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Saturday 20 April 2013

Evil Dead



Let's start by admitting something that I am quite ashamed to admit; I have never seen the original that was "The Evil Dead" (1981). While this can be viewed as quite an appalling statement, it serves me a slight benefit. Why? well, while I plan on watching the original sometime in life, I was happy to have the courtesy of going to see Evil Dead without being too fussy. While I am normally the "oh, how it's just not as good, or even near enough the same as the original" type of guy, it was nice to change the scenery a bit, leaving me with no knowledge of the franchise and lots of curiosity (you have come to the right place). I was optimistic in every way. So all I can say is this; Evil Dead 2013 is quite possibly the finest, most astonishing horror movie since The Exorcist. Below is an anti pedantic review on a movie being hailed as one of few horror remakes worth remembering.

Brief: A group of friends head to an isolated cabin in the woods, where a book of the dead will decide their inevitable death.

Mia (Jane Levy) is determined to quash her drug habit. She agrees to go cold turkey in the company of her trusty friends. Considered an ideal spot for Mia to rehabilitate, Mia's brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and co are weary of her consistency. Just as Mia gets cold turkey, so do the surrounding woods, as dim-wit companion Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) discovers a book of the dead, unleashing a demonic force beneath the cabin as a frightening history returns to strike its victim; that victim is Mia. Mia is possessed by a girl of the past, but the illogical the crew put her possessive behaviour down to "cold turkey" - their lack of logic (taking into account the cabin has been isolated for years) results in a game of death worth witnessing.

Evil Dead is a fine throwback to 80s horror - with an element that relies on frightening you through the use of graphical images, rather than jump scares. While there are many attempts at surprising the viewer with a screech or two, Evil Dead survives on disturbing the mind rather the art of suspense.

The movie's introduction is excellent, giving you a taste of what your in for; chopped limbs, blood is vomited and nails pierce every part of the human body - all extreme fun and a great reference to the meaning of true horror.

While Evil Dead depends on its grotesque element, it should by no means be attached to the brain-farts that were Hostel and Saw 3, 4 and the rest.  It differs from "torture-porn", adding a touch of dark humour and scenes of over top sprees of violence.

One or two cast members are beyond irritating; David and his "Everything is fine" attitude becomes annoying and quite illogical considering the circumstances. Jane Levy, who plays protagonist Mia, shows great onscreen potential, specifically in scenes that show evidence of her being realistically frightened.

A modern horror remake can hardly show one trailer without critics of old an new slating it, asking the question - why? I am one of them, and pessimism can be a second language of mine. And while I have not seen Sam Rami's (complete control) 1981 creation, I can't honestly ask the question as I and many have, and will continue to ask - why?

Never the less, Evil Dead convinced me, showing no sign of laziness, while the  production did a great job re-kindling some creativity in terms of crafting the props we see through-out. The involvement of CGI here is minimum, which in my mind shows proof of the productions desire to show, that at some stage, we can't keep living in the past. While the 80s will never be forgotten, Hollywood can be forgiven at some stage - and while we are quick to set a light to The Thing, A Nightmare on Elm st and Halloween (dam you Rob Zombie), I am confident that Evil Dead will get the respect it deserves - at least from a large minority of horror movie buffs. Why shouldn't it? It's the type of horror we have been asking for. And if you think that the minor change in plot was unnecessary, think again. It is vital that remakes of good and bad switch it up slightly in order to show its creativity, and some what "balls" by expanding on what we already know and hope to enjoy.

Overall: There is a plot here, but it tends to go missing on occasions, but horror fans will adore this movie, as the grotesque element is both hilarious and exceptionally disturbing.

Movie Quote: "Why don't you come down here and let me suck your cock, pretty boy?" - A possessed and horny Mia

7/10











Tuesday 16 April 2013

The Place Beyond the Pines


As far as Ryan Gosling movies go, Blue Valentine (2010) is by far my favourite. Heck I would even throw it onto my invisible list of all time favourites. Those who have seen Blue Valentine will know that director  created an absolute gem of a movie, bringing out a riveting performance from Gosling. Derek returns with Gosling once again, showboating a frenetic drama consisting of three chapters that are pieced together over a total of 15 years.

Luke is a motorbike performer, entertaining tourists in the local circus. Walking out to an eagerly awaited crowd, Luke is clearly adored for his skills on a dirt-bike rather than his personality. Luring in the background is the beautiful Romina (Eva Mendes). Immediately we witness an evolved chemistry that spells history. While Luke is clearly fond of his own company, he can't ignore his love for Romina, considering the kid she shares with her boyfriend is indeed Luke's. Adamant to win Romina back, Luke hooks up Robin, played by the ever so brilliant Ben Mendelsohn.

Aside from Robin's generosity in offering Luke a place to stay, Robin gives Luke the chance to put his motorbike skills to good use. With the prospect of having enough money to provide for Romina and his boy, Luke agrees to rob a bank, with the assistance of Robin.

Luke's personality is bleak, with a troubled past hanging over him. This shows evidence when his hunger for more money becomes his weakness. Luke collides with Avery (Bradley Cooper); a dedicated force of the law who is struggling to cope with a level of corruptness in his department. Avery comes face to face with his morals as he is up against Ray Liotta and co, who are out to test Avery's loyalty in more ways than others. 

This is a brilliantly shot movie with dumbed down dialogue that just reels you in with every character. Watching Gosling on the bike is mesmerising, while the enormous sounds of the bike makes you feel like your sitting on the back of it!

The Place beyond the Pines is a dark focus on the choices in life and the morals you choose to take with you. While it is told over three  magnificent chapters, the final chapter is quite ordinary and strangely different. Although it is still relevant, I had to keep reminding myself that I am watching the same film.

Gosling is wonderful to watch, re-kindling an inspirational presence that will remind you of the character we adored in Drive. Bradley Cooper generates quite a serious performance this time around, in which I must admit was hard to engage in at first, but his tied circumstances helps his character to grow as you begin to love, pity and despise his presence.

While we expected nothing other than a memorable performance from Ryan Gosling, even he couldn't save the third half of a movie that was so far from what was, it became such a pain in the ass to watch.

 Its only downfall is the coincidental finale. It appeared too desperate, attempting to connect the dots over a 15 year period. Avery's jive talking son is so irritating you just wonder what on earth the writer was thinking! The extended story was still intriguing (at times), with a modern high-school step up, but was it necessary? No.  However it did stick to the generational concept of "crossing paths". The unpredictable writers of this movie continue to brag about how this "place beyond the pines" is so far from a one man show, it is willing to throw anything at you - the Eminem impersonator is proof of that, while the cheesy ending doesn't help either.

Still, the final chapter is just as watchable, and that is down to the inclusion of prospect actor Dane DeHaan,who is quite possibly the savour to what would have been a disastrous third chapter that followed an engaging first.

8/10

Look out for: Only God Forgives - May/June 2013. You can watch the trailer below








Sunday 14 April 2013

Dark Skies


Aliens have chosen your home. So what would you do about it? Although Dark Skies does not teach us anything new in terms of the potential existence of an Alien race, it does show you that boarding up your house to prevent abduction is a waste of time...they are aliens for Christ sake! RUN!

With a neat quote on how we are not alone to begin with, Dark Skies is the story of the Barretts; a family struggling to cope with financial issues. Just as things begin to go their way, a majority of supernatural mishaps is forced upon their suburban house; while sequences of moving objects, ringing noises and an empty fridge might be something to deal with, a flock of birds from three different directions is not, leaving the family to question what is turning into a series of unexplainable events.

As we know, there is always a peculiar member of the family. In this case Sam (Kadan Rockett); their youngest and certainly the cutest. Sam spends his days talking to the sandman, who as we see time and time again in these suspenseful stories, the chances of the so-called sandman existing are very high. While the mother Lacy (Keri Russell) is passing it up as childlike immaturity, Lacy begins to realise that the events in the house could be related to Sam.

