Left Bank
Stars: Eline Kuppens, Matthias Schoienaerts, Tom De Wispalaere, Marilou Mermans | Written by Christophe Dirickx, Dimitri Karakatsanis, Pieter Van Hees | Directed by Pieter Van Hees
Quite often I find the state of the modern horror movie intensely depressing, with far too many flaccid remakes, sequels and shiny nonsense that lack tension, pace and good scares. However once again a European film has restored my faith and brought a shiver of disquiet on a bright summer morning.
Left Bank (Linkeroever) is the first full length movie by Pieter Van Hees, which he intends to be part of a trilogy called Anatomy of Love and Pain, focuses on 22 year old aspiring athlete Marie (Eline Kuppens). Freshly qualified for a European championship event, she is devastated when a mystery virus stops her from training, but finds solace in the arms of a young archer, Bobby (Matthias Schoienaerts). He invites her to stay...
Stars: Eline Kuppens, Matthias Schoienaerts, Tom De Wispalaere, Marilou Mermans | Written by Christophe Dirickx, Dimitri Karakatsanis, Pieter Van Hees | Directed by Pieter Van Hees
Quite often I find the state of the modern horror movie intensely depressing, with far too many flaccid remakes, sequels and shiny nonsense that lack tension, pace and good scares. However once again a European film has restored my faith and brought a shiver of disquiet on a bright summer morning.
Left Bank (Linkeroever) is the first full length movie by Pieter Van Hees, which he intends to be part of a trilogy called Anatomy of Love and Pain, focuses on 22 year old aspiring athlete Marie (Eline Kuppens). Freshly qualified for a European championship event, she is devastated when a mystery virus stops her from training, but finds solace in the arms of a young archer, Bobby (Matthias Schoienaerts). He invites her to stay...
- 5/22/2010
- by Sarah
- Nerdly
When a blurb pledges "a nightmare of unimaginable terror", loins are girded for the worst. But when, after an hour, the worst terror to occur is an evil black powder issuing from the main character's genitals, even the most chicken-livered cushion-hugger wants gratuitous blood-letting. Can somebody here die please! Pieter Van Hees's Left Bank is an arthouse tension-builder that just takes too long to deliver. By the time Marie (Eline Kuppens) realises her new boyfriend intends to sacrifice her to a kind of Elephant Man beelzebub, you no longer care if her genitals turn into a giant razor-fanged serpent that bites her head off. I'll have my terror before I fall asleep, ta.
- 5/13/2010
- The Independent - Film
Chicago – “Left Bank” centers on` a woman whose apartment appears to be above a black hole, or a pit or something dark and deep like that. The Belgian horror outing (which has gone straight to DVD in the United States after playing in Chicago at the EU Film Fest) isn’t nearly as dumb as that synopsis makes it out to be, but in the end, that’s actually more of criticism than a compliment.
DVD Rating: 2.0/5.0
The laughably bad movies in the horror genre and even the “Saw”-inspired examples of torture porn at least succeed in provoking a reaction out of people. Pieter Van Hees’s film is too tasteful to breed disgust and too thin and slow-building to nurture suspense, let alone terror. At best, watching “Left Bank” is like riding on a bus late at night next to a mumbling drunk. You feel a little uncomfortable from time to time,...
DVD Rating: 2.0/5.0
The laughably bad movies in the horror genre and even the “Saw”-inspired examples of torture porn at least succeed in provoking a reaction out of people. Pieter Van Hees’s film is too tasteful to breed disgust and too thin and slow-building to nurture suspense, let alone terror. At best, watching “Left Bank” is like riding on a bus late at night next to a mumbling drunk. You feel a little uncomfortable from time to time,...
- 10/29/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
About halfway through Pieter Van Hees' Left Bank, I stopped the movie, made lunch, watched Notting Hill (no, that's not the sound of my credibility darting away), did some laundry, made dinner, downloaded a couple episodes of The Big Bang Theory, and went to bed.
Such was the effect of Left Bank -- I felt no urgency, no pressing desire to learn about what happens to its characters, what evil is plaguing them. My spine did not tingle, nor did I find myself scooching to the edge of my seat.
