The set up is ok, but then this degenerates into torture, which is unpleasant, but not really scary - because there is no substance to this. Like many horrors it thinks making you feel uncomfortable about things is scary, but although it is not too graphic (some of the nastiest bits aren't shown in detail) frankly I just didn't care what happened to the characters. Not as smart as it thinks it is, though the twist at the end and the scene in the middle of the credits make it a bit more interesting. Overall this took elements of many movies, but didn't gel them togethor to make a convincing whole.
Reviews
139 Reviews
The Great Ghost Rescue
(2011)
Poor adaptation of a great book
20 January 2022
I Loved this book as a child, but apart from some of the main characters, this bears little resemblance to that book. I can understand the desire to update the story, but this just doesn't really engage. Kids might like it, though. But not fans of the original book.
Rebecca
(I) (2020)
Beautiful
25 October 2020
I saw this film with no expectations - I had heard of the book, but not read it nor seen any other version of it. And I loved this film. It is beautifully shot, and I think the performances gave all the characters some depth and sympathy. The negative reviews seem to split into two camps - its not as good as the book, or not as good as Hitchcocks version. Its always an issue with adaptations/reakes that people come to it with expectations, and then judge against how well ti measured up to those. But Having none, I judged this film purely by what was on the screen, and I would highly recomend it.
Harry Brown
(2009)
Bleak
29 December 2019
Grim view of council estate life ruled by drug dealers, who deal out violence for kicks. Caine turns OAP vigilante following the death (or more likely - suicide by drug dealer) and this is realistically portrayed, including the old mans frailties. The violence in this is short, sharp, and graphic, not hollywood action film style, but realistically portrayed. A grim film, but compelling and well done.
Requiem for a Dream
(2000)
A well constructed cautionary tale
30 November 2019
This is a harrowing watch in places. But it is also well constructed. Camera angles are distorted, as are the images, to create a sense of the disorientation that comes with drug use. Edits are used to show the repetition of the drug taking itself, as well as the various arrests. And the various stories, none of which end well, are convincingly told, so that the downward spiral they all take - some due to choices to get high, some due to bad choices over dieting pills, are all convincing, if neccesarily going to the worst extreme. The soundtrack also adds to the disjointed ness and disorientation of the film. This is not for the faint hearted, but it is well acted, directed and written, to add up to an excellent piece of cinema.
The Cured
(2017)
A thoughtful Zombie flick
6 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is mainly about the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, so there is little actual zombie action until the last 20 minutes. But the story about how the cured are dealt with, as well as those Resistant to the cure, talks about how we treat those who are different to us. About the power of guilt and hate. And Redemption. A slow burn, and a very different take on the genre, but worth a watch. There are much less original and well done Zombie genre films out there.
The Unthinkable
(2018)
Confused but intriguing
29 October 2019
This is a bit of a mixed genre film, part romance, part action thriller, and both parts are done well, and work ok togethor. But there is a feeling if it had picked one or the other, and gone for it, the result might have been better. The acting is good, the set piece action is well done, but the script is a bit all over the place. Intriguing, and worth a watch, but it doesn't completely work.
Night of the Living Dead
(1968)
The start of the legend
27 October 2019
Romero's zombie movies are legendary, and it all started with this low budget work. Making use of obviously limited money for special effects, this still manages to disturb. Its also interesting to see elements of the zombies - using tools, fearing fire - which imply more intelligence than some of the later films portray (at least until Land of the Dead). Its lost some of its punch due to the later films better gore effects, but it is still possible to see the key elements which made the later films so popular.
The Pursuit of Happyness
(2006)
The Pursuit of money
27 October 2019
Its hard for me to like this film, as basically I distrust stockbrokers, as people who make money for nothing by gambling in ways which can, and does, destroy others lives when it goes wrong. So the happyness here is the pursuit of riches - which seems fairly shallow.
But Will Smith is excellent as ever, and the story has enough highs and lows to keep you engaged, even if the outcome is obvious. Well constructed, but hard for me to score higher.
First They Killed My Father
(2017)
A visual feast with plenty to chew on after it has finished
19 October 2019
This is a visually very interesting film as it uses lots of different styles of shots to tell the story - from almost POV to put you in the scene, to aerial views which distance yourself, but also are more aesthetic. The story itself is understated and shown rather than told, with a fairly minimal amount of dialogue. The story itself is tragic and fascinating, and as it is based on a true story, also horrifying. And whilst it bears comparison with The Killing fields, the fact that it shows how children were turned into soldiers and killers make it almost a counterpoint to that film.
Dunkirk
(2017)
Divisive work of art
14 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Reviews on here seem to love this film or hate it. Some of the criticisms seem churlish (it didn't talk about this or that aspect of the battle - well it isn't a documentary); others have perhaps some merit (the characters are pretty thin - but theyre thick enough I think). But I LOVE this film. I thought it was visually stunning, some of the action scenes (various ship sinkings in particular) are truly terrifying, the soundtrack was compelling and helped pace the story, and while there was not much dialogue, that was part of the point, and the structure of the storys intertwining is technically fantastic. I think the characterless ness of the main characters was to make them more of an everyman, rather than anyone in particular. It allows you to become emersed in the rollercoaster without having to keep track of complex characters arcs. And whilst some see that as a weakness, I see that as a strength. The point is to try and make this a visceral experience of the desperation and fear, and helplessness of those involved. And it does that extremely well.
