Category: Film Reviews

To fully pursue the narrative that Triangle follows, you have to watch it consistently from beginning to end, as it is one of those narratives that won’t make much sense until the credits roll. When a bunch of people head out on a boat for a fun trip, a storm hits and the boat flips. Lucky for the survivors, an ocean liner approaches and the people get onboard. As soon as their feet hit the ship things begin to get creepy. Strange happenings begin such as Jess’s (Melissa George) keys being found on the liner when they were lost with the boat and her watch and the clock on the boat having stopped at the same time.

As the mind boggling tale continues, you come to realise that some events are stuck on repeat, especially when there appears to be two and then three of Melissa George’s character on board at any one time; two in a fight and one observing for example. It appears that when each of the individuals that escaped the storm is killed, the entire process repeats itself, with the characters boarding the ocean liner once again.

For the entire movie though, the cameras follows one particular Jess; it is from her angle that we see events. In the death scenes, there are actually two manors in which some of the characters are killed. This is confusing at first as if the process is set to repeat then why are characters killed in two different ways? As it turns out, the way in which the characters are killed depends on which time scale Jess is set in at that time. To explain in any more detail would confuse you being belief.

For someone that is very intrigued by the weather, the sight of a cloudy and quite peculiar looking sky sends shiver down the spine. In Triangle, a dark fast moving sky with lightening such as when everyone is out at sea may be an approaching storm, but looks more like something out of Independence Day, with waves crashing like The Perfect Storm. This is some of the most breathtaking weather scenery you may be seeing since The Day After Tomorrow; images that will subconsciously put an astonished smile on your face.

Melissa George has gone from Home and Away to big screen movies such as The Amityville Horror, W∆Z and 30 Days of Night. In this less bloody yet more mystifying tale she plays a very pale, nervous woman who one minute is on edge and shaky the next strong and up for a fight. She is one of Australia’s most remarkable actresses.

Triangle is not a terrifying tale, but a more human death puzzle for the mind to untangle.

Michelle Moore

www.whowillsurvive2012.com
Sony Pictures

What do you get when you mix all the best and most devastating parts of Titanic, The Day After Tomorrow, Volcano, Deep Impact and Independence Day? You get 2012, the most exciting and overwhelming disaster film you will EVER see!

For an avid lover of disaster flicks, the prospect of a new one hitting the horizon sends shivers down the spine and after seeing the film goosebumps remained and did not subside for an instant through the entire movie. 2012 explores the prospect of a global doomsday event coinciding with the end of the current Mayan Long Count Calendar, around December 21, 2012.

If you thought the idea of the weather changing and approaching a new ice age was terrifying, imagine the thought of the sun giving off larger solar flares, tectonic plates shifting, landmasses subsiding into the ocean and the world, as we know it coming to an end.

I don’t know where to even begin with the praise that this film deserves. The imagery is sensational for a start. Cars race away from the ground collapsing, massive earthquakes cause buildings to fall into oblivion, surges of water take over land, The Vatican crumbles and the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts; in the end Los Angeles and many other cities are completely destroyed and literally wiped off the map. It is shots such as these that build the anxiety inside your chest to such a degree that it leaves you gasping for breath. Is the car going to make it out of the path of the oncoming volcano ash cloud? Is the aeroplane going to safely take off before the runway in front of it gives way? Are the family going to safely make it aboard the “spaceship”? As these images roll there is so much excitement, so many stunning visions that you cannot help but hold your breath until your face goes red and everything is resolved.

It is interesting in the way in which the narrative is separated. There are two groups of individuals concerned in this film. Firstly there is the government, who are monitoring and trying to find a way of controlling the event while saving as many people as possible. Then there are the unsuspected everyday people who have no idea what in the world is going on. There is however one man, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) who accidentally finds out the truth and the movie follows him on a mission to save his family, no matter what takes. Cusack’s character is the cause of much of the astonishment that will occur.

John Cusack as the main man of the movie is utterly perfect; he is a devoted father and a passionate writer who will go to the end of the world (literally) to save his family. He is able to play the role with a realistic approach, real passion and that little bit of humour needed to keep the film alive. The sight of Woody Harrelson with long hair, a fixation for pickles (?!) and a passion for all things weird and unusual is peculiar at first. However, Harrelson is always going to be known as a comical actor for his fun loving roles and the role of mad man Charlie just seemed to fit him like a glove.

Even though 2012 runs at 158 minutes, there is no chance at becoming bored or losing interest. The only thing you may get is an ache or two from sitting down too long. But if you can put up with that, then it is WELL worth a watch.

Michelle Moore

The release of Wolf Creek back in 2005 gave Ozzie horror flicks the initial kick-start they needed to be recognised as genuinely terrifying. Now, four years later, there is another sickening set of events waiting in Australia, with the Horseman.

