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| The Grey | Falling Skies |
Friday, 20 September 2041
Saturday, 25 February 2012
The Grey
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Liam ‘voice like a snow-gritter’ Neeson in survival horror mode, here.
The plot:
In Alaska, a team of oil drillers are just coming to the end of their secondment to the icy wasteland. One of them, Ottway (Neeson), is in emotional turmoil following the death of his wife, and contemplates suicide, even going so far as putting a shotgun in his mouth.
Barrel end first, of course.
He’s not sick.
Not managing to go through with it, instead he finds himself on the flight to Anchorage that will take the drillers home when calamity strikes: the plane goes down, in the middle of nowhere, and only seven survive.
With little in the way of supplies – only what they can salvage from the wreck – their position looks perilous, and is made all the worse when it soon transpires that their most pressing concern is not the Arctic terrain, but a pack of wolves, into whose territory they have inadvertently crashed.
Which will kill them first?
The elements?
Or the slyly intelligent, massively territorial wildlife?
And it should be a load of old cobblers, but it works terrifically well.
Neeson is perfectly cast as the sour, embittered old gizzard who just happens to be something of an expert on all things lupine.
The director makes excellent use of the terrifyingly frozen landscape, casting an emotionless eye over the terrain to really drive home the full extent of the survivors’ plight.
The wolves themselves are a menacing foe and, though much could be discussed about the plausibility of such usually timid creatures acting in this manner, relax folks; it’s only a movie.
It’s a tough watch on occasion, too, with one particularly grisly sequence involving the removal of an already dead wolf’s head using nought but a small penknife. Shown in graphic detail, this scene caused quite the murmuring amongst the audience.
With a bleakness infused in every shot, this may be a Hollywood movie, but it strays far from the well-trodden territory of cliché and happy outcomes, instead forcing the viewer to really think about the conditions the men found themselves in.
Surprisingly powerful stuff.
Smell the Movies
Smell the TV
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 | |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Country of origin: | USA |
| Director: | Joe Carnahan |
| Genre: | Killer wolves |
| Starring: | Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Nonso Anozie, Joe Anderson, Ben Bray, James Badge Dale |
| Rating: | 4/5 |
| IMDB link: | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1601913/ |
| Tagline: | Live and Die on This Day |
| Favourite line: | "I'm going to start beating the shit out of you in the next five seconds." |
Liam ‘voice like a snow-gritter’ Neeson in survival horror mode, here.
The plot:
In Alaska, a team of oil drillers are just coming to the end of their secondment to the icy wasteland. One of them, Ottway (Neeson), is in emotional turmoil following the death of his wife, and contemplates suicide, even going so far as putting a shotgun in his mouth.
Barrel end first, of course.
He’s not sick.
Not managing to go through with it, instead he finds himself on the flight to Anchorage that will take the drillers home when calamity strikes: the plane goes down, in the middle of nowhere, and only seven survive.
With little in the way of supplies – only what they can salvage from the wreck – their position looks perilous, and is made all the worse when it soon transpires that their most pressing concern is not the Arctic terrain, but a pack of wolves, into whose territory they have inadvertently crashed.
Which will kill them first?
The elements?
Or the slyly intelligent, massively territorial wildlife?
And it should be a load of old cobblers, but it works terrifically well.
Neeson is perfectly cast as the sour, embittered old gizzard who just happens to be something of an expert on all things lupine.
The director makes excellent use of the terrifyingly frozen landscape, casting an emotionless eye over the terrain to really drive home the full extent of the survivors’ plight.
The wolves themselves are a menacing foe and, though much could be discussed about the plausibility of such usually timid creatures acting in this manner, relax folks; it’s only a movie.
It’s a tough watch on occasion, too, with one particularly grisly sequence involving the removal of an already dead wolf’s head using nought but a small penknife. Shown in graphic detail, this scene caused quite the murmuring amongst the audience.
With a bleakness infused in every shot, this may be a Hollywood movie, but it strays far from the well-trodden territory of cliché and happy outcomes, instead forcing the viewer to really think about the conditions the men found themselves in.
Surprisingly powerful stuff.
Curse of the Puppet Master
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Part 6 of a horror franchise usually seems like a step too far, but those crazy puppets never get boring.
The plot:
With the dangerously animate puppets placed for auction, a mad doctor takes the opportunity to buy the bloodthirsty little bastards.
Hoping to better understand what gives them life, the crazy old spoon intends to use them to further his own evil experiments: transforming human beings into animated, puppet versions of themselves!
Yep, it's another Full Moon Entertainment production, so turn the lights down, sit back and delight in the low budget, nonsensical mayhem that is a Puppet Master movie.
By now, anyone watching should be familiar with the concept, so little time is spent on explanation. They just assume you get it.
Fair enough.
Story-wise, this is a slight diversion, as we are presented with at least one sympathetic character: a gas station attendant who may be brighter than he outwardly appears.
With virtually no violence until the last ten minutes, the entire special effects budget is then spunked on a rather grisly set piece at the denouement, as all the puppets gather around one deserving specimen and cut the fucking life out of him.
Great.
No masterpiece, this, but if retro horror is your bag, there's much worse out there. Liked it!
Smell the Movies
Smell the TV
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 | |
| Year: | 1998 |
| Country of origin: | USA |
| Director: | David DeCoteau |
| Genre: | Devil dolls attack |
| Starring: | George Peck, Emily Harrison, Josh Green |
| Rating: | 3/5 |
| IMDB link: | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132451/ |
| Tagline: | Four Years Ago, the Puppets of Andre Toulon Vanished Without a Trace. Now The Puppets have Found a New Home, And a New Puppet Master. |
| Favourite line: | "I want to carve a living puppet…." |
Part 6 of a horror franchise usually seems like a step too far, but those crazy puppets never get boring.
The plot:
With the dangerously animate puppets placed for auction, a mad doctor takes the opportunity to buy the bloodthirsty little bastards.
Hoping to better understand what gives them life, the crazy old spoon intends to use them to further his own evil experiments: transforming human beings into animated, puppet versions of themselves!
Yep, it's another Full Moon Entertainment production, so turn the lights down, sit back and delight in the low budget, nonsensical mayhem that is a Puppet Master movie.
By now, anyone watching should be familiar with the concept, so little time is spent on explanation. They just assume you get it.
Fair enough.
Story-wise, this is a slight diversion, as we are presented with at least one sympathetic character: a gas station attendant who may be brighter than he outwardly appears.
With virtually no violence until the last ten minutes, the entire special effects budget is then spunked on a rather grisly set piece at the denouement, as all the puppets gather around one deserving specimen and cut the fucking life out of him.
Great.
No masterpiece, this, but if retro horror is your bag, there's much worse out there. Liked it!
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