Review Category: Movie

In Don’t Breathe three
friends with a history of burglary conspire to rob a blind veteran so that they
may use the money they steal to fund a new life for themselves. Things appear
to go to plan but the blind veteran isn’t as defenseless as they thought, and
there is more than just money In that house.

Before
the attempted burglary the movie does spend some time with the characters but this
isn’t applied evenly. Rocky (played by Jane Levy) gets the most development, and
Alex (Dylan Minette) benefits from some, but Money (Daniel Zovatto) is left to be
the stereotypical gangster character. These characters are saved from appearing
shallow by the actors themselves and by their chemistry with each other.

The
audience sees the characters pull off a burglary before they attempt to rob the
veteran (played by Stephen Lang). This gives us enough of an idea about the personalities
of the main characters and how they expect the night to go. Because we know how
the night is supposed to go we know when things are going wrong. This serves to
raise the sense of tension.

Speaking
of tension, we should talk about the movie’s villain. He gets very little in
the way of dialogue throughout the movie. When he does actually speak this
turns out to be for the best. The voice that Stephen Lang choices for the role
isn’t very scary, and makes him seem less threatening. This isn’t helped by the
dialogue, which stumbles into the territory of unintentional comedy.

Where
Lang’s performance excels is in making his character a very physical threat. For
most of the movie he stalks the main characters silently. It is appropriate
that the blind veteran has a vicious dog (who provides many of the jump scares)
because in many ways his behaviour mimics that of his dog. He sniffs his prey
out, and listens to the sounds around him to help him locate them. In contrast
to more stoic characters we have seen in similar scenarios there is something
of a wild animal about Stephen Lang’s portrayal.

Those
coming to the movie expecting a lot of twists and turns will be disappointed. There
are a couple of twists but the main focus with the movie is in exploring the atmosphere
than trying to surprise you with a complex plot. What twists we do have however
do really help with exploring the nature of one of the key characters. Without
spoiling what they discover a certain discovery, and the way that Rocky reacts
to it, offer up reflection on what drives Rocky, and how far she is willing to
go to get what she wants. The component parts of this reveal are not unique but
they are brought together in a way that gives a little bit of added dimension
to the movie.

Don’t
Breathe has a tense atmosphere with a good pay off. Stephen Lang is a mincing presence
and we root to see Rocky and her friends survive. Don’t Breathe is good for a
fun night out.

DON’T
BREATHE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: FEDE ALVAREZ / SCREENPLAY: FEDE ALVAREZ, RODO SAYAGUES /
STARRING: JANE LEVY, STEPHEN LANG, DYLAN MINETTE, DANIEL ZOVATTO / RELEASE DATE:
9TH SEPTEMBER

“A young,
clerical Indiana Jones” is how Malachi Martin is described at one point in
Marty Stalker’s documentary, Hostage to the Devil. Part expose, part requiem,
this feature is a fascinating if tonally peculiar examination of one of the
church’s more controversial media stars.

The basic premise of the documentary focuses on whether
ex-priest turned unaffiliated exorcist Martin was eventually taken down by Old
Nick himself or whether he simply began to believe his own hype. To be honest,
it is easy to believe either option. Copious amounts of archive footage show
the sparky Irishman with snow driven hair holding forth on his dealings with
the devil in a voice that drifts from Hammer Horror to Oprah-style huckster. This
is a guy who went on record on television, radio and in books to describe The
Exorcist as “a combination of Frankenstein and Dracula with a lot of green goo”,
after all. Regardless of your own views, he appears The Exorcist made flesh.

Interviewees are presented to hold forth The Word on his
worldly doings, from his former editor and agent to a wide-eyed ex-cop who did
the spirit circuit with him. Seeing grown, gravelley men talk about Martin in
these terms goes a long way to convince you of his affect, but herein lies one
of the places in which the documentary seems to cling to its vision a little
too much: amidst the praise, mention is made of his less than perfect life, but
precious little detail is given that could have shed further light on his contradictory
character. It is probably the case that the interviewees refused to give
further detail, but the way it is presented feels like a lost opportunity.
Seriously, what bawdy jokes do former priests tell at dinner parties?

