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aidanmenton
Reviews
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Nowhere near as bad as people say!
I had heard so many bad things about Speed 2: Cruise Control so I avoided it for many years imagining it to be absolutely appalling. However when it came up on Netflix as suggested recently I gave it a watch and for the most part found it every bit as exciting as Die Hard 2 or any other action movie from the 80's or 90's. Granted it has it's flaws but overall a very enjoyable action flick with some great actors. The action sequences are really good I did think it went on a bit too long and it would have benefited from being a bit of a darker movie but other than that very enjoyable certainly not as bad as some people seem to think! If you haven't already seen it don't avoid it like me because of all the negativity surrounding it. I think it's become popular to hate it the way people hate Nickelback!
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Unapologetically gruesome, authentic horror
This came up suggested to me on Netflix last night and I really like Kurt Russell (who doesn't' right?) and Patrick Wilson from the Insidious films and of course The Conjuring so I gave it a go. I certainly wasn't disappointed. I had heard it was very long that there was a very long set up etc but that didn't discourage me. Simply put it is fantastic which is rare to say of a Hollywood horror film these days. Highly suspenseful and gut wrenching stuff! It's worth every bit of the prolonged set up. I've seen hundreds of horror movies all my life and I found the gore in this borderline unwatchable. If you are a horror fan this is a MUST SEE film! Easily the best horror film Kurt Russell has done since John Carpenter's The Thing in 1982. This film is darker than The Thing though I would say. The film is dripping in foreboding tension and atmosphere. Very long but so worth it. Don't miss this classic horror film!
Hush (2016)
Unexpected Gem!
When I saw this title on Netflix it immediately caught my attention. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised as you never can judge by ratings on Netflix I find. This was an unexpected gem. Expect a quintessential horror film basically! The only thing I could possibly pick at the film about was why would a deaf woman live in the middle of a woods and leave all her blinds up for any possible predator to look in at her? Other than that it was perfectly practical. I love watching a horror film where when you put yourself in the characters shoes you would make the same decisions as they do in the film it becomes much more engaging. Best kind of 'cabin in the woods' style film since 'Beyond the Woods' which I saw at a film festival not all that long ago. If you love this film you'll love 'Beyond the Woods!' 'The Forest' is another great horror movie set in the woods I've seen recently ignore the ratings on Netflix for it, trust me!
Beyond the Woods (2018)
The sooner it comes to DVD, the better!
I've seen Beyond the Woods only the one time at the Super Geek film festival in Florida. Originally from Ireland I went out of my way while I was spending a month in Fort Lauderdale. I really didn't know what to expect at all. I'm a big horror/sci-fi fan so saw this advertised for the Friday night and went along. I was hooked in the opening few minutes. The location presented in the movie is iconic. It is a world of it's own. I felt like I wanted more shots around the site where it was filmed because it's gorgeous in a horror film way that is! 5 minutes into the film I realised the actors are great which is always necessary to pull you into a movie. Very clearly defined characters portrayed by really great actors. I found myself relating to the Ger character quite soon as he's almost a social misfit but more because his long term girlfriend has left him not like me who feels that way in social situations all the time. But having said that Ger played beautifully by John Ryan Howard is clearly written as the outside character - he doesn't want to be there.
The other characters are much more up for partying and escaping to isolation. Brilliantly played by a great ensemble cast. Ray played by Mark Griffin is very believable as the inconsiderate corporate asshole who doesn't deserve his girlfriend. Director Sean Breathnach builds the story in a way that makes the audience root for Ger(John Ryan Howard)and Lucy(Irene Kelleher)to get together and for Lucy to just leave Ray altogether. It reminded me much of a Ross and Rachel situation from Friends almost but done in a much more efficient and effective time frame within the confines of a relatively short feature film.
There is a good portion of the movie used for set-up purposes but it does so blissfully. Extremely naturalistic performances and dialogue with stimulating cinematography all skillfully edited together make for an early Christmas present. It took me about 15 minutes into Sean Breathnach's debut before I made my mind up to buy this movie on DVD or blu-ray whenever it's properly released. I could feel the tension in the pit of my stomach building gradually in what felt like an expertly designed suspense arch created by director Sean Breathnach. The third act in the movie unleashes hell so to speak. Special effects had nothing low budget whatsoever looking about them, every bit as good as the special effects in any Hollywood heavyweight horror film I've ever seen.
Director Sean Breathnach is clearly one of our brightest hopes for the future of horror movies. Beyond the Woods became my favourite horror film of the year and maybe my favourite of the past 5 years. The performances in the movie are outstanding and all the actors very easy to watch. My favourite actors in the movie would have to be Ger(John Ryan Howard) and Ray(Mark Griffin) though. Amazing debut feature from Sean Breathnach. Can't wait to own this movie on DVD and sincerely looking forward to director Sean Breathnach's second feature offering.