Tommy

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No

Uhhhhhhhh.....

Well out of all the rock operas about pinball cults, this is easily my No. 1.

Wetlands

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Amberly, Naomi, Nicole

Write Up.

Rock & Rule

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No

What an odd film. You know I don't actually like Rock and Roll. But I do like animation. This is a very dark film, and I mean that literally, a lot of flat black throughout. And the character designs are kinda cutesy (like much of Nelvana's television output) but the content is not, so it a strange mix. The voice acting isn't that great, they sound a little bored. But if you like the music you might enjoy this one. An odd cult film.

Space Pirate Captain Harlock

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I don't know the original material, I don't know how accurate or butchered this film is. It's got the usual problem I find with Japanese films and exposition dumps at really awkward times. They just seem to throw in new plots as they need them and then explain them as they go rather than organically setting up characters and situations ahead of time.

The story is a real mess and you don't really learn anything about the characters or care about any of them.

But who cares when everything looks this cool? It's so pretty. And I love my space battles.

Horns

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Amberly

Write Up.

So many genres they threw into this film...

The One I Love

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Amberly, Michael

Write Up.

It's so simple and so great. Love that soundtrack.

Big Hero 6

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Write Up.

So many easter eggs. Also, animating those micro-bots would have been nightmarish. Cute film though.

5 to 7

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Well here's another film I've managed to see early enough that I can't find a trailer for it to link to anywhere on the internet yet. Sorry about that.

It's a nice little romance where Anton Yelchin, playing a young writer trying to break into the business, meets and falls in love with a french woman only to find out she's married and has two children but the husband and her have an agreement that from 5pm to 7pm they are allowed to be with other people. Apparently it's some old french tradition.

Needless to say things start out wonderfully but as he falls more in love, the arrangement becomes problematic and is not enough for him.

The film has a great cast and is funny and sweet enough however the end becomes really clawing and saccharine, overusing the voice over and with more endings than Return of the King. Pity, because the start was alright.

The Babadook

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Jordan, Amberly

Write up.

Gotta keep your grief monster fed y'all.

Ida

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A quiet and steadily paced film, shot beautifully in black and white and in 4:3. The framing and composition is certainly unique. The story is simple and told in a very straight forward manner. There's something very subdued about it, like the main character, always shying away from the big moments and living quietly in between. A lovely little film.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Mum, Naomi, Rebecca, Tom, Cassie, Jordan, Amberly, Tamara, Gemma

And with that I guess the cinematic Middle Earth saga is over. Not surprisingly, it's the shortest film of the 6, as it's only really covering one chapter of the book. All the story points wrap up pretty quickly in the first 15 minutes and then... BATTLE.

I did not know that Billy Connolly had been cast in this film. Amusement.

The battle scenes here are, understandably, not as grand in scope as Return of the King. They do keep things interesting with multiple one on one fights in various terrains and the thematic reasoning for all these invented characters and subplots get payoffs, to varying degrees. I did like Thorin and Azog's final showdown. Boss Level.

And seeing the old guard kick some butt at the beginning was great fun too. That set up a bunch of other plot elements, that tied into Lord of the Rings, but I was kinda hoping we'd see more in this film after the battle. It appears the didn't want to multiple ending syndrome that Return of the King was criticised for and though there's a few jumps in time, it wraps up pretty swiftly.

I think this is a film that'll work better in a marathon, I'm glad I had recently seen Desolation of Smaug and everything was fresh because the film picks up right where we left and hits the ground running.

48fps 3D again. And once again after a few minutes, you're used to it. It's a very different look. I don't mind it so much for these films with their constant kinetic camera pans, it does help smooth them out. But for purists you've always got the option to see it normally, which is great.

It's strange because it feels a little lacklustre compared to return of the king, but really the scale is not meant to be anywhere near as big as that, and if you watched them in order, it'd progress well. It could also just be the CG battle action fatigue.

Big Hero 6

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Therese, Tamara, Naomi, Sam, Tom, Jess, Jim

Disney's first Marvel animated film. Gotta love synergy. Great to see a 3D animated action film that's filled with incredible visuals and designs. There were some segments where the world design and lightning look incredibly realistic. It's a pretty standard hero origin story, this time all our protagonists have the power of SCIENCE! Much like Tony Stark, they make their own tech.

And the heart of the film is Baymax, and the relationship between Hiro and his brother. There's enough touching moments to make you care and enough funny moments to make you laugh. The rest is some cool 3D action, so what's not to love?

As usual, there's an end credit scene, and a Stan Lee cameo. He now comes in animated form.

It's certainly a different kind of movie for Disney animation but one I hope they'll continue in between their usual endless parade of princess musicals.

Screens with a short, Feast, about a dog with an appetite. It was ok.

The Interview

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen make another bromance and this is probably their most cartoonish (until they release their ACTUAL cartoon Sausage Fest). The whole world of the film is a heightened reality filled with ridiculous celebrity cameos at the beginning, many pop culture references to Lord of the Rings and Katy Perry a lot of dick and poo jokes and gleeful violence they showed a knack for in This Is The End. 

It's a slight film. Silly and fun and doesn't really have anything big to say. I found it an enjoyable watch. 

To think that such a silly little movie has such huge implications is astounding. It truly boggles the mind. And that I can even watch it today when just two days ago it would have been an impossibility is also bizarre. The story surrounding this film is something we're still right in the middle of and the ramifications of it will be felt for a long time to come. 

The Imitation Game

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I seem to recall Tom Stoppard scripted a film about cracking Enigma a decade ago, and it was pretty good. This film however, focuses more on the life of the central man behind the story. We get to see a bit of his childhood and life after the war interspersed between the telling of the cracking of the code. He's an interesting character to follow and it is a fascinating story. Enjoyed the film.

Into The Woods

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tamara

Been waiting years for this one. I always imagined this show, probably my favourite musical, as a movie and now it is one. It's pretty good too. I already love the songs and story and the adaptation works well to distill it down, most of the cuts happening in the second act and entire characters and subplots gone.

Technically the film is pretty good, it feels very stage bound and limited, particularly in the second half but the lighting is always sumptuous. I figured they'd open it out more than they did, obviously even a big production like this has real budget limitations. Especially apparent when Red is eaten, or there are giants.

For the most part, we are still told stories by the characters rather than seeing them happen, the Baker standing in for the audience. The exception being Cinderella stopping time on the steps of the palace. That was kinda neat.

The cast all do well, and the singing is fine. Johnny Depp give a very Johnny Depp performance that will undoubtably annoy some, but he's not in the film much so it's not a big problem. Daniel Huttlestone, who plays Jack, has a really annoying speech impediment. Maybe it's just me that'll notice it.

