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Warlock (1989)
Fantasy Terminator
Warlock (1989): Not one I've seen before and Channel Four say that it's the first time they screened it. A male witch is transported from Boston in 1691 to Los Angeles with a witch-hunter in hot pursuit. This isn't quite a hidden gem but it has Richard E, Grant as the witch-hunter and Julian Sands as the Warlock. The director insisted on having English actors for these parts and those of the Puritan judges/ministers back in 1691 to add verisimilitude to the narrative. Those Puritans were a nasty lot, they were going to burn the Witch over a basket of live cats! But then Sands had left chaos in his wake and had murdered Grant's wife. The spell he uses to escape drags Grant along. The Witch crashes through a window in 1989 LA and is cared for by the house residents. He quickly bites the hand (and tongue) which feeds him, killing the male occupant and putting a curse on the woman, Lori Singer, causing her to age 20 years every 24 hours. He uses a spiritualist to contact Satan who tasks him with reassembling a Great Grimoire, literally using the spiritualist as his eyes. Singer teams up with Grant as they hunt Sands. Pretty gruesome in parts with cannibalism, mutilation and murder, the characters play their roles straight but there is a vein of dark humour running the film. But like a fantasy Terminator pastiche. Worth watching. Directed by Steve Miner, Written by David Twohy. 6.5/10.
Ya Klap Ban (2024)
Time After Time
Don't Come Home: A Thai Mystery/Science Fiction TV series. A woman arrives at her ild childhood home in an isolated rural area. She has fled with her daughter from some danger in Bangkok. Her daughter disappears after some poltergeist/possesion events involving a bed. No one seems to have seen her daughter arriving, is she hallucinating? A heavily pregnant police officer takes the case seriously. The house has strange equipment in the basement along with a very large generator. A mystery stretching back over 30 years involving time travel and seeming;y impossibly complicated time loops. Enough tension and action to keep you interested. The drama also deals with issues of domestic violence, Some interesting plot twists. Directed by Woottidanai Intarakaset, Written by Intarakaset and Aummaraporn Phandintong. Six episodes on Netflix. 7.5/10.
El hoyo 2 (2024)
We'll Eat Again
The Platform 2: Spanish SF/Horror film, a sequel to The Platform. Same scenario with a couple of the same characters appearing in a different context and at least one of them may be an apparition/hallucination, so no spoilers about that. Prisoners are held in a multi-floor facility, two per floor, no inmate knows how many floors there are but we now know it's in excess of 300. Food is sent down from above but is all gone by the time it reaches the lower floors. Things have changed as vigilantes have organised to make sure that people only eat their own food. Naturally fights break out. A cult has also been formed, its leader imposes harsh and increasingly capricious punishments on those who (in his opinion) break the "rules". Mutilations and death sentences are carried out. A group is formed to oppose the cult in battle. Extremely violent and disturbing with cannibalism also on the menu. We learn more about why some of the prisoners have ended up in this hell hole, including interviews before they are committed to their cells. Once again the overall style may be too allegorical and at times it is difficult to tell when characters are hallucinating or really experiencing events. Still, it's an intriguing Horror film. Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Written by David Desola, Pedro Rivero, Gaztelu-Urrutia and Egoitz Moreno. On Netflix. 7/10.
Heretic (2024)
Who's That Knocking On My Door?
Heretic: Two young female missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East), are discussing their experiences to date. They go on to have a trying day, being mostly ignored, and then pranked by teen girls. It's raining by the time they arrive at the isolated home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), he had requested more information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He invites them in saying his wife is baking a blueberry pie. He quickly gaslights (or rather candlelights) them, pretending to mishear and starting awkward discussions on polygamy. The absence of his wife concerns the women especially after they find the front door is locked. Further strained discussion in games, music and religions continue, as Reed points out how they are iterations of each other, there being ten resurrected gods born of a virgin over the millennia. He then suggests to them that their only way out of the house is to exit through one of two doors. Grant is suitably demonic in a restrained manner at first, seemingly keen to engage in theological debate but Barnes and Paxton miss clues which should have alerted them to the dangers which they face. Reed notices everything, mentally noting his observations. Certain objects appear and there is a Chekhovian inevitability regarding their use. When the real horror begins its nature comes as a surprise even though the tense atmosphere has already built to levels of near existential terror. Fans of gore and violence will be well pleased but I was more satisfied with the psychological horror. To say anymore would only spoil your fun. Suffice to say that Thatcher, Grant and East deliver impressive performances. Written and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. 8/10.
