The Relic (1997)

The Relic was a mildly entertaining monster romp set in a museum of natural history. There is a mayor who has been warned a monster is on the lose but who thinks the opening night of a new exhibit is more important than peoples safety. There is a damsel who is a master on computers. There is a tough cop. All very clichéd and not enough substance to really move this film into anything other than the C grade I'm afraid. Even the monster feels a bit of a derivative off of the Predator series.

Inbred (2011)

This is a strange one to classify, a British horror/comedy I would say. There are a lot of special effects in this film and they are done to a very high standard. However, they are completely over the top and exaggerated. I found the film entertaining to watch though, it reminded me a lot of Cockneys vs Zombies crossed with League of Gentlemen. A group of troubled teens are taken into the country by 2 social workers and while there have to dismantle and strip old trains for anything valuable that can be sold. However, things take a turn for the worse when they antagonise the locals and the locals start killing them off in grotesque ways.

Annihilation (2018)

An interesting film I watched on Netflix, this. It was recommended by a friend and didn't disappoint me. I thought it was different to see a cast of mostly female actors who had most of the action roles. There were a few male characters but not many. The story was very intriguing, based on a book that was by Jeff vanderMeer and adapted for the big screen by Alex Garland. There were certainly some standout moments in this tale. Can't give too much away but visually this film is a pure joy. It is the story of something extra-terrestrial that comes to Earth and hits a lighthouse by the sea. The land surrounding the lighthouse becomes enveloped in a strange phenomenon known only as the Shimmer. Those who have gone in to the shimmer don't come back out again. Well, one person does. I thought it was very intriguing the whole way through. Very worth a watch.

The Abandoned (2006)

I saw this last night and it only made sense after I read what the plot was supposed to be on Wikipedia. That's not a good sign is it? The film is set in Russia and revolves around a character who is returning there after 40 years ago she was abandoned as a baby (along with another baby, who she finds out was her brother). An official tells her he tracked her down and that there is a house and some land for her in rural Russia. She is American. She goes to the house and it is creepy and dilapidated and she meets a man who claims he is her brother. They both want to know about their mother. The film uses time shifts to change the appearance of the house, I suppose its a clever device but it is a bit confusing also. Some scenes are set below the house in what looks like a military tunnel, which is odd. The actors in the film don't really engender much sympathy. Is it a scary film? To give some credit, it doesn't rely on jump scares and tries to use the situation to creep the audience out. It is partly successful but I feel the main problem is that it isn't clear what's happening.

The Signal (2014)

I watched this last night, it was an interesting film. It's a low budget sci-fi film and follows three US college students as they intercept a hacker named NOMAD and track him down. At the same time a sub-plot is that two of the friends are lovers and one of them is going away to study. So there is something of a break-up subtext going on. I liked the film, Nomad turns out to be something unexpected. Laurence Fishburn plays a character, in the way he always does. I am not sure I want to watch it again anytime soon but thought it was reasonably interesting. It's been a film I have wanted to watch for a while now.

Ready Player One (2018)

I read the novel a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much. The film is a good version of the story, there are differences but the essence is the same. I loved all of the references to the pop culture of my generation. There are lots of action sequences and I enjoyed that I didn't really know who the actors were, all apart from Simon Pegg who (I think) is over-used in films. It was refreshing and visually exciting to watch. Lots of things were happening on screen at the same time and it was easy to miss things, especially if you are stuck in the story and not watching closely.

The Sentinel (1977)

I watched this film last night, it's another of those horror films from the 1970s that stars some actors who go on to become massive, thinking here of Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum - both of whom hardly have any lines. The main part is played by Cristina Raines. She is a model moving to New York and who finds a cheap apartment with a good view of the Manhattan skyline and only 20 minutes from the centre of New York. She starts to rent the apartment and hopes it will help her recovery from an attempted suicide. Unfortunately, she starts to experience physical neuropathic episodes causing her to feint. She meets the other residents of the apartments, all of whom seem very odd. There are two ladies downstairs who exhibit some strange sexual behaviour. An older man looks after a cat and a bird. Upstairs there is a priest who sits at the window. She is in contact with her ex-boyfriend who becomes worried for her as her health declines. He is a legal man and becomes interested in the history of the apartment. When he is present, he tries to make logical sense of what is happening to her. The apartment is apparently owned by the Catholic church. He decides to break into the Catholic Diocese offices and finds a file on the people who have previously lived at the property. They have all attempted suicide and then became priests or nuns. In the file he also finds a page with a photograph of the model but there is a blank next to where she would be a nun, of the pattern were to be followed.
This was an interesting film, very much in the same vein as other 70 horror movies, I found it similar in tone to a film like Phantasm but making a bit more sense. It's not in the same league as The Exorcist or The Omen, so don't go in expecting that level of scare. Infact, the effects are okay for the time but are fairly minimal. There are some prosthetics to deform a group of people at the end of the film, something which wouldn't be allowed in this day. At the time, I can imagine it being really scary though - I would have been 9 when it was released so too young to watch it.

