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Undocumented (2010) Review

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undocumented reviewSynopsis: A documentary crew accompany a group of illegal immigrants crossing the Border, but their plans run afoul when they are captured by a gang of sadistic radicals in New Mexico

My Quick Review: What starts as a classic documentary about illegal migrants turns out to be an interesting twist in the crowded found footage genre. Or so I thought.

I usually publish a review right after watching a movie, at most within the next 24h. This time it took me more than 2 days to write this review. I somehow could not find anything to say about Undocumented (in bad nor in good). And the longer i have been waiting, the more difficult it is to remember anything noteworthy about the movie.

I could talk about the fact that it mixes actual documentary-style POV shots with more traditional shots, very well. I could also mention that Peter Stormare does a great job as the main villain, without ever showing his face. But I could also complain about the lack of gore and the fact that most kills/torture stuff happen off-screen.

Finally I could discuss the main theme of the movie (illegal immigration vs self righteous nationalism) and how the filmmakers tried to depict a very black and white world when this whole situation right now in the US is more of a grey area with both sides having their own rights.

But at the end of the day, Undocumented is easily forgotten despite its touchy subject and is failing as a shocking torture porn flick.

My Rating: 5/10

Director: 

Origin: US

Click Here to Watch Undocumented Online Now!

Severed Footage (2012) Review

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Severed Footage ReviewSynopsis: Twelve severed feet in running shoes found on the shores of Western Canada have baffled the Police. A videotape is leaked anonymously from the authorities. This paranormal thriller may solve the mystery of the severed feet.

My Quick Review: If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while now, you already know that I’m a fan of Found Footage movies. So I was looking forward to watching  Severed Footage, a canadian horror movie based on actual events.

With that being said, while I’m much more patient with the format than most of my fellow horror critics, I have to admit that it takes way too long for anything to happen on-screen and I’m afraid by then, most people would have already turned their TV off.

I did not, thanks to likable characters (Mathieu Lessard is a hoot) and an acceptable and believable use of the camera throughout the movie (this is supposed to be a student documentary and it works this way). But still, more than 2/3 of the movie is just a few college students having fun and trying to get more information and footage for their school project. And if the characters are likable and believable, some of the acting is too amateurish not to notice (it becomes a real problem when the tension rises and the victims are clearly acting, especially the 2 girls).

In terms of scares, Severed Footage does deliver in the last 20mn or so. There is nothing you haven’t seen in other similar movies (Blair Witch being the most obvious here) but a couple of jump scares are efficient. The fact that all the background information and location are true add to the eeriness of the story as well.

As far as Indie horror movies go, and despite a very limited budget and no real professionals behind or in front of the camera, Severed Footage does its job. It is nevertheless a movie that only fans of the found footage/mockumentary genre might appreciate. If you’re not into this type of movie, Severed Footage will definitively not change your mind.

My Rating: 4.5/10

Director: 

Origin: Canada

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Devil’s Pass (2013) Review

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Devil s Pass ReviewOriginal Title: The Dyatlov Pass Incident

Synopsis: Five young filmmakers retrace the steps of a doomed group of hikers in pursuit of an unsolvable mystery.

My Quick Review: What a surprise to see Renny Harlin, a director who made such action movies as Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight at the helm of a Found Footage Movie.

With that being said, Renny Harlin started his career directing horror movies such as Prison and Nightmare On Elm Street 4. Devil’s Pass is also not his first foray into movies involving a mountain settings, he directed Cliffhanger after all.

Devil’s pass is similar in its settings to TrollHunter with its team of young moviemakers trying to do a documentary about some mysterious happenings in a remote place.

And while the movie is a bit too long in its exposition, once things start to go wrong, I was gripped and enjoyed the ride till the end.

Sure, I was shaking my head a few times at the decisions of our group of filmmakers. Biggest of them all is: Why would you go to a remote mountain trail with no local guide and no real experience in mountain climbing?  And of course, why keep filming when something or someone is chasing after you (but you could say that about ALL found footage movies).

I did enjoy the mystery surrounding the real disappearance of the original crew and what the current group of students uncover is actually more frightening and original than all original theories.

Devil’s pass is a mix between a good X-Files episode  and an above average Found footage film, with higher production values. Renny Harlin proves he still knows how to shoot action scenes and keeps the momentum going in the last act of the movie.

If you like the genre, don’t miss out on Devil’s pass it’s one of the better found footage film in recent memory.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: 

Origin: US/Russia

Click Here to Watch Devil’s Pass Online Now!

 

The Conspiracy (2012) Review

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the conspiracy reviewSynopsis (from IMDb): A documentary about conspiracy theories takes a horrific turn after the filmmakers uncover an ancient and dangerous secret society.

My Quick Review: Finally a found footage movie that makes a smart  use of its format.

Too often using handheld cameras and shooting everything like a retarded kid who has a seizure is enough to get a movie green lighted with a “based on a real story” stamp of approval.

The Conspiracy starts out as a documentary and what we see on the screen is actual footage of the documentary (interviews, news broadcasts, hidden camera footage…). At no point in the movie have I been asking myself why they were using a camera or shooting anything with it.

For me the found footage style works the best when its use is actually justified: security cameras, documentary/tv crew or through a smart use of the medium (like some of the stories in V/H/S 2). This is what makes The Conspiracy efficient: it just looks real enough.

I did enjoy the documentary part of the movie, based on the conspiracy theorists and how some people in governments around the world are controlling every major world’s events. 9/11 surely has  given us much to discuss and to be paranoid about. Recent news events have also reminded us that Big Brother is definitively among us, now more than ever.

In that aspect, the first hour of The Conspiracy could work well as a standalone documentary, one I’d love to watch. And when our 2 filmmakers infiltrate a secret society wearing hidden micro-cams, things start to turn creepy fast.

The conspiracy is  not the scariest or the most impressive Found footage movie out there, but it’s most certainly one of the better one. It’s well made, well acted and has a strong plot that should give you some hope for the found footage genre.

My Rating: 6/10

Director: 

Origin: Canada

Click Here to Watch The Conspiracy Online Now!

Frankenstein’s Army (2013) Review

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frankensteins-army-reviewSynopsis (from IMDb): Toward the end of World War II, Russian soldiers pushing into eastern Germany stumble across a secret Nazi lab. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein’s work to assemble an army of super-soldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades.

My Quick Review: I’ve got mixed feelings about Frankenstein’s Army. On one hand it did entertain me and I just loved the whole universe they created, especially the monsters looks and overall design, really brilliant stuff. On the other hand I’m on the fence regarding the use of POV style shooting, barely justified in the film.

The strongest elements of Frankenstein’s Army are the undead super-soldiers. I just loved each and every one of them and wished we could have seen more of them actually. Found footage style can increase the tension and some of the shocks (and it certainly does a few times in the movie) but it also does render the whole happenings quite chaotic. We never have the time to really get a good look at each menacing soldier and while it can work in a 1-monster movie such as Cloverfield it’s a bit of a waste in Frankenstein’s Army.

What the POV style brought to the table though, is a bit of a video game flair. At times I felt like I was watching somebody playing Bioshock or Wolfenstein and it surely added to my overall enjoyment. But this came at the price of losing focus and creep factor.

So, would Frankenstein’s Army have been better if it had been shot the traditional way? Probably. But as it is, Frankenstein’s army is a real indie gem that deserves to be watched. And who knows, if it makes enough money we might get a follow-up with even more inventive undead soldiers!

My Rating: 6.5/10

Director: 

Origin: Netherlands/US

Click Here to Watch Frankenstein’s Army Online Now!