TERROR TRACT, a 13-year-old, TV scare-movie-cum-time-capsule appears on Netflix streaming...

Never heard of this one, TrustMovies mused, as he came across TERROR TRACT, a new addition to what's available to stream on Netflix. He knew the film could not be that new, as it starred the late John Ritter (below), and a much younger-looking David DeLuise, son of the late Dom. As he watched even the first few minutes of the movie, it became clear why he had no memory of it: It was made for, and had its debut, on television. Indeed, it looks, acts and sounds like TV -- in everything from the plotting to dialog to the flat lighting and-pretty-if-generic sets. In fact, it seems to want to recreate something like that very popular TV scare movie from the 1970s, Trilogy of Terror. T of T doesn't hold up all that well, either, though the Karen-Black-meets-devil-doll episode can still startle, thrill and charm you. T of T was also, as I recall, made up of three completely diverse stories pushed together to create a full-length TV movie. Terror Tract has three stories, too, but it also features a wrap-around tale that opens, closes and becomes a kind of entr'acte to its three tales.

The initial tale is pretty standard stuff: the cuckoldry and revenge of a husband (Fredric Lehne) against his wife (Rachel York) and her lover (the very hard-bodied Carmine Giovinazzo) with a large splash of the supernatural tossed in. Around the time of the third "nightmare," you'll want to press fast-forward."

Tale two is the movie's bid for Devil Doll status, with a very naughty little monkey (above) doing the honors here, as a "lost" animal who charms/worms his way into a sweet little nuclear family. But the real enticement will probably be the star of this one: Bryan Cranston strutting his stuff nearly a decade prior to Breaking Bad. He's good, as usual, and the story builds nicely into something pretty horrific.

The final story involves a serial killer of women known as "the Granny Killer, due to the granny mask (below) that he/she always wears. This one is the shortest, chock-a-block with murder, ESP, and surprises that you can usually figure out prior to their arrival. But the performances of Will Estes as the boy who envisions the awful events, and Brenda Strong as the shrink in whose office he ends up, help move things along.

The wraparound section -- featuring DeLuise and Allison Smith (both shown below) as a young couple looking to buy a house, and Ritter as the schlubby-but-honest realtor helping them -- also builds to an ending that, back in 2000 when this TV movie was made, probably caught the zeitgeist nicely as it gives us a vision of real estate hell -- not just via the individual houses and their stories but finally throughout an entire neighborhood in which the movie takes place.

This is funny and nasty, though it -- like almost everything else in the film -- could have been funnier, nastier and better observed. Terror Tract, co-directed by  Lance W. Dreesen and Clint Hutchison (two episodes each) and written by Mr. Hutchison, is really just a semi-glossy time-waster, but if you're a fan of any of the actors mentioned, you might just find it a worthwhile "waste."  You can catch it now via Netflix streaming -- and maybe elsewhere, too.

V/H/S: Found-footage, hexagonal horror movie (six directors), will scare you shitless

If you follow my reviews at all closely, you'll already know that I am not a big fan of hand-held camera-work, supposedly "found footage" (dat ol' Blair Witch agin!), and a lot of the other stuff that goes along with DIY movie-making. That said, if ever all the annoying-to-unnerving techniques used to "create your own movie" have managed to work together, often brilliantly, in one weird film, that would be V/H/S. This new compilation scare-movie, using six different directors and telling a bunch of jumbled-together tales, proves at once supremely old-fashioned and absolutely up-to-the-minute in the way it pulls us in, alternately amuses, bores and scares the bejeesus out of us, then finally kicks us into oblivion. All using the tried-and-true -- along with the brand-new.

I am now going to do something I almost never have done: using the film's press release to describe the framework here. "In V/H/S, a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house in the countryside and acquire a rare tape. Upon searching the house, the guys are confronted with a dead body, a hub of old televisions and an endless supply of cryptic footage, each video stranger and more inexplicable than the last...." I do this for you because I found the framework the most confusing part of the film and probably would not have understood much of the above from what I saw in the film itself.

Once I got into the individual stories, however, I could -- sometimes barely -- get my bearings enough to enjoy what was going on. If this sounds off-putting, don't worry: It works better than you'll imagine because confusion is actually part of the enjoyment here. When we're off balance, the only slightly scary can become much more so.

Other than the wrap-around framework, there are five stories contained in the film. While some work better than others, not a one falls flat and at least a couple are supremely creepy. The directors include, from beginning segment to end, Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die), David Bruckner (The Signal), Ti West (The Innkeepers), Glenn McQuaid (I Sell the Dead), Joe Swanberg (Alexander the Last) and Radio Silence. (That final "name" is actually a group made up of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez and Chad Villella, so I guess you could properly say that this movie has nine directors.)

Bruckner, McQuaid, West and Wingard all have bonafides in the fright department; Swanberg, who doesn't (though some people find his films horrors of a sort), fits into things perfectly well, while the Radio Silence guys, reasonably new to film-making, come through just fine. I'll leave each plot for you to discover, but will say that, for sheer off-balance fear, Bruckner and the Radio Silence Boys got me where it hurts. Ti West, of all people, manages to scare us on a deeper psychological level, with Swanberg (below) one of the stars in his segment.

