Preview: SCREEN

Alright TOP fans, I have a teaser trailer for you to see today. SCREEN

This is a horror, thriller film by David Paul Baker. You all know I love a good thriller, but I am bit of a chicken when it comes to horrors. However, I saw his first film: Mission X (2009) recently and really liked it (review to follow soon). So, I am pushing the chicken in me aside and watching SCREEN. (If you would like to view this film, go to the website and see how to there.)

  

Click on the Mission X link to view preview and film. It's a great preview - doesn't show too much, YAY!!

I would like people to know a bit more about this filmmaker. He is creating movies from very small budgets, using crowdfunding, not going a Hollywood route and has a drive that will inspire anyone who has a dream. Here is something I just found, an episode of a doc web series, from the filmmaker on YouTube that will explain a little bit more about how he created his first couple of films.

Enjoy!

Attack the Block

Directed (and written) by Joe Cornish, Studio Canal, 2011.

Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker,  Alex Esmail,  Luke Treadway, and Nick Frost.

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi.

Question: Have you ever walked down a dark street only run into a bunch of hoodlums and hope they aren't about to mug you? You think, "Why aren't they home, doing their homework, or playing video games?"

Hoodlums? Did I really just use that expression? Holy cow, I am getting old. Anyway, I will admit when I see a group of teenage boys hanging around on a corner, in a park or such, I automatically think they are up to no good. I don't base this on any experience of my own, but I think it's just inbred into us as we grow up - to think the younger generations are just going to make mistakes when in a pack.

With that all said, the boys in Attack the Block are hoodlums that do attack innocent people and make the mistakes you think they will, however, if all hell breaks look you will WANT to want them by yourside. Did I just lose you all? Sorry, my vagueness rises again. But it's a must to keep you all in the dark about the story on this one...and it's just what I do in my reviews, right?

Anyway, Attack the Block is a British film that I believe is destined to become a cult-classic. Why do I say that? Well, just look at the genre categories this movie falls under. It's a perfect recipe. And if my 12 year-old son was older, I know he would love this film, but I am not showing it to him for a few more years: lots of bad language, blood, violence and humor that will go over his head. (I know, I am such a mom.) However, I guarantee this will be on his list to see as soon as he catches a whiff of it. It was practically made for him (and his generation).

So, here's the gist of the tale: A group of British teenagers, living in South London, with nothing better to do hangout on their neighborhood block. They make a mistake and there's payback. Drugs, guns/swords and lots of bad language are strewn throughout the story. Aliens are involved. Okay, that's it, no more details. However, if you are parent of a teenage boy, you may never trust what your son tells you again when they call you to tell you what they are up to or why they are late if you see this film.

Except for Nick Frost, Simon Pegg's best bud, I didn't recognize any of the actors in Attack the Block, but they all did a fantastic job at taking this irreverent tale and making it completely believable. So, have fun watching this film; I surely did.

My favorite thing: The two youngest boys. They had me in the giggles.

My least favorite thing: That sometimes I couldn't understand all the British slang.

Rating: R
Length: 88 minutes

Review: 9 out of 10

Click on film post below to buy the DVD or watch on Instant View:

Dog Soldiers

Directed (and written) by Neil Marshall, Kismet Entertainment Group, 2002.

Starring: Kevin McKidd, Sean Pertwee, Emma Cleasby and Liam Cunningham.

Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller.

Question: Do you remember the days when you hung out with your friends in the woods with toy guns creating wartime combat scenarios? The plot-line was usually the same but sometimes a friend or two would throw in some super powers they suddenly obtained or they became a fantastical creature that came out of nowhere. Oh, those were the days!

Okay, did I just lose half of my readers? Yes, ladies, this might not be what you did growing up, but when my older brother would allow it, I would jump right in and play along ready to "kill" the next bad guy. Although I was always bummed I could never make the machine gun noises no matter how hard I tried, I still had a blast pretending I was in the middle of a war or fighting off some creature(s). So, when someone suggested, and I finally watched, Dog Soldiers I was immediately thrown back to my 10 year-old inner child.

Honestly, as I was watching Dog Soldiers I kept thinking the film-maker (Neil Marshall) must have never let go of his childhood imagination. His film is about 5-6 British soldiers on a practice mission who run into werewolves that apparently can't die even when shot multiple times with semi-automatic guns.

As usual I don't want to go into much detail about this film - this is a thriller, of sorts. I will say there is a little overacting, some poorly-written dialogue and some over-the-top plot points; however, I think that was all intentional. So you must have a sense of humor while watching Dog Soldiers. It is definitely a B film that had me howling with laughter at certain scenes, covering my eyes over some of 'blood and guts' violence and rolling my eyes at some of the innuendoes.

Also, if you are unfamiliar with British slang, I suggest you click here - this is something I JUST discovered and it might help translate some of the sayings in this movie. A few of the phrases you might not know: 'Big girl's blouse', 'taking the piss', toffee-nosed'. These are used in Dog Soliders, along with a few others, but I'll let you discover what they mean on your own.

If any ladies stuck around for the rest of the review, I can tell you the lead actor in this, Kevin McKidd, is from Grey's Anatomy. So if you have a thing for Dr. Hunt, you might want to watch Dog Soldiers - just don't tell your boyfriend or husband why, but they would probably be too shocked to ask anyway.

This is the perfect movie for the next level of what young-in's like to do in groups: watch cult-like, horror films (that usually scare their little sisters who still want to be a part of the group). So once you've grown out of the 'play outdoors phase', might I suggest Dog Soldiers. However, this is rated R - so if you are under age, please ask your parents, kiddos.

My favorite thing: That I wasn't all that scared watching a horror.

My least favorite thing: Watching some of the gore.

Rating: R
Length: 105 minutes

Review: 5 out of 10

Click on film poster to purchase or view instantly:

Insidious

Directed by James Wan, Film District, 2011.

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye and Barbara Hershey.

Genre: Horror, Thriller.

Question: How many times do you watch a movie, expect it to be scary and then it does not live up to it's expectations? Well, for me - not that often because horror movies really scare me without really having to try all that hard. But I watched Insidious tonight and it started out good (scary) and then sort of waded into the ridiculous.

My son decided one day he wanted to watch a scary movie and being the fantastic mother I am, I at first freaked out, because I am a big wimp when it comes to the horror genre, I complied. Then I asked him which movie he would like to see (secretly hoping it wasn't too scary). "Insidious. My friends keep talking about it and how much they liked it." My thoughts were not good ones only because my son's friends are 12 years-old who appear to handle the scare factor okay, unlike moi.

Insidious started out really well, as scary movies go. There was little dialogue and not a ton of overly scary music playing which made the story more plausible. The family, who had just moved into their new home, portrayed a "real" family. A mother of three, who stays home and works on her music when she can, and a husband who at first appears caring and kind. The mother, played by Rose Byrne, did a good job showing what it is really like to be a mom - hair up, no make-up, kids needs come first and when any time is left over - time for herself. And more importantly, she is home all day long and multitasking: cooking, cleaning, unpacking, organizing, taking care of the children, etc...and then soon witness to odd happenings.

The house starts to show signs of a haunting, simply and subtly at first. This is where 'this' mother started to get pretty scared (and pathetic). By this point my son is also scared but we struggled on-wards with the story.

Noises in the house increase, items move on their own and a glimpse or two of a ghost pops up just to make my heart beat faster. Then one of the children in the house slips into a coma, and I am intrigued with where the film-makers are taking the story. Although soon after there is more dialogue and something shifts. I found the cadence or the rhythm of the acting falter, and even thought it was bad at a point or two. But I brushed that aside because what worked in the beginning came back: lack of talking, more bumps in the night and an increase of sudden glimpses of more ghosts. Then there is another shift as the story unfolds more.

Slowly I started to recall a film that scared the bejesus out of me when I was 12 years-old: Poltergeist. By the middle of the story it was very hard to NOT compare this movie to the haunted house classic. There weren't any clowns, or fuzzy TV screens or scary looking children-eating trees, but when a woman and her crew show up at the house to discover and document the activity and why the son was in a coma, it was virtually impossible not to see a connection. This is where the movie lost me and I found the rest of the story insincere. I was no longer terrified but bored. It did have a twist at the end but even that didn't scare me.

So, what did I learn here today? Well, it's hard to create a horror story that is really scary, and that perhaps I am not a big chicken after all. Go ahead and rent Insidious because I do think the first half was good just don't expect greatness in the second half. Although one scene actually made me scream out loud suddenly. The editor of this film was brilliant in their way of increasing the scare factor in this film.

My favorite part: That's hard to say since this was a horror - but the editing was really well done.

My least favorite part: That I was almost forced to make a comparison to another movie.

Rating: PG-13
Length: 103 minutes

Review: 4 out of 10

P.S. Alright I have to confess one thing. I said Insidious was not all that scary while watching. However, when I went to bed, after writing the majority of this review, I had a sudden memory of one of the scary elements.Then I realized I AM a chicken as I remembered the light switch was 12 feet away and I was too scared to get out of bed to turn it on.

Click on film poster below to watch films:
 

Preview: The Cabin in the Woods

I know what you are thinking, "Why is she posting a horror movie preview?" To be honest with you, I am not quite sure. I haven't written a review in a few days and I went looking for another film to watch this week. This film popped out - okay, Chris Hemsworth is in....and I was..ummm...curious. However, as I was watching the preview I actually became interested in this - well, somewhat...you'll see.

Will I see this film?  It's 50/50 right now, but I do realize a lot of you guys like horror films and Joss Whedon wrote the screenplay. Don't know who he is? Well, he wrote the screenplays for Toy Story, Serenity and Speed. Not a bad resume. Plus, the other screenwriter is also the director on this film: Drew Goddard. He directed Cloverfield. Due out in April 2012.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Movie review: Cabin in the Woods