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Sundance London 2014 Review - They Came Together (2014)

Sundance London 2014
Genre:
Comedy, Indie
Rating: 15
Location:
Cineworld,O2 Arena, London
Release Date:
26th April, 27th April 2014
Director:
David Wain
Cast:
Paul Rudd, Cobie Smulders, Michael Shannon, Amy Poehler
Buy Tickets: Here
We’re all familiar with the rules of a rom-com by now. Boy meets girl, boy and girl hate each other, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl fall out, boy and girl get back together and live happily ever after. In fact we’re so familiar with the pattern that we could probably make one ourselves. Well there’s no need to anymore as David Wain has already done it for us in the sniggeringly titled They Came Together.

This skewed version of the genre takes all the conventions of an average rom-com and knowingly lampoons them to send up the formulaic nature with which they unfold. Paul Rudd stars as the “vaguely, but not overtly, Jewish” guy to Amy Poehler’s “klutzy but adorable” gal as the pair describe the story of their relationship to their friends over dinner.

It’s a story complete with all the well-worn traits which leads to a gag heavy 90 minutes, some landing slightly heavier than others. Crammed in are sight gags, slapstick gags, innuendo and nods to countless Meg Ryan, Jennifer Anniston and Katherine Heigl movies not to mention a pre-McConnassaince Matthew McConaughey.

The targets are certainly large and, for the most part, successfully hit but with the volume of jokes coming this thick and fast you’d be forgiven for hoping for a better strike rate. There is too a sense that this could easily have started as an idea for extended Saturday Night Live sketch and merely padded out to stretch to the length of a film to ape the genre that further bit.

Spoof movies range wildly in terms of success, by sending up entire genres they can sometimes have a rather scattergun approach; for every Airplane there’s a Scary Movie 4. Thankfully They Came Together is closer to the former than the latter, helped in no small part by the sheer likeability of the two leads Rudd and Poehler – cast perfectly and just as easy to root for as the characters they mimic.

★★★☆☆

Matthew Walsh

Blu-ray Review - That Sinking Feeling (1979)

DVD Review - Computer Chess

Genre:
Comedy, Independent
Rating:
15
Distributor:
Eureka! Entertainment
BD/DVD Release Date:
20th January 2014 (UK)
Director:
Andrew Bujalski
Cast:
Kriss Schludermann, Tom Fletcher, Wiley Wiggins,
Buy: Computer Chess (Masters of Cinema) (DVD & BLU-RAY DUAL FORMAT)
The year of 1984 proved a seminal time for computer nerds. With Orwell's ideas of the impending doom of the human race becoming more apparent, alongside the release of The Terminator and Revenge of the Nerds, it was certainly a time in history which still conjures nostalgia for those who stayed up into the small hours discussing the future of computer technology and their makers. For Andrew Bujalski's latest work, Computer Chess, revisiting such a time resurrects various hypothesises, pandering to them in a manner which reveals something much more sinister underneath.

Set in a nameless budget hotel over a weekend convention, the film presents a group of obsessive computer software programmers as they attempt to compete for a grand prize for the best computer chess programme. Amongst all the competitive bragging and pot induced ramblings on artificial intelligence, the film reveals a larger frame-work of the relationships and insecurities between its characters and their machines, presenting a surreal de-humanised look of a digital age which has only considered to have been lost as technology advanced over time.

A popular Sundance veteran, Bujalski has usually been seen as the master of the American Indie sub-genre Mumblecore. With film-festival hits such as Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation within his canon, he has a skilful eye in directing intricate character studies where droll, yet textured, dialogue and interactions from actors prevailed over the main story. Unsurprisingly, Bujalski's idiosyncratic style is regularly compared to that of Cassavetes or Rohmer. However, in a refreshing move, he has broadened his skills, presenting a film that is as nightmarishly unique as anything by David Cronenberg or as complex as Shane Carruth's Primer.

