After the phenomenal success of The Descent (2005), Neil Marshall earned himself a reputation as one of the brightest young horror directors in the world, with this success brought associations with the so-called ‘Splat Pack’ of new generation horror filmmakers. As well as this somewhat dubious association Marshall was awarded a higher budget for his follow up; Doomsday (2008). This greater monetary clout did not have the desired effect for Marshall as the film received mixed reviews and a lukewarm reception at the box office. As a result of this Centurion is a crucial film in terms of the direction which Marshall’s career will go in the next few years. [click to continue…]
Film Review
John Boorman has enjoyed a directorial career of mixed success, and Deliverance is the film which he will always be associated. The film has developed a strong cult following over the years and is now considered to be one of the iconic films of its time. Boasting bona-fide stars such as Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, Deliverance features one of the most controversial scenes in contemporary American cinema. [click to continue…]
Five years after his weak King Kong remake, Peter Jackson returns to the director’s chair in this adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel. Unlike King Kong Jackson does not have anything like the almost nauseating fan-boy obsession with the source material of The Lovely Bones; and most noticeably he does not have Jack Black failing to act a serious role. So the director is already streets ahead of his last film before a credit is rolled. [click to continue…]
OK, so M. Night Shymalan returned to filmmaking with ‘The Happening’ , following up the truly god-awful ‘Lady In The Water’ which is something of an achievement in itself as I’m surprised anyone would give him a penny after that effort, but they did so here we are.
The premise of the film is based around a sudden biological attack in eastern America which causes it’s infected to commit mass acts of suicide. Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel are the couple on the run from the ever widening affected area. An interesting idea, you would assume, especially given the fancy trailer which precedes it… [click to continue…]
2010 has started on a distinctly post-apocalyptic note, with both this film and John Hillcoat’s ‘The Road’ released within a week of each other. As a fan of post-apocalyptic film I was extremely enthusiastic about Eli’s release but sadly, the film didn’t quite live up to its billing. The main reason for this is that for a film with such an action-packed trailer and the presence of a proven action movie actor such as Denzel Washington, there is precious little action on display. [click to continue…]
