STOKER – I'm glad I checked 'Stoker' out again, as it's actually a really good film. It's about Mia Wasikowska and her fascination with her Uncle Charlie. Charlie is a bit of a creep, and, as the film charts his gradual infiltration of the the family home in the wake of Mia's dad's death, turns out to be a bit of a murderous psychopath too, but you could probably see that coming. Chan-wook Park gives great, elegant visuals and conjures up a dreamy, slightly mesmerising atmosphere. There's a wealth of interesting stuff going on , including some kind of cryptic symbology involving the colour yellow (I think). If that doesn't float your boat, there's some incestuous intrigue and a smattering of violence. Definitely worth watching.
THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN – This is another one of those films which I've always had slightly lukewarm feelings for, but which has impressed me on a recent viewing. Maybe I'm so shallow that watching it in hi def makes all the difference. Actually, I think it's more likely that I've just seen so much shit over the years, even mildly good stuff seems nearly great now. Anyway, TIMM tells the story of an astronaut who returns to earth only to start melting. We don't know why this is happening exactly, but do we have to? Astronaut runs around killing people, a scientist chases after him and then it's the end. With TIMM, there's a lot of the usual inconsequential talking and moving about, but it flies by quite quickly and rarely drags. The gore is pretty mild, but the melt fx are still gloriously icky. The aesthetics have that characteristic seventies ring of TV-esque flatness masking something more jarring, as exemplified by the way the soundtrack combines soap opera type parping with atonal electronic noise. I've come to really appreciate this era specific 'feel', so typical of much seventies low brow horror. More than this though, there are a few instances where the film transcends its natural limits and lets something else come through – some scenes where Mr Meltdown takes on a Frankensteinian pathos as he wanders bereft against a setting sun, the cynical ending with its conspiratorial air. Overall, highly enjoyable schlock with an undercurrent of muted tragedy.
 |