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    8mm for iPad

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Darren Fisher (2447 KP) rated 13 Dolls In Darkness (2017) in Movies

Jul 24, 2022  
13 Dolls In Darkness (2017)
13 Dolls In Darkness (2017)
2017 | Horror
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I have been an obsessive fan of horror films since I was a kid in the 70's. Brought up on Hammer and Universal monster films it wasn't long before I delved into pre-cert exploitation films and that is where my preference has been ever since.
Over the last 20 years I have felt that the horror genre hasn't really offered it's fans anything new (bar a few exceptions). Having been left despondent, disappointed and bored senseless by the over-saturation of remakes, reboots and just plain dull horror fare, it comes with great surprise that a black and white silent film from Australia would be the breath of fresh air that the horror genre desperately needs.
The plot of 13 Dolls is pretty straightforward. Marjorie receives a letter from her ailing mother to return home after a 13 year absence. On her return home Marjorie realises that things are not what they seem...
Written and directed by the talented Zeda Müller, this is a film that demands your attention from the start. With its eerie score and moody camerawork it sets a very atmospheric and claustrophobic feel to proceedings. It's a great take on the 'old dark house' horrors of a bygone era, Robert Wiene and Tod Brownings early work springs to mind... yet draws on influences from the likes of Dario Argento, Mario Bava's gothic horrors, giallo and slasher films (there are some nicely placed references for the sharp-eyed viewer). The fact that this is a silent film (I'll get to the score in a bit) actually works in its favour. Gone are the usual mundane dialogue pieces that fill out most horror films these days and the viewer is reintroduced to dialogue cards when required to move the story along. This also means that the actors are given room to act through expression and emotion and they all do a sterling job.
The masterstroke of 13 Dolls though is the excellent use of camerawork and soundtrack. The soundtrack is interspliced with sound effects (church bells, howling wind, dripping taps etc) and moody piano/tension building synths, all used to full sensory effect. The footage and score intertwine brilliantly together and I found some scenes genuinely eerie and creepy (a rare feeling for me whilst watching a new film these days).
Overall 13 Dolls is a mesmerising experience, interspersed with some cleverly executed gore scenes, and at a scant 75 minutes long, it motors along at a cracking pace.
So, you have probably guessed that I liked this film a lot. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you are looking for something different. It's a great film and I for one am looking forward to Zeda Müller & Co's next venture...!
  
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Geoffrey Rush recommended City Lights (1931) in Movies (curated)

 
City Lights (1931)
City Lights (1931)
1931 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite Watch

"I think they’re all fairly artful pieces of work, but I think my all-time favorite is Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, which was one of the… well, it’s like now, somebody still making a film in 2D, three years later: he still made it as a silent film [after the advent of sound], with inter-titling, and it had a recorded score. It’s one of those films that I’ve shown to many, various groups of people socially. I remember going to a DVD night in Silverlake, with a lot of very groovy LA people, and we all had to bring a film. And they were bringing along, you know, Sin City and stuff, and I did a pitch on that film, without saying it was a Charlie Chaplin film — saying it’s about an alcoholic and this young, impoverished guy, and they’re best friends when the guy is drunk and then when he sobers up he doesn’t know who he is; and the young guy is wanting to help this girl who sells flowers on the street, and she’s blind. And they were all going, “Oh my God, this sounds amazing,” and then I said it’s in black and white and it’s silent and it’s a Charlie Chaplin film — and they all watched it and were just entranced; and this is sort of like the Tarantino crowd. I’ve always loved that film."

Source
  
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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Clerks (1994) in Movies

Apr 22, 2017  
Clerks (1994)
Clerks (1994)
1994 | Comedy
10
8.3 (34 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Simple (3 more)
Hilarious
Pop Culture discussions
Jay and Silent Bob
I'm not even suppose to be here today!
Here is a film that could have left Kevin Smith in the Quickstop paying off the money he used to make this film, which he accomplished by maxing out credit cards.

Kevin Smith is an inspiration and this film is the start of it all. Clerks is a very simple film that manages to be entertaining and hilarious. The concept is this; Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is asked to work on his day off, and ends up spending his day working in his dead end job behind the counter at a convenience store in New Jersey.

I should mention that this film is shot on a Arriflex 16 SR2 which means the film is in black and white.

Working with Dante is his best friend, Randal Graves, who isn't exactly a big help around the store or with personal problems. If anything, he makes matters worse because he almost never takes anything seriously.

The humour in this film is found through discussions of films such as Star Wars, discussions about sex, and about the customers of course. Describing it in text doesn't do it justice so you'll just have to watch it if I have in anyway peaked your interest.

This film was the introduction to what is known as the 'View Askewniverse' which is a series of films by Kevin Smith which are all connected via characters and events. However, the most important introductions from this film are the characters of the now famous duo, Jay and Silent Bob played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. Yes, the same Kevin Smith who wrote and Directed the Movie. These two are the only two characters to appear in every movie in the View Askewniverse and usually help move the film in the right direction.

Overall, Clerks has to be one of my favourite movies of all time and once you watch the Askewniverse, it's easy to understand why, because no only is it smart and hilarious, but you have to appreciate that this started a series of other great indie films that made Kevin Smith the funny man he is today.