October isn’t for another week, but In A Violent Nature is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. The plot has been done before, but there is some fantastic violence. The film follows a group of friends who go to the woods, take something they shouldn’t have and a crazy killer rises from his grave. It’s been done a million times before (and with better actors), but the movie is worth watching for the onslaught. There is a yoga scene that might be the “Kill of 2024” for me. I honestly have no idea how they filmed that one. The kills are some of the best I’ve seen in a while filled with gore and graphic violence. I totally dug it. The acting won’t win awards and the story isn’t genre redefining, but the killer should become a horror cult icon and I hope it spawns a sequel or two as long as it keeps the violence it is named for. A nice little surprise gem.
Second we have Before Dawn which also has a plot that’s been done many, many times before. A group of friends join the war effort, battle in the trenches, some die, some survive to return home. It feels very 1917, but not nearly as good. It doesn’t have the production value of a big Hollywood movie, but it is about Australians which you don’t see often (at least here in the States). I couldn’t tell you how many Aussies died in WWI so movies getting made about them is cool. I overall like war movies so even though it feels like a thousand previous movies I at least enjoyed it for a watch. I don’t know if I’d watch it again, but it has a couple of younger Aussie actors in it I’ve seen before including Levi Miller and Ed Oxenbould who were both in Better Watch Out.
Third we have The Profane Exhibit which is an anthology film. Like all anthology films there are good parts and bad parts. What separates this one is how gory and violent it is and some of the big name directors who participated in it. Names like Uwe Boll and Ruggero Deodato. Boll’s segment Basement is probably the one that stands out the most. Clint Howard stars and has never been more horrifying as a loving husband with a surprise in the basement. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Howard in a role like that before. Mother May I is solid and brings a religious angle to the story. Hell Chef feels like something Takashi Miike might do. I didn’t like all of them, but I can say that about all anthology series like V/H/S, etc. It comes with commentaries, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more. It’s pretty graphic so be prepared.
Next we have Two Taoist Tales (Taoism Drunkard and The Young Taoism Fighter) which reminded me of The Miracle Fighters which I watched over the summer. The films mix martial arts with comedy and fantasy and Taoism Drunkard has a ridiculous ball creature named the Banana Monster that will have you laughing. It’s about a drunkard who breaks a sacred statue and he’s tasked at finding a virginal boy to help defend the temple from a sorcerer as his punishment. It’s over-the-top with crazy characters and top–notch fighting for the time period. The Young Taoism Fighter is about a guy who teams up with a woman to fight a sorcerer and leader of a rival kung-fu school. It’s not quite as ridiculous (no banana monster), but the fighting is solid and costuming is too. The movies make for a fun double header and fans of 80s martial arts fantasy flicks will enjoy this release.
The Champions is a martial arts sports comedy about a guy who has to run away and ends up playing soccer. He clashes with The Soccer King and soon his martial arts skills have him scoring goals and getting the attention of those wanting to fix matches. I didn’t like this one as much. I understand what it’s trying to do, but it didn’t really resonate with me. It needed more martials arts and less comedy. The comedy didn’t work for me and the characters were all very one dimensional. But if you are a fan it’s filled with bonus features like commentaries, interviews and more.
Last we have The Threat. It’s a 1966 Japanese film about two escaped convicts who kidnap the grandson of a doctor and then break into the house of an ad-exec and take his family hostage. They use him as the go-between between them and the doctor. It’s a solid crime drama that isn’t action packed, but it shouldn’t be. It’s a thinking man’s thriller as you sit there wondering how far the criminals will go and if the ad-exec will step up and over take them. Director Kinji Fukasaku had a very good career eventually making the fantastic Battle Royale. If you like dramas you’ll like this one. It comes with commentary and more.
The Nerds Templar 