Dir - Bernard Rose
Overall: MEH
Not to be confused with 20th Century Fox' misguided schlock-fest Victor Frankenstein from the same year, writer/director Bernard Rose's Frankenstein is a modern, kind-of adaptation of Marry Shelley's novel. Done on a small-scale budget with a couple of recognizable faces on board such as Danny Huston, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tony Todd, the angle was to contemporarily contextualize the often-filmed source material from the Creature's point of view, here played by Xavier Samuel and called both "Adam" and "Monster" depending on his speech development and the information that he has obtained. Such a concept is interesting in fits and starts, like Samuel having a Freudian obsession with Moss' "mother" doctor, his doomed interaction with a well-meaning prostitute, and his friendship with Todd's homeless blind man who is a clever stand-in from the hermit in Shelley's novel. Elsewhere, there are some sloppy plot malfunctions, icky gore, a dog getting shot, and a cartoonishly evil cop for overblown reasons which make for more of a miserable viewing experience than a compelling one.
Dir - Jason Krawczyk
Overall: GOOD
A wonderful showcase for Henry Rollins' limited yet ideally-suited thespian abilities, He Never Died is a quirky crime comedy that somehow manages to throw in a cannibalistic immortal who is both a biblical figure and probably Vlad the Impaler. Shot in Toronto and on a minimal budget, Rollins is the centerpiece of the whole thing and in virtually every scene, stealing them with his withered, zero nonsense, and deadpan delivery. The character's interaction with the world around him is what provides the movie with all of its humor. A creature of pure logic, he reiterates brutally honest information, asks the most pressing questions over and over again in an attempt to get an answer, walks away from, interrupts, or slams the door in people's faces that he has no interest in dealing with, and only engages in vague deception in order to spare those that would otherwise be in harm's way or just annoy him with their own inquiries. The plot is similarly inconsequential to that of The Big Lebowski and concerns disorganized organized crime, which Rollins Jack/Cane/Vlad protagonist barely seems bothered with until such shenanigans force him to "fall off the wagon" and engage in vampire-adjacent activity again. Hilarious and inventive if not altogether action packed, it is ridiculous in the most low-key way and probably features the best performance that Rollins has yet to give.
Dir - Doron Paz/Yav Paz
Overall: MEH
The sophomore effort from the Paz brothers Doron and Yav, JeruZalem is a flawed and formulaic found footage work that still manages to pack in a few memorable moments. Shot on location in Jerusalem and featuring many of the title city's historical landmarks, it follows through on its obviously broadcasted set-ups and sticks to a familiar framework of two young adults who are off to a foreign land for some much needed vacation time, only to get trapped there due to some End of Days shenanigans. It is past the halfway point until such horrors are finally brought to the screen and while the long wait may not sit well for the more impatient viewer out there, it gets us in tune with the small crop of characters in order to care about them when things go inevitably haywire. The third act is messy in its derivative beat adherence, offering up some questionable plot maneuvers that hinge on hackneyed, "stupid people in horror movies" behavior. Also problematic are the sub-par performances and less than impressive, CGI monster hi-jinks that have been seen countless times before. That said, the brothers Paz have a few tricks up their sleeves with some refreshing biblical details and a few startling teases of otherworldly entities that are not just loud, screechy, cartoon zombie things. Better and earlier counterparts exist such as Cloverfield and As Above, So Below to name two obvious ones, but for anyone who is clamoring for more of the same, this may still suffice.
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