The Lucid Nightmare

Monday, March 19, 2012

REVIEW: Stake Land

Stake Land
Director: Jim Mickle
Year 2010

Stake Land is a brutal film that shows what would happen if life in America took a drastic turn for the worst with vampires ruling the night and religious zealots plaguing the daylight. Never shying away from the gory realization that this world is a dangerous one, the filmmakers present a no holds barred smorgasbord of apocalyptical elements that never soften the fact that this world is truly lost to savagery. Even with all of this death and destruction around, the film allows its characters to open up and dish out a great deal of emotion, proving that even the most vicious of movies can show a great deal of heart.

This cruel and unusual film follows a young man named Martin and a vampire hunter named simply Mister, as they traverse the vampire infested countryside of the now defunct United States of America. Determined to reach a safe zone called The New Eden, the pair set off North towards Canada, picking up random survivors along the way while dealing with some rather nasty customers in the form of ravenous fanged creatures and a gang of violence loving religious fanatics. As their rag tag group begins to dwindle, will hope be over the next horizon, or will they in the end just turn out to be vampire food? Welcome to Stake Land.

With a great group of unknown actors, Stake Land utilizes the unfamiliarity of the cast to make a wholly believable group of scavengers and vampire hunters. Nick Damici plays the role of Mister, the hardened bad ass who collects vampire teeth like it’s going out of style. Damici nails the character, bringing with him a hard nosed approach to the weathered hunter who has seen his fair share of death. His presence is palpable in this film, mirroring the very frightening and harsh environment that the audience is introduced to in Stake Land. Being a world that is overrun and dowsed in fear, Mister plays the role of the savior by helping us ease into the flick, introducing us in the way of the land and mentoring us on how to survive. Damici does a damn fine job in sucking us into this world and he really does own the role of Mister.

Stepping up as a sort of vampire hunter in training is the character of Martin, played by Connor Paolo. His role is a rather challenging one, for it’s one of the only ones that have a defined character arch to it. Martin is rescued early on in the film by Mister and when they first meet, Martin is for the most part, passive and timid. With the help of Mister, he begins to come into his own and find a place for himself within this savage new world. In summary, the character of Martin depicts a coming of age kind of story, where we get to see the confidence grow inside this individual character until he is comfortable in his own skin. Paolo does a commendable job in bringing it all together, playing the innocent and naive parts to perfection, while tackling some of the more mature elements of the character with great skill. It’s wonderful to see Martin grow as the film moves along and Paolo should get a great deal of credit for pulling this tricky role off.

There are so many amazing aspects of this production that I find myself having trouble figuring out what to tackle next, but first I have to mention that the movie world of Stake Land looks absolutely breathtaking in that distraught and dysfunctional kind of way. Everything just looks like all hell has broken loose and there really isn’t a single moment in this film that you don’t understand with stark realization that this is society at its most dire and low form. What’s also notable about the visual breadth of this film is that the destruction of the landscapes are filmed in a surprisingly beautiful way, twisting the conceptual notion of what beauty truly is, and in the process making for some very poetic moments. By contrasting vistas littered with decaying bodies against the harmonious look of the expansive wooded landscapes that surround this picture, the film comes off as an obscure mixture of both life and death.

Added on top of this visual approach, is a striking soundtrack that both pulls at the heart strings, but also rips them out, all in one bombastic motion. There’s even a heavy dose of religious overtones, featuring both its positive and negatives effects on this disheveled society. These hard hitting moments are powerful in their execution and weigh heavy on the surviving crews shoulders, making their struggle as equally challenging on the mental front as well as the physical. It’s a duel functionality that works quite well in the movie. The combination of all of these elements makes for a complete aesthetic package that is just wonderful to behold. Bets are that you won’t likely see a horror film with this much class and substance in quite a long time.