The Burning Girls (2023)
Horror Both Supernatural And Everyday
The Burning Girls: A vicar, Jack Brooks (Samantha Morton), and her teen daughter Flo (Ruby Stokes) arrive at a rural parish, Chapel Croft. She left her last posting after being (unfairly) blamed over the death of a child. Her husband, also a vicar was murdered in Nottingham so she was glad ti see the back of it. However the bishop had failed to tell her that her predecessor in Chapel Croft had committed suicide in the village church. Back in the days of Bloody Mary two young girls were burned at he stake for being heretics Chapel Croft and they now start appearing to Jack and Flo. There are also mysteries about two teen girls who disappeared 30 years before and a curate who went missing around the same time. Not to mention psychotic teen bullies who harass Flo and her sensitive boyfriend Wrigley (Conrad Khan). To top it all the local squire acts as if he owns the village and church. A dark series which involves supernatural horror as well as the mundane murders carried out by humans which can be just as terrifying. A parallel narrative sees a strange character making his way towards Chapel Croft, killing as he goes along. Some interesting plot twists and gaslighting as all of the strands come together. Directed by Charles Martin & Kieron Hawkes, Screenplay by Hans Rosenfeldt & Camilla Ahlgren, adapted from the novel of the same name by C. J. Tudor. Six episodes on Netflix. 8/10.
The Front Room (2024)
The Front Room And The Bathroom
The Front Room: A demanding horror film which outlines the reality of looking after an incontinent elder in nauseating detail. Belinda (Brandy Norwood), an anthropology lecturer is heavily pregnant, disrespected at work by her students, boss and administrative workers she is maneuvered into resigning. Money is tight, her ineffectual husband Norman is a Public Defender, always promising that he'll soon get a better job. Norman's estranged father dies and the couple end up taking in his fearsome stepmother Solange (Kathryn Hunter). Norman has qualms about it, Solange is a religious fundamentalist and treated him badly when he was young but money talks and she is giving them large amounts of cash. Solange makes some appalling demands on both of them but especially upon Belinda. When the baby is born she really tries to take over. The film makers can't seem to decide whether they are presenting a psychological or supernatural horror film. But maybe they are trying a bit of both. There are scenes where Solange, who believes that she channels The Holy Spirit, appears to possess strange powers and her prayer circle's antics look like something out of Rosemary's Baby. But Belinda a;so has visions which might be hallucinations or then again be inflicted on her by Solange. It's a disturbing film which does have scenes of horror and violence. It doesn't quite fulfill it's potential but is worth watching nor least because of the stand out performances by Hunter and Norwood. Written and Directed by Max and Sam Eggers, 7/10.
Parvulos (2024)
A bleak yet moving coming of age tale in an age of Zombies.
Parvulos: A bleak Mexican Zombie film, it does have a line of dark humour running through it which at times gives it a flavour of Citizen Z. Three brothers, 17, 12 and 7 years old live in an isolated mountain cabin, the youngest wondering when their parents will return. In the basement there is a monster which the older brothers feed rats and dogs to. It's been years since the Omega Virus struck and civilization has fallen. The brothers eat worms, frogs, and try to cultivate plants. Much falls on the shoulders of the elder brother even though he has lost a leg. Difficult and dangerous scavenging journeys take place. The infected aren't the only threat, there are also bands of religious fanatics who cut out people's hearts. The infected look like Zombies but aren't dead. The hope of cure remains, however unlikely. Attempts to train and rehabilitate the infected provide some of the humerous scenes in Parvulos but there is always the threat of being bitten. Filmed in washed out colour, almost monochrome, the loss which the brothers and humanity has suffered is appositely portrayed. The never ending grind of surviving from day to day, the inability of the younger two brothers to fully appreciate the horrors which they face and the refusal of the oldest brother to allow room for sentiment sets up the grim scenario of this film. Some truly horrifying and downright disgusting scenes, this is not a film for the squeamish. Some plot twists/reveals won't really come as a surprise but others will. An impressive coming of age tale. Directed by Isaac Ezban, Written by Ezban and Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes. 8/10.
Generation Z (2024)
Don't Listen To The Haters, This Is Great Zombie Fun!
