Spotlight(2015) The true story of Spotlight, an investigative team on the Boston Globe, who in 2002, reported on the systematic abuse by the Catholic clergy. A complicated, but absorbing ensemble piece with strong acting (Rachel McAdams,Michael Keaton, John Slattery,Mark Ruffalo,Brian d'Arcy James). Ruffalo's character provides the emotional, passionate element of the story reminding you of the human factor behind the shocking story. Liev Schreiber plays the owner of The Globe,a quiet, determined figure, which Schreiber underplays well. Also starring Stanley Tucci,Neal Huff, Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle and Eileen Padau. 7.5/10
A film stuffed with lewd humour that was mostly aimed at the teenage boy demographic.With a great turn from Sean Penn thrown in,its a bikini clad Phoebe Cates' emergence from a swimming pool that steals the show.
The German Doctor - Spanish title Wakolda (2013) Set in 1960,the apparently true story of an Argentinian family who befriended escaped Nazi Josef Mengele not knowing who he was. In some ways a quirky film with an intelligent narration and script,Alex Brendemuhl nicely underplays his Mengele role, although the script chillingly reveals his Nazi ideology, even if the family don't guess immediately. Good performances too from Diego Peretti,Natalia Oreiro and Florence Bado as the family and Elena Roger as a photographer. Also starring Alan Daicz. 7/10
Apparently if you find a set of knucklebones in a fancy metal-case (you can find most things on Ebay) & you use them in a ritual chant you can resurrect an un-killable demon like the Nazi's did in WW2.That's exactly what a group a gullible teenagers do (the main ingredient of any Horror film) when they break into an abandoned warehouse & discover such treasures.
Carnage then pursues but let's be honest this Knucklebone's character looks so laughable (& sounds like he is voiced by 4 or 5 different people) I've seen scarier masks in my local pound shop.
The plot is as thin as a gnat's todger,the charcacter's annoying as hell that Knucklebones should have killed them sooner to put everyone out of their misery.
A turkey of a film (with all the trimmings).2/10 (1 mark is for the interesting looking dvd cover).
Echoes From The Dead(2013) A Swedish thriller in which a woman returns to her hometown and is drawn into investigating the disappearance of her son twenty years previously. A rather routine storyline and a so so ending, but nicely shot in a rural,desolate part of Sweden with a strong lead performance from Lena Endre. Also starring Tord Peterson, Thomas W Gabrielsson, Felix Engstrom and Ted Astrom. 6/10
A David Lynch curio that manages to be part pychological horror,part triller and all.surreal at the same time.Though it needs to be seen several times before it reveals its many layers to the viewer.With hypnotic,haunting and unhinged performance from Dennis Hopper.
Emma, a graduate student living in New York is the victim of a stalker, he starts by watching her through the webcam on her laptop and the camera on her phone, but soon virtual stalking isn't enough so he begins calling her and banging on her door in the dead of night. The ending when the stalker breaks in is truly horrific and makes for a disturbing finish to the film.
Shot entirely on webcam/ phonecam, the gritty image quality gives the film a level of realism which lifts it above your average slasher flick.
The world's top protection agent is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world's most notorious hit men. The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their journey from England to the Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator who is out for blood.
Starman(1984) Directed by John Carpenter, Jeff Bridges in the title role as an alien who assumes the form of Karen Allen's late husband and persuades her to travel to Arizona for a rendezvous with his fellow aliens. As much a drama and a romance as a scifi film, there is excellent screen chemistry between Bridges and Allen. Bridges is in good form, as his character learns what it is like to be human, this is helped by Allen's sympathetic performance and a clever script. Charles Martin Smith puts in a likeable support role. Also starring Richard Jaeckel. 7.5/10
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