Review: Blue Velvet (1986)

Blue Velvet (1986)

Director: David Lynch

Writer: David Lynch (screenplay)

Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper

I remember when I first saw David Lynch’s 1986 surreal classic, Blue Velvet. I got home after hanging out with friends and noticed I recorded it in my DVR. Without knowing much about it, I hit the play button and found myself equally wowed and disturbed by Lynch’s haunting masterpiece.

What makes Blue Velvet a horror film? Good question! It’s the idea that a candy-colored, peaceful, little town has hidden secrets. The film tells the tale of Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle Maclachlan), a college student called home to care for his comatose father. While strolling through a field, Jeffrey finds a severed ear covered in ants and takes it to the police.

It’s at the police station where Jeffrey overhears a detective (George Dickerson) discuss the case and takes it upon himself to investigate. Jeffrey finds himself in one hell of a nightmarish ride involving a femme fatale lounge singer (Isabella Rossellini) and a deranged gangster named Frank Booth. Boy, you’ll think Jeffrey regrets picking up that ear in the field.

Blue Velvet is a masterful Neo-Noir film that has a lot to say. In the opening scene, we get beautiful and semi-satirical shots of Lumberton (the film’s setting). Everything is nice and peaceful, but then we see a glimpse underneath the soil, of large insects crawling creepily, implying this isn’t an ordinary town. Perhaps it’s also saying that no town is ordinary. The first half of Blue Velvet is entirely buildup. Through hallway shots and POV shots through closets, we know we’re about to see something that will shock us. 

- Austin Maggs

Trailer:

Review: Exam (2009)

Exam (2009)

Director: Stuart Hazeldine

Exam is a slick little thriller that takes a common story and tells it in a unique way. It contains a great opening sequence that visually introduces each of the characters without any real dialogue. Eight job candidates are placed in a room for 80 minutes. Each has a desk with a piece of paper and pencil. An invigilator enters the room and explains that this is their final test in what has been on ongoing process. There is one question and there is one answer. An armed security guard stands at the door. They are told if they try to leave, spoil their paper, communicate with the guard or the invigilator, they will be disqualified. When they turn their papers over, they are blank.

Immediately, one of the candidates is removed for writing on her paper. The remaining seven form a tentative alliance. One man takes charge when he tells the others they must work together. He gives them all aliases. He calls himself White, the others Brown, Dark, Blonde, Black, Brunette, and Deaf. These are the only names that are used throughout the film.

They begin to brainstorm ways to uncover the question. What begins as a team effort turns into a battle of wits and survival when White tricks another candidate into being removed. The stakes are then raised as they go from working together to turning on one another. Reminiscent of stories like Lord of the Flies, a power struggle ensues when White tries to take control of the situation.

Exam clips along at a fast pace and keeps the viewer unsure of both the question the candidates seek but also who will prevail. Loyalties shift between the characters, as well as the viewer's feeling about them. Brunette is a much stronger, tougher character initially, who shifts drastically when she is turned on by the others.

It's a clever story that quietly teases out the characters' backstories. It also makes one think of themselves, and how they would react in a similar situation. The ticking clock throughout the film keeps the tension up. It's more of a psychological thriller than a traditional horror film, but it does contain many classic horror elements. These include a claustrophobic environment, characters eliminated one by one, and an interesting twist at the end.

With all the action taking place inside one room, it feels like a play. It makes great use of limited space and a good cast to play off one another. Up until the end the suspense continues. Without a good script or cast this story could have fallen flat. But it doesn't. It keeps the tension up and has several great surprises before the final shot. Recommended.

- Peter Browne

Review: iMurders (2008)

iMurders (2008)
Director: Robbie Bryan / Scroll Down Films

While browsing the horror and thriller DVD sections of my favorite local movie retailer, I noticed the film iMurders. I remembered reading about it when I prepared my recent interview with Executive Producer and Actor Brooke Lewis. Prior to viewing iMurders, all the markers suggested to me that this is a film that I wanted in my collection. From the ensemble cast, including one of the all-time horror greats, Tony Todd (Candy Man), to the title, tagline, and promotional packaging, I knew I needed to buy it and watch it as soon as possible. 

Before watching iMurders, I had certain expectations that it would be a straightforward thriller. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is much more than that. iMurders is a clever genre hybrid of slasher horror, psychological thriller, detective drama, and murder mystery throwback to the days of Agatha Christie. There is a nice balance of violence, gore, and suspense to keep most horror fans on the edge of their seats. 

The story follows a group of chat room participants that have built long distance friendships through a social media website cleverly named "FaceSpace." Each member of the group is being picked-off one by one in true slasher fashion, as FBI Agents Washington, played by Tony Todd, and Lori Romano, played by Brooke Lewis, attempt to solve the case. As viewers, we are only given small pieces of the puzzle in order to draw our own conclusion as to who is committing these murders. I can't say that I was surprised by the ending; however, there was enough misdirection to keep several possibilities open. 

Our female lead is Sandra Wilson, played by Terri Conn (Colombino). After a brief scene of adultery and ambiguous gunfire, we cut to Sandra, a thirty-something beautiful blonde, arriving at her newly rented apartment in Jersey. We are quickly introduced to Sandra's new technologically challenged and nosy landlord Christine Jensen, played convincingly by Joanne Baron. These two quickly develop a friendship. Sandra's character is further developed through a budding romance with the ex-cop hunk down the hall, Joe Romano, played by Frank Grillo. Grillo is excellent as the love interest and is given some depth through a back-story involving the murder of his brother. 

Robbie Bryan does an excellent job of presenting snippets of the rest of the chat room participants' lives in order to give viewers a reason to care or in some cases not care about those being murdered. This also allows us to see what an all-star ensemble cast this really is. William Forsythe is fantastic as the dirty-old-man Professor Uberoth. He cheats on his wife with co-workers and is a little too friendly with his female students. Not a likable guy, but certainly an interesting character. Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who plays my favorite character in the film, Mark Sanders, the flamboyant FX artist that conducts a monthly FaceSpace chat room contest for the group members. The rest of the characters are just as rich and enjoyable to watch.

Without giving too much away, there are elements of iMurders that are reminiscent of Se7en (1995). In fact, there is a scene where agents Washington and Romano unknowingly pass the killer on their way up a stairway. Not sure if this was intentionally done by Bryan or not. In addition to this scene, the ways in which the murders are done and the reasons for which they were committed remind me of Se7en as well.

"No one is safe in cyberspace!" a tagline that is sure to grab the attention of social media junkies like me. There is certainly a false sense of security and anonymity when one surfs the web. One believes that they can become trusted friends with faceless humans on the other end of a binary coded network of circuitry, but do you ever really know for sure who you are sharing information with? Ultimately, I believe this film proves that the dangers in cyberspace are essentially the same dangers one faces in "real" life.

I highly recommend this film for anyone that enjoys a solid "whodunit." 

Brief DVD review:
I am thrilled that I purchased this DVD rather than having streamed or rented it. The extras include an alternate ending, which I liked very much, and a lengthy behind-the-scenes Q&A with several of the stars including Writer/Director Robbie Bryan, William Forsythe, Brooke Lewis, Tony Todd, Frank Grillo, Billy Dee Williams, the late, great Charles Durning, Miranda Kwok, Margaret Colin, Joanne Baron, and Gabrielle Anwar among others.

Buy it.