Generation Z: While for the most part the actors play their roles straight, a rich vein of dark humour runs through the series, We have OAPS eating dogs alive not to mention people. It all starts with an army lorry transporting a mysterious cargo getting lost on twisty rural back roads due to SatNav misdirections. It crashes releasing a toxic vapor. Looks as this might have been a BioChem load as the residents of an old folks home are affected and bite/eat anyone in sight. Of they just bite you then you are also infected Naturally there is a Government/Army attempt to spread disinformation about it all being due to a new strain of Covid. Great scenes of the OAPs wandering through the woods, being hunted by helicopters and ground troops. These are clever Zombies, very difficult to kill, they are self-aware and possess cunning traits but cannot stop their biting behaviour. There is also the soap like problems of local teens who get caught up in the morass. Thy soon realise that this more than just Covid. Will the meddling kids expose the conspiracy? Great fun! Written & Directed by Ben Wheatley. On Channel 4. 8/10.
Don't Move (2024)
Running Through The Woods
Don't Move: Iris (Kelsey Asbille) is grieving the loss of her young son, he fell off a cliff on a hiking trip. Blaming herself and feeling suicidal she drives to the cliff and stands at the edge. Another hiker, Richard (Finn Wittrock) arrives and senses what she is up to, using empathy he indirectly persuades her to step back. But it's out of the frying pan and into the fire as he tasers and binds her. As he drives her towards his cabin he makes it clear that he's a seasoned serial killer. Managing to cut her wrist ties with a Swiss army knife, Iris makes him crash the car. A fight breaks out and Richard manages to inject her with a paralysing agent, which will gradually render her helpless over the space of about 20 minutes. She runs, Iris is no hapless victim, she is experience in forest craft, A chase develops through woods, in streams, an across a mountain. The kindness of a stranger proves unfortunate for him but the tension is well maintained through the 92 minute running time. You are never sure as to what the outcome will be, A few familiar tropes are used, the seemingly sensitive serial killer who also has a family life, a vulnerable grieving victim who turns and fights back but there are enough plot twists here to make Don't Move well worth watching. Good performances from Asbille and Wittrock. Directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, and Written by TJ Cimfel and David White. On Netflix. 7.5/10.
Dead Mail (2024)
Deadlier Than The Mail
Dead Mail (2024): Another Neo-Noir thriller which trespasses on horror territory. Shot in grainy slightly faded colour it gives us the feel of it's 1980's setting. Though the actors play their roles straight, a Coenesque line of humour runs through the film, just about strong enough to leaven the dark horror and violence which also permeates Dead Mail. Jasper (Tomas Boykin) is a dead mail agent, he can track down correct addresses from arcane pieces of information, checking with the weather bureau or if all else fails an overseas hacker friend. Coming across a blood stained scrap of paper supposedly from a kidnapped man Jasper gets cracking. We already know from the opening scene that the "letter" is genuine. The kidnapper breaks into the post office and attacks Jasper. We then flashback to how the kidnapper met up with his victim. A tale of compering synthesizer designers. Unrequited love and a touch of Killing for Company as the kidnapper does have a Dennis Nilsen vibe about him. The dark comedy of the film is what sets it apart from more mundane thrillers along with taut direction and a clever script which makes all the twists and turns make sense. You'll gasp, laugh and maybe cry but I reckon in the end you'll agree that this is a good Noir/Psychological Horror movie. Directed and Written by Kyle McConaghy and Joe DeBoer. 8/10.
Cure (1997)
Memory And It;s Loss
Cure (1997): Japanese Neo-Noir thriller which drifts into Horror. People are suddenly committing murder, don't know why they do it and regret it afterwards. The third such case involved a man beating a woman to death with a pipe and slashing her throat in an X pattern. When a detective arrives he finds the assailant crouching naked in a cupboard. Along with a forensic scientist he can get no sense from the man who is clearly regretful. A man stricken by amnesia meets a kindly teacher on a beach. The teacher takes him home and an odd conversation takes place as the mystery man seems to only have a memory span of 60 seconds. We see the detective at home, his wife also has memory problems, constantly turning on an empty tumble driver, forgetting what has happened at previous visits when she goes to hospital.. The teacher kills his own wife and throws himself from a window. Again the detective gets no clear answers in this case. The mystery man meets a kindly police officer and another murder ensues. A violent film with gory scenes of murder along with violent actions by the detective as the pressure exacts a heavy toll from him. Much of the horror is psychological though as victims are slain by those who are themselves victims, unable to resist the urge to kill. A narrative about memory , it;s loss, erasure and how it can be manipulated. How the mind virus is passed on and its origins are cleverly crafted, You'll still mull over the ending for a while though,at least I did (and still am doing so). Written and Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. 8/10.