May (2002)

Yet another film I came to cold this week. For the first half of the film I was wondering why this was called a horror film. The character called May, played brilliantly by Angela Bettis, seemed like a sweet dorky girl with a talent for making her own clothes and looking after sick animals in the animal hospital. As the story evolves you get to understand the character a little better. Her "best friend" is a doll in a glass case given to her by her mother when she was a little girl. It was made by her mother and she gave it to May saying "if you can't find a find a friend, make one". May has a lazy eye, which gets corrected during the film. She changes from wearing glasses to contact lenses and starts a relationship with a guy who she thinks has beautiful hands. Another relationship she has is with a female colleague at work who she tells has a beautiful neck. There are other smaller characters in the film who are liked by May for a specific part of their body: legs and a tattoo. Well, I won't spoil the plot but you can see where it might be going. I found it an entertaining film and one that kept me guessing right up until the end. I liked the characters and the way they were portrayed, Anna Faris plays the colleague who seems slightly unhinged in a sexual way. An intriguing film, I'm not sure who will enjoy it though as its hard to think of anything like it.

Suicide Squad (2016)

I watched this film this weekend, not expecting very much. Everyone I had spoken to had panned it very severely, so my expectations were very, very low. I thought I'd heard somewhere that the extended version was better than the theatrical release: now, I'm not sure where I'd heard that or even if I had in reality. However, I decided to watch the extended edition because I had it on the blu ray. The films starts by introducing all the characters, the characters with bigger parts were more interesting. I thought that perhaps there were too many to remember. I like the way time was handled with flashbacks, I didn't have any problems understanding what was a flashback and what was now. The best character by far was Harley Quinn, stole the movie I thought as I wanted to see more of her. A great anti-hero character with the vulnerability of loving The Joker. Which brings me on to that which cannot be ignored: The Joker. Any new interpretation of The Joker will be "difficult". Think Joker and I cannot help think of Heath Ledger's terrifyingly unhinged vision, or Jack Nicholson's darkly comic version or Cesar Romero's slapstick version from the 1960s series. It is mainly a question for the casting team and sadly, I think the casting was poor. Nothing against the actor, who does his best, but sometimes it is nothing to do with script or the actor's ability - it's just down to believing that the person in the role has a believable amount of life experience to portray the character. I am more divided about Will Smith's portrayal of Deadshot. He plays it as Will Smith, who is a very likeable actor but it doesn't stand out as being any different from other characters Will has played. Yes we see the backstory and understand he loves his daughter but the character has to show complete disregard for human life and the desire to die in some spectacular fashion: neither of which were achieved.
So my verdict for this film is: watchable, but you will probably be left feeling it was a missed opportunity.

#MeToo, #TimesUp and the film industry

The media coverage of the Harvey Weinstein accusations and the #metoo Twitter campaign have been lauded as a sea change within the film industry. This has to be set against a new post-Yewtree culture where there is more tolerance and understanding towards the victims of sexual crime who feel that they can now come forward, challenge their abusers and be believed. I wish it were so but I wonder how many other abusers are living in plain sight and allowed to continue their sex crimes?
There is also a new impetus for gender equality between men and women, the recent UK government committee hearings about pay inequality at the BBC are proof that the voices of women are being received more favourably. But again, I wonder how much the response is really going to tackle the problem?
Last night I watched most of the BAFTA awards ceremonies. I found it striking how many of the gong winners were men and not particularly young men at that. I'm not talking about the gongs for actors and actresses, in their own gender category they can hardly be equal. I'm talking about the other types of award, how few women went up on stage - asides from those who were brought out to read out the nominees.
I am sceptical of the ability of the film and fashion industries (and UK politics for that matter) to reform themselves. The views of the women choosing to support each other and the sentiment as a whole must be applauded. I just don't think this can be a quick change - the whole world has to make changes and be willing to do that. I fear there are too many old men in positions of power and influence to let that happen.

