[WraithApe]

"Nocturnal Animals" [8.2/10]: A story within a story film; lots of flashbacks in both storylines. It kept my attention. From the opening credits, the film demands your attention and more than superficial thought. I need to watch it again and think about it awhile longer. In that sense it was a good film. The performances were solid. It had the feel of the Alfred Hitchcock film "Vertigo." I liked it, but you have to have two hours to focus on what's on the screen...

I really liked it. Aside from The Wailing, I think it was my pick of London Film Festival last year - an expertly crafted thriller with a beautiful visual style. Some people have been a little snooty about Tom Ford's background in fashion, but that's probably contributed to what is a real eye for composition, and given a good screenplay, an obvious talent for directing.

 

[Hutnicks]

Good to hear this as The Bar is on my list to see. I do not understand the gun under water thing though as any modern firearm and cartridge will function submerged.

Was looking at Boots on the Ground as well but frankly did not have much hope for it turning out anything new or interesting. Not the first haunted soldier flick set in the Afghan theatre and from what you say it sounds like a half azzed rip off of Djin with an R Point type ending. Too bad.

On to reviews.

Unlocked (2017) 7.5/10

It seems someone has decided that Noomi Rapace (and her former Husband Ola for that matter) are action star material. This film winds a decent enough plot in with almost believable action sequences and enough twists to keep you interested up until the near end. Better written than Atomic Blonde by a wide margin it suffers from Apted's inability to make the most out of the supporting cast. The result is rather a Bourne Identity light type of film.

 

[Hutnicks]

I really liked it. Aside from The Wailing, I think it was my pick of London Film Festival last year - an expertly crafted thriller with a beautiful visual style. Some people have been a little snooty about Tom Ford's background in fashion, but that's probably contributed to what is a real eye for composition, and given a good screenplay, an obvious talent for directing.

Certainly an excellent film in all respects. Ford is not Nolan and apparently that is now some form of crime in America these days. Had he the foresight to have cut it into an incoherent and inaudible mess it probably would have gotten raves across the board. As it stands it will wind up taking 5 to 10 years and then it will magically climb up into a bunch of top 100 of all times lists.

 

[WraithApe]

rant:
Kira... "it also sort of means killer in Japanese so...", you don't say?

you know it's bad when Light from the anime facepalms too. and that goes with the previous "I have a death god", as if that's something an American would say without any explanation or reference to Japanese stuff. they pretend like it's not a Japanese story, or they don't. but that is just messy.
then the blue glowing googles that made L sleep after 30 seconds(thanks to the song OFC but still... light, and blue light in particular are known to have the opposite effect. it's used to simulate the day, not the night when we fall asleep. it serves no purpose in the story, is never brought back again, was it added to the movie just so that people could say "wow that's a stupid movie right there!" ???? those stuff drive me completely mad and really ruin a movie for me. they didn't need it at all, it's stupid and doesn't work, so why? out of all the people involved in making the movie, not one had enough brain cells to look it up when another idiot suggested to add it in the scene? that kind of stuff is destruction of otherwise fine art and should be prosecuted IMO(Michael bay's Transformer movies are clearly crimes against humanity in that respect). those stuff always remind me of the 2001 version of Planet of the apes with the little clock showing the year changing in the cockpit when the hero enters the storm. even accepting that there are time storms and eating the axiom that it just works and doesn't dissolve everything instantly despite the forces involved, there is still a little issue with how if time changes outside the storm the ship couldn't know. and if it changes inside the ship, bye bye lead character. again some extra detail nobody needed, the time thing was perfectly clear later on. I mean the statue of liberty was all it took to make it clear in the original movie and people weren't used to time travel stories the way we are now. "I'm Barry Alen and I'm the fastest man alive", meets faster people every 5 episodes...
ok I warned it was going to be a rant, I'm now off topic to the power of 20 so I guess I should stop ^_^ .

You're the king of rants I love it! I'm guessing you also hated Gravity, which had professors of physics everywhere up in arms, not least over the Zero G Titanic moment...

 

[WraithApe]

Good to hear this as The Bar is on my list to see. I do not understand the gun under water thing though as any modern firearm and cartridge will function submerged.

Was looking at Boots on the Ground as well but frankly did not have much hope for it turning out anything new or interesting. Not the first haunted soldier flick set in the Afghan theatre and from what you say it sounds like a half azzed rip off of Djin with an R Point type ending. Too bad.

Ah OK, I was under the impression that you needed a special kind of underwater firearm, but you know way more about this kind of thing than me, so I stand corrected!

