DVD Review - High-Rise (2016)

Film4 FrightFest 2013 announces guest line-up Ben Wheatley, Don McKay, Adam Green All Confirmed

This year’s Film4 FrightFest guest list brings together over 100 talented filmmakers, performers, writers and producers – a mix of familiar FrightFest faces and up-and-coming talent who will soon be staples on the horror fantasy scene across the world.

As individual tickets go on sale tomorrow (Saturday 27 July), the guest list boasts 34 directors from around the world including: Don Mancini (CURSE OF CHUCKY), Suri Krishnamma (DARK TOURIST), one of America’s best loved funny men Bobcat Goldthwait (WILLOW CREEK) and FrightFest soul-male and HATCHET III producer Adam Green (HOLLISTON). Also joining us is Gareth Evans, straight from the completion of principal photography of THE RAID 2 and FrightFest pant-dropper Jason Eisener, both here for V/H/S/2. We also welcome CHEAP THRILLS director Evan L. Katz, Steven R. Monroe for the world premiere of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2, director Blair Erickson, on hand to launch BANSHEE CHAPTER, plus Anthony DiBlasi (MISSIONARY), Jeremy Lovering (IN FEAR), Kit

Ryan (DEMENTEMANIA) and Christopher McBride for THE CONSPIRACY. The Ford Brothers are here for opening night film THE DEAD 2: INDIA), as are co-directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado for closing night film BIG BAD WOLVES.

The stars of the films are out in force (with more to be confirmed). Michael Cudlitz, one of American television’s most acclaimed stars and the headliner of the independent discovery of the year DARK TOURIST, will be making his FrightFest debut. As will I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2 stars Jemma Dallander and Joe Absolom. Also joining us are Gemma Aitkinson and Holly Goss, who will present THE DYATOLOV PASS INCIDENT and Twilight Zone star Charlie Bewley, who will join us for HAMMER OF THE GODS, as will actors Sam Robertson, Vincent Regan and Holly Weston for DEMENTAMANIA. Then we have FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY star Alexander Mercury, plus Game of Throne’s Alfie Allen and Hannah Tointon (‘The Inbetweeners’) for the short film THE BODY.

.The star of our opening night film THE DEAD 2: INDIA, Joseph Millson, currently attracting plaudits as Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, will be attending, alongside his Indian co-stars Meenu, Anand Goyal &Sandip Datta Gupta. And from Israel we have the exceptional cast from our closing night film, - Tzahi Grad, Rotem Keinan & Dov Glickman, so far confirmed.

BIG BAD WOLVES

Film4 FrightFest’s Variety Award was inaugurated last year with the movie trade bible giving that honour to special effects genius Greg Nicotero. Their 2013 tribute goes to Ben Wheatley, the most distinctive and unique talent to burst on the British scene in years Ben will receive his award after an onstage interview about his career conducted by journalist Damon Wise.

He said today: “Attending FrightFest is like being plugged into the brain of Genre cinema. A true group experience. Over a thousand serious fans praying at the altar of Horror then spilling out into the Foyer to digest what they have just seen before diving back for more…it’s great”.

The Discovery strand of FrightFest is proving very popular and fans will be able a whole host of directors including STALLED director Christian James, THE DESERT director Christoph Behl, SADIK 2 director Robin Entreinger and cast members Alexandra Bialy and Chloe Gallen, DAYLIGHT director David McCracken, FOR ELISA director Juanra Fernandez, CONTRACTED producer J.D. Lifshitz, ON TENDER HOOKS director Kate Shenton, THE DEMON’S ROOK producer Katarina Gligorijevic, CANNON FODDER director Eitan Gafni, producer/star Yafit Shalev and cinematographer Tom Goldwasser, plus the director, Kevin Gates, and cast of THE PARANORMAL DIARIES: CLOPHILL.

From our short film selection in association with The Horror Channel, we welcome directors Paul Davis (THE BODY), Will Gilbey (TURNCOAT), James Moran (CRAZY FOR YOU), Dominic Brunt (SHELLSHOCKED), Mike Mort (CHUCK STEEL), Nick Gillespie (SAMUEL AND EMILY VS. THE WORLD), Toby Meakins (BREATHE) and The Hassall Brothers (IF I HAD A HEART).

