Win Horror Film Afflicted On DVD

To celebrate the release of Afflicted, out on DVD 6th October 2014, we are happy to say that we have a copy on DVD up for grabs courtesy of Entertainment One.

Afflicted comes straight from the producer of “Insidious” and “Sinister”, and winner of the Best Afflicted reinvents a familiar horror genre with a smart and stylish combination of pulse-pounding action and bloody terror.

Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at Austin’s prestigious Fantastic Fest,

Afflicted is one of those movies where the less you know about it going in, the greater the reward. Without giving too much away, it takes a familiar horror genre and gives it a dazzling and totally unexpected spin. Co-writers, co-directors and co-stars Derek Lee and Clif Prowse have produced a stunning debut feature, packed with superlative effects, stunts and performances that belie the movie’s indie roots and modest budget.

Available to order on DVD & Blu-ray from 6th October http://amzn.to/1rM9tdg

Best friends Derek and Clif embark on the trip of a lifetime, planning to travel to the ends of the earth, see the world, and live life to the fullest, while documenting their adventures via video footage posted to their website. But things take a dark and bloody turn when, following an amorous encounter with a beautiful woman in Paris, Derek starts to show signs of a mysterious affliction. Now, thousands of miles from home, they must race to uncover the source of Derek’s illness before it consumes him completely.

To win this fantastic film Afflicted please answer the following question....

Q.What UK Film Festival Did Afflicted make it's UK premiere this during the festivals Horror strand this year?

Deadline is Sunday 26th October 2014 (23:59pm),If you haven’t done already Like us and stay with us at our Facebook page (if you are already liking us just share this post on twitter and facebook). Must be 18  or older to enter.

1.The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,Manga UK, Entertainment One UK,18 years or older to enter 3.Failure to include any information required to enter could result in your entry been void.  4.automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned, DO NOT INCLUDE telephone numbers as for security reason your entry will be deleted.5.If you are friend or like us at facebook for every competition you enter you get double entry, but you must stay friend/like us all the time,or future entries maybe considered one entry if you are liking us share the post on facebook and re-tweet the post.6.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes 7.Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control so please do not complain 8.The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email for postal details and will be announced via facebook, sometimes we are unable to confirm winners. Uk & Irish entries only

UK Competitions and Prize Draws at UKwins
Loquax Competitions
Free Competitions
ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

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Top Ten Scandi Thrillers

Television in particular has seen a particular boom in successful Scandinavian shows making their way into homes of audiences here in the UK, but let it not be forgotten that cinema has had a fair bit of Scandinavian content trickling through for quite some time now, with many names in the Hollywood spotlight (Refn, Mikkelsen, Rapace, Coster-Waldau, etc.). With the Blu-ray and DVD release of Pioneer arriving on 4th August 2014 from Arrow Films, we take a look at the ten best examples of the Scandi thriller.

Pusher (1996)

Before Drive and Only God Forgives, Nicolas Winding Refn made Pusher, a Danish crime thriller which launched his ensuing career. The film follows drug dealer Frank (Kim Bodnia) who grows increasingly more desperate when a botched drug deal leaves him with a large debt owed to a ruthless drug lord. Many have deemed Pusher the first Danish-language gangster film.

The Hunters (1996)

This 1996 Swedish thriller follows a police officer who moves back to his hometown in Norrland where he starts working on a long-running case of reindeer poaching only to discover his brother’s involvement. Going down in history as one of the biggest box office hits in Sweden, talks of an American remake were scuppered when director Kjell Sundvall decided he didn’t like the idea of translating events of the film to cowboys poaching horses in the Nevada desert. A sequel - False Trail - starring character actor Peter Stormare followed in 2011

Pusher II (2004)

Nicolas Winding Refn returned to this universe in sequel Pusher II, which instead follows Frank’s sidekick Tonny (an early role for Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen) in the same fictional Copenhagen underworld depicted in the first film. Refn reused many stylistic flourishes which he featured in the first enhancing the thriller aspect more so in this sequel.

The Millennium Trilogy (2009)

Adapted from Stieg Larsson’s posthumously published trio of hugely-acclaimed novels, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was brought to life by director Niels Arden Oplev , whilst both The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest were helmed by Daniel Alfredson. The films are led by former journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) at the centre of an unlikely love story set to the backdrop of an extremely bleak Sweden in which the two of them uncover unspeakable horrors of men victimising women.

Easy Money (2010)

This Swedish thriller from director Daniel Espinosa stars Joel Kinnaman (2014’s RoboCop)as Johan Westlund, a poor man living a double life in the upper class areas of Stockholm. Upon meeting a wealthy female, he is lured into the world of organised crime turning to drug dealing in order to sustain his luxurious lifestyle. A Hollywood remake is due to be released, with Zac Efron filling Kinnaman’s shoes in the lead role.

In a Better World (2010)

Susanne Bier’s acclaimed Academy-Award winning Danish drama thriller follows two Danish families whose lives cross paths leaving loneliness and sorrow in its wake. Starring Mikael Persbrandt alongside Trine Dyrholm and Ulrich Thomsen, the film flits from small-town Denmark to an African refugee camp throughout.

Headhunters (2011)

Norwegian action thriller Headhunters is based on Jo Nesbø’s novel of the same name, and stars Aksel Hennie and Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the lead roles. The film follows a successful headhunter whop risks everything in order to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary, and successfully merges thriller with comedy. The film boasts the statistic of being the highest-grossing Norwegian film of all time.

