Members of a Norwegian Antarctic research base find an alien specimen. Prequel/remake of the 1982 John Carpenter-directed movie. Okay as far as it goes, but perfunctory plotting and reliance on CG over practical effects mean this doesn’t really compare, despite good efforts from the cast.
Another viewpoint wanted? We got you.
A documentary exploration of the life and music of Little Feat frontman Lowell George. Overlong and reverent but still engrossing overview of the career and life of George, linking him and Little Feat to the LA of the 60s and 70s. Niche, inevitably, but well-researched and with plenty of input from the likes of Van Dyke Parks.
Danny Torrance, now an adult, is compelled to help a teenage girl hunted by a vampiric clan. Episodic but smart balancing of the Stephen King novel, its predecessor and the Kubrick movie, in a 2001/2010 style. Few concessions to newbies, but this is clever, respectful filmmaking with great performances and nods to Near Dark along the way.
Six students visit a pop-up Halloween haunted house attraction. Straightforward series-of-traps body count flick, riffing on Saw sequels, escape room popularity, and a bunch of other influences. Some agreeably nasty ideas, and a cast of relative unknowns (to me, anyway) that help make matters unpredictable.
The rise and fall of Handmade Films. Linear documentary – reliant on talking heads, clips, and archive interviews – charting George Harrison and Denis O’Brien’s company; in doing so, offering a potted history of 80s British cinema, and of the making of some key movies (Time Bandits, Withnail & I, Mona Lisa etc) of that period.
Two mountaineers attempt a re-creation of the 1924 Mallory/Irvine Everest expedition. Generally-effective documentary (with perhaps-recreated scenes as well as some dramatisation) that tells the story of the original attempt while also covering the 1999 emulation; the experiment indicates Mallory and Irvine could have completed the ascent.
The man who killed Hitler is called upon in old age to track down Bigfoot. Defiantly quirky comedy-drama with horror elements, held together by Sam Elliott’s deadpan central performance and by a sense of confidence throughout. Inevitably not for all, but if you go with it there’s plenty to enjoy.
