Halloween II
(27.02.13) - Picking up directly from the end of the first film, Laurie Strode is taken to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital whilst Dr Loomis tires to track down the masked murderer in the streets of the town. But as the police and media whip the town up into a frenzy, in the quiet surrounds of the hospital, a figure in a boiler suit and a white mask is stalking the nursing staff and the one particular patient from the shadows. In this sequel to the classic film, it has a very similar look and feel as the first film, but somehow lacked a little of it's charm. The film was still very good, but the things that made the first film stand out were somewhat lost in the first half of second one. The town had too many characters and people milling about, loosing some of the feelings of isolation of the first film and the tought focus on a small group of central characters. That said, in the second half which focussed more on the hospital, it did regain some of the feeling of the desperate attempts to escape the relentless pursuit of the masked maniac and scale the heights set by the first film. It is definitely a film of two halves, but thankfully one which builds to a very satisfying final chapter and excellent pay off.
Halloween
(26.02.13) - 15 years after murdering his sister, Michael Myers escapes from an asylum and heads back to his home town of Hadonfield, where he stalks Laurie Strode. Wearing a Halloween mask and hiding in the shadows, he waits for nightfall before starting to butcher the teenagers of the town in his relentless pursuit of Laurie, which builds to a terrifying crescendo. What can I say about this film that has not already been said before? This is an absolute classic and the seminal slasher film. Despite it's age, it still stands up as one of the greatest horror films of all time and still, despite the number of times I have seen it, it continues to have the ability to set me on edge. The music is a particular highlight and just the opening few bars of the theme tune makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The relentlessness of the threat is so well conveyed and Michael Myers emotionless masked "face" remains the stuff of nightmares. The suggestion of a figure in the distance or in the background works so well and the atmosphere is as tight as anything I have seen. The real winner in this film is the feeling of isolation you share with Laurie Strode and the fact that that tension is cranked up over the first two thirds of the film leading to an incredibly satisfying final act. The film only has three deaths in it, and the simplicity is the key to the film. Just a man using his hands, a kitchen knife and brute force makes this a realistic and believable killer and brings the film into the realms of realism lacking from other more "supernatural based" horror classics. It also shows that you do not need clever traps (a la the Saw franchise) or elaborate blood, guts and gore sequences (most generic horror films) to make a film that is absolutely terrifying and as scary now as it was upon release over 30 years ago. In summary, an all time classic which benefits immensely from realism, simplicity and constant menace.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
(24.02.13) - Three drag queens unplug their curling wands and "go bush" in a huge pink bus christened "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Heading to perform a residency show in a casino, the three bitch, bicker and laugh their way to Alice Springs via the outback and a few outlying towns. Rediscovering their families, finding true love and cementing their friendship along the way, whilst "dressing up in women's clothing and mouthing the words to other people's songs", they discover what they all mean to each other. This film was watched off the back of seeing the stage show and did not disappoint. I reviewed this last year (see the Film 2012 section) and I would reiterate that review. This film was genuinely laugh out loud funny, touching, and had an underlying message about prejudice hidden between the laughs. The script is sharp, the performances were excellent, the costumes (rightly) won an Oscar and overall, it was massively entertaining. It is big, bold and great fun and a film which I could watch over and over.
Minority Report
(22.02.13) - In the near future, the Pre-Crime unit of the police force is used to prevent murders from happening before they are committed. By using the recorded images of the visions three "psychic" siblings, the Precogs, clues are identified to locate the murderer and intervene before it occurs. Believing that the system is infallible, a young officer finds that he is identified as a murderer in a vision of the Precogs and goes on the run from his colleagues. But is this all a conspiracy to roll out the Pre-Crime unit across the country or is he really a murderer? Whilst investigating this, he tries to establish whether the system is as infallible as everyone thought? This was a cracking sci-fi adventure from Steven Spielberg. The special effects have dated a little, but still look pretty impressive. The story was full of twists and turns, which I thoroughly enjoyed and there was plenty of action. It has been some time since I had watched the film, so I had forgotten most of it, which meant that it was like watching it again for the first time. Tom Cruise was good, the film had some dark undertones overall and was not the usual family friendly Spielberg film that we are used to. Written by prolific writer Philip K Dick, who also wrote Total Recall and Blade Runner, the excellent and original story made a highly enjoyable film.
Apollo 18
(19.02.13) -In the late 1960’s, three astronauts are sent to the moon on
a secret mission – so secret that their families are not even told. They task
is to plant listening devices on the surface of the moon to spy on the
Russians. The surprise discovery of the remains of a Russian cosmonaut and his
ship raises suspicion that the mission they were sent on has an underlying
purpose and a lack of communication with Earth raises the levels of paranoia.
But in the cold, dark shadows of the moon, something is stirring. This was a “found
footage” film, which, quite frankly, I expected to be terrible, given its poor
reviews and general reception. However, what I found was a decent enough film
which was actually quite enjoyable for what it was. The look and sound of the
film was very much in keeping with the footage of the era, slightly colour
washed and crackling “radio communication” sound and this provided an air of
authenticity to the proceedings. The acting was competent, if average and the extra-terrestrial
life was just visible enough to not engage in overkill. It was one of the
better found footage films in my view (although I am not a huge fan of the
genre generally speaking). It is certainly no cinematic masterpiece or a
pinnacle in storytelling, but overall, it was watchable fluff, which,
when watched in the right frame of mind, was enjoyable, if not forgettable,
nonsense.
[Rec] 3 - Genesis
(17.02.13) - A young couple who are in love have some very unwelcome gatecrashers at their wedding - a horde of the undead. As the reception gets ripped through by the flesh eating horde, pockets of survivors are isolated in different locations and the bride and groom are separated. Determined not to let "till death do us part" come true, they seek out each other whilst evading the reanimated corpses of their family, friends and guests. This was either a good or bad film, depending on how you watch it. If you watch it as a follow up to the [Rec} films, then you may well be disappointed. Set at round about the same time as the first film, albeit in a different location it has nothing in reality to do with the story arc of the first two films and ditches the "point of view" camera work in favour of a more traditional filming style. However, if you watch it, as I did, as a stand alone zombie film, then you have a nice hybrid of some initial "POV" camerawork which leads into a an enjoyable zombie romp, with some nice moments of gore, some interesting deaths and an almost tongue in cheek feel to the film. It seems to have been cashing in on the [Rec] franchise, which is a shame as it would have probably fared better as a stand alone film with it's own identity. I have to say that, watching it in the right frame of mind (which is the key to this film), I enjoyed it. It was not ground breaking and nothing particularly new in terms of the genre, but as a fun 80 mins, you could do a lot worse.
Rise Of The Guardians
(17.02.13) - Jack Frost, The (rather aggressive) Easter Bunny, Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and Mr Sandman all join forces against a powerful enemy, Pitch Black plans to turn all of the children's dreams into nightmares and be feared and recognised by the children of the world. Joining forces, the Guardians fight to save the world from darkness. But Jack Frost, who is unsure of who he is or why he has been chosen as a guardian attempts along the way to discover his past. I took my 5 year old nephew to see this fairly decent animated film. It started off a bit sluggish, but did improve towards the end (albeit it we missed the ending due to a "toilet trip"!). The CGI was impressive and the look of the film was overall pretty eye pleasing. The cast were all fairly good, but Chris Pine stood out as Jack Frost and Jude law excelled as the villain of the piece, with a slimy, over the top and slightly camp performance. The film was originally shown in 3D, and the directions of the film was clearly geared around that medium, meaning that it did loose something in 2D and leading to a high number of chase scenes which became messy and confusing. But overall, it was watchable. My nephew sat still and quiet and seemed to enjoy it which was all that mattered.
Frankie Boyle - The Last Days Of Sodom
(16.02.13) - Described as the Poet Laureate of broken Britain, this was a DVD of Frankie Boyle's 2012 tour. There is very little else for me to say other than it was an hour and half of a man standing telling jokes. That said - he is a very divisive comic, and you will either find it incredibly funny or think that these are not jokes at all, but are just filth and controversial bile. I have to say that I fall into the first category and find him hilarious, as his sense of humour is incredibly bleak, dark and sarcastic. This is a DVD which is not for everyone and you will either love it or hate it.
