Win Studiocanal's CloClo On DVD

A musical icon, an incredible story. His masterpiece will live forever, that legend is Claude Francois better known to his fans as CloClo. Tomorrow 3rd September, Studiocanal will release CloClo on DVD, Bluray and to celebrate the release we have 3 copies of the film on DVD to be won!

While England was rocked by The Beatles, France was going crazy for Claude François, aka CLOCLO. Directed by Florent-Emilio Siri (Hostage) and written by Julien Rappeneau (Burma Conspiracy, 36) CLOCLO is, in the vein of La Vie en Rose, a powerful biopic of one of the most famous French singers.

Starring Jérémie Renier (In Bruges, Potiche) CLOCLO draws the portrait of a complex character who became a legend in his country and reached international fame with his famous song Comme D’Habitude adapted as My Way by Frank Sinatra.

The destiny of Claude François, who died at the age of 39, continues to fascinate fans more than 30 years later. He was a much-loved star and shrewd businessman, great showman and marketing magician, hit machine and magazine publisher, but also family man and ladies’ man.

CLOCLO is the fascinating story of a man whose ambition drove him straight to the top, but ultimately led him to a tragic end.

To win this film on DVD we have 3 copies to give away and to win a copy all you have to do is 3 things:

1. Send us your name, address and postcode only to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com 
2. Retweet and like& share this post at facebook (include your twitter/facebook name in email)
3. Answer to 5+6 (include in email too)

Deadline for contest is Sunday 23rd September 2012 (2359hrs)


Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions

• This prize is non transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only
  The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Studiocanal  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,Studiocanal employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Studiocanal.
• If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead.
• The Prize is to win Cloclo on 3 DVDs
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline September 23rd, 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 13  and over 
• Unless Stated Please  Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them and if you include your telephone number Cinehouse and The People’s Movies are not responsible for the security of the number.
• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• 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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Albert Nobbs DVD Review

★★1/2☆☆

Amidst the economic hardships and social prejudices of 19th century Dublin, unassuming butler, Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) tries to eke out a living as a waiter in an upmarket hotel. Serving tea to the cream of Ireland’s landed gentry, Albert dreams of opening a tobacconist, while attempting to keep a lid on the fact that he is actually a she.

Albert’s plans to work his/her way into occupational and fiscal independence are complicated by the arrival at the hotel of Hubert (Janet McTeer), a painter who discovers Albert’s secret and alerts him/her to a hitherto unknown world of possibility.

By all accounts Albert Nobbs was a labour of love for Close who toiled for a number of years to bring the story to the big screen, and earlier this year she was rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for her effort. One might be forgiven for thinking that nomination was more for the grim determination with which she dragged the contents of the novel, via the stage, onto the big screen, rather than for the grim, stoic determination with which her character serves dinner.

Alarmingly, Nobbs is a transvestite whose uptight nature and general lack of personality singularly fails to generate any interest, sympathy or emotion in himself/herself whatsoever. It’s also a performance which is massively overshadowed by Janet McTeer’s hard-yet-understanding husband.

Brendan Gleeson’s brief moments of humour bring some relief from the pretty relentless drudgery; and there’s just enough charm to be found in the first 45 minutes to maintain interest for the film’s opening act. But it’s a charm which evaporates far too quickly, leaving the film to trudge to a conclusion.

For a film which seeks to address the issue of unconventional or illicit sexual liaisons, Albert Nobbs is a surprisingly joyless, sexless affair.

Chris Banks

@Chris_in_2D Rating:12
UK DVD/BD Release Date:3rd September 2012
Directed by:Rodrigo García
Cast: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Brendan Gleeson, Aaron Johnson, Pauline Collins

Win Fullmetal Alchemist Movie 2: The Sacred Star of Milos On DVD

Alchemist brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric return in a second movie-length addition to the massively popular Fullmetal Alchemist franchise. Spectacular battles and plot twists abound as the siblings are plunged into a high octane steampunk adventure, complete with runaway trains, rampaging werewolves, forbidden rituals and a deadly new villain.

Fullmetal Alchemist Movie 2: The Sacred Star of Milos (Manga Entertainment) comes to DVD and Blu-ray 3rd September!

Pursuit of a dangerous criminal with devastating alchemical powers takes Ed. and Al. Elric to Table City, a remote location on the border of Amestris and neighbouring Creta. There the brothers rescue a young alchemist named Julia Crichton from the clutches of their mysterious quarry, only to find themselves embroiled in a sinister story of corruption, rebellion, murder and betrayal.

Julia is the leader of the Black Bats, a resistance group fighting for the rights of the ancient Milos race, who have been forced out of Table City to live in the slums of the Milos Valley. With her people oppressed by Amestris and Creta alike, the strong-willed teen resolves to win their freedom by harnessing the energy of the Philosopher’s Stone. However, Julia isn’t the only one who wants to wield the artefact’s enormous power…

We have A of Fullmetal Alchemist Movie 2: The Sacred Star Of Milos On DVD, to enter Please answer the following question:

Q.What Is The Name of The city The Black Cats Are forced out?