With the more poetic portions of this film set aside, Stake Land has a great array of practical effects and sparsely used computer generated touches, allowing for the movie to feel more genuine in presentation rather then disruptive and evasive. The subtlety of the effects does wonders for bringing this outlandish nightmare to life. You feel the lived in nature of the world and you’re taken a back at the powerful stature of some of these practical effects laden creatures as they stalk their prey with their hulking mass of muscles, claws and fangs. The blood flows with great urgency when one of these beasts begins to feed and the manner in which they move places them on the top of the food chain in their savagery. The decision to change vampires into a more beastlike form, almost blending the concept of the vampire with that of a werewolf, was pure brilliance and it is a great contrast to the modern depiction of teen angst vamps that has recently swept the country as fervently as the vampire plague that took over Stake Land’s United States. They are a force to be reckoned with and the make-up effects are top notch across the board. You really can’t go wrong with this movie. It just seems to hit all the right notes.

Stake Land is a tremendously enjoyable film that holds no punches in delivering a story that is both terrifying and engaging. The world that the filmmakers have created within this cinematic treasure is so detailed and thought out that you mistakenly accept it as fact. The vivid nature of the production and the detailed work that went into making this surreal nightmare is unparalleled, combining both a visual depiction of a world gone mad with all the moral implications that go along with it.

The characters are also well thought out and believable, giving us something to hold on to and root for. Their journey becomes our journey, and in that mind set we become more invested in this frightening world where life can be extinguished in an instant. Both Nick Damici and Connor Paolo do an amazing job as the front runners of this picture, and each actor brings a special quality to their individual character’s personality. The combination of morality, religious duality, and human spirituality is replicated in great visual form between the breathtaking vistas, claustrophobic settings, and warring factions of the film. These collections of elements allows for a more sophisticated genre effort to come into the light, one that is a hell of a lot of fun to experience yet full of pulse pounding moments that spring up at you at every turn. I can’t recommend this little indie effort enough and hope that this write up will force you to take notice on a horror film that really has its shit together when it comes to quality and quantity. Check it out. Stake Land is simply……

Dude! I think there's something sticking out of your neck!

Alright son. Are you ready for some StakeBall!

No shit Sherlock!

When road rage goes too far.

Where the shit are we?

Santa? You're not looking so hot.

We're the Monster Squad.

Martin you cheeky little pervert.

Yep... it's broken.

This world is so brutal, even the leaves bleed.

One of the few peaceful moments in this shitstorm of a film.

Mister, come over here and give us a big wet lickery kiss.

Look out for the roadkill. It's EVERYWHERE!

Peek a boo... I see you.

Roasted... Toasted... and burnt to a crisp!

What?!?! No one said this was a nun rape crossing?

Gnarly dude!

Welcome to the end of the movie.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

ALL THE COLORS: Hiruko the Goblin

i SPY EUROSPY: Slalom

Slalom
Director: Luciano Salce
Year 1965

Slalom is a hilarious spy spoof that takes the fish out of water story and just rolls with it. Following in the same vein as Hot Enough for June AKA Agent 8 ¾ and Bang! Bang! You’re Dead! AKA Our Man in Marrakesh, the film shows what happens when an ordinary man is caught up in the exciting world of espionage. Played strictly for laughs, Slalom gets right down to the antics and never lets up until the closing moments.

The film follows Lucio Ridolfi as he embarks on a ski trip with his friend Riccardo and their two lovely, yet nagging, wives. Feeling the need to live a little and taste a bit of the single life while vacationing, Lucio whips up a scheme that sends his wife and her friend home, leaving both Lucio and Riccardo to play the roll of single bachelors at the exceptionally swinging ski resort. When Lucio falls for a mysterious blonde, his afternoon rendezvous turns into a fight for his life when bodies start appearing and strange men begin shooting at him. After being attacked by Santa and his group of sexy elves, Lucio wakes up to find that he is on a plane to Cairo and seated next to a beautiful woman who swears she is his wife. If matters couldn’t get any worse, he’s still being hunted by an unknown group of spies that want nothing more then to see him take his last vacation. On the run and lost in unfamiliar territory, Lucio must become the spy everyone mistakes him for or pay the ultimate price, death.