All the small added lines and new parts excited me. There's certainly a lot I miss. Easily the audience favourite part will be the prince's duet Agony, which is brilliantly performed and choreographed and shot. Only a handful of other numbers feel as well staged. I know the musical slows down in the second half, once the ticking time clock of the quest has finished, plus they've truncated it even further in the adaptation, but the lackluster way the last third of the film ends with people standing around broken trees on a cramped soundstage singing at each other is a let down. The rousing finale is non-diagetic, simply thrown over the top of the scene. A real disappointing way to end, even if it does speed things up. None of those last songs hit as well for me because those themes aren't set up well at all. And I don't mean musical themes either, there's plenty of times the score plays music used later in song and even of deleted numbers, just to rub it in the face of people that know the score. I miss that Agony reprise, especially after the first time around word so well.

All in all, it's the musical I know and great to see on the big screen with nice little flourishes of inventiveness. The whole first half is very satisfying indeed, the second a little lacklustre but still an enjoyable experience overall. No doubt I'll have more to say on second viewing, but I'll leave it here for now.

In Order of Disappearance

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This is a dark and fun revenge thriller filled with some colourful characters. It's pretty straight forward plotting and the striking setting lends itself to the cold and stark story being told. It's a somber affair at the beginning but as the bodies start to pile up (accompanied by titles of who died when, hence the english title) and things get more out of hand, watching these characters unravel is pretty funny as well.

The film is anchored by performances from Stellan Skarsgård and Pål Sverre Hagen who, the more I see in films the more I enjoy watching him. He plays the main villain here and he looks like he's having a good time with this neurotic gangster character.

The ABCs of Death 2

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

The second in this anthology horror series. As usual, some great, some not so great with an interesting mix of known and unknown directors from around the world. Over all this is a much more serious affair than the first time around, there are less wild and outrageous segments although there are still plenty of comedic skits.

It goes along a quite a pace but there was a big lull in the middle with a bunch of shorts that just didn't connect with me. A good thing there were a bunch at the start and the end that were fantastic.

Julia's Eyes

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With:Andrew, Kate, Tyler

Write Up.

We Are the Best!

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Probably the most charming coming of age film about punk music I can think of. Very funny too. There's a great naturalism to the young cast and it all feels very authentic. A most enjoyable film with a slammin' finale that had me giggling all day. Delightful.

Get On Up

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another music biopic. And while it has much of the same tropes as every other music biopic it has fun telling it in a funky way. James Brown directly addresses the audience from time to time, jumping in and out of scenes and narration as well as constantly jumping back and forth in timelines in the middle of scenes, filling out backstory as it's needed. It keeps the film moving and never feels like there's a big chunk of exposition, or this is the sad part now, or this is when he turns it around and it all comes together.

I don't know much about the man's life but for sure it feels like while they cover a lot of ground they skip over large chunks as well. But while they don't make him a monster, they don't shy away from showing much of his darker side.

This wasn't particularly one I was looking forward to and while it didn't blow me away it certainly defied a lot of my expectations in how it was made, so that's great.

Batman: The Movie

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Unexpected Burgess Meredith double!

I grew up with this movie. I never understood how funny and camp it all was, it played as a completely legitimate action film to me as a 3 year old. It was only years later when I watched it again how utterly ridiculous and truly hilarious it all was. So great to own on bluray. So exciting someone finally cleared up all the rights issues and has released the original tv show on bluray too. I'm looking forward to checking it out for the first time.

Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.

So much joy.

Clash of the Titans

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

So great. A recent outing to the theatre put this film in viewing rotation.

Snowtown

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write up.

Daniel Henshall really is something to behold in this one.

The Water Diviner

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Keaton

Russell Crowe's directorial debut is an emotional and uplifting tale that does its job well and doesn't shirk the darker moments. It was a nice change to skip past the more cinematic battle sequences we are used to seeing and see the aftermath of a battle and linger painfully in it. I think the war scenes shown here are far more horrifying and effective because of this. 

In contrast to this, the romance between Crowe and Olga Kurylenko was a little problematic, I had a harder time accepting that that was actually happening or needed in the film. 

Technically it's done well too. Andrew Lesnie always makes good use of colour. This film was Yellow. 

Kingsman: The Secret Service

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Oh man, this movie is so ridiculously fun. An off the wall take on those wonderful James Bond spy tropes, done with gleeful irreverence. Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman adapt another Mark Millar comic book and deliver the most badass Colin Firth movie ever made. The dude kicks some serious butt and Vaughn delights in long takes of kinetic and gory action. So many exploding heads.

Then we have Samuel L. Jackson as our villain, some bold choices here that really do feel right at home in a comic book.

There's one or two moments of cheap looking CG but the rest of the film is so wonderful I don't really care.

I managed to see this film very early as well, so who knows, that could even be temp FX. At any rate, I don't want to say too much more, because this film is full of surprises that are best discovered on your own. Be sure to make this one a priority next year!

Dumb and Dumber To

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I've seen the first film just once. I don't really remember it or hold it in any high regard. Having just seen the second film I can claim the same. There were certainly one or two jokes I found amusing, in amongst all the crass slapstick. The plot seems inconsequential.

What was really annoying though, was seeing this early at an outdoor cinema with a scope screen when the film was shot wide and they didn't adjust the projector. So the entire film cropped off the top and bottom of the image resulting in some really terrible framing. No good at all.

Annie

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Warwick

I think I was gobsmacked through this entire film. Not in a good way. So many ill-concieved decisions. Cameron Diaz, just, what is going on. Jamie Foxx is the only cast member who can sing here but it doesn't really matter because they've rewritten all the songs to sound more like boring modern single chord pop tunes with repeated phrases rather than lyrics.

I don't really know the original musical that well but some of the adaptation decisions are truly baffling. The moral I get from this film is that private corporations monitoring our every move is lifesaving.

The funniest part of the film was the twilight-like parody film within the film. In the film it was attributed to Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. If they actually did make it, it would explain why it's the funniest part of the film. At least it was a distraction from the actual movie.

I must admit I did laugh all the way through the film. mostly because I was flabbergasted at how much this film feels like its own satire. Amazing.

Fell

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another Australian release I almost missed. I do love Daniel Henshall and Matt Nable is amazing front and centre here. Seriously great stuff.

I want to call this an art house revenge thriller but it's not really that. It's dreamlike and impressionistic at times, making great use of the striking landscapes. And as slow paced as it is, there's always an uneasy mounting of tension.

The resolution is one that develops organically, but even so, it's wonderfully refreshing and bittersweet. This is a small and quiet film but probably one of my favourite Australian films I've seen this year.

The Signal

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

William Eubank's follow up to Love is another interesting and esoteric low budget sci-fi. There's quite a bit more movement in this film compared to his first but it is still a slower paced and ponderous affair. It does feature some really lovely cinematography though. Again, there's a lot of interesting slow motion sequences that look beautiful. 

I don't think the story holds together as well here, it's a very simple set up, that's been stretched out with flash backs and interludes of artful photography. Actually, the story is fine I just think the ultimate pay off didn't satisfy me greatly.