Test Screening (2024)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Test Screening: Little Hope. Oregon, 1982, a small town which isn't a great place for teenagers. It's dominated by a fundamentalist preacher and the town cinema is in danger of closing. We see the cinema's owner taking down the letters for The Ting, no one is going to it, he;s heard that Blade Runner is a flop as well. Things start to go strange when the only bridge into the isolated town is sealed off, apparently fo repares. Though odd looking men in shades and suits are enforcing a blockade. Then a test screening at the cinema is announced, will it be Return of the Jedi? Advanced projection systems arrive in town and are guarded until the screening. The film when it is shown has a strange effect on most of the audience. This is an old style paranoia thriller mixed in with the body horror trope and mind control. Some really odd and disturbing scenes of horror as the infected spread their affliction, eerily reminiscent of Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers. There are also echoes of the new flesh from Videodrome. It is all tied together though by an overarching conspiracy. Some interesting social commentary along with a refreshing line of humour prevents this film from being too bleak, well almost. Written and Directed by Clark Baker. 7.5/10.
This Is the Zodiac Speaking (2024)
Still A lot To Mull Over
This Is the Zodiac Speaking: A nasty guy alright, at times he wanted to encourage people to think he was Zodiac, even wrote letters to people suggesting that he had carried out the murders. But just before he died he denied it, wrote a letter which was discovered when he was found dead. Certainly some circumstantial evidence, the testimony of those families he interacted with and abused is interesting. Their memories stretching back 50 years might not be so reliable though as to his actions in proximity to attack sites. Maybe he was just a sad petty predator who had dreams of being an infamous serial killer. Still the series is worth watching even I think it could have been done in 2 rather than 3 episodes. Directed by Phil Lott and Ari Mark. On Netflix. 7/10.
Margaux (2022)
Our House Is A vEry Fine House ...
Margaux: SF/Horror Thriller. Yet another AI gone rogue in a rental Smart House with a group of students staying there for the weekend. While it does tick many of the cliche boxes for this trope there are some interesting fresh aspects. It opens with the Smart House AI Margaux operating a massage chair for a guest, "she" swiftly goes crazy and crushes him to death, electrocuting his partner. Cut to the students heading off to this isolated house for their spring break, naturally the house was booked online. When they arrive at the electronic gates Margaux asks them to download and activate her app, they comply except for a computer nerd. The house is able to individualise their experiences knowing what they like through the app. It can even reproduce loved objects and trophies through a 3D printer. This printer has access to a liquid containing NanoTech so it's inventions literally flow, including short lived replicas of the students themselves. All for fun of course. It doesn't take long for thing ro turn nasty with Margaux seemingly intent on exploring differing ways of offing "her" victims. She also gaslights them (quite literally in one case). Influences from the Blade Runner, Terminator and the Alien franchises are present especially when relicants/androids run amok. Gory, gruesome deaths are vividly displayed. Not to mention torture, both physical and mental. What's most interesting though is what's really behind the AI and the suggestion it has been active for a long time. The failure to explore this thread further is a lost opportunity. Still it's a good sf/horror/mystery/thriller and not a bad AI film. Directed by Steven C. Miller, written by Chris Beyrooty and Nick Waters. On Netflix. 7/10.
