Kevin's Watch

Sauna

As one of the quotes says on the back of my DVD copy - 'I can't recommend Sauna enough'.

A Finnish film set in 1595, the story concerns Russia and Sweden marking their mutual border in Finland after a long and bloody war. The film is about guilt and sin. Simply brilliant. Deeply atmospheric and highly original. Compelling story and characters.

Truly a modern masterpiece of the horror genre.

Sounds sh*t.

You're dead to me.

Cool. I'll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.

P.S.
Have you seen either "Inside" or "Martyrs"??

Brinn wrote:
P.S.
Have you seen either "Inside" or "Martyrs"??

I haven't, alas. The French are really leading the extreme horror genre by a mile for the last few years, I think, so these two look really promising. Apparently Inside was made supercheap, and runs for only about 70 mins. It's good to know people can still make shorter feautures which impress.

Inside was very visceral and tense. Martyrs was schizophrenic and brutal. They both are excellent although Inside is more straightforward genre piece while Martyrs is more story driven and, might I say, intelligent although it is an emotional bludgeon.

I'd be interested in your take on the ending of Martyrs.

Brinn wrote: I'd be interested in your take on the ending of Martyrs.

I'll try and hunt them down. As I'm moving to a relatively remote area for six months or more, I don't like my chances of finding them. I'll probably encounter one of those video stores which has an ART HOUSE/FOREIGN section with copies of American Psycho and Amelie.

I'll be looking for Sauna but I may have to buy it as it sounds like one of those films that may be difficult to find.

Speaking of difficult to find...did you ever get your hands on any of Vogel's August Underground series? Also ToeTag pictures and Vogel recently (2008?) released a new one called "Maskhead". It looks like a guy named Mike Swan directed it and Vogel did the fx work. Haven't seen it so I can't comment on it but I'm sure I'll check it out someday (being the semi-depraved bastard that I am!)

Brinn wrote:I'll be looking for Sauna but I may have to buy it as it sounds like one of those films that may be difficult to find.

Speaking of difficult to find...did you ever get your hands on any of Vogel's August Underground series? Also ToeTag pictures and Vogel recently (2008?) released a new one called "Maskhead". It looks like a guy named Mike Swan directed it and Vogel did the fx work. Haven't seen it so I can't comment on it but I'm sure I'll check it out someday (being the semi-depraved bastard that I am!)

Yes!

I remember you sending me the link to one of Vogel's films. It was a poor quality version (image wise), but it did the trick. I never got around to watching it in better quality (or giving you my impressions), because I got so insanely busy for about three months that I completely forgot about it. By the time I remembered, I couldn't find the link or recall who I'd gotten it from.

Sorry for that!

I wasn't aware that Toe Tag had done something so recent as 2008. Do you know if it's the same sort of 'cinema verite' approach of the other films? I've always liked being confronted by films (message, stance, visceral quality etc).

I assume you've seen I Stand Alone, by Gaespar Noe? That's an incredibly bleak drama with some excellent use of violence to make its point (like his Irreversible was).

Sauna isn't really shock oriented (though it has shocks in it). It relies mostly off its atmosphere for the horror and, I think, greatly succeeds.

I'm much the same when it comes to cinema. I like something that makes me think or elicits a strong emotional response. Enjoying the "confrontational" is great way of putting it!

From what I've read Maskhead is in the same vein as the others from ToeTag. The premise is two lesbian girlfriends who are casting a pornographic film. They use the casting couch technique and film the auditions. Unfortunately, the auditions all end in a meeting with Maskhead who, from the previews, looks like a cross between Pinhead from Hellraiser and the Gimp from Pulp Fiction. I guess Vogel has really embraced the "torture porn" genre as the movies seems to be explicitly about torture and porn!

I haven't seen "I Stand Alone" nor "Irreversible" although I hear both are very good. I do remember reading about "I Stand Alone" as its claim to fame appears to be a controversial scene or technique whereby a warning is displayed on the screen giving the viewer the chance to leave before on of the more difficult scenes.

I've got both on my list but finding them is difficult.

I see both those movies are avail via Amazon, Brinn. I've found most all hard to find movies on my list via Amazon. One I have yet to get, perhaps I put it out of my mind, is 1970s Mark of the Devil; the most scary and discusting movie I've seen; they handed out barf bags as a gimmick.

Yeah, but some of that stuff I'd rather rent than own. Typically that kind of shock value is good for one viewing only.

And thanks. i'm gonna have to check out that movie you mention. I've never heard of it!