TRESSPASSERS -now playing theatrically , IFC MIDNIGHT FILMS

 

TRESSPASSERS– IFC Midnight-Now Playing Theatrically. Color -87 Minutes Unrated.

Watch the trailer :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RawgS69nvR8&list=PLzbzLEBDQ5MqDFjyhpI4gGPsOlQRNP7ti

When a film opens with a bunch of guys donning cloth masks that give them the suggestion of skulls and walk towards a house wielding machete, you know there is going to be trouble.

That is the opening of TRESSPASSERS, a new nail biter from Director Orson Oblowitz (director of the crime drama THE QUEEN OF HOLLYWOOD BLVD, Dark Star ,2017; as well as having a small role in the darkly comic yet violent Bobcat Goldthwait film GOD BLESS AMERICA, Magnet, 2011).

 

After the murder of an unnamed man and woman , the film changes mood and switches to a couple, Sarah (Angela Trimbur, THE FINAL GIRLS, Sony ,2015) and Joseph (Zack Avery, CURVATURE, Screen Media 2017. CURVATURE was produced by The Hallivis Brothers, producers of TRESSPASSERS)., who are dealing with some relationship issues and they have gone to this isolated house out in the California desert to have some alone time. At least, that is, until two friends that Sarah has invited show up, Estelle (Janel Parrish, from the television series PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, ABC ,2010-17) and her boyfriend (Jonathan Howard), much to Joseph’s annoyance.

 

Shortly thereafter, another unexpected visitor arrives. A quirky bespectacled woman who doesn’t identify herself (Fairuza Balk, AMERICAN HISTORY X, New Line ,1998) says that her car broke down and there is no cell phone signal in the area.

She wonders if she might use their phone to check in on her babysitter with her son, as well as possibly get a tow truck. The thing is, as the night goes on, the visitor doesn’t seem to want to leave, as strange things happen, like a sudden power outage. The visitor says that  such outages are common in the area, which is why they have backup generators, but Jonathan, who is, shall we say, a major dick, feels that there is something wrong with the woman and wants her gone.

 

Things quickly escalate until a horrible accident occurs (which made this reviewer jump). The events do not start going any better, when first the police stop by, and then the masked trio from earlier returns.

 

I am trying to keep from giving away too many too many of the delicious surprises and thrills that this film has ,hoping you go and enjoy this thrill ride .

 

The film has a few flaws (none of the four leads are particularly likeable, but that is more to how they are written ,and not the fault of the performers) , but it makes for an enjoyable thriller along the lines of THE STRANGERS (Universal, 2008) and THE STRANGERS PREY AT NIGHT (Aviron ,2018).

 

Composer Jonathan Snipes (SNAKES ON A PLANE, New Line,2006) at times evokes the Giallo thrillers of old, such as using a harpsicord accompanying a female vocalist for the opening and the end credits, at other times a kind of techno sound score. The cinematography by Noah Rosenthal (the horror comedy DETENTION OF THE DEAD,Anchor Bay ,2013) is sharp and crisp , at times giving the house a cold sterile look, against which the horrors play, while at other times, colored filters are used, which also recalls early Dario Argento.

 

A good creepy thriller that if you are at all paranoid, this will do nothing to reassure you.

-Kevin G Shinnick

Personal Thanks to IFC Midnight.

 

 

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TRESSPASSERS original title

PATIENT ZERO (2018)

PATIENT ZERO (Vertical Entertainment) R -now playing limited theatrical and available as V.O.D. 87 Min. Rated R. horror/science fiction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn-wBZwQdRA

Imagine if you will Bub from Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD (1985, U.F.D.) were fully cognizant of his situation, and able to have a full conversation about it (MY DINNER WITH BUB? ). Throw in a bit of 21 DAYS LATER (2002, Fox) and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from PATIENT ZERO.

Filmed in 2015 by Screen Gems, it sadly sat on a shelf until now. Why? Screen Gems opened the abysmal ULTRAVIOLET (2006) wide, and that was nowhere near as good as PATIENT ZERO.

In 2013, Mike Le’s script for PATIENT ZERO was called “the Most Liked “unmade script of the year in the annual Black List poll. A bidding war between several studios took place, with Screen Gems winning the rights to make a feature of the script. Matt Le had prior only worked on a few reality shows and later some forgotten thrillers like AMNESIAC (2014, XLrator) (get it? forgotten? Amnesiac?) and DARK SUMMER (2015, IFC). The frenzy was no doubt due to Paramount’s mega zombie blockbuster WORLD WAR Z that came out that year.

Director Stefan Ruzowitzky had directed the German horror thriller AUTOPSY (Sony,2000) and won the 2007 foreign language Oscar for his film THE COUNTERFEITERS (released in the US by Sony)and so there a bit of buzz around his second English language film (his first ,ALL THE QUEENS’S MEN ,2001,Sony,starred Matt LeBlanc & Eddie Izzard ,was a fun little film that came & went).

Adding to the buzz was the casting of Matt Smith (popular from DOCTOR WHO, portraying the character from 2010-13, with a guest appearance in 2014, BBC) and Natalie Dormer (GAME OF THRONES, appearing from 2012 to 2016 in the HBO series) and Stanley Tucci (Oscar nominated for THE LOVELY BONES ,2009, Dreamworks).

