The Howling (1981)

The werewolf sub-genre is one that Hollywood has always struggled with. Despite their being a plethora of such films, most of them are beyond awful with very few of them actually providing good entertainment. One of the few is Joe Dante’s much loved 1981 film called The Howling, a film that manages to strike just the right balance between comedy and horror in order to be a success.

The story focuses on a female newsreader that has a near fatal and strange encounter with a serial killer that is obsessed with her. In order to help her overcome her ordeal, her psychiatrist sends the newswomen to a rehabilitation retreat but it soon becomes apparent that her fellow inhabitants may not be what they seem and there may be an ulterior motive for her being sent to the retreat.

Director Joe Landis has managed to create a fun and entertaining film because despite it being primarily a horror film it never takes itself too seriously. Admittedly the basic premise is nothing new, a person being sent away only to a retreat only to find out the inhabitants are not quite human has been done countless times before but The Howling is so well written that it still manages to seem fresh. A lot of people forget that this film was released before its much more famous cousin An American Werewolf in London and was undoubtedly an inspiration for the special effects in that film. Obviously there was no CGI available at the time so the transformation scenes all had to be done using practical effects and they look great. Yes the werewolves themselves look a little hokey and not in slightest bit frightening but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the film. Perhaps the only real downside is that it takes a little while to get to the main storyline but once the werewolves start attacking it’s good old fashioned horror fun despite it not being frightening in the slightest.

The so called twist is painfully obvious and the storyline has been done to death but Joe Landis has made his film with a sense of fun which provides solid entertainment throughout.

7/10 

Season Of The Witch (2011)

You have to feel a little bit sorry for Nicolas Cage, not only do his hair pieces become increasingly more ridiculous with every film he makes, he seems to be stuck starring in below average CGI heavy films that do terribly at the box office. The only thing that can be said differently about his latest film, entitled Season of the Witch, is that manages to be an average film and provides a modicum of entertainment.

The plot is based around two 14^th century knights who have recently deserted their positions as part of the crusades after their commander orders the butchering of everyone in a village. Eventually captured and thrown in prison for being deserters, the two are offered their freedom if they will help transport a suspected witch, who has been blamed on causing the Black Plague, to her trial at a monastery. This task ends up being anything but simple.

As far as silly CGI laden films go, Season of the Witch isn’t a bad one but with a little more action and less filler then it could have been a lot better. Both the opening act and the final act are good solid entertainment but the problem lies with the overly long midsection which focuses entirely on the transportation of the witch to the monastery. Bar a mildly entertaining bridge crossing scene, almost nothing of interest happens leading to the film feeling much longer and more dragged out than it actually is. Once they reach their destination and the action picks up again then it’s great fun with some excellent effects and some good old fashioned sword action. In fact the CGI effects are surprisingly solid throughout, as are the sets and costumes. As for the acting, when it comes to Cage their simply isn’t any as he sleep walks his way through his role. Ron Perlman and Clare Foy as the witch are the most entertaining characters on show here and they single handedly save the film from mediocrity.

With a little more focus on action set pieces rather than Cage’s inability to act then Season of the Witch would have been a much bigger hit. A sit stands it’s a fun film that suffers from an uneventful second act but redeems itself with a fun filled final twenty minutes.

6/10 

Review of Primal (2010)

The Australian horror genre has really been making a name for itself in recent times with a slew of above average films being produced in the country that isn’t exactly known for its prolific filmmaking. The latest entry onto the list of direct to DVD Aussie horrors is director Josh Reeds debut feature entitled Primal, a film that doesn’t even come close to matching the quality of previous efforts but nevertheless still manages to be a fun watch.

The plot is one giant horror film cliché in itself and seriously lacks any ounce of originality; a group of friends join an anthropology student on an outing into the Australian wilderness to study an ancient rock painting. After a bout of skinny dipping in a waterhole, one of the group becomes sick eventually leading to her becoming extremely aggressive and hell bent on killing every member of the group. The group must make an extremely tough choice; kill their friend or risk being killed themselves. When another of the group begins to turn, the remaining members discover the real meaning behind the rock paintings they came to study.

There is nothing new or original about Primal, in fact you will have seen everything on show here in countless other films of the same type. What makes the film watchable is the production values and the bearable characters. Despite its low budget, the film still looks very well with some excellent practical gore effects. The plot moves along at a good pace and doesn’t take too long to get to the main horror part of the story. At only 80 minutes long it never allows boredom to creep in and knows not to overstay it’s welcome. Yes the story is silly and there is certainly nothing frightening about Primal but if your looking for a simple horror film to provide some light entertainment then you can do worse than this small Aussie effort.

Josh Reed has crafted a horror film that is the very definition of unoriginality but, despite this, it still manages to work even with its incredibly simple premise. It’s certainly a film for horror fans only but as direct to DVD films go you could do a lot worse.

5/10

True Grit (2010)

Generally the rule of thumb when it comes to remakes is that the original is superior, and when said original is a classic and beloved Western starring John Wayne, it undoubtedly makes the task of remaking it even more difficult. Luckily this didn’t deter the Coen brothers in the slightest and, despite protestations that True Grit isn’t actually a remake, have managed to create a film that is superior in every way.

