Containment (2015)

Summary :
No water. No power. No explanation. No escape 

Genre : SF
Country : UK

Cast :
Lee Ross : Mark
Louise Brealey : Sally
Andrew Leung : Sergei

Director : Neil Mcenery-West

My Opinion   

“Are you an artist?
No.Yes.
It's debatable.”

In "Tower Block" a group of residents were gradually slaughtered by a sniper and although they didn't really knew each other, they started relying on each other to save themselves from that situation. In "The Divide" it was about survivors of a nuclear attack locked in a cellar ending up in a chaotic struggle for survival. In the low-budget film "Containment", residents of several apartment buildings suddenly realize that their apartment is sealed off, there's no electricity or water and phones are dead. Meanwhile, a sort of field hospital is being set up between the buildings and several figures in orange safety suits escort people to it. Initially, there's the notification that a gas leak is the cause of all this trouble. But as a group of residents witness plain executions of fleeing victims, they realize that there's something more going on.

A group consisting of Mark (Lee Ross), a not so successful artist with a failed marriage, the young couple Sally (Louise Brealey) and Aiden (William Postlethwaite), the aggressive Sergei (Andrew Leung) and his younger brother Nicu (Gabriel Senior) and a somewhat senile older woman called Enid (Sheila Reid), attempt to find a way out. After some thin cardboard-like walls were being demolished (especially by the energetic Sergei), these colorful individuals were able to form a group. A group of individuals who have no idea what's actually going on and who are also total strangers to one another. Soon they start to panic, despite there are messages broadcasted on the intercom that they all should remain calm. The images of hysterical neighbors who try to bash in their window and the aggressive removal of an entire family, clearly don't help with that. As a viewer you start asking yourself what the hell is going on. Is it something military? Or just another epidemic with a deadly virus in the leading role?

And to be honest, this was the most successful part of this indie film. The way the viewer is kept in the dark and information about the entire situation is offered in dribs and drabs. Granted, the whole thing isn't very original and sometimes really looks cheap. No breathtaking action scenes or hallucinatory special effects. The acting wasn't very impressive either. Only Leung was able to convince me, and acted at times really grandiose. And especially Sheila Reid stood out with her demure and brilliant acting. And occasionally the humor was rather enjoyable.

Despite the simple storyline and the typical features that come with this kind of film, Lemon succeeded to distance himself from the most obvious outcome. It's not just another film about a virus outbreak that turns innocent people into bloodthirsty zombies. The oppressive atmosphere  maintained in this short film (also a plus). However, again those typical characters appeared as usual. The most positive side about this movie was the bigger picture behind this seemingly simplistic story. A story without a clear answer and open to conjecture. Not exactly a feature I'm a fan of, but here it didn't bother me that much. What did bother me were some practical issues. First of all, I admire the team that managed to seal all those windows and doors in the buildings in such a short time. That must have been a hell of a job. And furthermore I was dumbfounded that no one came up with the idea to throw something heavy through the windows. It don't think this organization succeeded in replacing all that glass by shock resistant material.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Wyrmwood (2014)

Summary :
Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers and experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her and teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor - together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.

Genre : Horror
Country : Australia

Cast :
Jay Gallagher : Barry
Bianca Bradey : Brooke
Leon Burchill : Benny

Director : Kiah Roach-Turner

My Opinion  

“Oh shit, he wasn't a zombie?
No he fucking wasn't!
Is he alright? Is he ok?
His head is fucked!”

Are you sick of zombie movies? That´s understandable when you look at the amount of zombie movies that flooded the horror landscape recent years. There were some excellent movies that tried to handle the subject in a creative way like "Maggie", "World War Z" and "Dead Within". But most of what I´ve seen however, was plain bad and not really innovative. Instead those movies transformed me in a zombie-like appearance while watching at the screen in an empathic way. "Buck Wild" is an example of this. Is "Wyrmwood" groundbreaking? Nope. Is "Wyrmwood" different than other zombie films? No, actually not. Is it more shocking than other movies with those flesh-eating, bloodthirsty undead? No. The million-dollar question is : Is it worthwhile to watch it? And my resounding and enthusiastic answer to that is "YES". 

