Lung II (2016)

(out of 5)

Lung II (2016)
directed by:  Phil Stevens
starring:  David Chopping, Phil Stevens, Samantha Coppola, Angela Jane, Michael Kennedy, Bryant W. Lohr Sr., Colette McKenna

The Movie:  Stevens' follow up to a personal favorite...Flowers.  Well all I can say is...well done.  I friggn LOVE Flowers I've watched it probably ten times or more, it has become a movie I throw in and fall asleep to and while that sounds negative in my little world it is not.  Staple films like Flowers have to be earned and awesome from either a cinematic aspect or a novelty aspect.  I was excited and concerned when I saw a follow up was being made.  Would it live up to my own expectations?  Will it be as good as Flowers or dare I ask...better?  I'm happy to say that Lung II was exactly what I wanted and yes better in a lot of ways.  Horrific and disturbing to say the very least.

The Acting:  Without the ability to verbally convey your emotions an actor is limited.  Yet these folks did just that and pushed their expressions to the limit.  There was never a time where I looked into one of their faces and was pulled directly out of the movie.  Bad acting always pulls me out of a movie.   None here.

The Script:  There is no dialogue.  One thing I love about these movies and something that sets them apart is the lack of speaking.  I have a large collection of silent films from the 20s and before and seeing new films try and tackle this auditory obstacle is just icing on the cake.  This is a viewpoint into the mind of a diseased man.  His childhood, his life, his victims, he is lost.

The Gore:  Marcus Koch.  Enough said. 

The Score:  Great score and sound work.  Scores keep my attention right with a movie's emotional edges.  There is nothing worse than a bad score or soundtrack in a movie.  The sounds were so creepy and dismal they fit perfectly for every scene.

The Shots:  Yes the real beauty here.  Surreal and atmospheric to say the very least.  Black and white which for me is a favorite, never complain about any movie being shot in black and white.  The shooting though was just spectacular and my all around favorite aspect of these movies.  Not just a bunch of cheap "that angle looks cool" placements etc.  You can tell Stevens really knows how to shoot a film and has a love for it.  The gory scenes of disgust and revolt really were brought alive and the flashes within our protagonist's mind were just frightening.  Well done sir.

The Rating:  5 out of 5 Bloody Handprints.  Just awesome sauce.  Bloody, gory, and well made awesome sauce.