Dunkirk (2017)

The last of the films I watched and the one I didn't manage to finish due to running out of time. I was also part-relieved to turn it off, I admit. The small size of the screen was a disadvantage to my enjoyment of this film but I was also put off by not really liking any of the characters. I can appreciate the art of trying to depict the war earnestly and not over-glamorise or create superheroes out of acts of military necessity. For me though, I just felt the plot went too far the other way. Maybe a second watch would change my mind but I doubt it will get that as I can't foresee a need to see this again and complete it.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Finally got to watch this film also while on my flight (yes, it was a long one). I enjoyed the film but I'm not going to rave about it. I found it rather long and a little bit slow and plodding in the plot department. The visuals are stunning even on a small screen I could appreciate them but viewing on a bigger screen would only magnify the visual splendour. It is a sequel to the original film and manages to marry itself well to the original's aesthetic. I didn't particularly like the fact that Dekker was in it again (played of course by Harrison Ford): that's a personal opinion but I think the plot justified it well. I am not a super fan of the original, having watched it probably only twice but I think this film stands on its own merits as well.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

This was another film I watched while in flight over the Atlantic. I watched this film first and was really excited about watching it. It was a film I missed at the cinema, the big screen is probably the only place to see this film. I struggle to remember anything about the film's plot other than to say the visuals were stunning. That's pretty much what this film boils down to. I like Scarlet Johansen as an actress but the story and characterisation seemed none existent. The anime I love but this was just meh! And pretty forgettable all told.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

I didn't watch this just because Charlize Theron was in it, I didn't know she was until I saw the credits. Its not a title I was familiar with but it was available on a recent flight and I decided to give it a try - it would at least pass the time. Boy oh boy does this film pass the time: the excitement and action is intense. The fight scenes steal the day and they are all excellent. I mean really good. If you like the Bourne and Bond style fight scenes of recent movies then you will love the ones in this film.
It is a very violent film and depicts men striking a woman and even strangling one. So its not a film for the feint hearted but the story behind the action is not too bad either. I wouldn't say its a complex spy thriller but its good enough to serve as something the action hangs off of. There is some sexual content but it is a lesbian scene between Charlize and a French spy (played by the beautiful Sofia Boutella). A thumbs up for this film from me.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Having purchased this on DVD for my son last Christmas (Dec 2016), this is the first time I have watched the film - my son hadn't even taken off the cellophane wrapped around it! That tells me what he thinks of it. He's more of a Marvel fan and thinks DC have gone off the track with their film adaptations. I started watching this film with a great deal of scepticism. However, the film I watched had some good qualities. I liked the Batman suit and gadgets (like his car and plane), especially the heavy lead alloy suit he wears when fighting Superman. I liked the female senator who attempts to bring everyone to Capital Hill to tell the truth.
I didn't like Batman's butler Alfred at all, I didn't enjoy Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I found it hard to accept the motivation for Bruce Wayne to fight Superman. The fight scene is good however and mitigates my disbelief while it lasts, although it doesn't last long enough. You could get away watching the special feature for 10 minutes rather than the whole film if that's what interests you.
I like the Wonder Woman character played by Gal Gadot.
Better than I expected but still largely silly.

Dark Feed (2013)

I watched this film this week and was less than impressed. It took a long time to get to the point and when it did reach the climax, there were no surprises. Standard fair here, setting the making of a horror film in an old mental hospital. Seen it many times before and done better, the acting was below par with absolutely no characterisation. I just didn't care for anyone who played a part in the movie - either in the crew or cast. There are no redeeming qualities that make me like this film.

Inferno (2016)

The latest in the trilogy of the Dan Brown film adaptations, I watched this the next evening after Angels and Demons. It is the least likeable of the three films and pushes even more at the limits of plausibility than the other two. As such it will seem more ridiculous to sceptical audiences. I'd only recommend to fans invested in the character of Robert Langdon, of which I consider myself. I am less harsh about the film as others might be because of this, I do recognise the silliness of it all though. This film concerns a billionaire who believes that the planet is over-populated and needs an extreme extinction event to save humanity from its own destruction. So Robert Langdon and the WHO have to prevent a weapon of extreme biological terror from being released in Istanbul.

Angels and Demons (2009)

After seeing the Da Vinci Code film, the following evening we watched the sequel called Angels and Demons. The sequel also features Robert Langdon as the main character. The first film was about the search for the Holy Grail. This film is about stopping the release of an anti-matter bomb. It has a faster pace than the first film and is also more of a typical thriller film. It is an enjoyable ride, if also implausible and silly at times. I enjoyed it and anyone who liked the first film would probably like this also.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

I watched this film for the first time last week. I must admit it was more captivating that I thought it was going to be. Most people I know who have started to read the book have just given up. That may say more about the writer though, Ron Howard directed this film and I think he is a safe pair of hands generally in films. Tom Hanks plays the main character Robert Langdon, an academic from Harvard University who is a professor in religious symbology and iconography. It is nice to have a hero who is academic rather than one who shoots guns and kills people. I must admit though, Tom hanks with long hair is hard to get used to. The film is long but it is quite good overall, the score by Hans Zimmer is worth mentioning in the way it plays on you.

