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1 September 2012

The Lost Coast Tapes DVD Review

★★★☆☆

Unlike the majority of films to ride the lucrative “handheld” wave that has flooded horror since Blair Witch and more recently Paranormal Activity, The Lost Coast Tapes actually holds its own as an enjoyable addition to a painfully tired sub-genre. Avoiding the now predictable “students in an abandoned whatever” or “campers investigate bumps in the night” the film makes the legend of Bigfoot its focus with its tongue very nearly in its cheek. The story follows an investigative journalist, his cameraman, a sound guy, and a producer who journey to Northern California’s “Lost Coast” to create a documentary around a hunter who claims to have the body of an actual Sasquatch. As night falls and the crew settle into the hunter’s small compound in the heart of the forest they discover the truth behind they legend of Bigfoot.

From the second the camera kicks into gear, it’s impressive how well-scripted the dialogue is. A snappy engrossing pace builds around an opening which sees the last loose ends of the pre-production wrapped: the funding is collected, a last minute drop-out is replaced, and then it’s on the road. The rest of the film creeps forward in a suitable foreboding tone, rarely does the film reach a truly taught atmosphere but it’s still pretty enjoyable to watch if only to find out what the fuck is going on. Sometimes the pace is lost and there are short sequences of boredom, but in the grand scheme of the film these exist to protect the anonymity of the subject. A blatant assault from Bigfoot (plural being Bigfeet? Bigfoots?) or proof of hoax would shake the audience out of the film’s most important function: mystery. The brains of the film lie in successfully hoodwinking the audience right up until the end.

Some of the dialogue pops the bubble in a big way. Kevin’s (Noah Weisberg) entire character threatens to pull the film into the murky depths of some mystery black comedy that it just shouldn’t be going for. His bumbling leaves the rest of the cast looking like they are working on a separate film. Similarly Frank Ashmore’s Mr Drybeck seems laughably dramatic, wandering out of the woods to deliver a lone hunterperformance right out of the horror canon. His potentially wobbly slice of cheesy brooding thankfully simmers down, devolving from sideways glances and long pauses to a more subtle performance that actually makes him the most enjoyable person to watch on screen.

As for the actual Bigfoot? It’s surprising that the concept of a nine-foot throwback trundling around in the forest is actually particularly unnerving. Incredibly subtle shadow-play goes a long way here. Blink-and-you’ll miss-it moments are rewarding and far creepier than the all-out approach. The sightings are unfortunately too few and a real sense of menace isn’t properly achieved until the last fifteen minutes which throws everything in the air and lets the characters race around on the verge of breakdown. A hard-hitting climax shows that the director can deal with fast-pace mayhem, but leaves us wishing he’d pulled more moments like it earlier on.

Earlier on I mentioned tongue and cheek, but it’s firm direction, well-crafted dialogue, and good acting that ensures the film doesn’t spiral into a childish mess. Some dud ideas and a lack of enough going on stop the film being consistently good, thankfully the finale leaves the piece in good stead.

Scott Clark

Rating:15
UK DVD/BD Release Date: 3rd Spetember 2012
Directed By:Corey Grant
Cast: Drew Rausch, Rich McDonald, Ashley Wood

20 August 2012

Win White Vengeance On DVD

Posted by Unknown at 17:59 No comments:

Two brothers contend for supremacy during the fall of the Qin Dynasty in Imperial China. Liu Bang (Leon Lai) and Xiang Yu (Feng Shaofeng), became leaders of a rebellious army, and also became sworn brothers in battle. King Huai states that whoever can subvert the Qin kingdom will be the Lord Qin, in order to benefit from the competition between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. But who will emerge as the winner from this epic battle and survive to claim their path to the crown?

White Vengeance is written and directed by Daniel Lee (14 Blades, Three Kingdoms) and will come to DVD &Blu-ray 20 August. Courtesy of G2 Pictures we have 3 copies of White Vengeance on DVD and for a chance to win a copy please answer the following question:

Q.White Vengeance star Anthony Wong starred in what cult classic with Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung which came out in UK In 1992 name that film?

Email Your Name, Address, answer along with what 2+2=? to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com, to double your entry if you haven't done it already like us at Facebook page (include your facebook name in email)

Deadline for this competition is September 9th, 2012 (2359hrs).

Terms and Conditions

This prize is non-transferable.
No cash alternatives apply.
UK & Irish entries only
The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and G2 Pictures have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice
The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse, G2 Pictures employees
This competition is promoted on behalf of G2 Pictures
If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead.
The Prize is to win White Vengeance on DVD
To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline September 9th, 2012 (2359hrs)
Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.
The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control.
The competition is opened to Aged 18 and over
Unless Stated Please Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them
The winning entries will be picked at random.
This competition is bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.
By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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19 August 2012

White Vengeance DVD Review

Posted by Unknown at 20:14 No comments:

★☆☆☆☆

I'll level with you. I'm no expert on Asian cinema. I'm not completely ignorant, but I just tend to avoid films with titles like Honour Blade, Red Battle and the like. However, since White Vengeance plopped onto my desk, I thought I'd better give it a go, especially with the intriguing title, especially since the cover dispelled my initial theory that it was a Ku Klux Klan recruitment film.

Here's the thing, I sat through all 135 minutes of White Vengeance and I still don't know what the title is referring to. My best guess is that it's a reference to the board game Go which features in the film. According to Wikipedia: “the game is noted for being rich in strategy despite its relatively simple rules.” which makes sense from a thematic point of view.

White Vengeance is based on a tumultuous time in Chinese history where two brothers, Liu Bang (Leon Lai) and Xiang Yu ( the awesomely named Feng Shaofeng) end up in a power struggle, after it is decreed that whoever can subvert the Qin kingdom will be crowned Lord Qin. I honestly couldn't tell you more because that's basically all I understood. White Vengeance was confusing from the off. From what I understand, the film focuses on the Feast at Hong Gate, a notable period in in Chu-Han Contention phase of Chinese history. I gathered from the film that it was a time full of betrayal, intricate schemes and second-guessing strategies. The film isn't a history lesson, but it relies so heavily on prior knowledge of these various battles that I quickly got lost amongst the epic battles and overly verbose characters. It certainly doesn't make allowances for n00bs. Reading up on it, this particular bit of history does seem fascinating and has made me want to know more about the various dynasties. However, this film does not give you the information you need to become invested. No film should require prior reading or research.

Whilst huge chunks of the story were lost on me, I can tell you it all looks very nice. Director Daniel Lee definitely has a decent eye for shots and some of the battle scenes are well done. Not knowing his previous work, I guessed part way through that Lee was an action director at heart as the action scenes were the most confident and accomplished, with plenty to keep sword fans happy. It's a shame the rest of it doesn't match up. The film is overlong, way too talky and, as mentioned before, completely impenetrable to newcomers. I wanted this film to be my introduction to a new world of historical epics as I'm pretty sick of seeing the American Civil War and the two World Wars played out over and over again. Through internet research, I have found there is a budding interest for me there, it's just I couldn't get on with this film. If you're up on your Chinese history and familiar with this sort of flick I daresay it's probably a pretty solid entry to the genre. As a gateway film, it doesn't work at all. Still, it's made me think twice about blindly ignoring films like Honour Warrior: The Legend of Q'in Dinn or whatever.