Saturday 29 March 2014
28 Days Later - Lisa's Review
This week finally a movie I'm pretty familiar with and one I've seen a number of times. Firstly, forgive me if my review comes across like this is a zombie movie. This is exactly how I see this movie, although that wouldn't strictly be the case. I'd be pretty surprised if many people hadn't seen this movie, but let's continue with a plot of sorts.
We start the movie in a research laboratory where animal activists are attempting to free caged chimps. Unfortunately the chimps are infected with a deadly virus called 'Rage' which is spread by bites. Anyone who is infected becomes, pretty much - zombies! They like to eat flesh and don't seem to have much in the way of original personality or intelligence. One thing does differ considerably though. These guys are fast! They move as fast as a fast healthy guy. I know zombie movies which show the continuous slow, plodding zombie, which never seems to tire and follows you everywhere (and who will eventually catch up with you, even though you are running and it's shuffling) are more popular with most horror fans. I however prefer these rabid, fast scuttling guys. The 'infected' that you quite simply will never outrun (unless you're in training for the next Olympics). So back to the research lab. One of the activists is, of course, bitten by a very angry chimp and is immediately infected (yes, that's another thing I should have added, infection is immediate). The activist in turn infects every human in the room and so it starts.
So I've told you where it came from, how it came to be and what we have running loose, what next? As the movie progresses, we find out that the infection has spread throughout the entire UK. Most people are either dead, infected or have left the UK. There have however been reports of infection in other countries also. To bring the title into play, our main character, Jim (played by Cillian Murphy - him of the bluest of eyes in an early feature role) has just woken up in a hospital in London 28 days after the initial outbreak of infection. He has been unconscious following an accident where he was knocked off his bicycle (he is a courier). As Jim leaves the completely abandoned hospital, we see the movies most iconic scenes. The one's which make the hairs stand up on your arms. The one's where you ask yourself "How the hell did they manage that?" So many people asked themselves how this movies director managed to grind London not only to a halt, but to make it appear completely abandoned and desolate, that it's a question in Google if you type part of the question in. We hear a wonderfully haunting piano play as Jim walks around London landmark after landmark, to nothing... nobody. Flyers looking for missing relatives are pinned up in Piccadilly Circus covering entire surfaces. The air of complete desolation and loneliness is palpable.
The movie follows Jim as he discovers his parents have committed suicide rather than suffer the inevitable infection. He meets up with other survivors and tries to work out where to go and what to do. Where is safe? Something he does learn very early on, is that no matter how much someone means to you or how attached you are, if they become infected, you must immediately kill them. The first killing of this nature is quite horrific and brutal.
Eventually Jims little team of survivors hear a pre-recorded radio broadcast from the army in Manchester, promising a safe haven. They claim to have a cure to the infection, so Jim and his compatriots set off to Manchester and here we have another piece of amazing footage - a massive expanse of the M1 completely deserted but for the car of our team making their way north.
I don't want to give away much more in case anyone reading (who am I kidding?) wants to watch it. Needless to say the army camp isn't all it's cracked up to be and we see nastiness, torture and abuse of women, something not entirely out of place in a war situation in the real world and perfectly illustrated here. Even with all the gore, death and mutilation, it is still the manner in which the women are treated that makes me feel most sick. It's as if man has lost its last vestiges of humanity.
I'm not going to give any more away or hint towards it being a good or bad ending. It's an ending. To be fair, for me, I felt the movie started out much better than it continued and ended. It lost it's oopmh a bit for me. Even though I think the movie could have been better, it was still an entertaining watch, so a Recommended from me.
Wednesday 26 March 2014
Week 149 - 28 Days Later
Monday 24 March 2014
Black Sabbath - Will's Review
I love anthology movies - there's something about the short-form horror story that never really sucks (even if it isn't great), I guess they're just too short to get dull; couple that with the fact that you get 3 to 5 in a movie, and the chances they'll be something you'll enjoy are pretty high. I was glad, then, when I realised that this weeks movie consisted of three short stories.
Sadly though, they can be a pain to review. Due to the shortness of the tails, and the fact that twists are common, it's difficult to say anything much about them without giving spoilers, but I'll give it a go...
