Thoughts on movies, comic books, life, and other nonsense, by someone who should know better
As obscure as the source of the title for this movie is, it’s also a major spoiler for the largely inexplicable events that happen in the second half, because I expect that some people would approach the movie by Googling the meaning of it. In that respect, it’s too clever for its own good. I waited until after the movie ended to do it, and you should too.
It’s fair to say that A Serbian Film is the most vilified horror movie of our generation. Other generations had Salo, Cannibal Holocaust, and The Men Behind The Sun, and A Serbian Film, made in 2011, joins the club of horror movies with scenes that are so extreme they come to define the movie itself. I’m willing to bet that just like those other movies, A Serbian Film is also one the most vilified horror movies that’s actually never been seen by its harshest critics. If you’ve heard of the movie, you’ve also heard of that scene, and you may have already made up your mind about it and decided not to see it – which would be a shame, because it’s a truly effective, character-driven horror movie. I don’t often review movies older than a couple of years, but this is an exception.
I’d been awaiting The Eyes of My Mother for almost a year. I remember hearing some buzz back in April or May last year from a friend who had seen a print and raved about it. “You saw Audition, right?” he asked. Well sure, I’ve seen Audition, and almost every Takashi Miike movie – but I can’t say I’m a particular fan of his work. If The Eyes Of My Mother was being compared to Audition, I was interested, but knew I’d approach my eventual viewing warily. Not that I don’t like gore, and not that I can’t take disturbing content – I watched the infamous “three guys one hammer” video unflinching, and that’s like stunt-eating the hottest wings on the planet. Once you’ve watched THAT, something like Audition isn’t going to make a major impact. Continue reading “Movie Review: THE EYES OF MY MOTHER – impressive, nihilistic horror debut for young moviemaker Nicolas Pesce.”
AT THE FOOTHILLS OF MADNESS 