Review: Dark Shadows***
Once upon a time, the Burton-Depp partnership was such a sure thing with every project they entered into that they seemed to have the monopoly on quirky Gothic tales; we fell in love with Edward Scissorhands and were enchanted by Corpse Bride. So the chance to see the pair collaborate on a feature-film version of Dan Curtis’s much-loved TV show, Dark Shadows, seemed like ideal material. However, as has been the case since Alice in Wonderland, too much of a good thing has led to them becoming complacent and lacking any new ideas. Burton fans will find some satisfaction in…
Review: Silent House**
Elizabeth Olsen of Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) fame is fast becoming the thriller poster girl, with her dreamy, unreadable persona that portrays a mixture of innocence and hidden danger. In Chris Kentis and Laura Lau’s new spooky thriller Silent House Olsen keeps us guessing as to her true personality once more, like in her confused character in the acclaimed 2011 film, and delivers another self-assured performance with the subject matter she is dealt. The flaws of the film are certainly not in her portrayal, rather in the confused plot that raises a disturbing issue but just doesn’t quite execute…
Review: Strippers Vs Werewolves***
Director Jonathan Glendening of 13Hrs werewolf notoriety doesn’t move that far away from his furry feral fiends in his latest grizzly flick, Strippers Vs Werewolves. This exceptionally daft, tongue-in-cheek pastiche of the erotic slasher B-movie also taps into the comic-book filmmaking fascination of recent years with deviant glee, but all with the sole purpose of entertaining in the most blood spewing and badly acted way. And for those who never tire of Robert ‘Freddy’ Englund cameos, there’s a treat for fans too. After werewolf Mickey (Martin Kemp) is accidentally killed in strip club Vixens, the girls who work there have until…
Review: Dreileben Trilogy
The Dreileben (‘Three Lives’) trilogy brings together three feature films, three German directors with one threatening tale in common. Each of the films are linked by an escaped convict lurking around the small town of Dreileben, whilst some films depend on this, others merely use it as a backdrop prop. The project was initiated due to contrasting opinions about narrative structure in the magazine, Revolver. However, this method of filmmaking has been experimented with in the past, for example, in the 2009 Channel 4 series, Red Riding. Each director emphasises their individual cinematic style and way of storytelling to providing…
Review: The Woman In Black***
Although having been involved in other film projects around Harry Potter, the transition from boy wizard notoriety to serious adult acting was always going to be a huge step for Daniel Radcliffe. Having Hammer Films behind him is reassurance enough, but the role of embattled young lawyer and father Arthur Kipps in director James Watkins’ authentic spooky horror The Woman In Black may feel an odd casting for the actor and worse, be too similar in supernatural substance to his Potter role to clearly define his acting rebirth. Based on Susan Hill’s novel and adapted for the screen by Kick-Ass…
Review: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo***
So striking and unique was Swedish actress Noomi Rapace’s portrayal of 21st century anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander in the original 2009 film that director David Fincher and screenwriter Steven Zaillian already had their work cut out adapting author Stieg Larsson’s complex first book of his Millennium trilogy as an English-language film. The plot is so complex with its plethora of characters and emotions and deals with so many issues, including Nazism, serial murder, rape, torture and twisted family liaisons that it acts as both a cinematic dream and a hindrance if done incorrectly. Therefore, it’s a relief that Fincher and Zaillian…
Review: The Thing***
John Carpenter may well be the master of horror filmmaking, but that’s not to say that someone else can’t tackle his esteemed previous work. In fact, Dutch filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s 2011 version of The Thing could be argued as a brave career choice, considering the 1982 film’s cult following. Not to be confused as a remake of the first, but a prequel – both based on John W. Campbell Jr.’s 1938 novella Who Goes There?, whichever way you look at it, van Heijningen Jr’s new film is certain to spark similar debate over its genetics ideas. – Just to…
Review: Snowtown****
Believe the stories of disturbed audience members leaving various screenings – there were a few hurried departures when we saw this film at this year’s London Film Festival. Debut feature writer-director Justin Kurzel has co-penned a gripping, ‘car-crash’ account based on a true Australian crime story from the 1990s. However, it’s not necessarily the crime that is the most shocking, but the slow and systematic abuse of the family involved. Based on the Snowtown murders (August 1992 and May 1999) – also known as the Bodies in Barrels murders – in Snowtown, 145km north of Adelaide, where 11 people lost their…
Review: The Awakening***
Writer-director Nick Murphy’s first feature film, The Awakening, is a bold step into the well-trodden genre of horror. Thankfully, Murphy has mixed supernatural intrigue with historical fact to bolster his story’s significance, adopting an old-fashioned ghost-hunting theme to its investigative concept, without relying on modern-day effects for big scares. Set in 1921 England, there is an overwhelming sense of loss and grief after World War I, with many people missing, and others succumbing to Spanish Flu. As a result, many tricksters hold hoax séances to appease and fleece the grieving. Sceptic investigator and authoress Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) makes it…
Review: Straw Dogs***
The British 1971 original by Sam Peckinpah both appalled and enthralled an unsuspecting audience, like an unwanted mirror held up to reflect some of the most primitive and raw human nature ever captured on screen when the chips are down. There was a distinct difference between the act of rape as one of empowerment, as opposed to sexual. Flash forward 40 years and set in the Deep South of the USA, the main characters are all the same – even the film’s poster image, with writer-director Rod Lurie’s 2011 version merely updating the setting and fashions but sticking close to the…
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