MONTH OF INTERNATIONAL FILMS

February 2021 is a special month for my viewing this year as I’ve labeled it my Month of International Films.  Each month this year I’m giving a theme in the hopes that I will (finally) catch up with a lot of the films that have been on my “watch list” for quite some time.  In January, I watched a lot of 2020 films that I had missed and now we are on to the Month of International Films.

 

I’m a huge lover of foreign films but sometimes you have to be in the mood to read subtitles (my preferred way to watch a foreign film).  This being said, my viewing spanned all genres and all parts of the world as I love to explore the many different cultures through their art and film.

 

ACTION.

I should first mention that I finally got around to viewing the cult favorite Female Prisoner Scorpion films (the original series) with Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972), Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Song (1973), Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973), and Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse (1972).  This is quite a film series of the ‘70s with its nudity and violence glorified to the 100 power.  These were actually very stylized productions that had some amazing cinematography .  There are many more films that have expanded the franchise but these are the core films (maybe one day I’ll get around to those other films).   I also watched a couple Jackie Chan films this month that had been sitting on my shelf for years – 1911 (2011) and Railroad Tigers (2016), of which both were quite good and very different from one another.  Chan is a very versatile actor and producer and hopefully I will get around to the other films of his that I’ve yet to get around to.  He is still an amazing actor that I try to view as many of his films as I can.

DRAMA.

Moving on to drams, of which Chan’s 1911 fits better, I ended up viewing several dramas on the streaming service that I believe were marked as Horror.  The films Blue My Mind (2017) and Zombi Child (2020) are both very much dramas with motifs and themes from the horror genre but if you go in thinking they are horror films then you will be completely disappointed.  These two films are amazing at creating character and drama within stories not typical of the genre.  Some audience members may never take a look at them believing they are horror while horror fans may be disappointed because they are horror at all.  They both occupy a unique middle bridge and successful tell their respective stories with no compromises due to genre.

 

Another drama film I’d like to mention is Pete Walker’s Home Before Midnight (1979), one of the director’s non-horror films that has to deal with a musician who gets involved with an underage woman and controversy surrounds.  Not what I was expecting (since I was expecting a horror film) but a film whose themes still resonate and are current even today forty years later.

 

THEATRICAL & FANTASY.

I only saw one international film at the Box Office this month and it also happens to be the only fantasy film as well – A Writer’s Odyssey (2021).  This was an amazing film with a huge story whose themes and influences encompass many different genres.  Some critics have said that the film is too complicated but I loved the complex story and the many different elements that will make repeated viewing richer.  It is by far one of my favorite films of 2021!

ANIMATION.

I did manage to get a couple animated films through into the mix!  First up is Ne Zha (2019) the hugely successful animated film that presents audiences with everything missing from a Disney animated film.  I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to this film as it was one at the top of my “watch list” but I’m glad I had the chance to watch it this month instead of waiting around any longer.  I loved this film and will watch it again because of how different it is from other films being produced by American animation studios.  The same can be said of the cryptic and mind bending The Wolf House (2020), which is unlike anything out there right now.  It’s style of storytelling reminds me of Triplets of Belleville while the animation style is pure experimental filmmaker yet it has a charm all its own like something David Lynch would create.  This is a film in which repeat viewings will be needed (and maybe even a few shots of alcohol).

 

HORROR.

As can be expected, the horror genre made up the largest segment of films I got around to!  I spent most of the month buried on Shudder catching up with tons of films that I hadn’t seen yet.  The first selection of films being Italian Giallo genre but also includes films inspired by these films as well.  Some of them were – Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971), The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972), The Fifth Cord (1975), The Corruption of Chris Miller (1975), Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971), The Strange Vice of Ms. Wardh (1971), and What Have You Done to Solange? (1972). Once I started I just couldn’t stop until I had finished them all.  I’m a huge fan of the Giallo film by way of Dario Argento and Mario Bava so finally getting around to seeing some of these cult classics was great (thank you Shudder!).  Now, unfortunately, they were all as great as an Argento or Bava film but they were entertaining even when the plots were completely ludicrous.

 

The rest of my horror viewing list was all over the map with the original and modern remake of The Queen of Black Magic (1981, 2020) followed by the sequel May the Devil Take You Too (2020), which I didn’t even know was a sequel until I already was watching it (I’ll eventually get around to watching the original).

 

Other films include The Canal (2014), Demon (2015), and Noroi: The Curse (2005).  I didn’t care for The Canal at all while the Demon was an interesting take on a possession film.  Noroi is the film that was recommended to me but I just didn’t really care for it at all.