It´s not as if this subgenre is reinvented here, but this is a splatter film of the first rank. A rollercoaster through zombie land full of unrestrained gory scenes, ruthless massacres and with sometimes absurd and tasteful humorous contributions. All this taking place in the bushes of Australia: That´s why it feels like a version of "Mad Max" mixed with the "over the top" absurd, madcap humor of "Evil Dead 2". From the first second I knew this was going to be a storm flood of flying limbs and helpless victims brutally butchered by blood-soaked, slow moving creatures. The group of men who tried to drag a jeep inside at the beginning dressed as post apocalyptic warriors, looked as if they had played in "Mad Max: Fury Road". And the horde of zombies looked frightening (I was about to say "lifelike").

The part in Brooke's (Bianca Bradey) workshop wasn't so great, but from then on it only got better. Brooke is the sister of Barry (Jay Gallagher), who, after killing his turned wife and daughter in an inhuman way, is on a mission to rescue and save his sister out of the hands of a crazy scientist. Expect a splatterfest of exploding zombie heads and unabashedly tearing apart of bodies. And this interspersed with absurd, hilarious moments. The zombies are highly flammable and when properly installed they can be used to drive vehicles: This was an extremely inventive approach. And the gift Brooke has in the end to make life (uh, yeah) difficult for those damn zombies, was highly entertaining. I am convinced that those who have written this script, were amazed by the fact they could come up with stuff like that.

So, you are a huge fan of this type of film and you´re a little bit tired of the soft, romanticized approach? You certainly can´t skip this one. It has been a while since I saw such an energetic and enthusiastic homemade zombie flick. It's a low-budget movie and was made over a period of three years during the weekends. But it exudes passion. The only thing missing was a mad, bloodthirsty kangaroo. In my opinion, Australia is the new source of great horror films.

My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB

Standoff (2016)

Summary :
Carter, a troubled veteran, gets a chance at redemption by protecting a 12 year-old girl from an assassin  after she witnesses a murder. Holding a shotgun with a single shell, he engages in physical and psychological warfare in a desperate fight for the girl's life.

Genre : Thriller
Country : Canada

Cast :
Thomas Jane : Carter
Laurence Fishburne : Sade
Ella Ballentine : Bird

Director : Adam Alleca

My Opinion  

"Well, well, well.
That man knows his guns.
So do I.”

As I said in my review about the film "Weaponized" : "I have a weak spot for low-budget, straight to DVD, B-movies" and occasionally I discover "a piddling, unknown and unloved movie, which surpasses some blockbusters in terms of content and design". "Standoff" is such a movie. An unpretentious film with a straight forward script. The makers don't waste too much time and introduce practically immediately a deadly, accurate assassin (Laurence Fishburne), who turns a modest funeral into a bloody massacre without batting an eye. His appearance reminded me a little of "The Terminator". But this time with a jet-black balaclava.

The only thing this professional, routinized killer didn't take into account, is Bird (Ella Ballentine). A skinny, shy girl with a camera around her neck serving as protection against and a window at the unjust world, who unwittingly takes a snapshot of the face of the killer. What follows is a chase because the murderer wants to clean up this last witness at all cost. An isolated farmhouse owned by Carter (Thomas Jane), an ex-soldier full of self-pity and remorse trying to forget his grief using booze, is the endpoint. Remorse because of an unfortunate accident that happened to his son. As a result his wife also left him. Bird showing up there might probably be interpreted by Carter as an opportunity to show a sense of responsibility for once.

And before you know it, those two ex-military are in the grip of a standoff. Sade, the assassin with enough firepower, installs himself on the ground floor, while Carter and Bird entrench themselves upstairs, only armed with a "20-gauge shotgun" and only one shell. And so the psychological warfare between the two rivals can start with Bird at stake. There's no lengthy intro or a detailed explanation. Even the multiple assassination at the beginning isn't explained or elucidated. This is in fact of secondary importance. The story develops rapidly at the beginning. Within 10 minutes you are fully aware what situation both men are in. There's the possibility that from there on it could become boring, monotonous and slow. However, the opposite is true.

Sade tries in a verbal manner (and also in other ways) to persuade Carter to turn in Bird, while Carter guards the staircase. The subsequent dialogues between these two are on the one hand provocative and offensive. But on the other hand they are also psychologically thought through. Fishburne is clearly in his element as the unscrupulous villain. It was a pleasure to see him again in a leading role (it's at least more impressive than his roles in "The Signal" and "The Colony"). Jane surprised me and this shows that it wasn't his fault that his acting in "Vice" was worthless, but indeed, that film was quite appalling. Not to say utter crap. Here Jane plays a perfectly balanced role as a tormented heap of misery, full of despair and weariness of life, who transforms into a responsible savior. And finally an honorable mention for Ella Ballentine who did great.

