indiehousefilmfestival
Indie House
Your new home for movie reviews.
13 posts
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Last Seen Blogs
fifteen-step
Blue Velvet
xxeeeeeeeexx
Untitled
xxeeeeeeeexx
Untitled
xxeeeeeeeexx
Untitled
xxeeeeeeeexx
Untitled
Text
“Baby Driver” Review by Josh Lambie
As Bob & Earl's classic sixties song "Harlem Shuffle" blared in the cinema, and as the film's protagonist Baby (Ansel Elgort) boogied his way down the street in an unbroken Steadicam shot, I felt director Edgar Wright's passion for filmmaking. His filmmaking is as exuberant and vibrant as the film's soundtrack and even the most pessimistic critic would have a hard time not taping their foot to the music or revelling in one of the film's impressive action set pieces.
It was the film's riveting opening scene that reminded me of the directorial passion and creativity that I feel has sorely been missed in most modern commercial blockbusters. Franchises do not generally allow for individual creative identity, since the studio is beholden to making an ongoing story that is bigger than one single two hour film. But Wright's strengths lie in his unending creative energy and ability to take a fairly generic, hackneyed premise and breathe new life into it. The fact that some of the irreverent, almost self referential humour from Hot Fuzz and Shaun of The Dead has carried over into the film also helps garner likeability. If there is one problem in working with a generic story with a new stylistic edge it's that it becomes harder to fully invest in a character. Baby becomes a likeable character, mainly due to Elgort's charismatic energy, but characters like Doc (Kevin Spacey), Bats (Jamie Foxx) and Buddy (Jon Hamm) come across as underdeveloped and bordering on cartoon like. This was an issue I had with Wright's previous film Scott Pilgrim; when you decide to prioritize a stylish aesthetic over character development, the film will end up being solely a surface level pleasure. This is not to say that a film cannot be enjoyed in this way, but I think Wright's far too talented a director to settle for that. It is because of this that it took a while for me to fully invest in the movie. The first half, much like the Baby character, was too concerned with finding the right song, not wanting to start driving until the best tune was picked.
When the film gets out of first gear though, it soars with a palpable power and charm. The scenes between Baby and Debra (Lily James) work, once again despite their clichéd nature, because of the natural chemistry between the actors. Charm exudes out of this movie. I am once again reminded of that opening scene with the long take. I can see, just from that one scene, the joy for cinema that Wright has. It makes it feel exciting again. And if all it is to audiences is a two hour thrill ride then so be it. It will still be the most exciting movie you will see this summer.
Oh... and the soundtrack is great too.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
“5 Great Movie Fights From the Past Ten Years” by Nathan Shepka
Having been a massive action movie fan for as long as I can remember, I’ve just about seen it all. Okay, I’ve seen nowhere near it all, that would be nearly impossible. But I’ve seen my fair share of the cream of the crop (movies like Die Hard, Rambo and Hard Boiled) and I’ve seen the absolute lowest of the low, the bottom of the barrel.
For that reason alone I think it makes me a pretty good judge of on-screen scuffles. Again, I’ve seen loads. From Bruce Lee to Van Damme and everything in between. I appreciate a great punch-up, whether that be full blown brawling ala Hard Times (Charles Bronson) or wrist snappingly brutal martial arts fights ala Hard to Kill (Steven Seagal).
Here we’re going to look at some stellar fight scenes from the last decade. In a time of overblown superhero movies it’s sort of slim-pickins’ in terms of real, old fashioned hand-to-hand fight scenes, especially compared to the 80’s and 90’s for example when actors like Van Damme, Seagal, Norris, Stallone, Schwarzenegger and many more were at their peak.
Hence why some of the fights mentioned below either come from instant cult classic foreign films or sometimes from direct-to-video diamonds in the rough. These are by no means the cream of the crop but are just some of my favourite fight scenes in terms of being really impressed upon first and subsequent viewings.
Fast Five – Vin Diesel vs The Rock
Let’s start with a nice easy one. You have Vin Diesel, cornerstone of increasingly ridiculous action franchise ‘Fast & Furious’, you have the introduction of hulking wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnston to the franchise. This surely has to make for a good skirmish.