Plus there’s the ever-popular ‘Quiz From Hell’ hosted by our KICK-ASS 2 star compere Andy Nyman. And ZOMBIE FLESHEATERS/Lucio Fulci composer Fabio Frizzi will be making a special appearance.

Film4 FrightFest 2013 is on from Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square. Tickets for Individual films are on sale from 27 July.

Bookings: 08 714 714 714 or www.empirecinemas.co.uk

The ABC's of Death DVD Review

Rating: 18
Home Release Date (UK):
22nd July 2013
Director:
Adam Wingard, Ti West, Ben Wheatey
Cast:
Erik Aude, Iván González, Lee Hardcastle, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
Buy:[Blu-ray], [DVD]
The ABC’s of Death is probably one of the most ambitious horror spectacles ever conceived: 25 letters of the alphabet, 25 directors from all over the world, and total free reign on the choice of project other than sticking to your letter. Obviously with something this big, spanning numerous countries and cultures, the outcome was always going to be eclectic and, most of all, utterly bizarre.

Directors like Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), Ben Wheatley (Kill List), and Ti West (House of The Devil) answer the call to add their own short vision of horror, but most important perhaps is that the ABC’s consist of new and upcoming talent. Adam Wingard and Ti West are of course no strangers to anthology horror having been responsible for two segments of last year’s VHS, however while Wingard’s humorous Q is for Quack steps out of the screen to offer a break from excessive gore and disturbia, West’s short M is for Miscarriage is a dull and disappointing attempt from an accomplished new name in horror. This perhaps best encapsulates the spirit of the project, the ABC’s is not a compendium of horror shorts, it’s an exploration of the limits and potential contents of horror. Some of the films are wonderful and leave us wanting more than the little peak we’ve had, whilst others can’t finish quick enough.

One of the most endearing qualities of the ABC’s is the vast array of styles and tones which combine to make it a true variety performance. Marcel Sarmiento’s D is for Dogfight channels Guy Ritchie-esque grit whilst boasting one of the roundest and most accomplished stories. Timo Tjahjanto’s L is for Libido is hands-down the most disturbing of the films achieving genuinely sickening reaction and proving to be the most troubling to watch. In terms of visual impact Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet’s O is for Orgasm wins top prize, addressing the death/sex relationship in the most experimental, beautiful, and accomplished entry to the film. The ABC’s is far from perfect viewing though,  many of the films dwindle into obscurity or punch a little too high, or sometimes even achieve a level of abrasion that surpasses discomfort and goes straight to irritating. F is for Fart and Z is for Zetsumetsu, two of the Japanese entries, are so utterly bonkers and ridiculously anti-narrative that they become tiresome quickly. I could go through the whole lot but it would ruin some wonderful/awful surprises since watching the ABC’s totally blind is perhaps the best way, especially when the titles are often the punch lines to elaborate and unsettling tales.

Horror gets a bad rap as a dead-end genre with little left to say except scream, stab, and torture; there are no more lines to cross, or envelopes to push. Yet here we find a truly interesting cross-section of modern horror from across the globe addressing a varied selection of subjects. The ABC’s of Death are far from perfect, the bad films tend to be the ones that blatantly go for the shock factor, whilst the really bad are the ones that inspire no reaction what so ever. Thankfully there’s not too many of those. Somewhere in there are the makings of something great: many of the entries are unsettling, some are hilarious, others are simply batshit bonkers insane. Key to this film are the constant feelings that things are being examined, mulled over, situations are being addressed whilst the viewer tries to figure out what the hell is going on. The envelope has indeed been pushed.

★★★★☆

Scott Clark

J Is For July Release Of The ABCs Of Death In UK on DVD, BluRay

Monster Pictures announced today the full list of extras that will be included on the UK DVD and Blu-ray release of The ABCs of Death.