Not all of this 93-minute movie works, but when it does, it has you, one claw around your throat, the other caressing your balls. And as annoying as those hand-held moments can be, I think you'll agree that, over all, you ain't seen nothin' quite like this one.

V/H/S, via Magnolia Pictures' Magnet division, opens Friday, October 5, all over the country, in a limited release and in a surprising number of cities. In New York City, it will open at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, and you can take a look at all other currently scheduled playdates (with cities and theaters) by clicking here. Meanwhile, as is often the case with Magnolia's movies, it has already been playing via VOD for nearly the past two months.

Mali Elfman's multi-genre, hotel-room grab-bag DO NOT DISTURB debuts via VOD

Setting your movie in a single hotel room in which various stories play out is not particularly original. A few years back, a little film called Room 314 did exactly this quite successfully (artistically, at least; the box-office was not set ablaze), though its stories all revolved around love and relationships. In her new film DO NOT DISTURB, writer/
producer/actress Mali Elfman (shown below, in character, from the film's bloodiest episode) bundles a bunch of disparate tales that jump from genre to genre into an easy-to-view attraction that's alternately creepy, amusing, surprising and fun.

The movie also (perhaps this was part of its raison d'etre) gives some up-and-coming actors, as well as newcomers, the chance to work, while offering others -- the better-known Eric Balfour, for instance -- the opportunity to try their hand at writing and/or directing.

As an example of on-the-job training, the movie works pretty well. The episodes complement and contrast with each other interestingly, none falls below the required professional level, and at least half the output here is quite a bit better than merely professional.

Mr. Balfour directs the first episode, Duccios Madonna, which initially looks like a sex-for-hire tale but becomes something- else-for-hire. He guides his three actors well -- Harris Goldberg (above), Maureen Flannigan and Diva Zappa (the latter provides the very odd connecting tissue for the episodes) -- positions his camera properly and keeps the off-kilter comic tone on target. The writing, smart and believable, is by Christie Ko.

The hunky Mr. Balfour (above, left) stars, along with an adorable and sexy blond named Lindsey Pulsipher (above, right) in the second episode, Rocketman, from writer/director Petro Papahadjopoulos, which appears to have channeled some of the content of the under-rated Species 2. This one, quite short, is pretty much a one-idea concoction, but the idea is fun, the actors enjoyable, and the writing/direction competent -- so the thing works well enough, leading us to...

the sweetest of the five films, Prom, written and directed by Laura Henry, in which a gay high-schooler and his two best female friends discover that he's going to be sharing the room with the high-school football hero. The two boys, very nicely played by Jonathan Majors (above, left) and John Reese (above, right) -- are initially wary, but what happens between them is lovely and surprising.

The fourth (Intrinsic) and fifth (Death Takes a Holiday Inn) segments are actually part of the same story: a new young couple enters the hotel room for what looks like some hanky-panky, but then.... No spoilers here. Jon-Mann Krieger wrote and directed Intrinsic, while Brandon Nicholas did the same for Death Takes in Holiday Inn, which is a kind of continuation of the first part, but with a layer of surreal/what-if added to the mix. The two work relatively seamlessly, with that maid, played by Ms Zappa (above, right, with Jason Alan Smith), again coming to the fore. As an actress she doesn't gives us much more than a couple of expressions (that's all these scripts seem to call for), but she certainly possesses charisma and a definite strength that is memorable. The always-fine Troy Garity (below) also makes a welcome appearance, as a gangster queasy at the sight of blood.

The weakest sections by far are the beginning and occasional return-to scenes set below-stairs where the chambermaids work (or don't -- as they seem to prefer anything but).  The writing, acting and direction in these segments are just not up to the level of the individual stories, but thankfully this is the least important part of the movie, which made its debut via VOD this past Sunday, and can be seen to good advantage on  Amazon Instant Video, Microsoft X-Box Zune, and various cable outlets. Apple iTunes will be getting it eventually, and you can SAVE it to your Netflix queue. Click here to view the complete listing of where and how you can see Do Not Disturb.

The movie is actually quite a good example of why VOD is a growing market for movie-watching. If I had to recommend this film for those going out for an evening and paying the $13 price (plus transportation) that most NYC theaters now charge, I might have second thoughts.  But I have no qualms about recommending it on VOD, where the price is considerably cheaper and you can view in the comfort of your own home.

The 48th New York Film Festival closes with OLD CATS, REVOLUCIÓN and HEREAFTER

Another year, another fest, another prime line-up of films from around the world -- only eight of which TrustMovies managed to see (though he did a lot better this year than last).  The festival closes tomorrow with Clint Eastwood's HEREAFTER -- which is perhaps the only Eastwood movie I have liked without caveat (well, maybe a few small ones).  I'll have much more to say about this film when it opens next week.  Meanwhile you can catch the 10pm showing tomorrow, to which there are still some tickets remaining.