Boots on the Ground doesn't even rate as a good found footage movie, which do still spring up occasionally, despite saturation. By and large though, the sub-genre is long since exhausted.

 

[Hutnicks]

Ah OK, I was under the impression that you needed a special kind of underwater firearm, but you know way more about this kind of thing than me, so I stand corrected!

Boots on the Ground doesn't even rate as a good found footage movie, which do still spring up occasionally, despite saturation. By and large though, the sub-genre is long since exhausted.

Bummer about Boots. I'll have to wait for the next installment in the Outpost franchise then

Glock actually makes a weaker spring kit specifically for SCUBA divers so the action will function normally. That is the only real issue as the added resistance of water had them cycling it manually. The latter part of that article is good in that it really does show the range is seriously reduced. Not really an issue when you are simply worried about sharks. The only other real problem is the concussion. Shooting underwater in any kind of confined space is a really bad idea, some of the first range and penetration tests were done in an old ship bilge and the two shooters were urinating blood for a few days afterwards..

 

[WraithApe]

Glock actually makes a weaker spring kit specifically for SCUBA divers so the action will function normally. That is the only real issue as the added resistance of water had them cycling it manually. The latter part of that article is good in that it really does show the range is seriously reduced. Not really an issue when you are simply worried about sharks. The only other real problem is the concussion. Shooting underwater in any kind of confined space is a really bad idea, some of the first range and penetration tests were done in an old ship bilge and the two shooters were urinating blood for a few days afterwards..

Without giving anything away, this was certainly what you might call a confined space, though the prospect of urinating blood was probably the least of their worries... My problem wasn't with the propulsion of the bullet though, but rather that there was a flash of fire, which as I understand it, would require oxygen.

 

[Hutnicks]

Without giving anything away, this was certainly what you might call a confined space, though the prospect of urinating blood was probably the least of their worries... My problem wasn't with the propulsion of the bullet though, but rather that there was a flash of fire, which as I understand it, would require oxygen.

You would think. However the cartridge does in fact burn off the propellant and that gives the muzzle flash so I suppose it is possible for that to happen underwater before it spills into the barrel after the slug has left. Sort of like depth charges in submarine films.

 

[castleofargh]

You're the king of rants I love it! I'm guessing you also hated Gravity, which had professors of physics everywhere up in arms, not least over the Zero G Titanic moment...

hate might not be right, it's more like love+disappointment. a movie obviously needs to have something good enough(or bad enough to be good ^_^) to get me emotionally involved at all. which is rare, remember I'm a dysfunctional psychotic objectivist, or something ^_^. my main surprise about Titanic was to see Celine Dion singing on it everywhere, yet she got away. just my luck.
I'm not too demanding IMO, just tell me it's magic and I go "oh, ok then". you tell me that ninjas can stand on a leaf and run over water? I'm absolutely fine with that. but I do wish for some sort of consistency. movie makers are at the helm of their own stories. they can introduce any premise they like and I'll accept it even if it is the dumbest most improbable thing ever(I mean, I watch zombie movies, QED). but if they make their own set up and then piss all over it with something nonsensical even based on their own universe, I say NO in that offended yet unconvinced tone of someone with absolutely no influence whatsoever. ^_^

Attack of adult babies won me over with the tittle, and the trailer sealed the deal. I need to waste my neurons making lots of memories of this one! I was pretty disappointed by Attack of the killer donuts, so I need something to give pride to all the "attack of ..." around the world, be they killer tomatoes or giant moussaka.

 

[castleofargh]

about fire arms under water, the bullet contains everything it needs(dunno how to say that in English, both sides of the chemical reaction like fuel+air and stuff like that). issues could come from the gun's own mechanical movements, but that would probably be more of an issue for reloading than just to simply fire. then as @Hutnicks said water being non compressible has consequences, so any explosion keeps a massive force for anything else in the water. dumb examples go from fishing with explosives to breaking toilets with firecrackers.

 

[Hutnicks]

I'm completely with you on the score of filmakers violation the principles that they indeed set out for themselves. When you run into something like that it just brings things to a grinding halt for me and makes me want to reach for an off switch of some kind and make it stop.

I think the term we might want to employ here should not in fact use the much overused "hate" word, but rather "Objectionist" may be the word to run with.

Things like the super intelligent female in control of her own destiny that all of a sudden lacks the simple common sense to step sideways to avoid a rolling donut of a spaceship, just call a halt to the whole viewing experience.