The ABCs of Death is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived with productions spanning fifteen countries and featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world's leading talents in contemporary genre film, including the directors of House of the Devil, Hobo with a Shotgun, A Serbian Film, Tokyo Gore Police, You’re Next & four British Directors - Ben Wheatley (Sightseers), Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), Jake West (Doghouse) & Leeds based Lee Hardcastle, who with his claymation short, won a competition to be the final Director. Inspired by children’s educational books, the motion picture is comprised of twenty-six individual chapters; each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death. Provocative, shocking, funny and ultimately confrontational, The ABCs of Death is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity.

This alphabetical arsenal of destruction orchestrated by what has been described as "a stunning roll call of some of the most exciting names in horror across the world." is one of the most hotly anticipated releases for 2013, and will be released on DVD & Blu-ray on 22 July 2013.

The DVD & Blu-ray extras are as follows:

- Filmmaker Commentary
- A Is for Apocalypse - Oil Burns Visual Effects
- B Is for Bigfoot - Making of
- C Is for Cycle - Deleted Scenes
- D Is for Dogfight - Making of
- F Is for Fart - Behind the Scenes
- H Is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion – Behind the Scenes, The Making of Bertie the Bulldog & Frau Scheisse and Finished Short vs. Behind the Scenes
- I Is for Ingrown - Making of
- J Is for Jidai-Geki - Behind the Scenes
- P Is for Pressure - Interviews with Writer/Director Simon Rumley and Producer/Director of Photography Milton Cam
- R Is for Removed - Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
- T Is for Toilet - Behind the Scenes
- V Is for Vagitus - Deleted Scene, Behind the Scenes and Animatics.
- W Is for WTF! - Behind the Scenes, Bonus Flubs! and Star-Beast Outtakes
- Z Is for Zetsumetsu (Extinction) - Behind the Scenes
- AXS TV: A Look at The ABCs of Death
- Do You Know Your ABCs Trailer
- Redband Trailer

- Greenband Trailer


THE SHORTS
Apocalypse by Nacho Vigalondo (TimeCrimes), Spain
Bigfoot by Adrían Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Mexico
Cycle by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza (Mirageman; Mandrill), Chile
Dogfight by Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), USA
Exterminate by Angela Bettis (Roman), USA
Fart by Noburu Iguchi, (Robo Geisha), Japan
Gravity by Andrew Traucki (The Reef), Australia
Hydro-Electric Diffusion by Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Norway
Ingrown by Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Mexico
Jidai-Geki by Yudai Yamaguchi (Yakuza Weapon), Japan
Klutz by Anders Morgenthaler (Princess), Denmark
Libido by Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Indonesia
Miscarriage by Ti West (House of the Devil; The Innkeepers), USA
Nuptials by Banjong Pisathanakun (Shutter), Thailand
Orgasm by Bruno Forzani & Héléne Cattet (Amer), Belgium
Pressure by Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), UK
Quack by Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die), USA
Removed by Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Serbia
Speed by Jake West (Doghouse), UK
Toilet by Lee Hardcastle (T is For Toilet), UK
Unearthed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List), UK
Vagitus by Kaare Andrews (Altitude), USA
WTF! by Jon Schnepp (Metalocalypse; The Venture Bros.), USA
XXL by Xavier Gens (Frontiers; Hitman), France
Youngbuck by Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Canada
Zetsumetsu by Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Japan

Buy The ABCs Of Death:DVD / BLU-RAY

Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England will be the first ever UK film released on DVD, on free TV, VoD Same Day!

Film4, Picturehouse Entertainment, 4DVD, Film4 Channel partner for day-and-date release– with support from the BFI Distribution Fund

Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England will be the first ever film to be released in UK nationwide cinemas, on free TV, on DVD and on Video-on-Demand on the same day – with Film4, Picturehouse Entertainment, 4DVD and Film4 Channel partnering for nationwide multi-platform distribution on Friday 5th July. The film is one of the first to receive funding from the BFI Distribution Fund New Models strand, which supports experimental and ambitious release models.

The unique release will give audiences and fans of Wheatley’s previous films (Down Terrace, Kill List, Sightseers) the choice of how and where to experience his new film – a brilliant psychedelic trip into magic and madness – whether it’s amidst an audience in the cinema, followed by a satellite Q&A with Ben and the cast; delving into multiple extras on a special edition DVD; from the comfort of the sofa showcased with a director’s intro and interview on TV; or the freedom to watch when they want on VoD. The more intrepid audiences can also follow in the footsteps of the film’s characters, with screenings planned in a field (or few) in England across the summer.

