Looking Forward - Creep (2014)

July 14th sees a new found footage horror hitting Netflix and as I have a soft spot for both found footage and movies released for Netflix I couldn't not say something about it here.

For me, there is quite a lot to be excited about so I am just going to dive right in and start with the genre. Found footage is something I buy into fairly easily and find the thrill aspect of the unknown much more heart racing than cheap scares. Described by one of the writers (more on that in a second) as kind of like an art house film I am expecting a slow build thrill ride rather than tons of special effects and horror cliches.

Creep is a full movie directorial debut by Patrick Brice and not only that but he stars in it too. He isn't the only one though, oh no, Mark Duplass who has co-written the movie with Brice is in it as well. There is nothing more exciting to me when people become so embroiled in their art that they stick their necks completely on the line so the fact that these two have banded together to write, direct and star is something I love! I wish them all the luck in the world.

The story itself seems simple. Brice's character Aaron answers an advert on craigslist about a job for Duplass's character Josef. Of course not everything is as it seems and that's where things kick off, and with horror veteran Jason Blum producing,  I'm sure things will get fearful too.

The thought of this trio coming together to make a movie is what really gains my excitement. Blum has the production of horror down to an art form with IMDB listing no more than 76 films. I haven't seen them all of course but what I have seen makes me realise that he can cover any genre within the horror field with ease and I have no doubt that Creep will be another sweet taste of panic.

If I am being honest it's Duplass that makes me await Creep with eagerness. His writing skills first shed their light on me when I saw Cyrus years ago and it is a movie I have never been able to shake from my mind ever since. Penned as a comedy what you really get with Cyrus is something beautifully dark, it teeters on thriller so many times that I can't wait to see what Duplass is able to do when he can really let the darkness take over. I am looking forward to a movie that sits well within it's genre but is different enough to make me question just as Cyrus (and actually Jeff, Who Lives At Home did).

If you want a sneak peak to see for yourself. The new trailer for Creep can be seen HERE.

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3 Of A Kind? - Internet Predators

Welcome to another 3 of A Kind, If you happen to be interested you can see the first instalment here. This time I decided to look at a subject that freaks me out, the idea that not everyone on-line is who we think they are. A weird subject matter but one that has been explored by many a film maker.

Here are my picks...

Strangeland (1998)

written by Dee Snider. directed by John Pieplow 

  

Cast Includes: Linda Cardellini (Scooby-Doo), Kevin Gage (Blow) and Dee Snider (80's Rock Band Twisted Sister's Front Man).

Plot Outline: Girl meets boy on the internet (Capt. Howdy)  and after being invited to a party, goes to meet him. There isn't a party of course and she is abducted along with several others. Her father, a cop tracks down her abductor and saves her. Capt Howdy is rehabilitated in a mental hospital, released and then set upon by vigilantes. The rest of the film is about his revenge.

Best Bits? - Snider looks so bloody creepy! His Capt. Howdy's persona is bad enough but his rehabilitated character looks so weird it's kinda scary.

Worse Bits? - The whole film lacks tension. There's no real build up. Things just seem to happen.

How Does It Come Across? - Self Indulgent. Written and produced by Snider it relies on shock tactics and is high on torture gore. There is an underlying moral code trying to get through but it sort of gets lost.

My Verdict: - When I really think about it, I like the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing that Snider has going on and I also like the fact that the film tries to question the ambiguity of what is considering good and evil. Unfortunately, Howdy's droning poetics and the repeated skin piercing  torture scenes turned me off and as I said earlier, there was no tension to draw me be back in.

Megan Is Missing (2011)

written and directed by Michael Goi

Cast Includes: More or less unknown youngsters Amber Perkins and Rachel Quinn.

Plot Outline: Megan and Amy are best friends but polar opposites in personality. Megan starts chatting to a boy named 'Josh' online and before long arranges to meet him. She disappears and Amy trys to find out what has happened to her, that is until she goes missing too.

Best Bits? - The differences between the two main characters made for a interesting relationship but also demanded opposite reactions to their ultimate fate from me. The news report segments of the film were satirical and a wickedly good interpretation of today's response to propaganda.

Worse Bits? - Look out for some 'hands over eyes' inducing stills that flash up before you get chance to react and The last 22 minutes unnerved me that much I had to switch it off and return to it when it was light (I know, wuss)!

How Does It Come Across? - Disturbing. I really bought into the whole 'found footage' genre here which is something I rarely do. Amy's story in particular was heart wrenching and when searching the net and finding that inspiration for the film came from at least 7 real life events, the whole thing took on a whole new level of real.

My Verdict: - I can't say I loved this film because that implies I got some sort of enjoyment out of watching it. I didn't at all. I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach from start to finish but it was all really well done. The memory of the film has stayed with and got me both thinking and talking about it so let's just say it made an impression on me. That said, I don't think I would be able to watch it again.

Trust (2010)

written by Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger. directed by David Schwimmer

Cast Includes: - Liana Liberato, Clive Owen (Children Of Men, King Arthur) and Chris Henry Coffey (The International).

