The Last House on the Left (1972)
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The Last House on the Left
Ah, this one is a pure classic. Nailed down upon its release, brutal, demented, and psychologically disturbing yet amusing, this one will shame you for watching with a smile in your face. Krug & company are for a feast and two “innocent” beauties are not escaping their fate. Now that the remake is hitting the box-office, it’s time for the real deal, a true disturbing classic. For his first feature, director Wes “Slasher” Craven delivers us a sadistic tale of brutality, murder, revenge and the psychological effects of dementia. Mari is spending her 17th birthday in town for a concert and brings her good friend Phillys wit her. The pair encounter four escaped convicts leaded by Krug (played by David Hess) that take the two innocent girls into the woods to brutally murder them in a series of mind-twisting fatalities that culminate with a demented revenge courtesy of Mari’s parents.
The film’s sadistic tone is counter measured by its comical characters and situations, punctuated by happy music in sad moments, completely (and purposely) out of sync. This gives this classic slasher an even more cynical feel. The characters, specifically the four drugged psycho killers, are completely insane no-brainers, amateurishly crafted but beautifully portrayed by the cast (that’s the appeal of low-budget classics). Every other character in the film borderlines the limits of impossibility – from the two ex-hippie parents to the two comical policeman, who do absolutely nothing to capture the escaped convicts or prevent the brutal consequences of the finale. This one is sure to give you some memorable dialog quotes. The soundtrack, courtesy of Mr David Hess himself, is absolutely stunning. From the gorgeous opening credits song (also used in another later film, Cabin Fever), to the interludes that choreograph the sick torture and rape sequences (slashing and raping a victim listening to happy country and funk), this is pure delight. The antagonism that Hess creates for the soundtrack and its direct relation to the images is singular; whereas later holywood movies emphasize on grand orchestrations to create the mood, The Last House on the Left actually utilizes the music to give the film a further sarcastic, almost insane feeling. The soundtrack is, well, almost doesn’t exist. I looked around for an LP version but seems there is none. David Hess sells a CD version on his website, and according to Discogs there is another CD reissue from an almost unknown label. Best is to go for David’s website.
Even if sometimes the editing and overall crude cinematography gives you a feeling of loss, as if some of the most disturbing scenes were forcibly covered, specially in nowadays standards, the movie is truly psychologically and visually disturbing although it seems sketched as a satire. The movie is hailed as one of the most controversial and shocking rape and murder flicks of all time, this should give you a fair warning when watching. The strange documentary-like feeling of the movie (Craven was inspired by Vietnam-war tales when writing this) overshadows the low-budget cuts and simplistic plot structure, and amateur actors that nonetheless do their very best (specially Hess and J. Lincoln) in this absolute classic that preludes the slasher-genre in a disturbing, unsettling, low-budget way. Buy DVD: (This brilliant special edition features two versions of the film: the screened version on disc 1, one completely new version including unseen footage, and on the third disc the great documentary “The Rise and Fall of the Slasher film”. Grab it, it’s even cheaper than the older 2-disc edition of the film.) Heartbreak Score:
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The Big Sleep (1946)
Adapting Raymond Chandler’s confusing and hardboiled book is not for the faint of heart. Does Howard Hanks and Company deliver it? After we read the book, we watch the film.
The Big Sleep (1946)
Adapting Raymond Chandler’s confusing and hardboiled book is not for the faint of heart. Does Howard Hanks and Company deliver it? After we read the book, we watch the film.
The Big Sleep (1939)
The first novel by veteran crime writer Raymond Chandler pretty much invents the hardboiled genre of crime fiction. A tough but always clever plot that unfolds with dark twists that will test your street skills. First we read the book, then we watch the movie.
The Big Sleep (1939)
The first novel by veteran crime writer Raymond Chandler pretty much invents the hardboiled genre of crime fiction. A tough but always clever plot that unfolds with dark twists that will test your street skills. First we read the book, then we watch the movie.
The Spielberg Face
Here is an interesting essay dedicated to one of the most imitated Cinema artifices, populated by of the master of melodrama Steven Spielberg.
