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.