03-21-2015, 01:54 AM
I’m not much into zombie flicks; still, this was quite a bit of fun. It was on the 366weirdmovies list, and deservedly so.
Michele Soavi apprenticed for many years under several top Italian “giallo” directors (Joe D'Amato, Lamberto Bava, Dario Argento). Cemetery Man represents his directorial debut. It’s also his only film, as afterwards he switched to TV projects. This seems a shame. Cemetery Man is a highly inventive blood-and-gore fest; you never know what’s around the next corner. Few things make me cringe, but there were a couple of scenes where I was squirming uncomfortably thinking, Is that appropriate? Yes, it tests a few boundaries.
Rupert Everett does a fine job playing the lead. François Hadji-Lazaro is his truly bizarre partner (imagine an ugly version of Uncle Fester). They tend a graveyard where a certain percentage of the newly deceased come back to life and need to be put down again. But at its core this is a love story, one that takes many forms. Anna Falchi is one of the love interests. While I was initially concerned that the movie might prove too tame (I was ready to shout, “Gratuitous cladity!”), that was stunningly put to rest when Anna Falchi opened up with both barrels. These were not peekaboo scenes either. What a feast for the eyes. She is so statuesque she could be a statue.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a great movie. The main characters seem to fragment as the movie progresses. While this is likely the director’s intent, the viewer has trouble staying emotionally involved in the characters. Also, there are several instances where, just as you're getting interested in a new relationship, it ends in a big way.
Still, lots of fun, inventive, even a tad disturbing. Might be worth a gander.
Michele Soavi apprenticed for many years under several top Italian “giallo” directors (Joe D'Amato, Lamberto Bava, Dario Argento). Cemetery Man represents his directorial debut. It’s also his only film, as afterwards he switched to TV projects. This seems a shame. Cemetery Man is a highly inventive blood-and-gore fest; you never know what’s around the next corner. Few things make me cringe, but there were a couple of scenes where I was squirming uncomfortably thinking, Is that appropriate? Yes, it tests a few boundaries.
Rupert Everett does a fine job playing the lead. François Hadji-Lazaro is his truly bizarre partner (imagine an ugly version of Uncle Fester). They tend a graveyard where a certain percentage of the newly deceased come back to life and need to be put down again. But at its core this is a love story, one that takes many forms. Anna Falchi is one of the love interests. While I was initially concerned that the movie might prove too tame (I was ready to shout, “Gratuitous cladity!”), that was stunningly put to rest when Anna Falchi opened up with both barrels. These were not peekaboo scenes either. What a feast for the eyes. She is so statuesque she could be a statue.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a great movie. The main characters seem to fragment as the movie progresses. While this is likely the director’s intent, the viewer has trouble staying emotionally involved in the characters. Also, there are several instances where, just as you're getting interested in a new relationship, it ends in a big way.
Still, lots of fun, inventive, even a tad disturbing. Might be worth a gander.
I'm nobody's pony.