The Little Death

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Josh Lawson has made a really fun movie, a series of interconnected vignettes about various couples dealing with different fettishes.  While it does feel a little like some strung together skits the cast are all great and the intercuts and links keep it moving and cohesive as a whole. There's some really hilarious stuff, some slightly more disturbing elements but also some real sweetness to balance it out. A fun little movie.

The Maze Runner

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

Oh man, It's getting hard to keep up with these dystopic young adult book series adaptations. At least here they don't bother with the love triangle, much more of a guys adventures flick, focused more on the mystery and the action. Great!

I do love mazes. I love the look of the film and Wes Ball's debut feature is quite the effort. His short film Ruin was really neat and shares a lot in terms of style. The action works well, the effects are pretty good, the kids are all fine, playing their various tropes and there's a lot of fun to be had.

Unfortunately it's another film that's gonna have to wait for sequels to start getting big picture answers. Which means we cross our fingers and hope the numbers are sufficient to warrant the telling of the next book. While there is a self contained story in the film it's nearly satisfying enough for the mystery hound in me.

But it has some really great creatures. Good and creepy. And surprise Patricia Clarkson, that's always the best. Just like in Shutter Island.

I had much fun with this film, especially the first two thirds. When it became clear the film was going to end with a bit of a cliffhanger it became harder to stay invested. Now it feels like i can't judge this film on it's own, I have to wait until I've seen how it pans out before I decide if I like it or not. So I'll say, what I've seen is promising.

Witching and Bitching

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

Álex de la Iglesia's latest is a real fun time. Fast paced and filled with crazy antics. The action sequences are funny, theres some good gore and some wonderfully mad characters, from both sides, to follow through the story. And yet, if I start to think about themes that run through the film it becomes a little disturbing. Someone must have gone through a really bad relationship and written this from a very dark place. 

Outwardly though it's a fun romp, perhaps not entirely cohesive at the end but still plenty to enjoy. 

Into The Storm

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Michael, Tyler, Gemma, Chloe, Erin, Dan

It's twister lite. Okay nothing was ever going to be better than Twister for me because that movie is just the best movie, but I will say that despite the horrifically ill conceived found footage premise, this film does actually follow a more traditional disaster film structure, like the classics form the 70's. We're given multiple view points for a variety of characters, the experts, the family unit, the hillbilly comedy relief, and we're given attempts at romance, father/son drama and general platitudes about humanities perseverance in the face of disaster. 

It is in no way effective, but it tried.

The found footage conceit really does not work. It would have been much more effective as a regular film done in documentary style, perhaps like District 9. They desperately try and justify all the camera angles but want to have their big score and impossible money shots as well. It really hurts your one attempt at suspense when all you can think about is how this footage is being recorded in that much water without a waterproof camera. Perhaps if they managed some investment in the characters we might not have that problem.

Which brings me to the characters supposedly filming the show. There's really not much there either besides a few recognisable faces to stand in front of the wind machines and give the tornados scale. 

The most important thing to take from the film and what makes it really unique is that fire tornado. They promise it in all the trailers and posters and yes, death by fire tornado is the best thing in the film. 

So it has the makings of a B-grade disaster movie, complete with the cheesy dialogue and stock characters, but just doesn't pull any of it off particularly well, and the modern style of digital filmmaking is more of a hindrance than a help. Don't make me wish for Roland Emmerich guys.