Movies

Review: Open Grave (2013)

Posted on by indiemacuser

Open Grave is the new thriller/drama from Spanish director Gonzalo López-Gallego(Apollo 18) and writers Eddie & Chris Borey. The film stars Sharlto Copley (Elysium/District 9/Maleficent), Thomas Kretschmann (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and Josie Ho (Contagion).

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We open boldly with a stylised shot of Sharlto (John/Jonah) gasping for breath and seeing only by candle-light; discovering for the first time his strange and scary situation, waking up in a huge pit of corpses having no memory of who he is, where he came from, where he is now or how he got there. He soon realises he is not alone however when he finds a house that is occupied by others in a similar predicament. None of them know how they got there or what connection they have with each other.

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Review: Debug (2014)

Posted on by indiemacuser

Debug is the 2014 Sci-Fi/Thriller big screen debut from writer/director David Hewlett (better known for his sci-fi acting roles such as Stargate & Rise of The Planet of the Apes) and stars Adrian Holmes, Jeananne Goossen and Jason Momoa.

The story resolves around a team of criminal computer hackers that have been sent into space by the Department of Corrections to help salvage old ships by over-riding their computer systems. This seems like an easy job; until they come across an abandoned prison ship. As they interact with the various virtual elements of the ship’s system they s4-debugoon realise it is fighting back in a very real and physical way as it turns the team on each other.

This is hardly new territory in sci-fi (i.e. the Alien franchise starts with a similar premise and there is of course Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Oddyssey) however the hacker angle does provide a fresh and interesting new take on this. All that said I feel the film is well executed but did not particularly stand out for me. Jason Momoa’s performance is ominous and unnervingly evil as the ships AI Iam.

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Review: Reaper (2014)

Posted on by indiemacuser

Not to be confused with the TV series of the same name; Reaper is the 2014 thriller/horror from director Philip Shih and writers Mark James/James Jurdi. The film features a strong cast including Danny Trejo (Machete Kills), Vinnie Jones (Snatch), Shayla Beesley (Sex and the USA), Jake Busey (From Dusk Till Dawn – TV Series), Christopher Judge (Stargate) and James Jurdi (Pocket Listing).

Reaper (2014) _thumbThe story plays out initially like a typical road horror movie in the tradition of The Hills Have Eyes & The Hitcher. Hitch-hiker Natalie (Beesley) gets a ride with happy-go-lucky travelling salesman Bill (Busey). When Bill crosses the line Natalie turns the tables on him and we learn there is much more than meets the eye to this girl. This leads her to run into drug runner Brad (Jurdi) who is carrying out a pick-up for tough criminal boss Rob (Jones). Later on the pair meet Jack (Trejo) at the suitably named ‘Last Chance Hotel’ and the story turns somewhat sinister. The twists in this tale remind me a lot of Tarrentino’s writing for From Dusk Till Dawn.

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1OVE (2014) – ‘A Romantic Comedy For Pop Music Nerds’

Posted on by indiemacuser

1OVE is a fun internet comedy short from GDB Films; written by G. Daniel Bailey & directed by Reynaldo Rodriguez.

The ensemble cast includes G. Daniel Bailey, Laura TenZijthoff. Keith C. Wade (Burn Notice, Graceland) and Frank Francisco (Univision’s Va Por Ti).IMG_1918-0

The concept here is ‘a romantic comedy for pop music nerds‘. This is achieved through the dialogue which is mostly referencing or byorrowed from well known song lyrics (both recent and classic). With everything from Rihanna to The Who there is something for everyone here. Continue reading →

5 Films That Feature Radio DJ’s

Posted on by indiemacuser

1. The Warriors (1979)Warriors

While ‘The Warriors’ gang flee from New York City to Coney Island, the radio D.J. (Lynne Thigpen) provides coded information and updates to the gangs that are pursuing them. Continue reading →

UPDATE: Kevin Smith’s ‘Tusk’ UK Release Date & Premiere

Posted on by indiemacuser

UPDATE – 29/05/15

Latest

Tusk is available to Buy on iTunes in the UK. Click here. Also now available on Sky Store, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.

Tusk is already released for Pre-Order on DVD in UK. Release date currently 8th June.
Available from Amazon and Zavvi.

People tweeted (@sonypicturesuk) using hashtag #TuskUKYes to show support for a UK release. Some tweets featured below. Continue reading →

Review: Bypass (2014)

Posted on by indiemacuser

Bypass is a joint venture between Third Films and Swedish company FilmiVast with funding from the British Film Institute and Film Agency Wales; from writer/director Duane Hopkins and starring up-and-coming young actor George MacKay (Pride, Sunshine on Leith, Peter Pan) as Tim.

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Movie Gem of the Week: Coffee Town (2013) from CollegeHumor

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Coffee Town is the original comedy from writer/director Brad Copeland and marks the first feature film produced by website CollegeHumor; better known for their on-line comedy videos. This continues a new trend of features created by on-line content sites; thecoffetown_poster feature iSteve (a comic look at the life of Steve Jobs) was released by site FunnyorDie earlier the same year. The film was released simultaneously in cinemas and on-demand. Continue reading →

News: Kevin Smith finds funding for Clerks III

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Writer/director Kevin Smith let slip on his podcast Hollywood Babble-On (an entertainment/chat show co-hosted by Ralph Garman) that he had secured funding for the long-awaited film Clerks III. This is reportedly as a result of renewed interest following Smith’s recent horror/comedy Tusk.  

Smith made his film debut with Clerks in 1994; shooting the film for around $27,000 paid on various credit cards before selling the film to Miramax at the Sundance film festival. He went on to further successes with films such as Dogma, Chasing Amy & Jersey Girl before returning to Clerks with Clerks II in 2006. Continue reading →

Movie Gem of the Week: War, Inc. (2008)

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There exists a great tradition in cinema of political satires that highlight current and future issues ironically through their use of dark comedy; whilst not actually featuring factual characters or events (i.e. The Manchurian Candidate)…this is one such film.

War Inc. is the 2008 dystopian sathttps://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/68/WarIncPoster.jpg/220px-WarIncPoster.jpgire from director Joshua Seftel and writers Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser and John Cusack; starring John Cusack, Hillary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack and Ben Kingsley. Continue reading →