Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Calvaire (2005)

Finally, a disappointing French horror movie. Sure, it was shocking at times, but it seemed more interested in creating atmosphere than the brutal, bloody thriller it claimed to be. On the other hand it did have a couple of moments that left me scratching my head and wondering if I was totally missing something or not (e.g. the Piano-And-Penguin-Dancing scene). It's comforting to know that even the French are capable of making mundane, hillbilly horror.

4 comments:

  1. I am the only one that comes to this poor films defense, I rate it at above the average fare, since it successfully pays tribute to many classic films while still creating its own unique identity. Its no where near the level of the other recent French offers but I think it is better than most people give it credit for.

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  2. I saw this a while back and I liked it quite a bit. It's strange and it's nothing like modern French horror (but modern French horror is nothing like the rest of French cinema). What I liked the most about this one was that it was very French, full of quirky moments that do leave you scratching your head. Martyrs, Frontiers, Inside are something else all together.

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  3. I though it was pretty good. I can see where your coming from, but the sheer intensity of the last 10 minutes of the film really sold it for me. So i have to put this in my good frenchy category. Becky mentions Frontiers which is probably my favorite frenchy film. High Tension was up there but just way toooo many holes in it.

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  4. Yeah, I enjoyed High Tension, Frontiers, Inside, and (enjoyed?) Martyrs, too. Irreversible was another well-done French film, but I will never be able to get through it again.

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