The documentary excels in its contextualisation of exorcism
and the various church denominations within the social context of the Second
World War and beyond. It is bizarre that this succeeds as it is a relatively
dry subject, but it is brought into sharp focus by the spectre of the man whom
whose in robes discuss. Our mind’s eye’s version of him fuses with the robes to
give an improbable, folk heroic other who dared stand up to the ordained sacred
and provide a focal point for a frightened lay community in a sea of change.
From there, we also move on to examinations possession itself, from its
spiritual aspects and tests to determine if the devil really is ‘indoors’, to
brief examinations of psychology, psychotropics and other attributions. The
documentary isn’t as detailed here, but it still manages to cover its bases.

That said, baselessness, is the chief quibble with the
quality. The interest lies within seeing how Martin continues to cause hushed
tones in those he knew and it is very talky, but there are also strangely
dramatised segments such as stating-bursting television sets that are straight
out of the dodgiest ‘B’ movie. Whether these segments are meant to undercut
what is otherwise an overwhelmingly reverential tone is unclear. Either way,
you suspect Malachi Martin would have been amused.

Hostage to the Devil fascinates with its focus on a renegade,
dinner-party darling exorcist and the social factors that made him a star. That
said, you’re never sure if what you see was not a mystery, but merely an
apparition of lights and mirrors reflected by those with their own crosses to
bear. Or is the point that we all, secretly, want to believe?

HOSTAGE TO THE DEVIL / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: MARTY STALKER / SCREENPLAY: RACHEL LYSAGHT, MARTY STALKER / STARRING: JOHN ZAFFIS, ART BELL, RALPH SARCHIE, KARLA LYONS, ALI LAYONS

Expected Rating: 9/10
Actual Rating:
 

What if cinema could be the doorway to another world? No,
really. This is the central questioning pertaining Fabien Delage’s Fury of the
Demon. It’s a documentary focusing on the film of the same name that caused
panic in an art house screening a few years ago and is said by some to be a
product of the occult in, and of, itself. This fascinating feature checks the
myths and George Melies connection to see what the magic of the movies is
really about.

At first, it is very hard
to believe the entire feature is not a wind up. We are presented with an
eminent list of often impossibly French, terribly sophisticated talking heads animatedly
explaining about a screening that they attended that resulted in a riot. Critic
Philippe Rouyer, complete in cocked dickie bow, exclaims that he hopes he
“wasn’t a bastard” to anyone. But it seems the premise is entirely serious,
because we’re soon to discover the fabled film’s link to none other than
cinema’s founding father, George Melies, himself. From him, the film fleshes
out discussions ranging from a possible previous (violent) screening of the
film, to Melies flair for special effects, stage illusion and the occult itself
via a detailed exploration of his involvement with Victor Sicarius.

The experts called on are
admirable, ranging from the police in attendance at the disordered screening to
spiritualism specialists, psychiatrists knowledgeable in mass hysteria and cinema
experts ranging from highbrow journalists through to Rue Morgue’s Dave
Alexander. A good level of detail is given by all, barring one howler where a
contributor states “Fury of the demon is not just any random title. There’s
definitely something demonic about it”, which in context is amusing rather than
irritating. The commentary only flags into philosophical hyperbole as the film
draws to a close, which, in a narrative sense can be forgiven because of the
film’s overall conclusion. Indeed, one possible criticism is that the occult
explanations given are a little tradition specific (focusing on the spirit
model, if you must), but in the scheme of things this is hardly a concern.

A lot of effort seems to have
gone into the preservation of authenticity within this narrative. Most of the
visual drama is added through cuts to occult art and the only time we see
fancy-spooky camera close-ups at odd angles is when the contributors are talking
about the overt use of illusion to create atmosphere. The film deliberately
shows its hand so you can concentrate on the argument itself.  