The role of Lucio Ridolfi, helpless vacationer turned super spy, is played by Vittorio Gassman. He’s got a great style of overacting in this film, performing in that frantic and innocent everyman manner while being thrust into a situation he can’t possibly wrap his head around. From when he first starts his vacation, trying nervously to chat up every female in sight, to when he eventually lands in Cairo, zipping from one crazy situation to the next, he’s a man on fire showing so much energy that the Energizer bunny would be shocked and appalled. His acting is livid, often portraying the actions of a crazy person and that in itself is what makes his character so entertaining. You can’t help but be swept up in the insanity that he stumbles into and the fact that they make him such a likable schmuck in the beginning of the film helps carry him over to the jittery un-super like spy that he changes into later on in the film.

Another notable character in the film is Lucio’s friend Riccardo, played by the wonderful Adolfo Celi. Adolfo is mostly remembered for playing a more villainous role in the various Eurospy films that he has acted in and of course his portrayal of the evil Largo in Thunderball, but in this picture he is the lovable bosom buddy who encourages Lucio to live life to the fullest and take life by the horns. The portions of the film where Lucio and Riccardo spend most of their antic filled time together is mostly in the beginning of the movie, but their on screen chemistry together is so enjoyable that the fun atmosphere that they create in those early moments carry on into Lucio’s solo journey in Cairo. I especially appreciated this different side of Adolfo and his role here mirrors the character that he portrayed in That Man from Rio, fun, lovable, and full of piss and vinegar.

Of course with Slalom being a Eurospy film, it has to have a dynamic cast of lovely ladies to help fill out the formula of the genre, and this one doesn’t disappoint. From the lurid blonde bombshell Beba Loncar, who plays Helen the mysterious stranger that sets this whole film in motion, to the exotic Nagwa Fouad, who plays a small part as a sensual belly dancer, the film deals out the goods. The most important female role though, goes to the exquisite Daniela Bianchi. She plays the part of Nadia, the fake wife of Lucio, whose mysterious actions and unknown intentions lie heavy in the final act of this film. All three women play their roles perfectly, with Daniela especially crafting a character worthy of Eurospy remembrance. She’s a wonderful asset to the genre and in this film she delivers another wonderful performance.

With a solid cast aside, the film has some exceptional moments of action and suspense, blended with the comedic timing that only Vittorio can bring to the table. Even though the character of Lucio is a bit of a coward and uncoordinated to boot, Vittorio stages out some rather impressive fight scenes and action set pieces, albeit clumsily performed. The awkwardness of his actions are purposefully done, emphasizing the shocking experience that it is for Lucio to be finding himself in, in such an espionage filled nightmare. Vittorio genuinely delivers a hysterical performance and I often found myself laughing out loud at his crazy and overblown reactions to everything that is happening around him. It must have been a challenge to stay so amped as he was throughout the entire production of Slalom, but the efforts that he put into portraying this frantic character have paid off in full.

Slalom is a literally wild ride, filled with so many memorable moments and silly results that you really can’t deny the fun of it all. The spy spoof sub-genre of Eurospy films are a varied breed, but this one has enough intriguing instances to merit it a place beside the better portion of films. Vittorio does an expert job as the hapless Lucio Ridolfi and the rest of the cast fill in their parts commendably. When it comes to femme fatales, you really can’t go wrong with Daniela Bianchi. She’s played the role time and time again, but there is a reason for this blatant type casting. She embodies the role to perfection and does an excellent job with the ambiguous character of Nadia.

With its rollercoaster ride of mistaken identity and survival of the fittest tone, Slalom is an energetic wonder of a film and you’d have to be dead not to find a good time here. As a spy spoof, it is entertainment at its finest and as an engaging cinematic experience; it’s a joy to behold. If you’re looking for a more lighthearted example of the genre, then look no further than Slalom. It’s a downhill adventure that forgets the brakes, always pushing the envelope until the film threatens to ride off the rail. Check it out, it’s a…..