DIRECTOR: Tobe Hooper
CAST: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams
THE PLOT: A families home is haunted by a host of ghosts.
BEN'S VIEWS: This is one of the movies that scared the shit out of me when I was a little kid. Granted I was nine years old when I first watched it so it won't have this effect on an average adult movie goer but it is still an entertaining ride. The idea of a poltergeist has always freaked me out. It is a demonic force that can take over your house or household objects and move or throw them around.The film does a fine job of building tension up and then letting all hell break loose. The script takes its basis for its scares from typical childhood fears such as the big scary tree outside the window or something hiding under the bed. Some of the special effects haven't held up so well and you will be reminded your watching an early 1980's film. The drama between the films family members tends to be a little overwrought too. But as a whole this works as a great horror film for beginners..
DIRECTOR: Takashi Miike
CAST: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina
THE PLOT: A widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be.
BEN'S VIEWS: Audition begins normally enough. In fact, in the first hour and fifteen minutes you may not even realize your watching a horror film. The story plays out reasonably enough, although there is an unsettling tone to it. Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina both create believable and intriguing characters.But watch out for the final 40 minutes of the film: it may traumatize you. If you are at all squeamish then stear clear of this movie. Only if you can handle films like Saw or Hostel should you attempt this one. Director Takashi Miike also uses a somewhat confusing approach to the films final act so it may require a second viewing for clarity. All said this is a well-directed and acted horror film. The question is whether you want a PG-13 "scary" movie with a few boo moments or to be truly horrified and disturbed as this film will accomplish.
DIRECTOR: Lukas Moodysson
CAST: Alexandra Dolstrom, Rebecka Lijeberg
THE PLOT: About two teenage girls in small-town Sweden, Elin who is beautiful, popular and bored with life and Agnes who is friendless, sad and secretly in love with Elin.
BEN"S VIEWS: A lot of people would be put off by the subject matter of Fucking Amal. The two main charatcers are very familiar, the same type of girls you knew in Junior High or High School. One is popular and one is an outcast. Their distinguishing feature is that they are lesbians. Close-minded people will think that only homosexuals can watch films about homosexuals but that is a bullshit point of view. The film is also about the fears and insecurities that all teenagers have at times. It is a great film and a lot of that is due to the acting which is far and above the quality of young actors that we typically see. The film makes you feel for its characters and that is not easy to do.
DIRECTOR: William Friedkin
CAST: Gene Hackman
THE PLOT: A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French Connection.
BEN"S VIEWS: The French Connection is an above average police procedural that begins in a fairly slow manner and build to a frenetic finish. During the first half of the film you will have to pay careful attention to all the players involved in the drug deal to keep up with the plot. If you can process all of it then the furiously paced second half of the film will make it worth it. There is an amazing car/train chase sequence and numerous shoot-outs. I really don't think that this is one of the best films ever made as it does have some flaws (the score is horrible) but it is still a well-constructed and intense film.