A Double Dose Of Weird

RED VELVET
Writer: Anthony Burns, Joe Moe
Director: Bruce Dickson
Starring: Henry Thomas, Kelli Garner
Availability: DVD Available at www.amazon.com
Rating:

A FIELD IN ENGLAND
Writer: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Director: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Julian Barratt, Peter Ferdinando, Richard Glover
Availability: DVD widely available
Rating:

   So, last night, as is usually the case with me, I decided I needed something weird to watch.  It's no secret that I'm an absolute fan of truly bizarre cinema, and I just so happened to get two in the mail that seemed perfect for each other.  So, I decided to do a double review for these flicks.  So, without further ado, let's get to it, shall we?

    The first movie I watched was Bruce Dickson's slasher deconstruction Red Velvet.  This was a movie that flew under my radar, until a fellow indie horror fan told me about the movie.  I'm glad I discovered it, though, because this movie was a real delight.  Henry Thomas (yep, Elliott from ET) plays a horror writer, Aaron, who has a chance encounter with a girl at a laundromat, Linda.  The two engage in a series of mindgames, as Aaron continues to treat Linda like shit, but she keeps coming back to him. Eventually, the two end up on a lunch date, and the two begin to share horror stories with one another.  The story sequences are a visual delight, echoing a lot of the visual touches Romero had given to his masterpiece Creepshow.

    It turns out Linda has an abusive boyfriend, and all her friends have abandoned her to go to a birthday party in a secluded cabin.  Aaron uses this to his advantage, and after a couple of short tales, they decide to collaborate on something far more sinister.  They create a story that imagines the demise of all the people in Linda's life.  The story they create is ripe with slasher cliches, including a wisecracking villain.  The killer is often very inept, though the actual kills are quite gory, and each kill was something different, and at least a few were unlike any kills I've ever seen in a slasher movie.

    So, in a lot ways, the movie is two films in one.  You have the slasher movie mixed with the more desperately dark romance film bubbling on the surface.  It's also a very odd film.  As I mentioned, the way the story sequences are shot give the film an almost classic, EC comics visual style.  Plus, the last 10-15 minutes of the film take the film into a completely different direction.  I won't spoil it here, but I will say that many of you will hate the ending, but I saw it quite fitting.  This is definitely a movie I'd recommend checking out, if you are looking for something a little different.

    Okay, now, this is a film I've been dying around since I watched it last night.  Ben Wheatley's psychedelic period flick A Field In England is the best movie I've seen so far this year, and I'll be very surprised if I see any genre movie this year that is able to top it.  I first took notice of Wheatley after his film Kill List hit the scene.  A divisive film for sure, but one that I thought was a brilliant mixture of The Wicker Man and the more psychotronic cinema of the late 60s.  His next film Sightseers was a charming, hilariously violent dark comedy that was an absolute departure from Kill List, but still felt close to that spirit.  Now, we get A Field In England, a film that shows Wheatley has no desire to repeat himself.

    This movie, at first, echoes the medieval horror of films like Witchfinder General and the more recent Black Death.  It takes place during the Civil War in 17th century England.  A group of soldiers has fled from battle into a big open field.  They are captured by an alchemist, and he forces them to help him try to find he treasure he believes is buried there.  The man are fed magic mushrooms to try to break down their defenses, and the final third of the movie creates some of the most mind-bending psychedelic imagery I've seen in a modern film.

    First of all, I have to give some high marks to the stunning black and white cinematography.  It was beyond gorgeous, and gave the film a timeless, classical feel that it may not have had otherwise.  Secondly, the actors are all terrific in this film.  Every single one of them give fantastic performances, something that you can say about all of Wheatley's work.  The man has a true gift when it comes to actors.  The sound design is also something to behold, creating the perfect sense of dread needed for the film's eventual payoff.

    Now, this isn't anywhere near going to be a film for anybody.  I was talking to a fellow horror reviewer whose opinions I admire, and he told me he couldn't get into it.  It's very slow-moving at times, and doesn't really fit into anything that resembles true horror.  Instead, the movie is a much more psychological experience, fucking with your head all along the way, until you feel almost as disoriented as the soldiers on the screen.  It's a maddening experience, but one that truly pays off if you're willing to submit to its eccentric vision.  Wheatley has just gone near the top of my favorite directors working right now.  If you are a fan of Ken Russell's more wild experiments, then definitely check this one out.

    So, there you have it...Two very different films that I would suggest for anyone who longs for something truly different.  Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos.