tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45166057036473441392024-03-08T01:38:55.842-08:00Namesy's Reviews and General WonderingmentsI'll watch the films and tell you what I think of them and hopefully be some part of persuading you to go see something you may not have previously considered and even better that you enjoy it. Or stop you from seeing that pile of poo that you come out cursing and wanting a refund for.
Will also blog about other movie related items and maybe anything that comes to mind from time to time.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-89346940535496592042013-08-03T07:14:00.005-07:002013-08-03T07:14:57.276-07:00REVIEW - The Conjuring ★ ★ ★ ★ <div style="line-height: 1.4em;">
<span style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong>Review by</strong> Damon Rickard</span></div>
<div>
<strong>Stars</strong> Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson & Lili Taylor</div>
<div>
<strong>Written by</strong> Chad Hayes & Carey Hayes</div>
<div>
<strong>Certification</strong> UK 15</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em;">
<span style="line-height: 1.4em;"><strong>Runtime</strong> 112 minutes</span></div>
<div>
<strong>Directed by</strong> James Wan</div>
<div style="line-height: 1.4em;">
<span style="line-height: 1.4em;"></span></div>
<div>
Based
on the accounts of Ed and Lorraine Warren, two of the foremost
paranormal investigators of our time, comes the new film from James Wan
(Saw, Death Sentence, Insidious). This is not the first of the Warren's
tales to have been made into a feature film with The Amityville Horror
being the other well known haunting based on their accounts. People
have doubted both that and this, the case of the Perron's (Lili Taylor
and Ron Livingston star as Carolyn and Roger Perron) have any truth to
them. My thoughts on this are if the film is good does it matter? Most
films are based on works of fiction so why should the debate of this
being true or not have any impact on the quality of the film?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
story starts with the Perron's moving into their new home, a farmhouse
in Rhode Island set in a beautifully idyllic location, unaware of the
history contained with the walls of the house. From there it doesn't
take long for things to start going bump in the night. It starts off
small, as most haunting films do, and gradually ups the anti with the
Perron children seemingly being targeted most. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With
the hauntings becoming more frequent and more physical, Carolyn
contacts the Warren's to help free them from whatever is terroising
them. But following an exorcism that went awry, Ed Warren is reluctant
to take the case on, especially as it was his wife that suffered and,
wanting to protect her from more serious consequences he turns it down.However, the Warren's finally succomb to the needs of this family
and, whilst expecting something mischievous, were not prepared for the
scale of the maleavolence that was residing inside the Perron's
property.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
James Wan has given us a story
that doesn't shy from the fact it isn't original and, indeed, has been
done many times before. The difference here is how well he has
delivered it. Unlike films such as The Haunting in Connecticut, The
Possession and The Pact, in fact the list could go on, The Conjuring
delivers on intensity and on the scares front. The others are full of
cliched set pieces made by people who don't understand the genre and
what actually makes a film scary. Whereas James Wan has been cutting his
teeth on films that, whilst good, weren't quite there and you can sense
he has learnt what didn't work and put these learnings into practice
with, by far, his best film to date.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm a big
fan of ghost stories but too often they are underwhelming. So what is
that The Conjuring does that others havent? Well for starters it got
the very basics right with likeable characters which gives you someone
to care about in terms of their outcome. Even the peripheral characters
are decent. The screenplay fleshes them out, gives them individual
personalities and backgrounds. The importance of this shouldn't be
underestimated. Next they created a sense of dread and once they got you
hooked they didn't let you go. If you want an audience to be scared
then give them something to be scared about. Just slowly opening doors
and pulling back shower curtains doesn't cut it if you don't think
anything is going to happen to the protagonists (a massive failure of
The Haunting in Connecticut where it was just lots and lots of false
scares to the point they became boring). Wan creates an increased sense
of the evil in the house by upping the anti as the story progresses. A
pull of a leg here, a shadowy figure there, slowly getting more and
more intense and viloent. Oh and a creepy as fuck doll!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The
film is also beautifully photographed with exquisit lighting and the
camera only letting you see what you need to and when you need to see
it. The almost haunting style of camerwork also gives the house itself a
personality, not quite as striking as something along the lines of the
Psycho house but none-the-less adding to the feel of the film. The
dialogue is rich and playful at times, knowing when to introduce a light
touch and when not to so as to avoid a poorly placed "joke" ruining a
cleverly devised piece of tension. All credit to Wan and Chad and Carey
Hayes for bringing all these elements together and ensuring they didn't
fall into the obvious traps in the name of commercial film making and
still delivering a film that will prove to be popular commercially. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Not
everyone is going to love this film, that never happens with anything,
but it will please more than it disappoints. And if you are easily
scared by horror films then approach this with caution. It's not often a
horror film grips me to the point of feeling "scared" but The Conjuring
did manage it and for that I say thank you. It is a feeling I don't
really get watching films since I was a child and one that I miss so I
am appreciative when that childhood horror film experience is brought
back into my life. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I was seven a particular film gave me nightmares for some time. This is a film those nightmares are made of. Enjoy.</div>
</div>
namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-53724966412066941172013-04-21T11:33:00.001-07:002013-04-21T11:33:38.157-07:00REVIEW - Evil Dead ★ ★ ★ <b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 18</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Opens </b>April 18th 2013 (UK) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">91 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Fede Alvarez</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">Please note: This trailer contains scenes that may be distressing to some</span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VwvGH8QFJSo" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
32 years after Sam Raimi brought us the classic The Evil Dead, the
newest entrant from the conveyor belt of remakes hits our screens.
Online comments such as "Oh God, please don't let them fuck this up for
me" started popping up as trailers got released. Fans of the original
remember vividly the first time they saw it and for that reason it
became quite a personal film for them. The people brave enough to
attempt "not fucking this up" had themselves quite a challenge from the
off. Not least the fact that remakes amongst the horror community don't
exactly have the best reputation these days.<br />
<br />
So who
were these brave (foolish?) souls that believed they could re-imagine
such a well loved film. Well the director, producer and star of the
original of course. Upon the knowledge of this, a collective sigh of
release was felt the world of horror over. However this was just as
producers. They needed some poor sucker they could place the blame on
if it all fell apart. So they brought in director Fede Alvarez for his
debut feature to help recreate their visionary original for the modern audience. He came to their attention after seeing his short film Panic Attack (Ataque de Panico) came on YouTube (if you want to watch it, here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk).<br />
<br />
As
far as remakes go they've been smart in a variety of areas. They've
gone for, essentially, an unknown cast, they've come up with a different
approach for keeping them in the cabin, said no to CGI, jettisoned the
comedy of ED2 and Army of Darkness and haven't tried to get someone to
recreate Ash (as director Alvarez put it "how can you recreate God").
So what is the set up if they have changed it from the original?<br />
<br />
Mia
(Jane Levy) is there to try and kick her drug habit and what better way
to do that than in a remote cabin, watched over by her closest friends
and estranged brother. The catalyst for this arranged intervention
seems to be the death of Mia's mother who suffered from a debilitating
mental illness. Whilst getting the cabin back into a livable condition,
they come across in the basement what they believe to have been, the
practice of some form of black magic. Dead animals, stabbing implements
and a strange package tied up with wire adorn far reaches of the
underneath of the cabin which explained the deathly stench that drove
them down there in the first place. They bring up some of the artifacts
and when one of the group takes a particular interest in the package,
upon opening it they find the Book of the Dead and begin to read the
passages that no-one should not read. Naturally this releases the demon
is and Mia is the first to become possessed. <br />
<br />
The
potential for mental illness to be hereditary and the fact Mia is going
cold turkey are able to explain away her early unusual actions following
her possession in order to believably keep the group in the cabin.
What ensues is of utmost importance to the strength of the film. With
many a horror, you can forgo any inadequacies in the build up so long as
the pay off is suitability good, however even if the build up is
perfectly adequate (which this was) you still need the pay off. Early
on I did have reservations as, whilst competently made as it is, it felt
very much like any number of modern day horrors. From the lighting,
the framing, the acting, all the way through to the wardrobe it all felt
far too familiar. But what Alvarez did very well with this film was
defy your expectations of what was to come.<br />
<br />
The style
began to shift as things became more and more desperate in the cabin,
the gore ramped up and the story went out the window. Once things
really took hold it was just one big ending as the story was only strong
enough to go so far. There were some clever plays on the first two
Evil Dead films (such as the hand from ED2 - you think it's going to go
one way but Alvarez plays on your expectations) which allowed those in
the know a wry smile to themselves, knowing they'd be able to be smug
about it afterwards (yes I am one of those). <br />
<br />
What
ultimately stands out with this film and is both good and bad, is the
gore. There are some fantastic moments (a syringe needle, a nail gun
and a straight razor being just a few) that will keep most gore-hounds
happy (this one included) but it delivers this in place of any scares.
