I Am God (2009)

I Am God (2009)
aka: Naan Kadavul
Director: Bala
Cast: Arya, Rajendran, Pooja Umashankar
Indian drama.

A man and his daughter ask a holy mystic to help them track down the son who's been away on a spiritual journey for 14 years. Only on finding their son it turns out he has risen to the state of a Aghori God (must mean a god on earth). Gods aren't aloud to have bonds with humans so he is ordered to travel back to his home village, to end his ties with his family, before he can return to his spiritual life. Only he ends up staying in the village, helping a blind beggar stand up against a sadistic people trader and his gang.

Bollywood is one of the few world movie markets I've never fully embraced, for no other reason than, no matter what genre the film, they always contained impromptu song and dance moments, and musicals aren't me. On the surface 'I Am God' is no exception only its more in keeping with a tradition samurai movie or spaghetti western. Visually its fantastic, the music/sound is rich and the story is amazingly puzzling. Did I enjoy it, hell yeah. Did I have a clue what was going on, for most part hell no. The moral ground it takes was also beyond me, take the son, evens though he is meant to be a god, he's lazy smokes opium most the times hes awake, and beats up anyone who pisses him off including women and the police. Another thing is I've never seen as many people with pysical disabilities deformities in a feature film, even Tod Brownings Freaks pales alongside it. Oddly it is these moments with the beggars that I enjoyed the most, theres a real natural feeling to the scenes like the legendary dueling banjo scene from Deliverance or that Mama Sunshine musical number from that Todd Solandz movie, these parts would usually make you feel depressed or angry at the way they are being exploited but strangely the scenes have a great sense of humour and warmth. The squeaky voiced Samuel L Jackson looking guy and his laughing midget sidekick could have become a great comedy duo, I was so hoping they would have given them a Pulp Fiction type of diner moment together. Excellent movie that has deserved its praise among cult and world movie fans.

Cultdb Totals
[Rated 8 out of 10]
[Deathcount 2]
[Gorequota N/A]

Themes Included: Smokin' ● Midgets ● Spirituality
Corrupt Police ● Bollywood Fu ● Blind Busker Singing ● Tranny Dance Routine

Rock-A-Die Baby (1989)

Rock-A-Die Baby (1989)
Director: Bob Cook
Writer: Bob Cook
Cast: Dick Sargent, Marilyn Hassett, Lauren Woodland
A mother tells her daughter three scarey bedtime stories.

Review Coming Soon...

(Not Yet Rated)

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Writer: Darren Smith, Terrance Zdunich
Cast: Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head
A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however.

(Not Yet Rated)

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: John Logan, Stephen Sondheim (musical)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
After being sent away by Judge Turpin, Sweeney Todd a.k.a Benjamin Barker returns to London with the help of a sailor, Anthony Hope. He opens a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Shop, where she sells "the worst pies in London." With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Todd means to rid London of the corrupt aristocracy, and hopes to be reunited with his daughter, Johanna, who is now Judge Turpin's ward.

'Gory, grotesque and gloriously dark humored musical version of the Sweeney Todd story. Courtesy of the familiar Burton team of Depp & Carter (only this time losing Danny Elfman as it’s based on a stage musical by Stephen Sondheim). Adding to the fact Tim Burton's recent films have been very hit and miss and I'm sure I'm not alone in the fact that I tend to hate and be bored senseless during musicals, I wasn't overly expecting to enjoy this. How wrong I was as it's such a visual & aural treat and remarkably more depth to its plot than this story as been given before, almost as if penned by Dickens. Performances are top notch with Johnny Depp cutting a fine figure as Mr T looking somewhat like the flaming lips lead singer Wayne Coyne (specially in the scenes he sports a blood drenched face) and singing like the great white duke himself David Bowie. Helena Bonham Carter does fine in the role of human meat pie maker Mrs. Lovett, the supporting cast are likewise on fine form, though Alan Rickman seems slightly out of water during the scenes he sings. It's also got to be mentioned here in cultdb that it's a shame that Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Head and horror legend Christopher Lee had a song cut, surely a treat for the DVD release with some luck. Anyway to sum it up the film flows so well and we reach the end in what seems like no time at all, my favorite bit being the scene Mr T and Mrs. Lovett sing about which humans make for the better pie like politicians being too oily. Highly recommended though the nature of musicals I’m sure it’s a film that will not work for all viewers.'

