HDC recommends...

[roshiq]

Darbareye Elly aka About Elly (2009)



A group of 3 married couples (Sepideh-Amir, Shohreh-Peyman, Nazi-Manoochehr), some with children, visits to a seaside town & stays in a seaside villa for a short break. The only single people in the group are Ahmad who has recently separated from his German wife and Elly who is a nursery teacher to Sepideh's child. Sepideh (who brought Elly in the trip) has organized the whole trip, as well as playing matchmaker for Ahmad and Elly.

After the very first night, in next morning Elly wants to go back home because of her worried mother but Sepideh doesn't let her. Sepideh and Shohreh went shopping, men were playing volleyball and little girls were playing at the beach with Elly while the other kid (Arash) was swimming. After a while, the girls came and reported to their fathers that Arash was missing. The film really takes off just at that point when, in an apparent attempt to rescue the 'missing' kid, Arash from drowning, Elly disappears. Was she drowned too or did she just leave...but why would she do that?...whatever actually happened to Elly?

Iran's official submission to 82nd Academy Award's Foreign Language category in 2010 (though didn't get the final nomination) is a very nicely crafted suspense-drama that interestingly play with its characters, somewhat in a 12 Angry Men fashion where lies, suspicion & speculation slowly starts to digs off some dark sides of each others very human nature.

[Elvis_Christ]

Just got back from seeing Drive and gotta recommend it to everyone. I was fucking blown away. Will post a link to my review once it's up online.

[roshiq]

The Stone Tape (1972)

Originally Posted by roshiq

Combining aspects of science and superstition was a frequent & fantastic theme in Nigel 'Quatermass' Kneale's works and followed by that, his 1972 BBC Telefilm The Stone Tape concerns a team of scientists who move into their new research facility, a renovated Victorian mansion that has a reputation for being haunted. Especially, one particular big empty room that they wanted to make their computer room turned out spooky! Investigating & sensing something wrong in the place; they gradually learn that the haunting is a recording of a past event stored by the stone in that room. Believing that this may be the key to the development of a new recording medium, they throw all their expertise and high-tech equipment into learning how the stone tape preserves its recording. However, their investigations serve only to unleash a darker, more malevolent force.

Directed by Peter Sasdy (Taste the Blood of Dracula & Hands of the Ripper) with a good cast of actors, this is somewhat a thinking person's horror film, very low on body count with zero gore and not so much concentrated on jump scares but still effectively delivers an intelligent ghost story. Even, since its broadcast on BBC Two as a Christmas ghost story in 1972, the hypothesis of residual haunting - that ghosts are recordings of past events made by the natural environment - has come to be known as the "Stone Tape Theory" by para psychological researchers (Info source: Wikipedia).

But sadly, this critically acclaimed & so much significant gem of magnificent 70s Horror somehow didn't get much attention from the genre fans. Most probably for its plot structure & unavailability of DVD, I guess.

Like a M.R. James story, this fascinating tale of supernatural strangely grows spookier minute by minute, particularly when it comes close to its chilling final revelations.

[roshiq]

Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan aka The Ghost Story of Yotsuya (1959)

Originally Posted by roshiq

Based on Yotsuya Kaidan, the most famous Japanese folk tale or Kaidan of all time, this wonderfully creepy gem of Gothic J-Horror cinema was directed by Nobuo Nakagawa (the maker of 1960 masterpiece Jigoku aka The Sinners of Hell). Considering its time of release, it was surely quite unbelievably creepy & gory for the audience back at that time. Along with great Nakagawa's fantastic style of film making where we can see Bava like continuously changing colorful screens & brilliant use of lights & shadows, this film also comes with some awesomely creepy set pieces, i.e. freaking ghosts rising from the ground or peering down from the ceiling!

Like its more than hundred years old original story (which mainly written as a Kabuki play), the film is mostly filled with typical Asian melodrama where characters grows in the 1st half but 2nd half strikes with violence & ghostly encounters.

Overall, a must see for the fans of Gothic horror & J-Horror.

Although the story has been adapted to film many times in Japan but this is generally considered the finest screen adaptation of the story as well as Nakagawa is considered to have been Japan's first great horror film director. Besides having provided his critically acclaimed Jigoku and this best version of the Yotsuya ghost story, he also directed Kaiden hebi-onna (Ghost Story of a Snake Woman, 1961), Onna kyuketsuki (Lady Vampire, 1959), Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi (The Ghost of Kasane,1957) & Borei kaibyo yashiki (Black Cat Mansion, 1958)....Damn! These all movies have now become hard-to-find films in most of the parts of the world & also in the torrent sites. Acclaimed video-distribution companies like Criterion or Blue Underground very much need to release A complete Nakagawa Horror Collection asap, IMO.

[fortunato]

^ It looks like Janus Films owns this title, which could definitely mean a Criterion release in the future.

[Fearonsarms]

Knowing (2009) Smashing and hard hitting supernatural sci-fi thriller starring Nicholas Cage in one of his more likeable roles. I'm no special effects hound but I found what's used in this genuinely jaw dropping. It has a very diverse collection of elements to it so you may not like them all depending on personal view (especially towards the end) but I was completely gripped throughout and I strongly recommend it to anyone who may have avoided it like I did. Great for getting in the mood for the apocalypse!

[Straker]

The Silent House (2010): A Uruguayan horror/ thriller shot in one continuous take. Tense and claustrophobic, really worth checking out.

[Straker]

Posted this in last seen movie thread, but figured I'd post it here too.... Well worth a watch.

The Man from Nowhere: Awesome Korean Action movie. Imagine Tony Scotts Man on Fire being given the Korean action treatment. Everything that Korean cinema does so well is delivered. Its a simple plot and perhaps not as well orchestrated as something like Oldboy but it still has bags of heart. Acting is amazing but subtle while the action scenes are intense and brutal. Pacing is spot on, everything is spot on. Best action film I've seen in the past few years, highely recommend.

[The Villain]

Originally Posted by Straker

Posted this in last seen movie thread, but figured I'd post it here too.... Well worth a watch.

The Man from Nowhere: Awesome Korean Action movie. Imagine Tony Scotts Man on Fire being given the Korean action treatment. Everything that Korean cinema does so well is delivered. Its a simple plot and perhaps not as well orchestrated as something like Oldboy but it still has bags of heart. Acting is amazing but subtle while the action scenes are intense and brutal. Pacing is spot on, everything is spot on. Best action film I've seen in the past few years, highely recommend.

Comparing it to Oldboy just makes me want to avoid it.

[Straker]

Originally Posted by The Villain

Comparing it to Oldboy just makes me want to avoid it.

I'd say I was comparing it to Man on Fire moreso than Oldboy. The only reason I mentioned Oldboy was to point out that The Man from Nowhere was based around a much simpler premise, but that didnt detract from the heart of the movie.

It's hard to make a recommendation for a Korean action flick without, at some point, mentioning The Vengeance Trilogy...