We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - UK Cinemas August 15

"Texas Danger"​
By Chris Olson

​

Noir crime drama from brothers Zeke and Simon Hawkins, in a film that shows just how hard it is to move on from your small-town origins…especially when maniacs, gangsters and an enveloping ménage-á-trois surround you…



Bobby (Jeremy Allen White) is a boy on the cusp of manhood - hoping to leave behind his stifling hometown life for the promise of college. Happy to forget his controlling mother, weird best friend, and the local loons, the only thing Bobby will miss is his friend’s GF Sue (Mackenzie Davis) - whom he longs for. This longing goes unnoticed by B.J. (Logan Huffman), Bobby’s bestie and Sue’s BF, who attempts to celebrate the upcoming rite-of-passage of both Bobby and Sue (who is also off to college), by robbing his employer and using the money to have one last wild hurrah.



The celebrations are short-lived though, once B.J.’s boss (Mark Pellegrino) starts looking for the culprit, shooting a Mexican dead simply because he was meant to watch the money. What unfurls is a dark and compelling plot of impending tragedy, as loyalties and truth threaten not just Bobby and Sue’s departure, but also their lives.



Fantastically moody and gripping, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place is the perfect combination of pulp-fiction rawness and on-screen maniacs. B.J.’s boss Giff offers a phenomenally reckless character, whose relentless animosity towards law and order is utterly thrilling.



Whilst the main plot develops, the complicated threesome of Bobby, Sue and B.J. Too is arguably just as compelling. In particular Huffman, who delivers an engrossing character arc.



Superbly plotted, delivered with style and poise, the Hawkins bros are seamless in their direction, offering a wonderful take on a coming-of-age tragedy.

Test (2013) - Director Chris Mason Johnson

“Dancing in the Dark”

1985 San Francisco is an artistic haven, where vibrant creativity roams nearly as free as the love, and it’s home to a burgeoning gay scene. Frankie (Scott Marlowe) is a modern dancer, looking for his breakthrough opportunity within a brutally demanding dance company, where he is an understudy.

Frankie’s boyish frame, pale skin, and preppie hair cut give the immediate impression that this is a coming-of-age story, which director Chris Mason Johnson reveals it to be…but not just for Frankie. For this is also the origins story for the HIV test, the first to be able to diagnose Aids, which, in the 1980s, was forcibly pushing its way through the San Francisco streets like a deadly game of Chinese Whispers.

Attempting to find career breakthrough, whilst exploring his increasingly adventurous sexual lifestyle, Frankie finds a companion to share his concerns with, in dance partner Todd (Matthew Risch). Todd’s blasé attitude towards sexual congress (having sex for money) makes him a prime candidate for the deadly virus which is circulating, whilst his nihilistic attitude towards life makes him a source of intrigue for Frankie.

With some of the most mesmerizing choreography, Test is Johnson’s salute to the world of dance, coupled with a story that is harrowing and compelling.

Marlowe delivers both on and off his quick feet, with a composed performance that is riddled with subtlety. Risch, the older man, is the perfect contract to Frankie’s naiveté, offering viewers a stoic insight into this controversial world.

Many scenes utilise the San Francisco sun which bleeds through the window blinds like a heavenly dawn, this effect superbly offsets some of the film’s darker matter, whilst installing the city as a third character to this superb drama.

Exceptionally moving and superbly executed, Test is Black Swan meets Philadelphia, with a light-footed stomp of the viewer’s heart.

Revenge for Jolly!

A dark comedy tail with extra bite, that shows the great lengths people will go to when their dogs die, especially when their dog is strung up from a lighting fixture.



Brian Petsos plays Harry, a deadbeat who is pushed over the edge when some troublemaker kills his dog Jolly, as a message that he, Harry, owes some important people money. Instead of, ahem, rolling over, Harry takes the bloodier path, unscrupulously rampaging across town in search of the dog killer. He brings his brother (Oscar Isaac) along with him, and the two use extreme force to interrogate anyone who may know who killed Jolly.



Twisted humour and outrageous violence can often be a nasty combination when it comes to Comedy films, but Revenge For Jolly deserves a treat for its efforts. There is a beautiful combination at work here, with a Pulp Fiction foundation, a Harold and Kumar brotherly love, and some of the best cameos in recent years. Including: Kristen Wiig as a trailer trash bride, and Elijah Wood as a bartender whose misplaced words put him in the, ahem, doghouse.



The cold-blooded rampage of Harry may put many squeamish viewers off, failing to understand his murderousness. And some may be violently sick when they witness Adam Brody’s long hair! It’s enough to make you play dead…for real.



Fantastic fun and quite endearing by the end, Revenge For Jolly is the murderous pet movie we have all been longing for…well since Cruella De Ville.

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Outpost III: Rise of the Spetsnaz

"The Fright Wing"
By Chris Olson

​

Two elements which make a volatile cocktail of monstrous proportions are Nazi science and the undead. The Outpost franchise just got a little bit more terrifying, as the Russians and the Germans face off in a battle to the death - and beyond.



For those unfamiliar with the Outpost films, a quick run-down. Nazi’s wanted to make zombies.



Now that you are all caught up, we can explore the gratuitous killing field that is Outpost 3: Rise of the Spetsnaz. We see the origins of the Nazi super-soldiers, who are created in a lab using a lethal serum that turns them into brutal war machines. A special group of Russian soldiers, the Spetsnaz, are captured by Germans and taken to the science facility where they are to become guinea pigs in the experiments taking place. However, Mother Russia doesn’t take kindly to oppressors, and the Spetsnaz fight back in an inglorious fight to the death against this ruthless regime.



Average to watch, and lacking in its gimmicks, Outpost 3 feels like drinking a White Russian after having a Molotov Cocktail thrown down your throat (liking the Russia references? Yeah you are!), there is just not enough bite. Somehow, even with zombies and Nazis, the film feels subdued. The gore is enough to churn a horror newbie, but veterans of the genre will roll their eyes and wait for a revelation…which will not come.



A promising plot is spoilt by developments which lead it into murky waters, and the final result feels like an unwarranted smorgasbord of merciless killing without any real point.



For fans of scary Nazi films, I suggest Schindler’s List.


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Battle of the Damned

"The Walking Dredd"

Ever wondered who would win in a fight between Zombies and Killer Robots? Of course you have, it is the fundamental question we as a society have been pondering for decades, and now (finally), the two are pitted against each other in this action/sci-fi caper.

Battle of the Damned takes place inside a contaminated city, where a deadly virus outbreak has turned most of the civilians into flesh-eating freaks. Max Gatling (Dolph Lundgren) is sent into the zone to rescue a particular female survivor (Melanie Zanetti), who has managed to stay alive with a small bunch of misfits.

When Max attempts to complete his mission, though, he is hindered not only by the army of walking dead that seek to devour him, but also Duke (David Field) the leader of the group of survivors - who doesn’t take kindly to this muscle-headed usurper. When all the odds seem against him, Max receives support from an unlikely gaggle of homicidal robots!

Nerdgasms will flow through the viral world at the plot of this movie, and rightly so. An action film starring Dolph Lundgren that pits Zombies against Killer Robots, surely if ever there was a recipe for success? However, the lukewarm result will see many viewers damning this particular battle.

The action is intense and the special effects are decent, but there is no depth to the story. Attempts at making emotional connections to the characters are tenuous, whilst the main arc of the movie seems unfulfilling. Also, the film opts for a short running time, leaving barely any prologue to what caused the viral outbreak, and no sense of intimation about the future.

Fans of action sci-fi, like I Robot or The Terminator films, should approach this film with caution. It will not deliver on an emotional or intellectual level, and should be seen more as a Battle L.A or Skyline attempt - films that fell way below their potential.