After a brief intro from Boris Karloff (as himself) we go into the first story, "The Telephone"; the story of a woman coming home from work and being tormented by phone calls from a man she helped send to jail. There are a couple of bits that stretch credibility, but it's still a great slice of 'Tales of the Unexpected' style noir. (Apparently in the US edit, this story has been changed via dubbing and insert shots to contain a supernatural element; stick to the European edit if possible).
The next tale is the longest by far, and my least favorite. "The Wurderlac" tells of a man (Karloff) who returns from a quest to slay a vampire-like creature, himself infected. A Wurderlac is almost exactly the same as a vampire, with the difference that they feed pro early from those they loved most in life. It's a great-looking hammer-esq piece, but it drags a little in the middle. That said, it's far from a bad segment, and it looks fantastic.
Finally 'The Drip of Water' is a Poe style story, about a nurse who steels a ring from a dead parent, and is then either driven mad with guilt, or else haunted by the spirit of the ring's rightful owner. The ambiguity makes for a great thinking-point, and the corpse/ghost of the old woman is genuinely creepy and alarming.
All three segments are worth your time, and they're presented in the best possible order (a good one to draw you in, and the best last). I have no qualms whatsoever about recommending this one!
Saturday 22 March 2014
Black Sabbath (1963) - Lisa's Review
So, another oldie this week. I heard myself sigh as I put the disc in the DVD player. If I wasn't impressed by last weeks Dracula (clearly one of the better oldie horrors), then I wasn't likely to be overwhelmed by this one. Oddly, I was actually wrong. I found I didn't mind this one at all. Maybe because it consisted of 3 stories, rather than 1 long movie so I didn't find myself getting bored. Black Sabbath - The movie from which one of the most influential British rock bands grabbed their name. Fun fact: Geezer Butler walked past a cinema showing this movie and an extremely long queue. His view was... horror sells. Seems in this case, he was right. They ditched the name Earth and became Black Sabbath, but back to the movie.
Again, like with last weeks movie and always with Hammer movies (which this one wasn't), the movies all look wonderful. The women are stunning with heaving bosoms, chiffony floaty dresses, the longest of fake eyelashes and the teeniest of waists. The lighting is perfect and the cinematography is excellent.
In the first story entitled 'The Telephone' stars Rosy, played by Michele Mercier, who is quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen! I won't give any of the stories away as I have recommended this one This story is one of a frightened young woman alone in her apartment, receiving threatening telephone calls from a man who is intent on revenge for her part in him being sent to prison. All is not quite as it would seem here though.
The second story is entitled 'The Wurdulak'. No, I have never heard of it either. From what I can gather, it is quite simply a zombie vampire. It is a person who is essentially dead. They like to drink the blood of people they once loved. The more they love an individual, the more they want to suck their blood. Anyone who dies this way, becomes infected. We start the movie following young Vladamir on a trip. On his journey, he comes across a beheaded corpse with a dagger stuck in its chest. Liking the dagger, he takes it. Later when he stops at a small cottage for shelter, he finds the owner of the small dagger and is told the story behind how it came to be where it was. The family that live there await the return of their father, who has gone to attempt to kill a Wurdulak. If he doesn't return within 5 days, he has instructed his family to kill him on his eventual return as he will have surely become infected. So the fathers 2 sons, daughter, daughter-in-law, grandson and Vladamir await his return.
Story 3 is the shortest but is probably my favourite. I found it genuinely creepy. It is entitled 'The Drop of Water'. We start the movie with the death of an elderly medium. This old womans body is genuinely creepy and kind of freaked me out. I was surprised with how effective it was. A nurse is called to her home to help prepare her body for her funeral. While she is there she sees a beautiful sapphire ring on her finger and can't help but prise it off. If we've learnt anything from watching horrors over the years, it is 'Do not piss of the dead'. Nurse Chester (who also has the teeniest of waists and tightest of skirts) finds this out to her own peril. I won't go into any more detail, but it is worth a watch.
The stories perhaps are a bit predictable in places, but it doesn't make them any less enjoyable. They are a visual delight. The women are impossibly beautiful. We have scene after scene of opulence and atmospheric sets. I didn't expect to enjoy this AT ALL. I'm not a fan of old movies, but this, I did like. Weird. So, I stick a Recommended firmly on this ones ass. Go watch it!
