The acting, and writing, and direction is astounding. The tone is a perfectly timed building of mystery and dread, and the opening scene is quite frankly unforgettable. I will say nothing here to avoid spoiling it, but for an actor who has just one scene the soldier who dominates that first Merrin confrontation was more terrifying than Christoph Waltz in "Inglorious Bastards". It wouldn't surprise me if Christoph secretly drew inspiration from him. It is truly shameful that the studio had an entirely different film shot in this ones place and then left this unfinished for so long, releasing the far inferior "The Beginning" directed by Renny Harlin. The special effects let "Dominion" down where because funding for this version was pulled, the director (Paul Schrader) went on to finish it anyway, with some crude FX shots. Underneath the shots that remind you this is a movie, is an immersing masterpiece waiting to be realised. Sadly it never will be, but I know it is under there. And I will always praise how close they came to it under the circumstances that the studio put them through. What a cast. What writer. What a director.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Falling Up
(2009)
Charming main characters, and cast. But too rigid a formula elsewhere.
20 April 2014
Whenever I talk to someone about how good writing is crucial, this is a low budget example that I will refer them too. Henry and Scarlet are so charmingly written that it makes the jobs of Joseph Cross and Sarah Roemer easy, and together they are simply adorable. The film does suffer from a distinct "I can see where this is going next" feeling due to its unwillingness to break the classic romantic comedy template. A shame because a brave wander away could have taken it to some better places. But it is an enjoyable ride, even if you know the scenery by heart. With the two lead characters and the people who play them, it has more charm in its short running time than many films of the same genre that run for almost twice the time. Special mention also to Jo Pantoliano as the hotel boss, in a turn that would actually make him a good J.J. Jameson in the next spiderman film. When you see it... you will know. He's pretty remarkable.
Strippers vs Werewolves
(2012)
A special kind of talent
20 April 2014
It takes a special kind of talent, to take a concept so simple, and do nothing good with it. Those who say you can't expect much from a film with a title like "strippers vs werewolves"... why not? Why can't I expect a film to deliver quality regardless of it's premise? There is no character here to be found, and that is where the film is doomed from the very beginning. We can't get emotionally invested or attached to anyone. What infuriates me the most is the number of positive reviews, that having now looked at more closely, were probably friendly in some way with the production. When will people learn that fabricating opinions to get viewers to watch something you know to be bad, will only create negativity towards your work? Every aspect of this production, from the fake reviews, to the famous faces cameos, reeks of "get people to pay to see it, worry about the quality later". That is unacceptable. Respect your audience, or face the consequences. Don't hide behind the title as some sort of defence for being able to lower the bar. You didn't lower the bar. You put the bar on the floor.
He Who Dares
(2014)
Give Zara Phythian her own film to shine in
20 April 2014
Zara Phythian is the responsible for all the stars this review awards the film. She is more physically capable than the men supposedly playing S.A.S, and has more of a screen presence than all of the villains in the film combined. I hope she goes on to do far more, in work that is far more deserving. As for the rest... where do I start? This film was clearly made by a team where the quality was second to anything else. Script, story, logic, even effort, seems so lacking. Much like their "white collar hooligan" films, the sequel was in the works before this one even came out. So that sure isn't by public demand. Looking at the other reviews on here, the public has spoken. If the sequel picks up the slack left by it's predecessor it may surprise us all, but the track record of work does not suggest that will be the case.
Full English Breakfast
(2014)
In charge of the sound? You're fired.
20 April 2014
I'm going to give some decent shout outs to the cast. But first, let's address the sound. It almost seems like they have had to re-dub the entire thing. This creates a weird effect where everyone is the same volume regardless of where they stand in the scene or if they are shouting, and the noise of eating breakfast is the same volume as a gunshot. David Courtney does not put a foot wrong here, he's pretty magnetic. The film dies its death when left in the hands of the script not serving anything of substance to Jamie Bannerman and Lucy Drive. The script to support their forbidden romance just isn't there. They meet, there's an attraction, they kiss briefly later, and its made clear they had sex. But we never see any of the raw physical attraction that would make you want to risk your life for the other person. Which is such a waste because they are both clearly very attractive people and the films opportunity to turn sparks into fire is wasted but not allowing them to do either. David leads the charge for quality here, and admirably so. But he cannot raise the film up any higher, and his two co-stars are given nothing to use to help him do it. The people in charge of sound and script should take responsibility and learn from it. They let down a decent pool of talent here.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
(2014)
Not greater than the sum of its parts
20 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Off the starting line here, let me address that the film being marketed is essentially not the film you get. The entire "Enemies unite, and his ultimate battle begins" is not what happens here. In-fact the poster where Spiderman is facing off against Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino, is a border-line breach of trading standards when you have seen the film. They only ever fight him individually, and at separate points in the film. Also, the new Rhino, including the scenes heavily used in all the trailers - only appears as the CLOSING SCENE of the film. With that information out the way, is the film any good? Not particularly. Andrew and Emma are wonderful together on screen and keep the film alive, but whenever the film is left to be carried by the male cast it is left for dead because the script, the characters... it just isn't there. It's a series of convenient events that just happen in order, to reach the end and set up a hopefully superior part 3. A wasted opportunity with a cast that were not given the right tools they needed to do their job - a decent story and script.
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