Fury of the Demon works
wonderfully because it presents a little known aspect of the life of a man who
changed the world to an audience it expects to be intelligent. It doesn’t shirk
on detail and includes eyewitness accounts and those of officials involved in
the story. It’s damned demanding and you’ll need a notepad, but by God it’s
worth it. Now go get your camera. 

FURY OF THE DEMON / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR AND SCREENPLAY: FABIEN DELAGE / STARRING: ALEXANDRE AJA, DAVE ALEXANDER, JEAN-JACQUES BERNARD, CHRISTOPHE GANS

Expected Rating: 9 out of 10
Actual Rating:
 

Who would’ve thought mountain bike racing would result in death and mayhem? Downhill is one of the latest survival horror thrillers to play at this year’s FrightFest, and for the most part, it delivers on its premise and more. For the first 30-40 minutes, introduces us to the main two protagonists, the traumatic accident they witnessed, during which their best friend died during a race, and how they interact as a couple before the grizzly stuff kicks in. The film moves at a steady pace and atmosphere is unnervingly chilling throughout, yet the direction the narrative goes in is all over the place. As soon as you start trying to work out and solve one scenario, three more get thrown into the mix, and as a result, the narrative does lose some of its focus.

The couple is trying to recover from their best friend’s death, then they decide to vacate to Chile to take part in a new race, only to find a man who is dying from some form of contagious virus, but then shortly afterwards, they happen to come across a group of people who do not want our couple to leave Chile alive. Oh, and there just happens to be a random short scene of adultery for some… reason. There are so many ideas at play, the film itself feels as though it can’t quite decide on a direction and sticking with it throughout. As soon as the group of gun-toting whack jobs starts hunting down our protagonists, that’s when the movie really kicks into gear and the survival horror element comes into play, which is where the movie finds its feet the most. The action is intense, the haunting atmosphere swells, and the performer’s shine a lot.

Bryce Draper was perfectly solid as the male lead, whilst Natalie Burn excels as the central female protagonist and perfectly shows how she’s slowly becoming a true rising star in the making after the recent Awaken/Left to Die. The infected creature effects are very eerily grotesque and hark back to the ground-breaking effects work of John Carpenter’s The Thing. The cinematography does tend to be on the murky side, yet that doesn’t detract from the film’s brooding atmosphere, which is amplified thanks to its menacing score. For a low-budget indie film, this movie doesn’t even look half-bad, and it’s quite clear that Patricio Valladares did everything possible to make his film look as good a horror film as possible.

Downhill is overall a strange movie as defined by its multitude of ideas that go all over the place and can result in some bat-shit crazy moments, plus the final five minutes might make certain audiences frustrated. However, the fact that Patricio Valladares just went for it and thrown so many enticing ingredients into an already spicy soup is commendable and that makes the film more enjoyable than it sounds. Should the film have a more clear direction then perhaps it would’ve been much better, but as an attempt to be something different to what we normally get out of horror movie these days, you might be pleasantly surprised in what is a bizarre survivalist horror thriller on acid.

DOWNHILL / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: PATRICIO VALLADARES / SCREENPLAY: BARRY KEATING, STARRING: NATALIE BURN, ARIEL LEVY, IGNACIA ALLAMAND / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 10TH (DVD)

Expected rating: 6 out of 10
Actual Rating:  
 

For the first sixty minutes of its ninety-ish minute running time, Cell – based on Stephen King’s 2006 novel and with King on co-scripting duties – is a perfectly serviceable, if not especially over-accomplished, apocalyptic thriller. The scenario intrigues – a rogue ‘Pulse’ transmitted through the mobile phone network turns users into rabid, foaming murderous psychopaths (we’re trying to avoid using the word ‘zombie’ because of all those preconceptions it now comes loaded with) – and a handful of survivors flee a burning Boston to find safety. John Cusack plays graphic novelist Clayton Riddell, desperate to be reunited with his estranged family and Samuel L Jackson is kindly train driver Tom McCourt who’s surprisingly handy with firearms. Together with Clay’s neighbour Alice (Fuhrman), they pick their way through a treacherous landscape, occasionally pursued by “phoners” who are exhibiting increasingly-bizarre and unified behaviour which suggests some sort of ‘hive mind’ mentality.

