Wacky Movie Reviews by Mingusings

[Mingusings]

Greetings. I have decided to start a reviews thread for myself because we can always use more review threads. However, instead of reviewing your average, everyday movies that everyone has seen and reviewed, I am limiting my reviews to weird movies. “What do you mean by “weird movies?” you ask? Well, the answer to that is, I don’t really know. Maybe I’ll review some wacko Japanese movie or maybe a disturbing horror flick. In other words, my goal is to review movies that you haven’t seen and hopefully, if they are good, get more people to watch them.

Warning: I have not written many movie reviews in the past and, simply put, I’m a crappy writer. And the fact that I will be reviewing really weird movies does not make matters any better. So in advance, I apologize if my reviews suck!

Warning Part II: The movies I review will obviously be weird. If I do convince you to watch one of them, beware of potentially graphic violence, sexual content, or anything else that could possibly offend you.

Enjoy.

[Mingusings]

Ex Drummer (2007)
Directed by Koen Mortier
Language: Dutch
My Rating: 2_5+

http://twitchfilm.com/assets_c/2012/09/ExDrummerCover-thumb-300xauto-15965.jpg

“I really cannot describe the film I have just finished up watching,” is a statement which I fear I will be using a lot in this thread. However, this statement really applies to “Ex Drummer.” The film revolves around three self-proclaimed handicapped guys who want to form a band to participate in a band contest. They are not actually handicapped, but consider themselves to be handicapped. Their handicaps include homosexuality, misogyny, and another one that I can’t quite find the words for. The three guys are in desperate need of a fourth member of the band to be their drummer, so they hire a popular, local author, who is not all that he appears to be.

“Ex Drummer” is certainly one of the strangest films I have ever seen. In my first post in this thread, I mentioned a “Warning Part II.” I wrote that warning specifically because I had just watched this film, as this is about as offensive as you can get. Topics that are mocked in the film include handicapped people, men, women, immigrants, feminists, homosexuality, rape, incest, pedophilia, AIDS, and murder. This is definitely a dark comedy, and I was often times disappointed at myself for finding some of the jokes funny. But they are funny. My biggest complaint is that many absolutely insane, over-the-top scenes come out of nowhere and just left me totally confused. And some things that ran throughout the entire film never seemed to be explained, such as the walking on ceilings (yeah, you’ll see what I mean).

Rating the picture was impossible for me, as I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know if I liked it or hated it, so I just went with a more average rating. This is definitely worth a watch, even if you end up hating it, purely for the experience. I would especially recommend it to anyone who likes really dark (and I mean really dark) comedies. But prepare yourself for the strangest.

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

Warning Part II: The movies I review will obviously be weird. If I do convince you to watch one of them, beware of potentially graphic violence, sexual content, or anything else that could possibly offend you.

Enjoy.
That just makes me want to read your reviews even more :D

[edarsenal]

I'm with Joe-Horror and reps for your first review. Good review, it definitely made me curious to find a copy and see this.

[The Gunslinger45]

You got me curious that is for sure. Congrats on your first review.

[the samoan lawyer]

Yep. The weirder the better. Ex Drummer been on my list for a while, been meaning to check it out. Will do sooner now after your review.


i like dark....

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CqIOlUfNe4A/TiGgtkOUUII/AAAAAAAAZCU/OeuUOc5_62w/s1600/tumblr_loc6chLb7W1qc9ixs.gif

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

^I love that gif :D

[Mingusings]

Angst (1983)
Directed by Gerald Kargl
Language: German
My Rating: 3+

http://horrorhappyhour.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/angsta.jpg

“Angst” is about a man who has just been released from prison for murdering an old woman. However, it doesn’t take long before his urge to kill returns. I really have mixed feelings about the film. On one hand, the film offers a fantastic character study of a serial killer. I don’t believe that the killer has a single word of dialogue in the film; however he provides narration throughout it. This narration is really what pulled me in. He says some of the most sadistic things I have ever heard, yet I somehow felt sorry for him. I also liked the atmosphere the picture has. Think “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.” There is very little blood or gore, but the dull colors and wacky camera angles make for a very creepy atmosphere. Finally, the ending is great, and nothing beats a film ending on a high note.

Despite all this, I can’t say I loved the film, because so few things actually happen. It has a short runtime to begin with (the version I watched was 75 min, but I believe an 83 min version exists out there). In all honesty, I can only think of maybe four actual “events” that happen in the film. This is because the filmmakers really draw out certain scenes and show you all of everything that is happening. This would normally be very boring, but they play the narration over these sequences to keep you engaged. So overall, the film has a fantastic character, but the story didn’t go as far as/where I hoped it would.

I would definitely recommend this to you if you are a fan of films that feel like snuff films. On a side note, Gaspar Noe (director of Irreversible and Enter the Void) named Angst as one of his top 10 favorite films of all time.

[jiraffejustin]

I've been meaning to see this one for awhile. Henry is one of my favorite films of the 80s, so this might be down my alley.

I don't know if you have access to it or not, but Nekromantik seems like a good choice for a thread like this. *hint hint*

[Mingusings]

I've seen Nekromantik and I love it. I find the film hilarious. It might even be due for a re-watch so I may write up a review.

[the samoan lawyer]

I cant find Nekromantik anywhere!! :mad: i really wanna see this!!

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

I cant find Nekromantik anywhere!! :mad: i really wanna see this!!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-keywords=nekromantik&sprefix=nekromant%2Caps%2C143

[The Gunslinger45]

I've been meaning to see this one for awhile. Henry is one of my favorite films of the 80s, so this might be down my alley.

I don't know if you have access to it or not, but Nekromantik seems like a good choice for a thread like this. *hint hint*

XD Oh dear lord I know this movie! A great idea for a thread!

[the samoan lawyer]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-keywords=nekromantik&sprefix=nekromant%2Caps%2C143

Sorry, i should have added "that i can afford". cheers though, i'll keep searching.

Any chance of a review on it Ming?

[Mingusings]

Sorry, i should have added "that i can afford". cheers though, i'll keep searching.

Any chance of a review on it Ming?

I might watch Nekromantik 2 (which I've never seen), and then do a dual review of the two movies.

Also, it's on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfuyGVSLIfw

[Mingusings]

Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989)
Directed by Shin’ya Tsukamoto
Language: Japanese
My Rating: 1_5+

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DGB0Y6W2L.jpg

Really strange, surreal, audacious, black-and-white Japanese flick kinda revolves around a man who is slowly turning into pure metal junk. I say “kinda” because there is a lot of other crazy stuff that happens in the film that I just couldn’t figure out. There isn’t much of a storyline to the film, just a bunch of strong, bizarre imagery of this man and his metal. You kinda think you understand what’s going on at the beginning, but by the end I had no idea what I was watching. At one point, I actually laughed out loud at my complete and utter confusion. The picture is sort of like a Japanese version of a David Cronenberg body horror film minus the plot and character development. If this sounds like it’s up your alley, then go for it, because some of the scenes (if you could call them scenes) are completely unforgettable. This ain’t no Robert Downey Jr comic book adaptation. This is one of those films with such a unique style, it feels as though the director has never in his life watched any other movie in order to get a feel for the language of cinema.

Overall, the lack of any real storyline really turned me off. In order for this kind of film to work for me, I would need constant, over-the-top, hilarious imagery. Instead, I just got some really bizarre, incomprehensible imagery mixed together with some of the strangest editing I’ve ever seen. It is really hard to explain the imagery, and trying to explain it would be taking the piss out of it. The film itself plays sort of like a montage, if that makes sense. And the fact that the film started to lose my attention at about the halfway mark despite having a runtime of only 67 minutes doesn’t help its cause.

[Mr Minio]

Watch some Jodorovsky.

[mark f]

Pretty accurate description of Tetsuo, bot I think you overrated it a tad. :)

[jiraffejustin]

I saw Tetsuo for the first time just the other day. I loved it though. I am a big fan of surrealism, so it was pretty much made for me.

[the samoan lawyer]

I might watch Nekromantik 2 (which I've never seen), and then do a dual review of the two movies.

Also, it's on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfuyGVSLIfw


Happy days, cheers.

[Mingusings]

Awesome that I chose a movie that others on here have seen. :)

Watch some Jodorovsky.

I tried to watch Holy Mountain a few years ago but I couldn't get through it. What is his most normal film and maybe I could start with that?

[mark f]

Holy Mountain :) or Santa Sangre. Probably The Rainbow Thief although I haven't seen it. "Normal Jodorowsky" may be an oxymoron!

[JoeHorrorFanatic]

Tetsuo is a film I'd like to see. I believe a friend of mine recently recommended it.

[Mr Minio]

Holy Mountain :) or Santa Sangre. Probably The Rainbow Thief although I haven't seen it. "Normal Jodorowsky" may be an oxymoron! Don't ask me. I've only seen Fando and Lis and The Mole, but the latter is way more accessible. Surrealism, onirism, metaphysics and Fellini-lookin', but not irritating old ladies.

[Mingusings]

Singapore Sling (1990)
Directed by Nikos Nikolaidis
Language: Greek/English/French
My Rating: 2

http://www.altcine.com/posters/photo/singapore-sling-poster.jpg

Singapore Sling deals with a private investigator who is looking for a woman named Laura. His investigation leads him to an estate owned by the strangest mother-daughter duo I've ever seen in cinema. The mother and daughter, who play bizarre sexual and torture "games," name the investigator "Singapore Sling," and include him in the games.

There were certainly some things I liked about the film. It's wickedly funny at times, and has very good cinematography. I also liked how narrations play throughout the film by multiple characters. However, the film was designed to shock and surprise the viewer. After about an hour, this gets old, and the film seems to move at a snail's pace in its final act, despite the eccentricity of what is onscreen. I also wasn't interested in any of the characters. The mother and daughter are so weird, it got to the point where nothing they could possibly do would surprise me. The investigator pretty much says nothing the entire movie, which makes for a pretty dull character. And then when he finally has something to do onscreen, it just seems out of place.

This is definitely a film for the art house crowd, which I am evidently not a part of. If you aren't either, I say skip this one.

[jiraffejustin]

These films are so weird that even with lukewarm reviews, I still really want to see them.

[mark f]

Don't really disagree - I give it 2.5 - but it's got a lot going on, not in pacing, but in the bizarre, the connections to Otto Preminger's Laura, and the strange combination of beauty (the lighting and cinematography) and the repulsive (all the crap shown). Like I said, I think you're pretty much correct in your assessment but I just appreciated a bit more. If I were to watch a film about aberrant behavior, I much prefer this to Salo.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PA2zmFowmU/T616DmpDB7I/AAAAAAAAAtU/u6qQufnEzfU/s1600/singapore+sling+michele+valley+niko+nikolaidis+meredyth+herold+8.png
http://deeperintomovies.net/journal/image08/singaporesling4.jpg

[Mingusings]

Love Object (2003)
Directed by Robert Parigi
Language: English
My Rating: 2_5-

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/63/LuvOb1.jpg/220px-LuvOb1.jpg

Kenneth is a socially awkward, white-collar worker. One day, he decides to purchase a sex doll, with whom he develops a close relationship. Sound familiar? The idea of the film is quite similar to that of “Lars and the Real Girl.” However, the plots go in very different directions. When an attractive co-worker sparks Kenneth’s attention, the doll becomes very jealous and Kenneth is stuck and doesn’t know what to do.

The plot and tone of the movie were really all over the place. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half. It had a very subtle sense of humor and had a certain charm about it. In the second half, however, the plot takes a turn and the film pretty much ends like a horror movie, and not a good one at that. All the comedy is lost and I quickly became disinterested. The word that keeps coming to mind is unoriginal. I was rather surprised by how vastly different the two halves were. Everything that was so great about the first half disappears in the second half. Quite disappointing. Overall, I would highly recommend the vastly superior “Lars and the Real Girl.”