Tuesday, July 7, 2015

All Is Lost

Year: 2013
Genre: Survival thriller
Director: J.C. Chandor


Plot: A resourceful sailor struggles to survive at sea after his boat collides with a shipping container and a storm arrives soon after.


The gist: All Is Lost is a neat little survival thriller that literally pits one man against Mother Nature.

Robert Redford plays a lone man out at sea who wakes up one morning to find his boat leaking badly after it collided with a shipping container floating aimlessly. He mends the boat, but then a huge storm blows in and his survival skills are tested to the limit.

Director J.C. Chandor, who also wrote the script, successfully keeps the film going smoothly despite almost not having any dialogue. Unlike most films of the same kind, Redford's sailor does not spend time talking to himself or contemplating God, loneliness and life. He just fights against the current and strives to survive, and it works. 


The good: Redford's screen presence certainly helps here. Points are also earned by the visual effects crew and cinematographer for a job well done in realistically displaying a disaster at sea.

The bad: You might not understand some of the things Redford's character does in order to survive, especially if you've never sailed before. There are also a few slow moments here and there, but no big deal.


Verdict: A solid survival movie that you can put on your shelf next to Gravity, Buried and Frozen. (7/10)

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Stonehearst Asylum

Year: 2014
Genre: Thriller
Director: Brad Anderson

Plot: Set at the turn of the 20th century, a young doctor arrives at a mysterious asylum looking for clinical experience but finds that nothing is what it seems.

The gist: Stonehearst Asylum turned out to be one quiet little thriller that flew under most people's radar.

The film follows one Dr Edward Newgate, who arrives at the mysterious asylum looking to practise psychiatry, only to discover that things there are far from what he expected. He takes a particular interest in Eliza Graves, one of the patients there, but has trouble in gaining her trust, while the other staff begin to look at him the wrong way.

Director Brad Anderson seems to excel at coming up with low key films that have great potential like The Machinist and Vanishing on 7th Street. For this film he succeeds in keeping the pace brisk and the story engaging enough right up to its final twist.


The good: Ben Kingsley excels once again at playing a sinister mental doctor here after Shutter Island. Jim Sturgess and Kate Beckinsale are convincing enough in the lead roles though they lack chemistry. The many twists and turns especially in the final third of the film is its main trump card.

The bad: Michael Caine is severely underused here but he owns every moment of his screen time. Same goes for Brendan Gleeson. There's also a character played by Sophie Kennedy Clark that is eliminated rather clumsily, which is baffling as it makes almost no impact to the plot.


Verdict: Stonehearst Asylum is a nice little surprise that deserves one watch, especially if you like films with a twist. (7/10)