The Descent (Neil Marshall, UK, 2005) August 22, 2006
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Horror, 2000s, Film reviews, Thriller/Suspense, Sci-fi/Fantasy , add a commentDir. Neil Marshall; screenplay by Neil Marshall; starring Shauna MacDonald
On my second viewing of Neil Marshall’s brilliant horror film ‘The Descent’, I was left spotting the various homage elements he’d infused into the script and direction. Not that this was a bad thing – there’s a sense of warm, exhilaration every time one of your favourite movies is referenced. In Marshall’s previous ‘Dog Soldiers’, at first, I was felt the references to other films were too clichéd, stealing plot details from the likes of ‘Aliens’, to the point where the film wasn’t anything more than a copy. But, Marshall’s sense of humour and glee in mocking convention, comes to the fore, making for a very enjoyable film.
In ‘The Descent’, Marshall has some lovely references to Alien, Aliens and Carrie, to name just three. However, what makes this film a more rounded, well-oiled effort is the fact he doesn’t borrow as many plot details as he did for ‘Dog Soldiers’. This film just feels more original than his previous effort. Plus, his technique has matured to produce a thrilling, claustrophobic horror film that utilises excellent camerawork and photography with particularly good production design. Marshall can’t escape unoriginality completely, as his characterisation and story arc are nothing more than predictable, but he makes up for it with stylish direction, milking the entombed nature of caving to its full, (gory) potential.
Spider (David Cronenberg, Canada/UK, 2002)
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Horror, 1970s, Drama, Film reviews, Thriller/Suspense, Sci-fi/Fantasy , add a commentDir. David Cronenberg, screenplay by Patrick McGrath, starring Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne
The most interesting thing about Cronenberg’s 2002 film is how he captivates the viewer with little to no dialogue. This, coupled with a strong performance from Ralph Fiennes, makes for an enthralling examination of childhood devastation, familial conflict, and the trials and tribulations of a mentally disturbed man. Of course, it doesn’t always work – the lack of dialogue at times makes the film a difficult proposition, asking a lot of investment from the audience. Yet, Cronenberg uses subtle references to imply certain events in Fiennes’ character’s past, gradually bringing forth a mysterious history that has made him what he is. The film is less commercial than the director’s 2005 ‘A History Of Violence’, but it rewards the intuitive viewer.
Frenzy (Alfred Hitchcock, UK, 1972) August 20, 2006
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : 1970s, Drama, Film reviews, Action/Adventure, Thriller/Suspense, Crime , add a commentDir. Alfred Hitchcock; screenplay by Anthony Shaffer; starring Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster
Hitchcock returned to England to shoot this, his second to last film, about the ‘Necktie murderer’ who is on the loose in London. It’s a down and dirty Hitchcock film that loses the grandiose trappings of big-star leads, beautiful women, and exotic locations, that made some of his well-known classics so iconic. ‘Frenzy’ however is still a well-crafted, effective thriller, set against the backdrop of seventies London with all its changing sexual politics and the affects of globalisation.
Hitchcock is much more explicit in his depiction of the murders here, at times hinting at the exploitation films that would later arrive in the decade. While this isn’t his best work – the coincidental plot is far from the strongest he’s worked with, and the unsympathetic lead character makes it difficult to fully immerse oneself within the mystery – the film is constantly very amusing (Hitchcock’s wry humour is beautifully layered into the film), and some flashes of technical genius remind us that this is indeed the maestro of suspense’s movie. The first revelation and consequent murder is a brilliantly directed piece of film, prolonging the audience to some very real terror. When Hitchcock takes his camera to the murderer’s room as he ushers another victim into it, and then, as the door closes, slowly pulls back, down the stairs and out into the street, the shot really could be from one of his very best films. Sadly, ‘Frenzy’ is a very well-made thriller, but it will be remembered more for the odd piece of stylistic genius than as a whole package.
Cadillac Man (Roger Donaldson, USA, 1990)
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Comedy, 1990s, Film reviews, Crime , add a commentDir. Roger Donaldson; screenplay by Ken Freidman; starring Robin Williams, Tim Robbins
‘Cadillac Man’ is one of Robin Williams’ most underrated films. It’s about car salesman Joey O’Brien (Williams) who likes to make a sale at any time (he attempts to sell a car to a grieving widow at a funeral), whilst maintaining the loving eye of several mistresses. One day, Larry (Robbins) bursts into the showroom with a gun and takes everyone hostage, demanding to know who has been sleeping with his wife. Of course, attention turns to Joey, and as a large police presence congregates outside, and the media gets involved, Joey and Larry find themselves in a rather difficult situation.
Think Glengarry Glen Ross meets Airheads meets Used Cars. ‘Cadillac Man’ is a funny portrayal of relationships and what happens when things don’t go to plan. Williams and Robbins are great in their roles.
The Sugarland Express (Steven Spielberg, USA, 1974)
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Comedy, 1970s, Drama, Film reviews, Crime , add a comment
Dir. Steven Spielberg; screenplay by Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins; starring Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, Michael Sacks
Steven Spielberg’s first theatrical film (although ‘Duel’ was released theatrically in Europe) marks the director’s return to the open road. It isn’t surprising Spielberg got the job to direct this cross-country chase movie, since he had so beautifully brought the ‘road’ tot life in ‘Duel’. Yet, this true story of Lou Jean and her lover Clovis, who take a cop hostage in order to get back their baby, doesn’t have the technical ingenuity that made ‘Duel’ so much fun, or the comic undercurrent that made ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ and ‘Cannonball Run II’ such crowd-pleasers. It’s largely down to a muddled script that can’t strike a balance between melodrama and comedy, or social comment and familial loyalty. Certainly, the young Spielberg struggles to get to grips with his characters, and by the film’s end, you are left with the sense that you never got to know the people who’ve you’ve just invested all that time in.