A Field in England is the first feature to be developed and fully financed through Film4’s innovation hub Film4.0, and was conceived as a film which would be funded, shot, edited and distributed in an agile and ambitious way. A digital masterclass designed to immerse audiences in the making of the film will also launch around release, developed by Film4.0 in partnership with the filmmakers. Through behind-the-scenes interviews, on-set videos, and unseen rushes, Ben Wheatley, cast and key crew will take the audience on a unique journey through the creative choices that determined the final cut.

Ben Wheatley says: "It's great to team up with Film4 to make this film and to work with new partners such as Picturehouse and 4DVD. We have tried to innovate with this film, in production and distribution. I'm very proud of the results and look forward to sharing the film with the audience."

Anna Higgs, Film4.0 Commissioning Editor, says: “From the word go, A Field in England was a hugely original idea - you'd expect no less from Ben and Amy – so we wanted to build the project with the team in a way that was true to that. The film is a really exciting next step in the progression of Ben's work as a director and will be something the likes of which a whole generation of audiences won't have ever seen. I'm incredibly pleased we've formed this innovative partnership to take this brilliant film out to them in a truly ground-breaking way."

Sue Bruce-Smith, Film4’s Head of Commercial and Brand Strategy, says: “Ben is undoubtedly one of our boldest, brightest and most audience savvy filmmakers and so it made complete sense to look to develop a project with him that would lend itself to this kind of daring and innovative release. We’re lucky to have found in Picturehouse Entertainment, 4DVD, the Film4 channel and BFI partners who share our vision to disrupt the status quo and experiment with new distribution patterns, to create this exciting event style release.”

Clare Binns, Director of Programming and Acquisitions, says: "We're proud to have an intimate understanding of our audience, as are Film4, which is what makes this collaboration so exciting. Our eagerness to explore and experiment with new platforms of distribution in an evolving film landscape makes us all the more thrilled to be able to get this innovative film out there to the audience it so readily deserves. Ben Wheatley is a genuinely unique British talent and we could not be happier to be working with him on this film."

A Field in England is written by Amy Jump and produced by Claire Jones and Andy Starke at Rook Films, with Anna Higgs Executive Producer for Film4. Protagonist Pictures are handling international sales.

Sightseers Blu-Ray Review

Sightseers is the third film from Ben Wheatley, one of the top British directors working today. It is a dark, twisted comedy about a couple on a caravan holiday who go on a killing spree. Think Badlands but in the Peak District and with far more laughs.

The film is a fantastic advert for Britain, in more ways than one. It shows how we still have the capacity to make great movies and it also shows just how stunning some areas of our country are. Alice Lowe and Steve Oram star as the murderous couple and are simply brilliant. They also wrote the script which, while being bleak, is stunningly funny. I have been a fan of Alice Lowe since seeing her in and I hope that the success of this film will lead to us seeing her more on the big screen and indeed television. Her performance here is quite remarkable as she treads the fine line of looking lost and innocent but being deadly and dangerous at the same time. Oram, as her boyfriend, plays confused and lost to perfection, but when he turns on the menace he is genuinely frightening. Both the leads remind us just how good British comic talent can be, and I do hope that they will continue to write and star in films.

The actors had at one point tried to make the story as a television show and looking at it you could see it working in that format, but with the masterful direction of Wheatley this feels truly cinematic. It's simply gorgeous. There is almost a feeling of Sergio Leone, with intense close-ups mixed with huge landscape shots. As the couple descend more and more into violence and isolation, the locations become more breathtaking. Wheatley directs the comic moments in a wonderfully deadpan way, lingering on the characters and their sad lives; but he is equally adept at directing the violence. It is brutal and shocking but, cleverly, does not show too much.

The editing in Sightseers is very memorable and inventive. Wheatley's use of cutting and his juxtaposing violence with the mundane or odd moments is incredibly successful. His style of editing reminded me of Nicolas Roeg's work, and it is so nice to see someone trying to do something different and unusual and, more impressively, making it work.

