The Cabin in the Woods – Review

The Cabin in the Woods – Review

Review by FilmFellaLozz – 8.2/10

It’s a big year for Joss Whedon; directing the biggest superhero movie thus far with The Avengers Assemble and having produced and co-written this, The Cabin in the Woods. First time director, Drew Goddard, has taken up the helming duties. He’s not new to this genre though (if ‘Cabin…’can fall into just one, that is), with credentials including Cloverfield, Lost and T.Vs Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So he’s proven his worth in the horror/mystery/comedy genres. However, The Cabin in the Woods was shelved due to MGM administration issues back in 2008. So, has a 4-year wait been worth it for one of the most anticipated movies for a while now? The answer is yes. But I can’t tell you why for the most part because that would give it away!

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Review

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Review

Review by FilmFellaHenry – 7.6/10

A group of ageing Brits spurn the grim prospect of retiring in England for a chance to live out their years in exotic India. Drawn to the seemingly luxurious Marigold Hotel, they soon discover their dream hotel is more a nightmare crapshack. Determined to make the best of it, the group attempt to brave the powerful Indian culture-shock: an experience that both broadens the mind and liberates the heart.

From the strong British cast and subject matter alone, it’s clear what The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel aims to deliver: a heart-warming, light comedy infused drama that breaks down the negative stereotypes of the older generation.

The Hunter – Review

The Hunter – Review

By FilmFella Henry – 6/10

Set within the Tasmanian wilds, Martin (Willem Dafoe) is a professional hunter sent to locate the last Tasmanian tiger by a shadowy biotech company. Finding himself caught in a bitter dispute between a logging company and a group of eco protesters, Martin’s attempt to locate the elusive creature tests not only his hunter’s skills, but also his morality.

I naturally assumed, from both title and trailer, that The Hunter would fall neatly into the survivalist genre: Dafoe alone in the dangerous wilds, kind of like Vincent Gallo in Essential Killing.

The Woman In Black – Review

The Woman In Black – Review

Review by FilmfellaHenry – 6/10

Eager to prove he’s more than just ‘that Potter bastard’, Daniel Radcliffe adopts a brooding Edwardian lead in director James Watkin’s new horror The Woman In Black. Recently widowed solicitor Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is tasked with handling the estate of the late Alice Drablow in Northern England. Leaving behind his four year old son Joseph (Misha Handley), Kipps travels to the creepy deserted Eel Marsh House, where the local townsfolk give him a chilly reception. Endeavouring to complete his assignment, Kipps begins to suspect the old manse is not quite as uninhabited as he previously thought…

The Grey – Review

The Grey – Review

Review by FilmFella Lozz – 7.9/10

After the success of The A-Team in 2010, Joe Carnahan has teamed back up with leading man, Liam Neeson, for this grim wilderness tale. Where the A-Team and Smoking Aces delivered on the action, The Grey is much more focused on the psyche of man amongst men and the mental and physical attitude towards life and survival in the most tremendously difficult circumstances. This is a tough movie.

Liam Neeson is a man of very few words, living for no real reason, in an end of the earth job in middle of nowhere Alaska. He, along with the other scallywags, ex-cons and various bearded oil drillers alike, board a plane back to civilization, only for it to crash, leaving a handful of survivors.

BAFTA 2012 Nominations – Reaction (Podcast)

With the BAFTA’s just around the corner, The FilmFellas discuss this years nominations and give their verdict on who will be the winners and losers come February 12th.

 

 

The Descendants – Review

The Descendants – Review

Review by FilmFellaDarren – 9/10

Hawaii: forever synonymous in Hollywood movies with a care-free, easy going existence created by proximity to picturesque landscapes defined by turquoise seas and golden sands. The superb Alexander Payne’s fourth film aims to subvert then dispel cinematic representations we all have of life in Hawaii, through this impressively organic and evocative screenplay about a Hawaiian lawyer and crucially, land baron, dealing with a tremendous amount of stress inducing turmoil in his life.

By using Hawaii as the basis for his screenplay, Payne has come up with the perfect metaphor for conveying the message of the film: that being, whether you dwell in a run-down urban slum or you are a seemingly privileged and successful person living next to sun-kissed landscapes,

The Artist – Review

The Artist – Review

Review by FilmFellaHenry – 7.9/10

Screenwriter David Mamet once said ‘a good film script should be able to do completely without dialogue.’ In other words, an effective story need not rely on verbal plot indicators, instead using body language and camera technique to convey a narrative.

This is what director Michel Hazanavicius has set out to do with The Artist, a film that recreates the physical drama of an early 20^th century silent movie. Set in 1927, popular Hollywood actor George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) becomes spurned by the studio system as ‘talkies’ begin to replace silent cinema.