Funny Games (2007)

I am planning to do a different route and review top 25 lists in the future but time ran out so I am reviewing the movie I watched this week.

I watched Funny Games a few years ago but I think I was distracted and didn't approach it with a critical eye. It may be a good thing that I didn't at the time.

IMDB states for the description of Funny Games: "Two psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin."

Now I want to start with a disclaimer that I love home intrusion movies. The thought of your safety being ruined by anything is terrifying. Home should be your safe place and there should be nothing unwanted that invades that space. That is why movies like The Strangers, Inside, You're Next, or Panic room work so well.

Funny Games starts off with an upper class family, played her by Naomi Watts, Time Roth and Devon Clearhart, drive to a lake property. Almost immediately they get a visit from a young man Peter (Brady Corbet in a great performance) that is introduced as a friend of a neighbor. From the moment he enters the home of our family we know that things are not all right. He is joined by his co nemesis Paul (played by the always creepy Michael Pitt).

The moment they are in the families home our villains set off a horrible 12 hours for our characters.

I am dedicated to making sure my reviews are spoiler free. With that I will say that there is a lot of nothing happening in my opinion. There is the start of what could be some horrible situations but they seem to not come to fruition.

There is also a lot of breaking the 4th wall in this movie. The hardest thing I had with this movie though is the characters. All of our family members are in a crisis and yet they seem to not know or care. The moments that really tore me apart seemed to have little to no significance to the characters. They go through slow movements and I feel were supposed to create a tension that the audience was supposed to buy. Unfortunately, I didn't buy and I wanted a refund.

This is a shot-for-shot remake, even the sets were reused, of the directors 1997 version of the same film. The director wanted to show audiences his "moralistic comment about the influence of media violence on society". The ending included one of the most worse twists. I know there was a moral message I was supposed to feel. The problem was none of the characters were feeling it either so I could not connect with them.

Streaming:
This is streaming currently on HBO. It is also available for rent for 2.99 on all other services.

Rating:
2 out of 5 skulls. Reason:concept and Michael Pitt

The Descent (2005)

I love to be scared. At the primal part of me it is something that I demand that makes me escape and tap into my core fears.

The Descent gives into so many of my primal fears. The movies starts off with a family tragedy that brings with it your first jump scare of the film. The wreckage of that tragedy leaves our protagonist, Sarah, (played skillfully by Shauna Macdonald) almost shell shocked.

We fast forward to a year later and the Sarah and her BFF (or so we think) Juno have decided to go spelunking in the Appalachian Mountains as a bonding experience. This leads to a series of events that include tight quarters, tensions, secrets among the women, and unexpected surprises.

This movies is enjoyed best with the lights off and you can easily get sucked into the action. Each close call, fall, intense moment draws you further into this slow burn that changes in the third act which goes from 0-10 in no time at all.

By the end of the film you are not sure whether to move to turn on the lights or just sit alone in the dark.

Director Neil Marshal wanted an all female cast, citing that horror movies never have an all female cast. I think that choice is what makes this horror flick stand out. Each character is strong and balanced and you enjoy getting to know each person. The interesting part of this is that we do not learn a lot of in depth details about most of the characters but we learn enough to know what makes them tick. He also took the chance to make all the scares as authentic as possible.

I am a fan of closed quarter horror movies. The concept that you are stuck without any way out is one of the most terrifying things I could imagine.

I have watched this several times and would recommend to any fan of horror or thrillers. I would also suggest watching with the lights off. Watching with the lights on is not horrible but I did not feel the same amount of intensity. The Unrated DVD does have an alternative ending that was played originally in other country but I whirl recommend skipping it. The original ending does tie into the sequel.

Currently "The Descent" is streaming on Showtime. You can also rent it on amazon for 2.99. Though this is one if you are able to buy at good price I would buy.

My Rating: I would give this one 5 skulls out of a possible 5.

Here is the trailer

Hope you enjoy this see ya next week and we will see how this goes, Thank you for adding me to your journey.