Reluctantly, I have to say the film isn't entirely successful, however. While the first two thirds are hilarious and constantly take new turns and developments, the last third is a little more predictable and not quite as funny. Its true though that the story gets darker, therefore the fall in laughs is understandable. It reminded me somewhat of God Bless America, a film about a man and a girl going on a killing rampage in the US. It was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait (in my mind one of the top comedic directors working today) and was quite similar in basic story and structure but while it takes Sightseers a good hour before becoming slightly obvious, God Bless America manages it after about ten minutes. There have been many films about couples going on murder sprees and so to keep us from guessing where it is going to go it really needs to do something remarkably different and in the case of Sightseers this is where it falters.

This is my only problem with the film. Everything else about it is a true delight and I thoroughly recommend seeing it, and on blu ray if possible. It looks great and it is fantastic to see a low budget British film putting its money in all the right places. The blu ray also contains an amusing and informative Making Of, a blooper reel and audio commentaries.

Sightseers is without a doubt one of my favourite films of 2012. Its funny, frightening, and very, very British.

Harry Davenport

★★★★☆

Rating: 15
Release Date: 25th March 2013 (UK)
Directed By: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies, Jonathan Aris

Buy Sightseers: DVD / Blu-ray


Win Sightseers On DVD: Enter Here (ends 7th April 2013)

Dingly Dells, National Trust And Daily Mail Readers, Sightseers Coming This March

Dingly Dells, National Trust, Tins of Pasta sauce and Non Humans better known as Daily Mail readers it could only mean Ben Wheatley's Black comedy Sightseers! Studiocanal have announced the follow up film to Kill List will be released in UK&Ireland this March!

Synopsis: Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way - on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina's led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see - the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that accompanies these wonders in his life. But it doesn't take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina's meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris's dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge...

Extras:
Behind The Scenes
Outtakes
Trailer
Cast commentary: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Richard Glover and Ben Wheatley
Technical commentary: Laurie Rose & Ben Wheatley

Pre-Order/ Buy Sightseers : Blu-ray / DVD

Stay tuned for a new review and a competition which we will launch in March over at The Peoples movies

Sightseers will be released by Studiocanal on 25th March 2013 on DVD and Blu-ray

GFF2013 - ABCs Of Death Getting A UK&Irish April Release

Monster Pictures announced today that The ABCs of Death, an anthology of 26 short films, directed by 26 Directors depicting 26 ways to die will be released theatrically in the UK & Eire in 26 cinemas nationwide on the 26 April 2013.

· 26 Directors

· 26 ways to die

· 26 cinemas

· 26 April 2013

The ABCs of Death is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived with productions spanning fifteen countries and featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world's leading talents in contemporary genre film, including the directors of House of the Devil, Hobo with a Shotgun, A Serbian Film, Tokyo Gore Police, You’re Next & four British Directors - Ben Wheatley (Sightseers), Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), Jake West (Doghouse) & Leeds based Lee Hardcastle, who with his claymation short, won a competition to be the final Director. Inspired by children’s educational books, the motion picture is comprised of twenty-six individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death.

This alphabetical arsenal of destruction orchestrated by what has been described as "a stunning roll call of some of the most exciting names in horror across the world." is one of the most hotly anticipated releases for 2013. When the trailer received its first UK airing, last year, it was screened to a packed audience at the 13th Frightfest, Empire Cinema, Leicester Square, the 2 minute clip received rapturous applause from the attending audience. The film will receive its UK premiere at the this year’s Glasgow Film Festival as part of Film4Frightfest (Tickets for this event are now sold out) and its Irish premiere at the inaugural Twisted Celluloid Film Festival at the Triskel Arts Centre.Cinehouse & The People's Movies will be attending the whole of Film4 Frightfest @Glasgow Film Festival so stay tuned for our review but if you enjoyed the recent V/H/S film you'll dig this one, If your attending do say hello as I'll be one of The Ushers during the weekend.

Monster Pictures UK have also gave us the list of  26 cinemas you can catch ABCs Of Death at before that check out the full list of short films and the 26 directors behind them....