 

[Hutnicks]

Without giving anything away, this was certainly what you might call a confined space, though the prospect of urinating blood was probably the least of their worries... My problem wasn't with the propulsion of the bullet though, but rather that there was a flash of fire, which as I understand it, would require oxygen.

I now see what you mean. Overall the film really hits above it's budget and does well for the trapped in a building genre without delving too far into the end of the story that usually kills films of this type. The characterizations were wonderful. Well acted out all around and very tightly directed.

Spoiler: The Issues I had were...

The gun thing is okay by me that would work and if you ever fired a pistol in a confined area the flash is quite surprising. The problems I had were the cell phone not showing any damage from the fire and the syringes in perfect condition while everything else was burned to cinders. They should have had the syringes in the cistern and done something similar with the phone. The Gal 7 not being well known for it's resistance to flames

That is really nitpicking and I would not hesitate to recommend this film to anyone interested in the genre. It is one of the better offerings out there.

 

[WraithApe]

Devil's Gate - 4/10

The X-Files for dummies, with fake Scully leading the investigation. This alien invasion story is so full of cliches, it's straining at the seams; absolutely nothing you haven't seen a hundred times before. The effects are actually OK, but the script... wow. One choice quote: "my grandfather used to be proud of being one sixteenth Cherokee; will they be proud of being one sixteenth human?" It's facepalm central.

The End? - 3/10

If The Bar was a great example of how to do a predominantly single location film, The End (?) is anything but. This one tries to find a fresh angle on the zombie apocalypse thing by having a guy trapped in a lift throughout, watching his co-workers go feral through a small gap in the lift doors. The main problem with this is that there is virtually no tension and the guy is a jerk; consequently you are stuck for over an hour in a very small space with a guy you really couldn't give a crap about. It's always a bad sign when your mind is wandering and you're thinking what you would have done differently before the film has even finished.

Replace - 7/10

Body horror about a girl with a skin condition. To say shades of Cronenberg would be a massive understatement, but this one just about holds its own. As an allegory of society's obsession with youth and beauty, it works pretty well, despite a few dubious plot turns. It's very nicely shot and the all-female cast do a fine job.

Mayhem - 8/10

For anyone who's ever wanted to set fire to their office and dance in the ashes (which is probably anyone who's worked in an office environment, at one time or another), this is the film for you. A glorious ode to the anarchic spirit of freedom and a big middle finger to the corporate world. Think Office Space meets The Raid. Perfectly cast, seriously funny and cathartic. Steven Yeun was a great choice for the lead role. The visuals are a riot of colour and as always, Steve Moore delivers a killer soundtrack. It's not deep or subtle, but it's a ton of fun.

Dream Demon - 6/10

Another golden oldie, that was billed at the time as Britain's answer to Elm Street. While that is seriously over-selling it, it's not without its charms. It actually put me more in mind of another film from the same era called Paperhouse, but like that one, it hasn't dated particularly well.

 

[WraithApe]

Last day of the fest. Back to the grind tomorrow.

Veronica - 7/10

A smart little psychological thriller from Mexico, shot in black and white for maximum Hitchcock effect. Two great central performances and a beautiful mountain-side location are enough to keep you hooked. Lures you into thinking you've got the twist sussed, then flips the script.

Lowlife - 8/10

The kind of film Tarantino might be making if he hadn't veered off course into uncharted territories of his own derrière. Featuring a host of bizarre characters, smart writing and a great soundtrack, the film centres around an organ harvesting operation gone awry - which is a lot funnier than it sounds. The film is split into overlapping segments, as I think it was originally intended as a compendium of shorts. Confusion reigns in the first segment, but as pieces start falling into place, you find yourself wanting to go along for the ride.

Top Knot Detective - 7/10

Documentary about an obscure Japanese TV show that was big in Australia. The less you know about this one going in the better, suffice it to say, it's very well done for what it is and will probably be enjoyed by fans of old samurai movies, cult TV shows or trashy Japanese weirdness.

The Terror of Hallow's Eve - 3/10

Kind of like the first five minutes of Halloween stretched out to feature length. 80s homage and practical effects are all very well but it requires a little bit more than that to make a decent film. There's zero tension and it's not scary in the slightest. The main monster is like a crap Golem in orange prison fatigues.

Tragedy Girls - 1/10

Not a true reflection of the film's quality, more a reflection of how much I loathed every second of its gratingly millenial, hashtagging duration. #****offwiththatshit

 

[oqvist]

Race 1/5. Incredibly sleepy movie full of caricatures and bad action. I suppose they didn´t have much script to work with though.