Film Review: VINYAN (2008)

Director: Fabrice Du Welz
Writers: Fabrice Du Welz, David Greig (additional material), Oliver Blackburn (additional dialogue)
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
UK Release date: 2^nd October 2009

Watched on Terrestrial PVR Tuesday 23^rd July 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have no idea how this one ended up on ‘The List’ but I have a vague recollection of an interview with Rufus Sewell where he waxed all lyrical about it. I guess that must be it – Note to self; don’t listen to actors talking about their films; they have been known to lie. It has gained the lowest score I’ve given in a long time and so I guess that tells you all you need to know about it. For those that are still with me, I will tell you just why I gave it such a low score after this extremely brief summary.

Aid workers Jeanne (Emmanuelle Béart) and Paul Bellmer (Rufus Sewell) are working in Thailand having lost their son in a tsunami six months previously. By chance they see some footage of children in Burma (now called Myanmar), when Jeanne sees a boy who she thinks is their lost son, Joshua. Overcome with emotion she immediately sets off to find someone who will take her to Burma. Realising just how passionate she is, Paul eventually agrees to come along. The film plots their journey into the hostile jungles and what they find there.

For this film to even have a chance of working, the audience has to have some kind of connection with our grieving couple. Unfortunately we are never allowed to really get to understand their plight as we are whisked off to the jungle very quickly. Yes, there is some flashback stuff, but by then I was just beyond caring. She was clearly nuts and he just wanted to go home. I can’t even say I liked the performances; I guess they were good, but because I really couldn’t engage with the characters, I found it all far too ‘arty’ for my taste. Definitely not one that will get any repeat viewings from me and sadly not one I can recommend.

SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED

My score: 3.2/10.

IMDb Score: 5.4/10 (based on 3,527 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029241/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 56/100 (based on 18 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 31/100 (based on 1,724 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1208926-vinyan/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER (2012)

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Writer: Seth Grahame-Smith (novel/screenplay)
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror
UK Release date: 20^th June 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 8^th June 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I must admit when the book came out I initially loved the premise of this story. As time passed and it very quickly got snapped up and made into a movie, I began to wonder if my initial hope was misplaced. You see, I’m always wary of Hollywood; they never play the long game when it comes to movies. It’s quick bucks right now and hang any artistic integrity... But that’s another story; we’re here to talk about Abe Lincoln and his vampire hunting hobby. So here’s a very brief summary before I tell you just what I thought.

As a child Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) had already come into contact with vampires when his own mother, Nancy (Robin McLeavy) was killed by one of them, Jack Barts (Marton Csokas). Now older, and after his father had passed, he was now free to exact his revenge and to this end he sought some courage in a bar. Here he meets Henry Sturges (Dominic Cooper), who will have a profound effect on his life. Sturges teaches Lincoln all about vampires, and most importantly, how to kill them. Lincoln proves very adept at using his preferred weapon, a modified axe. And so he goes on with his life, killing vampires whenever he comes across them; but still studying law. His friends old and new join him, including Will Johnson (Anthony Mackie) and Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson). And of course he meets his future wife, Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). But the vampire leader, Adam (Rufus Sewell) has plans for Lincoln; plans that will throw the whole country into civil war.

Now, Timur Bekmambetov is well known for the effects he uses in his movies and this is no exception. There is blood and gore all over the screen as death is meated out in many and varied ways, all in glorious slow motion. The trouble is we’ve already seen that kind of stuff before; there’s nothing new or particularly innovative here. Yes, it’s very well done; the effects guys did an excellent job; but I would have liked to have seen something different. The plot; again disappointing, it just followed well documented events in Lincoln’s life and added a narrative that meant he had to do this or that to thwart the vampire hordes. Not exactly groundbreaking either. The performances were all pretty good although nobody really stood out and nobody looked like they were really stretched either. Over all I found it pretty disappointing; not quite as bad as ‘Jonah Hex’ (2010), but heading that way.

SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED (Unless you’re a die-hard vampire fan…)

My score: 4.8/10.