So far so seen-all-this before – and there’s nothing much wrong with it apart from a marked lack of real spectacle (apart from the opening sequence set in Boston airport where ‘the Pulse’ kicks in, causing a nicely-shot orgy of bloody violence) and some odd pacing and slightly ‘off’ characterisation. The film’s budget clearly won’t stretch to showing much of the immediate after-effects of ‘the Pulse’; out on the city streets we see just a handful of roaming “phoners” and a few long-shots of smouldering buildings. There’s not much sense of scale here, it all seems a bit low-key and never really gets its motor running. Clay and co venture out into the countryside and meet up with other survivors – but the ‘phoners’ are never far away. The film throws in a few interesting concepts about the nature of ‘the phoners’ and sequences where they stand stock-still, mouth gaping, the static-like screech of ‘the Pulse’ emanating from somewhere deep inside them, are striking and occasionally chilling.

But somewhere along the way, around that sixty-minute mark, the wheel comes off an already-wobbly wagon. Clay starts to see visions of a grotesque red-hooded figure created for his unfinished graphic novel and he begins to wonder if some manifestation of the entity is responsible for ‘the Pulse’. Eventually, determined to find his missing son (he discovers his wife already ‘turned’ when he returns to the family home) Clay sets out alone and wanders into a pretentious, murky and eventually utterly unsatisfying finale – apparently rewritten by King from the novel as he was displeased with its original ending – which fails to really get to grips with any of the story’s core questions and leaves us more than a little puzzled as to exactly what’s happened, much less why. By now, however, the film’s run right out of steam and whatever goodwill it earned in its explosive first few minutes (and in an eerie sequence at a school run by veteran Stacey Keach) has long since dissipated and we’re just left with a film with the potential to make some cogent and incisive commentary about the ubiquity of the mobile phone phenomenon but  throws it all away for the sake of a bit of esoteric mumbo-jumbo. Cell is just about worth a look (Cusack and Jackson are always worth spending time with) but it can’t help but disappoint; if we knew who to call, we’d probably ring and complain…

CELL / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TOD WILLIAMS / SCREENPLAY: STEPHEN KING, ADAM ALLECA / STARRING: JOHN CUSACK, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ISABELLA FURMAN, OWEN TEAGUE, STACEY KEACH / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 1ST 

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:
 

Written and directed by Matt Osterman, 400 Days is a sub-Twilight Zone inflected film that centres on four astronauts that are sent on a simulated test-program to test the psychological effects of deep space travel. Locked away in an underground test bunker for 400 days, the crew’s mental state begins to deteriorate, when they all start to lose communication with the outside world. Forced to exit the ship, they discover that this mission may not have been a simulation after all… or could it still be one?

Played out almost entirely as a psychological thriller with horror elements, this film sets out to examine and define the strains and confusions of a person’s psychology during extraordinary circumstances, delving deep into the madness within a close-quartered environment. So in that sense, the film has an intriguing concept, however, that concept doesn’t get explored to its full potential and that’s a real problem. For the first half of the film, we do get to see some of those ideas come out, when showing the isolation and psychology of these four characters trapped in this claustrophobic setting. However, there’s this sudden shift in the second when it all starts to turn into a survival thriller, becoming a semi-The Hills Have Eyes sequel.

