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.