A Hijacking (2012)

Tobias Lindholm’s Danish thriller (which he both wrote and directed) alternates between events occurring on a hijacked ship and those happening in the shipping company’s office back in Denmark. Many threw praise on the film’s ability to avert ‘conventional thrills’ steering the film into the direction of critical acclaim.

Pioneer (2014)

The Norwegian thriller Pioneer follows Petter, a professional offshore diver during the 70s, tasked with laying the first petroleum pipe in the North Sea. Following a tragic accident during a test dive, he discovers that his superiors are attempting to put a smokescreen on the true events and that his life is at stake. This well-received conspiracy embraces the claustrophobic nature of the setting to deliver something altogether more thrilling.


Fancy winning Pioneer on DVD? Over at our main site The Peoples movies you can win a copy on DVD, enter here (link opens new page)

Pioneer is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 4th August 2014 from Arrow Films

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EIFF 2014 Film Review : Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case (2013)

Genre:
Documentary
Rating: 15
Running Time:
87 minutes
Screened:
24, 27th June 2014 (EIFF)
Director:
Andreas Johnsen
Cast:
Andreas Johnsen, Ai Weiwei
Last year I was lucky enough to catch the tale-end of a Toronto exhibit of Ai Weiwei’s work. It was the first time I’d laid eyes on the renowned Chinese artist’s stuff but even then you can see the acidic commentary on the Chinese government clean off the bat.  Andreas Johnsen’s insightful documentary proves an educational look at the inspirational man behind the work, but most of all a disturbing glimpse into what fuels his message.

From the beginning of The Fake Case, Weiwei is a picture of composure: dignified, friendly, wise, considerate, a family man. It is unsettling then to learn of his incarceration at the hands of a totalitarian government who kept him isolated for 80 days in a blank room with 3 guards, then released him unceremoniously to continue persecuting him. The intended message is clear: no one fucks with the Chinese government.

Yet, Weiwei does.

Struggling against the titanic force of a 1984 caricature, a party so villainous it’s a real life version of Orwell’s dystopian nightmare, Weiwei remains zen and considerate, even mischievous, finding a few opportunities to stand defiant in front of his persecutors. Johnsen’s camera shows much of the enigmatic artist, his family, his life post-prison, the ominous control the government still exerts on Weiwei and his supporters, but the overwhelming amount of support he garners from the world and his fellow countrymen alike. The sounds of the Hong Kong cityscape play loud and ominous through distressing segments of the film, most notably during a display of Weiwei’s work at the end of the film.

This is a film that has to be seen, not simply as a fantastic account of Weiwei and his methods, but as a frankly terrifying look at the corruption inherent in an empire and the potential turning of a tide against it.

★★★★☆
Scott Clark

EEFF 2014 Film Review - Palo Alto (2013)

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Film Review - Chinese Puzzle (2013,Casse-tête chinois)

EIFF 2014 Review - Atlas (2013)

Blu-ray Review - Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Film Review - Venus In Fur (2013)

Dead By Dawn 2014: Oculus (2013)

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DVD Review - Birth of the Living Dead (2013)

Genre:
Documentary
Distributor:
Solo Media
DVD Release Date:
12th May 2014 (uk)
Rating: 15
Running Time:
76 Minutes
Director:
Rob Kuhns
Cast:
George A.Romero, Gale Ann Hurd, Larry Fessenden, William Hinzman
For any horror fans well versed in their history, Rob Kuhns Night of the Living Dead expose Birth of the Living Dead, will probably come off as a little basic. For anyone mildly interested in the film or its cultural context, the film could be potentially intriguing, though never altogether fascinating. Energetic perhaps, but never fascinating.

The story of Romero’s infamous guerrilla-shoot is recalled by a host of interviewees; producers, academics, horror filmmakers (the wonderful Larry Fessenden), and Romero himself who appears extensively to chuckle and lovingly gibber about his crew. Granted Kuhns utilises archive footage excellently and quotes rigorously from interesting sources, the late Roger Ebert’s surprisingly dismissive review for instance, but something’s missing here. Apart from Romero, there’s few original crew members and fewer celebrity appearances, but perhaps this is all in the name of guerrilla film-making since what self-respecting underdog needs the involvement of the mainstream horror genre? That aside, it would have been lovely to see a few more familiar faces.

Kuhns goes to great lengths to prove the cultural validity of Night of the Living Dead by exploring the political climate of the late 60’s. Here lies one of the strongest elements of the documentary: extensive use of vintage news footage and interviews is blended with footage from Night to highlight how part of the 60’s zeitgeist Night really is. In examining how the collapse of faith in the American government came about and how Romero critically engaged with it, Kuhns’ primary objective appears to be validating Night as a cultural artifact ranked with the likes of Easy Rider. Which he achieves gloriously, but seems to carry on reiterating rather than engaging with.

Lovingly crafted, informative, but eventually slow, Birth of the Living Dead misses out on some great opportunities to expand on the legacy of George A. Romero’s zombie masterpiece. It does however prove what a miracle the film is in production terms, and serves as a gushing testament to the spirit of Independent film-making.
★★★☆☆

Scott Clark

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DVD Review - Afternoon Delight (2013)

DVD Review - Like Father, Like Son (2013, Soshite chichi ni naru)