OLD CATS is the new film co-written and -directed by Sebastián Silva, director of last year's success The Maid, and Pedro Peirano. This is an equally fine film -- funny, pointed and moving about old age, family and unhealed wounds -- which plays at 2:45 this afternoon, but will, I am told, be released theatrically early next year. At that time I'll have a lengthy review, coupled with an excellent Q&A that the two filmmakers offered, post-press screening. You can check out the ticket situation here.

More important, by far -- because there may not be other opportunities to see it -- is the new film from and about Mexico, REVOLUCIÓN, which, for me, proved the highlight of this year's festival. A ten-part/ten-director omnibus commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the Mexican Revolution, it's about exactly what its title proclaims: revolution (in its many meanings) and what this has meant and continues to signify for the country of origin. The film -- the sections of which have been ordered in a perfect fashion so that our understanding of and appreciation for the concept burgeons as the movie progresses -- is thought-provoking and greatly moving, particularly for those who have acquaintance with Mexico's history.

Each episode works surprisingly well, though some are stronger than others.  But because each makes it point with feeling and economy, and sometimes wit, as well, the film grows into a wonderful comment on Mexico and its history -- as well as, in a couple of episodes, on the USA's relationship with its southern sister.  The film opens with a sweet but dark piece, The Welcome Ceremony (above), by Fernando Eimbcke (of Lake Tahoe), in which a local band from a hinterland village rehearses a song in honor of an upcoming arrival. While we get a slice-of-life of the band's tuba player (shown at center) and his family, this opening piece shows us just what revolution has resulted in, historically, for Mexico.

Patricia Riggen (La Misma Luna) provides via Beautiful and Beloved (above), a pointed story of a Mexican-American woman, her father, relatives, a lawyer and a funeral director -- and their relationship to both the US and Mexico. Funny, smart, sentimental and moving, Riggens' film speaks volumes in few minutes. With Lucio, Gael Garcia Bernal tackles the relationship of religion and revolution, as well as how revolutionaries are made. Tightly focused and beauti-fully filmed, this is a strong little movie and, along with his earlier Déficit, indicates that Bernal may yet become a director of note.

The Hanging Priest (above), from Amat Escalante and filmed in black-and-white, takes us to what appears to be a historical time, as two children on a donkey come upon a very odd sight in the desert. Well-played, the little film works as symbolism -- about the church and Mexico's next generation -- even as it suddenly brings us face to face with now, and what is next.

The most brilliant piece in the bunch comes from a filmmaker about whose work I've been rather "iffy" till now: Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light). His This Is My Kingdom section of Revolución, however, is so stunning that I'm in awe. The filmmaker simply shoots, documentary-style, the gathering of a horde of people from what looks like upper-middle class to lower, on some sort of holiday (Day of the Dead, maybe?) and catches snippets of their conversation. As day goes to night, activities grow crazier and the talk turns ugly. By the end, you may have quite a different notion of what revolution could bring.

In The Estate Store by Mariana Chenillo, whose award-winning Nora's Will open theatrically in NYC this coming week), we get (along with Ms Riggens' film) the most plot-heavy tale, and it's a good one. A love story blossoms in what looks like a fairly typical supermarket (think Gigante), but which, if the title is any indication, is actually owned in such a manner that its workers exert less control over their lives than the owners. Initially full of promise, joy and budding love, by the end, the tale has tuned into something darkly socio-economic in which the personal is political in a pointed, nasty way. Revolución, indeed.

R-100, which I guess is a particular Mexican highway (which probably will have its own immediate ramifications for Mexican viewers, but which escape this gringo), by Gerardo Naranjo (I'm Gonna Explode), is a short tale in which one member/level of society uses another, uses another, uses another. It's ugly, and the fact that we know almost nothing about any of the characters shown may be the point.  Faceless, useless, and users all, they prey -- out of necessity. The graffiti on the wall of the bridge maybe be a bit unsubtle but it makes its point.

The title of 30-30 evidently comes from a revolutionary song which has found its way onto beer and other commercialized uses, and this is the point of the film by Rodrigo Plá (La Zona), one of the richest and perhaps the longest of these short films. Here, the now-aged grandson of a revolutionary (I think it was Pancho Villa -- or maybe Emiliano Zapata) has been asked by the government to take part in ceremonies all around the nation. He does, and what he observes is a not-unexpected media circus. But given the history and continuing downward trend of this country, it's particularly depressing. Real estate, con artists, emigration and family unite in Pacifico, the fine contribution of Diego Luna (actor, producer, director and now writer) to this collection, in which a man trying to find a paradise for his family, comes to a sad but important realization. 

In 7th and Alvarado, directed by Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and Child), we are back in Los Angeles again, in the film that closes Revolución on a note of exquisite beauty and sadness. With no dialog, and using some stunning visuals, Garcia joins the Mexican-born population of this particular area of L.A. to its own past in a manner that, as this very short and elegiac movie draws on, is heartbreaking in its refusal to say more than simply this:
Watch, remember, and understand.

I hope that Revolución will find distribution in the USA, at the very least on DVD.  It plays at the NY Film Fest one time only, this evening, October 9, at 5:30 in Alice Tully Hall.  Check for tickets here.