Taking the revenge-horror genre to levels never before seen, The Horseman explores one father’s desperate need for the truth when he finds his daughter has been assaulted, drugged and killed for the sake of a movie. He only has one thing on his mind, REVENGE, and no one will be getting in his way.

It is interesting the way in which the narrative combines back history with the father, Christian (Peter Marshall) first finding out about the death of his daughter and his need for revenge with the present day, a hitchhiking teenage girl called Alice (Caroline Marohasy) and their run in with the leader of the pack that killed his daughter. This keeps the action and violence at high levels from the start, while introducing a little bit more back-story the further the film develops to help a viewer understand the situation Christian is in.

The Horseman includes some of the more disturbing Australian horror scenes you will ever see. As Christian fights for revenge in the name of his daughter, there are some very vicious attacks and torture methods used as he attacks the men responsible for his daughters death. He assaults one man so badly his nose is practically none existent, sets one on fire, beats another with a crowbar and uses various other torture implements until death greets the horrendous men that took the life of a young girl. If you are at all squeamish and tend to turn your head at the sight of blood then you may be looking away for quite some time.

It is quite believable that a man can be turned into a very vicious person when hearing such devastating news. What is unbelievable however is that a female teenage hitchhiker could instantly trust a man she meets on the road, so far so that she shares a room (not bed) in a motel with him without any hesitation. Other than this aspect The Horseman is the perfect flick if torture, violence and revenge are on your mind.

Summer’s Moon is a Canadian psychological thriller that goes to prove just how dangerous hitchhiking can be. When Summer (Ashley Greene) heads out on the road to find her biological father, she gets into a spot of trouble with the police and is taken in by Tom (Peter Mooney).

Unfortunately, one night in the company of a complete stranger causes a bit of trouble for Summer when Tom and his mother refuse to let her leave. Instead she gets to spend some time in their human garden basement.

Summer’s Moon is different to other thrillers where young girls get kidnapped. Typically once the girl is abducted, it isn’t long before she is murdered. In this case it is not just some psychopathic or deranged mad man taking girls for his own pleasure. It is a mentally unstable man that believes he is growing angels in his basement garden, represented by the young women in his life being tied to flower beds and brainwashed.

That is until Tom’s father returns home and she realises that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. This is no ordinary family; they may not be as vicious as the killer families in Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the Devil’s Rejects but they are not far of from it and just as mentally unstable.

There are many unexpected twists to this tale that add a little more to an already sadistic narrative; incestuous relationships, murder running in the family like brown eyes or blond hair and killing your present family to be able to start afresh. The twists that occur will also have you looking at characters in a whole new light. Those that seem innocent enough at the start will gradually have you despising them and yet feeling for them in other ways as the story develops.

The only downside to Summer’s Moon was the lack of an appropriate ending. The film spends the better part of an hour building a relationship between Summer and her kidnappers, only to introduce the “daddy” figure and have everything thrown off scale when he acts as the man of the house and ultimately fails in his endeavour. Other than this disappointing ending, Summer’s Moon will twist you mind like never before.

Momentum pictures

There have been a few film adaptations recently but Dorian Grey, adaptation of the Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, is by all means one of the most engaging you will find. You not only sit back and watch from a distance, but also pulled into the tale as a man loses his soul to the dark side.

Dorian (Ben Barnes) arrives on screen as a man, who doesn’t drink, take drugs, sleeps around or is unfaithful. But when befriended by Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth) he is transformed from an innocent young man into an uncaring, selfish and deceitful individual. Somehow, though the words of one man and a painting from another, all Dorian’s lies, deceit, scars, guilt and age are put into the painting leaving Dorian as a carefree soulless man who doesn’t age, hold any regret or guilt and doesn’t care for who he hurts or murders. It is as if his soul or conscious is somehow transported into the painting and makes it come alive. This blithe lifestyle suits Dorian until his rotting painting is uncovered and the truth revealed.

Grey is an incredible character to watch on screen. Ben Barnes is a man that can project two sides of his personality; firstly and lastly a compassionate man and in the centre of the film, a dishonest person. He is an actor that has all the right qualities to portray any character possible. He is able to not only be sexy and innocent in his role as Dorian Grey, but also be mysterious and mischievous. There are some naughty scenes present as Dorian’s sexual adventures are depicted. They are done discreetly yet still effective, in due part because of Barnes abilities as an actor. Colin Firth is also a man of many talents. He has been seen on screen so many times playing the good guy, so to see him as a nasty bitter man who lies his way through life, drinking, sleeping around and using drugs is refreshing.

