Cinema – That Geek Thing

Anon movie Clive Owen Amanda Seyfried sex scene

Anon REVIEW: a smart techno-thriller dripping with gratuitous sex

May 5, 2018

by thatmediathing with No Comment Cinema Reviews

“I give the fight up: let there be an end. A privacy, an obscure nook for me. I want to be forgotten, even by God.” Opening with a quote from Robert Browning’s poem, Paracelus, suggests that Andrew Niccol’s latest techno-thriller might be slightly more high brow than his previous film In Time. Clive Owen certainly offers more gravitas than Justin Timberlake could muster in that 2011 outing, his surly demeanour immediately placing him outside the era he finds himself in.

A detective in an age where everything we do is recorded, by us, you’d think he’d have been pensioned off as perps give themselves away with their own histories. This technology, which is tantalizingly never discussed or explained outside its obvious usage, is like Shazam, Wikipedia, LinkedIn and facial recognition software all delivered as a digital overlay to the world. But when someone cracks the system and the bodies start piling up, it’s clear some old-school detecting is in order. “Who can hack a human being,” is the question that goes unanswered.

Packed with current issues that resonate in a climate that sees Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg up in front of a Senate hearing, the only thing spoiling the tech plotting is, well, the plotting. A borderline totalitarian police state lets a murderess slip through its fingers multiple times, while a late attempt to explain away the killings makes no sense whosoever.

Throw in some gratuitous sex scenes that see unnecessary repetition thanks to the always-on ocular run throughs, as Owen lives out the kind of male fantasy a ’70s gumshoe would enjoy, and the clever sci-fi antics are somewhat swept away. Shame, as the drab, colourless world that serves as the basis for all the digital signage is a powerful counter to our billboard covered times, and the themes on offer can’t help but resonate in our current climate. Review by Matt Chapman

INFO
Release: 11 May 2018
From: Sky Cinema
Format: Theatrical Release and Sky Cinema subscription channel
Age Rating: 15

Ghost Stories movie Martin Freeman shotgun

Ghost Stories REVIEW

April 6, 2018

by thatmediathing with No Comment Cinema Reviews

Ghost Stories review

If ever there was an argument for not meeting your heroes, it’s the awkward encounter between Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman) and the man he grew up idolising. A cassette tape invitation leads Goodman to the professional sceptic’s location, despite his idol having been presumed dead for years – although it’s clear he’s now not long for this world. While the two supernatural debunkers should share a mutual respect, Goodman is instead berated and challenged to solve three unexplainable cases.

Better known for lighter, comic turns, Nyman and co-director/writer Jeremy Dyson have successfully transferred their stage play into the movie format that inspired it. While there is levity throughout to break the tension, no-one’s kidding around here, and Nyman’s also not the only comedy star supplying some menace: Paul Whitehouse’s chippy night watchman faces a different kind of undead than those who’ve taken the black in Game of Thrones.

In the second story in this Amicus-style portmanteau film, Alex Lawther displays an uncomfortable, up-close anguish as Simon, who relays his intense story of an unusual car accident. While in the third, Mike Priddle’s home is a perfect cliché of poshness, although Martin Freeman manages to ensure his character isn’t the same.

Throughout it all, clever editing plays a big part in building mood, as the slow-burn format works through its three tales. The script also drops lots of verbal clues throughout, while there are plenty of visual motifs for eagle-eyed viewers to seize upon. Yet it’s the excellent use of everyday objects (such as a mop head or the way a car seat can look like a person when blurred in shot) that helps push the scares a notch higher, as Ghost Stories saves its best shock for the end.

INFO
Release: 6 April 2018
From: Lionsgate
Format: Theatrical Release
Age Rating: 15

Dark Beacon poster_Green13 Films Lynne Anne Rodgers

Dark Beacon REVIEW

March 22, 2018

by thatmediathing with No Comment Cinema Reviews

Dark Beacon review

Despite the genre stylings of its posters and artwork, it’s best not to think of this film as a horror. With a clever script, fully fleshed out characters and a picturesque setting that’s also quite eerie, it falls more comfortably under the label of a psychological thriller. That’s not to say there aren’t moments that will spook you, but it’s the scenes where these characters react against each other that will stay with you once the film has finished.

Director and co-writer Corrie ‘Coz’ Greenlop nails the creepy vibe of his slow-burn chiller. He’s helped by a setting that’s a beautiful collection of rock pools when the tide is out, and an isolationist’s dream when the sea reclaims the causeway. The lighthouse itself, often sitting rigidly in shot when the characters are outside it, almost becomes another character in the film. And the choice of a WWII siren to signal the coming of the tide only adds to the ominous feel.

Drone shots show off the Jersey coastline in all its glory, helping to hide the low-budget nature of the film. But it’s the central performances that really push Dark Beacon up a notch, as the reunion of ex-lovers Beth (Lynne Anne Rodgers) and Amy (April Pearson), following a family tragedy, doesn’t go quite as planned. Rodgers plays Beth with nervy tension and skittish habits, causing Pearson’s Amy to fear for the life of her daughter Maya (Rodgers’ real-life daughter Kendra Mei). But the character nuances go much deeper – in any other film Beth might be the bad guy, having broken up a marriage, but here she’s a saviour.

There’s also an extra layer to Rodgers’ performance in that her character is obviously on the first steps of a descent into madness. The question that’ll stick in your mind once the film has finished is how much of what we’re seeing is supernatural, and how much is down to Beth’s crumbling psyche? Matt Chapman

INFO
Release: 22 March 2018 (Theatrical Release), 27 March 2018 (Digital Download)
From: Green13 Films
Format: Theatrical Release & Digital Download
Age Rating: TBC