The Ring

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

Write Up.

Checked out the bluray. Such a pretty film. The visuals are so deliberate.

Spaced Invaders

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

Ok well I have no childhood nostalgia for this one so I'm watching it cold. And it's pretty annoying. Although I do appreciate the War of the Worlds references. I guess if I had seen this as a kid I would have enjoyed it but I like to think the aliens antics would still have annoyed me somewhat.

Piranha DD

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

Really love the first one. (And the original, which I just got on bluray and can't wait to watch again). But this one misses the mark. Obviously this is a much much smaller budget. It falls into the trap the first film managed to avoid of trying too hard to be stupid exploitation and not succeeding as a sincere film on its own merits too.

Everything here is scaled back. The set pieces, the make up, the fish fx. Unfortunately they didn't make up for it in writing marginally interesting characters. We really don't need much for a film like this but something is better than nothing. Instead they try too hard to up the sex and crass ridiculousness. I think they over-estimate how amusing David Hasselhoff is.

True, some of it is rather amusing, their blatantly scripted exposition being one example. And Christopher Lloyd always makes me laugh. But there was just too much stupidity and wasted opportunity here for me to really enjoy it overall. Damn shame, the first one was so great.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see this in 3DD (hence the DD title on the film), and while I didn't really like it, I still would have appreciated being able to see it in a cinema in 3D, but apparently they aren't allowed to release horror films in Australian cinemas anymore.

The Revenant

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

This one has taken me a long time to get around to seeing since I first read about it at festivals years ago. I am a fan of David Anders from his various tv credits and he does a great job here. Didn't like the other guy at all. And the film is patchy at best.

There are some nice ideas at play here but often the concept is better than execution for me.

The Big Chill

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

Finally got around to watching this one. I'd always been hesitant because all anyone ever says about the film is how great the soundtrack of 60's songs is. I really don't like films where the song choices are more important than the story.

And now having seen the film I see why people would be more forthcoming about the music than the plot. If you asked me to describe it I'm not sure I'd be able to get the basic premise. It's like a reunion for the breakfast club or something.

Great cast though and I did enjoy watching.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

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

This is one of those magical realism films, feels more like a fable than a straight drama with more fantastic elements. It has a sincere tone that is in danger or tipping the scales at every moment into the overly sentimental drama or the fantasy fariytale. It mostly does a pretty good job of walking this line.

Everyone seems pretty in tune to what the tone should be. It has some fairly predictable beats but I'm not gonna complain because it's kinda nice to see what feel like a classic live action Disney film again. No doubt this will be a favourite for a new generation.

People Like Us

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

Alex Kurtzman gets a shot at directing. And he's made a perfectly enjoyable film helped by a great cast. It's pretty much all there in the trailer so you'll know what you're in for. Mark Duplass seems to be in everything I watch these days...

On the Road

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

I saw this film rather appropriately over the course of 4 different flights travelling in and out of the country. Perhaps that did the film a disservice but honestly I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it much in  one sitting. And being such a long film it would have just annoyed me.

A road trip movie. A 50's beatnik movie. Very episodic and by the end it feels like we didn't really go anywhere much. The actors are all great and the individual scenes themselves are fine but this looks like the kind of thing that works better as writing and is not as cohesive in a feature film format.

The Master

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

This film doesn't have that satisfying kick There Will Be Blood did but it does have the great cinematography, score and character actors doing what they do best. And being able to see it projected from 70mm film print was something I never thought I'd be able to experience. It's like, high definition film.

Always good to see new P.T. Anderson.

The Bay

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

Don't watch the trailer! Just watch the movie. Immediately.

I know in my Sinister post I said how refreshing a change it was from all this found footage horror (even though technically that was found footage horror). Well this just re-invigorated my passion for it. This is something very very different. And while it's pretty much entirely comprised of found footage it is in-fact made in more of a documentary style.

Barry Levinson is the last person you would think of to make a film like this. But he's such a great film maker he seems to be able to do anything well. And he certainly brings something new to the table. This is like a found footage Contagion, just more confined and on steroids. Actually the music reminded me a lot of that film too.

Now at this stage it doesn't look like this is getting a release in Australia but, like Sinister, if it does, it's a must for horror fans. This is not big cheap shock scare horror, this really gets under your skin...

Silent Hill: Revelation

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

I actually saw this one and a half times. First time jet lag got the better of me, so I had to go again the next day.

Huge disappointment. I am a big fan of the first film and an even greater fan of the game series it's based on. And I came a very long way, at great expense, primarily to see this in 3D in a cinema, as it is not getting a release in Australia. Roadshow just doesn't release its horror films anymore.

Massive fan service at the expense of storytelling. Characters only speak in clunky exposition or terrible movie cliches. Hate to say it, because I like the actors involved, but terribly delivered too. I don't know what you could possibly do with the material though.

What is does get right is the look. Production design has always been hugely important and quite specific with this series and it's recreated beautifully. The characters look and wardrobe are great as well. This film being based on the 3rd game, which is the one I know best, I could really appreciate that. And all the touches from the game they threw in. Or Games I guess I should say, with the way it ended.

However there is a lot of random "normal" horror elements thrown in that I feel are out of place in this world as well as a distinct lack of the wonderful creatures I loved from it. (Well there was one new addition that was great but rather arbitrary.)

And also a distinct lack of anything actually scary. Writer/director Michael J. Bassett is obviously a massive fan boy but I wish a more seasoned writer took a crack a crafting the story and characters into something that was at least barley legible.

The 3D was great though.

Gah, frustrating.

Sinister

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

YES. This one does it right! This is quite literally a found footage film in that it's about a man who finds footage of some bad goings on when he moves into a new house.

Like Insidious, which was probably the best new horror film from last year, this one has great actors really making you invested in whats going on and a real mystery that intrigues. It also has a fascinating score, the complete opposite from Insidious' beautiful lush strings though. I don't think I've ever heard a score quite like this before and I expect it will be copied a lot. Cannot stress enough how fresh that music is.

This also has elements to it that remind me of The Ring. I won't spoil what they are but it's a pretty great premise.

And most importantly, it accomplished the hard task of actually making me scared. Jump scares abound but this one has a few other things going for it too. Gotta admit though, the cinema experience helped greatly. Amazing sound here.

I don't know if this is getting a release in Australia. If it does, it's a must for old-school horror fans. Otherwise be sure to grab it on bluray, not as good an option as this one kills it in the cinema, but still worth checking out. Such a refreshing change from all this Paranormal Activity found footage stuff.

Wreck-It Ralph

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

First off the new Disney short Paperman is just beautiful. And animation wise, it's pretty revelational. I hope this push toward new hybrid forms of animation continues to be explored, the results are great.

Wreck-It Ralph ticks all the boxes. And to my delight the story wasn't spelled out in the trailers but, more like a Pixar film, they show just enough of the initial premise to give you the starting point and it develops from there.

Big nostalgia factor here, even non-gamers should be able to recognise the nice little touches thrown in all over the place.

Alan Tudyk does his best Ed Wynn impression. When People say this film is like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, I see they more than just the ridiculous amount of character licensing going on...

This one is a real winner. It's got the great nostalgic concept, the awesome action and visuals, brilliant animation and great characters with a whole lot of heart. Can't wait to see it again.

Cloud Atlas

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

Cloud Atlas at IMAX. YES! Soo great. There was no way I was waiting until February to see this. Can't wait to see it again. Beautiful.