Stuck

Sunday, June 8, 2008

So Argento is a fellow who, by most accounts, probably peaked earlier on in his career, back in the 70's, and it's been a downhill slide since then. I'd argue that he still makes some good ones, even if they aren't as good as they use to be, but it seems clear his best work is behind him.

Stuart Gordon is another matter. He started out with probably his best movie, the fucking classic Re-Animator, in the mid 80's, and had a pretty good period there with From Beyond and Dolls. Then he really seemed to flounder during the 90's. He tried new things, but they mostly suck/are supposed to suck, and he did some bad sci-fi like Robot Jox. Even something like Castle Freak, which is deliberatly reminiscent of his 80's work (right down to the fact that it's a Lovecraft adaptation), is pretty shitty. Actually, it was at that point that his producer, Brian Yuzna, starting directing reasonably entertaining movies that shamelessly ripped-off Gordon's style. Kind of like when Ozma was releasing all that good, Weezer-esque music during Weezer's sucky period.

But now in the 00's he's been making something of a comeback. Dagon was a half-decent throwback to his 80's stuff (and another Lovecraft adaptation), and then he did King of the Ants, which is an awesome, offbeat sorta noir-ish movie that rivals Re-Animator for his best work. He did two of the best episodes of Masters of Horror and a pretty good David Mamet adaptation. Unlike the 90's, he's been able to try new things with success. So whereas Argento's new flick sorta comes with lowered expectations, Gordon is on something of a roll.


Well, although Argento will always be my favorite, and Gordon will probably never make something as great as Deep Red, I have to say that his new movie is much better than Dario's, and it continues to prove that even 25 years later, he's one of the best directors working in the genre. Stuck is probably not quite as good as Re-Animator or King of the Ants, but it's a solid horror/thriller that generates a respectable amount of tension and excitment as it rolls along. It also features some strong acting... Stephen Rea is always good in everything, but I was surprised/impressed with Mena Suvari's performance. She kinda flirted only briefly with fame, and you might think she'd be bitter working on smaller genre movies now, but she really seems to give it her all. She had a producing credit, and even does a nude scene, so I'm thinking she was into making this one.

Like most of Gordon's recent stuff, it's different than his older movies but still recognizably his work. We have the graphic violence, gross-out moments, dark and flippant humor, and a scene of hot female nudity that suddenly turns disturbing. All the stuff he's good at, but infused with this new depth his recent films have had; better character development, social criticism, etc.

Any way, you can count my ticket as already sold if Gordon ever gets House of Re-Animator starring William H. Macy off the ground.