Although the neurotic outsider characters which made Bujalski a significant indie director still prevail, exchanges in dialogue soon create a noticeably more ominous atmosphere once the humorous tone shifts into sci-fi surrealism. Starting off like a mockumentary, the cringe inducing obsessiveness of these characters slowly uncovers a few unsettling ideas once they themselves begin to question the power these machines actually have over them. Having one particular system refusing to operate until its chess skills are actually put towards another human soul, an uncomfortable paranoia lingers over the film. Despite these characters speaking at length about the expansiveness of the circuitry within their computers, their difficulty in emotionally connecting with anybody else - or even understanding what their machines are doing – makes one wonder that while the evolution in artificial intelligence still seems infinite, has the development and intelligence of the human race become more rooted sooner than one would think?

Yet, what turns transforms seemingly standard idea for a character driven piece into a compelling puzzle is in the actual look of the film. Entirely shot on an ancient and cumbersome Sony videocamera (the AVC-3260, incase you were wondering), the fuzzy, black and white footage gives a sense that the film was unearthed from the depths of an old government filing cabinet, deemed completely classified. Amplifying the uneasy atmosphere, the simplicity of the camera movements within the competition, combined with a discreet intrusiveness outside it, works well in creating a secretive knowingness from the man in control behind it. In all its retro simplicity, there is a warped satisfaction in being in on the act. Alongside a 4:3 aspect ratio and an unstable picture quality, it boxes these characters within the claustrophobic labyrinth of the hotel.With no sense of escape from these walls or their (now) imperfect mentality, Bujalski reveals an alternative point of view on the origins and mindset of the 'wired' generation that could still arguably be resonant today. Encouraging the viewer to philosophise over its development and origins from all possible angles, the unsettling conclusion concocts an uncertainty towards the future of these characters. It is not so much that the computer nerds came and conquered, it is just that they unconsciously laid the foundations for a future that is today.

★★★★☆

David Darley

Sundance 2014 - Colonel Herzog Is Back! Watch Blood Soaked Trailer for Dead Snow: Red Vs. Dead aka Død Snø 2

I should have went to Specsavers! How did we miss this one!!!In 2009 pardon the punt just when you thought the Zombie genre was dead Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow gave hope to the sub-genre. Nearly 4 years on Colonel Herzog  and his legion of undead nazis are back , he's pissed off, enjoy the first trailer for Dead Snow: Red Vs. Dead aka Død Snø 2

If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you’d have to assume that things couldn’t get much worse. In Martin’s case, that was only the beginning.

Picking up immediately where the original left off, Dead Snow; Red vs. Dead wastes no time getting right to the gore-filled action, leaving a bloody trail of intestines in its wake. Director Tommy Wirkola returns to the helm with a vengeance, coming up with more inventive ways to maim and dismember than you ever thought possible. Combining wry humor with horrific worst-case scenarios, this follow-up to the 2009 Midnight classic is sure to shock the weak-of-heart and delight even the most hard-core fans of the horror genre. Colonel Herzog is back, and he is not to be fucked with.

After a mediocre Hollywood feature debut with Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters, Wirkola will be keen prove his cult breakout film was not a one hit wonder. This trailer is thankfully with English Subtitles as it's to promote not it's cinematic release but the films World premier at this month's Sundance Film Festival. No UK release date has been set yet but do expect that to change after the festival with the film possibly playing the festival circuit. The trailer delivers a glimpse at the blood soaked snowy  carnage Film's Nazi Zombie will deliver.



Dead Snow: Red Vs. Dead stars Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Martin Starr, Ørjan Gamst, Ingrid Haas, Jocelyn DeBoer. [Offical Sundance Festival Page]

source: Shocktilyoudrop

Review - Nebraska

Genre:
Drama, Comedy
Distributor:
Paramount Pictures UK
Release Date:
6th December 2013 (UK)
Rating:
15
Director:
Alexander Payne
Cast:
Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keech, June Squibb

Nebraska is the latest film by Alexander Payne and quite possibly his finest film to date. It stars the always wonderful Bruce Dern stars as Woody Grant who falls for the age old winning $1,000,000 letter scam and wants to go all the way to Lincoln, Nebraska to get the money. The role was originally intended for Jack Nicholson but turned it down and in many ways that’s a good thing cause it would have became a JACK movie.

