THE DEVIL'S ROCK (2011) movie review

Devil's Rock, The  (2011) d. Campion, Paul

On the eve of D-Day, New Zealand Army officer Craig Hall stumbles onto a bunker inside the German-occupied Channel Islands only to find a lone Nazi soldier (Matthew Sunderland) and a female prisoner chained to the wall.  But things are not, as you might guess, as they seem; dark activities are afoot and the evil that men do occasionally resides in the form of beautiful women (in this case Gina Varela).  Impressive Weta Workshop makeup effects collude with fine performances, the result being an impressively minimalistic horror effort that plays out very much like a gory stage drama even if the central “mystery” is pretty easy to figure out. 

(Oh, and if I were the filmmakers, I’d want to punch out whosever idea it was for the silly “chick in Nazi uniform” DVD cover art.  Not only is it misleading, it’s not even good exploitation.)

Fool's Views (4/19 – 4/29)

Hey kids,

After the immersive 53-movies-in-12-days flickathon that was the BIFFF, anything else would understandably fall somewhat short.  Even so, thanks to the resources of the Chicago Public Library, Movieside’s Sci-Fi Spectacular and a bountiful trip to the multiplex, I was genuinely surprised and gratified to rack up a 15-film/10 day tally upon my return Stateside. 

I don’t have as many tales of celebrity encounters or culinary delights this time around, but I can report that April 20 brought with it the four-year mark of wedded bliss to my beloved femalien – an event beside which international travels and travails pale by comparison.  How did we celebrate?  By settling down on our fantastic futon, gorging ourselves on glorious, gluten-free fajitas and listening to the cast commentary on the recently released Dead Weight DVD, of course.  Sometimes it’s all about the company you keep, ladies and gentleman, and my personal choice of traveling companion is beyond reproach.  Thanks for saying “Yes,” sweetheart. 

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!