Hannah (2011)

This film was probably the last one I watched in 2017. It was better than I thought it might be, I didn't know of the film and wasn't expecting to be impressed. I was impressed however. The suspense was good and the story was better than the usual fair for a thriller. Hannah is the daughter of a CIA operative who has gone dark somewhere in the wilds of Finland. He brings her up, teaching her self defence and more. There is a secret though. He leaves her to decide whether she wants to stay in the wild and be self supporting or whether to go into society and live in the city. She decides the latter but things aren't as simple as that. He can't return in plain sight as he would be identified and the CIA would be after him. They agree to separate and meet in Berlin. Well, Cate Blanchett plays a good character and she plays a baddie well. A good film for lovers of thrillers and suspense.

Happy New Year

I hope you have a fantastic and utterly brilliant 2018! My Christmas was short and not so great - I was stricken with cold/flu and so was the rest of my family. So a lot of the week was spent feeling ill and lying down or not feeling up to going out or seeing people. Not the greatest, at least I can say I didn't do much and mean it. I did see a few old films at The Rex cinema in Berkamsted. I saw Die Hard, It's A Wonderful Life and Pretty Woman. I enjoyed them, even Pretty Woman, I think it is better on a bigger screen than on the TV at home. Not on my favourite films list though. I'm looking forward to watching lots of films again in 2018.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

I took my son to go and see this film, he said he enjoyed it a lot. I was not so sure I enjoyed it. I like the fact that there is a strong female lead character but as a film in its own right I just felt that something was missing. It felt too formulaic and unoriginal to me. A battle between Rey and Kylo Ren seems ends with a rebellion battle cruiser splitting the master Imperial star destroyer in two and in a later scene Rey appears in the Millenium Falcon with no explanation of how she got there. I was also confused by not really knowing the backstory of Supreme Leader Snoke or not having it explained - my son says he appeared as a hologram in The Phantom Menace, a fact I had fogotten. So, overall there was plenty of action in the film but not much of it was new. I also don't really enjoy the character of the pilot Poe Dameron - he had potential to be a good character with a touch of the Han Solo hustler about him but he is played too straight for my liking.

Mirrorless Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3

This week I purchased a new camera from e-Bay, well a secondhand camera but new to me and in pretty good condition. It is just missing the original box, cables and lens hood. I have got compatible cables anyway and I have downloaded the manuals for free. I just need to buy a lens hood and a strap. Shame the lens hood wasn't in the package but it wasn't advertised and I assumed it was something I'd have to buy anyway. A lens hood is not expensive, its just in short supply. Anyway, here is my new baby.

We Are Still Here (2015)

This film is set in the 1970s but is from 2015. It does capture the 70s quite well, the acting is very good. I wasn't sure what to expect, I thought it must be better than some of the rubbish I've watched recently. It was. It's a story of some evil spirits who inhabit a house in the American countryside. The main couple have recently lost their son and have moved in to try and start a new life. but very quickly things go pear shaped when the woman feels a strange presence in the house who she believes might be the spirit of their son and they invite some friends who believe in the paranormal to stay for the weekend. Things don't go that well for them all and whatever evil inhabits the cellar comes out to wreak vengeance. It's a nice little horror film and one that is easily recommendable, there is some black humour in there as well, which just adds to the enjoyment.

5ive Girls (2006)

This film is set in a reopened Catholic school and involves a group of 5 girls who all have some unique ability but who all have been sent to the school by their dissatisfied parents. Ron Perlman plays a priest who tries to teach them, he was at the school when it was originally closed due to the disappearance of a girl. Well, I won't bore you with the plot, the film isn't very good. The story is uninteresting and there really isn't anything to recommend about the film. Ron Perlman looks very uncomfortable and is just not believable as a priest, he obviously knows the film is a dud. The women are all beautiful and that's why they were cast but the script is lacklustre and the effects aren't very good.

Muck (2015)

This film is set in America and starts with some friends escaping from what I would call a swamp but others more familiar with America might call something else. Something has been attacking them in the swamp and they are missing a couple of people, one of the survivors is injured. They find a vacant house and break in. One of the guys goes to find help and the others have to fend off the evil monster attackers. It is very silly and likes to show women in hardly any clothes for no reason at all. The plot is flimsy and uninteresting and the acting is just as bad. There really isn't anything positive I can say, muck by name and muck by nature I'm afraid.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

I saw this film this week, I'd seen part of it before but not all the way through. It is the origin story for the domination of Earth over humans by the apes. It focuses on the story of an ape called Ceaser who is given a drug that stimulates the growth of his brain - or something like that. It makes him much more intelligent than other apes. The make-up and visual effects are vastly improved over the 2001 film. The apes look like apes and not the PG Tips monkey and Michael Jackson. I like the film, it is enjoyable to watch and the pacing and action is very well paced.