Woody is an alcoholic grumpy old man with Alzheimer’s who realises he has wasted his life. The letter comes though the door and it’s one thing he can put some hope on even though he knows somewhere it’s all a scam. Woody annoys his long-suffering wife with the letter and other relatives. His son David (Will Forte) eventually agrees to drive him all the way to the return address on the letter. They meet relatives, old friends and grow closer on the way in a sentimental level but not in a sugary sweet way.

The film is in many ways similar to Payne’s previous films especially About Schmidt and to a lesser extent his last film The Descendants. Both films are about a man in the twilight years of their life and both films face morality. It however works a lot better than both of those films due to the surprise casting of the Bruce Dern in the kind of role he never gets. It’s also it’s just paced better than both of those films which has been a problem for Payne in the past especially About Schmidt.

The film full of great characters actors not just Bruce Dern in a rare starring role but Stacy Keech and everyone’s favourite Sleazy Lawyer Bob Odenkirk from Breaking Bad as Woody’s other son. Nebraska harkens back to the old days of character-based films of the 1970s, which is evident in the way the story is told as is the casting of Dern and Keach. It’s a one of the year’s finest films and it was one of the highlights of the Leeds film festival.

★★★★★

Ian Schultz

Wes Anderson's New Castello Cavalcanti Short Honours Fellini

As the world awaits the arrival of Hotel Budapest, Wes Anderson treats us all with a 8 minute short Castello Cavalcanti.Comissioned by Italian fashion house Prada the short film time warps us back to 1955 and stars Jason Schwartzman who plays an American racing car driver. Whilst out with his cars driving through the Italian countryside during that years Molte Miglia when he crashes his car into a water fountain in a small rural town when a turn of events turn his troules into something he never expected.

Castello Cavalcanti is aesthetically what you expect from Wes Anderson film, quirky, vibrant as well as a chance for Anderson to pay homage to his cinematic heroes. Federico Fellini is honoured in this film with the Fellini's Amarcord the biggest source of inspiration, even the film's title is homage to one of Anderson's heroes Brazilian director Alberto Cavalcanti.

This not fashion film the closest  you'll see Prada in Castello Cavalcanti is probably the labels on the clothes the cast wore when this as shot, but this is one luxury item from the house of Prada everyone can afford to enjoy. This no ordinary film, it's an Wes Anderson short film, need I say more?

Creepshow (1982) Blu-Ray Review

Rating:
15
BD Release Date:
28th October 2013 (U)
Distributor:
Second Sight
Director:
George A Romero
Cast:
Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver
Buy: Creepshow on Blu-ray [Amazon Link]
Creepshow is one of Romero’s few “studio” films because he mostly works with independent financers. It came out after Knightriders which one of the strangest films Romero has ever done, it’s about a travelling group of knights in modern times. Romero was slated to direct Salem’s Lot but eventually it became a TV movie but he was friend and fan of Stephen King (he was a admirer of Romero’s films as well) so they decided to collaborate on something together. King in 1982 was probably the hottest writer in America after books such as Carrie, The Shining, and The Dead Zone etc. (all made into great films as well) so he had carte blanche to do whatever he wanted. They decided to collaborate on a film inspired by the horror comic books of the 50s and 60s that they both grew up on.

They are all short horror stories all about 20 minutes in length. The shorts are all pretty fun comic book inspired horror stories and a bit of the The Twilight Zone thrown in. It’s neither Romero nor King’s finest work but it’s a lot of fun, it’s goofy, weird even though it’s never really scary. The Crate is probably the best story of the film.

The different stories include performances from everyone from Hal Holbrook, Ted Danson, Ed Harris, Leslie Nielsen and even King himself is a deliciously over the top performance as the title character in “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill”. The film has great practical special effects but that is expected with Romero. It uses extensive use of comic book inspired special effects, which can get a bit tiresome but it’s amusing even though that effect works much better in Hausu.