Struggling to convince her husband Daniel (Josh Hamilton) of the potential danger the family is involved in, Daniel typically shrugs it off as a dose of paranoia (the man never believes the wife, why?)

It is following the visit it to an Alien connoisseur (J.K. Simmons) that all is revealed; the house has been targeted by aliens. And as blunt as it may sound, there is no apparent solution to this, however Daniel is adamant to protect his family.

There is a majority of boring sequences involving nothing, with the second half of the movie trying to justify an alien invasion under bizarre circumstances, with the typical involvement of someone who has spent their entire life searching for answers.

I was really looking forward to this, knowing that the producer of both Sinister  and Insidious are involved, I was hoping to be satisfied in terms of a good story and a good scare. The story had potential, with an introduction that gets you quickly involved but the second half of the movie just lost its way. I was willing to ignore the majority of boring sequences of unrelated dialogue and drug using teenagers (although Jesse, played by Dakota Goyo, is quite a rebel) in order to be really frightened because let's face it, I don't remember seeing modern day Alien style horror like this? They don't come around very frequent so I wanted this to work.

Sure, some scenes were cool, the birds, the hungry Aliens etc, but there was too much stupidity brought on by Daniel that I failed to get involved with any of the leading characters. They are caught up in unfortunate circumstances, but you fail to lend them any pity. You root for the Aliens (when they appear).

With one or two scares involving the appearance of Aliens, I wanted more. Dark Skies failed to stay consistent.

Although the trailer survives on promoting Sinister and Insidious, it his for that reason Dark Skies falls flat, using a similar concept of horror through-out (or script if you like); the drawings, the strange kid, abduction, if you have seen Sinister or Insidious you will know what I mean when I say it is all way too similar.

Overall: It is no Fire in the Sky, Signs and certainly no Close Encounters. However the uncontainable use of drama could be ignored to understand a mundane story. I give it credit for its screeching scares every now in again, but the characters and the plot are way too similar with a second half that looses its touch.

5/10

Look out for: The potentially worthy remake of Evil Dead & The Conjuring - July (Trailer below)


Monday 8 April 2013

Trance

 
Let's not kid ourselves here, British director Daniel Boyle has a knack for crafting such wonderful movies; with Trainspotting and 127 hours to say the least. In fact, passing up the opportunity to direct Alien Resurrection back in the day was the result of quite a prolific career, saving him a destruction from followers of the Alien franchise.

This hypnotic mind bender tells the story of Simon (James McAvoy); an auctioneer who finds himself at the centre of a tug of war regarding a painting worth millions. Although Simon is involved in stealing the painting to clear a gambling depth, a sudden turn of events leaves Simon with a loss of memory, oblivious to where he left the painting - leaving criminal kingpin Frank, unimpressed.

Frank (Vincent Cassel) and his thugs are left sweating and rampaged following the robbery, questioning Simon's mischievous actions. While Frank is convinced of Simon's sudden memory loss, he is Adamant on recovering the million dollar painting, setting Simon up with Elisabeth (Rosario Dawson ); a local hypnotherapist who joins forces with Frank in order to help retrace the steps of Simon, in which they both hope will help recover the painting - leaving everyone except Simon extremely rich.

As Simon vividly explores his memory with Elisabeth, it seems that she and everyone else have a bigger part to play in this puzzle, revealing a dramatic tale of desire, obsession and greed.

James McAvoy is a joy to watch once again. Offering a low key performance originally, the character of Simon is forced to up the antics in a bid to discover the truth. On the other end of the stick is Vincent Cassel, who some might recognise from french movie La Haine. Although the screen presence of Vincent was far from convincing at first, you slowly grow to enjoy his on screen his presence (I did anyway).