There's a lot of really cool design work here though and I really love the look and even the feel of it. An interesting little number to be sure. Keen to see what he gets up to next. 

Unbroken

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Louis Zamperini's story is inspiring to be sure, and Angelina Jolie has surrounded herself with the most amazing creative team to help bring it to life so it looks and sounds pretty great. It was odd knowing the whole film was shot in Australia because all I could see was Australia when I was meant to be anywhere but. 

Some exposition scenes early on were a little hard to take, with characters seemingly only speaking in inspirational quotes that be useful later. My favourite segment was easily being adrift on the lifeboat. There's less dialogue and distracting scenery and more good character building and survival stuff. Once we get to the prison camps we just endure watching out lead get beat up until the end of the film. It's pretty brutal and engaging stuff that was hampered somewhat by a finale of captions on a black screen and a terribly cheesy song. 

Japanese pop star Miyavi plays the evil prison camp officer. It's a big performance. And they make him look like Johnny Depp in a Tim Burton film. Really took me out of the film. 

As much as I hate to trivialise a true story I just felt like this whole film is going through the motions of what a feel good war biopic needs to be. I didn't really connect to anything that was happening. Perhaps I'm to jaded. 

Mr. Turner

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Mike Leigh's biopic puts Timothy Spall front and centre. And it's an interesting character to watch grunting and groaning about light and colour. A contradictory man, comes of at times as a sweetheart and others a real pig. The supporting players have some interesting turns too. I really loved the maid whose skin condition get worse over the years the film takes place. Some great make up there.

The structure seems very episodic and it's hard to tie these disparate and sprawling scenes into a narrative thread, despite the long running time it has to do it. But really, the cinematography and interludes of scenery are so astoundingly beautiful it's worth a look for that alone. Also the score is just amazing. 

This really feels like a slice of life from 1830. And despite the structure and running time, it's engaging throughout. 

The Core

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Now in HD. Oh my god this movie is so stupid. Those FX really don't hold up too well.

Stranger By The Lake

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another quiet thriller. This one is very unnerving. It's also pretty explicit. There's no score, only one outdoor location and all the sound is recorded onset with an odd and eerie clarity.

This is a strange mix of a relationship drama and a thriller. And I'm still not sure how I feel about either of the two characters in the central relationship depicted. This one leaves you with a lot of things to think over and I might require another viewing. If I ever feel game enough. It's certainly very effective though. Definitely worth a look.

In Your Eyes

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

They made a movie from a 22 year old Joss Whedon script. As you can imagine, it's not exactly as polished or well thought out as his stuff now. But it's something that can be made for very little money. I like the two leads, they do what they can. As a romance it's problematic. There's some nice ideas that just aren't explored very well. It's an enjoyable watch though but it's slight.

Blue Ruin

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A wonderfully sparse revenge thriller that builds steadily from a quiet beginning to a bloody stand-off. Very little dialogue, especially in the first half and yet it's completely engrossing. A somewhat inevitable conclusion but it's certainly thrilling.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Michael, Keaton

Another one of these. This one once again has a huge list of stars doing small parts and a lot of vfx to make up for the stock standard story. Our protagonist's son has all grown up now so this is all about letting him go and saying goodbye. So the whole film is marked a little in sadness by the fact that it's also Mickey Roony's last film and Robin William's last on-screen role.

You should know what to expect from this one. If you're taking your kids to see it I'm sure they'll enjoy it. Just don't let them run up and play in front of the screen please.

Pioneer

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A tense paranoid thriller from Norway. An interesting true story to boot. The deep sea diving sequences are well created and full of tension. But that's a small part of a larger picture. The mystery can be a little slow at the beginning but it really ramps up and has a great 70's thriller vibe to it. Great stuff.

Birdman

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

I'd been anticipating this film for a while. It's certainly great fun. And yet I was surprised how simple the story is, it's one we've seen before but here, a lot of the fun is derived from the way the story is told and the characters/actors telling it.

I do like my one take wonders. And the majority of this film plays out in one long take, despite the jumps of time and on the odd occasion, location. There's also a few times they switch the camera being used because of lighting restrictions. Emmanuel Lubezki always delivers the goods.

A hectic backstage Broadway is the setting for our protagonists mental breakdown. The struggle with ego a tough one, especially for an actor. They make a very literal statement at the end of the film, a bold choice that's usually taken as metaphor. But that's the kind of film it is. filled with dream sequences and slips in and out of reality, made all the more interesting by the continuous take never quite letting you delineate which is which.

The cast across the board are wonderful. Michael Keaton is front and centre and it's great to have him back. Edward Norton seems to be having fun playing the method actor from hell. Emma Stone makes for a great brat.

Although the film was telling a simple tale it does so with flair and is very funny to boot. Nice kinetic drum score too. Really great stuff.

St. Vincent

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

You know how there are those little independent comedy dramas that get an oscar nod each year? Like Little Miss Sunshine? The slight but heart warming stories of every day people, populated by quirky characters. Well this is that. Only it feels so obvious and formulaic that it almost feels like a parody of itself. I think I laughed more at the film than with it.

I've never understood the fascination with Bill Murray either. The hype for this film just left me questioning again.

If you like cute kids or Melissa McCarthy or Naomi Watts PLAYING A CHARACTER then I'm sure you'll get something out of this.

The Maze Runner

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Maps to the Stars

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Cicely

David Cronenberg satires Hollywood. As you can imagine, it gets dark and twisted. It's also very funny. The cast are great and Julianne Moore looks like she's having a fun time. What's not to like?

I'll Follow You Down

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Unexpected Time Travel movie! Once again, I don't like the way they handle the time travel, but this is more of a family drama than a science fiction film.

Good cast, well shot. I think the drama was a little dry though. There really just wasn't that much to it.

Cottage Country

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Yeesh this made me really uncomfortable. I guess that means it works though. You can see where this one is heading pretty early on and there's no real surprises. Doesn't take long for the blood to flow. And then the escalation of lies and suspicions. You know it's not going to end well.

I do really like Tyler Labine though.

Autómata

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Interestingly enough, I was thinking about what turned out to be this exact scenario just a few days ago. Creepy.

The film accomplishes some pretty amazing stuff for its budget. It's very Isaac Asimov, and the robots reminded me a little of I, Robot as well. The sci-fi lover in me had a great time. It also helps that the film is beautifully shot and scored.

The human story interested me much less than the mystery of these robots. Some of the casting threw me a little but hey, it's still a great story with very impressive visuals and effects. Well worth a look for sci-fi fans.

Stretch

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

It's a crazy fun times movie from Joe Carnahan. Pacy, good cast, ridiculous escalation and some wild characters. One of those films where they put the protagonist in a pressure cooker situation and then watch him squirm as they thrown more obstacles in his way. Quite fun indeed. Check it out!

Lake Placid

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No

I saw this movie way back when, but really didn't remember much about it at all. Time for a refresher.

Yeah, it's fun. Not the greatest creature feature so I can see why I never kept it in as constant rotation as other films from the period but there's something cool about Stan Winston's creature effects and some early CG that'll do it for me.

Rob the Mob

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Modern(ish) day Bonnie and Clyde. A fun film, if a little predictable. Good cast too.

Here Comes the Devil

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This one's good and creepy. But so many crash zooms! Too many crash zooms.

The twists and turns in this one keep the mystery engaging and the end feels almost like a classic twilight zone episode. Good fun that'll make you feel icky.

What If

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Guys, look at how quirky and indie this film is. It's pretty annoying. As much as it talks about a cynical view of love it's still pretty standard stuff. It's saved by a good cast though, so it's enjoyable enough. I don't think I was in the right mood for this one.

The Den

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Another "desktop" film, like Open Windows. This time a girl doing a study on a chat-roulette style app gets some sinister messages. I much prefer how the desktop screens work in this film, although it pushes credibility that she would keep her chat window open throughout all the events of the film. There are a few filmed segments right towards the end so it's not entirely just through the desktop and they make use of head cameras and mobile phone camera chats as well.

Ultimately the final horror segments were a little standard and unmotivated for me, but I think it's a more successful attempt at this style of filmmaking.

Alien Abduction

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

Found footage alien abduction horror film. In the woods. Some nice set ups, some cheap vfx and aliens that looked like guys in rubber suits so are only shown as fleetingly as possible. There's some spooky bits but a lot of filler. And a lot of cuts to coverage that makes the found footage lose credibility. Obviously a cheap production, didn't quite work for me.

Wild

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Richard

Jean-Marc Vallée's follow up for Dallas Buyers Club is a very internal character piece, set against an ever changing and lonesome landscape. Reese Witherspoon is front and centre and she does a fine job carrying the film, which jumps around from her internal thoughts and non-linear flashbacks of her past to her travels on the trail. 

Laura Dern! I want more Laura Dern. There's a revolving door of supporting cast in this road trip down memory lane that paint the film various shades. Likewise for the ever changing scenery which is never played as too grand or iconic. The whole film is quite and subdued. There's no giant moment of revelation, it's all these small moments, examined almost randomly, that some how add up to this slight but still somewhat effecting journey.

Final Destination 5

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Kate

So they got in some fresh creative blood and managed to come up with a much better finale for the series. This one and part two are a toss up as to my favourites. The opening disaster in this film is really ambitious and they manage to pull it off with great panache. Again, a reliance on digital effects but the digital cinematography and the vfx are leaps and bounds ahead of the last film.

This is exemplified in the opening sequence, which is pretty much exactly the same idea as the titles in part 4, going through all the deaths of the series so far, but instead of doing it all with basic cg graphics they actually bother to make it practically. And it looks amazing in 3D.

What also helps is the characters and drama in this film work so much better as well. This one is probably the most drama filled since the first film. That's thanks in large part to a rule they bring up in this instalment which was never discussed previously but makes this turn into a slasher film for a good 15 minutes at the end. It's a fun idea to explore and I wish there were more films to play around with this idea.

The gymnastics scene in this film is, I believe, the most suspenseful in the whole series. A relatively simple set up but one that elicits such a primal response. This one also has some later eye surgery that is pretty fun. They literally made it the poster for the film. Guaranteed squirmy times.

Its filled with easter eggs and references to the other instalments and the way it ultimately ties in is such a fun reveal.

I really love this series. Such gleeful carnage and so unique in the teen horror landscape, where the killer is ultimately some really bad and unpredictable accidents. And this is such a high note to go out on too. Even so, I really want them to make more. So much more you could explore here. Anyway, great fun to rematch this series.

The Final Destination

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

Well this one is the worst in the series. The intro disaster is not that suspenseful or horrifying. It's filled with really cheap looking cg effects for all the kills and the characters are the least put together of the bunch.

I saw it in 3D at the cinema and must admit the effects didn't look as bad when they have depth to help them blend in, but in 2D they don't hold up well at all. This was still a pretty early use of the new 3D systems though. Even the digital photography doesn't look that great.

It does have the pool scene though, I'll always remember that one. The stuff of urban legends.

It's still got some fun death scenes but it's really lacking in other departments. But of a disappointment for was is the last film in the franchise. So it's a good then they made another after this one.

Final Destination 3

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

There was actually much more of this one I remembered than I thought. Probably because this one has some pretty iconic kills. The one most seared into my brain is at the tanning salon. I think that's the only slow burn death of the series? It's pretty brutal. I think they try and make those characters as annoying as possible so you don't feel to bad when they die but they comes off as really cartoonish compared to the rest of the film.

I also remembered the drive through, which has a fun set up. But the most elaborate set up is at the hardware store, and easily one of the most elaborate death in the series with so many red herrings. It's well paced and I love the pay off.

The disaster in this film is the rollercoaster and it's really fun. And anchoring the entire film is Mary Elizabeth Winstead in one of the first roles I saw her in. It's clear to see from even then how she simply elevates the material. She's awesome.

It's kind of funny, by this third film death seems to have accounted for these premonitions in his design and taunts the victims by making them think they can save each other with they usually just seem to end up causing their deaths in a self-fulfilling prophecy kind of way.

It's got a fun ending too.

V/H/S: Viral

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

The this in the found footage horror anthology series. Although this one has little to do with any VHS. The viral video wrap around is confusing.

There's nothing particularly scary in this one. Even Nacho Vigalondo, whose work I love, went a bit silly with his segment, although his easily had the most interesting set up and execution to me.

The magician segment had a lot of fun vfx, a good pace and interesting action but felt a little like a goosebumps story. And then there were some skateboarders that accidentally got involved in summoning a monster with a cult in Mexico. That one has a fun brawl at the climax but never really goes anywhere.

Probably the least successful of the 3 films.

The ABCs of Death

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

Write Up.

Sequel is out soon. Time for a night of Anthology Horror.

Late Phases

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Just the other day I was talking about having a horror movie with the elderly as the protagonists and sure enough along comes a werewolf movie set in a retirement village. 

It's a different take for the werewolf, which is typically used to symbolise the transition from child to adult. Nick Damici does a good job anchoring the film as the blind veteran protagonist. 

There's some interesting things in this one. The attacks can be pretty brutal but I thought some of the make up jobs were a little odd, particularly the werewolf designs. 

But it proved to me that there's plenty of potential for horror and the elderly. 

Horrible Bosses 2

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

I don't really remember the first film. I think it was pretty average. This one feels less than average.

I really do love Charlie Day, and I can usually tolerate his constant shrieking but the three of these guys all yelling for 2 hours is too much. And I just didn't find it funny. There's nothing really likeable or redeemable about these characters.

Penguins of Madagascar

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

This film opens with animated Werner Herzog, playing himself, narrating a documentary about penguins. And performing some questionable acts to make it more compelling. Hilarious.

