Green Room

A24 time again!

Jesus fucking wept this is a sit and a half not because it's bad but it is some stressful shit. Essentially concerning a punk band who happen across a murder at a venue they are performing in and get embroiled in the coverup by a bunch of skinheads as they desperately try to survive. There is no way in two tits of a rat's ass a studio system would make this film and I think that's one of the reasons people laud A24 so highly, because they pick up movies, produce movies, and distribute movies by directors who have unconventional stories to tell. Hearing about the director Jeremy Saulnier talk about having no way to make this film once he became a bigger more noticeable director really put that all in perspective for me, people gravitate towards indie filmmaking and low budget forays because you just don't get this shit anywhere. And I feel he did a good job crafting this very stressful and graphic movie but have little burts of artistry and dare I say avant garde type shots as you are thrown into this scary situation with this band. Anton Yelchin our sweet summer child slowly but surely becomes the main character through this situation, and even in a grim ass dark movie he has that heart and charm which endeared him to so many. Imogen Poots goes from friend of the murdered (good band name...) to final girl by the end of all of this, and I was always keeping my eye on her because man she got dead behind the eyes real quick, solid performance! I almost spit my drink out seeing Sir Patrick Stewart in this movie, that is considerable star power for a independent film and to see him as the main antagonist was rather shocking, but given an actor of his status he can really play anything his heart desires. The band dynamic between Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, and Callum Turner feels very genuine like these are friends who decided to be in a punk band together, and it's interesting to note how each person handles the pressure of this insane situation. The movie is barely 90 minutes but so much happens within that 90 minutes you get immersed, involved, and really really wanting to see how this ends! It blindsides you with this murder and it only gets bloodier from there, the movie knows how to pace and punch when needed. Granted I was hoping to see some more skinhead natzi shitlickers to get axed but I guess I'll have to take what I can get. It's rather bleak and unapologetic but that's why it is so effective in it's storytelling. I'll admit the synopsis alone caught my attention of potential movies to review this week and what I found was a very well made albiet dark film that certainly is not for everybody but it's compelling in it's own way. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10.

And tomorrow it's time for another bow like all the other years, eleven's hour is over now the clock is striking twelve.

Fright Night (2011)

Thank God this didn't suck.

Yeah, the original Fright Night fell woefully short for me so I was holding high hopes for the remake to be superior. A rare case indeed in such a line of work as this. And I must say I did enjoy this one much more, in yet another rare case this is actually a remake that isn't superflous. It doesn't tread the same waters beat for beat but actually does something original of it's own while still telling the story, which is how a remake should be done! Keep the basic story of in this case, a teenage boy who suspects and soon discovers his next door neighbor is a vampire and takes matters into his own hands with the help of a now this time occultist magician instead of a TV show host to keep his friends and family safe. I think the cast this time around is great with Anton Yelchin being our main lead, and it was very bittersweet to see him again but he does well and feels like a real person. In fact everyone does, the modern quality of the writing and acting makes every character feel like they're someone in your neighborhood. There's no cliche character types or situations, it just tells the story in an entertaining way. I must admit at first I didn't buy Colin Farrell as a bloodsucker, a dark wizard perhaps but no nosferatu but he won me over as the film went on. I really like both the mom and the girlfriend, they're fun and witty and actually do stuff in the story rather than just be someone to save at the end. But my absolute favorite is David Tennant as this Criss Angel looking performer who actually looks way better and knows much of the supernatural to the point he has an entire armory to fight various beasts and monsters, I mean...it's David Tennant it's incredibly hard not to enjoy him, it's like this mix of Time Lord and ginger haired demon in his performance and it's wonderful. The effects aren't half bad either, only using CG when necessary and does some pretty neat tricks with the whole no reflection or image in cameras. It's a pretty good movie and one I actually don't mind recommending, a remake done well with some good laughs and horror elements, and yeah the characters do some dumb stuff but it doesn't hurt the movie much. It's just a fun decently made movie perfect for a movie night with some friends that's actually a huge improvement over the original. 3 stars, 7/10, a good movie for the season!