Danny Boyle's latest is different in terms of its lack of comedic effort; an aspect we know all too well from his previous work. The inclusion of Rosario Dawson creates an aspect of extreme sexiness to the plot, while a showboating chemistry between herself and Cassel adds to the erotic element. Trance is far from flawless. Although Boyle knows how to construct a good movie visually, using angles of realism on the topic of hypnosis, it supplies unlimited endings, with a climax failing to break free at times, adding sequences of sheer confusion -  (Hypnosis anyone?) While the movie is of average length, I felt the anticipated twist could have been wrapped up at an earlier stage. As the flashy images of past and present corrode the screen, you will find yourself piecing the dialogue together after the movie in order to realise what is actually a clever twist.

Trance is an intriguing psychological thriller with originality that will sit among Hollywood's directorial competition. Smartly shot with a topic of realism and a plot that consistently calls for your attention. Trance offers a frightening perspective on the power of hypnosis.

Overall: An Ending that failed to, well, end on occasions, the overall twist is satisfying once you get your head around it. The performance from both McAvoy and Cassel make Trance as memorable as it has been perceived thus far.

7.6/10

Wednesday 3 April 2013

The Original Rudeboys: Olympia Theatre - March 31

 

It is almost two years now since three rookie musicians came together to create a song of everlasting memories. Stars in my eyes gathered you tube hits which would inevitably form a band by the name of the Original Rudeboys. Having recently toured Europe, and ironically supporting LA rapper Game in the Olympia previously, the Dublin trio return home to play what is now defied as just another gig.

If a European tour wasn't something to go by, the Original Rudeboys were set to follow the Script to Australia to conclude a tour of mesmerising experiences. But before then, the Dublin trio bowed out of a second sold out gig in Dublin's Olympia theatre in fantastic fashion. The night before had been a warm welcome from the home crowd, with a sold out Olympia making their voices heard.

Easter Sunday was destined to be the same, with fans waiting outside the venue from twelve in the afternoon; a choice that embodied the band in a wicked reception, storming the stage with album favourite "Blue Eyes". The enthusiastic introduction had set what was about to be a high standard performance from the Dublin musicians, as Vocalist Robert Burch belted out "Dublin Days", with Sean Walsh's Ukulele adding much crisp to the euphoric tune.

Their frenetic album "This Life"; which is dedicated to many characters within the lives of the trio, rapper and band coordinator Sean "Neddy" Arkins continued his contribution with tracks such as "Me and my Mind" and "Sunny Days" - a moving tribute to family members past and present. The indie backdrop of "Complicated", including the Vocals from Robert, helped to mellow out what had been an amped up crowd from the off.

Mid-way through, the crowd were treated to "Stars in my eyes"; a flashback to the origin of the band and their immediate climb, to what ended up a you tube sensation and probably still their best hit to date. The song was played at wonderful pace, sticking to its acoustic roots of what once was.

With a plethora of gigs gone and underway, the Original Rudeboys were to twist it up a bit, introducing a cover of Ed Sheeran's "Give me love" which showcased the vocal ability of Robert Burch once again. It was Sean's turn to put a spin on things, ceasing the opportunity to express some lyrical flow with "down with ORB"- a Dublinesque mash up of Naughty by Nature's O.P.P.

They stayed consistently up beat with "Written Songs" (feeling Good), which can be heard as the last track on their debut album. An unfortunate climax was upon the Olympia as they said goodbye with fan favourite "Travelling man" and a full throttled version of "Stars in my eyes".

A so long for now as the Original Rudeboys are currently touring in Australia. However, Sean Arkins reminded his growing fans that all is not bleak in Ireland as they set to make a headlining return in September, with many festivals set to host the band before then.

Set List
Blue eyes
Dublin days
Bringing me down
Me & my mind
In too deep
Complicated
Feel the same
Stars in my eyes (acoustic)
Travelling man
Give me love
Sunny days
You down with ORB
Writing songs

Live your life
Stars in my eyes








 
 
 
 
 
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