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Corporate Animals (2019)
Definitely NOT Blue Sky Thinking!
One of the worst films I've ever seen! It has no redeeming features! It's totally unfunny. It's not clever or interesting, has no decent or even likeable characters. It's just pathetically pointless! How does stuff like this even get made!! (Are some of the reviews here paid for or something? How can anyone give this 7, 8, 9 out of 10?!!)
Residue (2015)
It's a Pilot People!!!
Just wanted to to say to all those reviewers that keep saying things like 'It's ambiguous,' 'It feels like nothing was resolved,' and 'I'm no wiser at the end as to what the explanation was
- That's because this is a pilot!!! As the director says:
"The thing I had envisioned was quite a long story. The movie that I was pitching them was essentially the beginning of the mythology, and with success we would have the opportunity to do more, so television sounded really exciting to me, given how it has evolved over the past several years — the novelization of television. Also, many of the networks are really getting creatively engaged with genre material, which was not always true in the early 2000s and going back."
And:
"It's really only the beginning of the story, according to Walls. "'Residue' Season 1 is really an extended pilot and should be thought of that way," she said. "Netflix don't necessarily do the Amazon- style pilot season. But 'Residue' is really more in that model where these first three chapters are live before the existence of a full season."
So now you can all stop moaning about it and trying to be clever! And get to supporting it so the rest of the story is resolved - with a full series!
http://www.indiewire.com/article/how-to-sell-a-TV-show-to-netflix- 20150401
La horde (2009)
Suitably Hardcore French Zombie Mayhem
This is Good!!
I've become quite a fan of French horror films lately, and of course I'm a big zombie fan (who isn't), but this is the first French zombie film I've ever seen. Anyone familiar with French horror, knows they like to do it hardcore, and this is no exception to that rule! In fact this may be the most hardcore zombie film you've ever seen.
This is however a thoroughly modern zombie flick. It has a kind of stylised feel to it, that kind of sets it apart from traditional zombie fayre. In terms of the actual story though it's very much zombie trad - with the protagonists trapped in a tower block (a la "Attack the block"), under siege from the Zombie hordes outside (and some inside of course). The zombies are of the fast moving variety - what I call "runny zombies," cos they run straight at you! The set-up is suitably pretty basic. A "family" of police embark on an unsanctioned raid on a gang holed-up in a tower block to reap revenge for the death of one of their number. Things go horribly awry and to put the topper on a seriously bad day, the zombies then attack. The cops and the baddies have to form an uneasy alliance, joined by the odd lunatic resident of the tower block, to fight and escape the zombie hordes.
There are a number of scenes and sequences in this which are pretty memorable, and one in particular that might just have your jaw dropping open! One final note - do not be put off by the subtitles - the translations are crisp and economical, and won't leave you still reading after the dialogue has finished - the subtitles won't be distracting you from enjoying all the glorious gory action! In a nutshell, if you like zombie films, then you simply MUST see this!
Triangle (2009)
This makes me want drugs - now!!!
What just happened?! Not sure what to make of this film - but I think I liked it. In time, when I've had time to digest it - I think I might like it a lot. THIS MAKES ME WANT DRUGS - NOW!!!
This film is like a cross between Howard's Way and The Twilight Zone! (It's not really anything like Howard's Way).
This is very much probably a "Marmite" film (sorry to use that now overused pseudo-term, but I don't think it's ever been so apt). At the time of writing, the LoveFilm tally is that 232 people "Loved it," and 154 "Hated it." So I think I'm justified in saying this.
Not a lot to say about the film itself without spoiling, except that the Melissa George character (looking damn good in shorts and vest all the way through), turns up looking fairly sketchy to join a sailing trip with her friend, and his friends. All starts off fairly standard, as they set off for sun, sea and frolics - but why was she looking so sketchy? All will be explained - OR NOT!!
Needless to say it soon gets pretty damn weird! I liked it. Many others will, many won't. I seem to be stumbling across a number of these films lately - the kind of thing that will get you existentially musing on the nature of existence. If you're not into that kind of thing and ONLY want, filmic horror/thriller, then move on. This does have filmic horror/thriller, but possibly at the cost of your sanity!
You WILL love it, or hate it!
Naked (1993)
Realism, or caricature?
A weird film! The good bit is David Thewlis' Existential p**s-taking discourse with everyone he comes across - the bad bit is - everything else. Also, it's way too long. The charm had worn off. Ends up being long-winded and pointless - whereas had it been shorter it would have been bitter-sweetly succinct. Johnny, is the archetypal street philosopher, though instead of being a wise vagabond - he is in fact an on the run vagrant - on the run from life, that is. Also - who the f**k is Sebastian?
All of that aside though, I have a real problem with Mike Leigh's films. He tries TOO hard to come across as authentic and real - and this effort becomes so conspicuous that it clouds everything else and it's all you can see. His films aren't authentic and real - they're the opposite of that - they're overdone and contrived. Most of his stuff ends up being a bunch of middle-class loveys performing their perception of an Idyll of plucky, chirpy, working-class folk! I suspect that the only thing that saves this film from becoming that, is the intensive involvement of Thewlis in developing the script and dialogue.
Basically Leigh's approach in depicting authentic realistic working class characters, ends up producing a facsimile that is strikingly recognisable to the original article - but one that exaggerates the more obvious features - to a cringe-making degree. He creates cinematic caricatures.