The 5 Best Flicks of 2011

STOP! If you haven't read my picks for 10-6, you can find them here. Done? Ok, now you can proceed.

Man this was hard. These 5 movies are all incredible. The top 3 especially are separated by a hair. Anyway, these are my picks for the 5 most must see movies of 2011. Three of them are on DVD, and the other two will be coming shortly, so you have no excuse not to expose yourself to...HEY, not like that! Put it back on. I meant ...oh nevermind. Anyway, Nathan most definitely says check all 5 out. 2012, the bar has been set. Let's see what you've got.

5: Hobo With a Shotgun

2011 was the year of the neo-exploitation movie, and this was the most high profile release of the faux-grindhouse wave. While it’s going for the grindhouse style, it reminded me more of one of those great 80’s Troma movies, but with a much larger budget and less poop jokes. The film has a unique look, with its saturated colors and fluid camera work. It has a surprising amount of twists and turns for a fairly simple story about, well, a hobo with a shotgun. The violence is creative, featuring some of the most ingenious weapon selections in quite a while. It can be brutal at times. I mean, come on, they take a flamethrower to a schoolbus full of kids. That takes balls man. It’s also one of the most hilariously quotable films of the year, offering such gems as “First I’m gonna have to wash this guy’s asshole off of my face,” “When life gives you razor blades, you make a baseball bat covered in razor blades,” "You can tell Mother Teresa when she's finger banging you in hell,” and my vote for movie quote of the year “I’m going to wash this blood off…with your blood!” What really puts this movie in the upper echelon of 2011’s cinematic offerings, however, is an outstanding performance by the always great Rutger Hauer. He plays the hobo with such a believability and dead serious sincerity that you can’t help but buy into the scenario no matter how ludicrous it becomes. He delivers lines stone faced that lesser actors could never have pulled off without a “wink wink nudge nudge.” So far, this is by far the best Grindhouse spin off, and is likely to retain that title unless “Werewolf Women of the SS” eventually sees the light of day.

4: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

When we finished watching this flick, Joe (of EC3 fame) declared it the best horror comedy since Shaun of the Dead. I think it’s competing with Zombieland for that title, but I can’t really argue with him. Either way, that’s saying something. It’s definitely more comedy than horror, but the red stuff certainly flows freely. The strongest aspect of the flick is the acting. Not enough can be said about the chemistry between Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine). They really are the best comedy team to come along since, well, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. These two play off of each other so well that they really do seem like life long friends. The writing is whip smart without over thinking itself. Sure, once you know the central joke, you see a lot of the twists coming, but it doesn’t make them any less effective. For example, when you see the wood chipper, you know exactly what is going to happen. How someone comes to find themselves in the wood chipper is the funny part. The way it turns the conventions of the “backwoods horror/crazy redneck” genre upside down is genius. When it takes a turn towards straight horror near the end, it still manages to pull it off. It’s impressive that this is writer/director Eli Craig’s feature debut, as it shows a skill usually shown by much more seasoned filmmakers. All of you indie filmmakers out there producing this glut of “self referential” snark-horror and lame parodies, take notice. This is how horror comedy is done.

3: Dead Hooker in a Trunk

There are two types of movie fans in the world, those that hear a title like “Dead Hooker in a Trunk” and turn up their nose at that kind of filth, and those who hear that title and think, “Holy hell, I have to see that NOW!” If you’re reading this blog, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re in the latter category. Like Jabba said, you’re my kind of scum. Well folks, take it from me, here’s a flick that lives up to the promise of its title. I don’t just mean that there is an actual dead hooker in a trunk, but that it’s as irreverent, gritty, over the top, and entertaining as the name would suggest. The debut feature from Canadian filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska is often lumped in with the “faux grindhouse” wave, but it doesn’t attempt to recreate that era aesthetically. Instead, it successfully captures the independent spirit that has remained through all eras of exploitation flicks; the manic energy, DIY aesthetic, “up yours” to conventional standards of cinema, and the attitude that being as outrageous as possible is the name of the game. It’s as much Tarrentino as it is Corman. The unpredictable plot follows a great cast of characters (played by an equally great cast of actors) as they careen from one misadventure to another, all in an effort to give the dead hooker a proper burial. What makes me love this film the most isn’t the chainsaw dismemberment, drug dealers, cowboy pimp, serial killer, eyeball extraction, necrophilia, bestiality, power drill torture, tied up cops, or God driving a taxi. None of that stuff hurts of course. No, the best part is that the passion the cast and crew had for the film, their love for film in general, and the fun they had making it is evident on screen. I dare you NOT to have a blast watching this flick. It can’t be done. With Dead Hooker being released on DVD at the end of this month, and their next flick American Mary due later this year, 2012 looks like it just might be the year of the Soska sisters.

2: Dear God No!

As you can see by my top 10 here, the neo-retro-exploitation trend was a major contributing factor in genre cinema this year, and that trend produced some really good flicks. Hell, it produced some really crappy flicks too. It also produced one great flick, and that flick is Dear God No! So many films in this year tried so hard to feel authentic. Dear God No didn’t have to try. This flick IS authentic. Everything needed to prove that is present right in the first scene. After a “you scared me there for a second” moment, you realize that this actually looks like film. Well guess what, it is! The flick was shot on 16mm. You tech geeks can continue to besmirch your shorts over the newest hi def blu ray digital “upgrade”, but this old school movie geek will take actual film any day. THIS is how they used to make movies, and this is what a movie is supposed to look like dammit. Analog has a warmth and texture that can’t be reproduced digitally; no matter how hard you try or how much money you spend. Aside from the look, it has the authentic “anything goes” attitude found in the best exploitation classics. Need proof? Like I said, look no further than the first scene. There’s drug use, entrails, full frontal nudity, mutilation via motorcycle, a biker repeatedly kicking a dead raped nun in the crotch, and an exploding drive-in. In the first scene alone! If you’re not hooked, then I’m not sure you and I can be friends any more. You must be a Todd. From there Dear God No takes you on a bikers vs. bigfoot thrill ride you’ll never forget. The practical effects are great, the acting ranges from great to appropriately cheesy, the soundtrack is killer, and the story is as unpredictable as it is sleazy, violent, and enjoyable. More than once you’ll find your self thinking “They’re not really going to…holy shit they did!” I’ve always said that the one thing a movie has to be above all else is fun. Did I have more fun watching any other movie this year? Dear God No! When it becomes available, this future cult classic will be THE must own DVD of 2012.

1: I Saw the Devil

I want to state for the record that Magnet Releasing is hands down the horror MVP of the year. They were responsible for releasing 3 of my top 5, as well as Rubber, Black Death, Last Circus, and Troll Hunter. Thank you Magnet. You rule.

Anyway, I Saw the Devil was on a lot of top 10 lists last year. It made its DVD debut in the US this year, so it’s on a lot of top 10 lists again in 2011. It’s well deserved too, because this flick is amazing. I originally hesitated to put it on my list because it’s technically a crime thriller, but deep down in its black heart it’s a stalk and slash flick. A serial killer rapes and kills a cops girlfriend and the cop goes after revenge. We’ve seen that a million times, right? Well, this time, the cop plays a cat and mouse game of “catch, assault, release, repeat” with the killer that will keep you on the edge of your seat for every minute of this movie’s 144 minute running time. It’s a showdown between two men who will stop at nothing to get what they want, the agony and destruction of the other. The movie is perfectly paced, and continues ratcheting up the intensity until the almost unbearably tense final act. It knows when to punctuate the goings on with black humor however. Try not to laugh out loud when the police inspector says, in true TV detective form “Come on son, you’ve got to tell us who broke your balls.” (My runner up for movie quote of the year.) It is expertly shot, with the peak if its cinematic artistry coming during the much hyped “taxi cab scene.” This movie is worth seeing just to behold the blood soaked beauty of this murder sequence. The greenhouse fight is bad ass as well. The two leads deserve a lot of credit for the brilliance of this film, as it just wouldn’t have been as gripping without their virtuoso performances. Byung-hun Lee as the cop plays the character as cold and calculating, but with a flood of grief and rage threatening to break through any minute. That’s a difficult dichotomy to pull off without over or underplaying it, but he’s pitch perfect. As the serial killer, Min-si…you know what, it really doesn’t matter what the actor’s actual name is. He’s Oldboy to me. Oldboy plays the serial killer! MOTHERF’N OLDBOY! Sorry, I love that flick. Anyway, in I Saw the Devil, he’s downright scary. The evil in his eyes and the icy menace in his voice bring to mind a hint of Hannibal Lector. They make perfect counterpoints for each other. One is good, one is evil, but both are sadistic, brutal, and uncompromising. Speaking of brutal, the effects are practical and well done enough to be absolutely wince inducing at times. I’ve seen much made in other reviews of the “questioning which character you’re sympathetic to” aspect of the story, but I didn’t get that at all. I just saw a good old-fashioned revenge story with a new twist that featured great acting, direction, cinematography, writing, and effects. Korea continues to establish itself as the current horror capital of Asia. Best flick of 2011.

Review: Dead Hooker in a Trunk

Ok, before I review this movie, which is damn good by the way, I have to rant for a minute first. It’s a tried and true rule in horror cinema, and cinema in general, that if someone stumbles upon a profitable idea, it will be taken, copied endlessly, ridden hard and hung up wet, done to death, and run into the ground. Currently, mainstream, big budget studio horror is riding the tail end (hopefully) of the remake and 3D waves. In indy horror, neo-grindhouse and exploitation flicks are currently all the rage. At least two thirds of the trailers I’ve seen for low budget, independent “genre” films in the last year have featured either fake film aging or an old school “coming attractions” screen. Tarantino and Rodriguez’s Grindhouse may have been a box office disappointment, but it sure was influential. Actually, maybe a better word would be imitated. Fake age drives me nuts. I think it’s ridiculous to buy brand new t-shirts made to look like you’ve been wearing them for 20 years. You have to earn that vintage look. I feel the same way about the fake film aging. It’s just dumb. It was fine in Grindhouse, because it was unique. That hadn’t been done before. Now everyone and their mothers are making crappy slasher or “exploitation” flicks, artificially aging the digital footage, and calling it a “throwback.” It can occasionally work as a nod to the genre's heritage, but a little goes a long way folks! Lines, grain, lost reel gags, and that sort of gimmickry is not what draws us to these films. The best neo-grindhouse movie since, well, Grindhouse was Hobo with a Shotgun, and it had none of that. What makes this subgenre special is its spirit. The ideal that nothing is off limits, anyone with an idea can make a movie, and being as outrageous and potentially offensive as possible is the name of the game. It’s the manic energy, DIY aesthetic, and “up yours” to conventional standards of cinema that made these movies special in the 70’s and 80’s, and it’s what makes the good flicks of this new wave exciting. Which brings me to the flick at hand; Dead Hooker in a Trunk. Dead Hooker in a Trunk doesn’t employ the fake aging, but it is more spiritually akin to the exploitation movies it is inspired by than most I’ve seen.

Badass and Junkie, two friends, wake up after a wild night. Geek, Badasses sister, asks for a ride to pick up her friend Goody Two Shoes from his church youth group. It just so happens that they were on their way to score some drugs anyway, so they agree. When the four meet up, they make a discovery. I’ll give you one guess what it is. That’s right, there’s a dead hooker in the trunk of their car! You sure are smart. Anyway, what the hell are you supposed to do with a dead hooker in your trunk and no idea how she got there? Apparently you spend the rest of the flick careening through a madcap series of misadventures that seem like a “Pulp Fiction-esque” fever dream. All I’ll say is that it involves chainsaw dismemberment, drug dealers, a cowboy pimp, a serial killer, eyeball extraction, necrophilia, bestiality, power drill torture, tied up cops, and God driving a taxi.

Dead Hooker in a Trunk is the brainchild of Jen & Sylvia Soska, identical twins who, in addition to playing Geek and Badass respectively, wrote and directed the flick. The passion they have for films like this and the fun everyone was having making it is evident. It definitely epitomized the DIY school of filmmaking. They have been tight lipped about what the actual budget was, but in an interview on the Altered Realities podcast they said that you couldn’t buy a used car for what they spent on the flick. For a film this low budget, it looks great. The action scenes and gore are amazingly well done, and it has a definite visual flair. Everyone puts in a good performance. The four central performers in particular have a great onscreen chemistry and, in a rarity for movies these days, actual character arcs. The story is very creative and unpredictable. It moves along at a breakneck pace that keeps you constantly anticipating just what kind of outrageousness and weirdness they are going to throw your way next. The final line of the film is both a perfect coda to the ride you’ve just been on and a laugh out loud inside joke for lovers of this type of flick. In other words, this movie is just a whole hell of a lot of fun.

One other thing that deserves particular mention is that title. How could you not want to see a movie called Dead Hooker in a Trunk? That was a brilliant move on the part of the Soska sisters. It’s memorable, intriguing, attention grabbing, and makes it stand out from the glut of direct to DVD indie horror product. Plus, I’m a big fan of the whole “naming your movie after what’s in it” trend. Dead Hooker in a Trunk, Hobo With a Shotgun, Ticked-off Trannies With Knives; you know exactly what you’re in for with those. I wish more mainstream flicks would follow suit. I would love to walk up to the box office window this fall and say “One adult ticket for ‘Fish, Blood, and Tits’ please” instead of Pirhana 3DD. I would also love to see a marquee advertising “Sparkly Pretty Boy Vampires” or “M. Night Shamalan Presents: Obvious Yet Nonsensical Plot Twist.”

Anyone who regularly reads the blog and has seen the movie already knows what my one quibble with it is; the almost non stop jumping, shaking, bobbing camera. In this case, however, I’m going to be a little more forgiving than usual. That’s because in this flick it actually seems more like a stylistic choice than a crutch. The Soskas do actually have a grasp of the concept of shot composition. In a lot of those shaky shots it seemed like the camera was moving within a larger frame that had been carefully constructed. While it’s not a stylistic choice I like, I can dig what they were trying to do to an extent. Despite the wildly unsteady shooting, the violence and action is still fully visible for ample time and allowed to play out naturally, so it doesn’t feel so much like a cheat. The action sequences were also well choreographed, something you rarely see in conjunction with third person shaky cam. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not letting them off the hook for using a filming method that’s become trite and ridiculously overused, but with DHIAT is seems like they wanted to use it because for some odd reason they dig it, rather than used it because they needed it to cover up deficiencies.

Dead Hooker in a Trunk is the kind of flick that deserves and somewhat requires repeated viewings. You almost have to experience it again to catch everything it sends flying at you. I personally had a blast watching it. Sure, the story doesn’t make strictly logical sense, but it isn’t supposed to. That’s part of the fun. The sound is a little rough in spots, but come on, you have to forgive that kind of nitpick when people deliver a movie this good for the pittance they had to work with. It’s far more enjoyable than movies I’ve seen lately with 1000 times the budget. The problem with horror right now is that every movie either takes itself way more seriously than it needs to or is just regurgitating a tired formula. This flick does neither. Not only do I recommend this flick highly, but I welcome the Soska sisters as exciting new artists on the horror scene. I will be greatly looking forward to American Mary, their next project, and everything after. One and a half severed thumbs up just because, despite what I said, I can’t in good conscience give a perfect score to a flick with that much shaky cam. Sorry ladies. Nathan vehemently says check it out!