Battle of the Damned, whilst providing some adrenaline fuelled chase scenes and gun fights, fails to elevate itself above being mere cannon fodder in the genre, and will leave audiences not giving a damn.

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Siberian Education

Recently reviewed Siberian Education for UK Film Review.

It was a really compelling Drama, starring John Malkovich, about a group of outcasts living in Soviet Russia.
Check it out!

http://www.ukfilmreview.co.uk/#!siberian-education/c1jdb

PHANTOM

"This Is The Captain Speaking"

Ed Harris and David Duchovny star in this naval thriller, about a Soviet submarine that finds itself on course with the annihilation of the world.

Captain Demi (Harris) is a nearly-retired patriot who is respected by his crew of sailors. Having recently returned home from a mission, Demi is ordered back out onto the seas in a boat he once crashed, taking with him some delicate cargo. Guarding this cargo is Bruni (Duchovny) and his gun-wielding goon, and the two of them hold the future of the Soviet Republic.

The “Phantom” is a device that can copy the signal of another ship and relay it to an enemy, making them think they are chasing another country’s submarine. Bruni plans to use this device in order to start a nuclear war between the Soviet’s enemies.

Almost entirely set inside the steel tubes of this archaic submarine, Phantom is a pulsating thriller that creates a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere, whilst engaging with a full-throttle plot.

Ed Harris is phenomenal. His performance determines the film, elevating it above a mere game of battleship, into a full-on war game. Surrounding him, there is also some heavy-hitting talent; Duchovny playing an unlikely villain, and William Fichtner playing Harris’ enduringly loyal Second-in-Command.

Whilst the acting talent is ship-shape, and the film’s aesthetic/atmosphere is plain sailing, the pace of the story needed some extra knots, languishing about during the opening third. This being said, Phantom delivers a worthwhile sea-faring adventure that combines political mutiny with overt heroism - a combination some may find leaves them feeling sea-sick, but most will salute.

(That’s it, I’m all out of sea puns, sea ya’ later, man overboard).

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Manhattan

"Witty Allen"


A phenomenal story comes to Blu-ray, with Woody Allen’s timeless comedy about a New York writer whose interpersonal relationships create complex, and revealing, situations.



Allen plays Isaac, a forty-something cultural intellectual and semi-successful writer, with a lesbian ex-wife (Meryl Streep), a teenage girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway), and the hots for a woman he despises (Diane Keaton) - who happens to be his best friend’s (Michael Murphy) mistress.



You would need an impressive flow-diagram (and acumen) to successfully depict all the varying trysts and emotions rolling around in Allen’s bittersweet take on modern relationships. The story delves deep into human nature, revealing its insatiable appetite for self-destruction and the way our urges not only define our character, but ruin our chances at happiness.



But, through this chaos and self-exploration come some exquisite comedy scenes that have secured their place in cinematic treasure-land, displaying Allen’s genius at capturing the hilarity of love and other things.

With dialogue that overlaps, and a star-studded cast utilizing a naturalistic acting style, Manhattan reaches levels rarely seen in a human comedy like this. Allen’s style and influence has undoubtedly shaped the course of cinema, and Manhattan is a superb example of just how much.



Picturesque seventies New York, outrageously corny montages of couples in the park, and the blithering wonderings of Isaac as he cynically ponders on the minutia; it would be easy to dismiss Manhattan’s legacy as being overrated schmaltz. However, any lover of true cinema will see the brilliance in this movie, how it is a celebration of the cinematic form. From the witty banter and character nuances, to the loving depiction of the Manhattan streetscapes, Allen douses his film in artistry and devotion.


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PAIN & GAIN

The muscle-bound comedy/action starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - PAIN & GAIN.

Read my review at www.ukfilmreview.co.uk - or click the PAIN & GAIN title above.

RUSH

Out This Friday! It's Ron Howard's RUSH...

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde and Daniel Brühl. Click the big RUSH in the title above.