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blaisetelfer
Reviews
Saw (2004)
Different from the sequels, and in a good way
Definitely one of my favorite horror films, the first one. Sure, it spurred a lot of entertaining sequels, but none of those measured up to this. Not only was it so dark and original; more believable than the sequels. Instead of setting up elaborate traps for groups of 8 people (would've taken years to construct), Jigsaw watches Adam and Gordon the whole time, in their presence. He controls everything as he sees it happening. Scay factor #1) "He was in the room this whole time!" - incredible ending, by the way - Scary factor #2) the filth and decay of the killer's first traps. Also, this "SAW" focuses more on Jigsaw's morbid / twisted view of rehabilitation, whereas the other films focus more on typical revenge / punishment.
Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)
Intense, Emotional, Visual, all in one!
Not only was I deeply moved by the actors portraying the 2 brothers, but the production values for this movie were amazing! After seeing "Old Boy" "The Host" and "Memories of a Murder", I already knew that South Korean films were my favorite foreign ones, but none of those had the magnitude of "Tae Guk Gi". M-1 rifles, trench warfare, close-up bayonet combat, flying mortar shells, everything we love about war films of that era. Then they added a wonderful (not cheesy, just real) story of 2 brothers caught up in the war, plus their love and sacrifices for each other. How such an ordeal can change people and how it can bring them together, brothers or not, is perfectly addressed in this movie. Plus, it highlights the overall glories of war and the people who fight to win them. I recommend it for anybody who loves Korean films / is about to ship out.
Dead Presidents (1995)
Nothing but a Black Panther propaganda film
Please spare me this cliché: the tragedies of a shell-shocked veteran who comes back to his inner city neighborhood and has trouble finding work, his disillusion with the American dream, and how joining the military was the worst decision he ever made. That I could handle, (because I've seen it a million times), but all that nonsense at the end about "how dare you lock me up, after all I did for this country", spoken by a cop-killer? The Black Panthers are portrayed as strong and justified, when really they were a bunch of jabbering radicals who couldn't grow out of their teenage rebellion. The main character was not screwed by "the man" or "the system", he was just psychotic. A lot of men came back from Vietnam and many were troubled, but most did not hit their wives or robbed armored cars.
Laid to Rest (2009)
pretty good, for a bloody mess
Out of all movies in general, I would only rank this around 5 or 6. However, compared to most of the underground / extreme / independent horror films I see, this is one of my favorites. I'm the guy who sat through all "SAW" movies in a row without flinching, but that scene where the guy's wife get knifed in the head, or when the screaming girl gets her head sawed off on camera...man oh man. I want that knife so bad. Never showing the killer's face, never revealing the girl's name, they pulled that off successfully. Unlike other films of its kind, "Laid to Rest" had a lot of effort put into it. It wasn't really scary, more like mysterious in a creepy way.