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“We Are The Flesh” is a Fantastical Mess of a Horror Film

Published

7 years ago

January 1, 2017

Written by Shannon McGrew

There is nothing more uncomfortable than watching a film and absolutely disliking 98% of what you’ve just viewed. As a film critic, I try to find the silver lining in all films, something that will make me want to come back again, but there are those rare instances where there is absolutely nothing. That is the case for the Mexican horror/fantasy film “We Are The Flesh” from director Emiliano Rocha Minter. The film proved to be a festival favorite, inciting controversy and strong reactions from those who had the chance to view it. I’m a fan of controversial films, and by no means would I consider myself a prude, but creating a film that is clearly all about the shock with little substance or merit is not something I enjoy watching.

“We Are The Flesh” is a post-apocalyptic horror film centered around siblings who find an abandoned building run by a mysterious man, who offers them shelter and food in exchange for them acting out his depraved fantasies. The film stars Noe Hernandez, Maria Evoli and Diego Gamaliel and includes subject matter such as incest, rape, necrophilia and explicit violence along with fetishism that touches upon urine and menstruation. It’s a non-stop ride on the crazy train with no end in site. The film has a runtime of 79 minutes, yet it felt like a 3 hour movie that assaulted you at every turn. It’s one of those films that wants to be important, artistic, maybe even moving, but in the end, it’s just a heaping pile of crude and vile subject matter that doesn’t make sense with anything that is going on in the story.

Now that you know my true feelings on the subject, let’s get into the acting. To be quite honest, the acting isn’t that bad. There is some talent here and it’s one of the few things that made watching this film bearable. I would love to see these actors in different roles that allow them to explore their acting chops more. It definitely takes a level of risk to make a film such as this, so I commend them for going all out, I would just have liked to have seen more of their talent and less close-ups of their genitalia. The other aspect of this film that I did actually like was the color palette used. The film started off with more muted colors, in gray and brown tones, and slowly transformed into bright neon colors, which I can only imagine were symbolic to the “passion” that was unfolding. I did appreciate the color choices and it made aspects of the film more tolerable to watch.

In terms of scares, there weren’t any. Again, this film was about shock value and not scares. It wanted to make you as uncomfortable as humanly possible without anything to back it up. I’ve watched films such as “A Serbian Film” and “Martyrs” and understood, to a degree, where the director was coming from. I was uncomfortable and disturbed with those films but not absolutely disgusted like I was with “We Are The Flesh.” In terms of violence and gore, there was a plenty, so if you are a gore hound, you will probably be satisfied. The gore wasn’t a big deal for me, as it was just like anything else you would find in a horror film, had they had some interesting kills or tried to do something unique then I may have been more on board, but it was the same tripe scenarios you would see in any other horror film. In regards to sex, that was what this film was all about. As I mentioned above, they delved into incest with a fine toothed comb and it’s uncomfortable to watch. I really feel like one of the goals of this film was to see how far they could push the envelope with the constant images of genitalia and fetishism. There is nothing wrong with nudity, it’s something I feel like should be embraced more in our culture, but repeatedly showing rape or incest is definitely something I have a problem with. If you have no merit or reason to add it to your film, then why do it?

Overall, this is one of those films that I can’t recommend to people. I’m sure after reading this review a lot of you will add this to your queue of movies to watch due to its controversial nature; however, I implore you to seek out something different with more substance. This isn’t a film that is breaking stereotypes or creating a message, it’s just trying to shock you because there is nothing else for this film to stand on. Do yourself a favor and skip over this one, there are way too many other quality films out there.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

Published

2 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

21 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

23 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.