The overriding experience of this film is that it is a fun, blood
drenched ride but void of any real fear. The supporting characters are
also very hollow, with little to no background and are simply there to
provide a suitable body count. But as things progress you don't really
care too much about that. <br />
<br />
This film could very easily
have stood as a sort of sequel rather than remake as it is different
enough from the original to be seen alongside the others as just another
adventure for the book. Will it be remembered a classic? No. Will be
vilified for defecating over the good name of The Evil Dead? No. This
is a solid horror film which goes for gore over scares and is really
just good fun. You'd be able to pick at it all over the place if you
really wanted to but I found myself enjoying it and not feeling the need
to pick and I probably had a better cinematic experience for that. <br />
<br />
So
in summary, don't expect anything outstanding as you'll be disappointed
but go along for the ride and you should find enough here to make this a
decent watch and to forget it's supposed to be a remake.<br />
<br />
As
a final note, if I was to sit and compare it to the original then it
falls down. It lacks the atmosphere of the first Evil Dead and fails to
bring anything really new or inventive to the party. So as a direct
comparison then I might have given it 2 out of 5 but I am judging it on
its own merits and I can happily say I enjoyed it.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-20717655157211553552012-12-16T14:46:00.003-08:002012-12-16T14:46:52.116-08:00REVIEW - American Mary ★ ★ ★ ★ ★<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Katharine Isabelle, Antonio Cupo</span><span lang="EN-US"> & </span>Tristan Risk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Sylvia Soska & Jen Soska</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 18 </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Opens </b>January 11th 2012 (UK) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">103 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b>Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0zua8vbLLqU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
From the creators of Dead Hooker In A Trunk, the Soska twins have brought us American Mary, their tale of desire, beauty and death all wrapped in a twisted American Dream parcel. The movie follows the titular Mary Mason (Ginger Snap's Katharine Isabelle) on her journey to becoming a surgeon and the limits people will go to in order to fulfill their dreams and desires.<br />
<br />
Mary is a brilliant surgical student, struggling to pay her rent, phone and any other bill that cruelly comes her way. In order to overcome her increasingly broke situation and complete her education, she seeks out quick money solutions which leads her into an world of underground surgeries that will leave as many scars on Mary as it does on her patients. <br />
<br />
There is far more to this film than a simple horror film. It looks at acceptance, the world's definition of beauty and the struggle people can have to be who they want to be within a society that continually fails to allow them into its cold heart. With an in depth look at body modification and how people wish to change themselves on the outside to fit how they feel on the inside, the Soska twins have elegantly fitted a meaningful subtext into the confines of a horror film. A neat trick in this day and age when modern audiences can often simply clamour for as much blood and guts as they can lay their hands on. Which in certain circumstances works (Hostel, directed by Soksa fan Eli Roth for one) but in the case of AM it could have been a distraction to the story as much as it could have been an easy way to make the often wonderful cheap thrills. <br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, there is plenty in here to delight horror fans and the 18 certificate is well deserved but here it serves the plot of the film rather than just being gore for gore's sake. With an immense central performance from Isabelle she has you unable to take your eyes off the screen. It's just such a shame that her performance will fail to get the recognition it deserves from the commercial side of the industry, simply due to the genre it falls in. Rarely does a horror performance get noticed as a skilled piece of acting (Anthony Hopkins being a rare exception). <br />
<br />
As Mary, Isabelle holds the film with her restrained delivery (it is credit to her and the Soska twins as they could have made it a much showier and more generic role) and she is as beautiful as she is brilliant. Without both of these you may not have been able to fully buy into her journey. There is also the added factor that she could easily have come off as selfish and unlikeable (it would have been an easy misstep in the characterisation and have her come off as just about the money), meaning you wouldn't have rooted for her in the same way. But with her intense likeability and the deft touch of the writing and direction from the Soska's, Mary comes off as entirely sympathetic. <br />
<br />
We move with Mary as she slowly moves from a complete outsider to a champion of the real outsiders, overcoming her prejudices and own moral compass to understand that people are free to make their own choices to be what they want to be. She can help them achieve this where previously they have been failed by less open people. <br />
<br />
There is so much more than meets the eye with AM. We are shown the difficulty that lies in some people in building trust and the fragility of it meaning it can be broken in a second with a single action and how much damage this can do to a person. It also looks at misguided idolisation in that is it all about looks and charm or is it about what the person stands for? How easily we are swayed by outward beauty but continually miss what is inside and that sometimes within the most stunning exterior lies an ugly darkness. <br />
<br />
However, ultimately we have a depiction of a modern American Dream. The whole concept of the dream came about from the land grabs, the panning for gold, oil discoveries and the ability to go from nothing to having everything. But this was all material. Is the modern version to be able to have everything that your heart desires and that money can buy or is it to be able to be free to be who you want to be? There are no answers given here, this is not a spoon feeding exercise and the film is all the better for it.<br />
<br />
This is a dark, sumptuous and clever movie that delivers in many ways. It's sexy, dirty, bloody and above all, it's fun. Does it have flaws? Yes - find me a movie that doesn't have a single one - but do they matter? No. You can overlook any small misgivings as the overall package provides you with something that will stay with you after the credits have rolled and it's not often films manage to do that these days and we should celebrate those that do.<br />
<br />
There's also the added bonus that its directors are freakin hot too!! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-63750112513598886032012-10-18T14:44:00.000-07:002012-10-18T14:44:11.989-07:00The Horror Remake DebateI remember watching my first horror film. A newly purchased Betamax video player, my brother, my dad, myself and Creepshow. It terrified me. My second horror film followed soon after. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It terrified me. I think I should add that I was 7 years old.<br />
<br />
In all it was a bit too much for me and I didn't see another horror until I was the ripe old age of 10. My brother convinced me to watch The Thing and to say I loved it would be a huge understatement to the raw, chilling excitement I got from it. There began my true love for horror. However there is now another connection between these three films, one which saddens me and makes a real statement about the current position of horror today within the Hollywood movie machine.<br />
<br />
I am talking about the modern penchant for remaking horror films. <br />
<br />
While Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Thing have already had suitably poor remakes, Creepshow's remake is currently in development. I'm not holding my breath for anything that will deliver the same sense of fun and fear that the original did. So why is it happening? Is it a new phenomenon? And the big question; should we be saying no to remakes?<br />
<br />
Lets start at the top. Why is it currently happening? <br />
<br />
Well during the 2000's we saw a rise in the volume of remakes being released with perhaps the largest volume in 2008. But in 2009 the big horror remake releases made over $370 million for the studios with the likes of Friday 13th, Sorority Row and Last House on the Left. Putting this alongside their notoriously lower than average budgets it kinda became a no brainer. But with two years of concurrent high volume and high performance would the bubble break?<br />
<br />
Lets look at 2010 and did it follow the trend or were the audiences already saturated with remakes and therefore protesting about their slew of releases by staying away from the cinemas?<br />
<br />
Simply, yes it did follow the trend with over £450 million being taken through the likes of Piranha 3D and A Nightmare On Elm Street. However 2011 saw the slow down in both releases and box office success with $100 million from Fright Night, Silent House, The Thing and Straw Dogs. There was a continuing decline this year with only the one notable remake getting a release which was The Woman In Black (the original was in 1989) taking $128 (Maniac is still yet to see a general release - however it's actually really quite good). <br />
<br />
Yet this doesn't seem to have stopped the studios giving the greenlight to continue this way of making a quick buck. I guess they've looked at the 2000's overall and seen the likes of The Omen, The Amityville Horror, The Hills Have Eyes, Black Christmas, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, The Fog, Halloween, Prom Night and When A Stranger Calls having performed well. This is by no means an exhaustive list as the last 10 years has seen such a variety of remakes it's a wonder to think anything original is being done (especially when you add in sequels!!). The studios can find a cheap director wanting their big break with almost a guaranteed hit. <br />
<br />
So we've looked at why. Now lets look at whether is this something particular to our generation of movie goers. <br />
<br />
It certainly isn't a new thing to remake films but the way in which they are remade and the choices of films to remake is certainly something unique to modern movie making. Previously directors would take films they loved or saw potential in but perhaps were long forgotten or never particularly performed well. They wanted to get these films to a wider audience with their own stamp on them. John Carpenter's The Thing, David Cronenberg's The Fly, Paul Schrader's Cat People, Chuck Russell's The Blob and Philip Kaufman's Invasion of The Body Snatchers are some examples. These in their own right have become well loved films. The horror fans were not particularly happy about Carpenter's remake getting a remake (well technically speaking the 1982 version of The Thing is a sequel to the 1951 film The Thing From Another World and the 2011 is the remake of the '51 version). Would anyone touch Cronenberg's The Fly without getting lynched? So these outcomes suggest remakes aren't always hated and it obviously isn't new.<br />
<br />
What is a new phenomenon, however, is taking well loved, successful films and needlessly remaking them. When did The Fog or The Omen become so bad to watch or forgotten that we needed a newer version of it? The result of this need to spin remakes out is that we get gun for hire directors making films that Hollywood have asked for simply as they see them as a cash cow. And in turn that makes for rushed, uncared for films which generally and simply put, suck. In fairness this isn't the case with all of them as some are actually better than the originals such as The Hills Have Eyes and Last House On The Left (sorry Wes, I know they're both your originals). But these two almost fit the mould of how remakes used to be done. And some are okay films like Dawn of the Dead, The Crazies and The Amityville Horror. However did these need to be made?<br />
<br />
But it's when films like the aforementioned The Omen and The Fog as well as Day of the Dead, Friday 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street which are just truly awful that you fear for the memories of the originals when there will be those people that only ever know these versions. <br />
<br />
I can't imagine the current crop of remakes giving kids the same amazing memories that I had from my early days of watching horror films. So many are so average and who remembers an average film.<br />
<br />
So this brings us onto my last question. Should we be saying no to remakes?<br />
<br />
When you look at the list of upcoming and rumoured remakes; Carrie, Poltergeist, The Evil Dead, Susperia (even Argento doesn't understand why this is being remade), Hellraiser, Near Dark, Return of the Living Dead, Childs Play, Creepshow and all the others, you would have to say we absolutely should be saying no to remakes and the way to do this is with our wallets. Stop going to see them, stop handing over your cash to watch an inferior version of a film you love. If you have kids that you think are old enough to go see it, show them the original. Let them love the films you loved.<br />
<br />
However when you think of the films that could be remade such as Evilspeak, The Black Cat, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, The Burning, The Prowler, Slumber Party Massacre, Rawhead Rex, Pin, 976-Evil, Deadly Friend (sorry again Wes) there is an argument that the remake remains relevant. I am hoping that your reactions to my suggestions were either "oh yeah" or "hmm not heard of that". That should be the litmus test to if a horror film should get a new treatment. Bring back something that was inventive or cool or great but budget prevented it from going anywhere. There are some which had brilliant ideas but lacked the execution. Or it has been so long people have forgotten they ever existed. The Black Cat was one of Universal's most successful films the year it was released. But it's themes (which would sit very nicely in today's horror environment) were a bit too much for it to be given the positive notoriety it deserved at the time.<br />
<br />
Remakes (even the bad ones) also serve their purpose in us seeing those brilliant new and cool low budget horrors (which no doubt will be remade themselves in 20 years) due to the profits they bring in. These will be redistributed by the studios, funding some of these smaller films that no-one ever knows have studio involvement. For anyone that has been lucky enough to see American Mary, it could well be the case brought in from The Wolfman that enabled it to be made. <br />
<br />
Personally I think there is room in the world for a remake. Sometimes it is a necessary evil. That said I do think we need to protest with our feet and stop them taking every great horror film and turning it into something grossly inferior. If audiences get too fed up of this then it could be detrimental to the horror scene as a whole (sequel after sequel, remake after remake) with people simply not wanting to bother with it at all. <br />
<br />
What I'd hate is in 20 years to hear people saying "oh do you remember The Fog?", "yeah, God that was a rubbish film". Replace The Fog with any other poor remake and you get the picture. The films we loved and watch over and over will be replaced in the memory of the next generation with their poor copies, lost to time and perhaps never heard from again. In the words of the current Hate Piracy advert; Just Imagine.<br />
<br />
<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-47428988194728986382012-09-25T14:09:00.001-07:002012-09-25T14:09:59.048-07:00My Movie Talk On Sunday QuestionsI will be hosting the Movie Talk On Sunday this week (30th September). It starts at 8pm (UK time) and I will post up one question/discussion point every ten minutes.<br />
<br />
For those of you that want to know more about MTOS then head to<br />
<br />
http://tickertalksfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/what-is-mtos.html<br />
<br />
My chosen subject is going to be Genre Directors. It's not just surrounding directors that are known for staying within genre film making but also around those that may have dabbled in it from time to time or even as a one off experience.<br />
<br />
Anyway so that you can have a think on what you want to say on the night here are the 10 questions I will be putting on Twitter (you will need to follow me - @The_Modal_Node - to see them).<br />
<br />
So join in, use #MTOS with what you say and follow the conversation. If you like to talk about films then this is for you.<br />
<br />
Q1<br />
Who is your favourite genre director and which is their best film?<br />
<br />
Q2<br />
Have any genre directors successfully moved into more general mainstream fare?<br />
<br />
Q3<br />
Over the years which directors do you feel have redefined or refreshed a genre?<br />
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Q4<br />
Can you remain a genre director whilst making commercial films?<br />
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Q5<br />
Have any general directors moved into the genre game further down their career with any success?<br />
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Q6<br />
What do you believe determines a director to be classed as a "genre director"?<br />
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Q7<br />
Are genre films directors always better than their generalist cousins?<br />
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Q8<br />
Are there any genres that have been created in recent times that shouldn't exist?<br />
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Q9<br />
Can directors cross overs genres in single films or does crossing between, technically, deny them a genre titling?<br />
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Q10<br />
Is Quentin Tarantino a genre director?namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-21896689449376542922012-09-15T01:23:00.001-07:002012-09-15T01:23:32.001-07:00Fright Fest In PicturesObviously I could describe to you all of the guests, the films, the people at Fright Fest until I'm blue in the face but it's hard to know what it's really like without being there. Well here are a few pictures to help you.<br />
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The anticipation begins....<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886914464/" title="IMG_3015 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3015" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7886914464_d18d32628f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886978872/" title="IMG_3073 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3073" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/7886978872_61ec6f1e24.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886946544/" title="IMG_3044 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3044" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7886946544_e6c160520a.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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Me with the director of The Seasoning House, Paul Hyett and it's beautiful and talented star Rosie Day....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886922244/" title="IMG_3023 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3023" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8036/7886922244_4773907b11.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The hugely influential Dario Argento being interviewed as the Total Film Icon....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886941132/" title="IMG_3042 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3042" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8456/7886941132_daf63bfbed.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886936538/" title="IMG_3040 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3040" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8305/7886936538_a1a15448e2.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886962104/" title="IMG_3055 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3055" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8042/7886962104_e8d98e0260.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886966408/" title="IMG_3057 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3057" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7886966408_91b58f331b.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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The blogging begins....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886975314/" title="IMG_3061 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3061" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/7886975314_bbbe4caf75.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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We even get cowboys!!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886981418/" title="IMG_3074 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3074" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/7886981418_b838cc4072.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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Glen McQuaid talks to us about the brilliant V/H/S....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886993402/" title="IMG_3082 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3082" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/7886993402_7fd49e3b11.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886989874/" title="IMG_3081 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3081" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/7886989874_72b066fc9f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Director and start of Rec 3 (Paco Plaza and Leticia Dolera) do a Q&A for the film....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887012712/" title="IMG_3093 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3093" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8178/7887012712_fb6d8eb518.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887017918/" title="IMG_3094 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3094" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/7887017918_64728f8dd1.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887022058/" title="IMG_3096 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3096" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8305/7887022058_38c6413eb0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I meet the hilarious Ross Noble!!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887038404/" title="IMG_3099 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3099" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/7887038404_8a637513d1.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Ross talks about his new film, Stitches (well when he's not running off on tangents he does!)