Marie (the relatively unknown Eline Kuppens) is a devoted track junkie. She runs hard and does little else, until she collapses from an immune infection, leaving her to have to forfeit an upcoming championship. The break from training allows her to take up a relationship with a young archer named Bobby (Matthias Schoenaerts). She moves out of her mother's house,...
Such was the effect of Left Bank -- I felt no urgency, no pressing desire to learn about what happens to its characters, what evil is plaguing them. My spine did not tingle, nor did I find myself scooching to the edge of my seat.
Marie (the relatively unknown Eline Kuppens) is a devoted track junkie. She runs hard and does little else, until she collapses from an immune infection, leaving her to have to forfeit an upcoming championship. The break from training allows her to take up a relationship with a young archer named Bobby (Matthias Schoenaerts). She moves out of her mother's house,...
- 10/17/2009
- by Jess Goodwin
- JustPressPlay.net
Curious to know what frightful films and devilish discs will be available to view in the privacy of your own digital dungeon this week? Fango's got you covered.
Below the jump you'll find the full list of titles arriving in-stores this Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in our weekly version of the famous Fangoria Chopping List. It's another Big week, with Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell hitting the market, along with some long-awaited classics including The Stepfather, Hardware, and more.
Note: Clickable links lead to Amazon.com
Angels Vs. Demons: Fact Or Fiction?
The Vatican has condemned it. Readers around the world love it. And now we separate the fact from the fiction in Dan Brown’s controversial bestseller Angels & Demons. We examine the cutting-edge science of anti-matter and question the historical accuracy of theology, conspiracies, symbolism and cults as described by the The Da Vinci Code author. Includes bonus feature:...
Below the jump you'll find the full list of titles arriving in-stores this Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in our weekly version of the famous Fangoria Chopping List. It's another Big week, with Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell hitting the market, along with some long-awaited classics including The Stepfather, Hardware, and more.
Note: Clickable links lead to Amazon.com
Angels Vs. Demons: Fact Or Fiction?
The Vatican has condemned it. Readers around the world love it. And now we separate the fact from the fiction in Dan Brown’s controversial bestseller Angels & Demons. We examine the cutting-edge science of anti-matter and question the historical accuracy of theology, conspiracies, symbolism and cults as described by the The Da Vinci Code author. Includes bonus feature:...
- 10/11/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (James Zahn)
- Fangoria
Year: 2008
Release date: Unknown
Directors: Pieter Van Hees
Writers: Pieter Van Hees, Christophe Dirickx, Dimitri Karakatsanis and Bert Hamelinck
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: cyberhal
Rating: 7.7 out of 10
A dark movie from the dark country of Belgium. Pieter Van Hees's beautifully shot debut feature is a story of horror that draws its power from slow build and unsettling suggestion. You don't get terror or slasher horror FX, but you do get great suspense and a thought provoking story. Think Polanski's Rosemarys Baby. The dark tone of the story is reflected in the atmospheric cinematography, and really hats off to lens man Nicolas Karakatsanis, who was responsible for the equally dark Small Gods which we reviewed back in Spring 2008. Left Bank was premiered in the USA at Fantastic Fest last September.
Marie (Eline Kuppens) is a dedicated track athlete. One day, she suddenly collapses due to an infection in her immune system,...
Release date: Unknown
Directors: Pieter Van Hees
Writers: Pieter Van Hees, Christophe Dirickx, Dimitri Karakatsanis and Bert Hamelinck
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: cyberhal
Rating: 7.7 out of 10
A dark movie from the dark country of Belgium. Pieter Van Hees's beautifully shot debut feature is a story of horror that draws its power from slow build and unsettling suggestion. You don't get terror or slasher horror FX, but you do get great suspense and a thought provoking story. Think Polanski's Rosemarys Baby. The dark tone of the story is reflected in the atmospheric cinematography, and really hats off to lens man Nicolas Karakatsanis, who was responsible for the equally dark Small Gods which we reviewed back in Spring 2008. Left Bank was premiered in the USA at Fantastic Fest last September.
Marie (Eline Kuppens) is a dedicated track athlete. One day, she suddenly collapses due to an infection in her immune system,...
- 1/11/2009
- QuietEarth.us
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