May

So it's report back time.

First off Dead By Dawn 2007 here is a brief summary of the festival and my thoughts on the film.

Firstly wanted to say what a great time I had and a big thanks to Tahra, John and Connor for your fantaistic hospitality and putting up with us! Thanks also for the 'castle' tour!


I'll try and summarise the main films,

LES MORVEUX - Quite a funny short (6/10)

Mulberry Street - Mulberry crap more like! Sorry didn't enjoy this one at all and a poor start to the festival. Didn't care about the people in the building and there was no explanation of what cause the rats to start attacking people (5/10).

HITCH - Very funny short, featured in my top 3. Serial killer fame (8/10)
DAMNED THING - Very good start and then ruined by the 'oil monster'. Tobe Hopper not on finest form and a Masters of Horror TV program. Not looking good so far (5/10)
THE DEAD TREE HOTEL - pretty dull short, nice idea to start with and then the predicable happened. Boring (5/10)
FAMILY - Excellent John Landis film, fantastic story and well done (8/10) Lost a point because it was a Masters of Horror TV program and not a film (and I saw it before!)
THE BABY'S ROOM - wow, now this was a spooky film, got the chills and everything, really really recommend this one and hope to see it again at some point. Highlight so far and was going to take some beating (8.5/10)

IT CAME FROM THE WEST - Excellent animated short, very funny and well done, just missed out on my top 3 (8/10)

FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - What snakes on a plane should have been, a good film, I really enjoyed it, didn't try to be anything it wasn't! (8/10)


L'INSTANT AVANT - can't rememeber!

SHUTTER - AWWWWFFULLLLLL, well actually not that bad, but as it is well documented, I am sick of Asian ghost films....ooooh look scary ghost woman is in the picture, in the sink...behind you, just a trapped spirit, coming out of the bed....Yawn (6/10)

Cutting edge shorts

Anaesthesia - not bad (Ade will say otherwise) 6/10
Blind Man's Alley - not really a horror film, good idea 6/10
Faceless - forgotten this one
13 de Mars 1941 - Man in a well for no reason, nice idea..but poor 6/10
Grace - can't really remember
Film Eight - straight to the point and funny! Nice one would watch this again (8/10)
Lump - nice idea, 7/10
Mime Massacre - awesome! Watch this if you can ...which you can as it is on the web 9/10 http://www.mimemassacre.com/
Nose Hair - truly awful student film -6/10 (it got minus because it was really bad, but of course had to get an 'honoury mention' as a close forth....because the makers were there! arse!
The Fifth - Awesome, must get this one...very funny and well just good (9/10)
The Amazing Death of Mrs Muller - Funny, Big Lebowski rip off 8/10
The Eyes of Edward James - Good idea, poorly executed (7/10)

SOUTHERN GOTHIC - the more I think about this, the more I think it was okay. It was a bit long, but I think it had some interesting ideas. I think if it had been a bigger budget production with someone to a)DO THE SOUND!!!!! b)tighten up the story a little, i think it would have been really good. I did enjoy it and though the main characters were really good (8/10)

MONSTER Very very nice film, especially the stair scene! (8.5/10)
END OF THE LINE - I really liked this one, would like to watch again, like Southern gothic, it could have been truly great if it had a bit more money. Religious freaks on the Underground!! Fantastic!! ( 8.5/10)

Didn't see
TERROR!
GRUESOME
THE HITCHER
THE HAMILTONS
THE BACKWOODS


THE LOVE CRAFT - can't find it on line, but it must be...it is a fantastic short!! (9/10)
LE JOUR DU FESTIN - okay, not bad, kind of funny nice idea Old people taking over the world (7/10)
ZOMBIE MOVIE - quite funny, but a bit long (6.5/10)

THE FROLIC - I liked this one, well done serial killer with a twist, perfect length as a short (9/10)
IMPRINT - This is the one, my film of the festival (although once again not technically a film). Aesthetically it looked stunning, really stunning and it was truly brutal (and a little weird but what do you expect from Miike?) I can't look at my fingernails at the moment! Only let down by the acting from Billy Drago....did I say awful...it was the scariest acting I have every seen....but for the wrong reasons!! ( 9.5/10)

ROOM 69 - funny french short about a mental hospital (7/10)

LA HORA FRIA - great idea, a bit long and a few plot holes, think this could have been a fantastic film with a bit more money. I think it might go to hollywood and might work, having said that I really enjoyed it ( 8.5/10)

FAR WEST and CARLITOPOLIS - just check out his website, truly fantastic!! http://www.luisnieto.com/ (9/10)

TO LET - wow this was just amazing, scary landlady renting a flat, loved this one. Almost my film of the festival!! (9/10)

THE ABANDONED - quite chilling in some places, a little 'out there' but a good ending to the festival (8/10)

Overall I would give the festival a 7/10 rating, some good films this year, some poor films (shutter!!!) too many things from TV (3 Masters of Horror and 3 Spanish TV films! and whilst they were probably the best things, they were still not 'films' in the typical sense) and a distinct lack of a guest. Certainly hasn't dented my enthusiasm for next year, as long as the price doesn't rise. Could have been a few more films (quite big gaps inbetween films...was nice, but there was too much TV stuff). Not a DbD Classic, but a good year!


Sound Transit

Not sure if I have posted a link here to SoundTransit before? But even if I have, it was before I was a contributor to the site (which I am now) anyhow....it is a fantastic soundscape website (if not one of the best ideas out there). Sit back and enjoy a soundscape journey around the world.

My contributions so far are


- BART Train, San Francisco CA San Francisico, US
- Dusseldorf Airport Dusseldorf, DE
- Exchange Square Drummers Manchester, GB
- Rijks Museum Amsterdam Amsterdam, NL

You can find them here if you want to listen to them individually.


There will be much larger contribution coming along soon!

Peace

Neil