Month: February 2022

The Desperate Hour [AKA Lakewood] (2021, dir. Phillip Noyce)

A frantic mother out jogging struggles to find out about a shooting at her son’s school. This real time-ish thriller overbalances eventually into implausibility and well-meaning didacticism, but is well-sustained, impressively acted and directed, and fully explores resourcefulness under pressure.

Here’s the trailer.

The Deep House (2021, dir. Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo)

A vlogging couple explores a submerged supposedly-haunted house. Technically proficient but dumb-as-wet-rocks underwater jumpscare horror flick (with found footage and real-time elements), that’s wholly uncertain what to do with its premise. Mercifully brief and good-looking, though.

Here’s the trailer.

Black Friday (2021, dir. Casey Tebo)

Workers at a big box toy store come under siege from alien-infested zombie-ish shoppers. Sprightly modest 80s horror-comedy homage to The Thing and The Blob via Romero. Doesn’t quite hang together, but there’s some decent jokes plus game playing from DTV legends Bruce Campbell and Michael Jai White.

Here’s the trailer.

Where Time Began [AKA Journey to the Centre of the Earth] (1978, dir. Juan Piquer Simon)

A professor and friends seek to trek to the Earth’s core via a volcano. Tatty Spanish-made version of the Jules Verne classic, with a slumming Kenneth More and a few threadbare puppet/man-in-suit monsters. Livens up later when the creatures show up, but this is talky, penny-pinching stuff throughout.

Here’s the trailer.

Titanic (1943, dir. Herbert Selpin [and Werner Klinger])

Rival speculators seek to profit from the maiden voyage of an oceangoing liner. Propagandist German WWII version, seeking to link English greed to their hubristic war efforts. Interesting in its influence on later versions in approach and some plot details, and a handsome – if clunky – production in its own right.

Here’s the trailer.

KIMI [AKA Kimi] (2021, dir. Steven Soderbergh)

A tech home worker with agoraphobia and anxiety comes across evidence of a murder. A confident, contemporary Rear Window for the Alexa generation. A lean, assured, confident thriller, doing a simple thing impeccably in 90 minutes. Recommended.

Here’s the trailer.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022, dir. David Blue Garcia)

Gentrifiers seeking to invest in a Texas ghost town provoke the residents. Uneven belated sequel, taking the 2018 Halloween as inspiration. Some gleeful gore and a couple of sly gags and visual moments, but Leatherface is entirely justified here, and huge chunks of the movie have neither sense nor logic.

Here’s the trailer.

A Violent Man (2022, dir. Ross McCall)

A troubled lifer gets a new cellmate and an unexpected family contact. Claustrophobic prison drama – almost entirely set in a single cell – working well to maximise star Fairbrass’s trademark physicality. A touch long and repetitive maybe, but impressive and well-sustained nevertheless.

Here’s the trailer.

23 Walks (2020, dir. Paul Morrison)

Two single 60-somethings begin a faltering romance based on dog walking. Low key romantic drama with elements of social realism. It doesn’t all work, in part because of clumsy plot mechanics rather than a focus on a believable central relationship. Still, there’s engagement with life’s complexities, and a willingness to leave some matters unresolved.

Here’s the trailer.

The King’s Man (2021, dir. Matthew Vaughn)

The origins of an independent spy agency, set against the Great War. Messy and inconsistent prequel, showcasing series strengths (brio, some startling moments) and weaknesses (tonal awkwardness) in equal measure. A freewheeling approach to both history and emotion throughout render this flashy, but empty.

Here’s the trailer.