This one feels like a cash grab, and I always worry about when the comedic side characters that are funny in small amounts are thrust front and centre in sequels and spin-offs. It rarely works. But I was never particularly enamoured with these guys anyway and the writing here is consistently funny enough that it doesn't feel like the entire film is an afterthought.

The new characters here don't make much of an impact. Dave the Octopus has a bizarre running gag involving puns of famous actors names that kids probably won't get but adults might like. Or find confusing. His rubbery animation is pretty funny though.

The North Wind doesn't really have as much to do though, save for being the straight guys for the comedy.

Unfortunately didn't get to see the film in 3D, despite being advertised as a 3D screening and receiving silly penguin glasses. Don't know what happened there but apart from that, technically it's pretty shmick.

The end really felt like business as usual though. It wasn't particularly memorable. But overall, there's some good laughs here so you could do worse.

Paddington

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Paddington gets a modern live action update. I always remember him from the animated television series from when I was younger as being a simple, minimalist and sweet little show. Obviously that's not going to work for modern audiences and the amount of slapstick and gross out humour they crammed into those first trailers had me extremely sceptical. 

A pleasant surprise then, to find that the finished film is hilarious, with a wonderful quaint and off-kilter sense of humour, and is absolutely charming. That probably should have come as no surprise given the director is Paul King, of Mighty Boosh fame. He fills the film with quirky little directorial flourishes from start to finish. 

The story is very simple, you get the gist of it from the trailer. I'm glad Ben Wishaw jumped in to voice Paddington, he's a great fit. The rest of the cast do a fine job too.

I do love that creepy Paddington meme, but he's sweet enough in the film. Except when he gives a hard stare. 

Definitely one to check out, it's great fun.

The Captive

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Managed to see this film without ever hearing anything about it beforehand. Always interesting.

This is a pretty straight forward and very dark thriller/drama that tries to appear more clever than it is by telling the story in a non-linear timeline. So we're given a lot of information up front with no context and slowly the pieces fall together once you figure out when things are taking place.

This is a pretty dark story and the cast all do a fine job, although I found Kevin Durand dangerously close to being a stereotype. But it's a really neat little thriller from Atom Egoyan.

Guardians of the Galaxy

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes

Write Up.

Bluray Commentary time. Wow James Gunn comes off as really insecure, always talking about how all the actors and extras in the film are his best friends and assuring us that they are buddies off screen and he has a fun time with everyone. It's pretty funny. Apart from that not too much was gleamed from the commentary. But there's some okay extra features.

Final Destination 2

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

This sequel might be my favourite of the bunch. Although I'll need to rematch the other to be sure. But this one doesn't have to bother with much exposition and already starts to play with the pattern set up by the first film.

The opening sequence here is the stuff of legend. Easily the best set piece of the whole franchise and it's harrowing and expertly executed. It accomplishes so much leg work for the rest of the film and immediately puts the audience on edge, shattering the conventions of the previous film. And then just keeps on doing it.

There's some nice ideas that are introduced in this one. But really the most fun parts are of course the amazing deaths. This time around there's a wonderfully eclectic group of strangers that are in this journey together which makes for some slightly more interesting drama. Perhaps more importantly, the bloodshed in this one is glorious and gooby.

It's an absolutely fantastic sequel. Bring on the rest!

Exodus: Gods and Kings

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

Do you know the story of Moses? Have you ever seen The 10 Commandments? Or even Prince of Egypt? Well this is that but it cost more.

You really have to question why this was made. Love it or hate it, at least Noah tried to interpret the bible story in an interesting way, fleshing out characters and adding to the drama. And some really crazy visual ideas. Ridley Scott's bible epic has great visuals, as you'd expect. And shooting it natively in 3D is pretty stunning. But there is nothing really new or interesting about the telling here. It is the most straightforward and common version I can imagine being made today. When I left the cinema, all I could think of was, "yep, that was the Exodus story I remember."

They don't add anything to these characters. These great, although perhaps distractingly miscast, actors all do what they can but there's nothing really here for them to flesh out. The visual ideas they do interpret, like depicting the word of God, the Nile flowing red, the passover or the parting of the Red Sea, they were done in very simple ways. The rest of the story was done very literally.

As usual, technically it's a marvel. Great score, amazing cinematography, a lot of VFX. So many frogs. As I said before, the 3D is great. In the battle scenes the shots are held one or two beats of action more than we're used to seeing today so the 3D isn't jarring. Obviously it's been well thought out. I just wish they thought about a more exciting way to tell this story.

There's is one small line Moses says to Jesse from Breaking Bad after the Red Sea incident that can be read into a lot and was probably the only interesting idea the film brought up but as soon as it's uttered it's forgotten about and not really dealt with in any way.

If you don't know the story, or really love it, this is a great way to see it told on the big screen. But don't expect any interesting ideas or in depth characters here. This is the safest film they could have possibly made.

22 Jump Street

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Silly, but such fun.

Repo Man

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

I'd been meaning to check out this cult classic for a long time. What an odd film.

The Mule

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

What fun. Angus Sampson's film is yet another Australian Crime thriller, but this one has a wonderful black comic streak in it and a great cast to boot. Based on a true story? Crazy.

They really manage to pull this one off. From the set up alone, you'd think it's a pretty straight forward film but there's enough twists and turns, great characters and some good writing to keep you engaged the whole time.

Definitely worth a look, if you have the stomach. (PUN!)

Big Bad Wolves

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A crime thriller/comedy? There's some good stuff, it's certainly well put together and has some very interesting moments, I'm just not sure it all comes together at the end.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes

Write Up.

Listening to Directors commentary on the bluray. Some cool extra features, but the commentary just repeats info from them and tells us what's happening on screen. Well at least the film is great.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Kate

A Disney kids film. I'm obviously not the target demographic here, but it's alright. Amiable and predictable and a few parts are admittedly pretty amusing. 

Men, Women & Children

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

That teaser trailer looks pretty good. None of the character open their mouths though. The more annoying full trailer gives you more of an idea of what to expect (pretty much the whole film), a bunch of characters going through various ups and downs and occasionally texting someone about it. I thought the film would have more to say about social media but I really believe all these stories could have been told without needing that connection and it would have made little difference.

Unexpectedly the film opens orbiting Jupiter. There's some really cool space imagery done here. Emma Thompson reprises her role of the narrator from Stranger than Fiction. And then we get one of those multiple narrative dramas with a big ensemble cast and it's okay but nothing amazing or new. I guess I wanted more from Jason Reitman other than some nicely designed texting graphical displays.

Nightcrawler

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

Write Up.

Such fun.

Serena

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

It didn't take long to figure out this was adapted from a book. And not very successfully. The opening courtship between the two leads is only a fraction slower than in that trailer for the film. And the scenes continue to unfold like that for the rest of the running time. Just scene after scene of "what happens next" racing to get through a bunch of plot points in under two hours with not enough attention paid to actually making them matter in any meaningful way. Instead of a sweeping epic romantic tragedy we get a brief and cold telling of the general gist of it.