The Short Films & Directors
Apocalypse by Nacho Vigalondo (TimeCrimes), Spain
Bigfoot by Adrían Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Mexico
Cycle by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza (Mirageman; Mandrill), Chile
Dogfight by Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), USA
Exterminate by Angela Bettis (Roman), USA
Fart by Noburu Iguchi, (Robo Geisha), Japan
Gravity by Andrew Traucki (The Reef), Australia
Hydro-Electric Diffusion by Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Norway
Ingrown by Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Mexico
Jidai-Geki by Yudai Yamaguchi (Yakuza Weapon), Japan
Klutz by Anders Morgenthaler (Princess), Denmark
Libido by Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Indonesia
Miscarriage by Ti West (House of the Devil; The Innkeepers), USA
Nuptials by Banjong Pisathanakun (Shutter), Thailand
Orgasm by Bruno Forzani & Héléne Cattet (Amer), Belgium
Pressure by Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), UK
Quack by Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die), USA
Removed by Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Serbia
Speed by Jake West (Doghouse), UK
Toilet by Lee Hardcastle (T is For Toilet), UK
Unearthed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List), UK
Vagitus by Kaare Andrews (Altitude), USA
WTF! by Jon Schnepp (Metalocalypse; The Venture Bros.), USA
XXL by Xavier Gens (Frontiers; Hitman), France
Youngbuck by Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Canada
Zetsumetsu by Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Japan

26 Cinemas
ABERDEEN, The Belmont Picturehouse http://bit.ly/12mkxl8
BELFAST, QFT http://www.queensfilmtheatre.com/films/theabcsofdeath/
BRIGHTON, Duke of York's Picturehouse http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks/
BRISTOL, Watershed http://www.watershed.co.uk/
CAMBRIDGE, Arts Picturehouse http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Arts_Picturehouse_Cambridge/
CANTERBURY, Gulbenkian Cinema http://www.kent.ac.uk/gulbenkian/
CARDIFF, Chapter http://www.chapter.org/index.html
DERBY Quad www.derbyquad.co.uk
EDINBURGH, Cameo Picturehouse http://bit.ly/WSBz6o
EXETER, Exeter Picturehouse http://bit.ly/Tyl2EQ
GLASGOW, The Grosvenor Cinema http://www.grosvenorcafe.co.uk/cinema.php
LEEDS, Hyde Park Picture House http://bit.ly/YwrT0s
LEICESTER, Phoenix Square http://phoenix.org.uk/
LONDON, Stratford East Picturehouse http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Stratford_London/
LONDON, Clapham Picturehouse http://bit.ly/WSqUbN
LONDON, Hackney Picturehouse http://bit.ly/X9y0ai
LONDON, Greenwich Picturehouse http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Greenwich_Picturehouse/
LONDON, Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton http://bit.ly/URkpFN
LONDON, Prince Charles Cinema http://www.princecharlescinema.com/index.php
LIVERPOOL, Picturehouse at FACT http://bit.ly/VyFZME
NEWCASTLE, Tyneside Cinema https://www.tynesidecinema.co.uk/
NORWICH, Cinema City http://bit.ly/WLv1U5
OXFORD, Phoenix Picturehouse http://bit.ly/Y4RoUN
SOUTHAMPTON, Harbour Lights Picturehouse http://bit.ly/11AGZa2
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, Stratford Picturehouse http://bit.ly/XiCVnl
YORK, City Screen Picturehouse http://bit.ly/Y4RMCC

Tickets for many of the venues are available to pre-order now. The ABCs of Death will also be previewed in selected cities around the UK. Further details will be announced shortly.

Provocative, shocking, funny and ultimately confrontational, The ABCs of Death is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity.

For further information and details about The ABCs of Death go to the film’s official website www.26waystodie.com and follow on Twitter @26waystodie

A DVD and Blu-ray edition of The ABCs of Death are set to be released on 3 June 2013. Pre-order now from Amazon and other online outlets DVD or BLU-RAY. Details about extras and special features will be announced later this year.

First Official Poster For Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England

It’s only been a week since crazy dark comedy Sightseers arrived in UK&Irish cinemas but Ben Wheatley has already finished his follow up film A Field In England and today we have the film;’s first official poster.

