Remy’s Picks – The Good, The Bad, and the Stupid
My overall feeling is that The ABCs Of Death was a great concept that had an overall shitty execution. The directors who should have stolen the show, for the most part, didn’t. It seems like everyone went into this with a different concept, and the end result was far more films that failed than worked. Regardless, it is a fun watch, but I really recommend breaking it into two nights of viewing, because the concept wears thin pretty quick.
D is for Dogfight
Directed by Marcel Sarmiento, who made the wonderful and wholly disturbing 2008 film, Deadgirl.
Try to think about the five thousand dollar budget all these directors had when they worked on these films. In some cases (M, which Matt will tear apart on his own – looked like it cost six bucks to make) and in the case of “Dogfight,” every single frame oozes style and appeal. While I refuse to ruin this chapter in the film for you, I will tell you that this story revolves around a sort of Fight Club where humans battle dogs. It only gets cooler from there, with a wonderful twist at the end that will leave you smiling. This story could easily be stretched into ninety minutes with a little polishing and a hefty backstory, and I would personally love to see that given how easily “Dogfight” impressed me.
U is for Unearthed
Directed by Ben Wheatley who wrote and directed one of my favorite horror films of all time, Kill List.
All shot in first person, I can’t help but feel like “Unearthed” was a sort of spiritual successor to Wheatley’s seminal horror film, Kill List. Perhaps those same country goers in Kill List were working toward summoning what is “unearthed” in this short film.
All I will tell you about the short is that the entire thing is filmed from the first person perspective of the creature, so we never really see it, or what it is, which makes the whole thing even more disturbing and memorable. Wheatley is one to watch, and this skit only further proved that, also being another segment I would love to see stretched out into a full film.
W is for WTF
Directed by Jon Scnepp who writes and directs the awesome cartoon Metalocalypse on Adult Swim.
What can you even say about this one other than the name of it is perfect. From the gory, animated opening, to the gradual mindf*ck that overtakes your screen while this is on, “WTF” is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is like they are attempting to give the viewer a seizure, but it’s SO insane and over-the-top, one can’t deny the increasing amounts of fun. There are zombie clowns in it, for Christ sakes. It is REALLY hard not to love something that has zombie clowns in it, and the way it ends, with a mix of real life and animation, is all too perfect. Weird, but wonderful – especially if you are high…on life.