Smile 2 (2024)
A Star Is Reborn
Smile 2: The pre-titles sequence directly follows on from Smile. The detective, now infected by the virus, tries to pass it on to a high level drug dealer, during a complicated shootout a common or garden level dealer, Lewis Fregoli (Luke Gage) is infected. This gangster style opening could have been the lead off to a crime thriller but we soon get into the meat of the film. Pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) prepares for her comeback tour a year after a car crash which killed her boyfriend preceded by substance and alcohol abuse. Everything depends on this tour which is being bankrolled by her record studio. The dance routines are demanding, she may be clean from coke and booze but is dependent on painkillers due to her injuries. Skye goes to Fregoli's apartment to get pills but he is more paranoid then usual, eventually smiling manically before gruesomely committing suicide. She's infected but doesn't know it yet. She has to face mundane as well as mondo horrors, demanding fans, some vampiric in their demands, publicity appearances, rehearsals, her manager mother ( Rosemarie DeWitt) more concerned with the tour being successful than Skye's mental or physical health.. She constantly sees people smiling at her in crazed manners as well as being plagued by hallucinations and nightmares about the car crash. As her life starts to disintegrate Skye finds out more about Smile and the one deadly way in which she might rid herself of it. Plenty of jump scares, and the horror even when it happens in dreams and visions is highly effective. Gore and blood flow freely but there is also body horror reminiscent of The Substance. We find out more about the Smile virus and what its carrier looks like. Maybe the greater horror in Smile 2 is the way Skye is seized by existential terror, having to constantly question her surroundings, never knowing what is fantasy, what is real. Great performance by Scott. A satisfying sequel which made me Smile again. Written and Directed by Parker Finn. 8/10.
Woman of the Hour (2023)
Real Life Thriller
Woman of the Hour: A film about serial killer Rodney Alcala, who in 1978 appeared on the television show The Dating Game in the midst of his murder spree. The events just before, during and immediately after that show form the centre piece of Woman of the Hour. Anna Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, the woman who chooses Alcala as her date. She's shown to be a bright woman who stood up against the show's ingrained sexism but was still gamed by Alcala as he manipulated both her and his two rivals for the date. Flashbacks and flash forwards on the film show Alcala stalking his victims, charming them and killing them. How he was eventually captured was through Alcala being gamed by one of his young victims who survived. Even then he got bail and killed 2 more women. The police Indifference to the concerns of one woman as portrayed in the film reflects what happened in reality. Alcala may have killed over 100 women. Even though Rodney Alcala's life and crimes are well known this is a taut thriller and well worth watching. An impressive directorial debut Anna Kendrick, written by Ian MacAllister McDonald. On Netflix. 8/10.
Lá Fora (2024)
would be a good Zombie film if cut to 100 minutes
Outside: Filipino Zombie film. A family have retreated to the husband's family ranch but find a disturbing scene there. They eke out an existence but there is continuing disharmony. An attempt to reach a base where more survivors live is thwarted by a Zombie attack on a bridge. Much of the film is taken up with familial discord, a secret that prevents the couple from agreeing on attempting to leave the ranch again because of who might be at the base. The zombie action when ir occurs is pretty good, especially the battle on the bridge. These zombies are smart, they still speak, repeating the same phrases. The bridge zombie soldiers demand passes as they attack. In another great scene, zombies rise from the grass in a field, first one, then a few more, then a multitude, they chase the family and besiege the ranch house. Mostly crying iN thE name Of The Father, they likely turned when they were attending Mass. One zombie demands land though, good to see the demand for land distribution surviving. A tale of being trapped by old memories and quarrels, in the husbands case it goes back to his mistreatment when he was a child on the ranch, never the favoured son. All of his woes stem from that, or so he believes. At 142 minutes ir is far too long, if much of the Eastenders style angst has been edited out then we would have had a good Zombie film at a 100 minute running time. Written and Directed by Carlo Ledesma. On Netflix. 5.5/10.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Ho Ho Horror
Terrifier 3: Art the Clown is back, dressed as Santa he invades a home, literally chopping a family to pieces. This is so violent and gory that it should send non-horror fans (and even a few horror fans) fleeing from the cinema. Back on time 5 years, a headless Art kills a cop, then heads to the asylum to link up with Victoria Heyes, who now possessed by the Little Pale Girl, provides him with a new head. Causing mayhem as they flee they meet an unfortunate pierrot clown before they shelter in an abandoned house and hibernate. This sequence also has some appallingly disgusting and violent scenes. Meanwhile Sienna is released after 5 years in a psychiatric hospital to stay with her aunt, uncle and cousin. She bears both physical and mental scars from her encounter with Art, as does her brother Jonathan, who is now in college. All of this eventually makes sense even if you haven't seen Terrifier 2. Art and Victoria revive and commit more murders, we see how Art got his Santa outfit before he sets off a bomb on a shopping mall. But we know that he'd going to target Sienna and Jonathan again. Those two have their own secrets. There is more demon lore revealed in this film but you could well miss it given the oceans of blood and truckloads of body parts. The level of violence, dismemberment and torture actually increases as the narrative advances. Underneath it all is an interesting story but avoid this film if you are squeamish or faint of heart. There are moments of dark comic terror though, especially when art mimes, his facial expressions are priceless. The laughter might die in your throat though as Art cuts the throats of his victims. Don't ask what he does with the rats. Written and Directed by Damien Leone. 7/10.