Sightseers like Kill List has once again divided opinion at The People’s Movies & Cinehouse HQ though this time the overall view is more in favour of the film rather than against but as usual we respect everyone’s view to agree or disagree. Been from an artistic background I have to say we do like this poster which has a watercolour possibly oil painting style which is a good representation of the artistic style the new film is set in.

We don’t know much about the film apart from it’s a horror but does red moon suggest it could be something Lycan or something hallucinogenic . It appears the character is from the English Civil War era could we see some sort rise of the dead soldiers from a battle on a field?

Starring Julian Barratt, Michael Smiley and Reece Shearsmith, A Field In England is expected to open next year.

source: Thepeoplesmovies

Sightseers Review

Ever get the impression that you were watching a different film from everyone else? I'm not sure what I was missing with Sightseers (2012), the new film from director Ben Wheatley and written by and starring Steve Oram and Elizabeth Sladen lookalike Alice Lowe, all three of whom were involved with the recent cult hit Kill List (2011), but half way in I was praying for the end to come mostly as a result of boredom and disgust. Marketed as a comedy, the film attempts to leaven this with a liberal dose of horror, failing dismally to achieve either satisfactorily.

In order to escape from her overpowering mother, Tina (Lowe) agrees to go on a caravan trip with her new boyfriend Chris (Oram). However what starts off as a sightseeing trip of North Yorkshire soon becomes the road trip from hell after Chris's true psychotic tendencies come to the fore, following a misunderstanding at a local tourist attraction, with murderous results for all involved.

Like the caravan holiday that forms the basis around which its story is built Sightseers swiftly looses its appeal. Its real problem, as with much of what currently passes itself off as humorous particularly in Britain, is that it tries too hard. As with most 'laddish' fun, the laughs here are more as a result of embarrassment than anything genuinely amusing.

Neither does it work particularly well from a horror point-of-view either. Comedians often see the field of horror as an ideal entry into the world of films. However they frequently make the mistake which many people do, of not taking the genre seriously. By it's very nature horror often lays itself wide open for parody, providing prime material for people to send up. However study them closely and you will discover that those horror films which are successful approach it with a degree of reverence, even when it's being poked fun at.

Those who understand the secret of real horror grasp the concept that less is more. The audience's imagination is always much stronger than anything filmmakers can depict on the screen, with most good horror films cutting away before you see anything at all - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) had a degree of black humour, but the secret of its longevity was that everyone believed they saw more than they actually did. The current crop of films from mainland Europe such as the upcoming Spanish chiller Sleep Tight (2011) succeed by taking this subtle approach, whilst the American hit Scream (1996), which marketed itself as neither a comedy or a horror film (though it was quite clearly both) worked by doing the whole thing quasi seriously. Much modern British horror on the other hand, like Sightseers and the recent crass monstrosity Inbred (2011), doesn't know when to stop, showing vivid violence and gore in nauseating close-up.

In its defence the film looks beautiful - the English backdrop against which the shenanigans play out is breathtaking. Unfortunately this does little to compensate for an otherwise lurid and inept attempt at offbeat wit. I know my opinion is likely to meet with universal disagreement, in which case please do fill me in on what I was missing.

Cleaver Patterson

★★☆☆☆

Rating: 15
Release Date: 30th November 2012 (UK)
Directed By: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies

Dingly Dells, National Trust & Pasta Sauce. Watch New Sightseers Clips

Caravaning will never be the same when Ben Wheatley's dark comedy horror Sightseers is released in UK&Ireland next Friday 30th November. If you ever had the idea holidays in our fine lands was dull, boring thanks to our anti heros Chris and Tina (Chris Oram & Alice Lowe) you may now think twice in jumping a plane over to Benidorm or Torremolinos. Tonight our friends over at Studiocanal  have sent us over a brand new clip entitled 'Dingly Dell' which sees our protagonists roam the countryside for an ideal pitch for the caravan, Alice writes a postcard for her mother telling her about Chris and  the availability of her pasta sauce packets in Yorkshire! But as Chris finds an ideal spot to park he might have someone else determined to get that elusive caravan spot! Just below the new we have another new clip called 'National Trust' plus a quick tv spot that slipped under the radar last week.