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887043342/" title="IMG_3100 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3100" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8322/7887043342_97b60c3e81.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887052036/" title="IMG_3105 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3105" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/7887052036_8340af4b5c.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887066024/" title="IMG_3112 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3112" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/7887066024_4d2b788784.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The directors of the brilliant Deadheads return to the fest with their new short Smush! A Deadheads Short (and they've brought their dad, Bart)...
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887098520/" title="IMG_3140 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3140" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7887098520_0be691f837.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887137778/" title="IMG_3143 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3143" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8311/7887137778_856ba8afe6.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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The Outpost 2 zombies descend and we get a Q&A for the film
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887071310/" title="IMG_3114 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3114" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7887071310_0562809fd1.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887154020/" title="IMG_3151 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3151" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7887154020_a8ffb1a6c5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887143396/" title="IMG_3146 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3146" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8178/7887143396_315b69bb13.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Freddy, Pinhead, Michael Myers and um some biker scouts from Star Wars turn up....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887160450/" title="IMG_3153 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3153" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/7887160450_753ba8437e.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887179318/" title="IMG_3160 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3160" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/7887179318_e18a9208d6.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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And Michael then attacks my other half!!!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887185164/" title="IMG_3169 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3169" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7887185164_88db1582c5.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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Horror make up effects hero Greg Nicotero talks about his experiences and gets presented a lifetime achievement award by Simon Pegg....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887189844/" title="IMG_3177 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3177" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8462/7887189844_2968603bca.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887198746/" title="IMG_3199 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3199" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8174/7887198746_ebb3844253.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887209198/" title="IMG_3206 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3206" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7887209198_44227ccaaa.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The cast and crew of Tulpa introduce their film...
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887241172/" title="IMG_3244 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3244" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7887241172_5f3feeba46.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887231300/" title="IMG_3226 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3226" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7887231300_a45ecfc077.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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Next up is the cast and crew of entertaining vampire flick The Thompsons and then me with them.....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887251212/" title="IMG_3254 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3254" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8462/7887251212_10c2738ea4.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887256034/" title="IMG_3255 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3255" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7887256034_7e974ed771.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887266526/" title="IMG_3263 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3263" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8454/7887266526_3669260dce.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Axelle Carolyn talks about her short film The Halloween Kid which I put in a small contribution to....
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887281746/" title="IMG_3276 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3276" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8176/7887281746_5d91b00488.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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My name up on the Fright Fest big screen!!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887293270/" title="IMG_3278 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3278" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/7887293270_a1e9e10ec4.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The rest of the makers of the short films in the showcase...
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887287668/" title="IMG_3277 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3277" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/7887287668_7aa962b7ce.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Cast and crew of the Lynchian Berbarian Sound Studio...
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887298748/" title="IMG_3281 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3281" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7887298748_7005cdaa14.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Writer of my film of the fest, Sinister gives us a Q&A
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887303710/" title="IMG_3286 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3286" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/7887303710_c1baf316a6.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The belles of the ball, The Twisted Twins (aka Jen and Sylvia Soska) talk about their brilliant new film American Mary along with star Katherine Isabelle
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887309048/" title="IMG_3292 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3292" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8310/7887309048_808257b0e0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887321634/" title="IMG_3300 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3300" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7887321634_6924674edb.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887333120/" title="IMG_3307 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3307" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8445/7887333120_91c8e9bbe3.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Me with a few people....
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Jennifer Chambers Lynch
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7987745918/" title="IMG_1770 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1770" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8317/7987745918_609011c892.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Andy Nyman
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7987740127/" title="IMG_1769 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1769" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/7987740127_bb9a0e2f6c.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Axelle Carolyn
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7987744740/" title="IMG_1773 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1773" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7987744740_eaf2f71f96.jpg" width="374" /></a>
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And the Twisted Twins and Katherine Isabelle
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7987742232/" title="IMG_1776 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1776" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/7987742232_3b27a06421.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7987738049/" title="IMG_1774 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1774" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/7987738049_07bf24bf20.jpg" width="374" /></a>
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And here's a few more from the weekend...
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886918050/" title="IMG_3018 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3018" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8030/7886918050_2ed007f283.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7886952154/" title="IMG_3052 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3052" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/7886952154_ab2dc74ce2.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887075302/" title="IMG_3122 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3122" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8318/7887075302_5de53fcc01.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887084986/" title="IMG_3130 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3130" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/7887084986_01cf7b6a72.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887090144/" title="IMG_3133 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3133" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8178/7887090144_5cd0fe392f.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887094314/" title="IMG_3138 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3138" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/7887094314_4ff9b24bb4.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887167118/" title="IMG_3155 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3155" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/7887167118_abfaf92083.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7887221592/" title="IMG_3211 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3211" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8295/7887221592_f2b4579d15.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/7987752178/" title="IMG_1755 by namesy76, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1755" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8039/7987752178_449cd83d87.jpg" width="374" /></a>
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If you want to see all the photos I've stuck up on Flickr for Fright Fest then here is the link...
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/namesy/namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-13696236066868460652012-09-09T08:16:00.003-07:002012-09-09T08:16:24.636-07:00REVIEW - Sinister ★ ★ ★ ★ ★<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, </span><span lang="EN-US">James Ransone</span><span lang="EN-US">, Fred Dalton Thompson & </span><span lang="EN-US">Vincent D'ononfrio</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> C Robert Cargill & Scott Derrickson</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Opens </b>October 5th 2012 (UK) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">110 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Scott Derrickson</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xtlAW-T0ScE" width="560"></iframe>
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True crime writer Ellison Oswald (Hawke) is desperately trying to recapture the success that his first novel brought him. He continually moves his family from place to place, living just doors away from the crime scenes he investigates. Dwindling book sales mean his is struggling to maintain the lifestyle he created for his family with the large house become to costly to keep. In an effort to drive down costs whilst seeking his next big story he ultimately buys the incredibly cheap family house where the previous occupents were killed in and a child went missing from.<br />
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Shortly after moving in, Ellison discovers of a box in the attic of the Oswald's new home with old cine film footage, spanning 3 decades. He quietly sets it up in his new office and what he finds on the films becomes a game changer and Ellison found he was onto a story that would not only put himself in danger but his whole family too.<br />
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C Robert Cargill has crafted a horror story that maybe retreads ground that Hollywood has tried on several occasions to cover but does it head and shoulders above the rest of the big budget offerings that have gone before it. The overall story may not necessarily be something you haven't seen before but the execution (excuse the pun - when you watch it, you'll get that) is certainly done in a way that avoids all the pitfalls that normal big budget horror fare falls into.<br />
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This coupled with Derrickson's superb direction makes for one of the scariest films for not only this year but for a number of years. Derrickson previously showed us his horror hand with The Exorcism of Emily Rose where he successfully merged drama and horror in a way I hadn't seen before. He created some truly creepy moments in that film with a deft touch, avoiding the requirement for any extreme violence with the fear played out through his leads. The performances he manages to get are half the battle here and you genuinely feel that Ethan Hawke is slowly becoming more and more terrified as the film progresses. In turn you mirror this in yourself as the tension ratchets up.<br />
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I mentioned that the films pulls off the tricks that are usually missed and this is true. The biggest one being so many modern horror films (discounting the slashers) forget to introduce a sense of dread into the proceedings. If you don't know what the outcome for your hero could be, why should you be frightened of it? So to cover this off we are given something right from the beginning in a scene that I certainly didn't expect. I don't want to spoil anything for you so I won't go into detail here. The film doesn't need any real gore or excessive violence (one of the scariest scenes cuts from the nasty stuff to reaction, leaving your mind to fill in the gaps which can often be more powerful) and relies on intense imagery to leave you feeling unsettled. By doing this and keeping you on edge it makes it much easier to play with your fears, mixing genuinely creepy moments with more standard shocks (loud bumps and the like) and all work. Well I say all, there were two pieces, one with an image on Hawke's laptop and another where he wanders round the house looking for what is going bump in the night that, for me, were a bit more average. However, that said, these two scenes will still play extremely well in the mulitplexes. This may just be me being a tad fussy and they probably stick out more as slightly poor relations to other parts of the film due to the overall high quality of the film.<br />
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The other ways in which they pull this film off is by keeping it believable that the family wouldn't be rushing out of the house immediately. This is done through Hawke's character's continual attempts to rationalise everything that is happening and it is done successfully. Part of this is through his desire to be famous again and it is here that Hawke's casting in his first horror film is a masterstroke. Ellison Oswald, for all intents and purposes, is not a very nice person. He's a loving dad and devoted husband but as soon as his story comes to him, his family take second place and they become the forgotten element of his life as he throws himself into his work. With a lesser talented actor and indeed a less likeable actor, this character could have lacked any form of sympathy but Hawke plays him brilliantly. So whilst he maintains his standing as arsehole of the house, you still find yourself rooting for him. Without this, again you wouldn't care what happened to him. And this, dear reader, is the basis of a scary film being scary. Caring. If you don't care then it's not scary, no matter how well the film has been made. This is why horror films are so subjective. You may not connect to characters that others do and this takes you out of the film and subsequently out of the scares. This is why Sinister worked so well for me, it kept me engaged all the way, even throwing in some light relief with Deputy So and So (again you need to see it for that to make more sense). <br />
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I genuinely found this a scary film and I've seen a lot of horror and, without wanting to sound pretentious, not a lot really scares me these days as I've become accustomed to the tricks of the trade. I can't guarantee this for you but being a gambling man, I'd happily put money on the fact you will find the same. <br />
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I have given this five stars as I couldn't find much to fault with it. Is it as well crafted a piece of work as Saving Private Ryan? Well if we look at it in terms of within its own genre then yes it is. It stands above its peers. The performances are very good (Juliet Rylance perhaps reduced to little more than the good housewife role but she performs it well), especially young Michael Hall D'Addario who plays Hawke's son, Trevor. The dialogue is slick, the humour fits and doesn't feel forced, the pacing is spot on and it delivers what it promises. Need I say more.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-79546884454504339332012-09-01T02:02:00.002-07:002012-09-09T07:17:23.235-07:00REVIEW - V/H/S ★ ★ ★ ★<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Calvin Reeder, Kane Hughes, Adam Wingard, Hannah Fierman & Mike Dolan</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Simon Barrett, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Nicholas Tecosky, Ti West</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">115 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg & Ti West</span><br />
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Thought you'd seen everything found footage films had to offer the horror genre? Think again, as V/H/S takes it along a fresh path, melding it with the other tough sell of an anthology movie and spits out a superbly crafted and scary ride through six stories.<br />
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A sleazy group of guys, that make money from selling videos of themselves stripping unsuspecting women, are hired by an unknown third party. All they have to do is to burgle a house and steal a very rare and particular VHS tape. Seeing it as easy money they jump at the chance but inside they discover a dead body and a host of tapes, but don't know which one the one they need is. So they begin to look through them to see what they have. They find a deadly one night stand, an eventful Grand Canyon road trip, a slasher in the woods, a spooky Skype call and a Halloween party that goes very wrong.<br />
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The first trick that this film pulls of is to get rid of the usual trappings of "found footage". By this I mean 30 minutes of people shouting "stop filming" and the inevitable question of "why are you still filming?". Also, by doing short segments it avoids half the film having to be the camera looking around at nothingness (such as people's feet and bushes) as generally found footage stories don't contain enough to make a full feature. It did however use the one thing that still drives me mad, the crackling of the tape as though there is a fault with it. It is used as a cutting mechanism, I get that, it's just very annoying and thankfully wasn't used excessively here.<br />
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So found footage pitfalls and failure out of the way, what about the actual film itself. Well the weakest part of it, as it generally seems to be with anthology movies, is the wraparound. Nothing really happens in it and the characters are all so unlikeable that you wish you'd seen them all meet a horrible end. However this does not detract from what is, overall, a supreme collection of innovative shorts films. I'm not going to go into detail on each one as I don't want to spoil what they're about as half the fun of this film is seeing where each one goes.<br />
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What we have to ensure you don't spend most of your viewing time sucked out of the film, as your suspension of disbelief is gone due the fact you're wondering why these people are doing what they're doing, is a variety of different recording methods.<br />
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We have a spy cam for three guys on the prowl for one night stands and they want to record their trophies, a helmet style cam in a Halloween costume, the ingenious use of Skype, the documenting of a road trip and a camera that picks up more than the human eye. All of these techniques ensure you remain firmly engaged with the film and all work perfectly.<br />
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The film overall is chilling, scary and violent and exceeded my expectations all the way. The performances are very "real". You feel like you're watching someone's home movie which only adds to the atmosphere. So often in found footage films, the performances seem very forced in trying to create that natural feel and therefore only serve as a detractor. The direction is all centered around build up but not to ineffective ends as all the shorts had a suitably satisfying conclusion.<br />
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The other area in which this raises itself above some anthology films is the length. None of the segments are too long and in keeping the whole film under two hours you don't find yourself hoping the next one is the last one. In fact each one leaves you wanting more.<br />
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This film just kept on delivering and I highly recommend you go see it. <br />
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<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-33475515041375665032012-09-01T01:36:00.000-07:002012-09-01T01:36:37.823-07:00Fright Fest Top 5'sHere are my top 5's of Fright Fest<br />
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<b>Best Film</b><br />
1. Sinister<br />
2. V/H/S<br />
3. Sleep Tight<br />
4. American Mary<br />
5. The Seasoning House<br />
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Just outside are Chained, Maniac & Cockneys vs Zombies<br />
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<b>Best Director</b><br />
1. Scott Derrickson (Sinister)<br />
2. Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio)<br />
3. Jen & Sylvia Soska (American Mary)<br />
4. Frank Khalfoun (Maniac)<br />
5. Jaume Balaguero (Sleep Tight) <br />
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Jennifer Chambers Lynch and Paul Hyett should also be recognised here. It was tough to leave either out as their films were both brilliant. <br />
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<b>Best Actor</b><br />
1. Vincent D'Onofrio (Chained)<br />
2. Elijah Wood (Maniac)<br />
3. Luis Tosar (Sleep Tight)<br />
4. Kevin Howarth (The Seasoning House)<br />
5. Toby Jones (Berberian Sound Studio)<br />
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Notable mentions to Alan Ford (Cockneys vs Zombies) and Jack O'Connell (Tower Block) for doing what they do best.<br />
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<b>Best Actress</b><br />
1. Rosie Day (The Seasoning House)<br />
2. Katherine Isabelle (American Mary)<br />
3. Natasha Calis (The Possession)<br />
4. Marta Etura (Sleep Tight)<br />
5. Sheridan Smith (Tower Block)<br />
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Whilst the female performances above were all excellent, there just weren't enough really strong female lead roles at the festival this year. <br />
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<b>Scariest Film</b><br />
1. Sinister<br />
2. V/H/S<br />
3. Sleep Tight<br />
4. Maniac<br />
5. Chained<br />
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The festival was very diverse this year with a mix of scares, gore, laughs, psychological chills and, well, shite. <br />
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<b>Goriest Film</b><br />
1. Maniac<br />
2. Stitches<br />
3. Hidden In The Woods<br />
4. The Thompsons<br />
5. American Mary<br />
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Strong stomachs required for the above. <br />
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<b>Worst Film</b><br />
1. Hidden In The Woods<br />
2. Outpost 2<br />
3. The Possession<br />
4. Under The Bed<br />
5. Tulpa <br />
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It's hard to describe how much I disliked Hidden In The Woods. <br />
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<b>Best Short Film</b><br />
1. Him Indoors<br />
2. Smush<br />
3. Un Jour Sang<br />
4. The Halloween Kid<br />
5. Gargols!<br />
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<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-79829596559445935072012-08-30T13:02:00.002-07:002012-09-09T07:17:38.586-07:00REVIEW - The Possession ★ ★<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Kyra Sedgewick </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Juliet Snowden & Stiles White</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">92 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ole Bornedal</span><span lang="EN-US"></span>
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From producer Sam Raimi comes a new story based on true events about the possession of a young girl. What was really missing from the horror film schedule for the year was a good possession film as we just haven't had enough of them.<br />
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Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is a man, freshly divorced, just moved into a new house, only gets to see his kids on the weekends and wants another shot at the big time as a basketball coach. The only interactions with his ex wife are confrontational and he feels he is being distanced from his eldest daughter. During one of his weekends, whilst trying to bond with them they stumble across a garage sale where his youngest, Em (a stunning performance from Natasha Calis), finds a interesting looking box to which she is drawn to.<br />
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After opening what seems to be an box that was designed to not be opened she soon becomes withdrawn, angry and inexplicably attached to the box, not wanting to be separated from it at any time. Clyde notices what is happening and tries to find reasoning behind it but it isn't long before he suspects what is really behind the change in his little girl and seeks help to stop what appears to be a possession before her actions become fatal.<br />
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What we have here is a run of the mill possession film, complete with the main character looking up exorcism videos, bible passages and newspaper articles to help him understand what is going on. For me it was an unnecessary film adding to an already over full section of horror. All the scares were ones I'd seen before, the story line was nothing inventive or unique, just providing a new way for the possession to begin. <br />
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The performances were all good, although Kyra Sedwick's performance just made you want her to be killed off at the earliest opportunity but the performances were not enough to raise this above anything beyond mediocre. Hearing it had Sam Raimi as producer I had hopes that this would be something a little different and give us a new take on the child being possessed films. Sadly this was not the case.<br />
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There will be a few moments here that will have some cinema goers jumping and there will be plenty of people that like this as it's a very commercially made film and will find an audience. Without wanting to be condescending to those viewers, it is likely to be people who have limited exposure to horror films (although probably think they're horror aficionados) and are less fussy about what is being presented to them. For me this, as I've probably laboured on a bit too much about, just didn't give me anything I hadn't seen before and better.<br />
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I think the thing that upset me most about this film was the fact is was so incredibly average. Not one to change the face of horror films but it will be one that will be quickly forgotten.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-45174706196528824352012-08-30T08:54:00.001-07:002012-08-30T08:54:35.405-07:00Frightfest Review - The Thompsons ★ ★ ★<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Elizabeth Henstridge, Daniel O'Meara & Mackenzie Firgens</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Ian Clark</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 18 </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">84 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">The Butcher Brothers</span>
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Think you know your vampires? Think again. The Hamiltons are no ordinary strain of vampire as they have not been turned. In a world where vampires procreate, they were born with a disease which left them blood thirsty killers. Killers that can set foot in daylight but are also just as susceptible to pain and death as anyone else. Following an incident in America that left a trail of dead bodies, they changed their name to The Thompsons and went on the run, ending up in England. Having to lay low and keep themselves out of the public eye, they can't kill easily so it is here they hope to find the help they need in order to survive, as without blood they will starve to death. All they have is a name, Manderson and a town, Ludlow. Francis (Cory Knauf) makes his way to the seemingly sleepy town in search of the mysterious Manderson. Once found, he finds that the stranger he went in search of is the head of another vampire family, the Stuarts and soon suspects that the kindness he was shown may have darker, ulterior motives lurking beneath.<br /><br />The Butcher Brothers follow up their award winning original vampire flick with another blast of sex and death. They bravely take the vampire genre and break the rules to allow them to make the film they want to. One of the problems with horror is, even though these creatures don't exist, us viewers are very particular about them following the right rules (zombies walk, they don't run). Vampires are no exception - the rules are they can only go out at night, they can't see their reflection and can only be killed by a stake through the heart and have a severe disliking to crosses. Well in this film not a single one of those rules turns up. Which leads to the question are these people actually vampires or is the disease that is referred to simply one that makes them vampiric in certain ways. The only ways in which they appear to adhere to vamp lore is the drinking of blood to survive and that real food makes them sick, so they don't eat. But this doesn't detract from the film as it enables a story line that doesn't become shackled with the burdens of moving only within the restrictive rules. Rules are there for breaking and if it works then does it matter? <br /><br />The Thompsons is a fast paced, beautifully shot, deliciously violent film with decent performances from all the cast, including a nicely broody turn from Knauf, that relies more on the style than the substance . The dialogue at points is a little weak and the story line is fairly simple but where some films would be broken by this, The Butcher Brothers have managed to still craft a highly entertaining film that sticks two fingers up at the "clever" writers, saying we don't need a string of highly intuitive speeches, we need fun. David Mamet once commented that you don't need good dialogue or good characters, you just need to make the audience want to know what happens next. For me this film did just that. Could it have done with rounding the characters better? In fairness yes is the answer, the Stuarts were fairly one dimensional with the exception of Riley (the lovely Elizabeth Henstridge) who wasn't born with the same need for blood. The rest, including the patriarch, were given very little else. <br /><br />It was these areas that stopped me giving The Thompsons the four stars I really wanted to as it entertained me as much as other four star films, but I felt that it breezed through a lot of the film with an almost acknowledged disregard for, in film terms, the finer things in life. Such as the the exposition which all came at the beginning and the end and left very little for the middle where the film just kind of drifted along. All in all you could do a lot worse than giving this film a go, it has enough about it to entertain you (which at the end of the day is generally a film's purpose) just don't expect a masterpiece. This is one certainly not for the True Blood crowd and for this I am truly thankful. So if you like your vampires to come without the teenage angst of American TV shows but does contain bucket loads of blood (special mention should go to the high quality special effects seeing as the shoot was very restrictive time wise) then this is your baby.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-70944463417546571792012-08-30T04:10:00.001-07:002012-08-30T04:10:40.001-07:00Fright Fest Day 5And so it is here. The last day of the festival and a return to normal life tomorrow. <br />
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The last walk to Euston underground to embark upon the Northern Line to a day of terror, the last time we'd go past the little coffee shop which enthusiastically advertises "the best coffee in London" (incidentally we decided to stop there the next day before going home and the coffee was very good indeed, as was the full English breakfast) as we carry our passes proudly around our necks for the last time this year.<br />
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Today carries a number of lasts but also a number of firsts, we were treated to UK premieres of After and Chained, the European premiere of The Possession and the world premiere of Tower Block.<br />
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But to kick us off was a preview of Jen and Sylvia Soska's (The Twisted Twins) new work, American Mary. They came up on stage to introduce the film and were a welcome mash of beauty and insanity as they spoke to the crowd. In these two we potentially have the new darlings of Fright Fest - if they didn't get numerous marriage proposals I'll be amazed. But they also have the talent to back it up, in American Mary we have a stunning look into the world of body modification, prostitution, revenge and where people will go to fulfill their desires. <br />
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Out for a short breath of fresh air and then back to the seats for more of a fantasy next in After. The tale of two people involved in a car accident and what happens to them after. It was an all too simple premise with not a lot going on. Picked up a little towards the end but weak performances and shoddy scripting made this one of my least favourites of the weekend.<br />
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Thankfully the wonderful Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David, brought her new film, Chained for us. This was an intensely disturbing look at how monsters are made and brought the best performance I have seen from Vincent D'Onofrio since his powerful turn as Private Pile in Full Metal Jacket. Jennifer was also incredibly humble and welcoming when talking to people. <br />
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Everything seemed on a very tight schedule today as again it was a very short break and back in for Possession. Very Hollywood, very average and very pointless. Very disappointing seeing as it had Sam Raimi attached as the producer. So swiftly onto the last film of the night, the second of the fest for writer James Moran (Cockneys vs Zombies), Tower Block. This was certainly a more serious film than Cockneys where a group of residents, that are the last in the block to be rehoused, start getting picked off one by one by a deadly accurate sniper. Whilst the film had flaws, they could be forgiven as it was a very entertaining an tense affair. A good closer for the weekend.<br />
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It was straight off to the after party where I drank with the Pierce brothers (Deadheads), the Twisted Twins and Katherine Isabelle (star of American Mary). Shuffled off back to the hotel at around 2.30am and that was that. Fright Fest the 13th was done. <br />
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It was a weekend full of ups and downs, guests aplenty, meeting up with familiar faces, getting to know new ones, less beer than I thought and some truly stunning films. It's sad to say its over but the memories will linger. So until next year Fright Fest. namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-2393781954281347562012-08-29T05:55:00.001-07:002012-08-29T05:55:42.710-07:00Fright Fest Day 4The normal bounce I'd been getting out of bed with was slowly beginning to fade. The 4 - 5 hours of sleep a night along with a diet fit only for the dead are slowly starting to take their toll. But let that not stop me. After all, today is a new day and my excitement levels have creeped back up after yesterday's disappointments.<br />
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No needing to queue for discovery screen tickets today, it's main screen all the way baby!! After a very average breakfast at Cafe Rouge it back to Leicester Square and straight into the screen. After a hello and quick chat with some of the people we knew (everyone here is incredibly friendly) we took our seats, the lights went down and the cast and crew of the first film, The Thompsons, were introduced to us. The film itself was an entertaining vampire flick. Slightly shoddy dialogue but an enjoyable watch none the less.<br />
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Met a bunch of the cast and crew in the foyer afterwards, the make up effects guy was excellent to chat to, and got a picture with all of the English cast of vampires (pics will be coming up in a separate blog once). Bumped into the director of the excellent Seasoning House again and I was incredibly chuffed that he remembered me and took the effort to say hi to me rather than the other way around. It's moments like this that make this festival so special.<br />
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Next it was a slight change of pace with Andy Nyman's Quiz From Hell (he's been cast in Kick Ass don't you know). An incredibly hard quiz but lots of fun. I did okay. Then we had the Horror Channel's short film showcase. A very diverse bunch of films from Axelle Carolyn's The Halloween Kid (which I put a bit of money into and got the pleasure of seeing my name up on the Frightfest screen!!) to Un Jour Sang, a French offering that without showing anything was probably the most brutal of the shorts. Overall a good selection and some talent to look out for in the future.<br />
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Got my picture with Andy Nyman afterwards - cool!!<br />
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After a short break we were back in for the UK Premier of Rec director, Jaume Balaguero's Sleep Tight. This was an excellent, disturbing look into the psyche of one man's unhappiness and the things it makes him do. So far today was a complete turnaround of Saturday. And it was going to continue in that vain, well for me at least.<br />
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Berberian Sound Studio was up next, one I had really been looking forward to. This was certainly not to everyone's taste but was a supremely well crafted love letter to Italian horror and the way in which it is put together. Anyone looking for a film with a normal, or even any, narrative will need to go elsewhere. I enjoyed it and after speaking with the director, who was only too keen to discuss his film (I just wish we had longer) it helped gain, not necessarily sense of the film, an understanding of where the director was coming from.<br />
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There was a sudden change of pace with the next film, the UK premiere of the very American Sinister. Early buzz surrounding this film was that it was not your usual Hollywood horror film in terms of quality. The early buzz was right, Sinister lived up to its name and was unsettling and very scary. This had one of the best scares I've seen in a long time - I won't be saying what as I wouldn't want to spoil it. The writer did a Q&A and was brilliant to listen to and also very gracious to meet. he loved that people loved it and just wanted to chat about movies with everyone. He was a cool dude.<br />
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I skipped the last film, Dead Sushi, as the premise just didn't appeal to me. The response from it seemed to be good and that it was very funny but very mental. Instead we headed to The Phoenix Artists Club for a few drinks to wind down. There were a few people from the films in there such as the director of Cockneys vs Zombies but it was relatively quiet and a good way to end the night. No taxi back to the hotel tonight, saved our money and went for the walking option. <br />
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Today was a good day.<br />
<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-10224090730548189782012-08-27T01:02:00.001-07:002012-08-30T04:13:42.754-07:00Fright Fest Day 3So after another lengthy 4 and a half hours sleep, it was time to get up and start day 3. But for me this day was going to be the most special day of the fest, or so I thought.<br />
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Picking my specially made Day of the Dead t-shirt (it has the newspaper from the beginning printed in full on it), packing my Day of the Dead Blu-Ray, I was ready to meet the master of special make up effects. Greg Nicotero was going to be presented with a lifetime achievement award for his services to horror. This is a man that, after being mentored by the legend that is Tom Savini, changed the landscape of make up effects. Even if you are not a horror fan you will have undoubtedly seen the work of his effects house KNB as he has had his touch in films from the likes of Reservoir Dogs through to the Chronicles of Narnia. <br />
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Anyway, don't want to get ahead of myself just yet. My day started in the queue for the discovery screen again as I wanted to grab tickets for Nightmare Factory, a documentary about Greg's work. I also met someone I hadn't seen for the best part of 15 years who was at the festival supporting one of his friends that had made the day's opening film, Eurocrime. This was a documentary about a genre I knew very little about but after having seen it it's a genre I want to know more of. The films looked insane!!<br />
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A stretch of the legs and it was back in to see the hotly anticipated (I jest) sequel to Outpost, cleverly titled, Outpost 2 - Black Sun. In the discovery screen was Kill Zombie! which went down a storm. I wish I'd gone into that one as Outpost 2 was many things but good was not one of them.<br />
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Hunger pangs started kicking in so it was time to head to the noodle bar for some sweet and sour!! Yum yum. As we walked out we saw a crowd had gathered around the entrance. This was because Pinhead, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, a Sith Lord and some stormtroopers had unexpectedly decided to turn up. Just another day in the life of Frightfest. Anyway the hunger wasn't going away standing there watching them have their photo taken with joyous passers by. And just as wel left the cover of cinema entrance the heavens opened. Stealthily we made our way under the cover of the shop canopies.<br />
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Food bought we went back in. Whilst waiting to go into the screen for Nightmare Factory I bumped into the Pierce brothers who directed one of my favourites from last yer, Deadheads. They were back with a new short about one of the zombies from that feature. And this time they'd brought their dad. But their dad isn't like most dads, this day worked on the special effects for the original Evil Dead. All three of them are so easy to talk with and accommodating as they are no different from us in terms of being complete horror fan boys.<br />
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They saw my noodles and after a good chat decided that was the perfect form of nourishment for them. After the Pierce brothers headed off, this was slowly becoming a slightly surreal day as my wife decided to ask Michael Myers kill her so I could take a photo of it. And he really put the effort in as he wrestled her to the ground.<br />
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In anticipation of the Greg Nicotero interview I went to watch the documentary about his effects company, Nightmare Factory. Whilst the style of the film was a bit run of the mill and perhaps too slow, the content was perfect for me. Lots of behind the scenes stuff from the films he worked on, interviews telling what influenced them and how they got into doing what they do. <br />
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Then came the moment. The man himself. Greg Nicotero being presented his award and being interviewed by Damon Wise, from the likes of The Guardian and Empire Magazine. It was funny and insightful and the audience asked some great questions. And in a nice touch, fellow fanboy Simon Pegg did the actual presentation of the award. And then, all too soon, it was over. I could have listened to him talk for hours. The man is a legend.<br />
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Like a complete geeky kid, I grabbed my Day of the Dead Blu-Ray and went out after he left the auditorium to try and get it signed. Had to wait whilst him and Simon worked the press pit, meanwhile the next film Under The Bed was already playing. After a 30 minute wait, they were done and the small group that was gathered started to perk up. Now we get to meet a hero of ours. And like that, the PR agent ushered Greg and Simon out of the press pit...... and straight out of the side door without a single hello to the fans that had patiently waited. I was genuinely gutted. A once in a lifetime opportunity had been taken away. This sadly put a downer on the day for me.<br />
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Anyway, back into the screen for the remainder of Under The Bed from the director of the underwhelming The Aggression Scale. Might have been better staying out, the film was rather pointless.<br />
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During the Glasgow Frightfest we had a 5 minute show of footage from a new film by Italian director Frederico Zampaglioni. It was fantastic, making Tulpa a very anticipated film. Sadly it did not live up to expectations. Whilst it was entertaining enough, in trying to capture the schlocky elements of the 70's giallo films it went a bit too far and just became cheesy. Oh well. Hopefully Maniac can pick today back up on its feet.<br />
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And that it did!! Elijah Wood in an incredibly brave role in a brilliantly brutal film. Thank you for ending the day on a good night.<br />
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All in all, for me, day three was a let down. I still enjoyed it but it was full of disappointments from not getting to meet Greg, Tulpa not living up to expectations and Outpost 2 just really annoying me with how poor it was.<br />
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And to cap it off, being a Saturday night, finding a cab wasn't quite as easy as previous nights. But eventually we found one and it was back to the hotel for sleep and waking refreshed and ready for day 4.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-53421471620938418772012-08-26T00:41:00.002-07:002012-08-26T00:41:45.392-07:00Fright Fest Day 2After arriving back at our hotel on day 1 at 1.30 am we were back up at 7am all pumped and ready for day 2 to smack us over the head with blood, chills, scares and laughs. Without wanted to add spoilers to this blog I can safely assure you, dear reader, we got all three.<br />
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Arriving at the Empire Leicester Square we joined the queue to get tickets for the Discovery Screen (we went to see Guinea Pigs - review on the site), stuffed a exceptionally unsatisfying McDonalds into our hungry mouths and waited. <br />
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Tickets purchased we settled in for our second day and it started off well, Guinea Pigs was a decent film, nothing to get too excited about but showed off some potential future talent in the genre. Next up was the Dario Argento interview. A very articulate man, even with his somewhat broken English, and a very humble man (even if he did state there was no point in remaking Susperia as it couldn't be done any better - which, in fairness, is true). He discussed his dislike of remakes, his new film Dracula 3D and talked back over his best work. This is a true icon of horror, a man who has been imitated, ripped off, referenced but remains unreplaceable.<br />
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After he finished and went off to sign Alan Jones' new book (and only his new book - bit of pimping yourself there Alan?) we found ourselves with an unusually long break. You could sense the rabble was unsure of what to do with themselves. So we did what any sensible person would and headed off to Ed's Diner for milkshakes and cheesy chips!!<br />
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We bumped into the Seasoning House group in the foyer and had a chat, exceptionally nice group of people who are so genuinely pleased that we liked their film that they were happy to just stick and have a chat. One of the things Frightfest is great for is it doesn't let the talent act like divas and be dismissive of the fans. And the talent always seem to like it that way.<br />
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Our seats started missing us so it was back to the screen and up came Hiddent In The Woods. The less I say about it, the better. Awful film. So straight onto my most anticipated of the day, V/H/S. An anthology movie made up of 6 found footage shorts. My anticipation was well rewarded with film that gave us ghosts, slashers, the occult and aliens amongst its numbers. <br />
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Just before the UK premier of Rec 3 - Genesis, we were treated to a few minutes of upcoming vampire flick Byzantium. Looks like it could be interesting but I wasn't blown away. Rec 3 was a surprise as it was a big deviation from the style of the first two. However it was a highly entertaining romcomzom! <br />
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After a short break, Mr Ross Noble was back up on the stage introducing his film, Stitches which was receiving its world premiere. Once again he had the audience in, well, stitches, before the film kicked off with his incredible ability to be ridiculously funny about anything and everything. But could the funnyman act? Quite simply yes, yes he can. Stitches was incredibly violent, very funny and a great way to end a superb second day. <br />
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Hello cab, hello hotel. Getting tired now.<br />
<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-61739912664755729312012-08-25T00:20:00.001-07:002012-08-25T00:20:31.520-07:00Fright Fest Review - Guinea Pigs ★ ★ ★<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Anuerin Barnard,Alex Reid, Steve Evets, Jack Doolan</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Ian Clark</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 TBC </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">84 minutes</span></div>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Ian Clark</span><br />
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Guinea Pigs is the story of a group of no-bodies in need of money, selling their bodies to a pharmaceutical company for the advancement of medical science. They will receive £2,000 for two weeks of allowing themselves to be injected with the new drug Pro-9 and studied for potential side effects and if the drug is working.<br />
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However the new drug has some unforeseen side effects and slowly one by one they start succumbing to them. The only question they really want answered is were they part of the control group and if so, does it increase their chances of survival?<br />
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Ian Clark has created a decent little horror film on a low budget. Cleverly using the location to enable horror staples such as seclusion, limited cast and a sense of claustrophobia. His style of having it seem very natural as though we are merely spying on this group works really well. It also shows you can get an almost documentary feel to a film without having the need for it to be "found footage". After some initial slightly dodgy bits of acting as we are introduced to the characters, the cast handle this realism style admirably and pull off the fact it's meant to feel real and not acted. However, whilst this was a great way of bringing us into the film, it doesn't last and a the film progresses, this documentary feel slowly dissipates and we're back into the normal horror genre zone.<br />
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The film moves along at a decent pace and the characters are given a sense of individuality without having to delve too deeply into their histories and why they are there; it doesn't matter why they came. There's some good set piece scares in here and whilst it won't change film there wasn't much to really criticise this film about.<br />
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Of course there's things that could be better otherwise it would be a five star review, however it didn't really do anything wrong, just didn't do the good stuff brilliantly. Sadly this film won't be seen by many people and it does have a slightly too grainy look to play well in the major multiplexes, but it will find its audience. <br />
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If you get a chance and you are a fan of horror then you should try and get hold of a copy. Whilst I doubt you'll be blown away, you will find something here that suggests Ian Clark is someone to look out for.namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-59998753693454095522012-08-24T00:38:00.003-07:002012-08-24T00:38:54.594-07:00Fright Fest Day 1The build up to today started way back at the end of June in the Fright Fest sleepy queue. All night anticipation to pick up the coveted weekend pass allowing you access to every main screen nightmare, every discovery screen, well, discovery and all the Q&As along. <br />
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With the line up of films having just been released you find yourself already trying to plan your weekend of films. What can you miss, what is unmissable! Where can you get out of food, where can you have a lie in or where can you get to the pub early! I ended up putting all the films on a spreadsheet, showing me where and how long all the breaks were and what films clashed. An yet turning up on the day I still haven't decided on everything.<br />
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You end up catching buzz about certain films you initially had no intention of watching and terrible word of mouth about others you were really excited about. All your planning destroyed!! Ah well.<br />
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On the day you carefully think about what t-shirts to where (well at least I do) - are they horror enough?! You pack, you travel, you check in to your hotel. Then for some of us it's off to the pub for a few pre fest drinks. Here you meet up with friends from previous festivals and say hello to people you've never met. Some of which you only know by their names on Twitter. <br />
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Then at around 6pm the time comes. You make your way over to the Empire cinema in the heart of Leicester Square, the anticipation building inside you for the start of your 5 day journey into visual Hell (well Heaven really but it's often a bit too disturbing to actually use that word for it). <br />
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The crowds have gathered, the atmosphere is electric and everyone is shuffling their way into the cinema. There are poor members of the public just there to see the general release films getting caught up with the festival crowd who have bewildered looks on their face. Yes the horror geeks have descended (and believe me if you thought you knew a lot about horror before - think again).<br />
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You get your drink, popcorn or whatever your snack of choice may be, walk through the doors to the screen, find your place that you will call home for the next 5 days. You and your seat will become very well acquainted. The lights go down and the Fright Fest team step up to the stage.... hang on, this isn't the team.... oh it's only Ross Noble!!<br />
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This was a very pleasant surprise as Ross begins going along some very bizarre tangents about beheading orphans (you really had to be there to understand that it actually was very funny). After Ross reeled himself back in, reminding himself that this wasn't actually one of his stand up shows (although I'd have happily watched him do another hour!) but he was there just to kick things off, he introduced the Fright Fest team. The four guys that dedicate so much time and effort to ensuring we get an incredible festival.<br />
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They bring on the cast and crew of our opening film The Seasoning House. The crowd whoops and cheers as each person is brought onto the stage. And then it's film time. The hush of the audience descends and we are reminded once more to turn off our bloody phones (via an excellent little piece of film with a phone offender being decapitated).<br />
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Check out the review of the film on this site. <br />
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Once the end credits roll, the crowd cheers, the film was an undoubted success. The cast and crew are brought back on stage to answer a few questions, then the screen empties as people head for smoke breaks, toilet breaks and beer toppage. Soon enough we're doing it all again for the next Film, Cockney's vs Zombies. A surprisingly fun look at what would happen were the zombie holocaust to begin in the East End of London. There was laughs and gore aplenty (full review will be up soon).<br />
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As with The Seasoning House, the cast and crew came back to the stage for a few questions, including the legendary Alan Ford (who you saw when he was signing autographs was more or less playing himself - such a great character). Then ensured the same routine, fag, beer, toilet, stretch the legs. And back in for the final film of the night. Grabbers was a sci-fi, horror comedy. A fun end to the night and this ended up a superb opening night trio of films. This has now set the bar so I can only hope the rest of the days live up to what went before. <br />
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So for my little tale of the opening night it is over and out and I will see you all on the flip side, when no doubt I will be increasingly tired, unshaven and most definitely fatter. But I love it all!!<br />
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<br />namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-91809871229917475862012-08-23T17:35:00.001-07:002012-09-09T07:17:54.687-07:00REVIEW - The Seasoning House ★ ★ ★ ★<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Rosie Day, Sean Pertwee, Kevin Howarth</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Paul Hyett & Conal Palmer</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 18 </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">89 minutes</span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Paul Hyett</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">England's answer to Greg Nicotero moves away from the special make up effects and goes behind the camera to bring us this harrowing tale of Angel (Rosie Day in a breath taking debut), a girl ripped from her home during the war in the Balklans.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">In war torn zones, the military are kidnapping girls and selling them into the sex trade where they are sold to militia and civilians alike. We are introduced to deaf and mute Angel is one of these girls, a girl who sees her mother murdered in front of her before being delivered to a brothel where she becomes the personal sex slave to its owner. A birth mark on her face makes her tainted goods so the owner, Viktor (Howarth), uses her to dope the other girls with heroin, making them more amenable to their visitors, then clean them up afterwards. When she is away from the prying eyes of her captors she spends her time crawling through the limited space of the ventilation system, until an unplanned incident brings her head to head with the men who took her from her family.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Make no odds, The Seasoning House is not a comfortable watch but it is impossible to take your eyes from it. Based on true events of atrocities that happened during the war, Hyett brings us into a degenerate world of men willing to pay for sex with tied up and drugged women, as well as some who pay extra to be rough with them. Some of the girls do not survive their "customers". The performances, especially from Day (watch out for her, she will be a name to take notice of) had to be good to make the film believable and to care about Angel. Howarth gives us a dark turn as a man just as at ease plunging a knife into the neck of a young girl to simply make a point as he is pouring a shot of whiskey. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Hyett builds a relationship between Angel and Viktor that enables the power dynamic between the two of them to change during the film. This is integral to some of the major turns in the story and needed to be handled delicately so as not to be too in your face about it but also sustain a sense of believability with the interaction of the two. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The Seasoning House is violent and gripping but never feels exploitative which was needed to ensure you retained a high level of empathy for Angel. It's hard to use the word enjoyed with this film but it is a superb piece of art that fully deserves wider recognition. If you get the chance and can stomach something more hard hitting than your usual Hollywood attempts at horror then I highly recommend this film. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">A tragic tale of love, loss and death, this is one film you won't forget in a hurry.</span>namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-14770208449896191952012-07-28T01:32:00.000-07:002012-07-28T01:32:37.463-07:00REVIEW - Ted ★ ★ ★ ★<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> </span><span lang="EN-US">Seth MacFarlane</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 US R </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">106 minutes</span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Seth MacFarlane</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">WARNING - Trailer contains material unsuitable for those under 15</span>
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From the mind of the creator of Family Guy comes the story of an unbreakable friendship between a boy and his teddy bear. Wait, what?!<br />
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That's right, our good friend Seth MacFarlane's first foray into feature film has a premise that does require a slight suspension of disbelief. As a boy John Bennett (Wahlberg) didn't have any friends, even the kids that got beaten up didn't want him around as they got beaten up. So one magical Christmas he wished his bear would come to life to be his BFF. And as we have learned through movies over the years, there is nothing more powerful than a child's wish except, as Patrick Stewart's narration informs us, Apache helicopters.<br />
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As a living, breathing teddy bear, Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) gains a level of fame over the years but as time passes he, like all celebrities who have no discernible talent, gets forgotten about. John and Ted while away their adult years smoking dope, watching Flash Gordon and just generally bumming around. At least that's how John's long time girlfriend, Lori (Kunis) sees it and as she wants their relationship to finally start moving forward and grow, she sees no other option than to ask John to get Ted to move out.<br />
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Can John break the bond he created one Christmas night and choose the love of his life over his Thunderbuddy (watch the trailer for that one)? Or will he always be at Ted's beck and call even if it means jeopardising his relationship with Lori?<br />
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The first thing you'll notice is that the humour is very much along the same lines as Family Guy, MacFarlane hasn't strayed from his comfort zone and sensibly so. If it aint broke and all that. In remain the pop culture references, the odd cut away (including a spoof of a spoof - think that's the first time I've seen that done), the borderline racist jokes, the crudeness and a voice that is a mix of Peter Griffin and Brian. He's even surrounded himself with familiar faces and voices including Kunis and Stewart, Patrick Warburton and Alex Borstein alongside genius cameos from Ryan Reynolds and Tom Skerritt. There is one more that tops the lot but I'm leaving that one as a surprise and it possibly contains one of the funniest moments of the year, behind the Hulk smash Loki scene from The Avengers.<br />
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MacFarlane does a fine job of mixing the drama, sentiment and humour, keeping the first two only in use when the story needs it. He knows that this is all about the funny stuff and uses the conventional movie making parts only to move the story along, recognising that the Family Guy style narratives wouldn't make for a hour and a half movie. And what Ted really does deliver on is the funny stuff. This had me letting out full on belly laughs and even when the film finds the odd lull here and there it has enough to be this year's funniest film. And one of the funniest I've seen in quite some time. <br />
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Yes it's silly, yes it's crude but I didn't care - it did what it meant to do, make me laugh. The performances are spot on, with Wahlberg proving that perhaps his comedy chops are better than his dramatic ones. His relationship with Kunis is handled very well, never being over sentimental and just as it threatens to do so someone gets knocked out with a mic stand. As you do.<br />
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The criticisms I would lay at the door of this are potentially the same as the reasons I thought it was great. It is a bit too Family Guy, even to the point of you actually wonder why the hot chick has spent so much time with the lifeless arse (although the big difference here is Wahlberg isn't exactly lacking in the looks department - and this exact fact is mentioned as MacFarlane obviously recognised this issue). It also does slow towards the middle whilst we get through the story parts and you just want more gags. <br />
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But overall this is a brilliant debut from MacFarlane, delivering exactly what it intended and by the bucket load. An hilarious romp through the magical friendship of a boy and his bear, a fairy tale for adults. Us guys probably all wouldn't mind a friend like Ted.<br />
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4/5namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-74741998359539479892012-07-15T02:18:00.000-07:002012-07-15T02:18:03.654-07:00REVIEW - Brave * * *<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK PG US PG</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">100 minutes</span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Brenda Chapman & Mark Andrews</span><br />
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Set in the highlands of Scotland and many years ago, Pixar tells us the tail of Princess Merida, a girl who is determined to break free from the shackles of tradition and find her own way in the world. Beset on all sides by family and other clans, she is forced into a life she doesn't believe in. One which entails speaking in a certain way, eating in a certain way, walking in a certain way. Merida is more interested in galloping through the woods on her trusty steed with her beloved bow and arrows, dreaming of adventure and heroism, not spending her time pandering to the whims of a man she hasn't chosen for herself.<br />
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When it comes to the day her suitors must compete for her hand, Merida sneaks out of the castle and finds herself led deep into the woods by Will-o'-the-wisps where she comes across a cabin, inhabited by an old lady woodcarver who holds the power to change Merida's fate. But at what cost?<br />
<br />
Once again the Pixar arm of Disney brings us a charming tale of breaking free against the odds and being the person (fish, car, toy) that you're destined to be, not what the world expects of you. This is a theme that has permeated the Pixar brand through all their films. Be it Buzz Lightyear realising he is more than just a toy, Lightening McQueen finding more to him than just a race car, Wall-E breaking away from his life as a trash compactor and discovering his dream of companionship, they constantly remind us that we can be all we want to be. From all the delights Pixar has given us, the closest film in personality to this would be Finding Nemo. Both are set against a struggle within the family with the child wanting more than the parent would allow. <br />
<br />
Brave starts with all the charm of its predecessors and some genuine laugh out loud moments, combined with a voice cast that is enthralling to listen to. The build up of the characters and the set up for the story is a joy to watch with absolutely sumptuous animation. The scenery is stunning, bright and beautiful and doing for Scotland what Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand. The detail put into this film is beyond anything Pixar have done before and that really is saying something. The hair on our protagonist is incredibly lifelike as is the fur on animals they have. This exceptional animation aids to the initial enjoyment of the film.<br />
<br />
However it is when the story really kicks in that the film begins to lose the brilliance of it's early promise. One of the things Pixar have always done well is keep the tone of their films the same throughout and the pacing consistent. However with John Lassiter moving away from overseeing all the Pixar output, the overall quality seems to have been affected. The film moves into a typical Disney narrative and loses some of the fun that held its head high through the first half of the film. Whilst it still retains some of the humour, there is a distinct tonal shift as the story telling brings in the good vs evil moral compass. A darker voice seems to take over which, even though not overbearing, doesn't quite fit into what was, at some points, practically a slapstick comedy. It is here that the film just sort of lulls along to the climax rather than building to a crescendo.<br />
<br />
Overall it is an entertaining watch and never boring but I just felt it could have been much better and stood up as one of Pixar's best entries. As it is, whilst still better than most current animated films, it sits neatly nestled in with Cars 2 and A Bugs Life on the average Pixar scale.<br />
<br />
3/5namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-5851924427677956812012-06-12T13:02:00.002-07:002012-06-12T13:02:28.401-07:00REVIEW - The Pact * *<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Nicholas McCarthy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 US R</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">89 minutes</span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Nicholas McCarthy</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hTkcqutbS7E" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Nicole and Annie (Lotz) haven't seen their mother for years but following her death Nicole returns to the house they grew up in to sort out her affairs. Having suffered at her hands as they grew up, Annie refuses to have anything to do with it until Nicole goes missing.<br />
<br />
Believing Nicole has done what she always does and run off, Annie doesn't think there is anything strange about her sister's disappearance. But when things start going bump in the night, Annie soon realises that something more sinister is also living in her mother's house.<br />
<br />
What started off as a somewhat promising ghost story soon descended into a by the numbers, highly cliched horror film, aimed at the masses. Other than a lead actress in Caity Lotz that was very photogenic making her easy to watch this had nothing going for it. Unless of course you were dying for a return to the screen of Casper Van Dien who hasn't figured out yet that the only reason he fit in to Starship Troopers is that its tone supported bad acting. And no, he hasn't improved.<br />
<br />
The script was poor with character exposition being thrown at us in lines such as "so how long since you shot up", "I've been clean four years". So I guess that character is a reformed heroin addict. This was also in the first conversation in the film, You also have Nicholas McCarthy not believing his audience has a brain cell between them that he felt it necessary every time Annie sees a picture of her mother to have to say out loud to herself "Mum". Just in case we couldn't figure it out.<br />
<br />
The film was riddled with flaws, which if you do see it and make it to the end you'll soon spot the holes from earlier on and also left story strands completely sidelined. Such as Annie's niece who she had to start looking after following her sister's vanishing act. The niece was all but forgotten for the middle third of the film. There were highly fortuitous school friends still living in town that just happened to be genuine mediums. Although maybe most people went to school with someone that communicates with the dead and then later in life happened to be part of a haunting. I must have missed out.<br />
<br />
The characters were barely fleshed out (other than bad things happening to Annie when she grew up we know nothing about her), the acting was poor and the dialogue scarcely believable. <br />
<br />
But most unforgiving was that the film was just, well, boring.<br />
namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-23615890616472708592012-06-06T13:57:00.001-07:002012-06-06T13:58:28.504-07:00REVIEW - Red Tails * * *<style>
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<br />
<h1>
Red Tails <span style="font-family: "Menlo Bold";">★ ★ ★ </span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon
Rickard</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr, Terence Howard</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> John Ridley &
Aaron McGruder</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK TBC US PG13</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime
</span></b><span lang="EN-US">125 minutes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed
by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Anthony Hemingway</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Before and after the war, the African
American’s suffered constant abuse at the hands of racist white Americans. But even when men were supposed to unite
against a common enemy there was no respite from this. Given second string duties and treated as second
string humans, the black soldier was seen to be a soldier of little or no
worth. One to be kept out of the way so
that the real Americans can do the fighting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is the story of a group of young black
pilots, led by “Easy” (Nate Parker) put through the Tuskagee training program
that was essentially a socio experiment to try and enable them to prove their
worth. We find them based in Italy
flying missions across empty fields and areas where no German’s have been
sighted for some time. They are waiting
for that one chance to go into battle and show that they are as good as any
pilot that fought for a country they love and is yet to love them back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Red Tails is George Lucas back with Rick
McCallum (Star Wars prequels) producing together to bring us visual style but
lacking depth and heart. They have taken
a screenplay that, in the right hands, could have been crafted into one of the
year’s best films. Unfortunately what we
are left with is something written with a great idea but struggled to really flesh
it out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We were presented with a number of ideas
that could have been delved into more deeply such as the potential alcoholism
of Easy, the love story between a young black pilot and a white Italian girl
and, the central piece to the film, the first hand struggles of the
pilots. Each was given fleeting moments
to show they were there but nothing was really followed through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The love interest in particular turned out
to be forced and ultimately unnecessary.
Had they given us something more believable then this may have been a
worthwhile sub-plot. As it was, it
remained almost an afterthought. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The racial attitudes of the white soldiers
were glossed over with short scenes that were never followed through. And the redemption of turning some soldiers
around was explored in barely mentioned relationships where a simple sentence
was used to demonstrate their change in attitudes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">That’s the bad stuff out of the way, now
onto the positives that the film had to offer.
After an opening sequence where the acting and dialogue was so bad I was
worried about what I was in for. And
then when the credit “and Cuba Gooding Jr” flashed up, my heart sank. Thankfully, a few annoying characters aside,
the performances were all decent and in turn crafted likeable characters whom
you found yourself rooting for. The
dialogue was often shaky but the interplay between the soldiers was
entertaining, if lightweight and somewhat clichéd. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The battle sequences were very well handled
but lacked something that created any real tension. Part of this was down to the pure
predictability of the film where they used every trick in the book to bring in
an emotional punch (someone might as well have said “I just got married the day
before I enrolled”). But true to
Lucasfilm style, emotion was not a strong point in this film. Which is a shame as this was a story that
should have been served by the battle against the odds, the hardships overcome and
the inner demons that some of these pilots obviously faced. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As it is Red Tails was an entertaining but
ultimately hollow film which will be watched and likely quickly forgotten. There’s not enough good about it to say it’s
anything more than average but there’s also not enough bad about it to have
particularly disliked it. It just sits
on the proverbial fence thinking it’s something that it isn’t.</span></div>namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-34308854702768262842012-04-04T14:57:00.000-07:002012-04-04T14:57:24.148-07:00REVIEW - The Cabin In The Woods * * * *<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Bradley Whitford</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 US R</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">101 minutes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Drew Goddard</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">I will start by saying sorry that I have not put a trailer up for you guys on this one. But there is good reason. I avoided seeing it just in case they put something in there that might spoil the fun factor of this movie. Going in blind is definitely the way to do it. Well blind on the plot front anyway.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">But the point of a review is to let you know if you should go and see the film. I've seen a lot of reviews where people say don't read reviews. I would say if you do, be careful if you want to maximise the entertainment factor with this. It's a ride of a film and you need to go with it but it makes it better if you don't know where it's taking you.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Written by TV stalwart Joss Whedon this has his sensibilities all over it. The style of character and dialogue is most definitely his as is the revamping of a genre to make something of his own. Take the likes of Firefly (not exactly your conventional sci fi) and Buffy (whilst the original film lacked in quality the idea was strong enough for a hugely successful TV show), which certainly gave a new spin on the vampire tales of yesteryear. Well he's done it again with the horror genre (I don't count Buffy in that as it is as much horror as Twilight is in my humble opinion - just much better).</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">This film is so full of horror references, the buffs (nay geeks) will practically explode trying to spot them all. The idea here is to take something so generic and uninspiring about horror and the stick two fingers up at it and say "here's what you can do with this setting!!". It would appear that Whedon has plumped for the atypical cabin in the atypical woods and filled it with the atypical young, good looking people that are just awaiting all the horrible things to happen. There's even a cellar.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Cabin goes to places even Sam Raimi didn't manage to take his poor folk in the Evil Dead series when they visited their Cabin of doom. Some of you will hate what this film has to offer whereas others will simply love it for its freshness and daring approach to a genre that is always in danger of becoming stale (remakes, sequels, Michael Bay just some of those reasons). </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Whilst not flawless it is a very entertaining ride. The characters are all well placed with specific traits to give them their meaning in the film (it's almost like they stuck The Breakfast Club in there!), the dialogue snappy and funny and the pacing is almost perfect. Slow build, picks up with the action after we get to know our gang and then the end set piece just ramps it up to the Spinal Tap proverbial 11.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">You get your gore, your scares, your laughs. And the laughs aren't your Roland Emmerich, Michael Bay (someone might think I don't like him) forced gags just for the sake of it, no, they're well placed and seem natural coming from the characters we have gotten to know. None of it seems "jokey".</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Cabin and would recommend this to anyone that loves a good horror and especially to those that just love horror. It's a love letter and reinvention of the genre all in one Cabin In The Woods.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">4/5</span></div>namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-6847394732070244462012-04-01T08:27:00.000-07:002012-10-18T03:29:06.663-07:00REVIEW - The Raid * * * * *<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsya, Joe Taslim, Ray Sahetapy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Gareth Evans</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 18 US R</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">101 minutes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Gareth Evans</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uWlmhMSnVdM" width="560"><p>
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Raid&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</p>
</iframe><br />
<br />
In the heart of Jakata lies an apartment block, 30 stories high and inhabited by some of the most violent and ruthless underworld criminals. Ruled with an iron fist by a notorious drug lord, the building has remained untouchable with even the best of the police's resources unwilling to darken its doors. Until now.....<br />
<br />
The film follows Rama (Iko Uwais) and the group of elite cops as they attempt what was previously thought unthinkable, a raid on this haven for those on the wrong side of the law. Thinking they have the upper hand by launching an unsuspected dawn attack, the 20 strong group of enforcers slip into the building, efficiently and quietly. That is until a spotter pulls the alarm. Their objective is no longer taking the building down but getting out alive.<br />
<br />
Gareth Evans has delivered a heart pounding, rip roaring, no holds barred action film which is unlike anything else I have seen. There have been martial arts action movies that are a fantastic spectacle and break conventional barriers (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even Ong Bak) but the inventiveness of the way this one is delivered provided me with a viewing experience that left me breathless.<br />
<br />
The choreography and ability of artists in the fight scenes is exceptional, coupled with an inspired use of the camera and cinematography to make it look as beautiful as it is frenetic. This is a non stop juggernaut of an action film that doesn't let up. The dramatic scenes, whilst well acted and providing us with the necessity of a plot, serve to whet your appetite for what is coming next.<br />
<br />
For me personally I couldn't find a fault in this film, which if you wanted to look past its shallow exterior, I'm sure it has. After all the story telling really is secondary to the action. However if you know that you are getting a film that does exactly what it says on the tin then I don't see this as an issue. I was entertained and excited all the way through, walking away wishing for more. That, my dear reader, is the sign of a great film.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying everyone will enjoy it to the extent that I did as no matter how fantastic you and a million others believe a film to be, there will always be those that don't agree. However in this case, they would be wrong!<br />
<br />
I am aware I haven't talked about the acting and the characters (Iko creates an eminently likeable hero in Rama) but that's not what this film is about. Although even these bits are handled better than most dramatic films that center on character and dialogue through a great script. <br />
<br />
Overall I cannot recommend this movie enough.<br />
<br />
5/5namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516605703647344139.post-61923226172790327662012-03-08T11:16:00.000-08:002012-03-08T11:16:15.401-08:00REVIEW - Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Review by Damon Rickard</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Stars</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Written</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">by</b> Alex Stapleton & Gregory Locklear</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Certification</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> UK 15 US R</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Runtime </span></b><span lang="EN-US">101 minutes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Directed by </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Alex Stapleton</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Like me, Roger Corman is a name you will probably be familiar with but may not know the full extent of the effect he had on modern cinema making and possibly the film industry as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew he was behind films I grew up with such as Piranha, The Masque of the Red Death, Watchers, Death Race 2000 and the all time classic Munchies (no I didn’t think you’d heard of it) but I did not know he was behind the camera on 56 titles and produced or executive produced 399.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say the man was prolific is an understatement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">However the films were not of a high quality, even to the point of one being made (The Terror) just because he had a set spare until another film went into production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result was a mess to the point even its star, Jack Nicholson, had no idea what was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Corman revels in low budget, exploitation flicks that always seemed to find an audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only one of Corman’s films failed to make its money back, 1962’s The Intruder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly this was his one attempt at making a meaningful film which touted an anti racism message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a brave film for its time and as such failed to connect with a wider audience, sending Corman back to his schlock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows what might have happened had this film been box office gold.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The documentary brilliantly takes us through Corman’s body of work with interviews from some of today’s biggest players in Hollywood that got their start thanks to Corman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faces such as Nicholson, Scorsese, Ron Howard, William Shatner (star of The Intruder), Joe Dante and, inexplicably, Paul W.S. Anderson (an unwelcome and entirely unrequired addition).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It recounts his stories of the hows and whys he did the pictures he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It details how his influence on the 70’s New Wave brought about the likes of Easy Rider, Jaws and Star Wars and also how these films changed the way Corman felt about the industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The list of faces you’ll recognise who owe their start to Corman is too long to mention here but it is impressive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The letdown of this was that it felt a bit too much like a Biography Channel biopic, just much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly a few of the talking heads such as Irvin Kershner, Polly Platt and David Carrodine have died since filming their parts and will never get to see this love letter to someone they obviously feel indebted to either directly or indirectly and, as with everyone on show, harbor a vast respect for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If you’re interested in the life and times of those that influenced the movies you watch today then this a must see. For anyone else I don’t think this will give too much satisfaction, which is a shame as people should know the name Roger Corman.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">4/5 </span></div>namesyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304069872663261382noreply@blogger.com0