Even though this "home invasion" film wasn't very original and the storyline was quite simple, it still managed to captivate me. And even though the end was kind of predictable, I still wondered how it would eventually end up anyway. An additional advantage was the short playing time which in turn led to a proper pace. All in all, a fascinating film. Yet another proof that films that take place exclusively in one particular location, can also be entertaining. At least I didn't need to fight against sleep, as those two guys.

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

Miss you already (2015)

Summary :
Milly and Jess have been best friends forever. They've shared everything since they were kids - secrets, clothes, laughs, substances, boyfriends... now they are trying to be grown-ups. Milly has a high-flying job and lives in a beautiful townhouse with husband Kit and their two kids. Jess is a town planner and she and her boyfriend Jago live on a bohemian houseboat on a London canal. Their friendship is as rock solid as ever. That is until Jess struggles to have a much longed-for baby and Milly finds out she has breast cancer. How do you share that?

Genre : Drama
Country : UK

Cast :
Drew Barrymore : Jess
Toni Collette : Milly
Paddy Considine : Jago
Dominic Cooper : Kit

Director : Catherine Hardwicke

My Opinion   

"How could the tumour have gotten so big?
It's aggressive, like you. Jesus.
Well, is it contained?
In my body, yes.
You should've gone back sooner.
Yeah, thanks. Hadn't figured that out. “

I'm not really a fan of tragicomic films with a terminal illness as a main topic. And yet I'm always impressed after accidentally watching such a movie. That was the case with "Philadelphia", starring the overwhelming Tom Hanks who was diagnosed with AIDS. In "Still Alice" Julianne Moore starred as the with Alzheimer stricken Alice. And not so long ago, I praised "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". Also "Miss you already" kept me captivated. Especially by the stunning interaction between the two protagonists Jess (Drew Barrymore) and Milly (Toni Collette). Two best friends who shared every milestone in their life with eachother. An inseparable duo. They know each other thoroughly. Both their negative and their positive sides. And they succeeded as actresses to give me that feeling that they really knew each other since their childhood. A bond they've created over the years whereby they intuitively know how the other feels, what she thinks and how she'll react. That's why there's this liberty to respond humorously to dramatic moments.

For me this was the main theme of this dramatic comedy. Even though tragedy hit Milly in a profound and poignant way, it's that undestroyable friendship that emerges every time. The two inseparable friends with each their own personal problems. Milly suffers from something she would be better off without. Jess and her husband are craving for something else. Milly wants to be cured from cancer. Jess has a desire to have children. Of course it's not so obvious to resolve both problems quickly. I was amazed about the fact that both ladies had a problem telling eachother about these major events, although they are so close friends and shared everything with each other. And still do. Weird.

Obviously this film will be regarded as a typical chick flick, with lots of unconstrained snivelling and sobbing. The themes are also women-related : giving birth (by the way, that scene was grossly exaggerated), best girlfriends for life, breast cancer, a disturbed positive self-image with the usual sexual problems afterwards. It also could have been the opposite, in my opinion. In such a way that the male portion of the world could relate to it. Two male protagonists and real "buddies for life". One of them has testicular cancer and the other one has spermatozoa of poor quality. Same concept. But with less giggles.

The only remark you could have about this film is that the obvious clichés, associated with these emotional issues, aren't avoided very well as in "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". The two protagonists were sublime, although for me Barrymore will always be that little girl who played along with "E.T.". Perhaps both husbands Jago (Paddy Considine) and Kit (Dominic Cooper) played a minor role, but nonetheless an important one. Especially Considine was brilliant with that sarcastic, dry humor he used sometimes. I never imagined that seeing how someone vomits in a salad bowl, because of chemotherapy, would be sinister and comical at the same time. "Miss you already" isn't exactly a light-hearted film and definitely isn't suitable as entertainment to kill (sorry) a Sunday afternoon, but it still made an overwhelming impression on me. And although I thought I knew how it would end, it still was different than I expected. Women! Always against the grain ...

My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB

Dementia (2015)

Summary :
After being diagnosed with Dementia, an elderly war veteran is forced by his estranged family to hire a live-in nurse, only to find she harbors a sinister secret.

Genre : Horror/Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Gene Jones : George Lockhart
Kristina Klebe : Michelle
Hassie Harrison : Shelby Lockhart

Director : Mike Testin

My Opinion  

“Keeping him calm, will keep him alive.”