1.Table City
2.Chair City
3.Cat City

Deadline:Sunday 23rd September 2012 (2359hrs)  Send your answer, name, address, postcode and the answer to 25+25x5=  to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com Must be 15 years or over to enter

Terms and Conditions

• This prize is non-transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only
  The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Manga UK  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,Manga UK  employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Manga UK
• If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead.
• The Prize is to win Fullmetal Alchemist Movie 2: The Sacred Star of Milos On DVD 1 DVD
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline September 16th, 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 15  and over 
• Unless Stated Please  Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them and if you include your telephone number Cinehouse and The People’s Movies are not responsible for the security of the number.
• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• 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.

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

That Obscure Object of Desire Blu-Ray Review

★★★★★

That Obscure Object of Desire was Luis Buñuel’s last film in 1977 after a very long career. His career started in 1929 with the classic surrealistic short film Un Chien Andalou. That Obscure… was one of his most critically successful films where it got nominated for numerous awards including a Oscar noms for “Best Foreign Language Film” and “Best Adapted Screenplay”. It stars Fernando Rey who worked frequently with Buñuel during the 60s and 70s. It was also based on the novel “The Women and the Puppet” by Pierre Louÿs which has been adapted many times to film, That Obscure… was the 5^th and final to date.

It tells the story of a middle age wealthy French man Mathieu (Fernando Way) and meets Conchita (played by both Carole Bouquet AND Ángela Molina). They start a dysfunctional romance to say the least against the backdrop of terrorist bombings in France and Spain. The film starts with Mathieu getting on a train, Conchita is running towards the train and he pays a train worker to get a bucket of water and he dumps it on her and he believes their relationship is finished but she sneaks on.

Mathieu meets a group of people a midget, a friend of cousin, a mother and her daughter on the train. He tells them his’ story of their extremely complicated relationship.  The flashbacks consist of Mathieu trying to screw Conchita (who claims to be a Virgin) and failing miserably by escalating absurd reasons why they can’t have sex and the reasons and at one point she wears a pair of tightly laced canvas shorts to protect her groin region.

The film as always expected with Buñuel is a wonderfully twisted satire on the Bourgeoisie, Religion, Sex and Politics. It’s rip roaringly funny as places and one of the most astute films on the games women play on men. Fernando Ray is great even though his lines are actually dubbed by Michael Piccoli but his sense of being madly in love, frustration and despair is obvious despite this. Carole Bouquet and Ángela Molina are also great as Conchita, the beautiful but totally wicked girl of his dreams.

The film is also one of his least surreal films. However it’s got very subtle surrealist touches such as the randomness of a dwarf in Michael’s train cabin, the use of 2 actresses, a woman carrying a pig like a baby.

It’s a wonderfully twisted end of the career of one cinema’s true artists and originals. It may not be the best starting point for a new person to Buñuel (something like The Exterminating Angel would be more fitting). I think any man can relate to the Mathieu and it’s a true classic at this point. It has been recently reissued as part of the StudioCanal collection on Blu-Ray.

Ian Schultz

Rating:18
Re-release Blu-Ray: 10th September 2012 (UK)
Directed by:Luis Buñuel
Cast: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Julien Bertheau, 

OI Dead Geezer, Cockneys VS Zombies Invading UK Home Releas This October

STUDIOCANAL are ‘eaven and ‘ell chuffed to announce that ‘orror comedy ‘Cockneys vs Zombies’ will be available on DVD & Blu-Ray from 29th October.

Cockneys vs Zombies follows a group of plucky cousins as they try to rob a bank to save their grandparents care home from developers. Little do they know, whilst they’re cleaning out the vault, zombies as cleaning up the east end and shuffling towards Bow Bells’ care home with an appetite for OAPs.

Starring a host of Britain’s finest acting talent including; Honor Blackman (Goldfinger, ‘The Avengers’, Bridget Jones’s Diary), Rasmus Hardiker (Starter for 10, I Want Candy, ‘Saxondale’), Harry Treadaway (Fish Tank, Control), Michelle Ryan (4.3.2.1, ‘Bionic Woman’), Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas (4.3.2.1, Shank), Jack Doolan (Cemetery Junction, ‘The Green Green Grass’) and Alan Ford (Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). Cockneys vs. Zombies is written by James Moran ('Torchwood', Severance) and directed by Partizan's Matthias Hoene.

Cockneys vs. Zombies is a new breed of zombie adventure filled with equal edge-of-your-seat-tension and rocking-in-your-seat-with-laughter moments. If you ever wanted to see how a zimmer frame could turn into a lethal weapon, pick up Cockneys vs. Zombies on DVD or Blu-Ray on 29th October 2012, released by STUDIOCANAL.

When you’re robbing a bank, a zombie invasion makes things a lot harder.

As contractors at an East London building site unlock a 350 year old vault of seriously hungry zombies, our hapless team of wanna-be bank robbers are in the wrong place at the right time. Katy (Michelle Ryan), Andy (Harry Treadaway), Terry (Rasmus Hardiker) and bank robbing “experts” Mental Mickey (Ashley 'Bashy' Thomas) and Davey Tuppence (Jack Doolan) find themselves the unlikely heroes of a zombie attack.

Equipped with all the guns and ammo they can carry, it’s up to the gang to save not only their grandparents but the East End from Zombie-Armageddon. When it’s the living vs. the undead... it’s Cockneys vs. Zombies.

