So let me dive straight in with a horror chiller, which, supposedly, is "so scary [you will be] whimpering in sheer terror."That's right it's the claustrophobic haunted house scare-a-thon, Insidious.
Patrick Wilson with Darth Maul's lesser-known cousin breathing down his neck in 'Insidious.'
Taking its ques from paedophobic horror classics such as Poltergeist, Insidious is a film, which valiantly attempts to reignite people's desire for a good old fashioned haunted house thrill ride. Telling the story of a family who are seemingly within the clutches of a malevolent paranormal entity, Insidious trades in the cheap, grotesque shocks produced by the recent stream of torture-porn movies for some truly terrifying imagery and some moments of cheap terror.
The team behind Saw and Paranormal Activity have somewhat succeeded in attempting to create a pastiche, which pays tribute to a classic, bygone horror era. James Wan does well to develop a discomforting atmosphere within the film's opening act; with an intelligently-edited sequence involving a burglar alarm and the sound of a gentle breeze demanding a special mention. All of the trademarks left by horror staples are also abundant: Moving books and boxes, creaking floorboards and living shadows. However, these devices never get old as they prey on some of our most innate fears. Saying this, the horror aficionados among you may amount these moments to recycled parlour tricks but, on a functional level, they leave the desired affect.
As the veil is slowly lifted on what is causing these abnormal disturbances, audiences will be gripped, yet at the same time cowering behind their coats. You will be treated to some disturbing imagery, including the image above, which will still shock you senseless even if you feel you're prepared for it. This is what Insidious is all about, until the closing act: A functional, yet derivative, horror film, which revels in scaring you with surreal imagery and some effective, albeit superficial, "jump out of your seat" moments.
If it wasn't for the film's denouement (a sequence involving a parallel world), this would have been a decent haunted house movie. Instead, Wan decides to reveal these entities, who look like they've come straight from a budget TV B-movie. In doing this, the young director has completely betrayed the principles he laid out in Insidious' opening hour (i.e. The principle that the less you see, the more you leave to the imagination). So, Insidious certainly isn't the piece, which will set the horror genre alight but it serves more as a decent, Friday night scare-a-thon, with some inadvertent comedy moments towards the final credits.
RATING: 3/5
"I am Thor, God of Thunder!!!" You can understand the nature of Kenneth Branagh's Thor just by reading the previous sentence: It's big, bold, melodramatic and not exactly understated. So, just like you can interpret the sentiment of Thor from his mighty battle cry, I will likewise describe this film with few words: Best comic book film in years. Go and watch it now!!! (Preferably in 2D though)
The team behind Saw and Paranormal Activity have somewhat succeeded in attempting to create a pastiche, which pays tribute to a classic, bygone horror era. James Wan does well to develop a discomforting atmosphere within the film's opening act; with an intelligently-edited sequence involving a burglar alarm and the sound of a gentle breeze demanding a special mention. All of the trademarks left by horror staples are also abundant: Moving books and boxes, creaking floorboards and living shadows. However, these devices never get old as they prey on some of our most innate fears. Saying this, the horror aficionados among you may amount these moments to recycled parlour tricks but, on a functional level, they leave the desired affect.
As the veil is slowly lifted on what is causing these abnormal disturbances, audiences will be gripped, yet at the same time cowering behind their coats. You will be treated to some disturbing imagery, including the image above, which will still shock you senseless even if you feel you're prepared for it. This is what Insidious is all about, until the closing act: A functional, yet derivative, horror film, which revels in scaring you with surreal imagery and some effective, albeit superficial, "jump out of your seat" moments.
If it wasn't for the film's denouement (a sequence involving a parallel world), this would have been a decent haunted house movie. Instead, Wan decides to reveal these entities, who look like they've come straight from a budget TV B-movie. In doing this, the young director has completely betrayed the principles he laid out in Insidious' opening hour (i.e. The principle that the less you see, the more you leave to the imagination). So, Insidious certainly isn't the piece, which will set the horror genre alight but it serves more as a decent, Friday night scare-a-thon, with some inadvertent comedy moments towards the final credits.
RATING: 3/5
Some ghetto-youths attempting to save the planet in Joe Cornish's debut feature "Attack the Block".
Attack the Block seems to have caused quite a stir in recent months amongst the critical elite, for all the right reasons. Touted as the successor to Shaun of the Dead, Attack the Block tells the tale of a ragtag bunch of neighbourhood delinquents who are forced to defend their apartment block from an onslaught of vicious extra-terrestrial cookie monsters.
It is very difficult to separate this piece from Edgar Wright's "zomromcom" Shaun of the Dead on a technical level. Each film boasts excellent editing, along with a fantastic soundtrack and some well-constructed set pieces. To put it bluntly, however, this is where the similarities end. Unlike, its forebear, Attack the Block does not allow you to sympathise or empathise with the main characters. It saddens me to say this considering how each role is so well-rounded, with some truly scene-stealing performances on show. The sole reason for my lack of empathy for this bunch, is through their actions in the film's opening moments. So as not to spoil anything for those of you who wish to watch this, the protagonists only have themselves to blame for their predicament. This led to me not caring whether they perished or stood triumphant at journey's end.
So as only to exacerbate my apathy, the film isn't funny or scary enough to be labelled as a horror comedy. Aside from jokes centring on the group's desire to "play FIFA" and destroy "those gorilla, werewolf motherf*&!ers", the film never reaches the heights of Wright's aforementioned pastiche, Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy or the definitive horror comedy; Ghostbusters.
Given all of this, it's a self-assured opening feature for Cornish, which is only hampered by some polarising story developments and a script lacking in snap, crackle and pop.
RATING: 2.5/5
Saoirse Ronon in 'Hanna'
Many would have scoffed at the idea that a director, whose back catalogue only consists of period dramas, could breathe new life into the saturated action thriller. Well, it looks like those sceptics may be choking from their scoffing, as Joe Wright has produced one of the year's top thrillers with Hanna. Initially taking place in the sparcity of the Tundra, Hanna is the story of a young girl being trained in the arts of assassination by her demanding, yet loving, father. Going into anymore detail will simply spoil this small gem of a movie but, suffice to say, the plot is as sparse as the icy plains it's set in. Alas, however, this is not to the narrative's detriment. By lending precious little detail, Wright is in fact able to launch the story along at a breakneck speed, without getting bogged down in waffling exposition.
As usual Ronon (Hanna) is a pleasure to watch, demonstrating yet again that she could be Hollywood's new, young starlet. Notable performances are also produced by Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, who effortlessly nails the cold and detached nature of a CIA operative.
More importantly though, asides from being labelled as an action thriller, Hanna is also a terrific coming-of-age story. One in which a teenage girl is trying to understand the world around her, whilst also experiencing some radical changes. This is why I rate this film so highly. It is a cold and efficient revenge thriller, which will surprise you in the way in which it also steals your heart. Fantastic filmmaking, with a review which hasn't done it justice.
RATING: 5/5
As usual Ronon (Hanna) is a pleasure to watch, demonstrating yet again that she could be Hollywood's new, young starlet. Notable performances are also produced by Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, who effortlessly nails the cold and detached nature of a CIA operative.
More importantly though, asides from being labelled as an action thriller, Hanna is also a terrific coming-of-age story. One in which a teenage girl is trying to understand the world around her, whilst also experiencing some radical changes. This is why I rate this film so highly. It is a cold and efficient revenge thriller, which will surprise you in the way in which it also steals your heart. Fantastic filmmaking, with a review which hasn't done it justice.
RATING: 5/5
"If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning!"
RATING: 5/5
Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in 2009's "The Hangover".......Sorry I mean 2011's "The Hangover Part II".
Ever heard the phrase 'to flog a dead horse'? Well, it saddens me to say this may apply to The Hangover Part II, if the horse were a high-concept comedic stallion. Todd Phillips is no stranger to directing some top-class comedies over the years including Old School and the underrated 2004 ode to 70's police dramas, Starsky & Hutch. With the advent of The Hangover in 2009, however, the veteran "frat-pack" director managed to enter through the golden gates to the comedic Pantheon. Taking the simple concept of a dysfunctional group of friends attempting to piece together the night before, 2009's box office smash managed to wrangle all of the humour, vulgarity and genuine sentimentality it could from its severely dehydrated pores. Add to this some genuinely hilarious performances in the form of the mildly retarded Alan and a panic-stricken dentist by the name of Stu and you had a recipe for comedy gold.
More importantly this film produced a lot of gold in the literal sense. In America, it was hailed as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. So, somewhat inevitably, a sequel was put through the pipeline and what a forgettable sequel it is at that.
The Hangover Part II is simply a carbon copy of the original set in a much darker and harsher setting than it's predecessor: Bangkok. A lot of critics have suggested this is the film's main fault but what were they expecting? Given that The Hangover was such a high concept to begin with, it would have been extremely difficult for the filmmakers to change the original narrative structure without losing what made the first film so unique. Although, undoubtedly, this is the only way Phillips could have made a sequel (by not altering a frame), Part II lacks the vitality, energy and mildly-vulgar humour of Part I. Instead we are treated to The Hangover tuned up to 11 and it is to the story's detriment.
Alan is now played as being completely retarded, without showing any signs of his once subversive intelligence. It makes for one or two awkward moments, whereby instead of laughing at or with him, I simply pitied him as a person. Don't get me wrong, Galifianakis is still a scene stealer but his character has changed in such a way that he doesn't come across as the lovable and affable dunderhead from Part I. As for some of the other performances, Bradley Cooper's screen time consists of him now fully committed to the job of on-screen "eye candy"but Ed Helms' Stu has a few moments to shine in the waning light.
The Hangover Part II also suffers from a narrative, which is disjointed and, to some extent, withdrawn in the sense that although you may hear what the Wolfpack are saying, you probably won't care. You will only want to witness the next underwhelming sight-gag or Alan-ism.
Despite all of this, Part II did force me to laugh until it hurt at times. It's just that as a whole it was a rather forgettable affair, which, no doubt, is the way we all feel after a heavy night on the liquor.
RATING: 2/5
More importantly this film produced a lot of gold in the literal sense. In America, it was hailed as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. So, somewhat inevitably, a sequel was put through the pipeline and what a forgettable sequel it is at that.
The Hangover Part II is simply a carbon copy of the original set in a much darker and harsher setting than it's predecessor: Bangkok. A lot of critics have suggested this is the film's main fault but what were they expecting? Given that The Hangover was such a high concept to begin with, it would have been extremely difficult for the filmmakers to change the original narrative structure without losing what made the first film so unique. Although, undoubtedly, this is the only way Phillips could have made a sequel (by not altering a frame), Part II lacks the vitality, energy and mildly-vulgar humour of Part I. Instead we are treated to The Hangover tuned up to 11 and it is to the story's detriment.
Alan is now played as being completely retarded, without showing any signs of his once subversive intelligence. It makes for one or two awkward moments, whereby instead of laughing at or with him, I simply pitied him as a person. Don't get me wrong, Galifianakis is still a scene stealer but his character has changed in such a way that he doesn't come across as the lovable and affable dunderhead from Part I. As for some of the other performances, Bradley Cooper's screen time consists of him now fully committed to the job of on-screen "eye candy"but Ed Helms' Stu has a few moments to shine in the waning light.
The Hangover Part II also suffers from a narrative, which is disjointed and, to some extent, withdrawn in the sense that although you may hear what the Wolfpack are saying, you probably won't care. You will only want to witness the next underwhelming sight-gag or Alan-ism.
Despite all of this, Part II did force me to laugh until it hurt at times. It's just that as a whole it was a rather forgettable affair, which, no doubt, is the way we all feel after a heavy night on the liquor.
RATING: 2/5
1st!! ChrisJ
ReplyDeleteSorry Chris I don't understand your comment? What are you referring to?lol
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