The town sheriff investigates a series of murders in a New England fishing community. Odd horror piece with excellent technical credits and some creepy ideas, plus one standout performance. Works better on a tonal rather than a logical level: less weird than Phantasm, though scarcely mainstream.
Month: May 2020
We Summon the Darkness (2019, dir. Marc Meyers)
Six young adults party after a metal concert; a series of satanic murders is ongoing. Fun little 80s-set horror with comic notes and some subtle observations along the way. It’s kinda going where you’d expect, but doesn’t outstay its welcome and offers a decent role for star/producer Daddario.
The Wretched (2019, dir. The Pierce Brothers)
A troubled teen comes to believe that his neighbour is a witch. Okay horror flick that plays with a few well-established sets of tropes and images but which manages to do so in a way that feels fresh enough. An interesting marina location helps, as does an unfamiliar cast and some very solid practical effects work.
The Vast of Night (2020, Dir. Andrew Patterson)
An excellent debut film, beautifully shot and executed. A 50s small town radio show host and his telephone operator friend discover a strange audio transmission. Very refreshing film that works really well with great performances all round. Worth your time!
Sunshine (2007, dir. Danny Boyle)
A last-ditch effort to restart the Sun through deploying a nuclear device goes awry. Handsome though derivative SF that can’t decide if it’s an arthouse piece or a mainstream thriller. In trying to be both, and in quoting from Alien, 2001, 2010, Silent Running, Event Horizon, Dark Star and others along the way, it struggles for clarity and distinctiveness.
The Wolf’s Call (2019, dir. Antonin Baudry)
A French sonar expert is pivotal in an international submarine warfare scenario. Solid French technothriller of the Tom Clancy sort, with something to say about camaraderie and the limits of the rules of engagement. Delivers as a genre piece, too, with a couple of gleeful daft moments and plenty of shouting in confined spaces.
The Burning (1981, dir. Tony Maylam)
Five years after being burned alive, a caretaker returns to the woods near his old summer camp job. Derivative but somehow superior slasher, benefitting from excellent practical effects and some arty directorial moments. Nods to Psycho, Deliverance and Don’t Look Now, plus some subtlety between the horny teens and the kills.
Bad Boys for Life (2020, dir. Adil & Bilall)
A veteran detective is targeted for assassination by a face from the past. Slick threequel which, despite having few new ideas of its own (borrowing from Silence of the Lambs, Temple of Doom and John Woo‘s love of trails-bike gangs), delivers in terms of shouty, shooty buddy-cop fun. Don’t be surprised if a Part 4 rolls around soon.
Paddleton (2019, dir. Alex Lehmann)
A terminal cancer patient decides to kill himself; he enlists the help of his neighbour and best friend. Gentle black comedy and study of male friendship, with a great brace of understated star performances and some subtlety in its approach. Recommended.
The Jesus Rolls (2019, dir. John Turturro)
Two petty criminals and a hairdresser go on a road trip/crime spree. An odd project – a US remake of Bertrand Blier’s Les Valseuses/Going Places retooled for Turturro’s Quintana character from the Coens’ The Big Lebowski – that inevitably feels like fan fiction. Some minor pleasures along the way; the actors seem to be having fun.
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