Everything was there to turn this into a horrible and unnerving horror. How terrifying is it for someone who's helplessly caught in a life-threatening situation and knowing it's impossible to escape from. No possibility to ask someone for help. No ability to save yourself. Both because you are physically limited and there's someone who makes this impossible anyway. Films about forced imprisonment are countless. From "The seasoning house" and "Mysery" to "Room" recently. The reason of detention varies from film to film. You can't say this genre films is saturated. That's a bit exaggerated. Unfortunately the theme used in "Dementia", isn't really realistic sometimes. The fact that someone suffers from dementia and is trapped in his own psychological consciousness, is scarier than what is shown here.

Especially the acting of Gene Jones catches the eye. In a brilliant way he shows the various characteristics of George. On the one hand a surly man who carries a heavy burden of his past. The unbearable memories of his captivity where he was subjected to inhuman tortures. After he returned, this experience was the basis for his alcohol problem, which resulted in domestic violence and terror. On the other hand, we see the chastened former alcoholic, who tries to clear things up and rectify what he has done wrong in the past. There are timid attempts to restore the broken family band with his son Jerry (Peter Cilella) and he seeks a rapprochement as the father he wasn't. Also, he finally gets to know his granddaughter Shelby (Hassie Harrison), who knows nothing about her grandfather's past. Jones shows George's range of moods brilliantly. One moment we see an unruly wiseacre who's waving around with a shotgun. The next moment he reacts very aggressively because he doesn't recognize his granddaughter. But the moments George looks helpless and vulnerable, made the biggest impression.

 

But this is by far the most positive thing I could say about "Dementia". There is indeed a tense atmosphere at times but it's never really creepy or eerie so to speak. Michelle (Kristina Klebe) has a kind of schizophrenic personality and reacts fairly hysterical, but the predictability of the story undermines this a little bit. And there are also some facts that seem pretty stupid. The way Michelle is appointed, is completely ridiculous. I would never give a total stranger the task to take care of my father, even if I don't care much about him anymore due to his behavior in the past, without asking some information about this person. A simple inquiry at the hospital where she works, was enough. And when that person addresses me in a rude and aggressive way, I'd sack her promptly. Obviously George's past and the diagnosis of dementia counts against him.

The makers succeeded in putting the film on the screen in a solid way, by using for example the fuzzy images as a suggestion of George's mental state and the eerie flashbacks. This combined with the excellent acting, made sure it remained a fascinating film all in all. The only flaw here, is the fact that you can guess the outcome in about 30 minutes. Thus there's no need for guessing anymore. Or George's mental state really deteriorates and he could become a danger to his environment or Michelle has other sinister plans concerning this elderly man. Take your pick.
 

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Weaponized (2016)

Summary :
A damaged homicide detective must prevent a grieving father from unleashing a "robotic virus" that he believes will destroy the terrorist cell that murdered his son, but at an unimaginable cost. 

Genre : SF/Action
Country : USA

Cast :
Johnny Messner : Walker
Tom Sizemore : Kyle Norris
Mickey Rourke : Professor Peterson

Director : Timothy Woodward

My Opinion   

I got a simple answer for you, Detective.
John Kennedy once said, “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it."
"And the path that we'd never take, is to choose the path of surrender or submission.”

I have a weak spot for low-budget, straight to DVD, B-movies. Occasionally you'll come across such a piddling, unknown and unloved film, which surpasses some blockbusters in terms of content and design. But "Weaponized" is the first crap movie this year. I had a hard time watching it till the end. Actually everything is wrong in this monstrosity of a movie. There's absolutely no logic, performances are pitifully poor and the special effects are so bad it would be better they skipped it. This is an example that you realize afterwards that the idea wasn't so bad (even though it was used several times), but they screwed it up big time due to incompetence. I wonder why actors like Tom "Private Ryan" Sizemore and Mickey Rourke participated. For those two it's a sign on the wall.

It all starts with a terrorist attack on the Pentagon (with really awful special effects used on historical footage of the Pentagon). The son of Kyle Norris (Tom Sizemore), CEO of the company Black Sun, dies during this attack. This incident makes Kyle an avid supporter of the fight against terrorism. He wants to use the technology developed by his company, with the assistance of Clarence Peterson (Mickey Rourke), for this fight. This technique allows a soldier to briefly take over the consciousness of an opponent, so this person can eliminate himself and other terrorists. Subsequently it turns out this technology is being misused (who would have seen this one coming?) and it's time to bring in detective Mitch Walker (Johnny Messner) so he can save his family, humanity and the entire universe from a possible dictatorship. Intriguing, exciting and original? Nope!