Plot Outline: - Annie meets her first ever boyfriend on-line but he is not all that he claims to be. Her parents struggle with the situation, specifically their daughter's action but try to support her as she slowly begins to realise what has happened to her.

Best Bits? - The detail invested in each of the characters, Schwimmer has done a marvellous job of engaging the watcher with the lives of this otherwise normal suburban family. The acting is brilliant too. There is certainly a journey to go on - it's not an easy one though.

Worse Bits?- The sex scene. The look on that girl's face will stay with me forever.

How Does It Come Across?- Frustrating! I wanted to scream at Annie... A LOT and Owen and Catherine Keener as her parents, were a little over handed. However, this all added to the end product (and feeling) being stupidly convincing.

My Verdict: - Considering all I knew of Schwimmer was his goof ball character on Friends, I wasn't expecting much. He blew me away with this film purely because it was really hard hitting without relying on any 'shocking' scenes. I followed the story and felt every form of emotion as the time ticked along. 

Are there any more films like these out there? Please let me know.

Also, if there is a particular topic, genre or even actor you would like to see in a future '3 of a kind' feature, please get in touch. As always, I love hearing from you.

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Cinema Review - The Pact (2012)

After seeing the trailer, I couldn't wait to see The Pact. It seemed to have everything I like in a spine chiller; things that go bump, lots of screaming and a bloody good mystery. Extended from an original short by writer/director Nicholas McCarthy, The Pact had it's premier at this years Sundance Festival to somewhat mixed reviews. I haven't seen the short and I knew little about McCarthy but I had pretty high expectations from the trailer alone. 

The plot is a simple one.Annie returns to her childhood home to meet with her sister Nicole after her mother's death, only to find the house abandoned and Nicole missing. With a cast of relative unknowns, I had nothing to really compare to but Annie, played by Caity Lotz is a cynical loner who simply shrugs off Nicole's disappearance as inevitable. That is until her cousin also goes missing and all manner of weird stuff starts happening around her. 


The film then takes a  'who dunnit' turn as Annie aims to find out what the hell is going on. She doesn't do it alone though. She's helped by another cynic, this time a cop called Bill Creek played by Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) and Haley Hudson's spooky physic Stevie. It's worth mentioning here that Hudson's performance is by far the stand out. She looks bizarre, she sounds bizarre and her actions are well, bizarre.I don't want to be cruel but the other acting was bland. Hudson fits the freaky stereotype that her role depends however, her character has a mystery surrounding her and this coupled with the way she is played makes her the most interesting to watch.

McCarthy's feature length directorial debut starts off brilliantly. The overall mood is one of eerie suspense built up with a series of almost silent shots only interrupted by the sound of footsteps or the clunk of a door. The first act leaves a feeling of disorientation with plenty been filmed from the side, back or above.This only adds to the premise that someone or something is watching the unsuspecting characters but what or from where is left to the mystery. Unfortunately, this goes on for far too long and instead of being atmospheric it becomes drawn out and gave me a severe case of film deja vu. Every so often the unknown does creep up, breaking the silence and adding flashes of terror though. McCarthy uses a clever directing trick by not starting the scares too early but in truth these moments are way too few and far between to induce any real 'eyes behind hand' reactions.

The Pact seems to get stuck rather awkwardly between the horror and thriller genres and as a result doesn't seem to know what it is. It rolls out the cliches with abundance. I don't react to cheap thrills so flickering lights and spooky music are lost on me and I've seen the whole possession thing done to death (no pun intended). What seems like forever, the second act offers a glimpse of what could be there but offers nothing new. It goes up against scenes in such films as The Exorcist (1973) and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) and in doing so falls very short. Another thing that happens around the half way mark is a rather massive plot hole and a reveal that I feel shouldn't be there. I don't doubt that there are people who will miss this but I didn't and it allowed me to unravel the rest of the film pretty quickly.

One thing I did like even though I have seen it before was the contrast between the inside of the childhood home and the outside scenes. Inside was dusky, dank and dark. It was lit by candle or lamp light and felt claustrophobic. The house felt old, vintage almost. Like an old coat with secrets of a previous owner, a story to tell. The outside was completely opposite. It was light and free. I would go so far as to say saturated and sometimes.. very beautiful. I like it when directors try to mirror emotions with surroundings and the house certainly had that air of uneasiness about it, Annie's apprehensions then were somewhat founded.

The third act and the lead up to the film's conclusion showed more promise.Well, it would of done if boredom hadn't have set in by this point. It had elements of classic horror that were unfortunately wasted due   to bad acting reactions. The massive build up made a scene that could have been terrifying loose all suspense and by the end of the film I just felt cheated. The 'twist' wasn't bad but I had figured it out long before I was shown it and I was left with so many loose ends that I ended up confused. It made me think at least, if only to figure out the relevance of said loose ends or why on earth it was called The Pact but all in all it's forgettable. 

phot credits: http://weheartit.com/

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