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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated 22 July (2018) in Movies

Oct 22, 2018 (Updated Oct 22, 2018)  
22 July (2018)
22 July (2018)
2018 | Drama
7
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Good Direction (1 more)
Well Acted
Lacks Purpose (0 more)
An Important, If Terrifying Recent Tragedy
22 July is a Netflix film directed by Paul Greengrass about a brutal 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo.

This film is hard to watch.

I'm a guy that loves gory action flicks and intense horror movies, but something like this is far more disturbing to me. The film is so well made on a technical level, that at some points it actually feels like you are watching the real life massacre play out, which to me felt a little bit too real. Thankfully, I have never been affected by an act of terrorism, nor has anyone that I know, but if I had, I'm not sure how I would feel about someone making a movie like this retelling the trauma that those people went through.

I appreciate that this is an important event in recent history and shouldn't be something that is easily forgotten, but the brutal realism of this film is hard to stomach at times. It really puts you in the shoes of the victims and let's you imagine the terror and crippling fear that they must have felt.

The actor that plays the perpetrator of the attack, Anders Behring Breivik, (played by Anders Danielsen Lie,) has to be commended. He was so believable in the role that I ended up getting really angry every time that he appeared in a scene. I don't even want to know what an actor has to do to get into that headspace, but he put in an absolutely sublime performance as a deplorable scumbag.

The other standout role was Jonas Strand Gravli as Viljar Hanssen, one of the victims of the attack. He is the audience's main conduit into this horrific event and he is brilliant throughout the film.

The main criticism that I have is that we are shown this horrific attack in brutal detail and the aftermath of the event, with no real purpose. I am not sure what the point of this movie was other than to retell a gut wrenching, terrifying story of a real life terrorist attack. I guess, if you were to do some reaching, you could say that the fact that the film has no point echoes the fact that this brutal act of mass violence also had no point and sometimes these horrific things just happen with no real reason.

Overall, this is a very well made movie. It is full of heavy emotions and will make you think about the nature of the human mind. This is if you can get through it though, the movie is very hard to watch and I can see a good amount of folks turning off because they can't handle it, which I can totally understand.
  
Masters of Horror: A Horror Anthology
Masters of Horror: A Horror Anthology
Matt Shaw | 2020 | Horror
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
112 of 200
Kindle
Masters of Horror: A Horror anthology
Presented by Matt Shaw
Collection of authors

Masters of Horror A selection of some of the finest horror writers of today were invited by Matt Shaw to bring him their twisted tales for this anthology. A book put together with the sole purpose of reminding readers what the horror genre is really about. Each author was told they could write about any subject matter they wanted so long as it was set in a world of horror. The only rule they had: No Paranormal Romance. Vampires do not sparkle, werewolves do not date, Witches do not scour Tinder for Virgins and ghosts do not declare their undying love whilst tidying the apartment... This is horror... Featuring work from: Introduction- Matt Shaw Brian Lumley - The Cyprus Shell Ramsey Campbell- Again Sam West- Survival J R Park - Mary Peter McKeirnon- Doll Face Andrew Freudenberg- A Taste of Mercy Mason Sabre - Chocolate Shaun Hutson- The Contract Anton Palmer- Dead-Eyed Dick Wrath James White- Beast Mode Shane McKenzie- Dewey Davenport Tonia Brown - Zolem Graeme Reynolds- The Pit Adam L.G. Nevill- Hippocampus Gary McMahon- You Can Go Now Ryan Harding - Down There Matt Shaw - Letter From Hell Matt Hickman- Eye For An Eye Daniel Marc Chant - Three Black Dogs Amy Cross- Checkout Kit Power- Loco Parentis Adam Millard - In The Family Guy N. Smith - The Priest Hole Jaime Johnesee- Just Breathe Craig Saunders- Raintown Sam Michael Bray - The End Is Where You’ll Find It Jeff Strand- Don’t Make Fun Of The Haunted House Mark Cassell - Trust Issues Paul Flewitt- The Silent Invader Clare Riley Whitfield- The Clay Man Jim Goforth- Animus Brian Lumley - The Deep-Sea Conch Chris Hall- Afterword


A few comments on the ones I enjoyed the most!
1. The Cyprus shell by Brain Lumley

This is a letter to a friend explaining his recent early departure from a dinner party. He explains his awful experience and aversion to oysters! Got to say I loved it and it captured so much in a short letter!

2. Again by Ramsey Campbell

This is a strange little story about a hiker discovering a strange old woman keeping her almost dead husband tied to a bed. It was a little strange.

4. Mary by J R Park

Ooo this was good religious symbols and lots of murder and blood!!

5 Doll Face by Peter McKeirnon

This was creepy as f**k there are no limits to what a father would do for his little girl!

6. A taste of Mercy by Andrew Freudenburg

Brilliant so sad and yet so gross! You felt every word of the woe the trenches brought these men!

7 chocolate by Mason Sabre

Ok so I will be keeping a close eye on my kids and their imaginary friends needing chocolate haha loved it!

8 The Contract by Shaun Hutson

Well this taught us one thing is certain killing death would be a very silly thing to do!!

9 Dead-eyed Dick by Anton Palmer

This had me in tears laughing and must be every mans worst nightmare! I’m definitely getting my husband to read it! Brilliant!!

11 Hippocampus by Adam L.G. Nevill

Nevill is one of my favourite authors he has a way of taking you every step of the journey with every book he writes. This one did not disappoint I walked the length of that vessel
With him! I know have some pretty gruesome scenes in my head.

12 you can go now. By Gary McMahon

Totally heartbreaking in some way and utterly creepy in others! Also an eye opener to mental illness which I took from it!

13 letter from hell by Matt Shaw

Reading this made me sick to my stomach being a mum I think it’s my worst nightmare! I can just imagine how those mothers felt when their children never came home! Totally gut wrenching!!

14 Eye for an eye by Matt Hickman

Brilliant! Gruesome and totally what you’d expect from the afterlife of a murderer!

16 Loco Parentis by Kit Power

About a man rounding up a pedophile ring and breaking some bones but in a strange twist he turns it on the reader lol very good!!

I absolutely loved most of these stories I think there is something in there for every Horror fan I’ve also found a few more authors!