2012 Viewing Journal #6

"Intruder"

I was introduced to 'Intruder', a little 1989 horror flick written and directed by Sam Raimi acolyte Scott Spiegel, by way of a dupey, grey market VHS tape of the workprint, a holy grail of sorts at the time, because of the movie's innovatively gory murder set pieces, including grue cut by the MPAA in the general release tape.

This release, by Synapse Films, includes that VHS sourced cut, as well as a new digitally remastered version of the true director's cut. Such a great release of a terrific indie treat.

"Warrior"

With the exception of a ill conceived split screen training montage, I found Gavin O'Connor's 'Warrior' to be a near flawless movie. With the genius of giving us TWO contenders for whom to root, 'Warrior' tells the story of a broken family which can only be repaired by brute force. Moreso than even 'Rocky', it creates relationships that feel genuine - between brothers and their father, between husband and wife and most successfully, between brother and brother.

After a series of satisfying narrative conclusions, fight climaxes and empathetic resolutions, the 2 hour and 20 minute movie left me exhausted, physically and emotionally.