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Chiara Mastroianni recommended Tyrannosaur (2011) in Movies (curated)
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) created a video about Gunpowder in TV
Oct 14, 2017
Jeremiah Zagar recommended Kes (1969) in Movies (curated)
Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated The Vanishing (2018) in Movies
Jan 8, 2020 (Updated Jan 8, 2020)
Peter Mullan is brilliant again...
Based on the true story of three lighthouse keepers who mysteriously disappeared in 1900. This is the writers interpretation of the events that occurred, as nobody knows the truth to what actually happened to the three men on the Flannan Isles.
The movie is really slow paced and quiet, so some people may find it a bit boring. For me though the acting is top notch, which is enough to keep you interested in the story.
The ever reliable Peter Mullan is brilliant again and Gerard Butler is actually really good in this one and proves he does have range as an actor.
One negative for me was that some of the more violent scenes in the movie didn't really match the tempo of the film and felt a little bit out of place. I understand that these things had to happen but I just felt they could have been done a little better.
To sum up The Vanishing is a decent enough movie but I can't help but feel it could have been much much more.
The movie is really slow paced and quiet, so some people may find it a bit boring. For me though the acting is top notch, which is enough to keep you interested in the story.
The ever reliable Peter Mullan is brilliant again and Gerard Butler is actually really good in this one and proves he does have range as an actor.
One negative for me was that some of the more violent scenes in the movie didn't really match the tempo of the film and felt a little bit out of place. I understand that these things had to happen but I just felt they could have been done a little better.
To sum up The Vanishing is a decent enough movie but I can't help but feel it could have been much much more.
Ross (3282 KP) rated Ozark Season 1 in TV
Sep 4, 2017
Compulsive viewing
I think this has been somewhat unfairly compared to Breaking Bad. While there is a similar mix of family/day job vs criminal underworld, the lines are much more blurred and the criminality much closer to the surface.
Jason Bateman's character is nowhere near as likeable/flawed as Walter White and at times you struggle to root for him in the same way.
The true star of the show has to be Ruth Langmore - the redneck/evil genius mix that you cannot take your eyes off.
The appearance of fellow Scot Peter Mullan was somewhat unexpected, however his attempt at a Missouri accent was just atrocious. I am pretty sure he was completely over-dubbed in the pilot episode, I am guessing in favour of a better accent (God alone knows what his first attempt must have been like!).
Jason Bateman's character is nowhere near as likeable/flawed as Walter White and at times you struggle to root for him in the same way.
The true star of the show has to be Ruth Langmore - the redneck/evil genius mix that you cannot take your eyes off.
The appearance of fellow Scot Peter Mullan was somewhat unexpected, however his attempt at a Missouri accent was just atrocious. I am pretty sure he was completely over-dubbed in the pilot episode, I am guessing in favour of a better accent (God alone knows what his first attempt must have been like!).
JT (287 KP) rated Session 9 (2001) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Looking back I’ve written a number of horror film reviews which, probably highlights what my favourite genre is? I’ve not been into torture porn or serious amounts of gore. I don’t mind it in small doses, but I prefer films that get under your skin – case in point, Session 9.
In order to satisfy the millennials the majority of horror films today get their thrills from cheap jump scares. But real terror comes from the things that we can relate to. Things that go ‘bump‘ in the night or the sense that we are being watched. This for me, is real terror. Directed by Brad Anderson, Session 9 embodies all of that to perfection.
Despite being made in 2001 and with a low return at the box office, it has been able to creep out audiences years later.
An asbestos cleaning crew are set the task of clearing the abandoned Danvers State Hospital, a job that needs to be done within a week. Company owner Gordon (Peter Mullan) has put a lot of pressure on his team, consisting of Mike (Stephen Gevedon), Phil (David Caruso), Hank (Josh Lucas), and Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), to meet the deadline and collect a bonus. It’s pressure that starts to spill over right from the off.
The hospital is creepy as hell and even in the daylight the crew are plunged into darkness, which doesn’t sit well with Jeff who has a serious case of nyctophobia. They also have to deal with in-fighting amongst the group. On top of the tight deadline Gordon is struggling with the stress of raising a newborn child and arguments with his wife have not helped matters and slowly he becomes dissociated from the group. Meanwhile Mike stumbles across some tapes (nine of them) which are session interviews with a former patient called Mary Hobbes who has multiple personalities, that over the course of each session start to come out.
Phil (David Caruso) & Jeff (Brendan Sexton III) investigate the depths of the hospital
Like Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining – the location starts to take hold of each of the men, sending them spiraling into a world of personal madness. A number of subplots become interconnected the longer the film goes on and the pacing, while slow for some horror fans, is brilliantly orchestrated for those with patience. Despite being made in 2001 and with a low return at the box office, it has been able to creep out audiences years later.
What makes the film even more terrifying is the setting. The film was shot in the actual Danvers State Hospital so it needed little doing to it in terms of effects. The hospital was said to be the birth place of the prefrontal lobotomy (something which is referenced in the film), and part of me thinks that the fear on the actors faces as they walk the halls was in fact genuine terror. If that is the case then it only adds to the horror.
Session 9 will stay with you long after the credits. It doesn’t rely on heavy gore or CGI and builds tension with what you think you can see and at times – what you can’t.
In order to satisfy the millennials the majority of horror films today get their thrills from cheap jump scares. But real terror comes from the things that we can relate to. Things that go ‘bump‘ in the night or the sense that we are being watched. This for me, is real terror. Directed by Brad Anderson, Session 9 embodies all of that to perfection.
Despite being made in 2001 and with a low return at the box office, it has been able to creep out audiences years later.
An asbestos cleaning crew are set the task of clearing the abandoned Danvers State Hospital, a job that needs to be done within a week. Company owner Gordon (Peter Mullan) has put a lot of pressure on his team, consisting of Mike (Stephen Gevedon), Phil (David Caruso), Hank (Josh Lucas), and Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), to meet the deadline and collect a bonus. It’s pressure that starts to spill over right from the off.
The hospital is creepy as hell and even in the daylight the crew are plunged into darkness, which doesn’t sit well with Jeff who has a serious case of nyctophobia. They also have to deal with in-fighting amongst the group. On top of the tight deadline Gordon is struggling with the stress of raising a newborn child and arguments with his wife have not helped matters and slowly he becomes dissociated from the group. Meanwhile Mike stumbles across some tapes (nine of them) which are session interviews with a former patient called Mary Hobbes who has multiple personalities, that over the course of each session start to come out.
Phil (David Caruso) & Jeff (Brendan Sexton III) investigate the depths of the hospital
Like Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining – the location starts to take hold of each of the men, sending them spiraling into a world of personal madness. A number of subplots become interconnected the longer the film goes on and the pacing, while slow for some horror fans, is brilliantly orchestrated for those with patience. Despite being made in 2001 and with a low return at the box office, it has been able to creep out audiences years later.
What makes the film even more terrifying is the setting. The film was shot in the actual Danvers State Hospital so it needed little doing to it in terms of effects. The hospital was said to be the birth place of the prefrontal lobotomy (something which is referenced in the film), and part of me thinks that the fear on the actors faces as they walk the halls was in fact genuine terror. If that is the case then it only adds to the horror.
Session 9 will stay with you long after the credits. It doesn’t rely on heavy gore or CGI and builds tension with what you think you can see and at times – what you can’t.