Saturday, February 27, 2016

'71

Year: 2014
Genre: Action thriller
Director: Yann Demange


Plot: A young British soldier is left behind by his unit during the Belfast riots in 1971.


The gist: '71 brings to mind films like Behind Enemy Lines and the recent No Escape, both starring Owen Wilson. All three stories present a protagonist trapped in hostile territory who must survive until they can be rescued or find their own way out.

This story is set in 1971 when Ireland was in chaos due to the feud between Protestants and Catholics. Gary Hook is a young British soldier who is sent to Belfast with his unit to assist the police in searching the neighborhood for weapons. Things get ugly real quick when the people there don't take too kindly to their presence and start a confrontation, and in the mayhem that ensues, Hook gets left behind as his unit flees the scene. He is forced to keep running and avoid getting caught or killed by IRA loyalists, with a little help from a few good Belfast citizens.

French director Yann Demange makes his first major film here and does a great job. Like No Escape, '71 has plenty of suspenseful moments and unflinching violence, which is always welcome.


The good: Jack O'Connell puts in a strong performance as Gary Hook. Demange deserves credit for keeping the pace tight and the suspense continuous. Two standout scenes include a foot chase at the beginning and a cat and mouse style sequence at an apartment building in the final 30 minutes.

The bad: The film ends a bit abruptly without certain characters' motivations explained, almost as if there will be a sequel of some kind, but unlikely as the subject matter doesn't quite qualify it to have one.


Verdict: '71 is a pretty good action movie. If you loved No Escape, you would love this too. (7/10)    

Friday, February 26, 2016

Afflicted

Year: 2013
Genre: Found footage horror
Directors: Derek Lee & Clif Prowse


Plot: Two best friends go on a trip around the world while documenting their experience. However their journey takes a sinister turn when one of them suddenly manifests vampire-like powers.


The gist: The found footage genre may be a tired and overused gimmick, but every now and then, a film of its kind rises up and manages to deliver solid entertainment. As Above, So Below is one such example. Now we can add Afflicted as well.

Derek and Clif are two best buds who go on a trip around the world, despite the fact that Derek has a medical condition that may kill him. All goes well as they vacation in France, until Derek meets a girl who spends the night with him, then leaves him with minor injuries and no memory of what happened. Next thing you know, Derek is sensitive to sunlight, projectile vomits food he eats, develops super abilities like strength and speed, and craves for human blood. How long will it take before he goes out of control? And what can he and Clif do about it?

Derek Lee and Clif Prowse wrote, directed and starred in their own film, which gives the two a natural chemistry with each other, and certainly helps the film a lot.


The good: Lee and Prowse are convincing in their roles, with Lee standing out as the guy who is desperate to find answers to his condition. I also liked the special effects used to film the action sequences, which is the best thing about this film. Also, by attaching cameras to their bodies while filming certainly helps in not having to explain why it's rolling while shit is going down, and it eliminates nearly all the shaky cam effects.

The bad: Most of the jump scares are quite predictable, and the closing credit scene was very much expected. But not to fear, the film overall is highly thrilling, and that's what counts.


Verdict: A found footage film worth checking out, especially if you're looking for something a little different. (7/10)

Monday, February 22, 2016

The Loft

Year: 2014
Genre: Mystery thriller
Director: Erik Van Looy


Plot: Five men share a loft where they can take their respective mistresses to without their wives' knowledge. Trouble begins when they find a dead woman in the loft one morning, prompting them to suspect one another of murder.


The gist: The Loft is a remake of the original Belgian film of the same name, also directed by Erik van Looy and also starring Matthias Schoenaerts. Another interesting fact is that the film has been on the shelf since 2011 and only released four years later.

So we have five guys: Vincent (Karl Urban), Luke (Wentworth Miller), Chris (James Marsden), Marty (Eric Stonestreet) and Philip (Schoenaerts), who share a loft, where they can cheat on their wives behind their backs. There are only five keys to the place, one for each of them. So one morning, they discover a dead woman in the loft, a writing in blood on the bed, and lots of questions. Which one of them is responsible for this?

Van Looy slowly unravels his story by using flashbacks, each revealing a secret about the men. He successfully keeps the viewers guessing till the end, though the film is clearly flawed.


The good: The many twists and turns are actually quite decent, as I couldn't figure out who it was till the end. There are no solid performances here but at the very least, Rachael Taylor and Isabel Lucas are so gorgeous to look at, that is if you're a male.

The bad: The climax, which is connected to the opening scene, was poorly executed. A shame really, since the film was good up to that point. Another thing is the fact that you won't be rooting for anyone here because none of them are worth it. All five men are deplorable in their own way, though James Marsden's character is the most sympathetic one.


Verdict: The Loft is a decent thriller, no more no less. If you have some time to kill, you can give it a shot. (6/10)

Saturday, February 20, 2016

The Hurt Locker

Year: 2008
Genre: War drama
Director: Kathryn Bigelow


Plot: A film about an army bomb squad stationed in Iraq in 2004.


The gist: Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar winning war film was marketed as a war action movie, but Black Hawk Down this is not.

While The Hurt Locker has its fair share of tense moments, it isn't a high octane action flick you'd be led to believe. The story focuses on a bomb squad stationed in Baghdad in 2004, who has just lost their leader in an explosion. His replacement, Sgt. James, is a daredevil type guy who doesn't play by the book, much to the chagrin of his partner Sgt. Sanborn.

The film presents the three-man squad's experiences in handling situations involving all kinds of bombs, and how it affects them personally. 


The good: Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie are solid in their respective roles as James and Sanborn. Renner is convincing enough as the devil-may-care type while Mackie shines as the regular Joe who just wants to make it home in one piece. Kudos goes to Bigelow for successfully creating tension whenever a bomb is in the picture.

The bad: A few things either don't add up or seem unnecessary. For instance, how is it that James and Sanborn have sniper skills if they're in bomb defusing? And why create the subplot about James' friendship with an Iraqi boy that ultimately leads nowhere? But more importantly, the film doesn't have a proper focal point as most war films do, thereby making this film drag whenever it strays away from bomb situations.


Verdict: The Hurt Locker is a solid drama with plenty of tension. It's watchable but certainly not the best of its genre. (7/10)

Monday, February 8, 2016

Beyond The Reach

Year: 2014
Genre: Thriller
Director: Jean-Baptiste Leonetti


Plot: A young desert guide and his client, a wealthy corporate shark play a dangerous game of cat and mouse after the latter accidentally kills a man.


The gist: On paper, this looks like it could work. But unfortunately there are more things wrong than right in this movie.

Here's the premise: Ben, a young desert guide takes John Madec, a rich corporate bigshot on a hunting trip in the Mojave desert. Madec is clearly the kind of guy that deals with money all the time and loves flaunting it, from the expensive truck he drives to the high powered rifle he carries, and isn't above paying any amount of dough to get things done.

He accidentally shoots a man during the trip, and momentarily manages to bribe Ben into burying the guy and keeping things quiet. But Ben's conscience gets the better of him and Madec decides to force the boy to walk into the desert without his clothes, hoping the heat will kill him. Ben has to use his own resourcefulness to survive while Madec follows him to make sure he dies.


The good: Michael Douglas is perfect as Madec, reminiscent of his Gordon Gecko character from Wall Street. Jeremy Irvine is good too as Ben. Also noteworthy is veteran actor Ronny Cox as the sheriff. Russell Carpenter's cinematography is also worth mentioning as he gives a nice view of the unforgiving desert.

The bad: The plot is the film's biggest problem. Why would Madec force the kid to run into the desert and wait for him to die instead of just killing him right there and burying him? It's a big desert, so making Ben disappear isn't too hard. Then there's the over the top ending, which looked like director Jean-Baptiste Leonetti had a handful of endings to use and didn't know which one to pick, so he went with all of them. Douglas' character was also written poorly. He first seems like a desperate man trying to fix a problem that will bury him, but towards the end of the film he starts to look like a psychopath. It's based on a novel so i don't know how the story really played out, but the screenplay for this film clearly has problems.


Verdict: It's another one of those films where it looked good in theory but just didn't work thanks to poor execution. Skip this if you can. (5/10)