Change Your Image
judd_clarke
Reviews
On Expenses (2010)
"You've always been a prong"
"You mean the Freedom of Information Act applies to US???" says an indignant and outraged politician...yes it does. And so we have 'On Expenses',a wonderfully over-the-top and laugh-out-loud dramatisation of the parliamentary expenses scandal. Brian Cox, Scotland's finest living actor, looks like he really enjoyed flexing his hitherto unearthed comedic chops for this. And who knew Anna Maxwell Martin would have made such a great American? There's also a marvellous, faultless supporting cast and some real-life politicians appearing as unwanted extras. Schadenfreude is not an admirable trait, but in this case I think we should be forgiven.
Outpost (2008)
I'll say one thing for the film-makers. They've got style.
Some soldiers stumble across a spooky bunker. Bad things happen.
Okay, so Outpost isn't going to win any prizes for originality, but it's a worthy addition to the 'soldiers stumbling across a spooky bunker' horror sub-genre. What we get is a gritty, well-crafted, low-to-no budget movie that relies on intelligent directing and great lighting and make-up for its chills and thrills, not CGI or semi-naked teenagers.
There's some great acting on show. I loved Richard Brake as Prior, the only American of the bunch. We know what kind of character he's going to be from his nickname alone ('Redneck') but Brake's performance gives him some real depth - certainly more than we could expect in a film like this. And then there's Michael Smiley ('Tyres' from Spaced) who plays McKay, a Northern Irish loudmouth with an IRA tattoo and a Para beret, who provides one of the most realistic and funniest reactions to a zombie re-animating itself in cinematic history (IMHO).
Outpost has its flaws though, particularly in the ending that plays loose and fast with what has gone before, resulting in a glaring plot-hole. The director openly admits as much in the commentary, but even so, it's fairly unforgivable. Speaking of the commentary, it's an enjoyable and enthusiastic chat between director and producer that reveals how imagination, ingenuity can overcome a lack of money and special effects.