Cockneys Vs. Zombies stars Harry Treadaway, Michelle Ryan, Rasmus Hardiker, Ashley Thomas, Georgia King, Jack Doolan, Honor Blackman,Alan Ford, Richard Briers and Dudley Sutton

Available Extras – DVD &Blu-Ray

Behind the Scenes: - The Maguire Brothers – 4’ 35’’
- The Bank Robbery – 3’ 25’’
- The Care Home – 3’
- At The Docks – 2’ 50’’
- Special Effects – 3’ 40’
- The Filmmakers – 5’
- Andy TV – 1’ 30’’

Zombie School - 4’ 09’’

Trailer - 2’ 20’’

Cockneys Vs Zombies Will be released by Studiocanal in UK&Ireland, October 29th, read our review here

Watch Horror Channel UK's Horror Bites September Edition

It's been a while since we've shown you a ’Horror Bites with Emily Booth’ – a monthly round-up of previews, exclusive interviews, movie clips & trailers plus the latest news of what is premiering on Horror Channel. 

September is a beastly mix of sinful Satanism, evil embryos and frightful fairytales, including the World SINema season featuring Guillermo Del Toro’s The Devils Backbone, Italian Exorcist “homage” The Antichrist, and the little-seen French horror Baby Blood. September also sees the Horror Channel premieres of Breadcrumbs and Botched; along with an eclectic mix of world horror including Link from the USA, Holocaust 2000 from Italy and Night Drive from South Africa! Plus this month see The Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard takes over the channel for Director’s Night on 27th September – with An American Werewolf in London, Hellraiser and The Stepfather…

A big thanks to our friends at Blogomatic3000 who bring us this edition and we like to extend that thanks to the Blogomatic 3000 guys  for helping us out with Film4 Frightfest 13th reviews

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

[Rec] Invades Twitter Universe with 'Rec Twitter Theatre'

Last Friday, 24th August 2012, the long-awaited and highly anticipated third instalment of the planned four-part saga has finally arrived and, boy, was it worth the wait, [Rec]3:Genesis. To celebrate the release of the third movie - Genesis, a seven hour epic world first twitter-based theatre performance will take place as infected discs of the film find their victims!

People will be able to follow this using the Hashtag #RECvirus


The show starts at 12pm UK time today Saturday 1st September.

Our Friends  at Fetch Publicity  responsible for the film's promotion  kicked off the events at their offices where the person who mailed out the infected discs out to the reviewers  met a grisly end leading to this web-wide appeal:

On a serious note fans of the Rec films will love this event which is about to start anytime , lots of fun and we've been told lots of great twists too.

In the third movie - Genesis - (out now in UK cinemas and out on UK DVD and Blu-ray Monday 3rd September) the virus spreads out of the original building to a wedding - what we didn't reckon on was it spreading to the Fetch offices and resulting in this hideous incident!Scott our resident Horror writer has reviewed the film, you can read his review here. Here at Cinehouse & The People's Movies HQ are concerned about Scott who hasn't been seen since he reviewed the film but we've been hearing of mass panic in Scott's hometown of Edinburgh.

We're appealing to anyone who got a disc not to touch them - the girl in the video was the one who did the mailing and now unconfirmed reports of similar outbreaks after the screening of the film in London at Frightfest last week.

'The Tall Man' Trailer

Back in 2008 French director Pascal Laugier proved just how miserable and degrading horror can be. His grimy psych-horror Martyrs gave a lot of us nightmares and made us pretty happy with the upbringing we had. This year he unleashes his next feature The Tall Man starring Jessica Biel. Anticipation is high and early reviews rave about this chilling drama cum horror…

In a slowly dying mining town, children are vanishing without a trace , allegedly abducted by a mysterious figure known as “The Tall Man.” Town nurse Julia Denning (Biel) seems skeptical until her young son David disappears in the middle of night. Frantic to rescue the boy, Julia lives every parent’s darkest nightmare in this twisting, shock-around-each-corner thriller. 

Port Of Shadows (Le quai des brumes) Blu-Ray Review

★★★★★

Port of Shadows (Le Quai Des Brumes) is a film directed by Marcel Carné is 1930 It stars well-known early French actor Jean Gabin, who was best for his collaborations with Jean Renoir and Carné. The film shares it's cinematic town Le Havere with the recent of the same name. It's also one of the many predecessors to film noir like The Petrified Forest, M, Pépé le Moko (who also starred Gabin). It is perhaps the most grey film eer made, I don't mean that just cause it's black and white but the whole colour palette is very high contrast grey with very little black.

The film tells the story of an army deserter Jean (Jean Gabin) who hitchhikes to the port town of Le Have. He meets a drunk on his first night in town and takes him to a dive bar on the edge of the shipyard. He meets a girl Nelly (Michèle Morgan) and a dog. Her ex lover goes missing, Jean and Nelly hook up, they have to deal with her creepy godfather oh and there are some gangsters as well.

It’s one of the key films of the French poetic realism movement of the mid 30s to early 40s along with other legendary filmmakers like Jean Vigo and the previously mentioned Jean Renoir. It was very much the link between German Expressionism and the Film Noir of the 1940s and 1950s but was equally influences on the French New Wave and the earlier Italian Neorealism. I’m a much bigger fan of poetic realism than the more common socio-realism, which is very prevalent in British cinema. It’s all very much studio based and much more it’s aesthetically concerned then a amazing story, they stories all rather simple. They also tend to share a world-weary view of the world, which is clearly influential on the characters in British film noir.