The majority of the film was shot in a massive set at Shepperton Studios that was built to resemble an underground military missle silo built into caverns.

In the near future, a new pandemic has broken out, driving people into a bloodthirsty rage. The world is so caught off guard by how quickly this spreads that a large group of survivors, men, women and children, take refuge in said underground military bunkers. There, they work frantically to try and seek some sort of cure, and if they can, discover Patient Zero, the first of the infected (Odd Doctor Who trivia (Matt Smith’s first full episode as the Doctor, “The Eleventh Hour”, he spent a good bit of time looking for PRISONER zero. Back to the review.).

Morgan (Matt Smith, sporting a Midwestern accent) has been bitten but unlike many, has not turned into one of the rampaging creatures (referred to as “the infected”). Instead, he can communicate with the transformed in their own language (that this is never explored in more detail made me wonder if the film had been drastically cut down) as well as using music to set off the murderous victims of the plague.

Then one day, they bring in The Professor (Stanley Tucci), who not only is unaffected by the music, but also speaks in a calm clear manner. However, we also feel that underneath his demeanor is this seething rage, waiting to get out, and tear out the throats of all around.

The scenes between Smith and Tucci work wonderfully well, as if in a zombie film version of the Clarice /Hannibal Lector scenes from SILENCE OF THE LAMB (1991, Orion).

Scientist Dr Rose (Natalie Dormer) is trying to get Morgan to hurry up while trying to placate Col. Knox (Clive Standen, star of the recent NBC Universal series TAKEN (2017-18) based upon Luc Bresson’s films) whose attitude is shoot them all let god sort it out.

Morgan also wants to find a cure, not only for himself but also his wife Janet (model /actress Agyness Deyn). Can they before the bunker is overrun by the ever increasing infected? Plus, watch out for those damn raging rats!!!

I don’t understand the general dismissal of this film. The cast is good, and the production values are decent.

The accent that Matt Smith uses is a bit jarring, and since most of the cast is British, why didn’t they just set the story in the U.K.?

Also, as I mentioned, there are a lot of very interesting ideas brought up but then never fully developed in the finish film, making me feel that there was some drastic editing to the movie.

However, once Stanley Tucci shows up, PATIENT ZERO hums along quite nicely, with the exchanges between Morgan and The Professor holding our attention. The idea that the disease is merely releasing the rage contained in all of us is a good one and adds a bit of brains to the usual zombie fare.

I don’t think you will be disappointed if you watch this film without comparing it to films like DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978, UFD). It is a nice variation to the apocalyptic zombie film, with some novel additions.

I do hope that a Blu Ray with commentary track is in its future, as I would love to hear about the behind the scenes of PATIENT ZERO.

Currently, director Ruzowitzky is working on The Last Voyage of the Demeter, which is based on Bram Stoker‘s Dracula . I look forward to his new additions to genre films.

Check out PATIENT ZERO.
–Kevin G Shinnick

ZOMBIES
Apocalypse
Matt Smith
Natalie Dormer
Stanley Tucci

THE STRANGERS:PREY AT NIGHT (March ,2018, theatrical Aviron) Review by Sean Fallon

For what I, Sean Fallon, consider to be the absolute all-time greatest acting performance by a teenage actress in a horror movie, I highly recommend THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT.

On March 9th, this sequel to 2008’s THE STRANGERS (Rogue), hit the big screen. Director Johannes Roberts does an amazing job with this horror movie that is written by Bryan Bertino and Ben Ketai, and is based on true events.

Bailee Madison who was only seventeen at the time of the filming excels in the leading role of Kinsey, by convincingly selling every line, expression, emotion, and reaction. From sarcastic teenage rebelliousness to extreme panic that borders on hyperventilating, Bailee Madison delivers it all as if she was personally experiencing everything that Kinsey was enduring, whether physically, intellectually, or emotionally. Her acting was so strong that it never looked like acting, but like live footage of a terrified teenage girl fleeing for her life.

The premise behind the movie is that a family of four goes to an aunt and uncle’s trailer park, during the off-season, which leaves it vacant, to spend the night, on the way to bringing the daughter, Kinsey, to a boarding school, after Kinsey got in serious trouble for a behavior (minor spoiler alert) that remains undisclosed in the movie. When they arrive in the trailer park, the aunt and uncle are not there to greet them, but the keys are left for them to get into their trailer. Three masked homicidal maniacs, however, are lurking about.

Martin Henderson and Christina Hendricks portray Kinsey’s parents who are good with her, despite their frustrations. Their love for their children and love for each other is clearly demonstrated, making them both likeable and believable.

The Strangers 2 6-5-17-9807.dng

Actor Lewis Pullman plays Luke, Kinsey’s older brother. Luke and Kinsey have a typical sibling relationship, with the bickering in the car, the name calling and fighting, but with ultimately the love for one another that is above all their conflict. Luke is the central male character in this movie, and the one with whom a male audience will most likely identify with the most. Lewis Pullman’s strong acting performance makes Luke a very believable and relatable character.