Director Oliver Parker made a vital decision in keeping the visual painting of Dorian’s inner demons hidden, as this is what keeps the audience on their toes and intrigued. You are kept guessing until the end as to how many disturbing things Dorian has performed in his time to create such a monstrosity. Dorian Grey somehow pulls you into the story with its mystery surrounding the painting. You never fully become aware as to how his soul or conscious is trapped in the painting, this remains a mystery. But, this ambiguity is what makes it is stimulating, engaging and delightful to watch.

Michelle Moore

Optimum Releasing

So-called action thriller Jack Said is the prequel to the 2008 film Jack Says and details the events leading up to the beginning of Jack Says.

Staring Danny Dyer as Nathan and Simon Phillips as Jack, the film opens with a beaten up Jack talking to a woman tired to a chair; Jack is explaining the events that are to occur during the film.

When Nathan, a member of a criminal gang steals from the gangster family he works for, he is forced to go on the run. He asks fellow gang member Jack to look after his sister and Jack also inherits Nathan’s role in the gang. What no one is aware of is that Jack is an undercover cop. As the film continues, Jack gets buried further into his as role as a gangster and the lines between honest cop and villain become blurred. He falls in love with Nathan’s sister, adding some romance to the story line, beats individuals as he collects payments and even chops off one guy’s fingers.

As far as the actors and their portrayal of the characters go, Dyer is as usual full of attitude. As a double-dealing crime gangster he is quite believable. Philips as Jack is also credible as an undercover cop with a taste for the crime life.

There is comic book/graphic novel style to the film, something similar but not as detailed as Sin City. At first, the film opens in black and white. As it continues there are many moments where Jack talks over the top of the images on screen. Like the small explanations you get at the top of a comic book before the speech bubbles. As the film looks into the crime side of London’s gangland culture, there are some moments with digits being copped off and people getting pulverised, as well as the odd explosion and gunfire but noting as exciting, pulsating and as shocking as you may expect. To be called a thriller or an action movie it would actually require something to keep you on the edge of your seat or grab your attention and make you want to watch to the end without losing interest. Unfortunately there is very little of this sort of material making Jack Said much less satisfying, as you would expect.

Michelle Moore

Newline Cinema

Having been written by Eric Bress and directed by David R. Ellis, both of whom also worked on Final Destination 2, there is a sense of keeping it in the family with this new instalment. The Final Destination will hopefully be THE FINAL one in the franchise though as anymore would ruin the films good name. This one however, has been given a bit of a reinvention because of the incredible 3D effect.

As usual the film opens with a tragic scene, in this case a car crash at McKinley Speedway. Nick O’Bannon (Bobby Campo) experiences the tragedy in a premonition and is able to convince some of the individuals involved to leave the 180 section of the building before the crash actually takes place. The survivors begin to die violently in freak accidents, but as you may recall, “In death, there are no accidents”. What Nick comes to realise as the film concludes, is that things are not as clear-cut as they were in the previous situations (films). Like Alex, Kimberly and Wendy before him, Nick attempts to follow his premonitions to save others from death. As he drifts off at the end of this one, he realises his premonitions were red herrings from Death, manipulating the situations so that the remaining three individuals were exactly where he wanted them in his final plan.

There are a few common factors in this film in relation to the previous three films. There is the repetition of the name McKinley; there is the presence of 180 in the section they are sitting at in the stadium and also the fact that Lori begins spotting warnings in her environment, much like Clear did at the end of the original film. Where the death scenes are concerned, they are superior to the previous flicks, not only because of the 3D effect created so you are involved within the scene, but because they are quite odd. From being blown up by a tow truck, killed by a flying rock, crushed in an escalator, hit by an ambulance or simply flattened by falling debris, they are simple and realistic ways of being killed; this makes the shots even more scary. In terms of the 3D experience, this film is as exciting as My Bloody Valentine in the ways in which the death scenes are elevated from the screen, pull you in and make you jump out of your seat on numerous occasions.

The Final Destination is an exciting, enthralling and very engaging conclusion to the franchise.

Michelle Moore

Focus Films

The title Surviving Evil describes the entire plot of the film. But just what evil, isn’t revealed straight away. The opening alone to this film is startling so just imagine how much more alarming it could become as the story develops. Let me set the scene – a woman in childbirth, rain pouring, thundering and lightening clapping. Suddenly a hand breaks through the thatched roof and everyone begins running for their lives while a creature slices and dices body parts.

The story revolves around a group of TV documentary makers who travel to an island near the Philippians, to make a series called ‘Surviving the wilderness with Seb Beazley’. While there, two of the crew are familiar with myths and legends of the Island; one such includes flesh-eating creatures that dwell on the island who have a particular taste for pregnant women. As the crew set out to find natives of the Island, they come across such creatures and the fight for salvation begins.

