Daniel Parsons (danieljparsons)

Stupid, annoying, "knowingly" pretentious, but also playful, sexy, clever and sometimes moving. Bruce La Bruce's messy film has lofty intentions that it simply doesn't come close to achieving (it especially falls short in trying to use the persecution of gay zombies as a metaphor for homophobia). However, there are some game performances (Jey Crisfar, as Otto, is actually quite subdued but very watchable, whilst everyone else is campy or hammy), some interesting technical bits and pieces (including a mute character perpetually seen in scratchy black and white footage with inter-titles, for no apparent good reason other than to comment on how pretentious film can be), lots of laughs and some occasionally good, though overdone, doses of irony. The bleak false ending and the almost as bleak actual ending are striking, the gore flows, the sex is hot and/or disturbing (including one guy fucking his undead boyfriend through his chest cavity). Prudes and/or homophobes - i.e. anyone who doesn't want to see a cock in another man's mouth, even if in context - should not watch.

Just an average true-crime serial killer flick, with good directorial touches and very good performances. Stretched out over two parts, it's both too long and isn't deep enough. Episodic, fitfully involving and sometimes simply dull, the critical acclaim and accolades it is receiving are baffling to me. Worth it for Vincent Cassel, and some stunning photography. PS, my review for Part 1 is identical.

Much imitated, never bettered horror classic. Polanski ratchets up the tension practically from the beginning and the story cleverly puts doubt in the viewer as to whether Rosemary is right to be paranoid or if she's just delusional (for instance, was the dream real or imagined?). Mia Farrow is inspired casting, giving a pitch-perfect perfomance and using her physicality to great effect (she seems to get paler and more fragile as the movie progresses). Little bit of trivia: Ira Levin, who wrote the book the film is based on, dedicated the sequel, Son of Rosemary (which was also made into an abysmal made-for-TV film) to Mia Farrow.

Three things, to me, elevate this movie to five-star excellence. The first is the brilliance and relateability of Lauren Ambrose's exceptional performance. She can project five emotions just through a facial expression. The second, is the simplicity of the story, and its realism. And the third is perhaps more personal; one scene features the Leona Naess song "Comatised" - one of my faves of all time!