Not famous for their intricate aikido moves or graceful high kicks, this fight relies more on cracking each other across the face with punches powerful enough to level buildings. It’s not ground-breaking by any means but it’s exciting to see the two shaven-headed bulls duke it out.
The fight is a lean 2 and a half minutes, not dragging itself into the realms of audience boredom whilst keeping it trim enough to leave the viewers wanting more. This grapple-fest ranks above the slightly skimpy Rock vs Statham battle in Furious 7 that marginally suffered from typical Hollywood editing farts and slightly uninspiring choreography despite featuring some unusually artistic camera movements.
The Rock and Diesel bulldozing through the set like it’s a china shop is reminiscent of Van Damme and Lundgren’s breeze block filled re-match in the belated Universal Soldier: Regeneration and it serves as a memorable scene in a movie that’s already filled with ludicrous stunts and physical feats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQEfEeBR3-M
Skin Trade – Dolph Lundgren vs Tony Jaa
A movie that was criminally never released on DVD in the UK and that arguably would have made a killing in terms of the casual action fan enthusiast, (given that the cast includes B-movie legends Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Ron Perlman and Peter Weller), Skin Trade features some exceptionally strong martial arts battles.
With a cast like this, you'd expect that to be the case but when you consider the budget of the film and presumably the limitations it had in comparison with a 200 million dollar Fast & Furious entry for example, you'd be forgiven for anticipating underwhelming ‘X vs Y’ fights, a bit like The Expendables franchise has unfortunately produced.
However, Skin Trade really does pull out all the stops in terms of fights and Dolph's battle with Asian action puppet Tony Jaa impresses due to its shrewd combination of the lumbering Lundgren relying on brute strength and nimble Jaa flying around like a praying mantis. A superbly lit location, lengthy punch-up and the best of American and Asian choreography make this one to watch. It totally trumps Dolph's strategically similar battle with Jet Li in The Expendables and Jaa's initial fight with Paul Walker in Furious 7.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiKDAGrjuBE
Hunt to Kill – Steve Austin vs Gary Daniels
A little-known movie starring Steve Austin, Hunt to Kill’s generic plot involving a border patrol agent (Austin), stolen money and a band of thieves scrambling through the woods doesn’t exactly set the heather on fire. Additionally, an appearance from Eric Roberts and a sulky teenage daughter in peril help to cement this solidly in ‘cliched action schlock’ territory.
Despite this, it’s directed with competence by long-time Seagal collaborator Keoni Waxman and the action is well-shot enough to put this a notch above where it should be, serving as a passable Saturday night 90-minutes with a crate of beer.
The typically handy henchman comes in the form of B-movie icon Gary Daniels who has fought a plethora of action guys in often under-baked fights including his short-lived, one-sided scrap with Seagal in Submerged, choppy brawl with Statham and Li in The Expendables and repetitive rumble with a sleepy Snipes in Game of Death (not a remake of the posthumously released Bruce Lee flick by any means).
Here he fights a clunky Steve Austin, who throws his big meaty fists around with the agility of a battle tank; but Gary Daniels’s best high kicking, Austin’s ability to take a hit and a satisfyingly mean end for said henchman make this a welcome 3-minutes in an otherwise pedestrian action flick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHzcL487dX8 (excuse the German dubbing!)
Parker – Jason Statham vs Daniel Bernhardt
The next entry features another B-movie bad guy who has made a career out of playing the sneering henchman. Daniel Bernhardt has challenged action icons Chuck Norris in The Cutter, Keanu Reeves in John Wick and Jean-Claude Van Damme in soon to be released Kill ‘Em All. But here, he’s fighting the Stath in what is one of the least memorable movies of Jason’s career.
However, there are a few standout moments in this largely forgettable crime thriller that sees Statham play Parker, (the same character Mel Gibson’s role in Payback was based on) and his fight with Bernhardt is one of them, coming out of nowhere with pacey aplomb. The other is Jennifer Lopez doing a bit of a sly striptease.