It’s a bizarre shift in style, atmosphere and tone, and is off-kilter to what has gone before in the film, which is weird considering that it starts off wanting to be this unnerving study of encroaching, corrupting madness, only for it to suddenly transform into a feral “survival of the fittest” slasher movie. Plus, the last 10 minutes, in which the slasher stuff comes into effect, are just a horrendous mess, and it all finishes on a ball-buster of an open ending, which the film never earned at all.

Also, strained dialogue and clichéd characters plague the film greatly, even though there are some unique touches to be found (particularly the opening montage of space-related archival footage). Whilst not exactly cast against type, most of the cast give decently solid performances, particularly from the two Legends of Tomorrow stars Brandon Routh and Caity Lotz. However, despite impressing greatly in TV’s The Flash (another DC connection), Tom Cavanagh is simply miscast as the shifty bad guy that appears in the film’s second half. His twitchy, manic performance is so obvious, it’s almost as if you could see right through his acting, as if he was just phoning it in. Even with a limited budget, the film does look amazing, and that’s thanks to the combination of Bo Hakala’s cinematography and Traci Hays’ impressive set design.

In the end, 400 Days is a good and compelling idea that has been disappointingly realised with a preposterous second half, a half-assed cliff-hanger ending that isn’t warranted and by the time it’s all over, you feel as though it has all taken place in real time. There are some nice touches here and there, and the actors aren’t 100% terrible, but it ultimately disappointments.

400 DAYS / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: MATT OSTERMAN / STARRING: BRANDON ROUTH, CAITY LOTZ, BEN FELDMAN, TOM CAVANAGH, DANE COOK / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 19TH

In a year that, for many, has been a bit of a downer- what with the deaths of many influential faces and hateful politics- the summer movie period had a lot to do to raise spirits. Sadly, many are of the opinion that summer 2016 has abjectly failed at that task, so we bring the summer to an end with arguably one of the most anticipated films of the year in Suicide Squad. After the polarizing (to say the least) Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel, the hopeful DC Cinematic Universe has got off to a rough start. A lot was riding on Suicide Squad, which has for sure been the best promoted film of the year; with the trailers painting a kind of neon attitudinal take on the lesser-known comics originally by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru. Sadly in the last week, the hype has taken a nosedive thanks to, frankly, some of the worst reviews for a comic book film in recent memory, with comparisons to toxic capers The Green Lantern, Catwoman and Marvel’s Elektra. So is Suicide Squad really that bad?

The film sees ruthless government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) try to get her Task Force X initiative approved. This task force would ambitiously assemble some of the world’s deadliest villains, control them and use them as problem solvers for the fights that the ordinary military are “unequipped” (or too sane) to handle. Needless to say one of those very problems soon arrives and this “Suicide Squad” is sent in to ensure victory, or, to die. As concepts go Suicide Squad is an exciting one and upon viewing the most talked about film of the year- for good and bad reasons- this reviewer had his own conflict of heart vs. head. As Suicide Squad is not a perfect dose of anarchic action but, much like Pacific Rim or The Expendables, it is a film made with huge affection for the source material and – like other past critical duds turned classics – ambitions that stand out. 

Whatever critics watched must have been different to what this writer witnessed because – at the risk of earning my colleagues scorn – for fans of the material, grins will be forming aplenty for those witnessing this wowing, wonky and widespread warzone that reflects the shift of cinema culture. Studio interference (and editing issues that come with it) is never something to be recommended (see the abysmal Fantastic 4) but in regards to this film, it strangely adds to the deranged whacked out edge to what is essentially many genres tossed into a meat grinder. David Ayer, under stress and pressure and at the behest of a modern audience wanting something different, seems to have helmed a new age punk rock movie and like that particular music movement, one wonders if Suicide Squad will be re-evaluated in a few years or even inspire a particular pop cultural kick of its own.

From the start of the film, Ayer’s $175 million B-Movie blended superhero flick, is different, reverting the flash of the genre to a visual mosh pit with a Guardians of the Galaxy esque use of the perfectly eclectic soundtrack and a retro score by Steven Price. The film feels like flicking through a comic, with the opening quarter basically consisting of a barrage of backstories, character splash outs and references. The narrative itself is relatively simple but seems to take a turn into more formulaic territory as it progresses but unlike the usual third act syndrome, this film is rescued from that fate by the consistent characterization, charisma and a finale intercut with flashbacks that denote an intriguing idea of supervillain aspiration. It also helps that, contrary to many others readings, these characters always remain bad. True they are tasked with saving the world but when one dreams of shooting Batman in the mush, you know these are far from charming chaps and chapesses.

The main antagonists, while raising ideas of the evolution of humanity and our shifting allegiances from gods to technology, do feel tame but in this supervillain playbox, you have multiple choices when it comes to the baddies. Will Smith hasn’t been this appealing in years and as assassin Deadshot, lends the film a real leading swagger, while Margot Robbie is literally perfect as Harley Quinn, channeling an unpredictable madcap malice in this flawed wonderland of bullets, knives and explosions. So good is Robbie that you crave a sole outing for the character and her interactions with Jared Leto’s drip-fed role as The Joker is like a throwback to Batman: The Animated Series, especially in one chase flashback that had this writer grinning like Mr. J himself. Leto’s portrayal is polarizing, like the movie itself, but his gangland psychopath that blends Hamill and Ledger’s previous incarnations with Ziggy Stardust and Marilyn Manson, grows on you to the point you look forward to the next snippet of Leto’s arachnid mannerismed madman.

Viola Davis is also a scene stealer as arguably the film’s real villain, Amanda Waller, and the accusations of sexism are slightly undercut by the fact that the baddest character here is not only a woman, but one with unshakable will, ruthless efficiency and no time for weak ass bad guys. There are many characters to take in but like Avengers Assemble (a film it bares similarities with regarding the finale and villains facing the Squad), the film is carried along nicely by the characters interactions and comic book owing developments. With Jai Courtney being actually fun (shock horror) as Captain Boomerang, Jay Hernandez enjoying his own arc as the New 52 influenced El Diablo, Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) proving mostly silent but intriguing and Joel Kinnamen striking a very interesting element to the film as Rick Flag, the military man with a romantic connection to the Enchantress’s human counterpart Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne).

Not swallowed up by world building and with many messages about the corruption of the establishment, the nature of wish fulfillment, rightist politics and a comment on the deranged nature of The Joker and Harley (which critics have attacked as sick but, lets face it, The Joker’s abuse has never been anything but sick, likewise this twisted Stockholm syndrome like relationship that the regular person is rightly distanced from). Suicide Squad is an unhinged and messy approach to filmmaking, this is not a neat film concerned with professionalism but it is a thoroughly fascinating artistic statement. Providing 80s action film motifs (with Escape From New York influences to the plot and dialogue straight out of a macho actioner) and punk aesthetics, this antithesis of the comic book caper, should not work but against all odds does.

Did Ayer intend the film to be so ideological? Perhaps not but as Geoffrey Cocks said in Rodney Ascher’s delightful Room 237, “we all know from postmodern film criticism that author intent is only part of the story of any work of art. Those meanings are there regardless of whether the creator of the work was conscious of them.” In many ways this is a changing of the times, as music video culture, promotional storytelling and comic book mythology marry together before our eyes to create a film that is not a masterpiece but is a bloody good time, with more vibrant characters in one scene than Batman v. Superman had in 3 hrs. A cult film if ever there was one, or should that be cult of personality, chock full of risks and unpredictability. DC done good this time, why so serious?

SUICIDE SQUAD / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: DAVID AYER / SCREENPLAY: DAVID AYER/ STARRING: MARGOT ROBBIE, WILL SMITH, JAI COURTNEY, VIOLA DAVIS, JOEL KINNAMAN, JARED LETO, CARA DELEVINGNE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW 

Expected Rating: 5/10

Actual Rating: