Review - Citadel (2012 - Dir. Ciaran Foy)

This was the secret film at this year's festival and it's not too shabby. Tommy (Aneurin Barnard - a Scottish Elijah Wood) suffers a terrible tragedy when his wife is killed by a group of hoodie types outside his flat in Edenstown, leaving him with a baby to look after and a severe case of agoraphobia. Things get worse for him when the hoodies return.

Partly autobiographical - the director was threatened with a used needle and suffered from agoraphobia - the film deals with the issue of demonising our young people. By the look of things, the director comes down on the side of them being actual demons, which given his experience is probably an opinion he's entitled to. 

This is similar to Them but with a more fantastical edge. The best scenes are the ones that deal with Tommy's phobia. The acting is great and very believable. It is obvious the director has suffered with this too. He was advised to make a study of agoraphobia by the studio and I'm glad he stuck to his idea of adding horror elements as this had the potential to lift it above the average drama. It doesn't quite work though...

There is one really brutal shock involving his love interest, Marie, that is completely expected but is still really effective. The rest of the shocks are disappointing. Too much use is made of loud noises and I was completely immune to it after the first few. The end lost a lot of tension due to this. Some proper scares where the audience are manipulated would have improved matters greatly. There is also some ropey horror film behaviour where Tommy fails to lock a door despite being scared of pretty much everything.

On Tommy's travels he meets The Priest (James Cosmo), a cool character intent on blowing up the gang of demonic youths in their high rise flats. He helps young Tommy to overcome his fears through some crafty trickery. The hoodies themselves are also effectively feral and sport a nasty skin complaint that is par for the course for children brought up on a diet of Red Bull and Space Raiders.

Citadel actually got the audience vote for the best film of the festival. I wouldn't have put it as the best but it was one of the better offerings.
6/10
evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:
Them, North By Northwest (terrifying for agoraphobics).

Review - Hidden in the Woods (2012 - Dir. Patricio Valladares)

Incest, rape, cannibalism, revenge: perfect recipe for a late night offering accompanied by a pint of beer. Pity it's so grim and lacking any real entertainment value.

Based on a true story, this film tells the charming tale of two sisters who are raped and brutalised by their father. Things get worse when they finally escape their father's clutches as Uncle Costello, a local drug lord, sends his goons to look for his stash of drugs.

Hidden in the Woods loosely fits into the rape revenge genre but doesn't follow the traditional structure of rape, rehabilitation, revenge as so ably demonstrated by I Spit on Your Grave. Although that film was incredibly gruelling, it still delivered when the revenge sequence finally came round. Although empathy is developed for the two female leads, this is quashed when they start eating people, and the ending is so downbeat that none of the usual satisfaction of this genre is felt.

This is not the greatest advert for the Chilean tourist board. As proof, the most sympathetic male in the whole film is the cannibalistic inbred offspring from a father/daughter rape.  The other men in the film are some of the most reprehensible characters that you're likely to see this year. Bleak stuff indeed. 

Normally, I like my films to be extra bleak and grim, with really down endings, but this fails because there is virtually no entertainment value. If the sisters had been developed further (possibly not cannibals too?) and - I can't believe I'm saying this - it had a positive outcome for them, it would have been a better film. As it is, it's not one I can recommend although I have learnt that I will never go to Chile.

3/10

evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:

I Spit on Your Grave, Ms. 45, The Last House on the Left.

Review - Before Dawn (2012 - Dominic Brunt)

To be honest, as opposed to lying through my teeth, I wasn't looking forward to this. Paddy from Emmerdale + zombies = not much fun. To add to this, I wasn't that keen on his inclusion in last year's Inbred.

But, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed this.  Before Dawn came about through discussions between Dominic Brunt and his wife Joanne Mitchell, who both star. They were discussing the zombie genre and had different ideas on its merits. This film is a combination of the two schools of thought.

My favourite part of the film is the initial build up of tension as we meet Alex and Meg, played by the aforementioned real-life  couple, who are having a last ditch attempt at saving their marriage by getting away to the countryside. Meg is a really miserable character. Just as Alex tries to make suggestions for the future that he thinks she will appreciate, she shoots him down and hunts for her 'surgically attached' mobile phone to communicate with her buddies and personal trainer (who may or may not be gay, I suspect not). Although Alex has his faults he comes across as a likeable fellow who loves his wife and will do anything for her. Quite literally.

I enjoyed the drama so much, with the hint of a zombie apocalypse happening in the background, that it's almost a shame when the zombies appear. I like the 'no guns' idea to make it very British and it is funny to see Alex charging around a garage trying to find new weapons to batter a zombie. But the handheld camera work is possibly overdone in the zombie attack sequences, as is the score. I can understand why a more action based sequence was included to pep up the drama elements but for my personal taste I would have been quite happy for things to develop more slowly (I love Stephen Poliakoff's work after all). Also the ending is slightly confusing, despite a visually great shot of Alex sitting while zombies flood into the room, I wasn't 100% sure what was going on. At least it links back to the couple and their relationship.

The film is well-written, with what is not said being as important as the actual dialogue, and well-shot with gorgeous use of depth of field. The director said that he found it hard to direct and act, and he would probably concentrate on directing in the future. This is a shame on one hand because the acting in the film is pretty convincing, but positive on the other because he shows a surprising flair for directing. One scene where he has a phone conversation with his daughter is particularly effective.

Before Dawn shows that zombie films don't need to be all about the effects and don't need the hundreds of extras required to make a horde. Focussing on a relationship has definitely produced something different. 

7/10

evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:

Inbred, Harold's Going Stiff.

Review - Resolution (2012- Dir. Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead)

Things were definitely picking up at this point in the festival and Resolution continued the good work. It is very original, although it breaks the fourth wall in a similar vein to The Cabin in the Woods. As with that film I don't really want to say too much about it, it's better to just go and watch it yourself.

The basic premise is that Michael (Peter Cilella) is trying to get his friend, Chris (Vinny Curran) off drugs. He has a novel solution and during Chris' cold turkey strange things start to happen. Michael has to deal with drug dealers, the owners of the place where they are staying, a creepy fellow who lives in a caravan and someone who is mysteriously pulling the strings. Also there is a subplot about some French students who disappeared whilst investigating a local cave. Mmm... intriguing.

This is a film where you have to think about what you are seeing and think about all of the various clues (crikey, do two things at once? I struggle with one). It is well-written with very naturalistic dialogue and keeps the interest throughout. The lead actors also perform admirably and deliver a multitude of humourous lines, many involving crack. 

I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling it for you, but if you want a good mystery, that's well-made, entertaining and funny this is definitely worth a watch. It already has a distribution deal in America and something is in the pipeline for the UK. So hopefully it shouldn't be too long before you get the chance to see it. And I get the chance to see it again to further ponder its intricacies.

7/10

evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:

The Cabin in the Woods.

Review - Entity (2012 - Dir. Steve Stone)

It was all going so well... then Derverlar Kirwans makes an appearance. No, give it a chance Mr Keith, it might surprise you. Okay then, let's have a look at it...

Derverlar Kirwans plays TV psychic Ruth Peacock, on a trip to a site where some people were killed in Russia. Her film crew hope that she finds something interesting to bolster their ratings. Suffice to say some ghostly occurrences happen.

So it's a ghost story. What's the first thing that springs to mind? Scary jumpiness. Yep. Well forget that, you'll not find any of that here. What you do get are loud noises (yawn) and the camera being thrown about in wild abandon. Confusion instead of shocks. Useless.

The fact that the director said that Paranormal Activity was an influence and how it made tonnes of money shows how cynical this film is. Sadly, the director can't even get a jump out of a still camera focussed on a room, a technique central to the above film. All you need to do is get something to quickly move, accompanied by a bang and Robert's your mum's brother. Nope, they didn't even get that right.

Now, I was willing to give Derverlar Kirwans a chance but her character is so devoid of character that I was hoping that Derek Acorah might pop up and take over. The presenter of the fictional programme 'Darkest Secrets', Kate (Charlotte Riley) is moderately watchable but suffers badly at the hands of the script. Another character advises her that they need to get out quickly. She acknowledges this and then proceeds to faff about on her laptop for ten minutes (using her quality 'Darkest Secrets' proprietary editing software). 

The TV programme premise leads to the next problem: the film intercuts between proper footage and footage that the fictional camera operator is taking. The only difference is that one is handheld, the other isn't. It really jars as there needs to be a greater difference between the two types of footage. The 'found footage' style shots are fine but the proper supposedly filmic footage just doesn't look good enough.

The overly spelt out ending doesn't help matters either. You're told at least three different times what's happening. I'd got it the first time, thank you very much. Plus, the ending doesn't link back to the theme of the film, it's simply a way to end the whole sorry mess. Add to that the fact that the first section of the film looks like it was filmed in the little forest outside the back of my house (Russia, my bottom) and virtually every element of the film is designed to pull you out of the experience and remind you that you're watching a film. Not good for building tension.

While Dominic Brunt has got a future in horror, either in front or behind the camera. Derverlar Kirwans hasn't. The best thing about this film was that I had a really good rant with a pint afterwards. This is a dire film, not as bad as V/H/S, but still really bad. Avoid like syphilis. (There's a quote to put on the poster.)
1/10
evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:
Paranormal Activity, Lake Mungo.

Review - The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh (2012 - Dir. Rodrigo Gudino)

Slow burning films live or die by their endings (The House of the Devil fell down at this hurdle). So, I'm not entirely sure about this. It is a film that I need to watch again to put more thought into what it all means, because at the moment I'm feeling really thick, because I just didn't get it. Putting a slow film on late at night, at the end of the festival possibly wasn't the wisest move as sleep deprivation was starting to kick in. The ending felt as though it was good and I was just missing something important.

Leon (Aaron Poole) is an antiques collector and has just inherited a house from his mum. When he enters the house he finds all of the antiques that he has recently sold. The house is so creepy I don't know why he didn't get someone else it to clear it. But anyway, that wouldn't have been much of a film, so he stays and disturbing things start to happen...

To add to this the film is narrated by his mum (Vanessa Redgrave). Now usually narrations don't work and are really bad (Dark City is a prime example) but here it actually works quite well, giving two different perspectives on what's happening. 

One thing that I'd like to watch it for again are the tapestries. The ones at the start of the film contain little sayings that all come true. This was really compelling and I was waiting for more of this later in the film. I'm not sure whether I missed something but I can't remember any from later on in the film. Something to check out in another viewing, I think.

Beautifully shot with some gorgeous colour-grading, the camera glides around the creepy old house, showing off the religious artefacts in their full glory. Religion is a major part of the film, with the candle game being a particularly fun way to torment your children and scare them into believing in God. Other elements also enter the film including a half-decent CG creature and some suspect looking religious twins.

Lots of positive then, but I still didn't enjoy it that much. I never really cared that much about the main character (why does he go back to bed after he's had a creature stalking him and another major scare?) and the overall atmosphere didn't appeal to me. This is where the beautiful cinematography worked against the film. It all looked a bit too crisp and shiny. I prefer a bit more dirt. Still, I will watch it again and the rating may change based on my findings.

5/10

evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:

The Whisperer In Darkness, The Changeling.