This fight earns extra points for sheer brutality, and just when you think it’s over it hits the gas one more time. After smashing each other into everything in sight in a high-rise apartment, utilising the television, the shower curtain and even the toilet cistern, the fight ends with them baying around out on the balcony and Statham enduring a painful self-inflicted knife wound in order to save himself. If the conclusion of the fight doesn’t leave you wincing a little, you’re probably the devil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHFZGDFdovU
The Raid – Yayan Ruhian vs Iko Uwais & Doni Alamsyah
Insane on every level, this brings back memories of both Bruce Lee and early Jackie Chan chop-socky slugs but with added punch, uber-violent dynamic and a sense of tension and panic arguably never reached before by any on-screen martial arts bout.
Asian action triumph The Raid is excellent as a whole but the final two on one battle featuring terrifyingly agile villain ‘Mad Dog’ is the ultimate final gift of an already jam-packed spectacle. Lasting an entire 5 and a half minutes and set in a minimally dressed room, so grey that it blends with the actors’ clothing, it impresses without the use of extravagant or contrived props or gadgets.
No, it’s just a solid flow of hundreds of perfectly timed hits, barrages of genuinely painful looking landings and editing fluid enough to keep your eyes focused on the fight without having to dissect a collage of murky choppy cuts ala the Bourne franchise, to figure out what’s going on.
The last time I witnessed such a high-stakes two on one battle was Mel Gibson and Danny Glover duking it out with the lightning-fast Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4, in a fight that was both as violent as the original movie and made the audience fear for the charaters’ lives thanks to a flawless portrayal of the bad guy’s skills.
Here is no different and upon first watch I was on the edge of my seat and borderline hollering at the TV for the good guys to win. They just can’t keep Mad Dog down, every time you think they have the upper hand it is snatched away from them and that’s what makes for such a thrilling battle.
To make a good fight, you have to make it look like the underdogs are going to lose, so that the win is much more of a relief and it’s a major relief when the two heroes finally stop taking a pummelling from determined, relentless Mad Dog. Sometimes it’s as much about the narrative or the stakes as the technical ability itself. The Raid final fight has both. Outstanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpQNSW3S5Dg
0 notes
Text
“Allied” Review by Matthew Christie
Allied is one of those films that I can honestly say that I have no regrets for going to see it even though the screen was busy and I must admit I’m one of those normal people who like it quieter.
The plot isn’t too confusing but instead easy to follow and enjoy. A Canadian pilot/turned spy (Brad Pitt) who’s French resistance fighter wife (and mother to his daughter) (Marion Cotillard) could be a German spy passing his files onto the enemy during WWII. The film follows them meeting, marrying, then the mystery and desperate search for the truth.
Allied is yet another one of those films you know almost all the main premise of it going in but yet, the film still surprises you – not with the plotline as such but more just with what it does with it and how great it unexpectedly actually is. For a plot as simple as its, there’s no real rush to get to all the mystery and excitement but still the film doesn’t seem to drag. Instead we’re treated to a lengthy meeting (with albeit a fair amount of action) before they are even married which I think was great to get a feel for the characters growing relationship as if we are following alongside them. It also gives you a chance to keep asking yourself “is she a spy?” if you’ve seen the trailer) and then have the mystery/suspense slowly build.
I must admit that I entirely forgot it was directed by Robert Zemeckis (who if you don’t know, also directed Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and more recently the Walk) until the film finished and there in large print was “Directed by Robert Zemeckis”. I should have realised when throughout I couldn’t help thinking how impeccable everything seemed.
But back to the film itself, great acting performances across the board, the sound design was incredible - not too dissimilar from most other at-home based war films yet still seeming fresh along with the rest of the film. There was no aspect I feel fell short – and believe me, I was looking for something to complain about.
My thoughts are that this film has the making to be a classic film but I know it is one that many will give a miss, or only see because of Brad Pitt (not that I don’t like him myself) which is the way Hollywood is of course. It’s something any casual movie goer should add to their list of films to see on the big screen.
