The Order

Directed by Brian Helgeland
Starring: Heath Ledger,Shannon Sossamon,Mark Addy,Benno Furman,Peter Weller


To be honest with you guys, I never did give much attention to Heath Ledger. That is until his brilliant performance as the Joker. In this film he faces a dark knight of a different sort. Director Helgeland who also directed A Knight's Tale  brings half the cast from that film with him to make this one.Ledger portrays Alex, a young Priest torn between his work for God and his love for a woman ( Sossamon ) an ex mental patient. Alex is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of his mentor, where he confronts a sin eater. Sin eaters are immortal priests gone astray who can consume the sins of the dying. With their sins eaten they can get absolution before they die. Or something like that. This starts off a little slow until Robocop shows up with a  religious artifact to destroy the sin eater. Peter Weller plays Driscoll, a chain smoking priest in possession of  the mysterious dagger.
Ledger as the confused young Priest plays the part  convincingly, lusting for a female yet devoted his life to the church. The addition of Addy makes for some welcome moments of comic relief  but doesn't last long as his character Father Thomas' life is endangered many times. Furman as the Sin Eater plays the part cool and confident and comes across less evil than we are first intended to believe. Alex even surrenders the dagger that is supposed to destroy the sin eater over to him. But the sin eater has bigger plans intended for Alex, even bigger than his death.
There are plenty of dark and daunting interior images of churches that could  even creep out the most  profane. Other images high on the creep factor include a pair of children who are actually demon spawn. The basement of a techno dance club literally could be the fiery bowels of hell with it's depravity of sins and torture in abundance.
I'm not quite sure if the funky optical effects belong in this film, but The Order does deserve to have a look see.
My Final Thoughts: This is definitely not the best of the man of the cloth fighting his inner demons movie, but Ledger's Alex makes for an interesting character.

My Rating: Two and a half Go Go Girls out of Five

The Bloodstained Shadow (1978)

Directed by Antonio Bido
Starring: Lino Capoliccio,Stefania Casini, Craig Hill
Strange murders begin to occur shortly after the local priest's brother Stefano( Capoicchio ) sporting one of the most hideous sweaters imaginable, even Bill Cosby wouldn't be caught dead in it. The two brother's reunion is cut  short  when Father Paolo (Hill ) witnesses a murder and mysterious notes begin to show up threatening him.
This is a giallo, therefore plenty of strange and eccentric characters show up as possible suspects as the murderer returns. In a pre credit scene a young woman is seen strangled in a meadow, sharp eyed viewers can catch a clue. There is an odd assortment of a medium, a doctor, a mid wife and a rich s.o.b.  with a fondness for young boys who make up the body count. Add to the mixture of this murder mystery a man child who enjoys the dismemberment and eye gouging of his dolls, a mysterious painting and a typewriter with a unique feature.
The acting and directing are decent enough, I can't really say the same for the dubbing as it was not up to par. Unfortunately the copy of DVD I watched did not offer an Italian language version with sub titles. There is plenty of P.O.V. ( point of view ) camera shots and interesting angles to consider this a film of the giallo sub genre. The use of the killer wearing black leather gloves is a requsite in the giallo genre but was obliterated here. The film's love interest was booooor ing as the two characters never seemed to click, even a nude love scene couldn't ignite a spark. The female under arm hair didn't help much either, I know it's the European way but please.
I always enjoy a good whodunit, unfortunately this wasn't one as I found some of the plot devices rather forced and stretched a bit thin in an attempt to make the story work. There was some tension created before the killings but the actual kills were not very thrilling, there was little gore except for a head roasting on an open fire. With no emotional connection to any of the characters I really couldn't give a rat's ass if they lived or died.

My Final Thought: The best thing about this film was the Goblin like soundtrack. If you don't know who they are, what are you waiting for? Go track some of their stuff down. I recommend the Suspiria, Tenebrae and the Dawn of the Dead sound tracks.
My Rating: 2 Go Go Girls out of Five.

Troll Hunter

Hans down,this is the best movie about hunting trolls

Directed by:Andre Ovredal
Starring: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Morck, Thomas Alf Larsen