The Girl with All the Gifts
(2016)
Zombie mushrooms
1 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Having the zombie disease spread as a Fungus is the main innovation of this film, but apart from the themes are similar - human zombie hybrid who may save the world; mad scientist willing to sacrifice everyone and everything to find the cure, military using dubious methods to control the infection. But that makes it sound quite generic, when actually there is a lot more going on here. This is one of the genres "quiet" zombie films where frenetic action and fighting for survival are not the main drivers of the film, but more an exploration of the central characters journey. The main character - one of the the afore-mentioned hybrids - is both terrifying, but also childishly disarming, with a cold logical approach to the situation, mixed with a child like playfullness. its well done, and well acted, and is a slow burner which will stay with you longer than some of the all action forggetable zombie films.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
(2017)
Spider man comes of age
6 August 2019
The basic story line is that after the Avengers gig, Spidey is mentored by Tony Stark, who effectively ignores him and lets him just be a normal kid.Except for giving him a new suit. When a new villain emerges, Spidey has to deal with him, but in so doing messes up enough that he losses the suit, and has to prove himself without it. This nicely meshes Iron man into the story as a mentor, and obviously sets up closer work for Spidey with the Avengers in the future. But it also stands alone as Spidey comes of age having to make tough choices. Well acted, with some good light heartedness fromSpidey, but also his school buddy,. This ages down Spidey - from older to younger teen - than some of the other version, but works well anyway.
NOT an Arthurian movie, an Arthurian skin on an average, if slick and big budget,fantasy movie
2 August 2019
The IMDB page reveals this was pitched as LOTR meets Snatch - and that sums it up reasonably well. But any claims to be an Arthurian movie are lost in that description, which is also accurate as they only provide a fairly thin covering for this fantasy film. The Arthurian elements are limited, and so minimal to the overall story line, they are effectively irrelevant - really only adding the names. Without them this is a fairly ok fantasy romp, with good effects, and some fancy editing, and some very obvious rip offs of LOTR (eg Camelots tower is very similar to the tower in Mordor, and Vortigerns magic aspect is basically the Balrog- there are others). The fancy editing makes things more interesting in terms of parallel scenes playing at the same time, but that doesn't really mask the limited depth of this other than to be an entertaining romp. Arthurian purists will (rightly) deride it as adding nothing to the genre, but if you can get past that, its not a bad popcorn movie.
The Running Man
(1987)
Daft fun
13 July 2019
Technically an adaptation of a book, but this has been so altered it is barely recognisable compared to the book. Its agood fun 80s action flick though, with enough 80s cheese to make you forget any nostalgia you might have. The action is reasonably well done, and its well paced. A popcorn action film and ok for that.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
(2018)
Whimsical and dark
12 July 2019
A simply constructed film, using a well worn linking device of each story being a chapter in a book. Each sorry has a light comic surface, but a darker heart lurking underneath. Beautifully shot and acted, and the stories are slightly off kilter, but also reasonably believable in their basic themes.
Mission of Honor
(II) (2018)
Lacklustre version of a compelling story
21 June 2019
This just doesn't really engage you. The action is dull, the special effects are ok, the movie generally is disjointed and unclear, the characters are not well rounded enough to care about that much. And its only because I read about 303 squadron that I knew what was going on. Otherwise I think I think I would have given up. Which is a shame as its a fascinating and tragic story.
Bohemian Rhapsody
(2018)
Great biopic and tribute
5 June 2019
As a Queen fan, there are enough songs in here to remind me why I loved them. But as I was never an obsessive fan, theres also a lot of story in here that makes it seem refreshing and interesting. The performances are all excellent, though I can't verify the trueness of the incidents - based on other biopics I suspect there will have been some fiddling. However, this feels like a balanced insight to their story, and one I enjoyed watching
Get Out
(I) (2017)
A modern classic
27 April 2019
This is a great film. Its original in its story line, well put together, building an unsettling atmosphere from early on which carries on even when it lurches into slightly daft horror. There is an undercurrent of black and very dry humour, which whilst not laugh out loud, is noticeable. The performances are all excellent, and the pacing excellent, and the cinematography is quirky and often visually striking. All round an excellent film.
Ghost in the Shell
(2017)
Good looking but fairly generic plot
26 April 2019
This looks great. The city scapes are well realised, the tech is well designed and looks cool, the special effects are well done. Design is an important element of a good film, but this is slightly let down by a fairly generic story - super soldier has a murky past, which they learn through the film. Its not bad, but its not that original. To be fair, in the original version of this, it probably would have been fresher, so this probably suffers due to the success of the original., and it being emulated since. But not having seen the original, I am only judging only this film and, whilst pretty good, it doesn't appear to be anything like the classic the original is held up to be.
Mr. Holmes
(2015)
A gentle investigation of Sherlocks last case
3 March 2019
A nicely understated film, which has all the twists of a Holmes story that you might expect, wrapped up in a warm hearted kitchen sink drama about an aged detective, and the relationship between him, his housekeeper and her son. All linked in with bee keeping. The story has a number of strands, but they are all interwoven seamlessly, so you don't become so engrossed about one that you forget the others.
Class of Nuke 'Em High
(1986)
Troma Trash
27 January 2019
Troma's set up was always to make films so bad they were good, but they haven't aged well. They were always just OTT daft films with poor SFX; ridiculous acting, and gratuitous nudity. The humours not funny, the actions poor, and the story is ridiculous. A great mix when I saw these as a teenager, but no longer really appealing.
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