Overall it’s a fun romp though the minds Romero and King. It’s not Dawn of the Dead but you could send a much worst 2 hours of your time. Characteristic of Second Sight the blu-ray includes a great transfer, a feature doc, commentaries, doc with special effect maestro Tom Savini and more.

★★★½☆

Ian Schultz

FF2013 Review - 100 Bloody Acres

Rating:
15
Release Date:
23rd August 2013 (FF)
Director:
Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Cast:
Damon Herriman, Angus Sampson, Anna McGahan

Australia and New Zealand have a fine tradition of mixing comedy and horror to superb effect. Be it the early work of Peter Jackson such as Bad Taste and Brain Dead, or more recent efforts such as Primal and The Loved Ones, horror from down under always seems to walk a very fine line be laughs and scares, and 100 Bloody Acres is no different.

The Morgan Brothers’ “Blood and Bone” fertiliser has been a huge boon to their business but there’s a catch to its production – they’ve been using dead car crash victims in the mix! However it’s been months since their last find and an important new customer is waiting on a delivery. When Reg Morgan, the junior partner in the business, comes across three young people stranded on a remote country road, he sees a radical solution to their supply problems, and a way of finally gaining the respect of his bossy big brother, Lindsay. But things don’t quite go to plan when Reg starts forming an attachment with one of their captives, Sophie. Reg must now make a decision: go through with the plan and finally win Lindsay’s approval, or save the kids and destroy everything the brothers have worked for.

The debut feature from the Cairnes brothers, 100 Bloody Acres is a strange film. Filled with oddball characters and off-kilter comedy, the film manages to evoke similarities to the backwoods hillbilly horror seen in the 70s and early 80s US cinema, most noticeably The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (with which it shares the idea of humans as “meat). But at the same time the film also shares the streak of black humour found in the work of the Cohen brothers – especially the likes of Blood Simple and Fargo. So why is the film so damn dull?

It’s not hard to put a finger on why 100 Bloody Acres doesn’t work. The cast are uniformally excellent – the two “villains” of the piece are particular standouts. Damon Herriman, as the younger of the two Morgan Brothers, gives a manic performance, walking a fine line between complete lunatic and complete idiot. Meanwhile Angus Sampson, as older brother Lindsay Morgan, is one of the scariest “straight” men in horror, showing zero emotion, in the total psychopath sense! The pair bounce well off each other and the script gives them plenty of witty one-liners – in fact the script is filled with some truly black humor, be it the banter between the brothers or the outburst between their captives. However there are huge gaps of where nothing much happens – chases scenes, walks around the farm, phone calls etc. This slows the pace of the movie right down. And that’s where the problem lies…

With some tighter editing and an increased pace 100 Bloody Acres could have been yet another neo-classic from down under; as it stands now it more of an also-ran. If you want to see black humor at work in a great Aussie horror, check out The Loved Ones instead.

★★☆☆☆

This film was reviewed by Phil Wheat of Nerdly.co.uk

EIFF 2013 - We Are The Freaks Review

Rating: 15
Release Date: 22nd June 2013 (EIFF)
Director: Justin Edgar
Stars: Jamie Blackley, Sean Teale, Michael Smiley, Danielle Bux

Justin Edgar's We Are the Freaks sets out to challenge the conventions of the traditional teen-comedy, and it mostly does so with a cheeky sense of humour and fond nostalgia for the nineties.

We Are the Freaks follows working class Jack (Jamie Blackley) who dreams of going to university yet struggles to get funding. Jack's best-friend Chunks (Sean Teale) who dubs himself a "textbook underachiever" suggests a night-out that begins with gate crashing a party.

The setting of the early 1990s provides an exciting twist on the traditional teen comedy, allowing Edgar to pack his film with a soundtrack including the likes of New Order and The Happy Mondays which certainly adds a distinct and likeable character to the film. This era also means that Edgar can pack his screenplay with gags relevant to the nineties (as well as the usual teen comedy gross-out humour) resulting in a bizarre, yet rather amusing subplot involving Jack's friend Parson's unhealthy sexual attraction to Margaret Thatcher.

