Category Archives: Movie review

Movie review – Musclecar

22 Wednesday Nov 2017

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Musclecar is a rampage of mayhem that shifts through the gears to a new level of cult Ozploitation.
It’s an Aussie oddball film and one not to be missed if you like a bit of a laugh.

Alrighty, let me paint the picture for you. B grade film maker Bambi (Jacinta Stapleton, Neighbours) spends her last 10k on her dream car before finding out the grant for her new film has been cancelled… dun DUN DUNN.

She’s left with a shiny new big red car and no money to run it. With the help of an admirer, Randy, Bambi resorts to murdering drunken men before using their blood to run her car… an obvious alternative to picking up a few extra shifts at Coles and hitting up her local SHELL.

The film has you on edge from the get go. Perhaps it’s the inherent objectaphillia, or Bambi’s revved up ringtone, or maybe even the way she hooks up a human heart to the engine of the car… hmm.

Nevertheless, Dwayne Labbé has creepy down pat. The insanity builds throughout the 75- minute saga enough to wrap up the film with a satisfying bang.
Murderers who just kill their victims and don’t do anything weird with them is sooo last Wednesday.

Musclecar’s main fuel is the animated comic-book style panels that are used to separate or punctuate scenes. It makes me think that it could have been as effective, if not more so, if the entire film were animated.
The art really accentuates the genre and really sells its comedic layer. The absurd plot could not have survived if it didn’t stand by its funnies.

The Diagnosis:
Musclecar won’t intrinsically change you, or make you wish that your car came to life, but it makes for an entertaining hour and a bit…
The perfect fuel for a night in to drain your mind and feed your soul.

– Breana Garratt

Catch the screening of Musclecar at the A Night of Horror Film Festival.

Screening times and tickets available below:

SATURDAY 2nd DECEMBER – 9PM
Buy Ticket from Dendy Newtown Cinemas here.

 

Dwayne Labbe & Aaran Creece interview

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/156681?visual=true&sharing=true

Series review: The Mist Season 1 (2017)

22 Wednesday Nov 2017

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Alternate Title: I Watched This So You Don’t Have To

Amazing performances from a diverse and talented cast.

A thrilling storyline.

Terrifying creatures, made all the scarier by almost never fully seeing them.

I refer of course to the 2007 film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror tale about a large group of terrified townspeople trapped in a grocery store by a strange, otherworldly mist. (I never tire of watching this film and in fact watched it a few times to rid myself of the bitter taste of mediocrity that was left in my mouth after watching the series.)

The 2017 television series was one of the worst things that these orbs in my face have been forced to look upon.

Lacklustre performances from an unmemorable and largely average cast (with the notable exception of Frances Conroy (the matriarch from Six Feet Under) who is tremendous despite her character being fairly annoying
Confusing and meandering plotlines, most of which go nowhere and serve no real purpose.

A mixed bag of monsters, most of which aim for Hannibal-esque special effects (I refer of course to the television series with Mads Mikkelsen and not the film), but lack their elegance, grotesque beauty and creativity.

To sum up the plot (if it can even be called much of one), the story centres around a family whose teenage daughter has been the victim of a heinous crime.

While dealing with the aftermath, they are separated from each other when an eerie mist suddenly descends upon their small Maine town.

They must deal with some not so fantastic neighbours (and the deadly mist of course which is the most likeable character in the series.)

Unlike the film which showed the good and the bad that come out in people while facing a crisis, the show only portrays seriously unlikeable characters who repeatedly do horrible, horrible things to one another.

Which brings me to the subject of the series finale (because this series was blessedly cancelled after the first season!)

I never watched Lost but I remember hearing people complaining that they had been loyal viewers for years and then were massively let down by the ending.

This was less of a letdown for me because I didn’t care about any of the characters but I still wanted some kind of payoff in terms of answers.

We dedicated ten hours of our lives to the show so the ending – abrupt and nonsensical – left me with my mouth fully agape for ten minutes. I could not believe that they chose to end the series – let alone a season – so poorly. I have never felt so cheated by a finale. I can’t say that I have fully recovered from it.

The Diagnosis:
Get you a man or woman who will endure 10 hours of terrible television to keep you company (and without complaint!) My gentleman companion earned himself so many gold stars for sitting with me to watch this series in its entirety that he gets a kidney from me if he ever needs one.
This TV series was that bad.

– Vanessa Cervantes

Movie review: The Marshes

21 Tuesday Nov 2017

Posted by in A Night of Horror Film Festival, Movie review

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THE MARSHES_TRAILER from 28Productions on Vimeo.

Straight from the offset, director Roger Scott lures you into his feature length directorial debut, The Marshes with an unsettling feeling deep within unfamiliar territory.

It’s a fantastic achievement as Scott’s attention to detail breathes new life onto the screen and in doing so awakens a fear that may have lay dormant in us all.

His ability to infuse a sense of Australian mythology and mysticism, and weave it into a thoroughly modern world allows the audience to fall deeper into a labyrinth of despair and confusion.

3 biologists who represent this ‘modern Australia’, venture out into the land, which I’m pretty sure has never been captured on screen before. A place deep inland, but instead of dry, red, desert, we are faced with lush vegetation as our setting.
But don’t get too comfortable, as something lurks within that will ensnare you and pull you apart.

The beauty of this Australian horror film is that Scott plays with your senses, clouding the characters thoughts and yours along with it, so that the very question of reality is thrown into the equation.

Speaking of characters, the cast involved, primarily the afore-mentioned biologists, allow for the atmosphere to appear more intimate and intense. Chief among them is Dafna Kronental who plays Dr Pria Ana, a woman that finds herself initially fighting for her place in the University, fighting for The Marshes, and ultimately fighting to stay alive. Kronental is incredibly believable as she goes through the motions and the tension ratchets up.

By the end of the movie, the sense of claustrophobia engulfs the viewer and your striving for the characters to find their freedom and survive their ordeal.

The Diagnosis:
With its unique vision and frightening consequences, The Marshes could well be a modern horror classic.

  • Paul Farrell

Catch the screening of The Marshes at the A Night of Horror Film Festival.

Screening times and tickets available below:

FRIDAY 1st DECEMBER – 7PM
Buy Ticket from Dendy Newtown Cinemas here.

 

Roger Scott interview

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/156415?visual=true&sharing=true

Is Stranger Things S2 a worthy follow up to the acclaimed first season?

06 Monday Nov 2017

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Hell yeah. The Duffer brothers knocked it out of the park again, at least for me.

Let me preface this by stating I’m a nerd born in 1973. I played the same games, watched the same movies and rode BMX bikes like the main characters.
So I was more than a little excited for Stranger Things S2.
I devoured it, binge watching it as much as the need for sleep and work allowed. I wasn’t disappointed.
If you haven’t watched season 1, stop reading and go watch it. I’ll try not to spoil season 2, but season one is fair game.

Stranger Things S2 picks up almost a year after Will’s rescue and the final defeat of the Demogorgon.
The boys are all back together, Steve and Nancy are still dating, and Joyce is splitting her time between work, fussing over Will and a new squeeze, played by Sean Astin.
Will is super messed up, seeing into the Upside Down as revealed in the finale of season one.
Mike is angry, missing Eleven. Dustin is showing off his new teeth and Lucas is his normal grounded self. Hopper has a secret.
And the Upside Down has not been idle.

Stranger Things S2 manages to build upon the characters, themes and mythology of the first season and build it into a bigger and more expansive story.
We see outside of the small Indiana town, the threat is larger, new characters are introduced, and we explore the backstories of some of the more interesting characters.
This season seems to pick up on the action side of things more than the first. The best analogy I can come up with is the change between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986); the suspense is there, but the threat, and the response, is larger.

How can I review this show without talking about the one thing that made me squeal with joy throughout the first season…nostalgia? Man, I was in 80’s geek heaven with all the Easter eggs and references.
Ghostbusters, Aliens, Dragons Lair and DigDug.
IMDb has a list of 51 Easter Eggs referring to classic 80s films and games, and they probably missed more.
As I said at the start, I’m pretty much the same age as the ‘party’, so this was gold to me. Paul Reiser’s inclusion really gave me echoes of Aliens, especially in one particular scene.
Yet the Duffer brothers have managed to do it in a way that is not cheesy or gratuitous.

The pacing on the show was great, the characters developed well and the action was well done.
The acting is strong again, and we see some really fantastic performances.

As usual, the CGI is on point, slickly executed and not overdone. The monsters and threats are believable and frightening, and the protagonists’ responses seem to be realistic whilst remaining heroic.

The new characters are great for the most part, but one character and his particular arc seemed to me to be such an 80’s cliché, from the car to the attitude to the music choices. Judd Nelson, no one forgot about you.
For me, the stand out character and his development is Steve Harrington, that big haired douchebag that was slated to be a stereotyped 80s bully, who developed into a deep and multi layered character that will really warm your heart in this season.
Massive props to Joe Keery who plays Steve; it was his overall likability that transformed the character.