1 note
·
View note
Text
“Arrival” Review by Nathan Shepka
Walking into The Arrival, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but much like Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 film Prisoners, I walked away not really knowing what I had seen. The reason for my sense of bewilderment was due to the fact the trailers didn’t seem to give much away – a rarity these days, as I find I can often piece together the entire film from a two minute trailer. I’m guessing they didn’t want to reveal the ‘aliens’ or just exactly what they looked like, thus defeating the purpose of the premise and the twists.
Although I’m not sure you could really call them twists. They are what I like to call ‘developments’ – it isn’t a twist, it’s more of a ‘oh we actually should have known that all along.’ The Arrival is one of those films where to a certain extent everything is right there and we as the audience just have to piece it together. Its narrative is very much like Shutter Island where the audience are given the information but don’t quite know where it fits. The timeline of the film isn’t linear and that certainly adds to the intrigue behind the characters and their backgrounds.
The premise of The Arrival has these strange ‘pods’ or alien crafts landing at various locations around the globe with science expert Jeremy Renner brought in to see what they are all about and language expert Amy Adams brought in to see what kinda sh*t they’re talking. With Forest Whittaker providing back-up as the army dude in charge, Adams (who I can’t believe is 43) and Renner are craned up into the pod.
What follows is a slow burning film that turns out to be on one hand a study of our existence and on the other a ‘what if’ in terms of aliens landing. The difference with The Arrival is that it plays it totally seriously. It’s not tongue-in-cheek, it’s not over-the-top Hollywood blockbuster, it’s just right. It’s a great balance of drama, genuinely interesting sci-fi and dare I say plausible events. I feel that the depiction of the alien landing in this film delves deeper into the serious side of ‘alien invasion’ rather than becoming heavily reliant on special effects and overblown CGI.
The directing is assured, the performances are touching – especially Amy Adams who seems to be a bit of a late bloomer in terms of the sheer number of acclaimed roles she has landed recently – and the ending leaves you feeling a little empty, if elated. It’s definitely worth a watch. Just don’t go in expecting guns blazing action or gunge spluttering aliens. The Arrival decides on tact and deftly navigated filmmaking. Perhaps we need more films like this, perhaps we need to leave the CGI behind and bring back the heart and the characters of Hollywood’s yesteryears.
As the director of the upcoming belated Bladerunner sequel, I’m intrigued to see what Villeneuve will come up with, his style is very fitting and almost similar to the original. He has the unique air of mystery about many of his films where he’ll feed the audience just enough material to keep them intrigued but not enough to allow even the most discerning film-goers to decipher the film before he wants you to. I think this is The Arrival of a talent I’d brand ‘one to watch’…
0 notes
Text
“Midnight in Paris” Review by Joe Moore
Woody Allen at his best is quite remarkable and Woody Allen at his worst is truly terrible, but Midnight in Paris is something I have not quite seen from him yet. It is Woody Allen at his finest. I have to warn the reader as this review will be spoiler filled as it's rather difficult to not divulge them while reviewing this film. This is unfortunate but it gives more credit to the film making and marketing team behind the scenes as the real magic of the film is not shown in the trailers. This is a rare thing in Hollywood now and even more so as the years' progress.
The main character Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is engaged to a woman named Inez (Rachel McAdams) and it seems to be a very one-sided engagement on her part. After spending some time with Inez's pretentious and over the top friends Gil decides to take a stroll back to his hotel at night. He gets lost in Paris and is slightly drunk. The clock then strikes midnight and everything changes. He gets into an old timely, yet pristine Peugeot and is taken to a bar by a bunch of well-dressed and drunk Frenchmen. All his surroundings have transformed into Paris in the twenties. He meets famous writers and artists such as Ernest Hemingway, Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. He returns to the same spot every night at midnight he meets new and interesting people from that age. The icons he meets teach him about life and love.
When Gil meets a woman called Adriana his perspective on life begins to change slowly. She is like him in the sense that she knows all these incredible artists, but is herself unknown and wishes for a different time. She wishes to live in La Belle Epoque. Slowly the two fall in love with one another each wanting to belong in a different time and with Gil belonging to another time.
