Monthly Archives: November 2019

Will Sweet River be the next sleeper hit from Australia?

05 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by in press release

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Today we learnt of an exciting new project that is shooting in Northern NSW, Australia which could herald another strong story that exposes the dark underbelly of our Great Southern Land. Australia has been slowly carving out some disturbing tales of late such as the fantastic Hounds of Love, Killing Ground, Rabbit, and Lost Gully Road, all released within the last couple of years and well worth your time.

Described as a psychological thriller, Sweet River is set in between Byron Bay and  Tweed Heads, a land filled with sugar cane farms, that can grow up to 16 metres in height and potentially ripe enough to harbour secrets within. It’s a beautiful part of the world, so expect some stunning shots from Justin McMillan (Storm Surfers 3D), who also co-owns a drone company. 

The story unfolds with Hanna Montague (Lisa Kay – Indian Summers) who is on a quest for closure following the death of her son, and moves to a small cottage, but is confronted by a town hell-bent on hiding its secrets. She is united in her grief with her neighbour (Genevieve Lemon) who has also lost a child in tragic circumstances, but how far into their sorrow are they willing to go in order to uncover the truth?

Also starring Martin Sacks (Wentworth, A Place To Call Home), Sweet River promises to set the mystery that lurks beyond the shadows ablaze, and deliver a tale that could have devastating consequences. 

It is expected to be released in 2020 through Film Ink Presents. 

For more information see the press release below:

sweet-river-announcement-finalDownload
  • Saul Muerte

Movie Review: Sweet River (2020)

Trash Night Tuesdays on Tubi: Do Not Disturb

05 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by in Trash Night Tuesdays on Tubi

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Whilst searching through the bank of films from the Tubi catalogue, I was hoping to come across something on a similar vein to The Shining.
Yes, I know, you can stop you’re sniggering now, I should have realized that this was a tall order considering the unique position that Stanley Kubrick’s vision had on the horror genre. 

In my defense, it does boast a struggling writer holed up in a hotel room, under the guise of finishing a screenplay, but I have to admit this is a fine thread to tie these two movies together, and Do Not Disturb pales remarkably in comparison.

Starring Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night) as troubled screenwriter Don, who seeks revenge of the death of his girlfriend so concocts a plan to off those who were involved in her murder.

The trouble is that Geoffreys performance is incredibly reserved and lacking in any emotion, so it makes it difficult for the audience to connect with him. This isn’t entirely Geoffreys fault though as he taps into a guy who is so disconnected from humanity in his vengeful journey, but in choosing to go down this route, we simply can not engage with his character. 

There are some suitably macabre moments in this low-budget movie, and the unhinged moments do enough to resonate with the character enough to wonder how it will end. Aided by Don’s agent Ava, (Tiffany Shepis – Sharknado 2, Victor Crowley) who provides the heart of the movie and is possibly our only entry point into the narrative.

It also boasts one of the last performances from 80s child actor Coey Haim, before he passed away, but this still isn’t really enough of a hook for the film itself, unfortunately. 

Prognosis:

The film ambles along at an incredibly slow pace and tries to lift through some macabre set pieces, but ultimately leaves you drifting aimlessly to its conclusion.

Movie Review: 47 Meters Down: Uncaged

01 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by in Movie review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Just when you thought that you couldn’t sink any deeper, Johannes Roberts delves into a sequel to the mediocre 47 Meters Down, only this time, it’s uncaged.
Taking the same concept of an underwater dive into unchartered waters only to come face to face with nature’s deadliest underwater predator.

Director Johannes Roberts, who oversaw the first movie knows his element and develops a fun, and thrilling ride that puts our characters to the nth degree in order to survive their ordeal. Let’s face it though. This is not going to rock any brain cells. I’d say that it’s a pretty watered down affair, but then that would be stating the obvious seeing as we spend most of the time submerged. 

Peppered with some offsprings from A-List celebs looking for their big break with Corrine Foxx and Sistine Stallone, to add some bite to the cast, but it’s a pretty big pond, and the impact that they have on screen will hardly turn heads… well not in the way they may have hoped… ahem.

Okay, where was I? Ah yes, the plot. So we once again have two sisters, only this time it’s through a mixed blended family. One girl is awkward and a bit of a loner, Mia (Sophie Nelisse), the other, is confident and strong-headed Sasha (Foxx). Needless to say, Sasha finds Mia an embarrassment and tends to steer clear of her, but when given the opportunity to duck out of pre-arranged tourist underwater trip, she grabs Mia along with her friends Alexa (Brianne Tju) and Nicole (Stallone) to have an underwater adventure of their own.

Roberts sets the scene early on by laying the foundations about Mia and Sasha’s father (John Corbett) who happens to be an underwater archaeologist that has discovered an ancient city buried within a cave system and that a shark has somehow found its way down there and gotten stuck. Cue one hangry shark. This allows more time for action and to lengthen the nightmare for the four girls.

Having said that, most of the action gets lost in the murky depths and as such, becomes a little hard to follow. Our connection with the girls is slim and we don’t really care what happens to them by the end.

Equally Roberts is guilty of typical killer shark movie tropes, in particular one scene that feels remarkably similar to THAT moment in Deep Blue Sea. 

Prognosis:

There are some twists and turns along the way and Director Johannes Roberts continues to entertain but fails to stimulate beyond the usual shark fodder that is already out there.

A fun watch, but not a lot else.

  • Saul Muerte