DEAD SNOW -- Tommy Wirkola, dir

©2009
studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
production company: Euforia Film, Barentsfilm AS, Miho Film
director: Tommy Wirkola
cast: Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jeppe Laursen, Jenny Skavlan, Ane Dahl Torp, Bjørn Sundquist, Ørjan Gamst
screenplay: written by Stig Frode Henriksen and written by Tommy Wirkola
Foreign Film (subtitled) -- Norway

A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.

#####

I'm not really into the horror/zombie films but I ran across this film on the IFC Films web site and thought it sounded like a hoot.  Think two words: Nazi Zombies.

Only those crazy Norwegians could come up with something this bizarre (okay, that's not true) and entertaining.  What's scarier than Nazis?  Nazis that can't die!

The filming locations are truly awesome.  What beautiful country!  The acting is on par with what one would expect from this sort of film, and I chuckled at the bravado and surprises from some of the characters.

I had some disappointment in the ending (I won't reveal it here), and I don't really need the gore of seeing people's heads ripped in half or all the limbs being torn off a body, though none of it grossed me out as I might normally expect.

If you like zombie movies, then this is a must.  If you like foreign films, this is something to consider.  Otherwise, it's typical fare for the genre.

3 of 5 stars.

ENTER THE VOID -- Gaspar Noé, dir

©2009
studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
production company: Fidélité Films, Wild Bunch, BUF
director: Gaspar Noé
cast: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander, Masato Tanno, Ed Spear, Emily Alyn Lind, Jesse Kuhn
screenplay: Gaspar Noé, Lucile Hadzihalilovic

A drug-dealing teen is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister.

#####

This film is a real head trip.  Psychedelic colors and morphing photography really add to the weirdness of this film.

It took me awhile to get into this film (which maybe runs a bit too long) and at times the colors become too much on the eyes, but once I caught on to the concept of the film, I was really intrigued.

The photography is fantastic and, to me, unique.  The repetition of scenes seems appropriate for the story and builds on itself just enough.

There still managed to be some boredom, and I didn't really care for the characters (although seeing them as children and the incident that sent them to where they were helped soften my feelings toward them), which makes it hard to enjoy a film.  And at times, the flashing colors were incredibly distracting.

Still...it was unique and interesting enough to keep me watching.

I rate it a 3 of 5.