The Diagnosis:
I had a blast watching Stranger Things S2. If you liked the first season, you will love it.
The Duffer brothers have built on what worked in the first season, and not allowed it to get stale. The cast and production are overall fantastic.

– Noel Page

Movie reviews: 1922 and A Good Marriage

02 Thursday Nov 2017

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First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…a bloody corpse down a well and a tin full of dark secrets in the garage.

Two of the four novellas in Stephen King’s Full Dark, No Stars, first published in 2010, have been adapted to film and are now available for your viewing pleasure on Netflix. Both films portray seriously dysfunctional relationships. Both may cause you to eye your significant other over the dinner table with a newfound wariness…and make an appointment with a relationship therapist just to be on the safe side.

1922 (2017)
Alternate Title: Love Rats!

The expression “You reap what you sow” comes horribly true in 1922, a horror-thriller starring one rightfully vengeful corpse and waaaay too many rats (although, in my opinion, even one rat is too many rats.)

Thomas Jane (so excellent in his role as the loving but ill-fated dad in The Mist (2007), another Stephen King adaptation) plays a very different kind of husband and father. Wilfred James is a farmer in Hemingford Home, Nebraska, a sun-weathered, proud man who speaks painfully through a tightly clenched jaw. Stuck in a joyless marriage with Arlette (Molly Parker), he is more in love with his farm and the 100 acres that Arlette inherited from her father than he is with his attractive, sullen wife.

When Arlette decides that she has had enough of being a farmer’s wife and wants to sell up and move to Omaha, Wilfred tries to convince her to sell him the land and let their son remain with him. When she refuses, he decides that he won’t take no for an answer. After roping his 14-year-old son Henry into a very messy and brutal crime, he sets into motion a series of tragic events that almost (not quite, but almost) makes you feel sorry for him and his son.

There are parts of this film that are not for the faint of heart. (For example, I could have very happily gone my entire life without seeing a rat emerge from the mouth of a corpse.) It was hard to watch the scene where Arlette discovers that her marriage is definitively over. That being said, whoever’s job it was to throw the buckets of blood had a lot of spare time on set as there isn’t too much gore. My favourite part of the film was the scene in which the exes once again come face to face…very creepy. So effective.

The Diagnosis:
It wasn’t released with all that much fanfare but it is a solid film with great performances – especially the nearly unrecognisable Thomas Jane. Don’t miss this one before Netflix puts it out to pasture.

A Good Marriage (2014)
Alternate Title: A Serial [Killer] Monogamist

After 25 years of marriage, Darcy Anderson (Joan Allen) thinks that she knows her husband Bob (Anthony LaPaglia) pretty well. Unlike Wilfred and Arlette James, the couple are happily married with a beautiful home, well-adjusted adult children who love their parents and still enough of a spark left that the marriage bed is never cold for too long. It is, as the title suggests, a good marriage.

From the opening scene of a woman being stalked by an unseen predator, however, the viewer knows that this isn’t a Mike Leigh film about normal happy married people approaching the twilight years of life. We suspect that Bob is not quite as affable and friendly as he seems long before his hapless wife discovers a hidden tin in the garage. Now that she sees both sides of the coin, she must decide what she does with her newfound awareness…

LaPaglia seamlessly switches between his dual (and very convincing) personas and Joan Allen is perfectly cast in her role as a loving wife and mother faced with the terrible knowledge that she has been married to an imperfect stranger for 25 years. I really enjoyed both their performances and the film.

The Diagnosis:
Stephen King has stated that the character of Bob Anderson was inspired by Dennis Rader, the infamous “BTK Killer”, whose wife was married to him for nearly 30 years and yet claimed that she had no knowledge of his crimes. It is a novel premise – what would you do if you found out something truly terrible about the person you loved? – and makes for a compelling film.

  • Vanessa Cervantes

Movie review: Leatherface

26 Thursday Oct 2017

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Arguably back in 1974, the first iconic horror villain was born in the guise of Chainsaw wielding, human mask wielding psycho we come to know as Leatherface.

Director Tobe Hooper brought him to the screen along with other members of his deranged family who set out to terrorise a group of travellers in the middle of Texas.
Unwittingly, the final shots of Leatherface wielding said weapon of choice as the Sun begins to rise and our final girl makes good her escape has been embedded into the psyche of horror fans across the world.
The fact that it has resonated with so many has lead to numerous sequels and reboots. (7 in total)

This latest effort from directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo was to do the inevitable origin story. (Yawn)
When will creative’s realise that there is nothing to be gained from unearthing the make up of these classic horror villains other than to destroy that mystery and the magic that made them so special to begin with?