 

 

I also watched some more recent films like 32 Malasana Street (2020), Belzebuth (2019), DeadTectives (2019), Hunted (2020), and The Platform (2019).  A lot of these made their debuts at film festivals before being picked up by Shudder and other streaming services.   I especially enjoyed Hunted and The Platform!

 

This makes up all the films for my Month of International Film which allowed me to reach my goal of at least thirty films!    I hope that you seek out some of the films mentioned here as there were some gems but if none of them interest you then maybe of March Month of Action Films (!) will have something for you!

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - "Why I Love SHUDDER!"

“Why I Love SHUDDER!”

I’ve been reading a whole lot about people wanting to know whether or not the streaming service for horror fans Shudder is worth the monthly service fees.  There are those in the horror community that say Yes and those that say No, so for this “Rants & Ravings About Horror” I wanted to give everyone my opinion on the controversy.

 

I am the first to admit that there are too many streaming services out there and I only have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime because there are just too many of them out there.  Then COVID-19 and the quarantine happened and every streaming service was offering discounts and free months.  Shudder was cheap and didn’t have commercials (or multiple tears) and since I’m a horror fan I decided to go with that one.  I could’ve done Criteria Collection (which is the only other one that interest me) or Disney+ (the number one that didn’t interest me at all) or HBO Max, Hulu, Full Moon, etc. There are just too many streaming services to keep track nor even care about.

 

Shudder is geared towards horror fans!  Now in March when I first signed up there was a complete mixture of old school horror films verses lower end fare with a small selection of indie darlings.  They also had several podcasts and series.  One of the main reasons I wanted to sign up was the fact that they had the Wolf Creek series from Australia which was hard to find.  One of the real reasons I decided to go ahead with Shudder is the fact that they had several Lucio Fulci films especially the “Gates of Hells” trilogy which is not something you’re going to find on Hulu or Netflix.  If you look closer to their catalog they also had Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox to name a few of the more hardcore cult horror films, so even if they didn’t have a strong selection of recent Hollywood horror they knew what their main audience was craving for.

 

What I especially enjoyed in those first couple months were the podcasts as they had a nice curated selection which includes – Horror Noire Uncut, Video Palace, and The Narrow Caves, to name a few.  I was actually quite surprised at the quality.  Over the next few months during the lock-down, I got reacquainted with some old classics but also got to watch a lot of international and old classics that I had heard about but never had access to see like Boar , Darling, Hands of the Ripper, Deadly Games, Vampire Circus, and Blood Rage, to name a few.

 

Now catching up with old school and international horror films has its place especially since it allows Shudder to advertise when they acquire new and interesting little seen, cult, and international films, but soon I noticed that there were more films being added every month that were “Shudder Exclusives” which meant that they were now acquiring plenty of films that you couldn’t find anywhere else.  This is particularly important as it justifies continuing my subscription of the service.  Some of these films include Host, The Marshes, The Ranger, Bliss, Found Footage 3D, and Housewife, to name a few.

 

One of the next big draws to the service is their original series Creepshow (based on the original Stephen King and George A. Romero films) which they have thus far produced a first season in addition to two holiday specials.  An amazing show that I can’t wait for Season 2 to be unleashed!

 

Now, all of this is well and good but why should horror fans care?  There are so many other streaming services out there but what sets this one apart from the others?  The thing that I love about Shudder is the fact that it caters to the horror connoisseur.  That person that enjoys all types of horror films of all sub genres.  There are films for fans of the slasher to the giallo to the psychological thriller in addition to the fans of the extreme gory variety to those in which there is almost no gore at all.  If you like films from other countries you’re sure to find some gems - Italian, French, Danish, Canadian, Korean, and even Japanese, to name a few.  Shudder is a treasure trove of hard to find gems and over the last year since the lock down they’ve acquired an even more diverse slate of films while adding even more cult and infamous films.

 

If there is something I believe they need more of, it would be more animated films and more great podcasts (since no new ones has been added since I joined).  There are some great animated films that could be added such as Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000, Lady Death, or any of the Dead Space and Resident Evil films.  More podcasts would be an excellent addition to their current list.  Shudder may not be the best horror streaming service out there (as it is the only one I’ve bothered to try out) but is grown a lot in the year since I’ve had it and the selection and diversity of programing just gets better and better.  It is definitely a service I would recommend to any horror fan.