DIGGING UP THE MARROW (2014) movie review

Digging Up the Marrow (2014) d. Adam Green (USA)

I’m not sure if the Hatchet man was trying to take the piss out of the found footage movement or just too damn busy producing his TV show Holliston to bother getting it right, but his latest offering is lame as lame can be. The former proponent of “old school horror” now jumps aboard the faux-documentary express, playing “writer/director Adam Green,” happily spending his days creating material with his pals and weekends hobnobbing with various genre celebs at conventions. Among the celebs that appear as themselves – stiff, mannered versions of themselves – are Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Mick Garris, Don Coscarelli, Lloyd Kaufman, and Tony Todd. By now, we’re all thinking, “Wow, that Adam Green is pretty cool,” or at least that’s what I think we’re supposed to be thinking. (I remember when I also thought Adam Green was cool, having met him back in 2007 during the pre-release tour for Hatchet. This was, of course, before I realized I didn’t really like any of his movies.)

BIG ASS SPIDER! (2013) movie review

Big Ass Spider! (2013) (1st viewing) d. Mendez, Mike (USA)

One could argue that any giant spider flick (with an exclamation point in its title, for crying out loud) ought to exist outside a world of conventional criticism. Clearly, expectations are set pretty low, suspension of disbelief is double-stuffed at the door, and all cinematic standards regarding such commonplace elements as acting, directing, cinematography, dialogue, etc. should be lowered accordingly. Why even bother putting digits to keyboard, when those who want oversized arachnids invading their retinas will be thrilled if the thing has five legs and a thorax, while more “discriminating” viewers will never venture near the marquee (video shelf, Netflix subsection, etc.) anyway?

THE BUTTERFLY ROOM (2012) review

Butterfly Room, The (2012) (1st viewing) d. Zarantanello, Jonathan (Italy/USA)
Barbara Steele’s first horror role in three decades (not counting the 1991 Dark Shadows reboot) is reason enough for rejoicing, but the fact that the 74-year-old icon carries the creepy, physically demanding role it off with such ferocity and dedication makes it doubly pleasing. Basically a revisiting of the “hag horror” mini-wave of the 60s, Steele stars as a deranged and volatile collector of butterflies and little girls who has her eye out for yet another specimen to add to her trophy room. Writer/director Zarantello has a terrific visual eye, as evidenced by several well-constructed suspense scenes, and guides his elegant starlet to one of the finest roles of her long career, full stop. Unfortunately, he has less luck with his supporting cast which he has affectionately peopled with convention regulars such as Heather Langenkamp, Camille Keaton, P.J. Soles and Erica Leerhsen (who is just goddawful, sad to say), though the always-welcome Ray Wise knocks his scenes out of the park, especially when paired with Steele. The film itself isn’t 100% successful, but there’s no denying that the old gal’s still got it in her.

EXCISION (2012) review

Excision (2012) (1st viewing) d. Bates, Jr., Richard (USA)

Writer/director Bates’ feature debut, based on his original short, is a fascinating mixed bag; a film as willfully weird, unique and occasionally tiresome as its lead character, (AnnaLynne McCord, impressively outside her 90210 comfort zone).

Much in the same way that McCord’s eccentric, abrasive adolescent acts out against authority figures and social standards, Bates’s cinematic beast may keep some viewers at arm’s length – I found myself observing without empathizing, critiquing without engaging, more distracted by the stunt casting than impressed. (Seriously, what are Malcolm McDowell, John Waters, Ray Wise and Marlee Matlin doing in this movie other than calling attention to their overqualified presence?) On the other hand, Traci Lords is terrifyingly good as the image-conscious matriarch, inviting favorable comparisons with Annette Bening’s Oscar-nominated turn in American Beauty; she is well-matched by beaten-down Roger Bart’s vanquished spouse.

Genre fans take note: the horror elements exist tangentially, via several well-realized fantasy sequences in which beetle-browed McCord envisions herself as a goddess-like sensualist, bathing in pools of blood and the like – this is primarily a quirky character study a la Juno or Napoleon Dynamite that finds its way into May territory in the closing reel.

Undeniably assured filmmaking, entertainment mileage may vary.