duminică, 17 martie 2024

Red Rooms / Les Chambres Rouges (2023)

Canadian thriller/horror/psychological drama in French (shot in Montreal) screening now in Romanian Theaters (very selected;). Distributed by Cay Films (their best entry on their roaster)

Sitges and Fantasia entry, awarded at various film fests of last year, this film deserves to be better known. I had an inner feeling seeing the poster but had no clue about it. So, I was happy I went to see it in the cinema, it was an imersing experience. 

A twist on the serial killer game, focusing on their groupies, and a descent into "The Dark Web" more realistic than any I've seen so far.  

It' s also a first fare into the genre  (cross-over) by writer/director Pascal Plante, Les Chambres Rouges/ Red Rooms -in Romanian it's "Camera rosie" (singular instead of plural!)

Great score (John Carpenter style by Dominique Plante, I guess it's the director's wife), sound design, acting (Juliette Gariepy is sensational as Kelley-Anne!, she looks alike a young Madeleine Stowe but with an uncanny glance intensity, then there is big-eyed Laurie Biron as Clementine ), masterfully shot (a lot of long takes, the first one in the courtroom is quite a tour-de-force), interesting choice of framing (1.50:1), atmospheric and mysterious, with high tension psychologically and emotionally.

Reminded me of David Cronenberg and a bit of Repulsion. 

See it in a cinema if you can ! Also not for the faint of heart (rated R-N 15)

Deadline review from Karlovy Vary film fest (in competition). 

RIP Steve Harley The Cockney Rebel

Another bad news Sunday...Steve Harley just died. The leader of Cockney Rebel and the creator of The Human Menajerie (his 1st album with Cockney Rebel in 1973) just got to be 73 on February 27th. He had cancer and that forced him to stop his 2023 tour in the middle of t. I 1st heard of him on Radio Free Europe back in 1983 with the song Sebastian (1973), which was a powerplay hit on the Metronom by Request show. 


Obit on bbc here

luni, 11 martie 2024

OSCARS 96 @2024

 Happy with these Oscars ! #96, man,lookin' up for #100 !

my prognosis was here

Happy for Godzilla Minus One because they had the best mangled speech ever ! Domo Arrigato Mr. Roboto ;) Haven't seen yet the flick ! would've loved to see it screened here (in Ro.)

Happy to see Navalny (well, now that he is is dead ;((((, they put on the beginning of the doc that is on HBO Max... which I 've seen just nights ago...) and Slava Ukraina for 20 Days in Mariupol ! I wondered if they'd cut the cable in Russia...

Robert Downey Jr was (and is) a very happy camper ! Not only a happy camper ! The most happier campiest camper ! I thought he would win for Chaplin in 1992 (Oscars 1993) !!! He thought that too ! He was young and arrogant ! And he needs this now ! Check. Not that Mark Ruffalo's career best in Poor Things wouldn't beat mr. Levi Strauss !!! He actually couldn't caare less ;)

Of course the biggest loser and the glorious loser is Marty again with Killers of the Flower Moon.. I feel most for Robbie Robertson's score...Gud Nite brother...

Jimmy Kimmel did a decent performance, not very risque, not very Hu Ha, but safe (almost)

Ahnuld  (mr Freeze) & Danny de Vito (penguin) were the best presenters IMO, funny how they threatened The Batman Birdman (Michael Keaton in the front row).

even though you had Al Pacino on the stage, but not much Hu Ha (Best film presenter)

The best was John Cena in the nude (a reminder of the David Niven 1974 streaker/runner in the bush)

Oppie surely got the cake, as it was expected 

Poor Things, same as expected, sorry Lily but she seemed ok

Zone of Interest -sound and foreign film, it rocks ! 




duminică, 10 martie 2024

John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies - My Name is Death (2024)

John Carpenter, his son Cody and nephew Daniel Davies are putting out LOST THEMES vol. IV: NOIR

here's Lost Themes vol. I (2015)

Last time i saw JC and heard about him in Studio 666 where he has a cool cameo.

last Halloween sucked and all in all except the original there were all unnecessary remakes and cash-ins. part II was kinda cool tho. But the Rob Zombie remakes and the reboots booted. 

and this is the first release from the album: My Name is Death 

nice black and white video too.