I don't know if this is from the editing or in the adaptation of the screenplay, or perhaps it's the original book. But I found this film pretty boring, despite the great cast that was assembled, that do there best to make these scenes matter.

I joked that the trailer made the film look like a miniseries television event from the early 80's. Now I've seen it I think that would have been a far more preferable way of telling the story. There's just no time here. If you're going to make a film with under a two hour running time, best to cut extraneous characters and focus the story, boil it down to the central characters and make them work, rather than trying to cram everything in.

This one's problematic, didn't work for me.

Dressed to Kill

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: No

Watched With: Tyler

The latest fashion in murder. HAH.

Brushing up on some classic Brian De Palma. You know you're in good hands with such well though out shot choices building the tension. Very Hitchcock, but with nudity he could have only dreamed of. A slow and steady build and plenty of questionable political correctness issues by todays standards. Great fun.

Final Destination

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

I really like this one, such nostalgic memories. And an unexpected franchise creator. It's such an odd teen horror series because the big evil hunting down the group of teens one by one is actually death itself and ultimately there's no escape for anyone in the whole series. Once your time's up, it's up. And eventually death will come up with some overly complicated Rube Goldberg style scenario engineered to take them out.

Of course this first film is a little more serious than the latter films where they just become excuses to kill stock characters off in ridiculously creative ways. There's a bit more thought behind the core group here. And it's more dramatic than fun. That comes later. But it does all the important ground work that the other films coasted on for a decade.

Just seeing that Dimension Films logo at the start makes me reminisce. And that cast. It's another film I learnt a lot from listening to the commentary as a kid.

Hopefully we'll get through the rest of the series soon. This really is the most unapologetic excuse for teen slaughter and great fun.

Parts Per Billion

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Not gonna lie, I wanted to see this for the apocalyptic viral outbreak scenario. But that's pretty much an afterthought. This is an arty, non-linear study of heterosexual couples in various stages of their relationships with the end of the world being used as a trigger for drama. So it wasn't exactly satisfying. There's a great cast and some alright writing (and some really obvious stuff) but I didn't find it very interesting personally.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael

Write Up.

I saw an interview with Francis Lawrence where he said they decided to put the first scene of Mockingjay Part 2 at the end of this film. Everyone that's seen the film will know there's a definite end point that would have been really annoying to leave the film hanging on. I think they made the right decision.

As Above, So Below

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

Another found footage horror, this one following a National Treasure style hunt that ends up going all Event Horizon. The Dowdle brothers have dealt with found footage before. And hell as well. There's some of the usual stuff here, shadowy hooded figures, past traumas resurfacing and my favourite is the ever evolving maze of underground tunnels. They also get the benefit of using claustrophobia and cave ins and drowning and all the other cave exploration tropes. There's some good jump scares and a few tense moments.

The whole idea of this adventure story feels like a great pitch for an Indiana Jones movie. As a horror film it's okay. I found the supernatural adventure story and the found footage style to be a bit of an odd clash though. But I guess that makes it cheaper to produce?

Some fun ideas, I don't know how seriously the movie is taking itself and I found it had to figure out how seriously I should be taking it. Fun adventure and found footage horror. Odd mix.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Sebastian, Tyler, Warwick

I don't like reviewing part 1's because it's so incomplete. The film ends just as things start to get interesting, which is pretty frustrating. Katniss spends most of the film being kept safe underground or being used as a propaganda pawn and it's not exactly the most exciting stuff because everything is kept separated and we're introduced to a whole lot of stuff that we won't get to see paid off until next year.

Liam Hemsworth finally gets some decent screen time, but still only has as many lines as he did in the other films. And I think it should stay that way, he's best when he keeps his mouth shut. Josh Hutcherson is sadly absent for the majority of the film but what we do see of him is the most interesting stuff. Did they Steve Rodgers him or is that legitimate? And having recently watched film 2, Jenna Malone was missed as well. But as a consolation we get scenes with Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, to whom the film is dedicated.

It effectively lays the ground work for a final show down. There's a few nice squirmishes but they are almost asides. We just get to spend a bit more time with these characters and J-Law sings a song. If the last film delivers this film will have been worth it, but it's hard for it not to feel like a bit of padding.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No

Write Up.

Listened to the commentary track and watched the extra features in preparation for the next in the series. The commentary track as a few interesting things to learn but is ultimately pretty boring. The extras were really cool though, and I didn't know about them shooting in IMAX. I don't think that film even came out here in IMAX. Or if it did, I missed it. Shame, I really like this one.

Interstellar

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Went to see it again at IMAX. Man it's a frustrating experience. Because there's stuff here that I think is great but those plot points are annoying enough to derail the film for me and the drama really doesn't work for me either. It's a real shame.

Still, there's those of you that love the damn thing, so power to you people. I probably liked it more the second time, now that my expectations were levelled but I'll never be able to fully get behind this story.

Young Ones

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This was a really odd film. I enjoyed it, just a strange mix of genres and style. I think it's mainly the score. The music is really different to what I'd expect in this kind of movie. Interesting though. Can't decide if I liked that choice or not.

It's a gritty western family drama at heart with some apocalyptic sci-fi edges. The film has a really great cast that all do good stuff. And it's visually pretty striking too. Also the visual effects here are great.

I really did like the film, even if a few of the stylistic decisions seemed odd to me. Check it out for yourself. If nothing else, the actors and the drama works really well.

Debug

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Actor David Hewlett has made a movie. Apparently he's done this before too, but this is the first I've seen or heard of. Low low budget sci-fi b-grade horror, it's not really anything new but it has some nice concepts. Passed the time.

Girls Nite Out A.K.A. The Scaremaker

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

I just HAD to post both of these trailers. Because they are amazing.

The film, not so much.

However it can boast the hilarity of 80's clothing and a killer in a bear costume. It also has one of the genuinely coolest soundtracks for an 80's horror film that I can think of. All the hits of the summer.

If you can make it through the broad performances in the first half, you'll get some pretty average kills in the second. I did enjoy the ending though.

Nightcrawler

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Screenwriter Dan Gilroy makes his directorial debut in this dark satirical thriller and he's done a great job. Jake Gyllenhaal manages to make one of the most despicable characters seen on screen this year a real joy. The character ad the film is refreshingly unapologetic. Amoral, hilarious and horrifying.

There's a few thrilling sequences that, if you're anything like me, will have you squirming and giggling in your seat. And they aren't always the more action based set pieces, like the car chases. The most thrilling scenes are usually simple dialogue scenes where the negotiations of power and our protagonists ambitious tendencies reveal his slightly more psychotic side.

The media satire is not very subtle, but the film as a whole is so entertaining, and I really love the look of the night time digital cinematography. No doubt I'll be seeing this one again soon. Check it out!