Fairy Tales are not just for kids anymore, especially when there are trolls to deal with. What would you do if one of the world's oldest secrets is shared with you? Would you do what everyone else is doing these days, film it and put it on You Tube? It's not exactly what a trio of Norwegian college students do, but they do find themselves caught up in some Norwegian folk lore and they are only to happy to capture it all on film.
The trio of young film makers are planning to shoot a documentary on bear poaching that has been going on in the area, bear hunting is regulated by the government.  The small film crew which consists of Thomas who is the one in front of the camera and does the reporting,he is also the leader showing his enthusiasm for the project. Johanna is the sound girl and Kalle operates the camera. Believing they have found the poacher they follow him,hoping for an exclusive interview. What they discover to their horror and amazement instead is the stuff found in a child's nightmare. Straight out of a fairy tale the students face the awe inspiring sight of a Tosseldorf, a three headed troll .The C.G.I. effects used in the film are a spectacular sight and for this viewer did not diminish the enjoyment that other C.G.I. driven films can do. You will believe trolls do inhabit our world.The film builds suspense by using the sound of breaking tree trunks and limbs to signify the approaching Trolls. Along with the visual appearance of the tree tops swaying back and forth for the arrival for some kind of behemoth beast also adds to the suspense.
Turns out Hans (Jesperson ) the suspected  bear poacher is actually the titular character,convincingly portrayed by Jesperson. The only one of his kind, who was hired by the government to keep the Trolls from wandering out of their jurisdictions. Hans who was reluctant at first to even talk with the students agrees to allow the students to travel with him to document his work. He schools the trio and the audience on the different kinds of trolls, their habitats, eating habits and even shows us the effects a giant flash bulb will cause if a troll does step out of his boundary.
This could be considered the Blair Witch Project  from Norway, just swap out a witch for a troll, with it's hand held camera techniques but the over all look is one of a more polished product. The acting is nothing too special , but competent which adds to the realism of a supposed story of found footage. But the acting is decent enough not to remove the viewer from the story, but make you feel their fears and anxieties and on numerous occasions I needed to remind myself that it is just a movie and not a real documentary as seen on the Discovery channel. The film works because it takes itself seriously, there is dark humour sprinkled throughout but the over all tone is one of seriousness. One such scene brings memories of the fairy tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff when three sheep are tied to a bridge for bait. Another scene involves a Muslim camera person brought into the group after Hans tells them Trolls can smell the blood of a Christian.
The college students consider Hans a hero for the work he does, but he seems ashamed towards his job, calling it dirty work. He also hates the long hours, lack of benefits and the paper work required after  the slaying of a troll.How about the power workers who have never questioned the power lines that just loop around without supplying power to anywhere, Hans knows  this acts like an electric fence to keep the trolls from wandering just like lost cattle. Hans knows the truth and now you will too.

My Final Thought: I found this to be a very entertaining film with memorable characters.The use of C.G.I. was inevitable considering the subject but looks respectful and not over killed.
My Rating: Four Go Go Girls out of Five

Dead Girl

This smells like teen spirit,first time loves, death and decay

Directed by: Marcel Sarmiento, Gadi Harel
Starring: Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Candice Accola, Jenny Spain

 I recall one day in my pre teen days my friends and I had sneaked into a secret fort built by the older teen aged boys in our neighbourhood. We had no idea of the activities that took place inside the walls that were off limits to us. But on that one specific summer day we had a hint of braveness or was it stupidity? We entered where we were forbidden, and to our astonished pre puberty eyes we discovered the holey grail  of any young boy, that's right, porn. A stack of magazines consisting of Playboys, Penthouse, Hustler and some we've never heard of before. I quickly stuffed my hungry eyes as full as I could, not knowing when the owners would return and trying to avoid the inevitable beating that would follow if caught. I don't know if my friends ever did go back but I know I never did. Yeah, I was afraid of the older boys but felt more intimidated by the female body than a good rough housing, although I was intrigued by those pictures. The two main characters of Dead Girl also stumble upon something that awakens their sexual appetite. Unlike the moldy smelling periodicals we found, these guys stumble onto the mother lode.
J.T. and Ricky are two seventeen year old boys, friends since child hood. They are the types who enjoy partying it up and don't take school very serious. Ricky (Fernandez ) has a crush on Joann ( Accola ) who just happens to be dating the quarterback of the football team. This set up makes way for a typical high school drama cliche, the jocks versus the stoners, other than this there is nothing else typical in this unconventional character study of first time love.
One day the two friends decide to skip classes and drink some beer instead, J.T. ( Segan ) insists on having their little party at the condemned mental hospital. After a couple of brewskies they find they need to smash some windows and cause havoc onto the abandoned building. J.T. recommends they go to the wing where the real dangerous patients were held. Fleeing to safety after being chased by a rapid guard dog, the boys discover a sealed door. Prying the locked door open the two AWOL students discover a naked, dead girl shackled to a gurney  by all four of her limbs.If you havn't seen this little hidden gem yet and want to avoid any spoilers I would suggest you stop reading now, go watch the film pronto and come back.
To Ricky's and the viewer's disgust, J.T. decides to use this poor girl as his sex toy, as it turns out this girl is actually alive, some sort of zombie who cannot be killed, for his amusement J.T. has tried numerous times to no avail. We all know how special and unforgettable the first time is, but J.T takes this obsession and possession of the girl ( Spain ) to the extreme, actually moving in and living among the stench of death and decay of the dead girl. J.T.'s world now consists of drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and having sex with this girl when ever he desires. He is the king of his own little world. His friend Ricky is also involved in his own little fantasy world as he dreams of having a relationship with Joann, something that just isn't going to happen.
The acting by all involved is quite convincing, delivering believable dialogues that audiences can relate to without the need for an urban dictionary. Ricky is the under dog who you want to cheer for and hope he wins the girl in the end, but J. T. just takes his obsession too far and is loathed for it.
Just like real life, the friendship of two long time friends is shattered when a girl comes between them, even when she is dead. Jenny Spain who plays the dead girl is magnificent, displaying a wide range of emotions with only the occasional growl. Her eyes saying everything that need to be said, showing anger and frustration to pity and shame when being violated by those who felt they needed to prove their masculinity.
The film makers do an excellent job of making the audience feel of disgust and an apathy towards the dead girl much like how The River's Edge also did. The Dead Girl had me thinking of this film as it shares some similarities, but is even more disturbing as it is based on true events. I highly recommend a viewing of that film also.
This is by no means a pornographic picture, there is however a naked girl shown throughout the film. If the sight of breasts and pubic hair offend you , I feel sorry for you. For those who won't be offended, you are in for quite the ride.
My Final Thought: There is a couple of cheap scare tactics used by the film makers, but over all this is a disturbing glimpse into the minds of our so called future.
My Rating: Four Go Go Girls Out of Five