The plot is a much truer reflection of the book it’s based on than the original film despite main story being essentially the same; a stubborn young women enlists the help of an old and tough US Marshall to help her track down her father’s killer. Along with the occasional help of another bounty hunter on the killers trail, they travel across the expanses of the American west eventually leading to a showdown with the man their after.

There is no doubting that the plot behind True Grit is an incredibly simple one but it’s also the perfect setup for a western based on revenge and the relentless pursuit of a killer. The Coen's have created a beautiful setting for their film with some excellent cinematography of the vast American deserts and real attention to detail when it comes to the sets and locations. The acting from all involved is spot on with Jeff Bridges excellent as the old and grizzled US Marshall Rooster Cogburn but the real standout is young Hailee Steinfeld as Matty Ross who plays her part to perfection. She is the real main character of the film and how she only received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress I’ll never know. The relationship between Cogburn and Matty is excellently developed and provides for some strong dramatical scenes. The only real problem with True Grit lies with the pace of the film, the mid section is largely devoid of action and instead focuses on the entirely drama aspect of the film. This is by no means boring but drags on for a little too long eventually leading it to feel a little out of place for a Western based on revenge. When the action is on screen it’s excellent though with some incredibly realistic set pieces. The final half an hour is great and harks back to the golden age of westerns and provides some top notch entertainment.

It’s great to see the Western back on the big screen, when it’s done right it is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining genres of film. True Grit is a very good film with all the elements of an excellent Western. The only problem is its surprisingly light of action and has a midsection that drags a little but otherwise it’s well worth the time give it a watch and is certainly a superior film to the original.

8/10 

Savage (2009)

 It is fair to say that the Irish film industry has been struggling of late due a serious lack of quality films being produced with the last film of any note being 2008’s In Bruges. Step forward writer/director Brendan Muldowney to right this situation with his excellent look into the psychological effects of being mugged with his 2010 film entitled Savage.

Paul Graynor is a photographer who earns a living shooting pictures of the seedier side of Dublin’s nightlife. He happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time one night and is viciously mugged and emasculated by two young men who seemed to have no qualms about committing the crime. The attack has a deeply psychological affect on Paul and he struggles to overcome the attack, eventually leading to his demise.

A strange mix between Taxi Driver and Death Wish, Savage is certainly not your usual revenge film and is extremely powerful at times. It’s brilliantly written and directed by Muldowney who has managed to create a truly disturbed character that simply can’t get off the path to destruction. Huge credit has to go to Darren Healy for bring the character of Graynor to live, he is incredibly believable in the role and really brings to psychological torment that Graynor is going through to the screen. The film is excellently paced with the opening act setting up the attack, the middle act dealing with Graynor’s torment and the final act with his shocking demise. The films climax is devastatingly brutal and shocking and is the ultimate depiction of messed up Paul has become. Credit must also be given for the excellent cinematography for capturing the darker side of Dublin and for the excellent supporting cast.

Savage really is the best Irish film of the last few years and is a powerful depiction of a man slowly losing his mind. There is very little to fault here with huge credit having to go to Muldowney for bringing it to the screen. Extremely harrowing at times, Savage is a must see film and finally proves that Ireland is capable of producing good films again.

8/10

Fair Game (2010)

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Fair Game, a film based on the true story of uncovered CIA spy Valerie Plame and starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, is the fact that it was entirely overlooked at the Oscars. This isn’t because the film is of outstanding quality, because it’s not; it’s the fact that it seems to have all the right ingredients for an Oscar bait film but the academy certainly got it right as Fair Game is nothing more than an entertaining thriller.

The story is based on real life CIA agent Valerie Plame who was involved in the search for Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Plame’s status as a CIA agent was revealed to the world in an effort to discredit her husband who wrote an article in the New York Times suggesting that the Bush Administration had manipulated and ignored intelligence in order to invade Iraq. The film details just how her husband came to write the article and after effects of the uncovering of her as an agent.

The true story behind the uncovering of Valerie Plame is certainly an interesting one and brings to light just how far the Bush administration were willing to go in order to invade Iraq. There was the basis for a powerful political film to be made about her story but instead director Doug Liman of The Bourne Identity fame decided to make a cross between a political film and a thriller which somewhat lessens the impact of the story. There is no doubting that Fair Game is an entertaining film but I can’t help but feel that I would have been better off as more of a drama that delved deep into the information behind the story. As it stands though, it still gives enough background into the whole affair for it to be a shocking indictment into the corruption and ineptitude of the Bush administration while still being an entertaining thriller. Both Naomi Watts and Sean Penn are very good in their roles and it’s a well filmed and produced film but a little less Hollywood and a little more in depth writing was needed to make Fair Game stand out from the myriad of other films of its ilk. 

Fair Game is a solid thriller based on the true story of Valerie Plame that is entertaining throughout but perhaps if it was little more informative and drama based than the academy would have paid more of an interest.

7/10