Filmy thing
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Prisoners
Very impressive stuff. Maybe a touch too long at 2.5 hours but a gripping tale with the clues and plot lines revealed slowly to add to the tension. But the violence is unflinching so its not for the squeamish.
Wonderfully acted by Mr Gyllenhaal. Giving a quiet and solid performance as the investigating cop and sporting the most porn of porn haircuts (Seriously, its porn in the form of a haircut).
Hugh Jackman overplays it slightly as the vengeful father. He seemed to be going for the Liam Neeson/Taken gruff vibe and if he dialled it back a couple of notches it would have been a touch more realistic.
Paul Dano was impressive as the idiot child main suspect but looked disturbingly like Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I was too lazy to get up and check the DVD box so its was mega distracting.
All in all a superb lil thriller.
Jen rating: 8/10
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
Cooties
A funny, if sometimes bleak, zombie romp, blending out and out gore with some Saved By the Bell type humour. For some reason it reminded me of Nothing - low budget and slightly woozy...but with more smacking pre-teens in the face with baseballs.
Excellent, if undemanding performances from the leads with Rainn Wilson yet again playing a loutish arrogant redneck, Elijah Wood yet again playing a dorky hero and Leigh Whannell yet again being as cute as a button.
The synth score and flashes of neon add to the low budget 80s video style and the script rattles along with a passing nod to plausability. Maybe slightly too much time spent running down corridors but the two directors keep things moving in an impressive debut.
Not a film for everyone but an enjoyable watch and maybe a future cult classic.
Jen rating: 8/10
Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane - like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.
What We Do In The Shadows
A mock documentary following the lives (deaths?) of a group of vampires in modern day New Zealand has the same style (and most of the cast) of The Flight of the Conchords. Naturalistic performances and some surprisingly good CGI for such a low budget film.
Maybe not LOL out loud funny but amusing enough to keep you entertained and Taika Waititi is just adorable as the fussy Viago.
Not too bloody and entertaining enough for a Saturday night.
Jen rating: 7/10
In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to find strange horns sprouting from his temples.
Horns
I read the book really enjoyed the cynical snarly tone, even if I felt let down by all the religiousness at the end. The film doesn't quite have the same bite and is let down by unnecessary CGI at the end, but overall, it was pretty good.
Maybe slightly too long at 2 hours but the story was involving and the acting was excellent. Daniel Radcliffe does a pretty impressive American accent (imho) and takes his shirt off a lot (that jailbait will be the death of me!)
Jen rating: 6/10
Prisoners
Very impressive stuff. Maybe a touch too long at 2.5 hours but a gripping tale with the clues and plot lines revealed slowly to add to the tension. But the violence is unflinching so its not for the squeamish.
Wonderfully acted by Mr Gyllenhaal. Giving a quiet and solid performance as the investigating cop and sporting the most porn of porn haircuts (Seriously, its porn in the form of a haircut).
Hugh Jackman overplays it slightly as the vengeful father. He seemed to be going for the Liam Neeson/Taken gruff vibe and if he dialled it back a couple of notches it would have been a touch more realistic.
Paul Dano was impressive as the idiot child main suspect but looked disturbingly like Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I was too lazy to get up and check the DVD box so its was mega distracting.
All in all a superb lil thriller.
Jen rating: 8/10
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
Cooties
A funny, if sometimes bleak, zombie romp, blending out and out gore with some Saved By the Bell type humour. For some reason it reminded me of Nothing - low budget and slightly woozy...but with more smacking pre-teens in the face with baseballs.
Excellent, if undemanding performances from the leads with Rainn Wilson yet again playing a loutish arrogant redneck, Elijah Wood yet again playing a dorky hero and Leigh Whannell yet again being as cute as a button.
The synth score and flashes of neon add to the low budget 80s video style and the script rattles along with a passing nod to plausability. Maybe slightly too much time spent running down corridors but the two directors keep things moving in an impressive debut.
Not a film for everyone but an enjoyable watch and maybe a future cult classic.
Jen rating: 8/10
Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane - like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.
What We Do In The Shadows
A mock documentary following the lives (deaths?) of a group of vampires in modern day New Zealand has the same style (and most of the cast) of The Flight of the Conchords. Naturalistic performances and some surprisingly good CGI for such a low budget film.
Maybe not LOL out loud funny but amusing enough to keep you entertained and Taika Waititi is just adorable as the fussy Viago.
Not too bloody and entertaining enough for a Saturday night.
Jen rating: 7/10
In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to find strange horns sprouting from his temples.
Horns
I read the book really enjoyed the cynical snarly tone, even if I felt let down by all the religiousness at the end. The film doesn't quite have the same bite and is let down by unnecessary CGI at the end, but overall, it was pretty good.
Maybe slightly too long at 2 hours but the story was involving and the acting was excellent. Daniel Radcliffe does a pretty impressive American accent (imho) and takes his shirt off a lot (that jailbait will be the death of me!)
Jen rating: 6/10