The most notable performances of the film are Tom Hiddleston who plays Scott Fitzgerald, Corey Stoll who plays Ernest Hemingway and a brief appearance from Adrian Brody playing Salvador Dali. Each of these actors captures the essence of these people beautifully from voice to movement and this coupled with Woody Allen's perfect dialogue makes for some of the most interesting viewings I've had the pleasure of watching.
Another point the film gets is that it is set in Paris. Not many Hollywood films now are unless the city is the setting for the over the top 14th sequel to a Liam Nesson action flick. This film explores Paris as a city and lets you take in every aspect of it rather than it just being a famous backdrop to get some rise in the box office numbers. Paris has a gigantic meaning to this film and the film itself would have been a disaster if it wasn't set there. Paris is essential for its success. Now, onward to my second part of this review and the most interesting part of the film, the magic.
The magic is never explained so that we can understand how it works. It is simply what happens and this adds to the unexpected nature of it. The film leaps beautifully into this wondrous time in the past to tell such a unique story. As Gil just happens to come across the titans of art and literature of the 1920s you can't help but be mesmerised by the enchanting nature of it all. The story captivates you in such a way that you feel you are meeting these iconic people for yourself and you are equally as surprised as the main character in the film when they appear on the screen. The constant world jumping from the fantastical 1920s to the overly wealthy and pretentious 2010s in which the main character lives puts things into perspective for him and oddly enough as an audience member you can relate to the way he feels.
Midnight in Paris is essentially about appreciating life in the time that you live in. Woody Allen shows this perfectly through meeting eccentric and iconic characters with an unusual yet immersive plot within a different time period in history. This film gave Woody Allen his second screenwriting Oscar and it is very evident why. Midnight in Paris is undoubtedly a masterpiece.
1 note
·
View note
Text
“Nocturnal Animals” by Ronnie Brodie
I went into this movie knowing almost nothing about it, other than the fact that it featured both Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, who I’m a sucker for, and it was this lack of knowledge that made the film that much more surprising. I highly urge you to see this movie blind, no trailers or plot synopsis and just let it wash over you, as it did me, and you will not be disappointed.
The film is Tom Ford’s second film, with his last being ‘A Single Man’ which came out in 2009, and the wait was most certainly worth it. ‘Nocturnal Animals’ was one of the most engrossing cinema experiences I have had this year, but it’s also a very hard film to describe without giving away the entire movie. The movie centres around Amy Adam’s character, a middle aged artist who despite being engulfed in success and wealth is unhappy in her life, and during this time she receives a manuscript of her ex-husbands latest novel, which he has dedicated to her.
This novel forms the second half of the movie with it switching between Amy Adam’s real life and the world of the novel, which Jake Gyllenhaal features in. The novel is about a family who set off on a road trip only for things to take a turn for the worst, these scenes feature incredible set pieces that ooze suspense and genuinely are very uncomfortable to watch due to how wonderfully real the performances and dialogue feel.
As the main thread of the movie consist of a character reading a book many could view it as being slow paced and perhaps even pretentious but I found it to be incredibly engrossing and the cinematography and score go a long way in that regard. Every shot is beautifully set up, without being distracting or showy, I even found myself in awe at some of the establishing shots of clouds which were just stunning. Couple this with the incredible score which can go from being very emotional to blood chillingly unsettling in just a few seconds and it’s difficult to not be sucked in by it all.
As the film goes on we see glimpses into how Amy Adam’s marriage ended with her first husband and these scenes really allow Adam’s performance to come through, as outside of these she spends most of it reading. They give a great insight into the characters and tie beautifully back into the novel sections as we begin to see what the novel is really about.
If you are looking for something different and maybe a little bit out there then I could not recommend this film enough, wonderfully acted, scored and directed and I think a must see this year.
0 notes
Text
Want to write a review for us?
We’re still looking for new writers to be a part of our growing team.
Simply email us at [email protected]!
0 notes
Photo
Pulp Fiction
Director: Quentin Tarantino
1 note
·
View note
Photo
On the Road (2012)
Director: Walter Salles
1 note
·
View note
Text
“Hell or High Water” Review by Ronnie Brodie
The summer movie season this year has been an utter disappointment, just like a sinking ship it seemed to get worse as it went on. Thankfully though that ship happened to have one lifeboat which carried on it the saving grace of this summer, Hell or High Water.
Helmed by Scottish director David McKenzie, most known for 2013’s Starred Up, and penned by Taylor Sheridan, who’s recent Sicario put him on the map as a writer to look out for, the movie is truly one that everyone should see. I myself had never heard of the movie before a friend brought it up to me, nor did I see a trailer for it during trips to the theatre or during my mind numbing channel hopping at home, which is a real shame.
The movie is set in and around several small rural towns in Texas and focuses on two pairs of characters. The first pair, and the ones we empathise with the most are two middle aged brothers who we first meet in a bank robbery of their doing. As it turns out in an attempt to generate some big money real fast they decide to rob a spree of banks within the space of a week, for reasons which I won’t give away here.
The younger of the two brothers is played by Chris Pine, in what may very well be the performance I has of him. He plays an everyman, and is the closest thing the movie has to a protagonist. His performance is very understated and we learn just as much about his character from what he doesn’t do as from what he does.
Ben Foster plays the oldest brother and once again with an excellent performance. His character is far more unhinged than his brother, having spent time in prison, and as a result is far more capable, and willing to commit violence to save himself, something that leads to some excellent moments of conflict between the brothers and these moments really let the writing and acting shine.
The second pairing of the film features two lawmen trying to track down the brothers and put a stop to their bank robbing spree. Consisting of Jeff Bridges, as the grizzled and near retirement cop, and Gil Birmingham as his partner. It seems like a role Jeff Bridges was meant to play and play it he does, giving arguably the best performance of the film, and from very mundane scenes for the most part.
The film has some fantastic set pieces that come as a result of the robberies which had me smiling in the theatre with just how well they were done, like something from a video game. These moments are even more effective given how restrained the film is with the action, only having it sprinkled in at occasional moments to make it that much more powerful.
The setting as mentioned before is a big player in the movie and one of the reasons it’s so effective is because we get to see a host of quirky characters living in it, ranging from a senile waitress to a stereotypical aging cowboy. This is also heightened by the wonderfully subtle cinematography which never draws attention to itself but draws some truly striking images from the landscapes of rural Texas, washing the screen in a sun kissed glow.
I can’t think of a movie I’d recommend more deserving of recognition this year than Hell or High Water, if you get the chance to see this movie in a cinema then you should without a doubt make that trip…come hell or high water.
0 notes
Photo
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Director: Wes Anderson
Cinematographer: Robert Yeoman
0 notes
Text
“Blair Witch” Review by Ronnie Brodie
As I walked through the doors to the 11AM showing of Blair Witch I was greeted by a looming ocean of empty seats, not a soul but myself. I got as comfortable as I could in my seat but couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling of isolation, any other film and I’d have been overjoyed at getting the screen to myself but not this film. The trailers for trashy comedies did little to remedy the impending feeling of dread I felt…however the film starting did.
It’s been 17 years since the release of The Blair Witch Project and as a result many people thought the franchise had long since lost its relevancy with the sheer abundance of found footage films coming out since its release, but the franchise isn’t ready to die just yet. Blair Witch is the newest addition to the series, being helmed by Adam Wingard who’s last two films You’re Next and The Guest were a joy to watch and excellent genre pieces, unlike Blair Witch.
The set up to Blair Witch is very basic, the younger brother of Heather Donahue, from the first film, believes she could still be out in the woods and so him and some friends head out to make a documentary about him looking for her, I guess no one cares about the other two guys from the first film. Straight off the bat however it’s clear that the charming amateurish style of the original is gone, replaced with each character having an ear cam which allows for conversations to cut between each other and as a result of this it feels very inorganic and so clearly staged. The sheer number of cameras really made me wonder how all the footage was even found.
Feeling staged is one of the biggest issues with the film, with a cast that looks like they came off the cover of a fashion magazine, no one looks normal or disheveled and when the film is selling itself on the idea that what we are watching really happened that’s a problem. The problems with the characters don’t end there though, they’re all so bland, apart from one conspiracy theorist who talks about the benefits of shooting on tapes. In the original it always seemed like human error was at the root of the horror, people turning on each other but that never happens, no one screams at anyone or gets angry with them and it all feels so fake as a result.
In terms of whether or not the film can be called scary I think it depends entirely on how you feel about jump scares, because this film has a lot, even just the camera turning on and off is used to try and scare the audience at points, which may elicit a reaction from the audience the first time but it just becomes predictable. There’s no feeling of dread from the location, like they shouldn’t be there, they treat the whole thing like a camping trip at Centre Parks and as a result we never believe they are really in any danger in the woods until the last 20 minutes and oh boy those last 20 minutes.
The film really goes off the rails, from seeing a girl crushed in half by nothing to just a barrage of screaming while running and actually seeing the Blair Witch. Rather than just being a constant presence in the original the film gives the Blair Witch a physical one, one she uses to cut down trees and to drag characters off screen in the most cliché way, subtle she is not.
Having said all that there are a few things that the film should be praised for, the sound design for one. The way branches snap and creak all around you is genuinely unsettling while in the cinema and a really makes you feel like you’re in the woods alongside the cast. On top of this there is a fun seen that plays with the character’s perception of time which was very interesting, but lasts less than two minutes.
Ultimately Blair Witch feels like it’s been far more influenced by the most recent flood of found footage horror films than by the original and I feel like the most valuable thing to take away from this film is that sometimes less really is more.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
“Don’t Breathe” Review by Kris J. Cummins
Don’t Breathe is a ruthlessly effective new horror film from writer-director Fede Alvarez. Like most great horrors, the premise is simple: three petty thieves decide to rob the house of a blind man living in a slum, believing he has cash hidden away. Naturally, things go very badly indeed.
Going into Don’t Breathe, I felt like I knew what to expect. There’s been many home invasion movies in the past decade such as The Purge, The Strangers, Kidnapped, Vacancy and Hush. However, all these other movies simply stretch out the premise of home invasion to 90 minutes, repeating sequences in which the killer(s) nearly get in. Don’t Breathe, on the other hand, actually unfolds in a story. It twists and turns, spinning a yarn from something that upon first glance seems like a simplistic concept.
The key seems to be Alvarez’s script. The plot, and its use of characters, is like a Swiss watch in how intricate and concise it is. Every moment is used to keep the story moving and ratchet up the tension, never giving the audience a moment to, well, breathe. Like the best works of Hitchcock, it’s written as if a joke is being played upon the characters. Every decision they make leads to something worse - it’s a truly agonising experience. One can actually imagine Alvarez laughing as he thought of ways to torture the audience even more.
However, even Swiss watches don’t have souls, which is why the actors are so invaluable to the film. This isn’t a two-bit horror where you shrug when someone dies - Don’t Breathe makes it hurt. With the motivations of the burglars explained and their relationships explored, we root for them, even though they are pretty bad people. Hell, even Stephen Lang, who plays the blind antagonist, brings a perverse melancholy to the role even when he’s committing incredibly heinous acts which I won’t give away here
The only eye-rolling thing in the film is its use of heavy-handed symbolism involving a ladybird, which comes off like a bad piece of high-school creative writing. Also, one could argue Alvarez gets so caught up in upping the film’s tension that he seems unaware of when to end it. There are at least three scenes that feel like a climax, before it all kicks off again.
If at all possible, I strongly recommend going into this film cold, not knowing anything about it. It has such a dogged desire to frighten the audience that its suspense is completely unrelenting at times, constantly pushing the envelope further just when you think it’s reached its peak. The effect is so powerful that when you leave the cinema, and step outside, you actually feel a sense of having escaped...and you breathe a sigh of relief.
0 notes