I was planning on being very active in the blogosphere last week since I was off from work the entire time, both posting and commenting. Then the unthinkable happened. Mama Dell passed away.
I won't go into details other than to say that even though she had a number of health issues, she went into the hospital fully expecting to come home in better shape. Therefore, the turn of events that led to her demise was very unexpected and trying on my entire family.
I wanted to post something here because she actively started me on the path to becoming a cinephile, which of course, led me to this blogging thing. She introduced me to film at a very young age, and very rarely censored what I watched. The first trip to the theater I remember is going to see a Bruce Lee triple feature when I was five or six years old. All three movies were R-rated, violent (obviously), and contained nudity. She didn't show me a lot of R-rated movies back then, but she knew I loved Bruce Lee, so she was okay with it.
By the time I reached twelve, the restraints were really off, as I watched pretty much what I damn well pleased. Friday the 13th, Porky's, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Eddie Murphy: Delirious, whatever struck my fancy. She even took the whole gang of us to see A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was thirteen. My youngest brother was four. I know that makes some of you cringe, but that's how we rolled.
She was very aware of this blog. She even visited a time or two in the early days. From time to time, she would ask how it was going. She wasn't just being nice, she genuinely wanted to know, and came to value my movie opinion above most others. She was also proud when I told her that she had been mentioned in a number of posts and had been dubbed Mama Dell. The smile that graced her face when she received this piece of info was filled with warmth and satisfaction.
I was with her the night before she went into the hospital. One of the last conversations we had was about movies. We revisited our differing opinions on Green Book. She lovingly ate it up. I spat it out with disgust. We spoke about how much we both love Denzel Washington. She laughed as I admitted that to this day, when I hear the name Malcolm X, I first see his face and have to remind myself that he's not the real Malcolm. I laughed when she praised Idris Elba to the heavens and swore it was all about his talent. We had a mild disagreement when discussing Angela Bassett. I think she can do no wrong, Mama Dell found her limited. We both spoke glowingly of If Beale Street Could Talk. It was a fun exchange.
Unfortunately, we won't get to have those discussions again. However, she always taught me not to mope around being depressed whenever she left me. She wanted me to celebrate her the way one would throw a birthday party, and move on with my life. So, in the midst of making final arrangements for her - comforting some people, making others upset, trying to reconcile those on either side, and coping with my own pain - I did what I think she would have wanted me to do. I found a few hours for myself, and went to the movies.
We are witnessing a wonderful time for horror movies. It seems like every year there are several that cause a lot of excitement and end up being very worthy inclusions to the "best of" horror genre. With Us, a movie which I thought was executed wonderfully but the writing was mediocre, getting a lot of attention I thought I'd list the 10 best horror films released since 2010. Here we go:
Hypnotic and disturbing, this is the tale of the ruthless world of modeling. With a bit of an inspiration from Suspiria and yet another wonderful score from Cliff Martinez the film is a colorful and captivating nightmare that features a wonderful performance from Abbey Lee and surprising turn from Keanu Reeves.
Featuring a horrific premise - a woman's husband dies in accident when he is driving her to hospital as she is giving birth - the film shows woman's descent into madness as she copes with her tragedy and struggles with motherhood.
Mike Flanagan is one of the most exciting horror directors right now. He is also responsible for terrific Haunting of Hill House series. Hush is yet another of his projects that stars Kate Siegel - his real life wife - in a terrific role, as she plays a deaf writer who is terrorized in her house by a mysterious man. It's a fantastic, tense and gripping movie which you can check out on Netflix.
Visually spectacular, this horror film is a clever analogy to the dangers of sex. Featuring the lovely Maika Monroe and amazing score from Disasterpeace the film is a must see for those who don't like gore but appreciate creepy atmosphere. There's still some disturbing body horror moments in this movie, but mostly it relies on the sense of dread.
A fantastic blend of western and a horror movie, Bone Tomahawk spends majority of its runtime on establishing the characters and getting the audience to care about them. And then in erupts in pure terror and bloodshed and features the most harrowing death scene in recent memory.
James Wan is the master of modern horror, having launched Saw franchise and The Coinjuringverse which started with this movie. Blending Wan's devotion to old school horrors and terrific use of modern miracles of film-making, the film has the creepy atmosphere and great execution, which stuns with clever tricks and amazing cinematography. But the real strength is that it also has so much heart rooted in great performances and lovely chemistry between Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson.
This is one of the most entertaining and clever horror films in recent years. Funny, smart and engaging, it features tons of homages and references to other horror films and it's so much fun to try to find them all. The cast is brilliant, especially Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford and Fran Kranz. in a scene stealing role of a stoner Marty.
This film frightens, transports to another era and completely captivates the viewer. The simple setting and archaic language set the restraint tone which makes the horrific elements work even better. The film was a breakthrough role for wonderful Anya Taylor-Joy and its ending is one of my favorite in the entire genre.
Ari Aster's movie like not many other before it captures the sense of pure evil. The film itself simply feels evil. The hidden pagan symbols, the horrific things lurking in the frame and the nightmarish occurrences make it one of the most unnerving horror films I had the horrific pleasure of watching. Toni Collette delivers a spectacular performance and the execution is simply top notch - Aster doesn't signal the dangers and you have to notice them yourself, continuously wondering if it was something you really saw or simply think you saw, much like the characters in the movie.
While I didn't love Get Out upon my first viewing the subsequent rewatches made me adore this film. It's one of the most well written movies I've ever seen where any possible plot holes have explanations hiding in plain sight in the movie - why was the hidden storage's door open? Well, Georgina was messing around in that room and she had moments of lucidity. Why weren't the cops looking for other missing black men? Well, we did see just how little they care when it's actually an adult missing. It's so tight, you cannot find a single flaw even if you are looking for it. There's so much clever symbolism - like the silent bingo scene or what eventually rescues Chris - and every single line, every single moment is in this movie is there for a reason. There's lots of debate whether the film is a thriller or a horror but the sci-fi element in the third act - and let's just agree that this medical procedure is a sci-fi element - clearly pushes it into horror territory. The film is fun, it has truly hilarious moments and it's so, so creepy. Betty Gabriel's performance is iconic ("No, no, no, no, no....") and who can forget Rose's trophies proudly displayed behind her as she drinks milk through a black straw, while she is looking for another victim? The best horror films make us fear the ordinary and I bet no one could look the same way as before at the teacup after watching this movie.
