HAPPY MONDAY!! Is your Yule log ready to burn?? Are your stockings hung with care?? WAIT – your stockings should be on your feet, silly! Today we present my thoughts on a movie that I REALLY liked – WE ARE WHAT WE ARE – a remake of a 2010 Mexican job that I reviewed HERE. I would only love it if you clicked that link and read that because I had a lot of fun with that write-up and I think only two people have ever looked at it. If you don’t feel like looking at that or have the time or just want me to shut up there’s this: I liked it but didn’t love it and remember that it was mostly filmed in a dark house or out in the night so I had trouble making out (hush!) what was going on so it was a little difficult to watch. But that’s not the case with this new one – this was FANTASTIC, well shot, well lit, the score was extremely compelling and I loved the way they changed the story up for the new one. If you’re not familiar, this is about a family of people who eat other people but it’s not all “Wrong Turn” eating – it’s very tastefully done and this movie rocked so much I watched it twice before my rental expired. Bravo people!
In the Mexican one, the dad dies in the opening scene and he was always the one who went out and got food (people) so everyone could have their supper, so the family struggles to figure out who is going to provide dinner next. In this one, they swap it up and through a series of well done flashbacks we learn that, back in the late 1700s, a family of settlers were looking for a place to live and got caught up in a snowstorm. Huddled in a cave, the dad of the group and some other dude went out looking for an army outpost and something to eat and the dad eventually came back with some meat. So, they ate it like scavenging dogs and later on we learn that it was human meat and, well, the family just kept on eating human meat generation through generation up to today’s family in the movie we’re looking at. That’s just what they do.
Have you ever lived in a small town? Have you ever been to one? In most instances where I have been / lived – tradition is tradition and home is home and you do what your granddaddy did whether you believe in it or not and this captures that perfectly, without getting into bullshit redneck caricatures or idiotic Hollywood producers trying to do an American Southeast story where the characters are straight out of fucking Hee Haw. Once a year, according to tradition, the Matriarch of the family – er – harvests some food and they feast. That’s how it goes. Family is family and blood is the bond. In this one, the mom dies early (from a rare disease that one develops from eating human flesh) so it’s up to the girl with the longer hair below to provide sustenance.
I thought the acting in this was excellent and, being two young girls, they really have a problem with having to kill their food. I LOVED the way they did this whole bit. Oh – and speaking of acting, how about Michael Parks??? Is this guy a stud or what??? Anyway, in the first one – someone finds a finger or something in the dead dad’s stomach during his autopsy (which I thought was lame) but they skip that shit in here and the reason the family comes under suspicion is very well thought out and believable. Parks plays the small town doctor whose daughter went missing and when he comes across a finger bone out by the creek, he’s all over it.
Looking at this on IMDB, I see a bunch of people griping about the ending. being an open minded guy, I can see some people being disappointed in how everything went down, but I actually kind of liked it. I’m not going to spoil it and, if you’ve seen it, please don’t spoil in the comments but – you’re backed into a fucking corner like that, what else can you do?? It worked for me and – if you’re heading into a big holiday break from work, I think this is totally worth your time. I loved it.
For another positive take on this, check out our man Joseph’s thoughts HERE.
Loved it.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow because we’ve got a GREAT Christmas present for you on Christmas Eve!!
Fine work sir! It was Joseph that put me onto this film but good hear more positivity regarding it. I’ll check it out when I can.
Boat Drinks!
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Boat Drinks!!
I would be very surprised if you didn’t like this – and – there’s no fucking octopus….!
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No fucking octopus? Haha! I’m on it… π
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HAHAHAHA!!!!
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A fucking octopus!!!
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Yup!… a fucking octopus π
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Hehe – you said this was “very tastefully done”. Lol! Um… I’m from, like, a VERY small town. But I still didn’t eat people. π I’d been thinking about checking out the original – I’ll go read that now too.
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Yeah but you had to move to a civilised country to escape the pressure put on you to eat people
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“Blame the Cannibal Fuckin Irishman”
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1) if you have the option, do the remake – it’s a really good movie
2) I now know where you came from. I don’t know the city but I know the state. I’ve been to that state and even long distance dated a girl from there
3) I feel familiar enough with that state that I think I can postulate about the flesh eating: are you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure??????