Curtains

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

Thought this would follow on thematically from Starry Eyes. 5 Actresses auditioning for a director in a house in the hills, and some of them will do anything for the part...

That trailer shows all the interesting stuff but there's a lot of in between. Samantha Eggar is a scary looking person. I love her character backstory the most, being committed to a mental hospital for research and the director leaving her there, before she breaks out to get to the audition.

There's some alright bits in this one, I did enjoy the ice skating death. I think this concept could be done better though. There's a few twists and turns but it's not particularly thrilling stuff.

Starry Eyes

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Hahahahah wonderful. People that really want something and will do anything to get it, they really can be scary. This is a surreal little piece with some wonderful imagery. A few of the supporting performances are a little big and broad for my tastes, it's certainly funny but I don't know how well that fits in with the rest of the film. Perhaps that's what they were going for though. Anyway despite its few minor flaws it's still a fun piece. Feels a little like a late 70's Italian horror film.

The Guest

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler, Jordan

If you can avoid watching the trailer for this one, do so. It was really great watching this film having no idea where it was heading. All I knew was that the guys that made You'e Next made this and it got rave reviews at festivals. A wonderfully retro styled low budget thriller/action/horror/drama/comedy thing. It eases you in and then gradually lets elements loose that change the vibe. It's a hell of a lot of fun and easily one of the most entertaining films I've seen this year. A definite must see.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No

Write Up.

Commentary time. The usual stuff here. Pity it's just the two of them chatting, the lord of the rings had 4 tracks with edits from heaps of various cast and crew. Still the extra features are all really great as usual.

1,000 Times Good Night

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Juliette Binoche does well as a photographic journalist whose dangerous work creates conflict in her home life. I would hate to be the cinematographer in a film about photography but the digital images are quite beautiful and occasionally a little self indulgent but still look great. An effecting drama and character study, slow paced but engaging.

Maléfique

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan

This is a french film I vaguely remembered from a while back. I'd been thinking about it lately and took the opportunity to dust it off and see if I remembered it correctly. I really love the concept, a prison drama that turns into an escape movie using supernatural means, which then leads to some full on horror. A confined space with small group of actors is a great set up for low budget films and this one works it quite well.

I really liked it when I was younger. It doesn't quite hold up to my memories, I found a lot of the horror stuff a bit clumsy and certainly the effects show their age. Some of the drama works alright. It very much feels like an episode of the twilight zone the way the film plays out.

Always interesting to go back and see these. The memory comes back to you as you watch it, it feels very familiar and at the same time it's like watching it fresh.

Exists

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

The Blair Witch dud is back. This time though, bigfoot is in the woods terrorising the group of young adults. It's a pretty classic cabin in the woods set up. They provoke a monster and then one by one get picked off.

It's a found footage film and makes use of go pros and night vision and the various regular tropes. Although oddly they have a cast list up front which really seems to negate the whole point of using the found footage techniques.

The cast are alright. Made me feel a little racist that the one African American guy I just wanted to die. But really he's the most annoying character, the one that just complains the entire time and does everything wrong and gets people in more danger. Perhaps that's intentional, typical horror film character.

But the characters in this one do a lot of really stupid things. So it's okay, they brought this hell on themselves.

There are certainly very effective scenes of suspense throughout. The sound design goes a long way in helping that. But this one ends up going for the roller coaster ride slasher thriller rather than the slow building suspense that Willow Creek managed so well. It has no problem showing the creature from the get go, and jumps right into the scares with no build up. It's a pity because the scenes of suspense really work well, but the teen slasher set up works against that. I kind of wish it was one or the other, the mix is a little weird. It feels like it just wants to be a straight up traditional film, but only manages to get its scares from the found footage slow suspense pieces.

Bigfoot himself works well seen in glimpses. But towards the end we get some close ups and the prosthetic effects are okay but it really take away any mystery the creature had.

Overall I think it was more of a success than I was expecting. It's just nice to have some decent horror films on the big screen. There's some cool stuff and some frustrating choices but overall it's pretty effective.

Man Of Steel

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No

Write Up.

Finally ordered a copy of the bluray that contains the extra features that for some frustrating reason weren't released in Australia. The picture in picture commentary is really interesting, some really cool behind the scenes stuff and every time Michael Shannon comes on to talk I could not help but laugh, what a hilarious guy.

The Drop

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

After the striking Bullhead, Michaël R. Roskam makes his english language debut and bring his lead actor with him to play an interesting supporting part. Tom Hardy gets to do another voice in this little Brooklyn character crime drama story. It's also, sadly, the last film from James Gandolfini. Interesting to see James Frecheville from Animal Kingdom pop up too.

It's really more of a character study. A dude that is trying to live a straightforward life but has one foot in the crime world. Gets saddled with a dog, falls for a girl with an ex boyfriend that's trouble. Then his boss gets caught up with mob stuff.

On the surface, a sweet little story with a few tense moments but I found the end quite troubling. Perhaps that's intentional.

My Old Lady

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This was a play, so you KNOW it's gonna get all drama. But it's pretty inoffensive. Perhaps not exactly feel good, but close enough. Obviously the three leads are good. It's all in the trailer, you know what to expect.

The Double

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Tyler

Write Up.

Wonderfully aggravating film. Funny and uncomfortable.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Mum

Write Up.

Really interesting seeing this again. And after watching the making of documentary that is also screening as part of the Ghibli festival. The insight really helps. That sadness was always there but seeing more clearly the intentions behind it made it that much more powerful. Also it's harder to take for granted the amount of work that goes into these films. The artistry is always on full display but the amount of work it takes to get it there is monumental.

I really love the rough design style and the light water colour backgrounds. The simple designs really just emphasise how great the naturalistic animation is, to make the characters read like real people. Beautiful work.

Just Before Dawn

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Tyler, Kate, Andrew

Wonderful to discover genuine 80's slasher films I've never heard of. Added bonus, it was neat! Deliverance hillbillies. Stabbing campers in the woods! Pleasantly surprised how well it was put together. Great fun.

Let's Be Cops

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Kate

This film is terrible. I've seen comedies with unlikeable lead characters before, and I've seen them work remarkably well but I have a feeling that these particular character are not supposed to be unlikable. Unfortunately they are just despicable idiots. And the only kind of people that would find any of this funny are despicable idiots too. 

I hate to be the grumpy old man but the way the film trivialises and celebrates their reckless behaviour in the name of comedy is disturbing. But is greater crime is the inconsistency of character, flip flopping on the feelings and desires to keep the flimsy premise going for feature length running time. Sometimes mere minutes lapse before a character does something that contradicts a trait they firmly set up before. 

I've seen Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. be much better than this. They try really hard to sell what they are doing but I just can't get into it. The jokes here are all sitcom level fluff with swearing and a bit of physicality added. There's no finesse to them and there are very long stretches of exposition and set ups before we get to the next failed gag. 