It all sounds pretty Orwellian and the idea could have been the base of a vibrant, entertaining action-SF. What we get however, is a bland, uninspired, nugatory story, stuffed with hackneyed events, horribly choreographed action scenes set in a fake scenery. There was even at the beginning of the film a military vehicle that was made out of cardboard, according to me. The story is a mishmash of storylines, that were used already in several movies, linked together in a random way. It wouldn't surprise me that they have organized a raffle to pick any possible storyline and knit it all together. And what the heck was that tin robot doing there in the end? Firstly it looked terribly old-fashioned. Robots in "Robot Overlords" looked more high-tech compared to this. Secondly, the way it was eliminated, is too ridiculous for words. And why was it displayed in a prominent place on the poster, since it contributed absolutely nothing to the story?

I can be brief about the acting : painfully poor and extremely boring. Johnny Messner looks impressive when you look at him, but acting is his weakest side. Sizemore tries to be the bad guy, but this attempt was only partially successful. And I don't know where they dug up Rourke. He looked extinct and deathlike anyway. The most ridiculous part can be admired in the end. Despite they have to deal with a rather large organization that possesses a life-threatening, demonic weapon, the amount of troops rushing in at the denouement, is truly laughable. A collision with a pedestrian ensures that more police will show up. Luckily it was going towards the end of the movie, because the urge to throw a heavy object at my TV screen, grew rapidly.

Should you read somewhere "Weaponized" is an action-packed SF with a superb quality of images and sound effects, you can be sure that person has watched this film with an overdose of Prozac in his blood. Even watching for hours at leaves fluttering down while staring through a window, is less monotone and boring.

      

PS. Moments you shouldn't miss : An American soldier having troubles with landmines. Benny Hill  would have made a hilarious gag out of it ! And the car trunk on fire. What an amazing stunt.
 

My rating 0/10
Links : IMDB

Visions (2015)

Summary :
After moving to a vineyard to start a new life with her husband, a pregnant woman begins to experience terrifying visions.

Genre : Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
Isla Fisher : Eveleigh Maddox
Anson Mount : David Maddox
Gillian Jacobs : Sadie

Director : Kevin Greutert

My Opinion  

Just imagine the following situation. A young couple, Eveleigh (Isla Fisher) and David (Anson Mouth), decides to move and run a rural vineyard (something they've always dreamed of). In this way they can escape from hectic life after a tragic car accident Eveleigh was involved in. Also this vineyard has a past, Eveleigh is pregnant and slowly she starts to have strange, disturbing visions. And as icing on the cake there's also this famous wine critic Helena (Joanna Cassidy) who's is caught red-handed by Eveleigh while standing in the bedroom in a sort of trance and cranking out some weird sounding spells. My first thought was that I'd see the umpteenth variant of "Rosemary's Baby". Immediately all relatives and bystanders were suspicious. Even her husband David could be part of a plot to start some kind of satanic rite, with his wife as a helpless victim. 

Believe me, I was so wrong about that. The final denouement was the complete opposite of what I expected. Maybe there is a glimmer of originality. The run-up to this denouement surely isn't quite original. The entire range of phenomena that occur in films with a possessed house are used here. So you can expect some appearing and disappearing objects, self-moving objects, exploding bottles and bloody handprints. Of course those paranormal events go up in smoke after Eveleigh frantically tells her story, after which everybody concluded that her hormone levels are playing tricks on her. David tries to convince her to take antidepressants back again. Isla Fisher has her hands full with looking around anxiously and hysterical screaming the whole movie. And of course again there's no one who believes her.

Obviously not a single actor or actress was familiar to me. Not difficult, I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to television series. The only one I knew was Isla "Now you see me" Fisher and Joanna Cassidy. The performances weren't so pitifully poor, but it wasn't impressive either. Actually, it was all a bit average and one-dimensional. Strange but true, the real estate agent was brilliant with his sarcastic tone and comments after browsing through the history of the vineyard, looking for dramatic incidents that could have happened in the past.

Don't let yourself be dazzled by the movie poster, because it looks spookier than the film itself. I wouldn't exactly describe "Visions" as horror. It's more a paranormal thriller that could be used as an episode of the "X-files". The scarce jump scares aren't very original and are just eerie because they've used those loud sound effects. For me "Visions" is just a mediocre movie. Not bad and not good. Another final product that builds on known elements. A dime a dozen so to speak.

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB