framptonhollis
26 films shot all around the world, each containing some type of death. Sounds like a magnificent concept that would make a great, exciting, if messy movie. Well, in execution the idea doesn't work out as well as it sounds, but it still leads to some brilliant shorts. Unfortunately, for every brilliant short there are twice as many bad ones, but for every bad short there are three times as many okay/pretty good ones. The following contains a brief summary of my opinion of each short:"A"-decent if a little confusing; I liked the cheesy gore effects and subtle black humor. "B"-it starts off being somewhat "cute" in an oddball sort of way, but progressively becomes much darker and more gruesome, while still retaining a unique sort-of charm about it. "C"-a creative and interesting concept that is not pulled off as well as it could have been, but is still very fun."D"-definitely one of the very best shorts in the collection. The editing and filmmaking skills here are wildly impressive, and the concept is both hilarious and disturbing. An intense, clever, and visually stunning horror short. "E"-right after one of the very best in the collection, we get...this. Ugh...when the stock suspense music that I've used on amateurish videos as a JOKE kicked in during this """professional""" short, I cringed. The "story" is stupid, the acting is atrocious, and it's simply not funny. Not to mention, the CGI effects are so awful it's hard to even laugh at them. "F"-and here's where I begin to understand the hate towards this movie. One trashy short is bad enough, but two of these train wrecks in a row is unspeakable! Plus, how come the filmmaker chose FART out of every single word beginning with an F. There are plenty of words to choose from. Frankly, immature gross out potty humor is not my thing."G"-an extremely mild improvement over the past two. This is so short that I can't really complain about it, but it's still not very good. I get the idea behind it but it's not executed in a particularly effective way. It's just...THERE. "H"-I still don't know exactly HOW I feel about this one. At first, it just felt like stupid unfunny furry fanfiction on film, but then it turned into a series of gore effects and Nazi imagery and it made me quite confused, if somewhat humored. "I is for Ingrown"- barely payed any attention to this one. It was mostly just kind of "meh". "J"-now we're back on track! This one was pretty absurdist and surreal, but not too over the top, making it an enjoyably comical ride."K"-oh..so I guess we aren't back on track. More stupid potty humor. This makes me concerned for the human race. When I think of the word "klutz" I don't think of a living sh*t. Who decided this was at all presentable?!"L"-HOLY SHIFT IN TONE!!! This one was messed up to the max. It contains tons of masturbation, graphic deaths, and even some pedophilia. Very intense and mostly successful despite the ickiness of the whole thing."M"-directed by Ti West, this may be the shortest of all the films, but that doesn't mean it's any good. I cannot believe that a well liked horror filmmaker like West decided to create this simplistic mess. NOTHING about it is any good!"N"-kind of funny, although the "death" angle at the end was totally random and served no real purpose to the actual story."O"-This short is actually brilliant! The visuals are beautiful, colorful, erotic, intense, vibrant, and disturbing-it's a feast for the eyes and ears and mind that is as provocative as it is creepy! It's a thrilling work of experimental madness! "P"-I see what they tried to do here, but it just doesn't really work. The editing is more obnoxious than it is engaging or unique, and the story is definitely surprising and shocking, but that's about it. After the initial shock, you are left unaffected. "Q"-indie filmmaker Adam Wingard helps elevate this film's sense of humor much further with this hilarious and clever little meta movie. The dialogue is laugh out loud funny, the concept is classic, and the presentation is almost pitch perfect. A whole lot of fun! "R"-more shock value. Yes, it's gross, but it's mostly forgettable if occasionally somewhat clever in its visuals. "S"-WOW! What a twist! But, the twist doesn't make up for how silly the overall short is. "T"-the only mildly-potty-humorous one that does things RIGHT, and that's mainly because much of the humor doesn't have anything to do with mere gross out type stuff. It's just a demented series of horrific claymation visuals expertly pulled off by one of today's best animators, Lee Hardcastle. "U"-another film by a notable filmmaker. Ben Wheatley has made many acclaimed works, and, while it is no masterpiece, this short definitely shows off some skill. "V is for Vagitus"-a creepy dystopia portrayed with some cool visuals, but is not as compelling as it wants to be."W"-similar to "Q is for Quack" in its meta-concept, but much more wild and off the walls "crazy". It tries a little too hard, but I enjoyed it."X"-gory and a bit disturbing/depressing, but it's unfortunately another film that only serves the petty purpose of being"shocking". "Y"-weird, creepy, gross, and pretty intriguing."Z"-I think this was supposed to be a satire of Japanese nationalism or something, but it was too over the top and confusing to tell. It's absurd and wacky and, for the most part, kind of enjoyable.
grantss
Novel concept but the result is a mixed bag.The idea of the movie is that 26 different directors each take one letter of the alphabet, and make a short (4-5 minute) death-themed story on it. Segments are shown in order, ie from A to Z, and end with "(whatever) letter is for (something)'.Nice idea, but the execution doesn't quite measure up to the concept. The short stories vary from very clever and interesting to incredibly stupid. Some are clearly made just with shock value, and no narrative, in mind.A very diverse, quality-wise and plot-wise, assortment of stories.Overall, its so-so. There's more bad stories than good, but the overall idea, plus having to only concentrate in 4-5 minute chunks, plus the fun of trying to figure out what the letter stands for each time, balances this out.
jlthornb51
Imaginative, creative, audacious, and mesmerizing horror film that rivets one to their seat from the opening shot to the shattering finale. Powerful anthology-like stories from some of the most brilliant directors in the cinema world will set you back on your heals in wonderment. This is cinema at its absolutely most stunning. Often shocking, sometimes funny, but always fascinating, this ranks as a milestone in horror films, setting the bar for all who attempt to follow. Seldom if ever does a horror film have such impact that the entire film community is shaken to its very core with nothing ever being the same again.
rabidpandaren
I give it a 6 for the efforts of the good segments. Overall, I found the submissions to be hit and miss (like pretty much anthology film), but the ones that were good were excellent. Q was definitely one of my favorites, I liked the twist ending of D, J was my kind of humor, and N was funny too. I don't know if I should recommend it, but if you have an afternoon free and the conviction to sift through a lot of garbage to find a few gems then by all means, have at it. I was able to slog through it because I watched it with a friend and our morbid sense of humor kept us going though the entire film, I don't think I would have made it alone.