The warning signs were already there when the production studios kept pushing back the release date despite Lili Taylor and Stephen Dorff being attached to the project.
Taylor more than held her own in James Wan’s The Conjuring and although Dorff has fallen out of favour in Hollywood and no longer considered A-list material, he still in my mind had plenty of gravitas on screen.
None of this can prevent this movie from feeling like being fed through the meat grinder using nothing but gristle.

There’s so much focus on trying to show how Jedidah Sawyer becomes the titular character that the filmmakers lose sight of any real substance.
As such we’re spoon fed Jedidiah’s journey from a brutal mother (Taylor) who is forcing him to tow the line with the family way, which just so happens to include brutally murdering a guy with (wait for it…) a Chainsaw.

When he and his brother (who in my opinion looked more like our signature Leatherface than Jedidiah did) are separated from their family by a vengeful Texas Ranger (Dorff) and whisked away to a mental hospital.
What follows is a riot that leads to Jedidiah escaping with a few other inmates and a nurse as hostage to make his way home.

The result feels like a story ripped from the pages of The Devil’s Rejects which is absolutely ridiculous when you consider that film has whispers of TCM throughout as something of a nod from Zombie.

Of course Jedidiah will have his fall from grace but this transition seems so sudden and out of left field, which is a shame as once again we’re left with poor character development in the screenplay.

The Diagnosis:
More PVC than Leatherface as this latest instalment struggles to make an impact on this already loose franchise.

  • Paul Farrell 

The Babysitter

25 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Movie review, Sydney Underground Film Festival

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Directed by McG and a Netflix original, The Babysitter is one of those films you could easily watch while scrolling through Facebook or feeding the dog and still get the general idea.

Twelve-year-old Cole (Judah Lewis) has the world’s best babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving). She’s got her sci- fi trivia- down pat, hot tips on beating bullies, and she’s a drop dead gorgeous American dream. As in, pass me the Blu Tack and stick her poster up on my wall kind of hot.
Cole and Bee are the best of friends (go Cole) until one day his parents are away and he stays up past his bedtime. He discovers Bee is eeevilll and plans to use him as a blood sacrifice in a magic ritual (Noooo we thought you were perfect, Bee).

The Babysitter isn’t trying to be brilliant, it tries to mirror your eighties teen slasher flick.
A little bit of horror and a little bit of comedy mashed up with a side of teen titillation. We see a cheerleader get shot in the boob, we see a nerd get his first– kiss, a girl on girl make out sesh and stacks of cheesy graphics.
If the full frame “what the fuck” graphic doesn’t alert you that the plot is taking a turn, then maybe Thomas the Tank Engine might be a better choice for you.
Those who aren’t into McG’s male gazy lens better steer clear too.

If we wipe away the blood and teen slasher film cliché’s the film is really a coming of age story about a twelve-year-old that overcomes his fear of needles, bullies and not being accepted.
Judah Lewis does a great job of pulling on our heartstrings and doing the whole nerd -becomes -hero thing.
The early scenes with Lewis and Weaving are the film’s strongest. Bee and Cole have real chemistry. Even the other villains do what they can to make their cliché characters dance.
McG nails slowing down the background action whenever the pair are together. These scenes provide much needed depth balancing out the one-dimensional horror to come.

The Diagnosis:

Look, you’re probably not going to be talking about this one over drinks at the pub or even remembering what it was about next week (caution: you may lose a few brain cells throughout). However, respect for not trying to be something it’s not and giving us a few cheap laughs along the way.

– Breana Garratt

Movie Review: The Girl With All The Gifts

25 Wednesday Oct 2017

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Just when you thought the zombie genre was dead (undead?), along comes The Girl with All The Gifts.

Sure, this film boasts creepy children, an apocalypse, and deadly viruses, yet director Colm McCarthy manages to add an intelligent twist to familiar story territory. Because really, who’s watching The Walking Dead anymore?

It goes like this; in a dystopian UK, humanity has been ravaged by a fungal disease that turns people into flesh-eating ‘hungries.’ Melanie (Sennia Nanua) is one of a small group of afflicted children who have mysteriously retained their ability to empathise.

She escapes her prison-like zombie-school with teacher Miss Justineau (Gemma Arterton), surgeon Dr Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) and a handful of soldiers (led by Paddy Considine). This rag-tag crew battle a tidal-wave of hungries while simultaneously protecting one, and they’re about to discover just how vital Melanie is to their own survival.

You video gamers are probably picking up on the major The Last of Us vibes, but the film began its life as a novel by Mike Carey.

When the author is the hand writing the script, you know you’re in for an authentic adaption, even if that includes a lengthy retelling that sometimes feels sluggish.

Expect a few truly scary moments, especially when children’s teeth start snapping, mixed with a whole lot of thriller. But it’s the cast who shine brightest in this post-apocalyptic gloom as the sweet zombie with a conscience newcomer Sennia Nanua is entirely watchable, while Glenn Close delivers a strong performance as a bad scientist with good intentions.

 

The Diagnosis:

By those unexpected final scenes, it’s clear that The Girl with All The Gifts has a lot more to say about what makes us human than your average ‘kill or be killed’ maxim.

If you like your zombie films all blood, no heart this might not be the flick for you. But give this one a go if you prefer something meatier to sink your teeth into.

 

– Ellin Williams

 

Movie review: The Limehouse Golem

24 Tuesday Oct 2017

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It’s Victorian London and there’s a serial killer on the loose leaving all sorts of cryptic messages written in the blood of the victims.
In comes inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) with a suspicion that he has been set up to fail.
He must rely on the help of witnesses to crack the case and bring the lunatic to justice.

This nasty little horror ticks all your, ‘Gee I’m-scared-but-boy-they-have-lovely-accents’ type film with a few blood-drenched charms of its own.

Speaking of charming, can we get a round of applause for Bill Nighy as a Scotland Yard Detective?
Bill Nighy trades his cheeky smiles and winks for a straight one eighty performance. A nice move from Nighy.
As bizarre as The Limehouse Golem is, it’s pretty serious stuff.

Nighy holds our hand and takes us on an ethereal walk through the streets and music halls of Victorian London (Don’t worry he’s cool with it)
We explore the pubs, the court chambers, the apartments, and offices of the period. The verisimilitude is bang on, it’s a fully realised world where you feel like you might bump into Sherlock Holmes or have a few brews with David Copperfield.
No drinks for you Sherlock. Get back to work!

Another charming aspect of The Limehouse Golem is the way it blends fact and fiction.
The Golem is fictional, but music-hall star and key suspect Dan Leno (Douglas Booth) is a real historical character, and how many times have you seen Karl Marx cast as a suspect in a penny-dreadful thriller?
That was a rhetorical question.

The whodunnit/murder investigation-ish aspects of The Limehouse Golem are its weakest elements. The murder investigation becomes a little, well, boring and generic.
You may find yourself more interested in the films other major storyline, the life and career of music hall performer, Lizzie (Olivia Cooke), as the use of flashbacks unlocks the secrets of her past.

The Diagnosis:

Look, the murder scenes are probably not grisly enough for us horror fans, and those who like deliberate, cozy murder mysteries may be deterred the graphic displays of gore.

The Limehouse Golum wouldn’t likely pack out a movie theatre but from the view of the living room couch provides an unsettling two hours of atmospheric charm.
Why not? Team with a bowl of ice-cream and you’re set.

– Breana Garratt

 

Gerald’s Game

05 Thursday Oct 2017

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Gerald’s Game is THE best Stephen King film of 2017.

This may be considered a controversial opinion especially as It had broken box office records across the globe, but it’s one that I’ll stand by.

For avid readers of this website they may have noticed how much of a fan I am of director Mike Flanagan’s work following Absentia, Oculus, and three entries last year with Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Before I Wake.

His latest entry though (available now on Netflix) has confirmed his place as a master craftsmen in his field.

Another confirmation which if ignored will be criminal is the acting prowess of Carla Gugino who had long been carving out an impressive career and delivers a powerful performance in this Stephen King film adaptation.

Gerald’s Game which was supposedly ‘unfilmable’ tells the story of Jessie and Gerald who are trying to spice up their marriage with a weekend retreat to a lake house, only for things to go awry when Gerald suffers a heart attack leaving Jessie handcuffed to the bed.

She must now use her wits in order to break herself free from her chains but in doing so she must also internally face a Dark past that continues to haunt her.

Gugino delivers such diversity on screen and is ably supported by Bruce Greenwood (Gerald) and Henry Thomas (Jessie’s father) as told in flashbacks.

The audience is guided through Jessie’s plight without it feeling contrived and we flow through each scenario as Jessie goes deeper into her secret ‘well’ in order to gain the strength she needs to pull through.

Flanagan appears to have a deep fascination with the human psyche and once again is able to tap into that inner turmoil and present humanity at its most unstable as a result.

I can’t wait to see what dark recess of the mind that he unearths with his next project.

  • Paul Farrell