Edgar's distinct directorial style makes a refreshing change from what you would find in many other teen comedies. Direct dialogue to the camera is one such method, whilst Edgar's eye for impressive visuals can also be seen - especially in the film's earlier scenes showing Jack's mind at work in a drab office.

Despite being mostly amusing in its first two acts, We Are the Freaks soon takes a darker turn in its conclusion that feels somewhat out of place with the film's prior quirky and light-hearted tone. In building up to this moment it also appears that many of the gags have lost their steam - mainly as the characters hit respective low points.

For the most part the characters are all likeable and amusingly crafted. Jamie Blackley is an up-and-coming talent to watch - delivering a mature performance that is equally perfect when tackling either comedy or more emotional-heavy dramatic scenes. Sean Teale also displays a stellar comic ability, especially in hilarious sequences dealing with Adam Gillen's character Splodger (the brother of his crush, whose personality verges on psychotic).

We Are the Freaks is an amusing and charmingly nostalgic look at the nineties, even if it does seem to run out of steam towards the end.

★★★☆☆

Andrew McArthur

Quartet DVD Review

Quartet is a film which requires little effort, either on the part of the cast or the viewer.  That’s not intended disparagingly, indeed quite the opposite, as everything about Hollywood icon Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins, is sheer bliss - you just sit back, relax and let it wash over you.

Fading opera stars, Wilf (Connolly), Reginald (Courtenay) and Cissy (Collins), live in the rural splendor of a country retirement home, where they wile away the days reminiscing about their past triumphs.  Each year they celebrate the birthday of the composer Verdi with a concert, and in the process raise funds for the upkeep of the home.  This year however things don’t quite go to plan after the arrival of new resident.  The presence of Jean (Smith), an opera diva with thoughts above her station, not only resurrects painful memories for the trio, but doesn’t exactly prove conducive to harmony amongst the other residents either.

What a relief that Hoffman, unlike so many actors who try their hand at directing, was not tempted into a cameo appearance in Quartet.  Instead he remains, like all good directors should, out-of-sight, though not out of mind, as his touch is crystal clear on screen.  Everything, from the ensemble cast to the pastoral settings, meld seamlessly under the expert guidance of a man who is so much a part of modern cinema in front of the camera, that looking at the action from the other side will probably have felt like second nature.

The wider cast hit all the right notes as the group of aging operatic and musical stars, unwilling to accept that, for the most, their moment in the limelight is long past.  Indeed the only aspect of the film which appears slightly off-key is watching Connolly and Smith vie for prime spot.  When they appear these two old troupers banish everyone else to the wings, no mean feat when you consider the calibre of the those they’re working with.  However they’re such a delight to watch that you feel more than happy to indulge their quirks and idiosyncrasies.

This is really is the only quibble though in an otherwise perfect blend of dry wit and acid sharp timing which makes for a delightful cocktail of lasting friendships and the acceptance of the passing of time.

Quartet provides a marvelously feel good way with which to see in the new year.  Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait too long for Hoffman to flex his directorial muscle again.  Oh, and wait until the end as there is a marvelous treat during the final credits which is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye.

★★★★☆

Cleaver Patterson

Rating: 12
DVD/BD Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Sheridan Smith

Buy Quartet: DVD / Blu-ray

Sundance London 2013: Sleepwalk With Me Review

Mike Birbiglia’s journey to the silver screen isn’t your average one. A stand-up comedian by trade, he then branched out into theatre performing a one-man show based on his real-life battle with a sleeping disorder. The success of the show caught the attention of producer Ira Glass who invited Birbiglia onto his podcast ‘The Moth’ where he would become a regular contributor until eventually the two set about turning that autobiographical tale into Sleepwalk With Me – not only his first acting gig but also his debut in the directors chair.

