Sushi Girl

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

Didn't like this. Very try-hard.

The China Syndrome

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

Write Up.

We now rate suspense on a scale of 0 to China Syndrome. Such a great film.

Klown

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

Write Up.

Europa Report

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

I do love my realistic sci-fi. And seeing a great cast of character actors in space suits being picked off one by one. Although this film is equal parts speculative sci-fi drama as it is a horror/thriller.

Despite a low budget they have managed to craft one of the most authentic feeling space travel films in recent years. The ship feels real and they get away with the world of Europa by only ever showing it through onboard cameras and probe footage. It would be a found footage film if not for the interview segments from certain members of the cast, that not only make the film a straight documentary style but also manage to conceal a dramatic structural revelation. Nice.

The pay-off is not that huge but I still really enjoyed my time on the planet.

Pontypool

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

Probably the most unique zombie-like virus film I've ever seen and a great set-up for economical horror. I love the escalation and the scale of the story that's merely hinted at, whilst still keeping the film very contained. It almost feels like it could have been a stage play. The small cast does a great job.

This is one of those small independent horror films from a few years back that has always stuck in my mind and I'd been meaning to check out again. It didn't disappoint the second time through either. Just a fascinating concept. A must for horror fans.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

IMDB

First time viewed: No

Current Release: No

Watched With: Jordan, Amberly, Michael

Brilliant movie from Disney, back in the 80's when they weren't afraid to shake kids up a bit. A bit? Hell, this is still a freaky film to me. 

Ray Bradbury wrote the story and screenplay, that alone should be enough of an endorsement. Add to that a great cast and Disney's production value and you've got a film that is just as potent today as it was when released. 

This is a hidden gem that seems to be largely forgotten by people today but it's well worth seeking out. (That trailer's pretty bogus though...)

Admission

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

Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are, as could be expected, charming and likable. And even the story being told is alright. But the dialogue just kills this film. I expected more from Paul Weitz.

Evil Dead

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

Write Up.

Before Sunrise

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

After having just seen Before Midnight I just had to go back and re-watch. I think I first saw this when I went through a Richard Linklater phase in the late 90's. It was so simple and beautiful. Who knew it would become what it is now, a very unlikely series but a much loved one nonetheless. It was great to go back and revisit.

Shotgun Stories

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

I really loved Take Shelter and Mud and now I finally got to go back and see Jeff Nichols' breakthrough feature. Wow it's a much slower film. The slowest of slow burns. It's also a quiet film. Perhaps not the best film to watch after a long day with a 5 hour plane flight. But as you would expect, the actors are all authentic and they carry you through.

The Lone Ranger

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

I've said before how much I love Gore Verbinski. But I had heard nothing but terrible things about this film. I went in expecting the worst and while it wasn't as bad as I thought, it definitely wasn't good...

Unnecessarily overlong, surprisingly violent and very uninvolving with a cast of characters that either feel superfluous or you just don't care about. And whilst I enjoyed the final train action set piece it still felt like too little too late.

A film that cost as much as this did to make can't afford to be this mediocre.

A Field in England

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Ben Wheatley's latest feels a throwback to 70's expressionism. At least it's what I imagine European arthouse films were like then. There's probably much more to it that Im' picking up but I just found it utterly bizarre. There's a lot of mushroom eating, so perhaps that accounts for some of the trippyness. There's also a sinister supernatural undertone. It didn't help that I was having trouble staying awake whilst watching and already completely surreal dream like film.

That line between pretentious and meaningful is going to be different for everyone. I'm straddling a bit but leaning more to the former. I do appreciate many of the sequences are effective though. Wheatley has crafted a great sound design and plays around with his editing a lot. The film is interspersed with tableaux and song.

The actors all do great with what they're asked. It's often very funny, perhaps sometimes unintentionally. I'm not sure, it's hard to tell.

It's not a film I can easily recommend but it will have its fans.

The Deep

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

Not to be confused with The Deep. Another Revelation Film Festival title, the true story of an Icelandic fisherman who survived for many hours and a long swim back to shore after his boat capsized and all his colleagues drowned. It's not just a survival story, it's a survivors story and the film continues on after  the harrowing event to show the aftermath of such an incident and what effect it has on him and his town.

What was great was I didn't know any of that going into the film. The beauty of festival films. The scenes out on the ocean are superbly put together. It's an inhospitable landscape and you really feel the ice cold temperatures. Perhaps surprisingly the most tense moment for me was our hero, poor Gulli, having made it to shore, just trying to get out of the water without being pummelled into the sharp rocks.

The drama in the second half is understated and much of the mystery of what happened is left unexplained but poses some interesting questions. My tastes prefer the survival story of the first half but overall it was a pretty neat experience. I think this is the first Icelandic film I've seen too, so that was fun.

Cheap Thrills

IMDB

First time viewed: Yes

Current Release: Yes

Watched With: Tyler

This kind of dark humour appeals to me greatly. A late night screening as part of the Revelation Film Festival and one I've been greatly anticipating since its debut at other festivals overseas. It didn't disappoint either. Hilarious and sick. It's a simple set up, a 4 hander moralistic play and it escalates beautifully. 

I really really loved this one, I wish more people had turned out to see it but hopefully it will get a release later in the year. The small crowd that was there were very enthusiastic though, a thoroughly entertaining evening. Can't wait to unleash its brilliance on unsuspecting friends!

Sparkle

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler, Elizabeth, Maria, Richard

This one was watched in a bit of a haze at a party but the story gets across. For a film called sparkle there's not much glitz or glamour on display, it's more of a gritty 70's indie film. Low budget and the filmmaking's a little clunky. It ain't Dreamgirls.

I recognised Joel Schumacher as a producer and one of the writers. He does like The only other person I recognised was Mary Alice, who played the Oracle in the last Matrix film. All the original songs are on a pretty even tempo and I gotta be honest, all kinda sounded the same to me.

Sparkle has a sister and her name is Sister. Amazing.

The film was picked up cheaply on bluray and watched on a whim, mainly out of curiosity. It's rough around the edges, very rough, but the basic structure is there and you might get a kick out of the Motown songs.