IMDb Score: 5.9/10 (based on 70,080 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/

MetaScore: 42/100: (Based on 35 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 35/100 (based on 180 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 52/100 (based on 215,748 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/abraham_lincoln_vampire_hunter/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abrahamlincolnvampirehuntermovie
Trailer:

Film Review: DARK CITY (1998) – Director’s Cut

Director: Alex Proyas
Writers: Alex Proyas (Story/Screenplay), Lem Dobbs (Screenplay), David S. Goyer (Screenplay)
Running time: 107 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller
UK Release date: 29^th May 1998

Watched on DVD Sunday 1^st April 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film I first saw many years ago and I must admit I really didn’t understand it first time around. Second time I fell in love with it and this is my third encounter with it, but this time I saw the Director’s Cut. I must admit it does flow better and there is a more coherent story line in this version. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

We begin with a man, John Murdoch, waking up in a hotel room. He seems to have no memory and when he stumbles upon the semi-naked body of a murdered girl he starts to panic. The phone rings and a Dr. Daniel P. Schreber tells him he might be able to help him but he must first get himself out of the room, which he does. John discovers he’s married to Emma, a nightclub singer, and that he is very different to almost everyone in this strange city. The police, in the guise of Inspector Frank Bumstead, investigate the murder, but there are others also keeping an eye on John. These are much more sinister and much more dangerous; but John is different, and that’s why they want him. It never seems to get light in the city and things keep changing every time the clock strikes midnight. I won’t say any more or the (Dark City) Spoiler Police might be investigating my murder.

In this version of the film you are thrown into the action straight away and only slowly do the characters develop. I really liked this and (although I had seen it before) I thought it made for a refreshing change. The design is beautifully done and I love the way it was shot with a very ‘film noir’ feel to it. The performances were all excellent, I thought Kiefer Sutherland as Dr. Daniel P. Schreber, Jennifer Connelly as Emma Murdoch/Anna, Rufus Sewell as John Murdoch and William Hurt as Inspector Frank Bumstead were all particularly good. Ian Richardson played the sinister Mr. Book with great aplomb; Richard O'Brien as the freakish Mr. Hand and Bruce Spence as Mr. Wall were also very good.

This film is extremely dark, and I’m not just talking about the way it’s lit. Everything about it is dark. Yes there are things that people may find a little bit too freaky, flying men for a start, but I can overlook this ‘silliness’ because the story is so good. It slowly unfolds like a 1930’s detective novel, but with a very dark twist. I must admit that even on its third viewing I was still finding little nuances in there that just make it a little better each time. Without doubt: Highly Recommended.

My score: 8.7/10.

IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (based on 87,434 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0118929/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 74/100 (based on 80 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 80/100 (based on 137,465 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dark_city/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Mr. Hand: [stomps on a newspaper clipping] So it seems you discovered your unpleasant nature.
John Murdoch: Who are you?
Mr. Hand: We might ask the same question, yes? Sleep... now.

John Murdoch: I was just thinking, what you do seems kind of dangerous right now. I mean, how do you know I'm not the killer?
May: I don't. Why, you feeling any urges I should know about?

John Murdoch: When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?
Inspector Frank Bumstead: What do you mean?
John Murdoch: I just mean during the day. Daylight. When was the last time you remember seeing it? And I'm not talking about some distant, half-forgotten childhood memory, I mean like yesterday. Last week. Can you come up with a single memory? You can't, can you? You know something, I don't think the sun even... exists... in this place. 'Cause I've been up for hours, and hours, and hours, and the night never ends here.

John Murdoch: I know this is gonna sound crazy, but what if we never knew each other before now... and everything you remember, and everything that I'm supposed to remember, never really happened, someone just wants us to think it did?
Emma Murdoch: But how can that be true? I so vividly remember meeting you. I remember falling in love with you. I remember losing you.
Emma Murdoch: I love you John, you can't fake something like that.
John Murdoch: No, you can't.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://newline.com/properties/darkcity.html
Trailer: