Se7en (1995)

Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.

Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) and Detective Lt. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) are two unlikely partners on a mission to find and stop a disturbed serial killer whose crimes are inspired by the seven deadly sins.

One sin after another is punished through the killers' series of grisly and twisted murders. Meanwhile the detectives are strung along by a series of clues that lead them to each of the next attacks. Finally the killer is captured, but his delusional mission is not yet complete. There is still one final, chilling act remaining which he hopes will strike at the heart of a world he believes to be rotten to the core with sin.

Kevin Spacey plays the maniacal "John Doe" in this cult classic. His character is convincingly troubled and troubling all at once. But Spacey isn't the only highlight of the film. The movie is excellently acted all around and Freeman and Pitt are at the top of their games.

The films horrible crimes are described in graphic detail and you are left wondering after each one which sin will be next and in what creatively insane manner the killer will strike. But there is no way to predict the shocking twist ending which undoubtedly played a large role in catapulting the film in to cult status.

4 boxes out of 5
Contains violence, gore, language, disturbing scenes.

Last Woman on Earth (1960)

They fought for the Ultimate Prize! 

Evelyn, her husband Harold, and their friend Martin, are vacationing in Puerto Rico when an inconceivable event occurs. While they are scuba-diving, all the of the oxygen is somehow depleted from the atmosphere. They are saved only by the air tanks they were wearing while under water, but every one else on the island, and maybe even the planet, has perished.

The oxygen luckily returns; too late for most, but just in time for these three survivors. However, Harold and Martin soon begin to quarrel, and their living arrangement becomes strained.  They are on a dangerous road towards becoming engaged in a life or death struggle over Evelyn, the last woman on Earth.

The Last Woman on Earth follows a premise that has been used in many films since; something apocalyptic happens and we get to see how a small group of survivors make do afterwords. The only problem is that none of the characters in this movie are really all that captivating or interesting. Harold is a real ass hole, so its hard to root for him. Besides that, the whole premise is pretty stupid anyhow since its about two men fighting eventually to the death over a woman as if she is a prize to be won rather than a human being with a brain who can make the decision for herself. Plus you would hope that if there were three people left alive they would find a way not to end up killing each other off. You would hope.

The movie poster and DVD could lead one to believe that this movie is full of violence, sex, and nudity. Not the case. In fact this movie is pretty much kid safe. The violence is relegated more or less to the big fight at the end, and isn't particularly graphic. There's no actual sex or nudity shown. Instead this is a clever marketing tactic used to this day to sell movies with no real content or value with sex and violence.

Four years later The Last Man on Earth was produced, staring Vincent Price. This is actually the movie I had in mind when I picked this one up... but this isn't it. Perhaps that movie is more impressive, it wouldn't take a lot.

1.5 drawn out battles to the death out of 5

Not rated: Contains mild violence.

Watch the Last Woman on Earth trailer.

Possession (1981)

Murder. Evil. Infidelity. Madness.

Anna and Mark's relationship is in steep decline for reasons that Mark can't understand. As Anna draws further and further away from her family, Mark falls in a state of deep depression and his sanity becomes questionable.

He decides to have Anna followed and get to the bottom of the situation, but what he may not like, or understand, what he finds.

Normally I like to give a little bit more of a plot summary than this, but in the case of Possession it is hardly possible considering the films complexity to do so without spilling the beans on a bunch of spoilers. I'd rather you watch it yourself and experience it in full without any warning about what you are going to see. Here's some hints that you probably gleaned from the cover anyhow... it involves a crazy looking octopus monster.

Possession seems to have been marketed highly on the smut factor. Just look at the movie cover. The alternate cover isn't much different. And the alternate tag line was "She created a monster as her secret lover!" But in reality this movie in much deeper than its unfortunately crass marketing would suggest and in fact it contains no particularly explicit sexuality and very little nudity. Even the actual creature plays a relatively small part in the movie itself, which is really about separation or divorce.

This movie is entertaining not just because it is so strange and unpredictable, but also because of the acting and setting. The performances were excellent, particularly that of Isabelle Adjani who plays both Anna and another character in the film. She manages to pull off a character that is basically bat shit crazy, and exceptionally dangerous, and she does it with a level of energy and raw emotion that is rare. The movie was filmed in Berlin, which lends the movie a beautiful canvas on which to paint its madness.This one is definitely worth checking out.

4 tentacle monsters out of 5
Rated R for violence, sexual content, nudity, language.

Watch the Possession trailer.