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“We Are The Flesh” is a Fantastical Mess of a Horror Film

Published

7 years ago

January 1, 2017

Written by Shannon McGrew

There is nothing more uncomfortable than watching a film and absolutely disliking 98% of what you’ve just viewed. As a film critic, I try to find the silver lining in all films, something that will make me want to come back again, but there are those rare instances where there is absolutely nothing. That is the case for the Mexican horror/fantasy film “We Are The Flesh” from director Emiliano Rocha Minter. The film proved to be a festival favorite, inciting controversy and strong reactions from those who had the chance to view it. I’m a fan of controversial films, and by no means would I consider myself a prude, but creating a film that is clearly all about the shock with little substance or merit is not something I enjoy watching.

“We Are The Flesh” is a post-apocalyptic horror film centered around siblings who find an abandoned building run by a mysterious man, who offers them shelter and food in exchange for them acting out his depraved fantasies. The film stars Noe Hernandez, Maria Evoli and Diego Gamaliel and includes subject matter such as incest, rape, necrophilia and explicit violence along with fetishism that touches upon urine and menstruation. It’s a non-stop ride on the crazy train with no end in site. The film has a runtime of 79 minutes, yet it felt like a 3 hour movie that assaulted you at every turn. It’s one of those films that wants to be important, artistic, maybe even moving, but in the end, it’s just a heaping pile of crude and vile subject matter that doesn’t make sense with anything that is going on in the story.

Now that you know my true feelings on the subject, let’s get into the acting. To be quite honest, the acting isn’t that bad. There is some talent here and it’s one of the few things that made watching this film bearable. I would love to see these actors in different roles that allow them to explore their acting chops more. It definitely takes a level of risk to make a film such as this, so I commend them for going all out, I would just have liked to have seen more of their talent and less close-ups of their genitalia. The other aspect of this film that I did actually like was the color palette used. The film started off with more muted colors, in gray and brown tones, and slowly transformed into bright neon colors, which I can only imagine were symbolic to the “passion” that was unfolding. I did appreciate the color choices and it made aspects of the film more tolerable to watch.

In terms of scares, there weren’t any. Again, this film was about shock value and not scares. It wanted to make you as uncomfortable as humanly possible without anything to back it up. I’ve watched films such as “A Serbian Film” and “Martyrs” and understood, to a degree, where the director was coming from. I was uncomfortable and disturbed with those films but not absolutely disgusted like I was with “We Are The Flesh.” In terms of violence and gore, there was a plenty, so if you are a gore hound, you will probably be satisfied. The gore wasn’t a big deal for me, as it was just like anything else you would find in a horror film, had they had some interesting kills or tried to do something unique then I may have been more on board, but it was the same tripe scenarios you would see in any other horror film. In regards to sex, that was what this film was all about. As I mentioned above, they delved into incest with a fine toothed comb and it’s uncomfortable to watch. I really feel like one of the goals of this film was to see how far they could push the envelope with the constant images of genitalia and fetishism. There is nothing wrong with nudity, it’s something I feel like should be embraced more in our culture, but repeatedly showing rape or incest is definitely something I have a problem with. If you have no merit or reason to add it to your film, then why do it?

Overall, this is one of those films that I can’t recommend to people. I’m sure after reading this review a lot of you will add this to your queue of movies to watch due to its controversial nature; however, I implore you to seek out something different with more substance. This isn’t a film that is breaking stereotypes or creating a message, it’s just trying to shock you because there is nothing else for this film to stand on. Do yourself a favor and skip over this one, there are way too many other quality films out there.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

19 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

23 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello