RRR - Randall's Review Room

"Hatching" aka "Pahanhautoja" - Finland Where I watched it: DVD This film is about a young girl named Tinja, who happens upon an egg that she decides to take home and nurture. The egg grows exponentially in size before ultimately birthing a very strange creature, who the young girl continues to keep and care for until its violent side takes over. The actor that plays Tinja is incredible. Most of the actors do a great job, but she really stands out. The plot is pretty weird, of course, but it also speaks to the idea of motherhood and how certain parental influences can lead to disastrous outcomes. I was a little disappointed with some of the decisions this film made, but overall, I was thoroughly entertained, and the creature effects were top notch. I would definitely recommend checking this one out, too! 7/10

"Piggy" aka "Cerdita" - Spain Where I watched it: DVD "Piggy" is the story of a young woman named Sara who is the victim of intense and never-ending bullying from the people in her small Spanish town, in particular the teenage girls. A mysterious stranger arrives and begins kidnapping, torturing and killing people. Coinciding with Sara's interests, a lot of the people being captured and killed by the stranger are people who are assholes to Sara. And with this, a weird love story (kinda) emerges. This movie is wonderfully shot. The acting is phenomenal from everyone involved, but where it doesn't succeed is from a plot perspective. The film goes in a direction that you'd more or less expect it to go in, but it leaves certain elements of motivation to the viewers mind, which can work in some films but in this I found it distracting and ultimately unfulfilling.   Despite some issues, I would recommend checking this out. 6/10

"Speak No Evil" A Danish film that is (mostly) in English! Finally those that are adverse to subtitles can see a European horror movie! "Speak No Evil" follows a Danish family who meet a Dutch family on their trip to Italy. The Dutch family extends an offer for the Danish family to visit them in their native land, which they take them up on. After agreeing to spend a few days at the Dutch family's remote house in the outback of Holland, the Danish family become increasingly suspicious of who the people hosting them are. I don't want to say much else because it is a film that is best enjoyed by knowing as little as possible. But what I will say is that this movie is very effective at being frustrating. There are frustrations that characters go through that will have you yelling at your screen. Bad decision upon bad decision that will make you feel like an absolute genius for knowing you would never make the same mistakes as the characters of this film. But of...

"Lvx Æterna" Where I watched it: Blu-ray Gaspar Noé has been a huge inspiration to me ever since I saw Enter The Void, a film that I still consider one of my all time favorites. His movies are rollercoaster rides through the scariest of territories. In Enter the Void we got "Death: the ride." In Climax we got "Drug Overdose: the ride." And now we have "Being a woman in film: the ride." Always a misery trip but always profoundly eye-opening. A lot of Gaspar's work tends to be anxiety inducing and leaves the viewer in a state of discomfort while watching... but by its nature leaves the audience pondering and ruminating on its content for quite some time afterwards. While I watched "Lvx Æterna" (Eternal Light) I experienced those familiar Gaspar Noé vibes: dread, anxiety and ultimately... hopelessness. "Lvx Æterna" follows Charlotte Gainsbourg (playing herself) as she prepares to film a scene in a movie where she plays a witc...

"The Sadness" Where I watched it: Shudder I've had a number of people recommend this one to me. Clearly it's a stand out film for better or worse and a lot of that comes down to the gore factor. I've seen a lot of horror movies and a lot of gore but let me tell you... this one is GOREY. Not only is it gorey but it's super sickening. Without giving too much away, there's a Corona virus style outbreak where the virus causes people to act extremely violent and aggressive toward one another. Think Covid-19 meets the T-Virus meets the wind from The Happening. But with one extremely sickening twist... these zombies won't just maim, kill and eat you... they'll rape you along the way too. No one is safe in this zombie rapist outbreak as we soon learn, everyone is dying and being raped left right and center. Super violent torture with genuinely convincing prosthetics and practical effects will make you want to barf. The level of violence and sexual assault ...

Another gimmicky and exploitative "revenge" plot. The film makes no sense from any realistic or logical standpoint but as a over-the-top fantasy film it's pretty entertaining. The gory stuff is tough to watch. The revenge is satisfying... as it usually tends to be. 6/10

  Climax is a bad trip... in the best way possible. It's definitely a film for fans of Gaspar Noe's previous work, it even incorporates elements of his other films in obvious self referential nods. Like Enter The Void this is a ride more than a narrative and let's you experience the horror of human and chemical interaction first hand. Don't do drugs, kids. Very impressive visually of course with no shortage of creative camera work. The soundtrack aids in the nausea factor of the film with never ending muffled club beats (I was stoked to hear Windowlicker in there). This film is uncomfortable and miserable and will most likely haunt my brain for days to come. If you like having panic attacks... definitely check out Climax. 8/10