The Snowman (2017)

I went to the cinema to see this film. The idea of the film is good, a serial killer called The Snowman is active again and Harry Hole, a police detective from Oslo in Norway has to piece together lots of old case information. It is based on the book by Jo Nesbo, but I've not read the book. The scenery is lovely, part of the film is set in Bergen. I've been to Bergen but it wasn't snowing like it is in this film. I watched the story unfold with some interest but the pacing wasn't good all the way through and the way the film was edited didn't tell the story very well or very engagingly. It picks up at the end but by then a lot of people would probably be turned off.

Satan's Slave (1976)

This is a 1970s independent British horror film that likes to show a breast or two in the way that British film and TV liked to do in the 1970s. There are some good female characters in the film though, Candace Glendenning has a good part. It's a tale of a family who live out in the country and invite their attractive young niece and her parents from the city. It's a bit of a mess plot-wise if I'm honest. Necromancy is practiced by the family but the characters and setting don't quite feel right. The girl's uncle shows absolutely no sense of loss when his brother and his wife are killed in a car accident, he is more interested in sedating his niece. No real sense of time is portrayed in the film and it is quite confusing. If you like independent British horror, such as Hammer and Amicus films this might be up your street, as it has a similar feel but it really isn't very coherent.

The Collection (2012)

Not a very pleasant film, this is from the twisted minds of the people who brought us the equally unpleasant later versions of the SAW franchise. I'm not a great fan of this torture style of film. The Collector who maintains the collection is never revealed and there is no backstory to speak of, even though this is apparently a sequel to The Collector. There are some set pieces that are intended to gross out the audience with their gore and they largely achieve this but there is no real story or plot besides lumbering from set piece to set piece. Not a good film and certainly one I wouldn't recommend.

Ex_Machina (2015)

I really enjoyed this film. I like science fiction films generally and I thought this brought a good story, cast and visual effects together really well. The story is based around the need for a genius programmer to have someone independently verify that he has built a robot that is intelligent and can think and feel for itself. He does this by bringing a gifted worker from his company to his remote home and spend a week with the robot across several daily sessions. The young programmer thinks he has won a competition but the nature of what he will be doing was kept secret from him. The genius has quite a challenging personality compared to the easy going nature of the young worker. There is a latent sense of threat throughout their exchanges that works very well. At the back of your mind during the film it is difficult to reconcile the personality of the genius with the apparent child-like quality of the robot called Ava. It's a great film and very easy to watch. Thoroughly recommend this.

Planet of the apes (2001)

I originally watched this in the cinema at the time it was released and I remember we sat near the back where the speakers were and it was phenomenally loud and I came out with a ringing headache. This time it wasn't so loud and I can actually remember the film. It is the story of a astronaut who is sucked in to a magnetic storm that transfers him to a different version of Earth where apes rule over humans. It is the story of the apes who argue for equal rights and their support for the human astronaut who tries to escape his captivity and return to space. It's a good story and this version isn't a bad one really. It is showing its age a fair amount though, the prosthetics aren't as good as they are today and the later Planet of the apes films have better effects, but saying that it is an entertaining film but the only thing I wasn't keen on was Mark Wahlberg as the main man, I didn't sympathise with his character much at all and ultimately the story depends on this. I think it was down to how he played the part, there was very little chemistry between him and the female characters. General Thade is easily hateful as the mean and vicious general of the apes.

Bridge of Spies (2015)

I enjoyed this cold-war thriller very much when I saw it last weekend during a wet Saturday afternoon, it was a perfect accompaniment to my suffering with a cold! The story is based on a real life story, with the usual Hollywood embellishments that have to accompany a true story to make it entertaining. Not knowing the true story makes it easier to watch I'm sure. Tom Hanks plays the part of a lawyer to represent a man accused of being a Russian spy. I like the way he is portrayed as a normal everyday insurance claim defence lawyer. The actor playing the man accused of being a spy is well acted. There are some nice acting touches where the personality of both of the men shine through during repeated refrains of their dialogue: Tom Hank's character uses the phrase "one one one" several times, which changes to "two two two" at one point and the spy character is asked "do you never worry?" several times to which he replies in a monotone "would it help?". It was only after the film ended that I saw it was directed by Steven Spielberg. I can easily recommend this film to anyone who enjoys thrillers, especially legal and spy oriented ones.