The film is filmed in glorious high contrast grey film stock, which is so foggy but in a beautiful way, it’s spellbinding. Jean Gabin is totally wonderful in the film, as is Michèle Morgan. It also features the best performance by a dog (Sorry The Artist). Carné uses really effective metaphor of a ship in a bottle to symbolize the characters sense of entrapment. It was actually criticized by government officials as helping the Nazis beat France because of it’s negativity towards the state and the morals of the French Character.

Overall, it’s a wonderful influential piece of proto-noir, which should be seen and cherished. It has been recently reissued by StudioCanal on blu-ray and dvd and is certainly worth tracking down. 

Ian Schultz

Rating:PG
Re Release Date: 10th September 2012 (UK)
Directed by:Marcel Carné
Cast:Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan, Pierre Brasseur

Gore goes global as Horror Channel serves up A World SINema Season

Gore goes global as Horror Channel serves up three slices of sinful celluloid in its World SINema Season – three premieres that highlight taboo, terror and blasphemy

Fridays at 22:55 from 7 Sept, 2012

 

The season kicks off on Friday Sept 7, 22:55 with THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE (2001) from Spanish Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Torro.  Beautifully shot and immensely creepy the film explores two different types of horror – the very real horror of war and the exploration of horror experienced through a child’s eyes (Carlos), one of ghost’s and the supernatural.

Guillermo has stated this is his favourite work so far, and was a 16 year labour of love. It was influenced by early memories of seeing his uncle come back as a ghost and the creepy spectre that appears to Carlos was based on the pale faced ghosts in Japanese horrors like The Ring.

Next up on Friday Sept 14, 22:55 is THE ANTICHRIST (1974), which delves dangerously deep into the blasphemous aspects of demonic possession.

Ippolita, a young woman wheelchair-bound and sexually frustrated, finds herself under the spell of Satan himself when she becomes victim to an ancestral curse of witchcraft and possession. She starts seducing local men, only to kill them and an exorcism seems to be the only solution to stop the madness

The controversial Satanic orgy scene will certainly have a few tongues wagging with its implication of bestiality

The last in the season on Fri Sept 21, 22:55, is one of the most absurd, gruesome French horrors ever made – BABY BLOOD (1990)

Yanka, a young circus performer, is pregnant but morning sickness and fat ankles are the least of her problems when a new leopard from Africa is delivered to the circus – a beautiful beast hiding a hideous creature within.

And as the months progress, Yanka suffers from an overpowering appetite... for blood. Or rather, her unborn baby is screaming for it. And she is forced to kill and kill again…

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138

 www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

 

Frightfest 2012: Sinister Review

The “found footage” flick. Possibly the most derided genre of horror, even more so than the slasher movie these days. With film after film seeing light of day via DVD you’d think found footage films are heading for burn out. But then along comes Sinister. Playing on the “found footage” conceit, the movie is however less a found footage film than a film about found footage. If Paranormal Activity and Insidious captured the imaginations of cinema audiences everywhere then Sinister is surely set to do the same. With a similar “found footage meets haunted house” premise to the aforementioned films, the movie tells the story of true-crime writer Ellison who, desperate to repeat the success of his earlier work, moves his family into a home where a horrific quadruple homicide took place (footage of which opens the film in a stunning fashion). Of course Ellison doesn’t tell his wife and kids the truth about their new home, however it doesn’t take too long for them to find out… Discovering a box of ‘home movies’ in the attic, Ellison spins the Super 8 reels, sitting stunned as the gruesome murder footage plays out. As he comes to realise that the murder he is investigating goes a lot further than just his house, he also realises the toll his investigation may take on his family. When it comes to horror movies everything has already been done, from slasher movies to found footage films there really is nothing new under the sun. So it takes a lot for any new movie to feel refreshing and new. Thankfully Sinister is one such film. Directed by Scott Derrickson, who was responsible for the better than average The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister is a masterpiece film-making; not only playing on genre tropes but using them to spectacular effect. From the grindhouse style Super 8 footage of the grisly murders, to the creepy haunted house bangs and bumps, we’ve seen it all before but here it works – so much so that it made even this horror fan jump out of his seat a couple of times! Best of all the script, by director Derrickson and film critic C. Robert Cargill (aka Massawyrm from Ain’t It Cool News), doesn’t treat the audience like idiots. Characters spout lines that the audience are thinking and just when the events reach a terrifying crescendo Ellison moves his family out of the house! If you’ve ever seen a haunted house film you’ll know the feeling of shouting at the screen, almost begging the characters to movie out – here they do. It’s a very small thing but it’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the nuances found in the films fantastic script. Ethan Hawke gives an astonishingly strong performance as crime writer Ellison, a man whose behaviour is less than exemplary. He lies (and keeps lying) to his family about the house; he lies about why, as his family falls apart, he is really forcing them to stay; and he lies to himself about his real motivations – money and fame rather than trying to solve the crime. However despite all that Hawke manages to imbue Ellison with a likeability – after all deep down he’s a man who’s only trying to provide for his family the way he knows how. Hawke’s performance also goes a long way to convince the audience of the believability of the more supernatural aspects of Sinister. Speaking of which, the films “villain” Mr. Boogie, is on the surface yet another stereotypical movie boogeyman but between the skillful way in which the character is revealed, and later his true ideology, the cliche of a “boogeyman” can quickly been forgiven. Especially given the movies stunning final twist… Sinister really is one of the best, and scariest, American horror films I’ve seen in years. Someone give Derrickson and Cargill the greenlight to make another – I’ll be first in the queue. This was a review by Phil at Blogomatic3000 Rating:15 UK Release Date: 28th August 2012 (Frightfest) 5th October 2012 (UK&Irish cinema release) Directed by:Scott Derrickson Cast:Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Clare Foley, Juliet Rylance,

Frightfest 2012: Paura 3D

The second film from the Manetti Brothers’ whose The Arrival of Wang played Frightfest Glasgow and is scheduled as part of the Re-Discovery Screen at London Frightfest 2012, Paura 3D (literally translated as Fear 3D) is billed as a 3D thrill ride into terror and whilst the film has its moments (no matter how minor), it cannot compare to the sheer brilliance of the Manetti’s sci-fi opus Wang.

Paura 3D tells the story of mechanic Ale, who after overhearing a conversation between a wealthy customer and the garage owner, takes his best friends, Simone and Marco on a trip to the wealthy owners Rome villa intent on having a wild weekend in his luxury mansion. Bored after raiding the fridge, swimming in the pool and playing video games one of the trio decides to explore the house, never expecting what he finds in the basement…

Lensed in 3D, but loosing nothing in 2D, Paura is a strange film. Filled with a sleazy atmosphere, the film embraces all that is exploitation – extreme examples of sex, violence and gore – only it does so in a way that doesn’t allow the audience to connect with the film. There’s no emotional investment in any of the characters, least of all the three leads who are an unlikeable bunch and the script is less than stellar. The films only saving grace IS the exploitation aspects, which are nothing we haven’t seen before a hundred times and after a while even those run out of steam, leaving a film that feels shallow and uninteresting. The complete antithesis of The Arrival of Wang.

Personally it was hard to watch Paura 3D and not be a little disappointed. After loving the Manetti Brothers’ sci-fi flick, seeing them produce something so generic and so dated (this is the type of film both Italy and the US were churning out during the slasher movie fad of the 80s), is heartbreaking. Here’s hoping the brothers Manetti find their mojo again for their next genre film…

This was a review by Phil from Blogomatic3000

Rating:18
UK Release Date: 25th August 2012 (Frightfest)
Directed by: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti
Cast: Francesca Cuttica, Peppe Servillo, Lorenzo Pedrotti, Domenico Diele, Claudio Di Biagio

Frightfest 2012: Errors Of The Human Body Review

The debut feature from screenwriter Eron Sheean, who was responsible for penning The Divide for Xavier Gens (which also starred Michael Eklund), Errors of the Human Bodyis a film that belies genre-specific categorisation. Part Michael Crichton medical thriller, part David Cronenberg body-horror, with a hint of the classic Frankenstein, it’s both a challenging and intriguing film – although it is not without its faults. The film follows Canadian scientist Dr Geoff Burton (Eklund) who takes up a position at a scientific institute in Dresden, Germany, with the intention of continuing his research into random embryonic abnormalities – research borne out of a personal tragedy (the death of his infant son) that has haunted him for years. Hooking up with his former intern, Dr Rebekka Fiedler, now one of the top researchers at the institute, Burton becomes fascinated by her research into a regeneration gene, one that could have possibly saved his son. But it’s not only Dr. Burton who’s interested in her research as he finds out when he spies the mysterious and creepy Jarek (Lemarquis) using her formula on the mice in his basement ‘mouse house’. Racked by guilt over his son and fixated on Jarek, sure he’s plotting something nefarious, Burton steals one of the lab mice to run his own tests. However when his experimentation goes wrong and he’s bitten by the mouse, Dr. Burton becomes convinced he’s become infected, a human test subject for Jarek’s modified regeneration gene, and he might not be wrong… Errors of the Human Body couldn’t be more timely. Playing on the fears of genetic modification and stem cell research, the film is a dark, often bleak, look behind the curtain of science, showing the true price of medical breakthroughs – doctors pushed to the brink, experimentation that many would say borders on the inhumane, and the possible future consequences of (medical) success. These themes, whilst central to the film, run parallel with the very human story of Dr. Burton, whose life and deeds have made him a broken man. Thankfully Eron Sheean cast the perfect actor for Dr. Burton in Michael Eklund. One of the best character actors working today (you’ll know the face even if you don’t know the name), it looks like Eklund really threw himself into the role of Burton and his commitment really gives the character a believability and an emotional resonance that grounds the film come it’s almost fantastical conclusion. The film is not without its problems however. With an over-long running time, Errors of the Human Body suffers from too many endings and a third act that drags out the action to almost a snails pace. I understand that writer/director Sheean wants to show the gradual breakdown, both physical and mental, of Dr. Burton but that could have been achieved without a ridiculously long montage of him running through Dresden. However despite the films issues, with Errors of the Human Body Sheean has managed to craft an interesting, intelligent thriller that never panders to the audience, never gets bogged down in medical mumbo-jumbo, and best of all never stoops to the usual “science gone bad” style story we typically see from these types of genre film. For that he must be applauded. This Was a review from Phil at Blogomatic3000 Rating:18 UK Release Date: 27th August 2012 (Frightfest) Directed by: Eron Sheean Cast: Michael Eklund, Karoline Herfurth, Tómas Lemarquis, Rik Mayall, Ulrich Meinecke

Dark Mirror Review

★☆☆☆☆

In more skilful hands Pablo Proenza’s Dark Mirror could have come off as an average haunted house story,

but loose direction and some seriously messy writing cement this feature as total low-end nonsense. The story has potential on paper but the real problem comes from an accumulation of bad features that quickly turn the viewer against the film. The plot seems basic and hap-hazard, the story falls frequently into soap opera, the acting isn’t too good, effects look cheap, and the story fails at making us care one jot about anyone involved. Overall the film looks and runs like your least favourite episode of Goosebumps. The story starts as a Seattle family finally choose a house in South California to their liking,Debbie (Lisa Vidal) is drawn to the house due to its bizarre windows and the fact an artist lived there before them. Slowly, the house begins to reveal a mysterious side as people connected to Lisa disappear and she notices a hooded figure following her everywhere she goes.

The look of the film is a major issue. It frequently lets itself down through some cheesy camera movements that make it seem like the product of clumsy hands. Don't be fooled by the poster, the film never once achieves a dark tone as strong as that. And unfortunately the duff vibe of the film seems to rub off on Vidal who dances between some pretty good moments and some God-awful ones. Admittedly any punchy scenes come in the last twenty minutes which are by far the most interesting of the piece.The finale seems almost a separate film, enjoying a good pace and some genuine thrills, still, bad editing and some plain silly nonsensical actions result in a mixed bag of an ending A few interesting undeveloped ideas are skimmed past, but too few to rescue what, for the most part, is a disjointed and joyless affair.

SCOTT CLARK

UK Rating:15
Release Date: 3rd September 2012
Directed by:Pablo Proenza

Cast: Lisa Vidal, David Chisum, Lupe Ontiveros, Christine Lakin

Frightfest 2012: Tulpa 3D Review

Tul-pa (from the Tibetan): meaning a magically produced illusion or creation. The concept of a being or object which is created through sheer discipline alone. It is a materialized thought that has taken physical form.

Italian rock star turned director Federico Zampaglione made a splash in 2009 when his first film Shadow played to a packed audience at London’s Frightfest. Returning some three years later and after teasing the film at Frightfest Glasgow earlier this year, Zampaglione unleashed Tulpa on an eager and willing audience. Word of mouth had built the film up to be one of the must-see films of Saturday, and I for one wasn’t disappointed.

The film tells the story of businesswoman Lisa Boeri: she has a good job, she’s well respected and at the top of her career but she keeps a secret. By night she goes to a seedy club named Tulpa, owned by a guru who teaches her his bizarre esoteric philosophy on finding spiritual and psychological freedom by having anonymous sex with complete strangers.However Lisa finds out her sex club partners are all being murdered in horrible ways one-by-one by a black-gloved killer who seems out to destroy her life. But Lisa can’t talk to the police for fear of revealing her secret and ruining her career, so she has to unmask the anonymous assassin herself…

Taking the tropes of 70s giallo and updating them for a modern audience, Tulpa is an odd, yet fun, mix of the familiar and the new. Adding copious amounts of sex (much more than many of the giallo of the Italian cinema heyday) and not holding back on the violence, Zampaglione throws in a little supernatural edge in the form of Tibetan mysticism to create a neo-giallo that would make even Dario Argento jealous.

Packed with some of the countries biggest stars, including Claudia Gerini in the lead role, Tulpa marks the return of the giallo to the forefront of the Italy’s cinematic output. And from the gloved maniac’s first kill to the final reveal Tulpa is both a nostalgic look back at a now much-maligned genre and a bold statement on its future. All writ large on the screen by a director who has an obvious love for the genre and the talent to see it through.

This was a review by Phil at Blogomatic3000
Rating: 18
UK Release date: 26th August 2012 (Frightfest)
Directed by: Federico Zampaglione
Cast:: Nuot Arquint, Laurence Belgrave, Michela Cescon, Michele Placido

Frightfest 2012: V/H/S Review

★★★★1/2

Found footage horror, V/H/S has completely revitalised a played-out, repetitive style of filmmaking with six chilling anthology tales. Ti West (House of The Devil), Glenn McQuaid ((I Sell The Dead) and Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way To Die) are just three of the directors to contribute to this chilling anthology.

V/H/S opens with a group of criminals assaulting young women and vandalising property. They are hired by an anonymous client to break into an abandoned house and obtain a mysterious video tape. The group begin to work their way through a series of terrifying tapes, each revealing a different short film.

V/H/S manages to fuse so many horror sub-genres together in an innovative and chilling manner, capturing all that fans love in the genre. However, this is not clear from the shaky onset, where teenagers victimise young women, whilst filmed on a handheld camera - it was a struggle to engage with this. As these young men break into the abandoned house and the horror starts, director, Adam Wingard completely pulls it together. This over-arching story is just as tense and disturbing as any of the segments that it flawlessly seems together.

The first segment from David Bruckner (The Signal) entitled Amateur Night follows three college freshmen with video recording spy glasses, hoping to pick up some easy girls and make a sex tape. However, one of the girls who has been brought back's behaviour is a little troubling. This chilling short film is thoroughly well developed, with some completely unexpected and unsettling gory twists.

This is followed by Ti West's Second Honeymoon, a tale of a loving couple staying at an isolated Texas motel whilst on vacation. However, when a creepy young woman starts banging on the door things take a shocking turn. West's short tackles the idea of home invasion, with the intruder filming the sleeping victims on their own handheld camera, showcasing a disturbing twist on handheld camera norms.

The third short, Glenn McQuaid's Tuesday The 17th follows four teens venturing into the woods, where gruesome murders previously took place. This may read like the traditional Friday The 13th teens in the wood style slasher, but McQuaid's killer is created with a completely innovative twist.

Joe Swanberg's The Strange Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger proves to well-crafted, suspenseful ride. Swanberg's tale follows the Skype conversations of a couple, terrorised by ghosts. As a viewer we are thrust into dark, grainy rooms left to scan for the source of terror.

My personal favourite segment, 10/31/98 by collaborative group called Radio Silence proves to be a spectacularly crafted and completely unsettling piece of filmmaking. It follows four men looking for a Halloween party - they end up at a creaky old house with some macabre practices going on in the attic. Radio Silence allow the house to completely come alive, with walls moving and doors disappearing - it is a true visual feast of terror, fusing elements of The Amityville Horror with Rosemary's Baby.

V/H/S is a sure fire treat for horror fans, bringing a much needed spark of energy to the handheld camera style of filmmaking. Each segment is flawlessly crafted and diverse enough to maintain your interest for the near two hour run time. I would go as far to say that it is the strongest horror film of 2012.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Calvin Reeder, Joe Swanberg ,Jas Sams  
Directors: Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg , Radio Silence Release: 25th August 2012 (Frightfest)

Frightfest 2012 - Sleep Tight Review

Director Jaume Balagueró flies solo with Sleep Tight, a film that – like his most famous effort – once again takes place in a apartment building, however this time his film has more in common with the classic cinema of Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski than the modern zombie horror of Balagueró’s [REC].

Sleep Tight follows Cesar (Tosar), the quiet, helpful and polite concierge of an apartment block in Barcelona. However his polite exterior hides something much more… sinister. Relishing in tormenting Veronica, an old lady who lives all alone in her apartment surrounded by her pets and at odds with one of the buildings younger tenants, Cesar spends most of his days plotting against Clara, a happy-go-lucky young woman with whom he has an unhealthy obsession. An obsession that, as the film progresses, gets crueler and deadlier.

It’s clear to see why many have already dubbed this the Spanish equivalent of a Hitchcock flick. Sleep Tight feels very much like the maestro of horror’s Psycho, with Spanish superstar Luis Tosar seemingly channeling Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates. The film also has shades of Polanski’s early work, in particular Repulsion and, of course, The Tenant. It’s a credit to director Jaume Balagueró that whilst it is set in yet another apartment block, Sleep Tight looks and feels light years away from [REC], yet imbues the same creepy atmosphere.

Like the aforementioned classics of the genre, Sleep Tight succeeds thanks to the performance of its central actor, in this case leading man Luis Tosar. A Spanish acting superstar, Tosar is best know outside of his home country for Miami Vice, the Michael Mann helmed remake of the 80s TV show. Here he gives nothing away in his role as Cesar, playing his emotions and his motivations close to his chest until the films story, and Cesar’s plans for Clara, spiral out of control. At first Balagueró would have us think that Cesar is taking out his frustrations at being lonely on the tenants in his building, but it isn’t until the films stunning, and I do mean stunning, conclusion, that Cesar’s motivations become clear… The pursuit of happiness.

Whilst many a thriller such as this would have a forgone conclusion (after all any movie psycho should get his comeuppance right?), Sleep Tight breaks with convention with a conclusion that offers an explanation for everything that has come before and brought a wry smile to my face. And whilst genre films typically have you rooting for the put-upon heroine, Balagueró reverses genre conventions leaving you happy that Cesar accomplishes his goal. It’s an odd feeling rooting for the films psycho come the films denouement but at the same time a refreshing one – both Balagueró and Tosar must be commended for such an achievement.

A complex, gripping, and in the end unpredictable, thriller that manages, in a genre almost defined by cliche, to shock and surprise, Sleep Tight is yet another sure-fire hit from Jaume Balagueró, proving that Hitchcock’s spirit is still alive and kicking in European cinema.

This Was A review by Phil at Blogomatic3000

Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 26th August 2012 (Frightfest)
Directed By: Jaume Balagueró
Cast: Luis Tosar, Marta Etura, Alberto San Juan, Petra Martínez

Frightfest 2012 – Nightmare Factory Review

In 1989 Greg Nicotero quit medical school and headed for Hollywood to pursue a dream of making monsters. Together with splatter maestros Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman, Nicotero created the KNB EFX Group. Nightmare Factory is the story of KNB and in particular Greg Nicotero – from humble beginnings, to the rockstar excesses of their fame in the 80s, to today where they known and respected as one of the most prolific make-up effects studios in the world.

From the humourous, yet affectionate, look at Troll 2 with Best Worst Movie, to the decade spanning, in-depth story of the Nightmare on Elm Street series with Never Sleep Again, the horror documentary, a small but growing sub-genre that is steadily becoming one of the most interesting aspects of both the documentary and horror genres. Nightmare Factory is the latest to come along, detailing the story of Greg Nicotero and KNB EFX, from the early days of films such as Intruder and Evil Dead 2 to today, where they provide body after body for AMC’s The Walking Dead – and everything (dodgy mullets included) in between.