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1) We’ll see… π
2) Interesting. From where? And…
3) Hahaha! Oh yeah. Shit… π
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in 1997 me and the boys drove up to Chicago to see the Sooners get whipped by Northwestern 28-0 at Soldier Field. After that was over we all went and jumped naked into Lake Michigan and then went up to…..
….. lovely Racine where we stayed the night before going to a Brewers game the next day. That night we went to this place called the Yardarm bar and met some ladies…. one of which I sstayed in touch with for a while… : )
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Ohh – you’re THAT Eric?! I remember our brief affair now. Where did it all go wrong??? π
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I was all head over heels for you and that one night I called you and you had a guy over there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had some fun times though here in the big city when I flew you in : ) I’ll never forget The Spaghetti Warehouse incident. Oh – and the Brewery : )
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Btw – I always loved that Hee Haw song. It’ll be stuck in my head all day now. Thanks. :-p
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LOLOLOLOLOL!!!! When I looked that up and watched it – I was six again sitting on my grandpa’s lap…
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Heard some reet good things about this one mate. Definitely on my radar now, good work!
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I think you’ll like it! I want to watch it again but I’m broke….
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This movie was freaking excellent! I watched it last Friday and I was so impressed! I am glad to see that you enjoyed it too!
Man, I liked the way it ended!
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Me too!!! I loved it and I thought the ending was perfect!!
Maybe soon we can spoil it and talk about it : )
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Bwahahahahahahaha I look forward to that day!
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The cover really reminds me of the poster for A Tale of Two Sisters
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Except this is a ton better!
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Certainly sounds worth seeing. π
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Oh it is – I promise!
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Agreed. Such a surprisingly great film. Bill Sage was absolutely brilliant. What a terrifying performance that was.
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I KNOW!! I loved it!!
This has been a weird week for me seeing two things that I loved. This was great.
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Right! Even more great films to look forward to in 2014! (Making a “Most anticipated list” so be on the look out for that)
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Can’t wait!
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Been waiting for this write-up! Thanks for the shout-out, by the way :). Awesome job and I’m so happy you loved this one as much as I thought you would. I didn’t have a problem with the ending at all, I thought it was bloody perfect!
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So did I – I don’t know what those fuckers on IMDB are going on about…?? Loved it!
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Definitely want to see this one!
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You’ll love it it!!!!
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Yay!!!! π
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Isn’t the spaghetti warehouse incident an album by guns and roses
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What are you doing up this early?? Are you already shitting??
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No. Yes
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You stinking bastard!!
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I saw this and I liked it and I really liked the ending too.
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YES!!! Great minds!!!
I don’t know what all of those people are going on about with the ending – it sure worked for me!
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Yeah! It wasn’t what I was expecting so that was GOOD.
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So what’s the problem, exactly?
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Problem? I have no problem.
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No the eating humans thing.
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Yes – I have no problems with that. In fact – I had some last night at my mom’s.
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You have a human meat guy?
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Omaha Steaks….
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I got some filets and lobster tails from Omaha Steaks as a gift at work. Very good but not really anything I can’t get at Wegman’s.
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We don’t have Wegman’s here – the legislature ran them out of town for harvesting humans for food.
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They had a great sale on torsos yesterday.
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I stopped reading once I determined you like it, because I’m really looking forward to this movie and don’t want to see any spoilers. The preview I saw look beautiful and terribly creepy. Now I’m even more excited π
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It’s VERY good!!
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That comment about Michael Parks being a stud just reminded me of something ridiculous that happened on Christmas Eve. My mom and I were talking about The Stand (the miniseries they made based on the book in the 90’s) and she starts telling me how hot she thought the guy who played Randall Flagg was because of his long hair and tight jeans. And then I was all “Eww, mom. You’re not supposed to find the villain hot, that’s gross”. And then I remembered the raging lady boner I had for Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and also for R.O.T.O.R., and I thought to myself “Damn, I’m turning into that crazy old broad after all”.
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LOL – how about this….?
At XMAS Dinner the in-law relatives were all sitting around talking about this and that and someone is talking about where they’re building a new hospital and the father in law can’t figure out where the location is and the mother in law comes out with “Randy, that’s where we used to park.”
If you’re not familiar with that term up there – Parking = Where you go to make out.
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
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HAHA!!!! That’s amazing. Oh man, that is a serious old fogey gross out.
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NO SHIT!!!
Everyone just went quiet….
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