Tag Archives: Xavier Gens


Creepy cults and the disintegration of humanity are on the agenda for this edition of What I’ve Been Watching…

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (2011) Subtle terror best describes this brooding thriller. The movie opens with a young girl calmly walking through a home, quietly so she doesn’t disturb the others. Once she’s outside, she begins running. Through sound design and camera work, you know this girl is running to escape. A dread immediately falls over the story. The girl is Martha played to perfection by newcomer Elizabeth Olsen. Martha contacts her sister and brother-in-law and they both take her in. There’s a distance between them and they are curious as to what Martha has been up to for the past couple of years. Martha is haunted by dreams…memories which we see in flashback. These flashbacks reveal her life as Marcy May and living with a cult run by the ultra-creepy Patrick (John Hawkes). As the movie progresses we learn more about the cult and their philosophies and that’s when the terror creeps in. Elizabeth Olsen is fantastic. John Hawkes’ performance is chilling; a kind and gentle person one minute, a seriously scary dude the next. I saw him last in “Winter’s Bone” and he was great in that movie, too. Martha Marcy May Marlene is filled with a tension and terror that runs below the surface, keeping you uneasy. This is not in-your-face terror, just quiet moments that are very creepy and unsettling. I loved a lot of the cinematography in the movie. Some scenes and their color schemes look like they leapt right out of a 70’s flick. I bet after one viewing of this you’ll be locking your doors at night for sure.

THE DIVIDE (2011) Starring Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia, Lauren German, Rosanna Arquette, Michael Eklund. “The lucky ones died in the blast.” The movie opens with a bang as nuclear warheads shower down onto Manhattan. The camera slowly dives down an apartment stairwell as groups of people flee the building in panic. Nine people barricade themselves into a basement that’s been turned into a bunker by the superintendent. Are they the lucky ones to escape the fiery blast? I think not, because The Divide shows us the slow disintegration of humanity as the trapped people lose their hope and sanity, become sick and evolve into sexual deviants and violent savages. The director Xavier Gens takes the bleak material and creates visually stunning imagery, all within the claustrophobic confines of the bunker. The whole cast turns in brave performances, going deep into dark places. Michael Eklund made my skin crawl. The music is made up of beautiful pieces of piano that evoke feelings of sadness. There are a few twists that I won’t reveal that take the story down a different path than you’d expect. There were parts that made me angry and there were parts that saddened me as I watched the characters fall apart. This movie delivers some intense moments.

Check this out:
Xavier Gens also directed “Frontier(s)” (2007) which is an awesome French horror movie. It’s an insane and gory masterpiece that should not be missed by any horror fiend.

I met Michael Biehn at a movie convention and he was one cool dude. He was real friendly and gave me a signed Planet Terror lobby card for free. He’s a class act!

Besides the strange and bizarre movies I like to watch, I have caught a few other movies that are must sees for movie fans: Hugo, Cowboys and Aliens, and Immortals. I loved all three of them, especially Hugo which was brilliant! Till next time…


Category: Reviews

Recent Podcasts

Top 5 Back to School Movies

Top 5 Back to School Movies
With summer coming to an end an a chill sneaking into the night air. It can mean only one thing. Back to school!

Top 5 TV Themes

Top 5 TV Themes
It's time to change things up a bit and step away from the movies in this very special Top 5 TV Themes episode! Joining me on this trip down memory lane is Mike Ranger from Video Rangers Podcast. Listen in as we dive deep into the good and the bad of televisions most memorable themes.

Top 5 Action Scenes

Top 5 Action Scenes
Put on your helmets and fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Join the gang at Movie Madness Podcast for the Top 5 Action Scenes episode. After many tears, a few bruises and a trip to the E.

Recasting The Avengers: 80’s Edition

Recasting The Avengers: 80’s Edition
Have you ever thought "What if...?" We do all the time! And being huge Marvel and 80's fans we couldn't help but wonder?

Top 5 Favorite Movie Politicians

Top 5 Favorite Movie Politicians
With election day drawing near and honestly not a single candidate worth a darn to vote for! Who can we look to for leadership? The movies of course!!!

Top 5 Surprising Movie Deaths

Top 5 Surprising Movie Deaths
Ever been tooling along in a film and then Voila, your favorite character croaks? Well we have and oh how we hate it, but then, we're just warm and fuzzy guys. Tune in to our Top 5 Surprising Movie Deaths episode and find out our absolute horror at the death of Alan Tudyk and which movie it was.

Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Podcast In iTunes


Trailer of the Week!


Sites We Like


Soiled Restroom Cinema

SRC logo

Video Rangers


The Obssessive Viewer


Two Peas On A Podcast


First to Die