The dynamic of a brother/sister relationship at the heart of the movie, rather than a romantic relationship enhances the genuine concern that a male audience has for the well-being of Kinsey, as well. There are no obnoxious teen fornication scenes, and Kinsey is always modestly dressed, never objectified the way teen actresses, or older actresses who portray teenagers typically are in movies and television.

It is much more cinematically effective to watch a fellow human being, an equal journeyer through life, fleeing for hers, than to watch an objectified bimbo making stereotypically stupid decisions. Identifying with Luke and how he wants to protect his younger sister out of genuine pure love furthermore, from a Christian perspective, makes it very easy to obey 1 Timothy 5:2 towards Kinsey. You end up truly caring about Kinsey as a person, irrelevant to whatever misbehavior she may have shown in the past. It no longer matters.

Music from the 1980s, mostly with female lead singers is heard throughout the movie. This is another dynamic shift that works quite well, as the backdrop for emotionally intense scenes.

 

This movie avoids those obnoxious quick cuts that in other horror movies often create viewer frustration by preventing the viewers from mentally processing what is happening on the screen. Instead, the action is clear and present, with intensity that draws the moviegoers right into the world of Luke and Kinsey, keeping us constantly on edge, in a good way, of wanting to see Luke and Kinsey overcome their three biggest obstacles, the three masked homicidal maniacs.

The writing, directing, acting, score, and editing all work together to create a truly great horror movie that contains all the positive elements of horror, while avoiding the stereotypical pitfalls. While there are some cuss words and scenes with blood, the quality of this movie is unmistakable. I highly recommend THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT.

–Sean Fallon

The original THE STRANGERS (Rogue,2008)cost about $ 9 million and made over $52 million during it’s theatrical run .

The new film’s budget has not been released, but in it’s first four days, STRANGERS:PREY AT NIGHT has made $11,270,512 . This is Aviron‘s second release, the first being the Halle Berry thriller KIDNAP (2017) .That film broke even, considering it cost $21 million to produce ,and an estimated $9 million advertising. KIDNAP brought in $30,718,107

THE BIG SICK review by Sean Fallon

THE BIG SICK (Amazon Studios/Lionsgate ) 2h 4m . Theatrical release June 23,2017.

 

The movie THE BIG SICK is a romantic comedy based on the true story of comedian Kumail Najiani, and his romantic encounter with Emily V. Gordon. Set primarily in Chicago, THE BIG SICK delves deep into the internal conflict experienced by the self-portrayed Kumail Najiani (t.v.’s SILICON VALLEY;H.B.O.). He comes from a Pakistani Muslim culture, yet falls for Emily a white American, convincingly played by Zoe Kazan. Kumail’s inner turmoil is not of a personal religious nature, as he is not strong in his faith, but it is in knowing that his family would not merely disapprove of Emily not being a Muslim, but would outright disown Kumail if he chooses Emily over his family’s cultural tradition of arranged marriages between Muslims.

 

When Kumail and Emily first meet, they are not forthcoming towards each other about major issues that could adversely impact their relationship. Emily initially fails to mention that she had been previously married, while Kumail fails to mention that his parents are constantly trying to set him up with Muslim women to marry, and would never approve of his relationship with her. When Emily finds out that Kumail could not realistically see a future with Kumail and Emily together, their relationship comes to an unpleasant end.

 

Soon, Emily is hospitalized with an undiagnosed condition. Kumail finds out, and under the influence of a doctor, claims to be Emily’s husband, granting him permission to sign a paper consenting for the hospital to place Emily into a medically induced coma, for the sake of diagnosing and curing her ailment. Soon, Emily’s parents arrive at the hospital, enhancing the quality of the production with excellent acting performances by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter.

 

 

The window that the movie provides into Islamic culture is one that requires further clarity, if the viewing audience is intended to take away a positive perspective. Islamic parents disowning their children for religious reasons paints Allah, the Islamic understanding of the God of Abraham, as being a god who is ultimately unloving and disinterested in the well-being of his children, and merely requires obedience for his own sake. This is very different from the Christian understanding of our all-loving God whose love never fades, no matter how far we have strayed, a God who wills for all to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, a God who so loves the world that He sent His only son, so that he who believes in Him may not perish, but have everlasting life, a God who we can refer to as “Our Father.” These two very different views of God, however, could be shown as reflecting the different views that Ishmael and Isaac had towards Abraham, Ishmael being the child of a slave woman, with Isaac being the beloved free-born son of the promise of God.

 

While making light of ISIS in stand-up comedy is in extremely poor taste, and truly good comedy does not require profanity, the movie definitely will have the audience laughing at various parts, while also captivating the audience with the emotionally deep drama of the plight of Emily in the hospital. It is there where the audience will truly be captivated by the story, pulling for a positive outcome for all involved. I recommend this movie for mature audiences. Beyond the high entertainment value, it brilliantly demonstrates how cultural clashes disturb both internal and external tranquility, yet conveys a tone that desires for true love to overcome.

 

The real Life Husband & Wife

-Sean Fallon

See the official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z_o-8pkiVo