Dying Breed (2008)

Rating: 8

Director: Jody Dwyer
Release Date: 6 November 2008 (Australia)

Dying Breed is a bit slow through the first half with not a whole lot happening but it makes up for that in the second half. I really enjoyed it.

After the death of her sister in Tasmania, Nina and her friends travel there to finish what her sister started. They are trying to find proof that the Tasmanian Tiger still exists. Instead, they find proof that cannibalism still exists.

Dying Breed is well acted and overall a pretty cool movie. Not a lot happens in the first half but the gorgeous scenery makes it entirely watchable. Once the action starts, it's bloody good fun. There are some really creepy characters....specifically the little girl and the old 'Pieman'. In my opinion, this one is definitely worth a watch.

Martyrs (2008)

Rating: 6.5

Director: Pascal Laugier
Release Date: 3 September 2008 (France)

Martyrs is a brutal French horror film. It has an interesting story and some great acting.

It starts out in 1971 with a child, Lucie, breaking free of the torture chamber she had been held in. She's taken to an orphanage of sorts and there she befriends Anna. Then the movie flashes forward to the present day and Lucie wants revenge for the abuse and torture she suffered as a child. With Anna's help they try to get that revenge. Things don't go according to plan though and both the girls and us, the audience, are in for some surprises. We find out what all that torture was for. It was all for a very specific reason.

Martyrs has a very good story for a horror movie. It is sad though to see what Lucie and Anna go through. It's obvious that Lucie was deeply scarred both physically and mentally by what happened to her as a child. While I thought it was a good story, it's really not one I think I'd watch again. Like I said, it was brutal. It had some pretty scary, edge-of-your-seat moments which were pretty cool. Overall, if you aren't bothered too much by watching torture (it is only a movie after all) and you can handle some goriness, then this is worth checking out. But be warned....it's very sad.