Here at The People's Movies & Cinehouse The Kill List unfortunately didn't go down too well, more frustration than total resentment for the film.A couple weeks ago we had 2 reviewers (1 for each site, reviews online next week) and though both reviewers had different opinions on the film but the outcome is Sightseers looks the better film. What we do love is Chris' (Oram) 'their not human, their Daily Mail readers' which went down well, I'm really looking forward to seeing Sightseers as the cinema I volunteer at there is a few 'non-humans' there!

Sightseers will be released in UK&Ireland 30th November, 2013 USA.

Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way – on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina’s led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see – the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that accompanies these wonders in his life.But it doesn’t take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina’s meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris’s dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge…

tv spot

Learn The Alphabet With Boobs And The Insane ABC's Of Death

We love anthologies especially ones of the horror variety but sometimes the short films that make up the film can be diverse in themes and even quality. We're looking forward to the UK January release of V/H/S and now we can add another anthology film ABCs Of Death and today we have the film's insane red band trailer.

Whilst V/H/S is anthology of 5 or 6 filmmaker ABC's Of Death is 26 directors delivering 26 ways to die in short films keeping the theme death. The directors where given Minuit budget but unlimited creative freedom making sure the film makers provide a little something for everyone. Its an ambitious project which to the untrained eye be a bit inconsistent but a fun film for horror with each director assigned a letter giving us an interesting way to learn A's and B's.The film has been playing on the festival circuit the past few months and if you where at last month's Frightfest Halloween all-nighter you would have enjoyed this film.

Massive roster which includes some big players in horror: aare Andrews (Altitude), USA
Angela Bettis (Roman), USA,Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman; Mandrill), Chile
Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Canada,Bruno Forzani & Héléne Cattet (Amer), Belgium,Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Mexico,Xavier Gens (Frontiers; Hitman), France
Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Mexico, Noburo Iguchi, (Robo Geisha), Japan
Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Norway, Anders Morgenthaler (Princess), Denmark, Yoshihrio Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Japan, Banjong Pisathanakun (Shutter),Thailand, Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), UK, Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), USA,Jon Schnepp (Metalocalypse; The Venture Bros.), USA, Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Serbia, Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Indonesia, Andrew Traucki (The Reef), Australia, Nacho Vigalondo (TimeCrimes), Spain, Jake West (Doghouse), UK, Ti West (House of the Devil; The Innkeepers), USA,Ben Wheatley (Sightseers; Kill List), UK,Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die), USA
Yudai Yamaguchi (Yakuza Weapon), Japan and Lee Hardcastle (T Is For Toilet), UK.If your familiar with the list of filmmakers you'll know what you'll get with this horrorfest.

No word on a UK&Irish release but when it does come expect sometime 2013.

sourceYahoo

Daily Mail Readers Aren't Human! New Sightseers Trailer

Thank the heavens for Ben Wheatley, finally someone who knows Daily Mail readers aren't human! Ah don't hire the firing squad just yet and check out the new 60 second UK trailer for Ben Wheatley's Sightseers which after a great first trailer  exploits the film's dark humour, the quirky feel and why Sightseers might be the surprise hit film of the year!

To be honest Ben Wheatley's last film The Kill List divided opinions at The People's Movies and Cinehouse HQ when it came out last year, we all came to an agreement it was confusing as well as overrated. So when Sightseers promotion started  we selfishly greeted the new film with a lot of scepticism even with the fantastic reviews from Cannes but like all good things it grows on you.

Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way - on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina's led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see - the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that accompanies these wonders in his life.But it doesn't take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina's meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris's dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge...

If your like me a generation who grew up with some childhood summer holidays in caravans or caravan Parks  around the UK some of the things will strike a chord, though some of the UK humour might be lost in translation if your not familiar. We're alot more optimistic Sightseers will be far superior film than The Kill List, with 7 nominations for British Independent Film Awards before it's even been released speaks volumes for the film.

We're watching this film next week so stay tuned for our review, Sightseers will be released in UK&Ireland 30th November, there's no confirmed American release but expect sometime 2013.

First Clip For Ben Wheatley's Cannes Bound SIGHTSEERS

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