A troubling film. Please don't go see it.

7500

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Kate

Takashi Shimizu, of The Grudge fame, made this low budget mid-flight supernatural horror riff a few years back, it's finally getting out into the world. It plays out like an old twilight zone episode and indeed, they directly reference that within the film.

There's a slow creeping tension for the first half. Once the scares start though I sort of started losing interest, it's the same scares we've seen before and certainly some jumps work but the old J-horror trope of the creepy crawling girl is a little stale by now.

I really love one of the ideas behind the source of all this scariness, that's rooted in Japanese folklore. Fans of Death Note may be familiar too. But the final twist is something we've seen before as well. The one or two good ideas aren't enough to fix the film as a whole. It's well made despite its obvious low budget but the finale doesn't pack the punch I think they were going for.

22 Jump Street

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes

Write Up.

I really liked this on first watch. I've seen quite a few studio comedies this year since then. Compared to them, the jokes in this are so consistent and hilarious. I didn't think this was going to be the high point of the year for studio comedies but, man, it's been a shitty year.

So I got the bluray and went the through the extras, some really great stuff there. And the commentary track I watched tonight is very funny.

Stalingrad

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

This was the big closing night film of the Russian film festival. I know it is the first non-american film to get an IMAX 3D release. Pity we didn't get it in IMAX but at least I managed to see it in the cinema at all.

So confusingly this film starts Japan during the recent earthquake and tsunami. Not sure why. Then flashes back from there. It's a strange bookend. And despite the title, we don't really get much of an idea of the actual battle in Stalingrad, the battle has been going for some time when we enter the film and doesn't finish when we leave it. We only get to follow a small company in one house. But we do get to know them, all trying to protect a young girl who refuses to leave.

And at the same time we get Thomas Kretschmann on the german side, he has a girl to protect too. He's not entirely the typical evil Nazi and provides and interesting counterpoint to the main gang.

This was a really long film. And despite its impressive productions design, the effects in the sporadic action scenes and the striking colour grading, it really did seem to drag to me. I was never really that interested in either side of the conflict. And ultimately I don't think I learnt anything about the actual historical battle either. Impressive production and there's lost of cool stuff in it but the longwinded character drama stuff in between those bits failed to grab me.

West Side Story

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No

MAMBO!

Couldn't pass up the opportunity to see this classic on the big screen. Spectacular. Won 10 Oscars for a reason. Amazing cinematography, making full use of technicolor process. And while there's much that looks stage bound, the big open dance numbers in the streets are the best. This has always been a musical about the dancing, and the energy of it jumps out of the screen.

Of course Leonard Bernstein's iconic score has a lot to do with it too. And Stephen Sondheim lyrics. And Shakespeare. There's a hell of a pedigree behind this one.

It's been a while since I watched this, forgot just how awesome and effective it is. I can't remember if I saw the stage show or the film first, but I've always preferred the restructuring in the film. It's actually shorter than I remembered too, even with that really brief intermission card thrown in. The digital restoration looks great too. You can really see all that dark foundation on the actors faces... Check it out on bluray, or if you're lucky enough, at a cinema screening!

Viy

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Ichina

Russian film festival is on and this film looked kooky. And was playing in 3D. It certainly is kooky. Some lavish production design too. But it's not entirely successful. The editing and the structuring is really odd and jolting. It can be hard to keep track of things. Theres some great creature design stuff and some really cool action and horror suspense sequences. There's also some humour that perhaps doesn't translate well. 

Charles Dance is totally in this. 

Viy, the creature itself, looks really awesome, but I don't think this film is going to let you know much about the original folklore, its telling its own story. Its a mess, with some really cool bits.

Interstellar

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Tom, Cassie, Tara, Cicely, Sebastian

It's gonna be hard to discuss this one without spoiling too much but I'm going to try. Suffice to say, this is a real tricky one and for me personally, it doesn't work despite being one of the most immaculately constructed pieces of space travel I've seen on the big screen. It's truly a spectacle. One that I thought was going to be like Gravity, grounded by science. Christopher Nolan grounds everything in reality as much as possible. But the last third of this lengthy movie throws it all away and goes full sci-fi fantasy, hoping that the sentimental and emotional connections between characters they've clumsily force fed down our throats will overwhelm our sense of logic.

And honestly, that's not going to be a problem for everyone. I did have certain expectations and while they didn't really pull the rug out from under me it was a bit of a disappointment to see the stock standard sci-fi tropes they decided to use, and their somewhat sudden reveal is hard to adjust to, given what has happened in the two hours proceeding.

I have always loved films dealing with time travel. And while this is dealing more with general relativity, those concepts do come into play. But there were some big pieces set up at the beginning that did give me pause. I hoped my hunch was wrong but the film eventually got around to the reveal and it was less than stellar. Time travel allows for many cheats in story telling if you're lazy. This film is hardly lazy (well, sometimes, we'll get to that) but it does rely heavily on the self fulfilling paradox and it's a real peeve of mine. So like I said, not going to be a problem for everyone but really annoyed me.

Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write. Surprise Topher Grace outweighed surprise Matt Damon. Did you know Matt Damon was in the film? I didn't either. And his part is carelessly wedged in the second act to do nothing more but add in conflict the film doesn't need. It's the perfect example of all the unnecessary excess that Gravity did away with and resulted in a film that's pretty much half the running time. But that's hardly the worst crime of the film. At least those sequences have genuine thrills and suspense and are entertaining and engaging.

No the parts that are harder to forgive are the characters sprouting actual statement of theme rather than talking like a person. There was one point where Anne Hathaway, bless her, garnered snickers from many in the audience for talking about how love will save the universe. She really tries hard to sell it but even Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine fail in this regard. No one can make that stuff sound natural.

Half the movie is corny (literally and figuratively) and the rest is space travel stuff. And about a third of the space travel stuff is crazy sci-fi nonsense. And I'll probably see it again on the big screen, the visuals are really something. And in IMAX, you have the added bonus of much of the spectacle being full frame. And my god the sound in that cinema. Seat shaking earth shattering sound. Amazing. But is does mean sitting through 2 hours of a film I really feel dubious about. And listening to Hans Zimmer do some interesting drone-isn music but ruin it but throwing in a organ which will inevitably lead to 2001: A Space Odyssey comparisons.  

Remember that movie Contact, which coincidentally starred Matthew McConaughey? That film is almost like the inverse of this. It's all earth bound, primarily a drama with some space travel ideas tacked on. Whilst thematically very different, the drama in that film works. And they have very similar structures for their climax, in both cases problematic. I remember the South Park criticism "I waited through that whole movie to see that Alien and it was her god damn father." Mmmm... Even so, Contact pulls of its finale with grace a subtly compared to the behemoth that is Interstellar, a film that thinks it's being smart but really just feels patronising. Maybe one day I'll grow to like it like I do Contact. But more likely it's just going to keep pissing me off.