Mandy (2018)

Rob Zombie, take some notes on how to do a good homage to 70's and 80's horror movies...

Fmovies: We saw this movie at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival........ twice. Yeah, we walked out of our first screening, drove straight to the box office and bought tickets for the next screening. There is nothing like being in an audience watching Mandy. This is THE midnight movie. I wouldn't hesitate to say it is on the level of Rocky Horror Picture Show as far as potential cult status. From 15 minute psychedelic trips filmed with a second lag and a pinkish filter, to two unspeakably amazing weapons, there is nothing on its level. Cosmatos' direction and the cinematography are better than 95% of studio movies nowadays. This is what watching movies is all about. And let's just say, every single cast member is pitch perfect, creating the infernal hell that the movie is. God willing, this movie will get the distribution it deserves so we can see it once a year at midnight in our favorite art house cinemas. Instantly nostalgic.

There's some good stuff here, but there's a lot that's complete trash. Shots are needlessly long and there's literally twenty completely unnecessary scenes. It took over an hour to progress the story to any level of interest. It's a shame because there's such potential here.

Mandy fmovies. Mandy is one hell of a piece of exquisite filmmaking. Combining arthouse with grindhouse has never come together quite as flawlessly as it does in this film. I couldn't help but immediately think Tarantino upon seeing the opening credits and as it progresses, the parallels are definitely there. That's not to say that this is a knockoff, quite the contrary, I think most filmmakers take cues from others and if Tarantino's work is one of Panos Cosmatos' inspirations, I welcome it. Also thrown in are some Charles Manson vibes, a subtle sense of humor, a killer, rock 'n' roll soundtrack and a touch of the supernatural, packaging it all up nicely. Not to mention Nic Cage, I mean, wow! With the exception of Leaving Las Vegas, I've never considered myself a huge fan due to his mediocre acting abilities and slew of less than satisfactory films, but damn if the part of Red wasn't written just for him. This is probably his best performance to date and I've gained a new respect for him that I hope to nurture further. In conclusion, when I first heard about Mandy several months back, I knew I would love it and I was more than right. It's definitely not for everyone due to its subject matter and elevated level of gory violence but even the most hardened critics, or softest hearts, should at least be able to appreciate its vision, artistically and otherwise.

I really enjoyed this film. Honestly, I'm really close to saying that I loved it. This movie is wonderfully inventive, beautifully shot, and totally unlike anything else I've ever seen before. Plus, you get to see Nick Cage fight with chainsaws. What's not to like?

This really is not for everyone and that is just fine. Also story wasnt anything new or special, just typical revenge story. Really liked how this looked, sounded and felt. Visuals and colours are just outstanding and that was something that hooked me from the start, really trippy stuff in a good way. Music and sounds were pushing this dark overall sinister feel and worked perfectly. And also Nick have us great performance near insanity.