Looper
(16.02.13) - In the near future, time travel has not yet been invented, but it has in the future. A young man is employed by a crime boss as a Looper, an assassin who is told to be in the right place at the right time when a someone is sent back from the future to be executed. The looper lies in wait, shooting the victim as soon as they materialise. But all of the money, drugs and lavish lifestyle comes with a price - the loop eventually gets closed, and the looper is sent his future self to be executed. But when one of the looper's lets his future self escape, he goes on a mission to hunt his future self down. But his future self has his own agenda, which involves interfering with the future. This film was a very entertaining watch. It was very reminiscent of Inception, whereby it was a very clever story and a film which you have to carefully watch to get the most out of it. It was a complex sci-fi, but at the heart of it had characters who you actually cared about. The story was original on the surface, but when you dig into it, this could be classed as a slight twist on the basic story of "The Terminator", which is 29 years old. The special effects were excellent. The story telling was tight and intriguing, as the whole thing gradually built to it's climax and the narrative gradually and steadily built. Bruce Willis was excellently cast, although it was not a role which particularly required him to flex his acting muscles. The main criticism for me was that whilst he was perfectly adequate in his role, I just couldn't take to Joseph Gordon-Levvitt as a leading man. For me personally, he does not have the charisma or presence to command your attention - He just seems fairly bland and one dimensional. I have to confess to being slightly puzzled by him being pushed forward by Hollywood - I wonder if I am missing something? However, as said - he was perfectly adequate in the role and he did not detract from the quality of the film overall. This was a great little film and one which, I am sure, will get better with repeated viewings, as the subtle clues and pointers become more apparent.
The Phantom Of The Opera
(14.02.13) - A young chorus girl, Christine Diaz, is plucked from the backing dancers and groomed for stardom at the Paris Opera at the turn of the century. But the person pushing her forward is a violent and mysterious man, known as The Phantom Of The Opera, who is a tortured genius. His obsessive love for Christine is disturbed by her meeting and falling in love with a Viscount. As his obsession grows increasingly dark, the Phantom plots to win Christine's love for ever. This was a film of the 25th Anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and is a straight run of the stage show. With over 300 cast members and a lavish set and costumes, they had clearly pulled out all of the stops on this performance and it was magnificent. Ramon Karim was excellent as the Phantom and there was not a weak link anywhere in the cast. But the star of the show was Sierra Boggess who played Christine, with her flawless voice and standing ovation worthy performance. This DVD was an absolute pleasure and joy to watch, it's running time flew by and I absolutely loved it. I have to say that the production of the show itself was not as atmospherically staged as the one I saw recently in the theatre (which was perhaps one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen), but that aside, it was an almost perfect two hours with a cast who were incredibly talented and sang beautifully.
Die Hard 4.0
(10.02.13) - John McClaine finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time again, when he is sent on a routine duty of collecting a young computer hacker and delivering him to the FBI. But a crazed computer genius is running a "fire sale", by bringing the USA to it's knees by cutting off the power, causing planes to be grounded, the roads to be gridlocked and controlling the media. But he also has an ulterior motive. This film was much better than expected. It is more of a generic action flick, as opposed to a Die Hard film, but it was entertaining. The action came thick and fast, Willis was his usual wisecracking self and the stunts were grossly over the top. But the reality of this film is that if you turn off your brain, don't expect too much and look forward to some fights, car chases, explosions and completely unbelievable end sequence, with a health dose of suspension of belief you have a decent couple of hours of fun.
Silence of the Lambs
(09.02.13) - Whilst trying to track down a serial killer who has abducted the daughter of a senitor, Clarice Starling, a young trainee FBI agent becomes embroiled with Dr Lecter, a cannibalistic psychologist who resides in the most secure of institutions. Exchanging personal information for a psychological profile of the killer, Starling becomes increasingly drawn into Lecters world. This film is simply outstanding and is one of my favourite films of all time. This top notch thriller is one which gets better every time I watch it. The performances are outstanding, not just from Hopkins and Foster, but from all of the supporting cast. the story is excellent, fast paced and gripping. The script is detailed yet accessible, the direction is very well done and the tension is cranked up at every opportunity. Like Seven, the film leaves aside the blood and gut and allows suggestions to be made to the viewer, which allows the mind to work overtime as to what has happened. This is where the film works best - as a psychological thriller which engages the viewer to feel empathy for the main characters, and even to Lecter and Buffallo Bill - the serial killer. It is hard to believe that this film is over 20 years old, as it has not really dated and still, in my view, stands as a benchmark for a good thriller. It is, however, a shame that the sequels, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising, left such a nasty taste in the mouth following this top notch classic.
Stake Land
(08.02.13) - A vampire plague has ravished the world and, following being saved from a vampire attack where his family is killed, a young boy travels across the American backwoods with a drifter, named "Mister" in their attempt to find the safety of New Eden. The plague has spread and they are constantly on guard from attacks from the un-dead. But when they kill two men who were attempting to rape a nun, one of them turns out to be the son of the leader of a religious fanatical group who believe that the plague is God's way of cleansing the Earth, they find themselves on the run from "The Brotherhood" as well as the vampires. Finding safety in pockets of blockaded townships on their way, they band together with others in their search for safety. This vampire road movie was excellent and highly original. It was told from the perspective of the young boy and packed an emotional and powerful punch. The film reminded me in many ways of "Exit Humanity", in so far as it had excellent action scenes, but the piece was a character driven film whereby you become involved in the lives and emotions of the characters on screen. The film was downbeat and you felt yourself sharing the isolation and increasing feeling of hopelessness being portrayed, assisted greatly by the muted colour tones of the film. Excellent performances from the cast assisted greatly, but the films strength was in it's writing and direction. Never straying too far into the clichéd post apocalyptic world, the film remained grounded and was all the better for it. But where the film excelled was in it's ability to not sacrifice emotion for action and not to sacrifice action for emotion. An excellent and surprising film, and the perfect companion to Exit Humanity in terms of bringing something different to the genre. Highly recommended.
Leap Year
(08.02.13) - A successful career woman in Boston is expecting that her cardiologist boyfriend is going to propose, but when he doesn't and he flies off to Dublin for a conference, she decides that she is going to surprise him and fly to Dublin herself to uphold the tradition of a woman being able to propose on February the 29th. But when her plane is forced to land outside Dublin, she finds herself in a tiny village where the landlord reluctantly agrees to drive her to Dublin. But as they travel across the Emerald Isle, will she still want to propose by the time she reaches Dublin? Well, it is no surprise from the outset of this film as to exactly how this film will pan out, but as is often the case, it is not the destination but the journey. The comedy was amusing rather than funny, but the leads were wholly engaging and likeable (with great on screen chemistry) and the scenery was beautiful. This "by numbers" rom-com was wholly clichéd, predictable and unoriginal, but despite this, and despite how unoriginal the story and premise was, that seemed to fade into insignificance given that for some reason this film was utterly charming. It will never be a classic, it will never win any awards, but for some entertaining, easy watching you could do a lot worse.
Apocalypse of the Dead
(05.02.13) - Following an accident during a military exercise, a gas is released which causes the dead to come back to life. In other parts of the town, a religious nut is preparing himself for Armageddon, a prisoner is being transported to the airport for extradition and a group of young fun seekers are having car trouble. They are all forced to band together after finding themselves trapped in an abandoned police station and surrounded by zombies who are hungry for flesh. This film has taken some watching. When I first started to watch it, it looked like a bad 80's low budget zombie movie. But despite it's bad dubbing and poor acting, it just seemed to grab me, but by that time of night and a little worse for wear with the vino, I stopped it. Cue three more aborted attempts as a result of tiredness following starting the film. But at last, I managed to sit and watch it all without being too drunk to concentrate or too tired that I slept through most of it. So, was it worth the effort? In short, yes it was. I did enjoy the film a lot. It was very reminiscent of the Dario Agrento school of horror and more than a little like the Dawn of the Dead/Day of the Dead films from the late 70's/early 80's. It has a real charm to it in it's presentation. The direction was average, the acting was cringe-worthy at times, but the low budget special effects were excellent - lots of zombies ripping chunks of flesh from people's necks, vomiting blood, walking around holding their intestines in their hands and plenty of shots to the head. The whole thing had an air of the video nasties of the 80's (along the lines of Zombie Flesh Eaters, Cannibal Apocalypse etcetera) and was just good fun. To say that I bought this from the pound shop, it was a quid well spent.
Psycho
(03.02.13) - Marion Crane steals $40,000 from a client at the property shop she works at and flees out of town to her lover so that they can start a life together. Her paranoia starts to get the better of her, as she is followed by a policeman, exchanges words with a car salesman and is spotted by her boss as she is leaving town. Pulling into a motel on a rain soaked night, she is befriended by the pleasent owner of the Bates Motel. But after she hears the berating of him by his mother who lives in the sinister house overlooking the guest rooms, things take a murderous turn. All the while, a private investigator, her sister and her lover are all trying to find where Marion is and as the tension builds, the truth behind Norman Bates' domineering mother is revealed. What can I say about this film that has not already been said. Watching it off the back of "Hitchcock" (see below), this film was just great. The slow building tension, the master-class in suspense and film direction, the camera tricks used to imply the violence and the excellent cast all combine to make this one of the all time greats. Not as shocking now as it was on release, the film unfortunately suffers from an over-familiarity, such is it's relevance in popular culture and I found myself wishing that I could go back and watch it afresh, not knowing anything about it. That said, the whole thing was just outstanding and it is easy to see why this is such a classic. I did really appreciate the performance by Anthony Perkins on my viewing this time round. His turn as Norman Bates is subtle, but therein lies the genius of his performance. It is very understated, so understated in fact, that you don't actually realise how good he really is. This film was hugely enjoyable and still remains one of the greatest films ever made. It does make me wonder why I don't revisit it more often.
Hitchcock
(03.02.13) - Despite the critical success of his past, Alfred Hitchcock struggled to find inspiration until he reads the novel "Psycho". He became enthralled with the idea of making the film and struggled to find backing, so financed the film himself. Juggling co stars, financial pressures and his obsession with his leading ladies, his home life suffers and his supportive wife feels the strain of the pressure that they are under. This film followed the behind the scenes story of the making of a true cinematic masterpiece. It is surprising just how hard Hitchcock fought to bring this to the screen and as a piece of Hollywood history, the film in itself is immensely satisfying and informative. But the film also has a sub story, namely the strain the filming of Psycho places on his relationship with his wife, who had always stood by him and his view of her friendship with a screenwriter. Seeing the strong professional man contrasted with the vulnerabilities of the man behind closed doors was very interesting too. To be honest, there was little in way of narrative to the film itself, as it simply moved forward as a character driven piece. But what an excellent film it was. The performances were superb. Anthony Hopkins was perfectly cast as Hitchcock and his performance was , on my view, Oscar worthy. Furthermore, Helen Mirram was equally outstanding as his long suffering wife. The supporting cast were incredibly good and each and every one of them were unbelievably like their real life counterparts. The direction was more than competent and the thing that struck me about the film was how I was hooked and wholly suckered into the film from the very first scene, through to the closing credits. The running time flew by and I was sad to see it end. I don't know what it was about the film that I loved so much - I simply can't put my finger on it - but it was a joy from start to finish. The whole thing was shot so sumptuously and with such a realistic approach. It looked beautiful. The script was sharp, the characters well developed and rounded and the period costumes were spot on. This is easily on par with Les Miserables as one of the best films I have seen so far this year and I have no doubt that this will end up in my top 12 of the year. I can only assume it was too late for this year's Academy Award nominations.
The Woman
(01.02.13) - An arrogant lawyer lives the seemingly ideal lifestyle, but hidden behind the smiles and perfect family is a brutal man. Whilst out hunting, he comes across a feral woman in the woods, who is the last of her tribe. He captures her and keeps her chained up in the basement, attempting to "civilise" her, but also subjecting her to torture and rape. His family start to fall apart as a result of his growing obsession with this woman and the example he sets to his young son becomes questionable. But his treatment of all of the women in his life lead to a situation whereby the situation ends up out of control and "the woman" is loose. This was a very surprising film - firstly, it was beautiful to look at and very well directed. Secondly, it had a very interesting use of sound, with many sounds being multi layered over each other to provide a very unusual atmosphere. Thirdly, the soundtrack was very good and fitted the film perfectly. Finally, it was a really good character driven horror. Not so much a gore-fest, but instead, a very intriguing observation of the internal collapse of a family and the brutality within it. There were dark(er) undertones of sexual abuse implied and the film did have a very feminist message underneath it all. In some ways, it was My Fair Lady for the Fangora generation, and was a powerful, surprising and high quality film which I enjoyed immensely.
The Square
(01.02.13) - A woman with an abusive, violent criminal husband and a man trapped in a loveless marriage embark on an affair. Discovering a bag containing a huge amount of money, the woman plans to flee with the adulterous lover in tow, but in an attempt to conceal the theft of the criminal proceeds, they pay someone to burn the house down. But the plan fails and the criminals mother is accidentally burned to death in the house fire and the fact that the money is missing and not burnt is discovered. This leads to blackmail, murder and backhanders from an assortment of criminals, the arsonist and deadbeats. But the couple still plan to escape, but in trying to cover their tracks, the stakes get higher and events become more and more complicated. This was a strange film. It had good intentions, but never came off as the film noir thriller it thinks it is or would like to be. The plot twists come thick and fast and it did keep you guessing as to the identity of the blackmailers and as to whom was going to meet their end next, but it became so full of twists and turns that it lost it's way, building up into a strange and ridiculous ending which became overblown and silly. The film was plodding and the only events seemed to be the twists that were shoehorned in almost as a way to jolt the viewer back into being interested in what was happening. It wasn't good, it wasn't terrible, it was just plain average.