Kraken

 

Marine biologist Johanne is asked to investigate a salmon farm in a Norwegian fjord after the area has experienced a series of odd events; fish jumping on land on mass, damaged fishing equipment and more recently missing people. Once at the salmon farm, Johanne discovers that they have been using a sonic device to de-lice the fish but at a dangerously high frequency. Unfortunately, the damage is already done. The sonic wave has also woken up something else.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Virginia Woolf's Night and Day

Courtesy of Vue Lumiere

Although Virginia Woolf's Night and Day is not one of the author’s most memorable or notable works, this period drama adapted by actress Justine Waddell, seems to have all the makings of a typical story about a woman simply born in the wrong time. However, the film tries to offer far more than what is expected with unsatisfying results.

In 1910, astronomer Katherine Hilbery tries to push back against the patriarchal attitudes of the day, challenging what was expected of her as a woman and forging her own path in the field of science.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Obsession

 

Courtesy of Focus Features
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Human behaviour is always a fantastic place to mine for the next horror story. Mix in a traditional horror element, add some paranoia, finally, some mystery and you have the makings of the next big horror film. Most likely made for a fraction of the cost a studio would spend. But Obsession could very easily have slid into obscurity if it hadn't been for a well executed idea, great performances and the fact that filmmaker Curry Barker had already gained a following on Youtube. The latter element is all everyone is talking about, that and Backrooms and how both films and the creators are challenging the status quo etc. True, both filmmakers cut their craft on Youtube and gained a following, an audience, but the main take away here is that both are seemingly original ideas. While Backrooms explores liminal space, Obsession is a combo of stories we’ve heard before.

Baron, Bear to his friends, has an overwhelming crush on his friend and co-worker Nikki. When he becomes too scared to admit his feelings to her, he decides to make a wish on what he thinks is a novelty toy, a ‘One Wish Willow’. Making the wish that she would love him more than anyone else in the world, with immediate results and the worst possible consequences.

The premise of Obsession is solid, with characters that are not quite fully developed, but we get a good understanding who these people are from context; clothes, attitude, and slight background info. More importantly, we know Bear is very keen on Nikki but even by the little time we spend with her, she doesn't exactly feel the same way about him. What unfolds is a haunting, possession and lack of morals. Bear knows something is immediately wrong and yet his own desperate need to be with Nikki overpowers the need to understand or even fix the issues. Only when Nikki starts to act completely unhinged does he question his safety as well as others around him. Though Nikki is the one who acts obsessed with Bear to the point where no one is safe, it is really Bear’s own obsession with Nikki that leads him down this path. But, he can’t be blamed for not believing the wish willow was real, at first. Bear’s obsession is why this story feels familiar.

We’ve seen stories about stalkers and relationships gone terribly wrong. We’ve also seen plenty of possession stories, which this is in the realm of. Nikki has indeed been possessed by something, we don’t know exactly what. Bear does try to find out more about the wish willow and who made them but all we seem to get is one disturbing phone call that doesn’t really shed any light on anything. This mystery is placed at a perfect time in the story, and it may be frustrating to have no answers, it works far better that we don’t find out more. The wish willow is also a monkey’s paw, an omen that screams be careful what you wish for. This horror trope we have seen in films many times as well, just look at all the Wishmaster films. It doesn’t matter what you wish for, it won’t turn out like you hoped and there is always going to be a sinister twist. Despite the familiar stories that are blended together, 

Obsession still manages to provide unique scares and really does burrow under your skin. Its an intriguing horror story that isn’t so easily explained and ends on a very bloody uneasy note. Just hope that studios don’t try to replicate, as that would not look good.

Strictly Ballroom

 

Courtesy of Vertigo Releasing

When Baz Luhrmann arrived on the film scene with Strictly Ballroom, an adaptation of a play he had been involved with and had staged back in 1984, there were no expectations. The film had its world premiere at Cannes in 1992 as part of Un Certain Regard and was an instant hit with the audience. The film went on to become one of the most successful films in Australia of all time as well as becoming a legacy for Luhrmann as he continued making his Red Curtain trilogy and cementing himself as one of the most commercially successful directors to come out of Australia. This romantic comedy set in the world of ballroom dancing is more than just a two-step down memory lane, this is a chance to watch the film in all its ‘flashy crowd pleasing steps glory as its re-released in cinemas.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Christophers

courtesy of Picturehouse Entertainment

 

The art world is brutal. Art is only considered art once someone else has deemed it worthy, let alone worth anything. The difference between creating art and making a living in the art world becomes clear very quickly in Steven Soderbergh’s latest. There is no heist, no grand plan, but there is most definitely a crime taking place. This near two-hander story about two artists confronting truths, whether they sound pretentious or not is beyond what is comprehended. This Christophers is an intriguing and beguiling story with Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel taking centre stage, capturing our attention with every word and stoney glare.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Thrash

 Shark movies have long been considered a sub-genre, whether its action, thriller or horror, sometimes even reducing films that aim to be something more substantial to just another shark film. Thrash is a survival thriller, bringing in severe weather and focusing on various characters in peril, but once the sharks start to appear the film very quickly enters the sub-genre as characters not only have to contend with mother nature on the weather front but also from vicious sharks taking advantage of the situation.

In South Carolina, when a Category 5 hurricane is predicted to hit coastal towns, residents evacuate. A few people remain behind, either because they believe they can ride out the storm or just too late to escape the wrath of the hurricane. Dakota, a young woman who has become agoraphobic since her mother died decides to stay home., Lisa, a heavily pregnant woman left by her fiance tries to leave town only to be swept up in the initial wave of damage and young siblings Dee, Ron and Will are forced to shelter by their foster parents.

With most survival stories, we usually focus on one or two people and watch them struggle to make it through whatever disaster is thrown at them. But here, Thrash follows various people through the storm and later, the sharks. This could have worked if the characters had been linked somehow or eventually ended up in the same place together, at least. Instead we get a disjointed fractured story, that is predictably surrounded by deaths of smaller characters that only provide blood and gore. The little information we have on each character also isn’t really enough for us to care who makes it to the end. Everyone is reduced to a stereotype, resulting in a lazy set up and making our real concern the sharks.

Aside from a very basic storyline, the effects are quite impressive and the stress factor is turns up to the max, especially during a rather horrific birth scene. As the water rises, so does our anxiety but at the back of our minds, we already know how this ordeal will end. Rescue is on the way, a predictable conclusion with no worry of a sequel looms.