Frightfest 2012 - Outpost II: Black Sun Review

During the 1945 endgame of World War II, German scientist Klausener worked on frightening new technology with the power to create an immortal Nazi army. Now a NATO task force is hurriedly deployed to Eastern Europe to uncover what sinister enemy exactly appears to be mercilessly killing everything in its path.  It soon becomes clear that what they are facing is no ordinary foe. Only Lena, a gutsy investigator on the trail of notorious war criminal Klausener, can accept the reality of what they are up against – a battalion of living dead Nazi Storm Troopers. With the help of Wallace, an adventurer who has been chasing Gestapo secrets for years, the duo team up with a Special Forces Unit to venture deep behind enemy lines. Their mission: to fight their way back to the source of this evil zombie platoon and prevent supernatural technology being used to create the Fourth Reich.

Making its UK debut four years after the original, Outpost II: Black Sun is to Outpost what [REC]2 is to [REC] or what Aliens is to Alien. In other words, consider Outpost 2 the action-movie sequel to the horrific original. Yes, this sequel replaces the atmosphere and horror of the first film with scene after scene of machine-gun toting soldier battling lumbering Nazi zombies. In fact the film has more in common with the Resident Evil franchise, being less about the zombies and their devastation and more about the action set pieces. Don’t get me wrong, the zombies in Outpost II are bloody brutal blighters, eviscerating and digesting their human prey. It’s just that they also suffer from the same problem zombies had in low-budget zombie flicks of the 80s… they look like men wearing rubber masks!

Interestingly Outpost II: Black Sun doesn’t waste time catching up on events that took place in the first film – it references them yes, but doesn’t spend any time dwelling on them. However it turns out that bar knowing who the villainous old Nazis are you don’t really need to have seen the first one to watch the sequel. You might not know who one or two of the referenced characters, including someone who died in the original movie, are but that doesn’t stop you from “enjoying” the film.

The big problem with Outpost II, besides being a 15-rated action movie rather than a gory zombie flick, is that the cast all seem to be taking the film way too seriously. The recently released Nazi zombie flick Bloodstorm was a whole lot schlockier than this but thanks to the cast knowing its limitations it was a fun, if dumb, movie. However here it’s the opposite. Everyone takes it so bloody seriously! Its not high art people, it’s a zombie movie! It’s almost like everyone involved thought the were making the Schindler’s List of straight to DVD horror movies.

In case you’re wondering, this does set things up for a third film. So it turns out Outpost really is the UK’s version of Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil franchise after all… It won’t stay dead!

This was a review by Phil at Blogomatic3000 

Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 25th August 2012 (Frightfest) 27th August 2012 (DVD/BD)
Directed by: Steve Barker
Cast: Richard Coyle, Clive Russell , Michael Byrne 

Tim And Eric's Billion Dollar Movie Review

★★☆☆☆

It seems that if a television comedy duo is successful enough that a movie is inevitable. Unfortunately, it is very rare that these movies are actually worth watching - just think Ant & Dec's Alien Autopsy or David Mitchell and Robert Webb's Magicians. Hoping to buck that trend are Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the creators and stars of Adult Swim television series, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!  The duo have presented us with Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, which will no doubt appeal to fans of the television series. 

Tim and Eric are two filmmakers who are given a $1 billion dollar budget to make a film for the Schlaaang Corporation. However, with the budget squandered and results in only three minutes of usable footage  - the duo have no choice but to go on the run from vicious studio boss Tommy Schlaaang (Robert Loggia). In a harebrained scheme to raise the money, Tim and Eric find themselves trying to restore a derelict shopping mall.

Anyone familiar with the Saturday Night Live film productions like MacGruber will instantly recognise the formula of Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. It is this predictable narrative arc that immediately works against the production - we know there is an inevitable fall out and eventual reconciliation and that Tim and Eric will successful rebuild the mall. Since the script structure offers nothing particularly original it is up to the comedy duo to add some interest through their gags and performances, and to an extent they do this successfully.

The humour ranges from enjoyably madcap to unpleasantly crude, never finding the right balance. A perfect example of this is where a drugged Eric goes to a 'Shrim' healing centre - we do not know what Shrim is, but are soon given a fun video representation hosted by Ray Wise. The comic talents of Ray Wise would have been enough for the gag, but Heidecker and Wareheim insist on taking the humour too far. How far? Well Eric drowning in a bath of children's faeces. It is just a crude, unpleasant and juvenile punchline.

The bantering exchanges between Tim and Eric spur on a few laughs, but most of the humour comes from the star power involved in Billion Dollar Movie. The film opens with Jeff Goldblum, posing as Schlaaang spokesman Chef Goldblum, offering the viewer tips on how to enhance their movie going experience - which is particularly fun. Will Ferrell's cameo as the mall's Top Gun obsessed former owner proves amusing as well, as does Zach Galifianakis' role of a self-help guru the duo hire. Unfortunately, most of these star turns suffer from incredibly poor writing and character development - notably John C. Reilly's supporting performance, which is just cringe inducing and not worth the actor's talents. 

Robert Loggia's appearance as villain, Tommy Schlaaang is the main scene stealer of the film, with the veteran star bringing his charismatic screen presence to the role. Unfortunately, the material he is given to work with is just as bad as Reilly's.    

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie is a formulaic and unnecessary venture. Most of the humour's downfall is in its crudeness and lack of consistency. What should have been excellent supporting turns from well-known stars suffer from poor writing and a lack of development.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim ,Will Ferrell, Jeff Goldblum
Directors: Tim Heidecker ,Eric Wareheim
UK Release: 24th August 201 (limited release)

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Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - Official Redband Trailer [HD] Published via LongTail.tv

Frightfest 2012 – Meet The Thompsons aka The Hamiltons,World Premiere This Sunday

The premier European horror film festival Film4 Frightfest is well under way today and over the weekend here and at our other site Cinehouse.co.uk we will be bringing you our coverage. This Sunday will see the return of  Horror’s favourite dysfunctional vampire family The Hamiltons now with a new name The Thompsons.  Set and filmed mostly here in the UK, horror movie The Thompsons is receiving its World Premiere this Sunday at FrightFest in Empire Leicester Square at 10.30am. There will also be a cast and crew Q&A before the screening at 10am.

The Hamiliton siblings were a dysfunctional, orphaned family living in sunny suburbia. On the outside, they appear normal enough but they harbour a very dark secret…the need to drink blood in order to survive. A bloodbath at a local gas station means the family has to go on the run, eventually seeing them resurface in the U.K. with a new identity as The Thompsons. Desperate for protection in this unfamiliar country, the deadly family seeks out the help of a shadowy underground group rumoured to be sympathetic to vampires.

THE THOMPSONS is a new release from acclaimed horror writers and directors The Butcher Brothers and is being screened at FrightFest on the 26^th August 2012. On October 15th You will be able to own The Thompsons on DVD, stay tuned for review and possible competition nearer the release date.