand experience of her unorthodox spy methods. Tony Stark and Pepper (the only romantic interest from any of the other movies to join this film) find Agent Colson interrupting their supposed romantic evening. Bruce Banner is living in the slums of India, trying to help people in need as a way of keeping the Hulk at bay, but is not recruited for being a hero or villain, but in more of a consultant role. Thor joins the cast late, and because of his links to Loki is treated as an enemy instead of an ally, leading to a fight between him and another Avenger. Regardless of their formidable power Loki is one step ahead of them.

The Woman

Plot: The Woman is about a typical American family who captures a feral woman that they find living on their property. The capture her with the intention of civilizing her and helping her. But as things progress further into dark territories it becomes apparent that the men of the family want something far more sinister.

Review: Before getting into the review itself, I feel like I should discuss the writer Jack Ketchum. He is a modern horror author much like Stephen King and like Mr. King he has had several of his books turned into full feature films. His films tend to be darker and more disturbing than Kings.  Ketchum is not stranger to controversy, between this film and his 2009 film The Girl Next Door he has become a writer that usually will find his was to a top ten list of most disturbing films somewhere.

Now onto today's film. The Woman is a blood soaked flick that doesn't sacrifice on its character development, like most modern horror films. It gets you invested in one or more of its leads and then makes you want to watch others suffer. The Jack Ketchum films I have seen, do three things very well. Disturb you to your core, cause you to hate  people, and keep the film at a R-rating without resorting to a Unrated cut to have a shocking film.The Woman does all three of these things. But does that make it a good movie or just a film that shocks over story?

The story, while simple does its job of throwing enough twists at you to keep your eyes on the screen, even through the cracks of your hands. The shocking parts of this film aren't from the gore they are from the normality of the main antagonists and how they act when they are not being terrible. The male lead acts completely normal away from home, and then becomes an absolute monster at home. You genuinely feel like he is trying to do the right thing. While this does seem new to horror films, the acting makes it feel very real. 

The film is not without its flaws, the major flaw is its ending. Its a ending that does not fit the realism that the film was going for. The revenge segment of the film is easily the weakest, turning a disturbingly realistic drama into a gore filled cannibal film. It is not enough to ruin the film, it just seems out of place.

Recommend?: Yes, it is great horror film that does exactly what a horror film should do. Shock and disturb you. It is not for the faint of heart but I do recommend it easily.