(9 out of 10)

Control (2007)

Control (2007)
Director: Anton Corbijn
Writers: Matt Greenhalgh
(Based on Deborah Curtis autobiography "Touching from a Distance")
A profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.
'Music now and then perfectly seems to fit it’s location as much as it does the times, like 1960's sun drenched California had the Beach Boys. 1970's gloomy industrial Manchester had Joy Division. Control is the story of that bands lead singer Ian Curtis and his decline into depression largely thanks to the medication he was taking for his epilepsy and his failing relationships. Filmed in glorious black and white Anton Corbijn skillfully makes the film as vibrant and stark as joy divisions music was. Sam Rileys performance as Curtis is nothing short of jaw dropping, hes no stranger to Manchester music movies having already played Mark E Smith in 24 Hour Party People, he just gets the movement and dances down so well. Likewise all the actors playing the band members do fine jobs, making the live and studio performances so thrilling. Also turning in note worthy performances are both Samantha Morton as Ian’s wife and Alexandra Maria Lara as Annik Ian’s Belgian love interest. My fave bits though was Craig Parkinson as the bands label owner Tony Wilson who signs the band in blood while telling them he believes in the republic of Manchester way to go old fella, and Toby Kebbell as the bands manager Rob Gretton who delivers the best line of the film by saying "Chin up Ian could be worse, you could be the lead singer of the Fall". The films highly moving and honestly tells Ian's story, painfully bringing home how sad a loss the 23 year old singers life was to his family, band and music fans everywhere. Being a Manc myself and growing up with Joy Division/New Order and factory records I knew the story and had heard most the anecdotes before but it didn’t stop me thoroughly enjoying this film. RIP Ian mate thanks for the music.'

(8½ out of 10)

Ex Drummer (2007)

Ex Drummer (2007)
Director: Koen Mortier
Writers: Herman Brusselmans (novel), Koen Mortier
Three drug-addled, misfit punk rock musicians are looking for a drummer. They approach Dries, a well known writer whose arrogant self assurance and yuppie lifestyle make him an unlikely candidate, but the fact that he can't play the drums appeals to the band's punk sensibility. Fascinated by these dysfunctional characters, Dries joins the group. His arrival awakens the personal disputes and family feuds latent in the band. A shocking, hardcore, blood-spattered depiction of small time rock musicians losing the plot rather than living the dream. The most violent film to come out of Belgium since Man Bites Dog.
'Hehe where to start with this film its as filthy and nilistic as cinema gets, think Irreversible or Naked then add more grime. The film centers on the four characters whom form a punk rock band called The Feminists, alongside their twisted family, friends and fellow bands musicians. Three original band members whom all have some disability are female beating lead singer with a lisp Koen de Geyter, deaf 40 plus year old lead guitar player Ivan van Dorpe and homosexual bass guitarist who as an arm he can't bend Jan Verbeek. They are joined by new drummer famous intellectual writer Dries who's not got a disability though is very arrogant & hedonistic. The band think by having Dries onboard they'll become instantly successful specially after winning a local band competition, Dries on the other hand is happy to join as in his own words its a way of him safely escaping his happy mundane life for a little period for one full of real gritty ugliness, and boy have the band got that in bucket loads. The raw earthy punk settings are wonderful as the backdrop to the 4 central characters daily life’s, all thanks to writer Herman Brusselmans they’re each interesting enough to fill a film themselves. The direction is wickedly inventive from the opening 5 or so minutes all being played backwards right to the final thrilling end of the film which plays out like an MTV rock video all be it a very bloody one. Its packed with so many moments that'll play in your for mind hours, days I'm sure even weeks after viewing, like the sad moment Ivan van Dorpe is told that his toddler daughter as died only to be sent into a 12 Monkeys style mental institute, to the scene one of the bands roadie's takes a little more than he bargained for from opposition band front man Big Dick Harry hmmm name may give this one away a little. Anyhow its been a corking few weeks for me film wise, but all the recent great ones I’ve seen like Tropa De Elite, American Gangster & P2 are but a faint memory after viewing Ex Drummer. Quite possibly the film of the year, off hand right now I can't think of one that’s hit my like it. Headfuck cinema is alive and well, ask yourself do you want instant forgettable junk or something that hits you like a sledge hammer if you want the later get this gem from Belgium.'

(9 out of 10)