One of the most satisfying things about about doing a movie review website is the very welcome international flavor comes through every so often. After going through the generous amount of screeners that we get on a weekly basis it's always a pleasant surprise to discover a talented artist that I had never new existed. Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Rooms For Tourists, 36 Steps, Penumbra) is one of those few that make this reviewer dance like a giddy schoolgirl. The Spanish born, Argentina based writer/director has been working on his craft for several years and now, thankfully, folks outside of Argentina will see his work with Dark Sky Films release of Cold Sweat.
Buy Cold Sweat on DVD
Bogliano's Cold Sweat centers around a young man named Roman (Facundo Espinosa) who's in search of his kidnapped ex-girlfriend. Roman finds her, but hardly under the circumstances he could have ever expected. A pair of senior citizen psychos (Omar Gioiosa and Omar Musa) have her coated in nitroglycerin that's been mixed from a large quantity of dynamite that the old codgers have been hiding in their house of horrors since their days as right-wing terrorists. Along with his female friend, Roman goes head to head with these clever evil doers, who instead of using axes or knives make use of the dynamite and even some acid filled needles that are at their disposal. Surprisingly, this duo has been at these shenanigans for years and unlike many septuagenarians have learned to use a computer for social networking - where so much of their prey are.
Visually, Cold Sweat looks excellent. Bogliano's taken a small location and created what really is almost an eerie mansion. Ninety-percent of the film is shot with little light, but it's done so masterfully done that nothing important is obscured. There's even a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (referred to in the audio commentary) that makes the exploration of this creepy house that much more difficult for our hero.
Cold Sweat's biggest strength is that it manages to be utterly unnerving and disturbing in many scenes but at the same time be humorous without losing the effect. Omar Musa is pretty brilliant in his portrayal as the maniacal, math equation spouting, walker-using bad guy. Much of the humor just comes from his delivery of his lines and you can easily tell he relishes his every moment on screen.
Dark Sky Films has added several extras to the mix for this release in the form of deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes, a trailer, commentary and storyboards. The commentary is very good, especially for a solo commentary. Bogliano's English is pretty sharp and he's full of interesting stories surrounding the production. He even gives some background into Argentina's film history and it's politics that should engage listeners.
Cold Sweat is an entirely unique venture into horror that makes me appreciate what kind of talent we have outside the U.S. Much like Alexandre Aja (High Tension) , Bogliano shows a rare talent that's refreshing to see in genre film. Highly Recommended.
Be sure to check out our recent interview with Cold Sweat Director/Writer Adrian Garcia Bogliano by clicking right here: Interview: Adrian Garcia Bogliano
No comments:
Post a Comment