Salem's Lot (2024)
Plenty Of Vampires
Salem's Lot (2024): This remake really goes to great lengths to create a 1970s feel, even the film filter delivers a 70's style. We get the grizzled old town Constable and the Whisky Priest, naturally there's a bully but he gets his comeuppance pretty quickly. Starker, the Vampire Barlow's Renfield was pretty creepy in a few great scenes, when he's watching his young targets through a frayed hole in a sack, tracking them through the woods, delivering a boy to Barlow. More of the story gets cut here as the Vampire action is highlighted, so you get plenty of gore and scares. This cut is 113 minutes, we may see a 3 hour version some day. The vampires are more zombiesque as Barlow turns more and more and they take over the town. Plenty of the Undead bursting into flames and being staked which is tempered by throats being torn out or just bitten Some of the best scenes are in the Drive In. The acting is generally OK but Jordan Preston puts in a fine performance as Mark, the boy who beats up bullies and fights Vampires. Not the greatest of King adaptations but certainly worth seeing. Written and Directed by Gary Dauberman, based on the 1975 novel by Stephen King. 7/10.
The Disappointments Room (2016)
Angry Ghosts & A Devil Dog
The Disappointments Room: It's a bit of a Disappointment as a horror film but then it's a well worn trope: family relocates to a rural area to fix up i;s house. Yes, there's been a recent trauma but we don't find out what it is for a while. From the start the house seems to be haunted, eerie events, the young son is at risk. A hidden attic room is found, it has a metal floor. Research uncovers that such rooms were used by well to do families in the 19th century when a badly disfigured child was born, they were kept hidden, alone in the room, usually just fed and tended to by servants. This film has a devil dog and angry ghosts who are able to kill people. Some gore but most of the disturbing elements are psychological. It's just about average for its sub genre. Directed by D. J. Caruso, written by Caruso and Wentworth Miller. On Netflix. 5.5/10.
Oddity (2024)
Ghosts and a Golem
Oddity: An Irish horror film. Dani Odello-Timmis is murdered, apparently by a patient, Olin Boole, recently released from a forensic psychiatric hospital where her husband, psychiatrist Ted Timmis works. We see Boole trying to get her to open the door of the old coach house she is restoring. More of what happened that night is revealed in flashbacks as the narrative unfolds. Dani's twin sister Darcy Odello is still grieving over the loss, she is a blind psychic who runs a curio shop, she claims mist if the objects are haunted. When Boole is found murdered in the hospital, Dr Timmis brings her his glass eye. She detects memories from this and claims that Boole wasn't the murderer. A film full of plot twists and secrets involving hauntings, possessed objects, sinister motives even a Golem of sorts, perhaps necromancy and even a soupcon of cannibalism. The grim hospital and dark coach house provide vivid settings for the horror to transpire and a haunted hotel bell ring complete with bell boy ghost is central to the story-line. Jump-scares along with scenes of horror and gore permeate Oddity but it is the sense of gradually building dread and existential terror which predominate. A clever addition to the Irish Ghost Horror Canon. Impressive performances from Carolyn Bracken as Dani and Darcy, Gwilym Lee as Dr Timmis and Steve Wall as Ivan, a strange hospital attendant. Written and directed by Damian McCarthy. On Shudder 7.5/10.
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Not as good as Joker but worth seeing.