Game of Death (1978)

This film was released five years after Bruce Lee's death in 1973. It features scenes shot by Bruce Lee in 1972 where he fights opponents in the iconic yellow tracksuit. Lee's scenes were shot for a different storyline completely and only 11 minutes of footage from the original film were used in this 1978 version. The original story and the story in this version were very different but somehow I thought the film did hang together just enough to make sense and the score by John Barry was quite good. Despite the difficult challenge of using footage shot for a different film (with same title) and lookalike actors playing Lee's character, this was achieved. The 1978 version of the story is a very simple revenge story, where an actor who is an ex-martial arts fighter is threatened by gangsters led by an old man and he is eventually shot on the set of a film he is making. The gangsters and the girlfriend of the actor all think he is dead, the film even controversially uses actual real footage of Lee's open casket funeral to make this point. But the actor isn't dead, the shot just disfigures his face and he returns to exact his revenge on the gangsters. The last part of the film is the part using the footage shot for the original Game of Death, which was shot in the last surviving wooden pagoda in real life but is supposed to be the upper floors of the Red Pepper Restaurant in this version.
I thought some of the fight scenes were excellent, the original footage is great. The dubbing is not so great and some of the noises are frankly ridiculous but they may be the genuine audio. I didn't like a protracted motorbike scene in a warehouse, I thought it went on far too long and with little point. Other than that I enjoyed it pretty well and would recommend it to fans of Bruce Lee and martial arts films, just remember your not getting Lee's original vision for the story - he would probably hate this version.

Society (1989)

This film became more familiar as I watched it. I remember seeing part of it before but not sure if I have seen all of it in the past. The story follows a well to do society family and in particular the son. His sister's ex-boyfriend tries to tell him something funny is going on with his family but he doesn't believe it. Not until he listens to a tape from a bug planted on his sister. It reveals a secret hidden from him by the people he thought were his family. The society in question are all from rich families and the secret is that they are not human and they do some very strange things with their bodies. It is a body shock horror film and has some sexual overtones. The last part of the film is very strange and will stick in the mind of anyone seeing the film. The special effects are a bit like Spitting Image and not quite good enough to look real. At the time, they might have been OK though. There are some interesting ideas in the film but the casting decisions were a little bit strange.

Containment (2015)

I was very impressed with this small British horror film about the residents of a block of flats who wake one morning up to find themselves quarantined. Their doors and windows have been sealed and won't open. They look through the windows and can see people wearing Hazmat suits and moving in and out of detoxification tents. The guy playing the violent nutcase acts his part very well, it's believable.

Frankenhooker (1990)

I watched this film recently, against my better judgement I should add. While it was awful, I had a certain fondness for the combination of violence and humour found within it. So it isn't all bad. Infact, if you don't expect it to be any good you might even be pleasantly surprised.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

I took my son to the cinema this weekend to watch a film that we've been looking forward to, it's the third film in the Thor series. I have to confess here that although my son has seen the first films, I haven't seen all of them from start to finish.
The film includes a lot of CGI effects and the humour is in the same vein as Guardians of the Galaxy. It's an entertaining romp that delivers everything fans of Marvel would enjoy. Thor's father Odin returns to Norway to die and with that it leaves Thor and Loki to deal with their exiled sister Hela: the Goddess of Death, played by Cate Blanchett. Hela returns to Asgard to take her seat as heir to the throne. She has ambitions for Asgard to conquer the Nine Realms again, like it emerges that she and Odin ruled them through violence and fear in the past. So Thor, Loki and the last surviving Valkyrie (that captured Thor on a planet ruled by the Grandmaster - played by Jeff Goldblum), eventually try to rescue Asgard from Hela.
There is rarely any sense of threat in this film, which is targeted more at the young than the old, there are a few jokes that are intended for adults. I found it entertaining while I was watching it but ultimately, the only thing I will remember is the use of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song during several key battles. It was a good choice of song but unfortunately had the effect on me of making the battles feel like a music video.

John Williams vs Hans Zimmer

We went to watch this concert at the South Bank Centre earlier this month and had a great time. The tickets we got were good value because we bought them a long time in advance. The most expensive thing was the wine I bought before the concert!

Performers: London Concert Orchestra, Anthony Inglis conductor

Programme includes: -

John Williams: Jurassic Park; Harry Potter; Star Wars; Superman; ET
Hans Zimmer: Pirates of the Caribbean; The Da Vinci Code; The Dark Knight; Batman Begins; Gladiator; Inception

-and many more

Demons (1985)

I watched this Dario Argento film this week. The lack of a comprehensible plot and terrible overdubbing leave me feeling this was not a good film. There are some girls, some guys, some people who take up the offer of a free evening in an old cinema to watch a film. Someone gets turned into a demon who seems to infect others who also then spread the infection, if that's what it is? There are physical manifestations of the demonic possession, such as growing long nails red eyes and a desire to eat flesh and puke green vomit. All a bit silly and funny, without being scary at all.

Evidence (2013)

I wouldn't really put this into the horror genre of films. It follows some US detectives who specialise in investigations that involve editing video evidence. After a brutal murder scene, with little physical evidence of bodies left due to fire, there are several digital video sources that contain evidence. The killer seems to be a man in a welding mask who attacks victims with a blowtorch burning off their limbs. Quite a gruesome idea really.
One of the victims was funnily enough a documentary film-maker and had a proper video camera on her. Well, we watch most of the film via clips of the relationships between the victims and some of the investigators.
This film was mediocre, not a great example of the found-footage genre. Neither outstandingly bad r very good. One to avoid I think.

Girls against boys (2014)

This was an entertaining but strange little film. A young female student is having a relationship with a married man but he ends the relationship and she is very messed about it. She works in a bar and after work a female co-worker takes her out. They meet three guys, go back to a place two of them live and she kisses one of the men. She then throws up and decides she has to go home. The man and she get a taxi and he asks if he can come in. She doesn't think so but then he turns nasty and forces his way in. He assaults her, the extent of the attack isn't clear, I suspect he raped her. She tries to find the older man but he doesn't want her turning up at his home and jeopardising his relationship with his wife that he is trying to make work again. He misreads the situation completely and stupidly tries to force himself on her, which isn't what she wanted at all. After this episode, the co-worker offers her comfort and takes her to the police to report the crime. However, the police don't seem very interested so the girls take the matter into their own hands, well, at least the co-worker decides to. They go back to the boys apartment with the intention of finding out where the guy who committed the rape lives. Nobody is there but they break in and help themselves to breakfast. The remainder of the film sees them attack and kill the men who did them wrong in various situations. The lead female eventually meets a guy who isn't like the others but he gets killed by the co-worker and the co-worker eventually meets her end at the hands of the lead.
None of the characters in this film really stir up any empathy in me. You sort of want to empathise with female student Shae but she plays the character mostly silently and moodily that it doesn't repay any effort and she ultimately ends up irritating more than anything else. A shame, some interesting scenes but ultimately not very original.

Interview with the vampire (1994)

I've watched this film over several weeks whilst on various train journeys. The premise is that a journalist meets with a vampire who is hundreds of years old and who wants to tell his story. It feels very pretentious and more a vehicle to present Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise as vampires wearing a range of fancy clothes, make-up and hairstyles. It certainly isn't horror. That's about all I really want to say about this film, I carried on through to the end but I wasn't impressed.

Photography course

I've started a free online photography course that lasts a whole year. The course is run by a photographer called Emma Davies who I understand has a reputation as a flower and garden photographer. Her work has won several large awards. The first six weeks of the course are geared towards taking complete novices away from exclusively using Auto mode on to the more creative modes and eventually to fully Manual mode. The remainder of the year is a mystery to me at the moment. While the course is free, it also has a community on Facebook and Instagram where photographs and coursework can be posted and commented on. I started in September and have certainly learned a lot already, filling in some gaps that I had. It's nice to get feedback on my work too. Overall, I'm pleased with how it is going. The course is supported by a couple of workbooks and a companion diary. I'm using the Nikon D5000 camera that I bought last year and the 3 additional lenses I have purchased since. The course is called A Year With My Camera and it is not restricted to the UK, there are people all over the world doing the course which is nice to see in the photographs.

Cassadaga (2011)

