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The Fly (1986), a review by Jon

The Fly
4 out of 5



David Cronenberg re-imagines the classic film with Jeff Goldblum as the eccentric scientist who has an accident during one of his teleport experiments and finds himself merged with a fly. Geena Davis is the girlfriend journalist who sticks by him... well, until bits start dropping off anyway.

The original film was a typical b-movie horror with a great mad scientist plot. David Cronenberg's update keeps the broad comic book story, but delves deeper into the disgustingly weird and nasty business of Seth Brundle becoming Brundle-Fly. His work is often about mutations, in everything from The Brood to Exitenz and he's just as fascinated by the mind as well. This is probably his most accessible film, except for A History of Violence, but while brilliant and my personal favourite, it's hardly his usual style. No, the gradual transformation of both body and mind into vomit-inducing mush is far more his line!

Strangely, the first part of the story is rather flat. Goldblum is excellent and Davis does nothing wrong, but somehow it doesn't click for me. All stories like this have a long-ish build-up, but this is written too well! There's little of the hokey dialogue you'd get in the old days, but the plot still has clear checkpoints (social misfit; doesn't like travel; etc) and daft convenience (the computer is hilariously naive!) that can write off years of development overnight. It can jar against an otherwise powerful script that is almost from another film. In an odd way, I was reminded of Silence of the Lambs, not least because of Howard Shores wonderful score, but an investigative girl being dragged into an enigmatic madman's world isn't far off the mark either. John Getz's hissable villain may surprise before the end and his character rounds out a very original version of what could have been all too predictable.

Cronenberg really finds his stride once Brundle makes the drunken decision to put himself through the teleporter. From here it's Goldblum's show and his mental and especially physical breakdown makes for fascinating viewing. As with The Thing, the special effects are gruesomely real, but now with the added horror that someone has really thought this through. So you may feel a little queasy when he scratches his ear or mutters about his museum of relics! The Elephant Man was never like this...

Often a film like this lives and dies by the ending, but the pace isn't lost for a moment and the finale is gloriously mad. Part of me prefers the ending of the original ("Help me!"), but this is still brilliant, horrifying fun, with just a hint of poignancy.

(From Jon's Marathon of Horror! 2009 on October 12th, 2009)

Suzie Heartless, a review by Jimmy

Title : Suzie Heartless (2008)

Overview
SUZIE HEARTLESS tells the dark and harrowing story of the last days in the life of a terrified teenage prostitute. Brutalized, raped and fending off the pains of starvation, Suzie finds her only solace in the quiet home she has created in the derelict basement of a textile warehouse. Haunted by a mysterious young girl, Suzie searches the streets of Los Angeles for her missing family in hopes that she'll be able to recapture the beauty of her lost childhood before succumbing to the misery and violence of reality...and dying like a rat in the gutter.

My Impression
Certainly not the feelgood movie of the year, of course being a Tony Marsiglia's film it was expected but it sure make Chantal (his precedent movie) looks like a no hold bared comedy. I'm sure I have already said it in some of my precedent reviews but for me Marsiglia is the most underated and talented director actually. His productions always deal with very sad situation and most of the time the central woman character is mentally unstable (Lust for Dracula, Sinful) or completly at the end of her rope (this one and ChantalKids. She make you feel that she is the character and not an actress doing a character, all this without having to say a single line (good thing since this movie is completely without dialogue, you read me right this film is silent). Andrea Davis even if her role is small gives her best career performance in this film, proving finally that she is at the same level than Erin Brown and Julian Wells (BTW Liana Davis who play the little girl is her daughter and she is as beautifull as her mother).

Of all the film I've reviewed on this website this is probably the only one I think that could been in the Matthias taste palette. Is it an enjoyable movie? No. Is it an accessible movie? No. Is it a good film? Yes and I'll go farther by qualifying it as a masterpiece a proof that you don't need 100 millions dollars to make the best film of the decade.  

A perfect 10 and the first one I've give for a movie made after 1980.

Rating :

Edit : Now you can buy the movie directly from the director on Ebay. Don't forget that when you buy directly from him you will help the financing of future projects.

(From December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD on December 10th, 2009)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

2.18 Flashback (1996-09-19)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), Peter Mohan (Writer), Michael Teversham (Writer)
Director: Gilbert Shilton
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), David Marciano (Detective Ray Vecchio), Beau Starr (Lt. Harding Welsh), Tony Craig (Detective Jack Huey), Catherine Bruhier (Elaine), Daniel Kash (Detective Louis Gardino), Ramona Milano (Francesca Vecchio), Camilla Scott (Inspector Margaret Thatcher), Sandra Nelson (Sheila), Tony Rosato (Clifford), Kristin Lehman (Rhonda), Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.), Eleanor Davies (Karen), Karen Glave (Darlene), Ho Chow (The Doctor)

Considering that this is a clip show episode, where half of the episode consists of footage of other episodes, it was quite enjoyful. The selected clips were good. But it is sad, that the series finale (originally the series was cancelled after season 2, but was resurrected a year later) is a clip show.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on September 2nd, 2009)