kannibalcorpsegrinder

Sent to Florence on an assignment, a female detective trying to catch her quarry is instead subject to a mysterious phenomenon that hampers her part of the investigation, but as she struggles to maintain her sanity, the real-world implications facing her continue surfacing.

This one here has a lot to really like about it. One of the big points here is that this presents one of the more intriguing and emotionally invested scenarios in the director's catalog by mixing together a slew of impressive themes and ideas. Opening everything inside the museum, where we get the introduction to the condition involving the series of debilitating physical occurrences that strike her, makes for a genuinely affecting and enjoyable starting point that helps to make for an engaging entry into the story. This is followed up by the equally-traumatic entry for the killer to come about to play up matters quite nicely after this traumatic opening, and since the killer's identity is never kept a secret as it's revealed within the first minutes of the film, who it is, the rest of the time is concerned with the continuous mind-games being played on her. With the rape shown to have such an effect that it starts to change her personality based on the brutal interactions presented, it all becomes immensely enjoyable to see play out. When the mental condition is presented, it becomes even better as the games become even more disturbing and realistic. That's a rather impressive feat, and the inclusion of it makes the film creepy and more unique. What's more impressive is that the titular condition provides plenty of opportunity to indulge a grand, inspired visual muse where paintings come to life around her as she enters the worlds upon the canvases in plenty of lurid detail. The camera swirls with its usual aplomb, lingering as much on the spectacular art and architecture of Florence and Rome as upon the death and chaos of the story. There is a striking scene near the beginning where they literally physically enter a painting in a hotel room and emerge out into a street murder scene in another city, at the end of which she then walks back across the street to the open waiting hotel room and out of the painting again. It is an extraordinary sequence and is done in one bravura shot, which is much more elegant for what is supposed to be just an exposition-filled flashback. There's also a series of impressive and beyond fantastic elements in the second half, where we witness the kind of psychological behavior and personality changes that come from the type of traumatic background that she experienced. Following up on the idea of her being thrust into such damaging situations at such a young age in such rapid succession of each other results in her being psychologically and physically transformed, turning her hair into a different style, preferring wigs of a different color, and exhibiting bizarre and unnatural behavioral outbursts that reek of repressed trauma. That creates the type of atmosphere where her paranoia is at the forefront of everything and seeks to come to terms with the various afflictions she's suffered through, which makes for a truly fascinating character study yet does make for a sluggish enough genre effort moving away from the traditional elements to look at the implications given here, and alongside the various kills here that allow for some really nice and gruesome moments, these here are the film's fun moments. This one doesn't have a whole lot wrong. The main issue is that the script here provides a number of illogical shortcuts that defy rational explanation. Late in the film, after donning a long, blonde, obviously fake wig, no one questions her when she wears it while doing her police duties. In another scene, she is being guarded by her former lover and wants to go meet her new lover. Even though the old lover already knows about her new lover, she decides to sneak out, and it doesn't occur to her either that a bathtub running for more than an hour might arouse suspicion, or that if she's in so much danger, she needs to be guarded, or that sneaking out might not be the best idea. Situations like this abound in the film, and rather than helping advance the plot, they merely slow it down. It also would've been nice to know why the situation comes up, as it merely documents what happens when it kicks in rather than offering why. The way it occurs, the film simply includes it merely to allow for the hallucinations, rather than using it as a sound reason to use it in the film. Rather than these little illogical follow-ups, there's not a whole lot wrong with the film.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Language, a sex scene and several Rapes.

After failing a suicide attempt, a woman escapes from a clinic and returns to the man who had initially saved her, which leads them to believe that a psychotic killer is targeting her and others related to a dark incident from her past, forcing them to discover the killer's secret to stop him.

