Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I Bury The Living: Terrible Movies #25





25 bad movies reviewed in 18 days. While I don't believe that's any sort of record, it is a test of endurance for most people, and I think I may be buckling under the strain. Don't get me wrong, I've seen more than my fair share of bad movies. However, with the bitter cold, the howling wind, and the never ending snow; cabin fever may be setting in. I'm not sure I can tell what is "good" and what is "bad".

Take for instance the film I Bury The Living; a story about a man thrust into the role of figurehead of a cemetery, and when he puts pins in a map of cemetery plots the owners of those plots suddenly die. I didn't see any obvious gaffes or continuity errors. The film was consistent in its editing, and seemed competently directed. The acting was average for a film of its era, although the makeup was a little dodgy and the caretaker's brogue was tough to understand and seemed a bit forced. I was impressed by the cinematography at the end, which had some very interesting and unusual pin and/or headstone imagery. However, the action throughout consists of little more than excessive sweating, telephoning, cartography, and pin insertion and extraction. Does this make a film bad? It makes a film not very entertaining, but not especially bad. While I question the wisdom of building a bonfire inside a shed after barricading oneself in from fear of potential zombie reprisals, I don't think that particular moment would tag it as being "bad". I question the likelihood of getting one's overcoat snagged on a headstone and not being able to easily free oneself from it, but again I don't think that spoils the whole film. Overall, a less than average effort. On Netflix Instant Streaming.

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