The Infernal Machine Review: Guy Pearce Anchors A Twisty Thriller That Can't Quite Stick The Landing
For better and worse, there's more than meets the eye in "The Infernal Machine."
The ever-reliable Guy Pearce shines as the haunted Bruce Cogburn, a reclusive writer hiding out in Southern California over twenty years after first hitting the bestseller lists for his breakthrough novel, "The Infernal Machine." The traumatic reasons why he's shunned the world and never written a single follow-up to such an influential novel remain at the forefront of the story, thanks to the chilling cold open narration of a (seemingly unrelated) decades-old crime, and especially the disturbing deluge of letters sent to Cogburn from an obsessive fan. Pushed far enough to actually call up the mysterious William DuKent and leave a polite-but-firm message asking to be left alone, the script steadily turns the screws until the hidden danger of Cogburn's fixated and unseen admirer practically fills each frame.
Written and directed by Andrew Hunt and based...
The ever-reliable Guy Pearce shines as the haunted Bruce Cogburn, a reclusive writer hiding out in Southern California over twenty years after first hitting the bestseller lists for his breakthrough novel, "The Infernal Machine." The traumatic reasons why he's shunned the world and never written a single follow-up to such an influential novel remain at the forefront of the story, thanks to the chilling cold open narration of a (seemingly unrelated) decades-old crime, and especially the disturbing deluge of letters sent to Cogburn from an obsessive fan. Pushed far enough to actually call up the mysterious William DuKent and leave a polite-but-firm message asking to be left alone, the script steadily turns the screws until the hidden danger of Cogburn's fixated and unseen admirer practically fills each frame.
Written and directed by Andrew Hunt and based...
- 9/20/2022
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Here’s the holiday musical you’re looking for — if, say, you like a splash of gore and a parade of flesh-eating zombies between musical numbers. Eat your heart out, Mary Poppins! Literally! Set in Scotland during Christmas season, in the perfectly named town of Little Haven, Anna and the Apocalypse knows it’s a horror-comedy-musical throwaway and proceeds to lean heavily into the curve. You’ve never heard of the actors, which also helps. And director John McPhail (Where Do We Go From Here) keeps the movie speeding over...
- 11/28/2018
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Can high school students sing and dance their way to safety during a zombie cataclysm in small-town Scotland at Christmas time? That’s the delightfully crazy and highly entertaining question in “Anna and the Apocalypse,” a horror-musical-comedy loaded with cartoonish gore and peppy production numbers performed with full “let’s put on a show” gusto by an appealing cast of little-knowns. Although this combo of carnage, crooning, and comedy is just a tad overlong, it has the originality and crowd-pleasing energy to become a Christmas movie hit when it opens theatrically in the U.K. and U.S. just in time for the holidays.
“Anna” registers as more than just a throwaway novelty item thanks to simple yet highly effective emotional underpinnings. For the first 15 minutes there’s not a drooling ghoul in sight. We’re in classic, John Hughes-style teen movie territory, with singing and dancing added. Anna, played...
“Anna” registers as more than just a throwaway novelty item thanks to simple yet highly effective emotional underpinnings. For the first 15 minutes there’s not a drooling ghoul in sight. We’re in classic, John Hughes-style teen movie territory, with singing and dancing added. Anna, played...
- 7/23/2018
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
Etheria Film Night is a one-night event showcase of the best new horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, and thriller films from emerging female directors, headed by the tireless trio of Heidi Honeycutt, Stacy Hammon, and Kayley Viteo.
Several fun events led up to the festival – including the "Dress My Mess" shopping extravaganza sponsored by local vintage clothing stores and a fabulous dinner for the filmmakers and festival peeps hosted by Mo Fitzgibbon.
When the big day finally arrived on Saturday, July 12, 2014, everyone was primed to check out Axelle Carolyn’s feature film debut (and the featured selection), Soulmate, at the historic Egyptian Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, CA.
In Gothic horror tradition, the story follows an emotionally fragile, recently widowed young woman named Audrey (Anna Walton) after she moves to the countryside to pause and reflect before getting her life back on track. When she realizes the cottage she’s renting is haunted,...
Several fun events led up to the festival – including the "Dress My Mess" shopping extravaganza sponsored by local vintage clothing stores and a fabulous dinner for the filmmakers and festival peeps hosted by Mo Fitzgibbon.
When the big day finally arrived on Saturday, July 12, 2014, everyone was primed to check out Axelle Carolyn’s feature film debut (and the featured selection), Soulmate, at the historic Egyptian Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, CA.
In Gothic horror tradition, the story follows an emotionally fragile, recently widowed young woman named Audrey (Anna Walton) after she moves to the countryside to pause and reflect before getting her life back on track. When she realizes the cottage she’s renting is haunted,...
- 7/13/2014
- by Staci Layne Wilson
- DreadCentral.com
Note: Photos included are not from the panel.
On Saturday, a teaser was revealed for a Warcraft film. The brief footage will likely not appear in the final film. However, it was a bold statement by Legendary to make at Comic Con.
The teaser started with a watchtower that looked all too familiar.
Next we saw a medieval era soldier unsheathe his sword while focusing his attention on something else.
He looks over at the corpse of a fallen soldier and picks up a shield. As he picked up the shield, I heard people in the audience say, “No way”. The shield was recognizable for people who have played the game.
Next the camera was put behind a green orc and we hear him breathing heavily. We see the iconic orc axe and then the camera follows the orc as he charges the footman. The orc was CGI but he looked pretty good.
On Saturday, a teaser was revealed for a Warcraft film. The brief footage will likely not appear in the final film. However, it was a bold statement by Legendary to make at Comic Con.
The teaser started with a watchtower that looked all too familiar.
Next we saw a medieval era soldier unsheathe his sword while focusing his attention on something else.
He looks over at the corpse of a fallen soldier and picks up a shield. As he picked up the shield, I heard people in the audience say, “No way”. The shield was recognizable for people who have played the game.
Next the camera was put behind a green orc and we hear him breathing heavily. We see the iconic orc axe and then the camera follows the orc as he charges the footman. The orc was CGI but he looked pretty good.
- 7/21/2013
- by Alex Corey
- LRMonline.com
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