Double Bill Mini Musings: Utterly Bizarre/Utterly Average...

Taxidermia:
What's it about?
A Hungarian film that concerns three generations of men, all of whom have their own twisted obsessions - sex, speed-eating, and taxidermy.
Who would I recognise in it?
You'd have to be a connoisseur of Hungarian film.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Bizarre, weird, disturbing, freakish, and more such words all work to describe (in the best possible way) this foreign language treat. It's a film about an idea - a strong central conceit of obsession - told across three individual, yet linked, tales. It's not a film for vegetarians, mind you - there's close up shots of hacked meat and organs galore. Strangely fascinating with a unique vision, Taxidermia can be a grimace-inducing ride, but ultimately it proves to be a satisfying endeavour. Grotesque, strange, controlled, and oddly beautiful in equal measure. Good.

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The Raven:
What's it about?
Murder mystery thriller set during the final days in the life of Edgar Allan Poe as a killer stalks the streets to enact scenes from the famous writer's grisly work.
Who would I recognise in it?
John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson and others.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
It might strike you as an odd fit to have John Cusack playing Edgar Allan Poe - and you'd be right, it is a slightly strange combination - and yet, as I've maintained for some time, if it's got John Cusack in it then it's worth seeing. Unfortunately The Raven turns out to be a fairly mechanical affair devoid of tension, suspense, or real intrigue. At first the references to Poe's work comes off as pretentious (much like in the deathly dull, under-written, throw-salami-at-a-wall-and-see-what-sticks TV show "The Following"), and I almost gave up on the whole affair, but I managed to stick with it for the duration. There are some nice Gothic trappings to the look and tone of the film, but in the end it all amounts to little more than an average thriller that's light on thrills. Plus, as an aside, the end credits are so out-of-place it's laughable - jagged CGI crows forming and deforming combined with a pounding piece of music from UNKLE - it simply doesn't fit in any way, shape, or form. Alright.