In all, it’s one of the director’s lesser known films and for good reason. His trademarks aren’t evident, and while, if you delve into the story’s ideals, you’ll find the subjects Spielberg would investigate later in his career, this was a project used as a means to another end. After all, a year later he would make ‘Jaws’ with Sugarland’s producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown.
‘The Sugarland Express’ isn’t a bad film, it’s just a very average one, certainly for a director of Spielberg’s quality (and considering within three years he’d made two of his masterpieces – ‘Jaws’ and ‘Close Encounters’). The film is noteworthy for an excellent performance from Goldie Hawn.
Re-Animator (Stuart Gordon, USA, 1985)
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Horror, Comedy, 1980s, Film reviews, Thriller/Suspense, Sci-fi/Fantasy , add a commentDir. Stuart Gordon; screenplay by Dennis Paoli; starring Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott
A cult favourite from the eighties, this gory, gratuitous comic-horror sees Combs’ Herbert Ross devise a method of bringing dead bodies back to life. It’s silly fun, never taking itself seriously, and has a brilliantly black-humoured conclusion. Jeffrey Combs is great as the ‘mad scientist’, and the special effects crew have a ball creating some of the excellent visual effects.
Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh, UK, 1996) August 19, 2006
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Comedy, 1990s, Drama, Film reviews, Romance , add a commentDir. Mike Leigh; screenplay by Mike Leigh; starring Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, Phyllis Logan, Claire Rushbrook, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Mike Leigh’s somewhat wayward 1996 film is, nevertheless, a powerful but subtle examination of family and class. Whilst it all comes together at the end, the first part of the film is a little unfocused making it difficult for the viewer to fully immerse themselves in the narrative drive of the film. However, the excellent performances are what brings ‘Secrets and Lies’ to life. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Timothy Spall are both excellent, but it is Brenda Blethyn (who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role) who captivates, drawing the audience into a world of working class heartache and family divisions.
Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, UK, 1996) August 17, 2006
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Comedy, 1990s, Drama, Film reviews, Crime , add a commentDir. Danny Boyle; screenplay by John Hodge; starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald
Danny Boyle’s psychedelic journey into the anti-establishment drug-culture of Edinburgh’s youth is seen through the hedonistic excess of Ewan McGregor’s drug-obsessed Renton. It’s a brilliant portrayal of the underbelly of working class society, hinged on Renton’s disillusioned contempt for life.
The soundtrack score works in perfect harmony with Boyle’s examination of drugs and their affect on users. Some have criticised the film for glamorising drugs but I can hardly see how Renton’s harrowing rehabilitation and the baby’s death in the drug’s den, can be seen as pro-heroin. The director’s point is that these complacent people should not be pitied - they got themselves into this situation and only they can get themselves out of it. The film doesn’t glamorise drugs, it simply chooses to not judge the people who use them.
This is Boyle’s best film to date. It is technically superb – the direction and editing are stylishly energetic, with Brian Tufano’s hallucinogenic photography drawing the viewer into this world of needles, heroin and Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’. The acting is also excellent with Ewan McGregor turning in, what remains, the best performance of his career. He’s ably supported by the psychotic but brilliant Robert Carlyle (again, arguably the best performance of his career), the child-in-a-man’s-body Ewen Bremner, and the clean-turned-addict Kevin McKidd.
Along Came A Spider (Lee Tamahori, USA, 2001)
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : 2000s, Drama, Film reviews, Action/Adventure, Thriller/Suspense, Crime , add a commentDir. Lee Tamahori; screenplay by Marc Moss; starring Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott
Oh dear! Watching a clearly bored Morgan Freeman reprise his role as James Patterson’s Alex Cross is one thing, but watching him in a clichéd, predictable, so-called thriller, with a support cast of equally bored actors, is ten times worse.
The first film ‘Kiss The Girls’ was average at best, but I was expecting more from this one. It’s so predictable you just want to do what the Futureheads have been telling us lately – Skip To The End. When does Micheal Wincott ever play a good guy? We meet him wearing a disguise but immediately you know to point your finger and say – he did it! Don’t worry I’m not spoiling the film for you – it alludes to who the criminal is early on, it’s what happens then that is supposed to be the mystery. Yet, the plot twist towards the end is so ludicrous it feels like the writer (maybe James Patterson, I wouldn’t know, as I haven’t read this particular Cross novel) knows that he’s written a clichéd story and needs to add some suspense. He appears to do this by simply picking a character at random and saying: well, actually there’s more to it.
Joyride (John Dahl, USA, 2001) August 16, 2006
Posted by Daniel Stephens in : Horror, 2000s, Film reviews, Action/Adventure, Thriller/Suspense , add a commentDir. John Dahl; screenplay Clay Tarver, J.J. Abrahams; starring Steve Zahn, Pete Walker
John Dahl’s excellent thriller uses some old-style Hollywood techniques to make its suspense really work, building real psychological terror on the similar premise that Steven Spielberg’s Duel and Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher used so expertly. Both previous films are slightly better examples of the genre, but Dahl updates the story for the 21st century audience, making for what is a very stylised, edgy thriller with excellent direction and some surprisingly good performances.