groveman Reviews

Inland Empire (2006)

Pure surreal terror

[10/10 · 11 March 2008]

I never jump from being startled. It is a quality which I am quite proud of and which has been tested countless times in my day to day life by a huge number of friends and co-workers in an infinite variety of situations. I jumped three times during this film. Struggling to piece together the clues being thrown at me, I feel as if I reached a heightened state of awareness, but also a vulnerability that I have not felt since adolescence. While I feel like a have a vague idea of what transpired during those 3 hours, I cannot shake the feeling that on some level I know exactly what happened, and that scares me more than any horror film ever did. My old friend terror is back after a 20 year absence, and in the small hours when my defenses are down he stares at me, expressionless, with knowing, deadpan eyes.

Excellent film

The Rage (2007)

Quite possibly the dumbest, cheesiest thing I have ever seen

[1/10 · 10 March 2008]

Mind-numbingly stupid. Unbelievably horrible CGI. Elementary school acting. Moronic plot.

Opens with a gory beginning that gives the impression that you are in b-movie territory, but you have no idea at that point of the cheese which is to come. When the CGI vultures appear, they signal a rapid decline into utter stupidity. Is there a random script generator available for computers now? That would explain some things.

The delivery of the lines actually ruins a couple borderline funny jokes. The driver of the RV actually states a joke, but obviously doesn't get it, and so reads it with the wrong inflection and un-makes it a joke. Staggering.

At some points you get the sense that the movie is supposed to be funny in an Evil Dead way, but I'm not really sure about that, and if so, it completely fails at it.

2 points for the end credits, with 1 taken off for coming way too late. I shoulda had a V-8.

Las Hurdes (1933)

Absolutely great film and definitive example of surrealism

[10/10 · 3 March 2008]

I found it very interesting reading the reactions of others here, from interpreting this as everything from a pure comedy to a pure documentary. The truth is that it denies classification, and for many that just simply does not compute. Therefore, it has obviously done exactly what Bunuel wanted.

The aim of surrealism is to lure you in with the trap of a conventional narrative, and then hit you right in the face with something impossible to just passively accept. This film is the perfect example of this. You are absolutely forced into the role of active observer; forced to draw your own conclusions. Independent thought is pulled to the surface, returning comprehension to it's original purity. Reality lies not in what you are seeing, and not in what you are hearing, but somewhere in-between.

My God, this man was a genius, and so far ahead of his time it's unbelievable. Spielberg shows you what you want to see. Bunuel shows you what you need to see. Find this film and see it. Its value is incalculable.