There are some scenes that are likely to startle you. Roasted hands fall from the treetops, rotting corpses, falling dead bodies of young children and individuals getting ripped to shreds. At first there is a sense of mystery surrounding the creatures. They can be heard moving and rustling through the treetops since the jungle is “throbbing with life,” then glimpses of them can be seen, such as the image on the camera and then they make themselves known. When they do the images of the creatures is horrendous. You remember the evolution process, the theory that we all evolved form ape like creates, well these guys never evolved to the human status as we did. They became savage, vampire like creatures that have a taste for blood and flesh. They have developed wings and have the ability to transform into other beings. Within the beautiful scenery of a beach island, there are some areas in which these creatures live that are surrounded by bloody vines.

Surviving Evil is certainly not for the squeamish. But if you are an admirer of all things gross and disgusting, then Surviving Evil may be your new favourite movie.

Michelle Moore

Warner Brothers Pictures

Imagine a world where every one tells the truth. Questions such as ‘do I look fat in this’, ‘do you find me attractive’ and a few other more personal questions (men we won’t say them) are all responded with the truth, no matter how honest the response is.

When it comes to The Invention of Lying, the truth begins right form the opening credits with a voice over from Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) where he explains the ENTIRE plot line before any one has said a word. When Mark discovers he can say things that are not what they are, i.e. lies, he is opened to a whole new world of thinking.

Like many people, the first thing that comes to mind would be to benefit yourself like getting your hands on money and romance. However he soon realises he can do good in the world with his lies. Through his fabrication of the truth he makes a difference in peoples lives. In some ways his lying is good; he withdraws money from the bank for a homeless man, makes a few OAP’s happier with his words and generally puts a smile on the faces of those around him and gives them hope. Things get a little heated however when one small lie to his mother about what life is like after death creates a worldwide question over the situation.

The only real concern is the fact that no matter how funny the truth can be it seems sometimes people say things that are actually not necessary; such as they don’t want to go to work when no one has even asked them a question. The idea that films in this world of truth are based on screen plays written by Mark and Brad Kessier (Rob Lowe) and based actual events, since there is no lying there is no fiction, is an interesting line of thought. Things like the Industrial Revolution and the Black Plague are what the so-called films are based on – so it is much like watching the discovery channel all the time.

Gervais is an incredible English actor and the film wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else as the lead role. He has this natural quirk about him, a hilarious nature without even meaning to be; he is a true comic. Rob Lowe is also a very good supporting role and Gervais is able to bounce off of the character to create humour. The small role by Edward Norton as cop is also beneficial to the film. Comedy is what Ricky Gervais was made to do and with such a great personality leading the way, as well as a great storyline and supporting roles, The Invention of Lying will likely have you cheerful chuckling.

Michelle Moore

Sony Pictures

This is a good film, NO, it’s a great film. It could have been the beers, or the atmosphere at the venue, or even the mood I was in, but it was exactly what I wanted from a film. It was funny, silly, well written and produced and well acted. It reminded me of Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber and to a certain extent some of the Carry On films – and this is by no means a bad thing.

I guess it’s fair to say that the current film circuit isn’t exactly light on zombie numbers, and as crap as the majority may be we can’t just assume that they’re all going to be like that. And in this case they’ve managed to ‘hit the nail on the head’ (intended) and bring some 90’s humour, contemporary awkwardness and unrealistic simplicity together to form a silly but really enjoyable comedy.

In a world where the remaining survivors of a zombie apocalypse still find time to argue about Hannah Montana, still suffer from Twinkie addiction and obviously still can’t talk to anyone attractive. Columbus, the sardonic nerd believes his obsessive-compulsive list of personal rules is the sole reason he’s managed to survive this long. He quickly finds himself forming an unusual alliance with another lone ranger, Tallahassee, who is the extreme opposite of Columbus, a loud badass who is transfixed with finding the last box of Twinkies. They eventually run into a couple of sibling con artists with trust issues Wichita (eye candy) and Little Rock (smart but ultimately a child).

After a fashion and moments of despair they decide to stick together and visit a Californian amusement park that’s rumoured to be a ‘zombie free zone’. En route they make a stop at an ostentatious, empty Hills mansion belonging to none other than Bill Murray, probably one of the best bits of the film.

The movie isn’t actually scary, but that’s fine, we’re not here for scares, we’re here for laughs. And Jesus.. Laughs we get. The zombies are well made up and actually probably a bit smarter than the average zombie, opening doors and climbing stuff. They’re also remarkably fat – a running joke about keeping fit to survive. The rulebook Columbus has established and ardently sticks to is also quite a fun feature – although remarkably similar to The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks.

I guess the main problem is the story is all to familiar – unlikely foursome are thrust together, they don’t get on but see the error of their ways and realise they DO need each other. So as they reach the amusement park, things begin to feel a bit weak. However it’s a minor glitch in an otherwise riotous lark. Yeah, a lark.

Emily Paget