12 May 2014
DVD Review - Birth of the Living Dead (2013)
Genre:
Documentary
Distributor:
Solo Media
DVD Release Date:
12th May 2014 (uk)
Rating: 15
Running Time:
76 Minutes
Director:
Rob Kuhns
Cast:
George A.Romero, Gale Ann Hurd, Larry Fessenden, William Hinzman
For any horror fans well versed in their history, Rob Kuhns Night of the Living Dead expose Birth of the Living Dead, will probably come off as a little basic. For anyone mildly interested in the film or its cultural context, the film could be potentially intriguing, though never altogether fascinating. Energetic perhaps, but never fascinating.
The story of Romero’s infamous guerrilla-shoot is recalled by a host of interviewees; producers, academics, horror filmmakers (the wonderful Larry Fessenden), and Romero himself who appears extensively to chuckle and lovingly gibber about his crew. Granted Kuhns utilises archive footage excellently and quotes rigorously from interesting sources, the late Roger Ebert’s surprisingly dismissive review for instance, but something’s missing here. Apart from Romero, there’s few original crew members and fewer celebrity appearances, but perhaps this is all in the name of guerrilla film-making since what self-respecting underdog needs the involvement of the mainstream horror genre? That aside, it would have been lovely to see a few more familiar faces.
Kuhns goes to great lengths to prove the cultural validity of Night of the Living Dead by exploring the political climate of the late 60’s. Here lies one of the strongest elements of the documentary: extensive use of vintage news footage and interviews is blended with footage from Night to highlight how part of the 60’s zeitgeist Night really is. In examining how the collapse of faith in the American government came about and how Romero critically engaged with it, Kuhns’ primary objective appears to be validating Night as a cultural artifact ranked with the likes of Easy Rider. Which he achieves gloriously, but seems to carry on reiterating rather than engaging with.
Lovingly crafted, informative, but eventually slow, Birth of the Living Dead misses out on some great opportunities to expand on the legacy of George A. Romero’s zombie masterpiece. It does however prove what a miracle the film is in production terms, and serves as a gushing testament to the spirit of Independent film-making.
Scott Clark
11 May 2014
10 May 2014
4 May 2014
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30 April 2014
29 April 2014
28 April 2014
27 April 2014
26 April 2014
Chew On (your brain) The Trailer for Zombie Fight Club
Your first rule is don't talk about the Fight Club, that's The Zombie Fight Club most of all you must abide to rule two watch the film's first wacky trailer.
It's surprising with the amount of cult films there's been in cinematic history there hasn't been more films as parodist as this one but today we will break some rules. The Taiwanese director behind this one is Joe Chien the man behind the awful Zombie108 so you may approach this with caution however he does have a few better actors behind this one.This essentially action fighters vs zombies so having Hong Kong stars Phillip Ng and Andy On in he cast the road for the film feels a bit more positive with more solid production.
It has all the underground traits from a fight club, b-movie frolics but will it follow suit like Zombie 108 or will you question why do On and Ng still starring in flicks like this? It must be on a good way it's playing at next month's Cannes (though probably on the market strand to get a distributor!).
Zombie Fight Club also Terrence Yin, Michael Wong.
Synopsis
It’s the end of the century at a corner of the city in a building riddled with crime... Everyone in the building has turned into zombies. After Jenny’s boyfriend is killed in a zombie attack, she faces the challenge of surviving in the face of adversity. In order to stay alive, she struggles with Andy to flee danger. After the chaos has broken out, the originally kind and warmhearted chemistry teacher is now the zombie leader and has transformed into a cruel, vicious, and selfish character.
Violent activists match prisoners against zombies in a malicious killing game; the good side of humanity has seemingly all but vanished. Now that all order is lost, how will humans create a new century? A world of uncertainty awaits: The end? Hope? Or Death?
source: DeadCentral
25 April 2014
A Decade of French Film
French film will always be considered as the most stylish and influential of the cinematic cannon. In the late 50s through to the 60s Hollywood took note from the iconic and artistic films of the French New Wave, which taught America how to be simultaneously intellectually engaging, politically provocative and visually beautiful. While the popularity of this movement later began to fade and be parodied as something pretentious and dated, French Cinema in the 21st century has hit back by proving itself to be continually innovative, boasting a mix of both French and Hollywood influences whilst retaining its commitment to home grown talent.
To celebrate the release of the latest French import ‘The Informant’ from director Julien Leclercq (A Prophet) we take a look at some of the most popular French films to grace our cinema screens for the past ten years.
THE INFORMANT in cinemas from Today Friday 25th April 2014.
The Informant (2014)
An intense thriller based on true events that tells the tale of one man’s attempt to stay alive while caught between both sides of the law. The film’s excellent cast led by a captivating Gilles Lellouche ensures the plot is character driven without unnecessary melodramatics. The Informant sees Leclercq stay true to his subtle French style whilst also creating a Hollywood thrill ride, perfectly blending drama and reality to build tension throughout.Juene et Jolie (2013)
A critically acclaimed French drama that follows the emotionally complex Isabelle as she explores her burgeoning sexuality via the world of high end prostitution with varying levels of consequence. Marine Vacth’s subtle performance as Isabelle was universally praised, showcasing the new young talent coming out of France.
Amour (2012)
This heart wrenching drama starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva sees Austrian director Michael Haneke tell the story of an elderly French couple’s struggle after Anne (Riva) suffers a stroke and becomes paralysed. The film takes on the heavy topics of ageing and death to create a moving and inspiring piece of cinema that is carried by the impressive talent of its leading cast.The Artist (2011)
The Artist recreated the magic of early French Cinema in this playful and inventive film which was considered both a crowd pleaser and an incredible piece of film-making. The black and white silent romantic-comedy takes place in Hollywood during the Golden Age of cinema where a love story between two stars is compromised by the rise of ‘talkie’ films which are replacing silent cinema. The film’s use of an old cinema style to stunning effect meant it became the first French film to win an Academy award and also saw Jean Dujardi pick up the award for Best Actor. (The Artist is on BBC2 Sunday, 27th April, 9pm)March of the Penguins (2005)
This 2005 French-nature documentary was a surprise global hit and showed the diversity and originality of what French cinema had to offer. The film depicts the yearly journey of the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica and was praised for its cinematography and the subtle political and social commentary that runs throughout. While some of the international versions varied from the original narration and sound track, the heart-warming story at the core of the film appealed to audiences worldwide.
24 April 2014
Sundance London 2014 Review - They Came Together (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
Get Trapped In Special 'Bunker' Screening Of Day Of The Dead Friday & Bunker 6 25th April
Arrow Video has a very special treat in store for lovers of the macabre this FRIDAY, 25th April .They are teaming up with SCI-FI-LONDON festival to present an evening of ghoulish delight, featuring the UK premiere of Canadian chiller BUNKER 6 alongside a screening of the underground-set zombie classic DAY OF THE DEAD! But that’s not the really scary part – in keeping with the bunker theme, the entire evening will unfold within the creepy confines of a genuine World War II bunker in Dalston, North East London. Have you got the guts to descend into the dark, dank recesses below the streets of the capital and face your gravest fears? And, assuming you make it that far, will you be able to hold onto those guts of yours when you encounter the flesh-hungry living dead which lurk deep in the bunker’s bowels???
The special screening will start at 6.30pm The nearest tube station the Overground station at Dalston Kingsland, then head to Abbot Street (E8 3DP).....Buy your tickets here
Bunker 6 Trailer
Day Of The Dead Trailer
You can also read more info on Bunker 6 here.
23 April 2014
Films set in Lisbon
After The Night (Ate Ver A Luz) is a striking indie gangster story set in the gritty slums of Lisbon and is out in UK cinemas and VoD from the 25th April.
A visually striking film, it accurately shows Lisbon’s diverse culture, people and surroundings and climbs inside the world of Lisbon’s Creole slums.
We take a look back at a cinematic history of films set in Lisbon…
AFTER THE NIGHT (Ate Ver Luz; 2013; Basil Da Cunha)
An outcast living a solitary nocturnal life with an iguana named Dragon as his only friend, Sombra wanders around in the Creole slums of Lisbon as he is looking for cash to pay back the local gang boss. Dragged into an armed robbery, he runs away and is chased until the early hours of the day.
After The Night is out in cinemas and VoD from the 25th April (watch at I-Tunes)
A TALKING PICTURE (Um Filme Falado; 2004; Manoel de Oliveira)
For some thought-provoking, for others dull – this movie reveals the encounters of a mother and daughter on a Mediterranean cruise. John Malkovich is the captain.IN VANDA'S ROOM (No Quarto da Vanda; 2000; Pedro Costa)
This award-winning, warts-and-all documentary/fiction provides a close-up of the lives of Cape Verdean slum dwellers and drug addicts in Lisbon’s deprived Fontainhas district.THE LETTER (A Carta; 1999; Manoel de Oliveira)
Passion, futile love, adultery, tragedy, piety… It's all in this Oliveira classic that won the Jury prize at Cannes.THE NINTH GATE (1999; Roman Polanski)
Stars Jonny Depp as a rare book dealer seeking out a supernatural demon text. In the course of his travels around Europe through France and Spain, to track down the authentic copy of the book for his client, he visits Sintra in Portugal. It's a picturesque area of Portugal just outside Lisbon with plenty of atmospheric hilltop palaces and castles.Depp visits Chalet Biester with its turreted outline tucked into lush green woodland exuding mystery.
BONES (Ossos; 1997; Pedro Costa)
A grim and gripping tale of life in the slums on the outskirts of Lisbon, dealing with poverty, suicide and the struggle of love and death.LISBON STORY (Viagem a Lisboa; 1994; Wim Wenders)
Inventive and beautifully photographed, this German drama follows director Monrow on his quest to finish a silent film in Lisbon. Stars Portuguese band Madredeus and a cameo by Manoel de Oliveira.THE WINTER IN LISBON (El Invierno en Lisboa; 1992; Jose Antonio Zorrilla)
This crime drama is about a disillusioned US jazz pianist who fl ees to Lisbon where he befriends an artist. The film stars famous trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie.After The Night is out in cinemas and on VoD from the 25th April
21 April 2014
18 April 2014
16 April 2014
13 April 2014
11 April 2014
Film Review - The Raid 2 (2014)
Genre:
Action, Thriller, World Cinema
Distributor:
eOne UK
Release Date:
11th April 2014 (UK)
Rating: 18
Director:
Gareth Huw Evans
Cast:
Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Yayan Ruhian, Alex Abbad, Tio Pakusodewo, Arifin Putra
Could Lighting really strike twice? In 2011 no could a little unknown independent Indonesian action film with a Welsh director creating such a buzz, a buzz that created such a critical storm it wasn't until it reached British shores (Glasgow Film 4 Frightfest) we could truly see why it was such a special film. That film was The Raid, 2014 The Raid 2 has arrived and whatever you do do not hold an umbrella as lightning has struck again.
The Raid 2 starts a couple of hours after the first film, our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) finds himself reluctantly going undercover again.Thrown deep into the lion's den into the centre of an feuding gang war but also closer to the heart of the corruption back undercover this time in prison and to slip into the trust of Uco (Arifin Putra) the son of the mafia boss Bangun (Tio Pakusodewo) he's trying to infiltrate. He saves Uco from certain death during a massive mud brawl in jail which earn's the trust of the son and the father becoming one of the gang's trusted enforcers. What started as an operation of several months spans into something even longer Rama starts to gain even more trust from those around him but also slipping deeper into the gang's underbelly most of all a threat to his life and his family.
Your first impressions is how can a 95 minute first film have a sequel that clocks in at just under 2 hours 30 minutes? The running time may put off some folks stick with it as it's the quickest (&;best) two and half hours you'll experience, bodies will hit the floor, baseball bats will swing .Leonard Nimoy will regret not getting that hammer he sang about as it will be hammer time. Gareth Evans has masterfully created a film that's action packed and dramatic at the same time with that healthy dose of drama that's not too similar too vintage Hong Kong ala John Woo a little bit of Beat Takashi too.Evans has given the characters a voice, a narrative which maybe still at a basic level giving our hero a reason to deliver a beatdown.
The Raid 2 is a rare commodity that actually exceeds the original film, a sequel that's actually better than it's predecessor.In what The Raid lacked in plot made it up with a blood fueled bruising ride, The Raid 2 delivers a more balanced visceral experience if anything this doesn't really feel like a sequel but more a individual film in it's own right but also complimenting each other perfectly. Evans has created his very own Internal Affairs, shifting the film's genre boundaries this doesn't mean the action has been toned down, far from it, if anything it's crazier. This change gives it even more scope and depth, the set pieces are bigger, bloodier, more ambitious, you will be picking your jaw off the cinema floor or even clapping.
The Raid was a lesson on how to deliver a quality film with a near nil budget, The Raid 2 is the testament to that type of film making. With a few tweaks, tricks of the trade you can easily make a film feel a million dollars, even Hollywood will be watching these guys on how to do it. The Kineticism of the camera work captures, every punch, slice even break with great freciousity, the directors imagination runs wild as he invites you deep into his world, a world of pure coregraphed action ballet. There is several scenes that back this, from the mud pool prison yard fight with 40 plus prisoners swimming and slamming in the mud. The extraordinary car chase that put's film's greatest ever chases(French Connection, Drive) to shame to steal the crown and how many car chases do you know that have full on fist fights in a fully speeding car? One, The Raid 2.If there is one scene that will stand tall in any classic Martial Arts/action masterpiece is the film's end scene Kitchen fight. This is a scene that even Bruce Lee would be proud to be involved. I don't know many films I've been to where the scene ends with a round of applause from the viewing audience, a true testament to the immense athleticism of all the actors involved.
A host of new characters deliver some fresh impotence to the film. Bejo (Alex Abbad)the cane walking repulsive psychopath who brings imbalance amongst gangs fragile relationship. But it's Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle) who steals the show with a character that looks like a character that's just walked off the set of a Tarantino film. She is a decorous psychopath and when she finally confront's Rama it's as if the setting was like a scene straight out Oldboy on the set of Only God Forgives, she's not alone Baseball Bat man(Very Tri Yulisman) who has a mean swing and the nerve to ask his victims to throw the ball back. The whole set up is perfect even those old faces from the first film can comeback as new ones, such as Yayan Ruhian (aka Mad Dog) who plays Prakoso a vagabond one time enforcer for Bangun who faces his own destiny like Rama.
The Raid 2 maybe longer, multi-layered dialogue driven slow burner, but it's also the best 2 1/2 of visceral action fun you'll see this year. Grab a popcorn leave your brain at home and let your senses be assaulted from every angle that's (in)humanely possible. The action is unflinching brutal, spleen ripping bone crushing entertainment, unlike like it's predecessor you will have just witness the new blueprint for future action films.
Paul Devine
10 April 2014
9 April 2014
7 April 2014
6 April 2014
5 April 2014
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