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Week 148 - Black Sabbath (1963)
Monday 17 March 2014
Dracula (1958) - Will's Review
Ah, hammer. When discussing my love of horror with people I always tell them that I was weaned on Hammer; straight from my mums tit, to Hammer movies; I saw my share of Universal ones too, and a bit later their take on Frankenstein would be the classic movie I clung to as my favourite, but it was hammer, and specifically Hammer's Dracula movies that shaped my childhood obsessions.
More than once my mum made me a cape (I kept growing out of them) and every fancy dress party was an excuse to 'be' Dracula. We spent a lot of time in Whitby, and from the age of 5 or 6 I was on first name terms with the staff at The Dracula Experience (which hoses Sir Christopher's actual cape!), and would spend the bulk of my weekends there; often in fancy dress. I even waded into the sea on Boxing Day one year for charity in full Dracula getup. When school made us do a presentation about our hero, I wanted to choose Dracula; when I was told it had to be someone real, I chose Bram Stoker, as it would give me an excuse to write about Dracula!
Why am I telling you all of this? To make it clear that I cannot possible give an unbiased review of this movie. My attachment to it is founded so deeply, that I can't even tell you why I like it (and much less what on earth my preschool self would have seen in it) I just do.
The score is great, Lee is superb in the role; for my money he still holds the title of best onscreen depiction of the count; why we all mimic Lugosi's terrible mishmash of an accent when we want to 'sound like a vampire' is beyond me - we ought to be mimicking Lee's slow, deliberate, tones.
Cushing, of course, brings his own iconic performance to the table as Dr. Van Helsing. With only a couple of exceptions, in fact, most of the cast put on a grate turn. The sets are superb, and the sweeping camerawork draws you in to a slow burning gothic horror. That said, it may be a little too slow for some viewers.
I love this movie. I have no idea if you will too.
Saturday 15 March 2014
Dracula (1958) - Lisa's Review
There have been many, many re-imaginings of the story 'Dracula', so I think it would be a little pointless for me to start going over the storyline. This 1958 Hammer Horror version is far from the first, but it is probably one of the best known.
In the movie we have Christopher Lee as Dracula, Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing and the relatively little known John Van Eyssen as Jonathon Harker.
It's the pretty straight forward Dracula story and is something it's very hard to get excited about if Hammer movies are not really your thing (as is the case with me). I've always thought they were vastly overrated. Ok, there are maybe a few I don't mind, but they're the kind of movies that as best 'I don't mind', but at worst 'bore the tits off me'. This one was somewhere in the middle.
Ok, so I can hear the cries of "Are you mad?", "This girl knows nothing!". I care not a jot. These kind of over dramatic, grand technicolor extravaganzas just don't appeal to me at all. Sure I can appreciate the grandeur and opulence of the set and the costumes, but it just doesn't float my boat.
The hubby had told me the story of how difficult Christopher Lee had found it to wear the famous contact lenses he wears whilst playing the count and he does an admirable job it has to be said. I can totally see why some people love this kind of movie. It just isn't for me.
My failure for any kind of excitement about the movie or any real dislike leaves me a little short of words for the review. I figure Will loves this kind of thing so will give you a completely contrary view if you are a Hammer fan. Neither suggesting you should avoid this nor recommending it this week. Watch if it's your thing, don't if it isn't.
Thursday 13 March 2014
Week 147 - Dracula (1958)
Saturday 8 March 2014
Phantasm - Lisa's Review
Where do I start? Well at this point, anyone who is reading has probably a better idea than me. I had watched Phantasm many years ago (probably as a child) and all I remembered from it is that it had killer silver balls. Having given it a second viewing tonight, I'm surprised I retained that much information.
The first thing to be aware about with this movie is that it is very surreal and is full of dream-like sequences. Scenes are suggested as being dreams, but which ones are and which ones are not? Anyone who knows my kind of movies will know I hate surrealism and dream sequences. This made it very difficult for me to enjoy this movie.
I did enjoy the soundtrack as it brought me right back to my childhood and could have been lifted off so many other horror movies. I even liked the characters in the movie, but I just couldn't empathise at all.
There are some gory bits, nothing too shocking, but a couple of decent effects for the time. The flying, silver, killing balls are probably one of the few things worth remembering about the movie in my opinion. The problem is that it is full of dream-like scenes and is very surreal. These are 2 things I really hate. That wasn't the best start for the movie obviously.
I'm not going to give a blow by blow account of what happens, as to be honest I would have to sit and rewind this over and over and keep waking myself up to get an accurate representation of what was going on. Then if you're not trying hard enough to keep up to date with the happenings through the movie, it ends in a manner which has you wondering why you bothered trying to fathom what was happening.
I know this is a popular movie. A cult one I suppose, but I'm afraid I have very little positive to say about it. There is nothing entertaining about it for me. In fact I'm pretty pissed I spent an hour and a half of my first night in alone in maybe a year watching it!
So, for an accurate plot and a more positive viewpoint of the movie, refer to Wills review. I'm afraid, I've given as much as I can about this one. AVOID!
Sunday 2 March 2014
Week 146 - Phantasm (1979)
Saturday 1 March 2014
The Orphanage - Will's review.
A woman buys the, now disused, orphanage which was her childhood home, and moves her family into it, planning to turn it into a small care home for children with special needs. Her son, Simon, a young boy with an history of imaginary friends, claims to have made a group of new friends in the house, including his new best friend, Tomas.
During an argument with his mother, Simon goes missing, and she starts to see his 'friends'...
I don't want to give too much away about this one, as there are multiple little twists and turns, and a fair amount of misleads; I was sure I had everything pegged by the time Simon went missing, and for a long time it looked like my theory was right. In the final act the rug was yanked from under me, and the truth about Simon's disappearance is borderline genius!
As with Pan's Labyrinth, Del Toro directs a great looking movie, and weaves a compelling story in which reality and imagination are so entwined that, even by the time the credits roll, it is often difficult to tell what is 'real'.
Save one brief scene, in the aftermath of one of my favorite types of scares (I'm not giving it away, but it's used in Final Destination and Bride of Chucky) there's little or no gore in this film, opting instead for a spooky atmosphere - if you enjoy traditional ghost stories, this is one for you!
I was slightly concerned by the ending which (to avoid spoilers) was supposed to end on a particular mood, but really wasn't that thing when you think about it; indeed this is indicative of the films only problem; if you think about it too much after you've watched it, 'fridge logic' will kick in, and you'll realise that parts of it don't make sense.
That said, this gripe seems minor when held up against the rest of this compelling, beautiful, spooky, movie.
The Orphanage - Lisa's Review
Tonight was my second viewing of The Orphanage. After viewing the awesome Pans Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro, I was keen to catch up on anything else he was responsible for. As it happens, The Orphanage is one of those movies.
Unusually for me, I don't want to give too much away about this movie, as it's one that I imagine not a lot of people have watched, so I don't want to ruin the movie for you. I will say that the main thing I need to get across in this review is that if you haven't seen this movie, get your hands on a copy and watch it!
To give you an idea of the storyline here, we follow a young couple, Laura and Carlos and their adoptive son Simón. Laura herself was an orphan and she feels she wants to go on to adopt herself. The family move back to the orphanage Laura lived in as a child. They want to convert it into a building that can be utilised by disabled children. However when they move in, strange things start to happen. Simón develops what his mum thinks are imaginary friends, but are they?
One piece of information I will divulge, is that Simón does not know he is adopted, but he finds out during the course of the movie. He is extremely upset about it and argues with his adoptive mum Laura. The relationship is not as it was and it is during this period of upset that Simón goes missing. The movie follows Laura and Carlos as they try to figure out what has happened to Simón.
They call in help from the police, psychologists, even mediums in a search to find Simón. During the hunt, they uncover something that has remained hidden for many years. A whole other history of Lauras childhood orphanage is revealed. Events that took place after she was adopted come to light. Information that threatens to drive a wedge between her and her husband. How far will Laura go in the search for Simón?
My review probably sounds a lot scanter than normal, but it is for the best if you have yet to watch the movie. Any more information would spoil the experience. I have to mention one scene where the special effects are absolutely jaw dropping! This isn't the kind of movie that has blood and guts, which is maybe why this one scene was so shocking, but look out for it. Better effects I doubt you'll ever see!
This movie gets a big thumbs up and Recommended from me. In fact pretty much anything by Gullermo Del Toro is worth a watch. The movie is spanish and has subtitles, but please don't let this put you off. Some of the best movies out there are foreign films. Take the plunge with 'The Orphanage' if you're a subtitle virgin and open yourself up to a whole other plethora of movies!
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