There was some good stuff here that really helped it out. One of the better areas in the film is that there's a series of the usual artistic flair that Argento is known for that shines through, creating brief moments of breathtaking stylistic flourish. Perhaps the most novel one is a scene where the heroine stumbles across a murder scene in the middle of the woods during a heavy rainstorm, and then turns to see the killer making off from the scene carrying two severed heads in front of their face, leading to a round of hysterical screaming, as well as forming the basis for the rest of the film to solve. There's more in that woodland-setting scene, as there's an incredibly fun séance witnessed just beforehand that makes it all the better with the visuals and sound gags, which really just make the whole scene a stand-out. One of the better ones is where a little kid can't sleep because a woman keeps staring at him from a window in the house across the way, unaware that the eyes are contained in a decapitated head. Also, a scene where the freakish sight of a freshly decapitated head utters a few essential words with its death rattle, which overall are all vintage Argento setpieces. What helps to make this all the more enjoyable is a pleasingly engaging storyline with more heart to it than expected. The central setup involving the race to find the girl and offer her some genuine help, even without knowing the killer is after her, which soon brings them into contact with the savage killer going around attempting to commit a crime spree. They set up the film with an engaging central storyline that offers plenty to like about it. With the first half of this one devoted to their burgeoning romance after meeting up with each other and getting to understand her backstory that made her the way she is, this allows for a nice series of scenes offering the two getting to know each other and starting to confront her diagnosis. When it becomes obvious that she's in danger with the series of murders striking on the outskirts of their relationship, it creates a sympathetic environment where the sensitivity of their overarching connection gives the film not just a solid emotional hook but also sets up the later sequences of the killer taking everyone out to feel that much more impact. This is all rather fun and manages to provide some of the best scenes in the film as well. The opening stalking scene in the clinic gets this off to a great start, while the subsequent attack during the seance at the mother's house during the driving rain offers some pretty striking imagery that uses the killer's point-of-view extremely effectively while also keeping the identity hidden. Another excellent scene is the initial escape from the hospital during a strike by the killer, leading to general pandemonium when the victims are discovered among the residents, and the stalking by the killer makes for plenty of great times. Even more fun is at the end, with the confrontation in the basement, which is quite entertaining, from the revelation about the kills, which is handled by an incredibly well-done flashback scene that certainly scores for how moody and original it is, to the suspense found within, to the fun of it all, being a great way to end off the film. The film also manages to work in one of the greatest weapons in the genre, the mechanical noose that the killer uses. Not only is it an ingenious device, but it looks realistic and performs well, which leads to plenty of great kills where the victims are decapitated in pretty gruesome ways. These provide the film's best qualities, as there were a couple of problems with this one. One of the bigger flaws is the film's series of scenes that don't really offer up much in the way of suspense, making the film longer than it should be. This one has plenty of scenes involving this, mainly the subplot with the neighbor's child. There's nothing worthwhile about it as it adds nothing to the film beyond the one key scene with the eyes, but the other scenes don't offer up anything, and the one attempt at suspense, the walk-through of the house after the lizard, is just utterly terrible and has no value to the film. The other flaw is the fact that, as well as the previously-mentioned kid scenes, is that the opening portions of the film concentrate on the numerous attempts to help out with the disease. While important for establishing character, these do nothing for establishing the pace of the film, offer up nothing to help solve the killers' identity, and are just part of the attempt to make the film longer than it should be. While not at all detrimental to the film, and is barely noticeable at all, is the film's lack of overt gore and bloodshed, being really toned down compared to his other efforts, but this isn't anything to hold the film down at all, and is barely noticeable at all in most areas.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, and a mild, shadowy Sex Scene.

Preparing for a big competition, students at a prestigious dance academy find their chances at success upended by a series of murders that are baffling the police, trying to solve everything, forcing them to speed up the investigation before they kill the entire staff of dancers.

This was a solid and better-than-expected aspect found here. One of the better features of this one is that it manages to present itself as a slick, engrossing genre effort with the usual settings established. There are a couple of nice moments here from the central investigation, as the mystery itself about the series of deaths surrounding the dancing troop, who are going through preparations for a special upcoming exhibition, isn't bad, and the weird inclusion of the dreamed-of maniac adds something fairly interesting to the film. It's the best part of the film since it really does show some spark of originality, mixing in this type of professional milieu where people who strive to be the best at their craft as they stab each other in the back to get what they want, while the whodunit nature of the investigation is brilliantly played out as the final reveal is effective. The fact that it's so unexpected and comes out of the clear blue is a great help, giving it a smarter approach as they work out the various potential suspects. The other likable factor here is that the stalking and murders are undoubtedly what make this one shine, and there are several standout setups in here. The film has some effective and wholly suspenseful stalking scenes, mostly from the dream sequences, where the ethereal nature of the scene focusing on the killer wandering through the environment chasing the terrified victims, all comes off incredibly well. The several kills in the beginning where the killer chases victims into the shower or around the center are a perfect example, as the killer's point-of-view is mixed with a claustrophobic setting and the ingenious use of a strobe light to give it a little extra, as that flashing light in the background does work quite well and builds a really great atmosphere for the kills. The later scene in the apartment is the real suspense highlight, and it plays out really nicely once the victim realizes the danger. The fact that songs during the dances aren't that bad is a good thing, and it makes the scenes a little more enjoyable. There are some drawbacks here that hold it down somewhat. The drawn-out pacing is the biggest drawback here, as while it's fine when it's used to maximize the suspense, the slow-going nature of the proceedings actually has the opposite effect and grinds the momentum to a halt. It hurts the film greatly, as the middle section is a long, overly drawn-out series of investigations that take away from the killing. Far too much time here is spent on the detectives going around discussing the case without coming up with anything or detailing the lives of the dancers, rather than detailing the stalking of the killer, which is a major gripe against the film. Although it's a cheap shot, the lack of gory slayings hurts the film even further. The method of killing is the major reason, just showing the tiny hatpin piercing women's chests, as there's hardly a chance for it to happen, and that really neuters the potential for it right at the start. Overall, though, the slow pace is what kills it more than anything, even with these issues against it.

Rated R: Nudity, Violence, and Language.