Primarily a set of talking head pieces with some of the genres biggest, and most respected names – including George A Romero, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Darabont and Robert Rodriguez – Nightmare Factory is a fascinating look at not only KNB, but also at the ever-changing world of special effects – from early prosthetics and model work, to the CGI-laden FX of today. It also goes into great detail about how KNB’s remit has changed. No longer are they just the go-to guys for gore-strewn horror movies, they now provide make-up effects for some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.

Despite offering an insight into the SFX process and the creation of KNB, you can’t help thinking that Nightmare Factory is little more than a promotional puff-piece, a show-reel for those not aware of KNB rather than a detailed look at one of the most respected effects companies in the world… Still it’s a welcome addition to the genre and is a great watch for fans (myself included) of monster and gore effects.

This was a review by Phil of Blogomatic 3000 

Rating:N/C
UK Release Date: 25th August 2012 (Frightfest)
Directed By: Donna Davies
Cast: Gabriel Bartalos, Howard Berger , Steve Biodrowski, Frank Darabont, John Carpenter

Berberian Sound Studio Review

★★★1/2

Director, Peter Strickland (Katalin Varga) presents us with the truly unsettling look at the power of sound in his latest feature, the Toby Jones lead, Berberian Sound Studio – which makes its world premiere at this years’ Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Set in the 1970s, Berberian Sound Studio follows British sound technician, Gilderoy, as he works in Italy on a gruesome horror film. Soon Gilderoy’s work on this dark feature slowly begins to bleed into his everyday life.

Berberian Sound Studio is certainly not a horror film, instead more of a psychological thriller reminiscent of Hammer Films “Mini-Hitchcocks”. This completely absorbing and brooding drama manages to be unsettling, rather than scary. Strickland’s direction immediately emphasises a sense of foreboding, with the distinctive use of the sounds created in the studio capturing Gilderoy’s troubling mental state.

The vibrant and unsettling power of the sound is so strong, that we never see any of the imagery linked to this gruesome horror film (apart from its blood red opening titles) it is simply talked about, yet seeing these sounds created still has a sinister impact. Who knew hacking a watermelon or smashing some courgettes on ground could have such a chilling impact.

Berberian Sound Studio is at its best when capturing the changing mental state of Gilderoy – most notably one frantic, dream-like sequence where the technician’s life blurs with the Italian horror film as he believes there is an intruder in his apartment. Jones performance is terrifically understated, managing to capture both his initial coyness to his more extreme infuriation whilst working on the project. For an actor, that is traditionally cast in supporting roles, Jones proves to be equally impressive in a leading role.

Unfortunately, a utterly confusing and unnecessary twist ending spoils the foreboding and impact so carefully established throughout Berberian Sound Studio. This extreme twist is not given the build-up that it deserves only working as a method of shocking the viewer, but lacking any clear explanation or clarity. It marks a disappointing end to an otherwise well-crafted piece of cinema.

For the most part, Berberian Sound Studio is a unsettling, brooding psychological horror, boasting a magnificent turn from Toby Jones. The well-crafted narrative and powerful sound use are unfortunately spoilt by an over-ambitious twist ending.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Toby Jones, Tonia Sotiropoulou , Cosimo Fusco
Director: Peter Strickland
Release: 26th August 2012 (Frightfest) August 31st, 2012 (UK)

Win Truth Or Dare On DVD

Cine-Britannia today have released the new terrifying thriller Truth Or Dare on Blu-ray and DVD starring David Oakes (The Borgias), Jason Maza (Anuvahood), Jennie Jacques (Shank), Jack Gordon (Panic Button), Florence Hall (Jonathan Creek), Liam Boyle (Shameless) and Alexander Vlahos (Merlin). To celebrate the film's release we have 3 copies of the film to give away on DVD.

Five teenage friends are taken hostage by a vengeful psychopath and forced to play a party game with life-or-death consequences.

TRUTH: A group of college friends celebrate the end of term with a party to end all parties. Drink, drugs and sex flow in equal measure as everyone lets loose. As the focus shifts to playing a seemingly harmless game of Truth or Dare it leads to humiliation and pain for one lonely geek.

 DARE: A year later the four friends are reunited as they are invited to a birthday party at a grand stately home. They realize very quickly that this is a party where the guests are definitely not welcome. In a bid for vengeance all are forced to play a sickening and gruesome game of Truth or Dare, where a Dare may well equal death. Sex, lies and murder are all unravelled as the game hurls the group toward a final, fatal twist.

To win a copy of Truth Or Dare on DVD please answer the following question:

Q.Truth&Dare actor Jack Gordon starred  in another hitman thriller with a satanic twist  which was released this month, name that film?

Send your answer, name, address, postcode only to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com .Deadline for competition is Sunday 16th September, 2012 (2359hrs)

Terms and Conditions

• This prize is non-transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only
  The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Cine Britannia  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,Cine Britannia  employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Cine Britanna
• If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead.
• The Prize is to win Truth or Dare  part 3 DVDs
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline September 16th, 2012 (2359hrs)
• Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
• If the above form fails please email answer, name address postcode only plus any other instructions to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com
• 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 and contacted by email
• 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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