The Spielberg Face
Here is an interesting essay dedicated to one of the most imitated Cinema artifices, populated by of the master of melodrama Steven Spielberg.
P3rsp3ctive (2011)
A tribute to the Cyberpunk genre, Perspective is a beautiful short film made by amateur director Mehmet Can Koçak
P3rsp3ctive (2011)
A tribute to the Cyberpunk genre, Perspective is a beautiful short film made by amateur director Mehmet Can Koçak
Bummer Summer (2010)
Few movie directors can be proud of achieving realism and artistic perfection. Zach Weintraub does this in his first feature. Shot on a ridicule budget and using a single DSLR camera that is perfectly balanced by Nandan Rao’s perfect black and white photography and using pretty much no written dialogue, Bummer Summer is a delicate surprise (…)
Bummer Summer (2010)
Few movie directors can be proud of achieving realism and artistic perfection. Zach Weintraub does this in his first feature. Shot on a ridicule budget and using a single DSLR camera that is perfectly balanced by Nandan Rao’s perfect black and white photography and using pretty much no written dialogue, Bummer Summer is a delicate surprise (…)
Docs for People 2: Free Fruit for Everyone (I Am Los Angeles)
Los Angeles, the film entertainment capital of the world, is known as a place of glitz and glamour, palm trees, and living the high life. Hollywood, after all, is a place where dreams can come true. But is also a place where many dreamers come to meet their reality. Some succeed, but far more pack up and…
Docs for People 2: Free Fruit for Everyone (I Am Los Angeles)
Los Angeles, the film entertainment capital of the world, is known as a place of glitz and glamour, palm trees, and living the high life. Hollywood, after all, is a place where dreams can come true. But is also a place where many dreamers come to meet their reality. Some succeed, but far more pack up and…
My Joy (2010)
Director Sergei Loznitsa’s first fiction is a deep journey through the alienation and Soviet remains on the remote population around Russia’s deepest villages. It’s also a journey of a man, Georgy, that gets lost in his cargo truck deep into the wilderness unable to find his way, just like the characters that he encounters, filled with desperate and starving violence and psyche.
Keep reading for the full review and more shots of this fabulous movie, and remember: you read it first on Heartbreak Motel!
My Joy (2010)
Director Sergei Loznitsa’s first fiction is a deep journey through the alienation and Soviet remains on the remote population around Russia’s deepest villages. It’s also a journey of a man, Georgy, that gets lost in his cargo truck deep into the wilderness unable to find his way, just like the characters that he encounters, filled with desperate and starving violence and psyche.
Keep reading for the full review and more shots of this fabulous movie, and remember: you read it first on Heartbreak Motel!
Docs for People 1: Scrapertown
California is a Place are putting some gorgeous docs out there, short, human, and simply beautiful. Scrapertown is a cute little tale of a group of young folks that created a club for scrapper bikes, complete with a king and a strict membership, that requires the bike to be approved beforehand
Docs for People 1: Scrapertown
California is a Place are putting some gorgeous docs out there, short, human, and simply beautiful. Scrapertown is a cute little tale of a group of young folks that created a club for scrapper bikes, complete with a king and a strict membership, that requires the bike to be approved beforehand
Top 11 Weird, Strange and Best Song Versions
There are tribute bands and there are bands that earn their gold doing miserable and sloppy versions of popular songs, but countless covers abound that are weird and truly beautiful. You probably didn’t know most of these are actually versions so be prepared for a top 10 of the most underrated and bizarre covers ever. Start the journey!
Top 11 Weird, Strange and Best Song Versions
There are tribute bands and there are bands that earn their gold doing miserable and sloppy versions of popular songs, but countless covers abound that are weird and truly beautiful. You probably didn’t know most of these are actually versions so be prepared for a top 10 of the most underrated and bizarre covers ever. Start the journey!
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The only directing effort from the actor Charles Laughton, this is a phenomenal exercise in style and narrative, one true classic that inspired many and is as frightening today and breathtaking as it was 60 years ago.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The only directing effort from the actor Charles Laughton, this is a phenomenal exercise in style and narrative, one true classic that inspired many and is as frightening today and breathtaking as it was 60 years ago.
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