Actress Kelen Coleman stars in this strange but entertaining little film as a young, deaf, art teacher called Lily. At the start of the film we see a boy in a dress playing with a puppet doll. He is interrupted when his mother bursts in raging and shouting, she stamps on the doll and makes him take off the dress, which she then cuts up. After she leaves the boy picks up one half of the broken scissors and he enters the kitchen while his mother's back is turned. I think he probably kills her judging by the scream.
The other backstory is that Lily and her sister were brought up by a single parent mother who unfortunately died whilst they were young. She is looking after her sister who we understand is not having such a great time at High School and has been saving up to move them both to Paris. Unfortunately before this happens, her sister is tragically killed when she is hit by a car as she runs across a road not looking and thinking only of the Paris trip.
Lily leaves her job and moves to a place where her mother went to college called Cassadaga. Now, I'm a little murky on whether Cassadaga is a hotel, a university or a village. Lily stays with someone who I think used to be her mother's college tutor. The tutor has a grandson who seems to be a violent young man who keeps himself locked in an upstairs room where he watches violent pornography. It's not clear whether this man and the boy in the first sequence are the same but that was my interpretation.
In rebuilding her life, Lily meets a paramedic via his daughter who is being taught by Lily. The relationship blossoms and they start dating. On one of their first dates they are in a bar discussing the paranormal and the other couple they are with are having an argument about the scientific truth of the paranormal. To try and settle the argument, they decide to visit a spiritualist. Initially turned away until Lily offers to pay $500 for the session on everyone's behalf. They get in. What unfolds is that during the séance Lily is speaking to her sister but another spirit invades and attacks Lily. Lily is attacked several more times by this spirit and each time is shown images that don't make sense. During the course of these attacks, the paramedic boyfriend tries to help. However, he is in a custody battle for his daughter and, when during one of these spirit attacks, his daughter is present - he is forced by his ex-wife to close the relationship. Torn between his daughter and his love interest, he chooses his daughter - unfortunately for Lily! Interspersed with the spirit attacks we see sequences where a man dressed in an apron and wearing a welding mask amputates a woman and strings her up like a marionette with her severed arms and legs re-attached with articulated metal joints.
I won't give any more of the plot away but there is enough in here to know that the film weaves all these different story elements together quite well.
This was quite a decent film in my opinion. Some scary elements, some thrills and some good special effects. The final sequences reveal all and the suspense is kept up quite well. I liked the character Lily, the decision for her to be deaf was a strange one, I wasn't entirely convinced it was portrayed as realistically as it could have been - this was the element I didn't enjoy as much as the suspense. Overall though, I can fairly easily recommend this film to horror and suspense fans.

Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead (2014)

Being a fan of Zombie movies I'm surprised to find that I haven't seen the first film in this series. So I'm joining this franchise for the sequel to the first film, fortunately there is a bit of a recap at the start of the film. It seems to be a group of friends on holiday in a remote cabin in Norway who find some Nazi gold are murdered by Nazi Zombies who are awoken from the dead to get back their gold. So the sequel follows the journey of the only survivor from the group, who has amputated his own arm to save himself from becoming a zombie after he was bitten by one. He wakes up in hospital to find that he two arms. He is also under arrest for the murders of his friends. He is very surprised to find he has two arms, however horrified to see that one arm belongs to General Herzog, leader of the Nazi Zombies.
This is a good romp of a film, however ridiculous, and is great fun to watch. I particularly enjoyed the viciousness of some of the kills. The whole film is done with a tongue in cheek joke style that I liked. The incompetent police department was hilarious. I was not at all sure that the film needed to include three American characters who called themselves the Zombie Squad. It felt like every idea was thrown at the film and entertained when some should have been quality controlled out. Even despite this, the film was more entertaining than it has any right to be. It's similar in tone to Sean of the Dead, so fans of that would probably enjoy it. Fans of zombie films would also enjoy it.

Final Girl (2015)

We are introduced to the tragic circumstances of the main female lead character called Veronica, as she loses her parents early on. A man, I can't remember who, makes the little orphan girl what would seem like a happy life and she accepts. It's not very clear in my memory because it is skipped over very quickly to an older version of the girl, played by Abigail Breslin. She is being trained to defend herself by a shaved headed guy called William. No idea where he comes from or what his relationship to the man who met the young Veronica after the loss of her parents. I don't believe the two men are the same.
A group of young college men have murdered several young blonde women in the woods by hunting them like dogs. They have somehow managed to allude the police after several murders and Veronica is in training to be their next victim - or so they think. It's all quite ridiculous, frankly. The filming is done well, the lighting in the woods is all backlit, so the on screen image is attractive. Especially Abigail in her striking red dress. However, the story as a whole just doesn't make any sense. The boys try to attack Veronica but she has tricks up her sleeve and as she picks them off one by one there is a relief. But a lot of the tension that would have been present is lost because the viewer knows that she's going to defeat them due to her harsh training. Just on the strength of the visuals, I couldn't really recommend this film, it's one for fans of Abigail Breslin but probably nobody else.

Flatliners (2017)

I went to the cinema to watch this re-make of a film from 1990. It's the story of what happens to a group of student doctors who want to experiment with stopping their hearts and resuscitation. It was originally quite a dark film as far as my memory serves me. This new version has some good moments but is ultimately quite a flat affair, sorry for the pun!