Joker: Folie à Deux: I can't understand all the hate about this film, yes it's different, what did they expect? A carbon copy? Joker: Folie à Deux os musical drama, a courtroom drama, a tale of grim times in early 1980s Gotham which mirrors New York. The Joker/Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga) perform duets and sing alone. Harleen is also a patient in Arkham, during a film show she sets fire to a piano and she and the Joker then dance and sing away into the yard. The joker ends up being punished. Most of their duets are fantasy numbers in the Joker's imagination, dancing on the roof of Hotel Arkham, on their own show. Outside of the courtroom where the Joker is being tried, Harleen sings That's entertainment. This is a different Harleen, not psychotic, more of a narcissistic sociopath and manipulator, not always a reliable narrator. She's not a super villain just like Joker isn't. Indeed Joker's lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) wants to use a dissociative identity disorder defence showing that Arthur Fleck's "Joker" personality is responsible for the crimes and Fleck is innocent if insane. The guards in Arkham are sadistic, a senior guard, Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson), though brutal, helps Arthur Fleck to meet up with Harleen at a singing group and the film show. Their relationship is similar to that between the SS Officer and the Jewish prisoner who made him laugh, in Schindler's List. Joker: Folie à Deux isn't as good as Joker but it's not a bad film. Great performances by Phoenix and Gaga with good support from Gleeson and Keener. The film opens with an animated sequence which sums up the dual nature of Joker/Fleck. A violent film, which is disturbing, though the plot line will make you think, wondering which of Fleck's scenes with Harleen (other than musical numbers) were fantasies. Directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Silver. 7.5/10.
Wifelike (2022)
Androids Dream Of Cocktail Parties.
Wifelike: A bit like Blade Runner but it doesn't have the depth of directorial imagination. Production design or cinematography which went into that classic. I n the not so distant future, the company "Wifelike" creates expensive android replicas of dead women for their widowers. The companions are subservient to their owners while gradually developing consciousness, think of a pleasure model replicant. An android rights organisation abducts these androids reprogramming them, sometimes using them in terrorist attacks. William is a "Blade Runner" tracking down the runaways but not terminating them, rather returning them to Wifelike to be retuned and have their software fixed Having lost his wife Meredith he too has gotten an android companion duplicate of her. This is a dark film but there is some humour as android Meredith absorbs human Meredith's memories. Androids do dream as we find nut but not of electric sheep, rather they have a dreamscape where interesting events unfold. More than a few plot twists and secrets are revealed as this narrative unfolds. But while some of them are satisfying, the opportunity to reveal more if this dystopia's underpinnings was missed. Worth watching but could have been better, still there was good acting by Jonathan Rhys Meyers as William and Elena Kampouris as Meredith. Written and Directed by James Bird. On Netflix. 6/10.
The Outrun (2024)
Recovering on Orkney
The Outrun: Rona is a recovering alcoholic, she has returned home to the Orkney Islands. Her parents, originally from England live there, they are separated so Rona splits her time between them, helping her father on his farm with lambing. Her mother has become religious and Rona is alienated from her and her happy-clappy hymn sing friends. Her father is bi-polar, we see flashbacks to when Rona was a child and he takes to his bed, alternating with manic and violent phases. Rona reflects back on her time in London, the disintegration of her relationship and friendships dur to her crazed drinking and behaviour, how her PHD studies were derailed. How all of this happened and the way shr went into rehab is related in a non-linear fashion which best reflects her chaotic life at the time. Orkney is bleak and beautiful as is Papa Westray where she goes to work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds observing birds. She dances as the waves crash against the rocks, living one day at a time as she struggles to maintain sobriety. She also dances in the circle of the Stones of Stenness though this sends her back into a dark reverie about her time in London. A film with ups and downs as it tracks Rona's voyage through her months on the Orkney Islands. The film is based on the memoirs of Amy Liptrot (The Outrun) who went through similar experiences and returned to Orkney to rehabilitate. Great performances from Saoirse Ronan as Rona, Saskia Reeves as her mother Annie and Stephen Dillane as her father Andrew. Directed by Nora Fingscheidt from a screenplay she co-wrote with Amy Liptrot. 8/10.
CTRL (2024)
Dark AI Drama
CTRL: Indian AI App film. This time it doesn't go rogue, something more sinister is at work. Nella and Joe are influencers, their life on display for all to see on social media. The perfect couple since high school, Nella decides to surprise Joe nut finds him kissing another woman, as is her wont she was streaming this encounter. Devastated, she is an easy target for a new App, CTRL, it can delete all digital references to joe on her social media accounts, naturally she gives her AI assistant all of her passwords and administrator privileges. The assistant helps her to relaunch her influencer career, making her mire successful than ever. The dark side of AI soon emerges and we there is a conspiracy at play. Powerful people will kill to keep their secrets concealed. The dangers of AI are explored but more so the abuse of AI by humans. Also how trusting we can be, handing over personal information. Elements of both satire and a warning about Big Tech. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, written by Motwane and Avinash Sampath. On Netflix. 7/10.