Take 4: Murder, Anyone?
The Murder Game (2006) 
The Basics: A horror film, starring nobody you’ve ever heard of…trust me; Not having been released to the big screen, it’s also unrated
In the Beginning…: A group of friends love to play a little game called “Murder,” in which one of them is randomly picked to be a killer and must dispose of the rest of the group using a collection of fake weaponry. They decide to try their game, after hours, in a self-storage locker facility…just to add a bit of thrill to the game.
The Plot Thickens: Someone starts to take the game a bit too seriously. Gee, there’s a surprise.
Curt’s Take: Run in Fear – I’m not going to spend too much time on this one. This gem mixes the production value of a college film with grade school-level writing. I’ll admit, the concept is one that I like…the old “guess who the killer is” game, while suspects get narrowed down, one-by-one. But when I can consciously count how many times I roll my eyes during the movie (14, if you must know), it’s pretty bad. This one is only worth watching if you plan on mocking it the entire time.
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Murder Party (2007)
The Basics: A comedic/horror independent film, also starring nobody you’ve likely heard of; Once again, this is unrated…do you sense a theme?
In the Beginning…: A mild-mannered office worker, Chris, stumbles upon a random invitation to a “Murder Party” on Halloween…and decides to throw caution to the wind and attend.
The Plot Thickens: Upon his arrival, Chris finds himself in the clutches of a group of rogue artists, intent on murdering him as part of their artistic “statement.”
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Murder; Hipster; New York; Pretension
And I Quote: Chris: “I…dumped myself.”
Curt’s Take: Must See – Upon seeing the preview for this, I knew I had to take a chance and see it. It’s not often that a horror/comedy is also an award-winner (“Best Feature Film” at the Vail Film Festival). It was the right mix of quirkiness and dark comedy for my tastes, and has a “hero” that is impossible to not root for. My style of humor doesn’t always link up with those of my friends, though, and there are a couple slow points in the film, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt…but if you’re looking for something different and don’t mind a bit of blood , definitely check this out.
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Memories of Murder (2003)
The Basics: A South Korean crime/thriller that won 11 awards, including the Grand Bell Award from South Korea and the Silver Seashell Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival; Once again…no stars you’ve likely heard of (unless you’re a fan of South Korean cinema)
In the Beginning…: A woman is found brutally raped and murdered in rural South Korea. Because it’s 1986, however, investigate techniques aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and the two police detectives on the case face many false starts as they begin to investigate the case.
The Plot Thickens: When another body is found, the detectives realize they are facing the region’s first serial killer…and have no clue what to do. A cop from the city is brought in to assist on the case, and the trio of detectives find themselves in a battle of wits with a twisted murderer.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Rumor; Murder Investigation; Corrupt Cop; Murder Suspect; Red Dress
And I Quote: Suspect: “But…is wanking a crime?”
Curt’s Take: Worth Considering – One of the podcasts that I regularly listen to is Scene Unseen Movie Reviews. Several weeks ago, during a “Murder”-themed movie review podcast, one of the reviewers recommended checking this DVD out. At the time, I was looking for a movie with “Murder” in the title to round out this review, so decided I’d give it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed. The dubbing was a little bit cheesy, but the story was engaging enough…with equal parts thrill, mystery, drama and humor…that you easily overlook it. I’d recommend giving this one a shot.
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Toolbox Murders (2003)
The Basics: A horror/mystery, starring…yet again…nobody you’ve ever heard of. Four for four. Nice. Rated R for strong violence and gore, language, some sexuality and brief drug use.
In the Beginning…: A young teacher, Nell, and her husband (a doctor) move to Hollywood, where he plans to complete his residency. They rent an apartment in the once glamorous Lusman Arms, which is currently undergoing major renovations.
The Plot Thickens: Once the couple moves in, they notice strange, construction-like sounds echoing throughout the building…after hours, when the construction workers have gone home. Add to that the mysterious disappearance of neighbor after neighbor, and Nell decides to dig into the history of the building in order to figure out what exactly is going on.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Actor; Voyeur; Webcam; Circular Saw; Moving In
And I Quote: Chas: “It's not about what can get in…it's about what's already here.”
Curt’s Take: Don’t Bother – Basically, a pointless slasher movie. You get the feeling that the crew just decided to film a supernatural thriller in a hotel, and came up with the script as an afterthought. To be fair, there are some okay moments in the script…but those moments tended to be given to half-assed actors. Likewise, the people who could act their way out of a bag ended up getting the crap writing. With better coordination, the movie might have been watchable. As it stands, the movie was meant to shock with its horror effects…and in that it is successful…some pretty gruesome stuff, but a movie can’t stand on blood and guts alone.
The Basics: A horror film, starring nobody you’ve ever heard of…trust me; Not having been released to the big screen, it’s also unrated
In the Beginning…: A group of friends love to play a little game called “Murder,” in which one of them is randomly picked to be a killer and must dispose of the rest of the group using a collection of fake weaponry. They decide to try their game, after hours, in a self-storage locker facility…just to add a bit of thrill to the game.
The Plot Thickens: Someone starts to take the game a bit too seriously. Gee, there’s a surprise.Curt’s Take: Run in Fear – I’m not going to spend too much time on this one. This gem mixes the production value of a college film with grade school-level writing. I’ll admit, the concept is one that I like…the old “guess who the killer is” game, while suspects get narrowed down, one-by-one. But when I can consciously count how many times I roll my eyes during the movie (14, if you must know), it’s pretty bad. This one is only worth watching if you plan on mocking it the entire time.
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Murder Party (2007)
The Basics: A comedic/horror independent film, also starring nobody you’ve likely heard of; Once again, this is unrated…do you sense a theme?
In the Beginning…: A mild-mannered office worker, Chris, stumbles upon a random invitation to a “Murder Party” on Halloween…and decides to throw caution to the wind and attend.
The Plot Thickens: Upon his arrival, Chris finds himself in the clutches of a group of rogue artists, intent on murdering him as part of their artistic “statement.”
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Murder; Hipster; New York; PretensionAnd I Quote: Chris: “I…dumped myself.”
Curt’s Take: Must See – Upon seeing the preview for this, I knew I had to take a chance and see it. It’s not often that a horror/comedy is also an award-winner (“Best Feature Film” at the Vail Film Festival). It was the right mix of quirkiness and dark comedy for my tastes, and has a “hero” that is impossible to not root for. My style of humor doesn’t always link up with those of my friends, though, and there are a couple slow points in the film, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt…but if you’re looking for something different and don’t mind a bit of blood , definitely check this out.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Memories of Murder (2003)
The Basics: A South Korean crime/thriller that won 11 awards, including the Grand Bell Award from South Korea and the Silver Seashell Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival; Once again…no stars you’ve likely heard of (unless you’re a fan of South Korean cinema)
In the Beginning…: A woman is found brutally raped and murdered in rural South Korea. Because it’s 1986, however, investigate techniques aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and the two police detectives on the case face many false starts as they begin to investigate the case.
The Plot Thickens: When another body is found, the detectives realize they are facing the region’s first serial killer…and have no clue what to do. A cop from the city is brought in to assist on the case, and the trio of detectives find themselves in a battle of wits with a twisted murderer.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Rumor; Murder Investigation; Corrupt Cop; Murder Suspect; Red DressAnd I Quote: Suspect: “But…is wanking a crime?”
Curt’s Take: Worth Considering – One of the podcasts that I regularly listen to is Scene Unseen Movie Reviews. Several weeks ago, during a “Murder”-themed movie review podcast, one of the reviewers recommended checking this DVD out. At the time, I was looking for a movie with “Murder” in the title to round out this review, so decided I’d give it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed. The dubbing was a little bit cheesy, but the story was engaging enough…with equal parts thrill, mystery, drama and humor…that you easily overlook it. I’d recommend giving this one a shot.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Toolbox Murders (2003)
The Basics: A horror/mystery, starring…yet again…nobody you’ve ever heard of. Four for four. Nice. Rated R for strong violence and gore, language, some sexuality and brief drug use.
In the Beginning…: A young teacher, Nell, and her husband (a doctor) move to Hollywood, where he plans to complete his residency. They rent an apartment in the once glamorous Lusman Arms, which is currently undergoing major renovations.
The Plot Thickens: Once the couple moves in, they notice strange, construction-like sounds echoing throughout the building…after hours, when the construction workers have gone home. Add to that the mysterious disappearance of neighbor after neighbor, and Nell decides to dig into the history of the building in order to figure out what exactly is going on.
Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Actor; Voyeur; Webcam; Circular Saw; Moving InAnd I Quote: Chas: “It's not about what can get in…it's about what's already here.”
Curt’s Take: Don’t Bother – Basically, a pointless slasher movie. You get the feeling that the crew just decided to film a supernatural thriller in a hotel, and came up with the script as an afterthought. To be fair, there are some okay moments in the script…but those moments tended to be given to half-assed actors. Likewise, the people who could act their way out of a bag ended up getting the crap writing. With better coordination, the movie might have been watchable. As it stands, the movie was meant to shock with its horror effects…and in that it is successful…some pretty gruesome stuff, but a movie can’t stand on blood and guts alone.
posted by Curt at 10:02 PM
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