All this may come as something of a surprise when watching this festival winning film (2012 Sundance NEXT Award) as Birbiglia seems so effortlessly natural on screen, easing us into his world with an address to camera, “This is a true story”. The need to justify its truth is an understandable one – you can imagine similar stories being dreamt up in a screenwriting lab in Hollywood furiously work shopped into an Adam Sandler vehicle. The fact that it wasn’t and these were, at one time, real events suffered by Birbiglia is no doubt the reason for it’s complete success in achieving the notes of authenticity apparent on screen.

Birbiglia stars as alter-ego Matt Pandamiglio, an aspiring stand-up who’s minutes behind the mic pale in comparison to the ones he spends serving drinks and mopping toilets at the local comedy club. Coupled with a relationship with girlfriend Abby (Six Feet Under’s Lauren Ambrose) that is coming under the scrutiny one suffers after 8 years and no proposal and the pressure facing Matt starts to take it’s toll, manifesting in bouts of sleepwalking which occur with increasing severity.

These aren’t your average zombie-walking eyes closed affairs you often catch on screen, these nocturnal activities resemble the hallucinations of a drunk, all slurry vocals and imagined scenes which are both hilarious and dangerous. Pestered by his physician dad into examining his behaviour, Matt is diagnosed with REM sleep behaving disorder – a condition that involves the sufferer acting out his dreams, something not suited to the life on the road he stumbles upon after a chance meeting with an agent.

As his set becomes more in tune with his mounting problems his jokes finally start to hit the mark with audiences lapping up his truthful tales of a stuttering relationship and bizarre sleep patterns. The new found attention means more time away from home as Matt struggles to find the right balance of caring boyfriend and successful comic.

Balance is one thing Birbiglia doesn’t find as challenging as his on-screen persona, striking a chord with his delicate marriage of laughs and heart in a film you struggle to believe is a debut. His wry observations are incredibly well-observed and ring true of the commitment issues that plague a generation of young males unable to articulate their thoughts. It’s an incredibly honest look at modern relationships handled with originality and moments of hilarity and, while comparisons with Woody Allen are unfair at this point, Birbiglia makes a case for his to be the next career to succeed with inward-looking analysis and laugh out loud jokes. An exceptionally promising debut.

★★★★½

Matthew Walsh

Rating: 15
Festival Date: 27th/28th April 2013
Director: Mike Birbiglia, Seth Barrish
Cast:  Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn

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)

'Please Yerselves' With Frankie Howerd's The House In Nightmare Park On DVD

Comedy legend Frankie Howerd stars as the victim of sinister shenanigans in this wacky parody of seventies British horror films. From the director of Demons of the Mind and starring Hugh Burden and Oscar winner Ray Milland, THE HOUSE IN NIGHTMARE PARK is finally available in a brand-new transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited cinema aspect ratio. Own this essential piece of cult UK cinema on 8 April 2013.

Foster Twelvetrees is a struggling tragedian who scrapes a living by giving hammy performances from the classics. He can hardly believe his luck when he’s invited to give a dramatic reading at the country home of a well-off family. But joy soon turns to outraged horror when he discovers dead bodies, foul intentions, lots of snakes and a madwoman in the attic. Can he uncover the hidden family secret before he comes to a terrible end..?

Special Features:

• Full Frame 4:3, as-filmed version of main feature
• Music-only audio track
• original theatrical trailer
• TV spot (mute)
• Image gallery.

Buy The House in Nightmare Park - DVD

The King Of Pop Has Risen, MJ Returns In The Return Of Moonwalker Trailer

Chamone Mutherf***a! The king of Pop is returning but not as you know you think, in Mike Maria's The Return Of Moonwalker Michael Jackson returns as a bad invisible zombie mutherf***a and we have the trailer to prove have crazy this film really is.

Its nearly exactly 2 years ago since we last saw the trailer for this mad crazy film but now the film is getting released in German cinemas at the end of this month hence the new trailer. Wacko  Jacko rises as the king of zombies to dominate the world, with satanic priests, gay midget sex, lesbian ghost hunters, horny college students and a pretty vagrant punk circus. One hell of a night of debauchery probably leaving you attempting to decipher what the fuck did I just watch?!!!

The Return of The Moonwalker might be badass crazy, it has the makings of a cult film which also happens to be going onto VOD internationally from March!

Synopsis:Michael Jackson's hand has been stolen from his crypt in LA!!The culprits: two love-struck leather dwarves, acting on the orders of Dr. Cagliostro, a time-traveling sorcerer posing as the manager of a “punk circus” in Berlin. The mysterious mystic's mad plan: use the risen Michael to rouse the masses and ignite a global revolution!
Realizing something strange is afoot, two lesbian ghost hunter girls and three horny college dudes team up to infiltrate Cagliostro's circus. Things come to a head when the rapidly decaying Jacko-Zombie Messiah takes over the circus and starts his own "Rainbow Revolution" one that quickly descends into chaos.

source:Quietearth

Watch The UK trailer For Indie Comedy Robot & Frank

We all get old one day, some of will have families so when it comes to the day we collect the pensions and no matter mobile, independent you are the kids will always worry. If you were fortunate to attend last October's London Film Festival Jake Schreier's heart warming debut  Robot & Frank might have been one of those unexpected surprise hit films you enjoyed and this March the film is been released and we have the UK trailer.

Starring Frank Langella  as  aging curmudgeon and retired jewel thief Frank lives a solitary life  and his grown up children are worried about due ever decreasing health suffering with dementia.Thanks to his son (James Marsden) he gets Frank a little and company in the form of caretaker  robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) despite the early resentment the pair form a bond and Frank realises  his mechanical friend can do more than  promote a healthier living.

Picking up a  Alfred P. Sloan prize (at Sundance 2012), an award given to a feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme and we may not have Tommorrow's World on the box any more but we know our robotic friends are getting smarter. Robot & Frank may not have robots as deadly as those in Terminator but delivery awfully charming, leaving you smiling from start to finish but most of all light relief amongst the big blockbusters that will be deafening you for your precious ticket money.

Robot&Frank will arrive in UK&Ireland on 8th March and also stars Susan Sarandon, Liv Tyler.

ROBOT & FRANK is a buddy caper. Set in the near future, aging curmudgeon and retired jewel thief Frank (Frank Langella) lives a solitary life until his son (James Marsden) installs a caretaker robot; against he and his daughter's (Liv Tyler) wishes. The robot upends Frank's lonely life - filled only with books and a visit to his favourite librarian (Susan Sarandon) - with a strict regimen of exercise, diet and gardening. Stubborn at first, Frank soon realizes Robot has the ability to pull off the most calculated of heists. An unlikely friendship, and crime duo, is born

Watch The Full Short Text Tone

 A few days ago we previewed the official trailer for Chicago based film maker Sanicole's new Short film Text Tone and now we have the full 12 minute film for your viewing pleasure.

Text Tone is a Drama comedy After dodging his girlfriend to avoid meeting her father on their 6 month anniversary, the young lover wakes up to discover he is mute and must resort to winning his girlfriend back with extraordinary gestures.

The film stars Corey Williams and Ashley Snow, enjoy!

Six months into a blossoming relationship, Corey (Corey Williams) receives a text from his girlfriend Snow (Ashley Snow) about meeting her father for the first time. Nervous about the meeting and struggling to communicate his affection for her, he resorts to ignoring her calls and texts. On the night of the dinner with her father, he doesn't show. The next morning, he checks his voicemail, listening on as adistraught and frustrated Snow admonishes him. Before ending the message she tells him he's lost the right to speak to her and wants nothing to do with him. When he attempts to explain himself in a voicemail, he finds that he can't speak. Mute and rejected, Corey exasperates all avenues to finally show her how he feels and try to win her back. Written and Directed By Sanicole (@Sanicole) Starring Corey Williams (@Corey_Demon) and Ashley Snow (@OfficialAshSnow)