Within the rich history of low budget horror there shines bright diamonds in the rough. From single location movies such as Night of the Living Dead, The Evil Dead and more recently, The Void to creaky-yet-lovable exploitation flicks such as AIP’s Blacula, cult classics exist due to the ingenuity and creativity of the filmmakers involved. In 1995, Tales from the Hood helped spark a new strand of exploitation cinema, the “Hip Hop Horror”. Since then we’ve been blessed/ cursed with the likes of Urban Menace and Da Hip Hop Witch, which star numerous artists better known for their lyricisms and vocal delivery than their acting ability.
Which brings us to Night of the Unspeakable.
Opening on a protracted opening crawl, I honestly believed I was settling in for a tongue in cheek parody, rather than a serious horror. The words on screen set up a long-winded back story, establishing a convoluted mythology that is entirely unnecessary for what you’re about to witness. In the first ten minutes, there are three (pretty much) full length music and spoken word performances, the quality and delivery of which boarders on cringe-worthy. We then continue to suffer with awful music throughout, which is far scarier than the incubus and succubus on the prowl.
Essentially, a group of artists and producers are trapped in a recording studio while two demons terrorise, seduce and murder their way through their victims. There’s oodles of poorly handled, fully clothed simulated sex making no mistake that NotU is shot for the male gaze. We get fumbled dialogue, atrocious blocking, focus issues and clipped audio throughout. To their defence, the “actors” never stand a chance with the terrible dialogue they’re given.
As someone who’s seen more than his fair share of super-low budget horror (I’m looking at you Amityville: Death House, Amityville: Playhouse, Amityville: Legacy, Amityville: Exorcism…), I’m used to trying to salvage one or two positives and justify the waste of 70 minutes. At times, the creature makeup is passable but the use of digital effects utterly negates any goodwill built there. Night of the Unspeakable isn’t entertainingly bad like Plan 9 From Outer Space or Troll 2. It’s just plain bad. The worst part is the movie concludes with a “To Be Continued”. Here’s hoping that the cinema gods are merciful and we’re spared a sequel.
For those who have never seen or heard of The Room, from director, writer, star, producer and executive producer Tommy Wiseau, boy have you been denied an experience. The film, with the basic story of a love triangle where a mans ‘future wife’ (that’s literally what they say instead of fiancée) cheats on him with his best friend (they remind you enough of that fact), was bombarded from day one. The film bombed big time at the box-office, but worse was the critical slaughtering it received – immediately earning the film the label of being the worst film ever made. That is probably where it should have stayed – but something miraculous happened. The film, thanks mainly due to YouTube, gained a cult following for being so bad, so fundamentally flawed beyond repair that it entertained on an unintentionally comedic level.
The Room is quite the sight to behold, but just as interesting was its development and aftermath. Friend of Tommy Wiseau and co-star Greg Sistero, with co-writer Tom Bissell, wrote a book based on the experiences he’d had with Wiseau and the films production. It is from this book that James Franco dedicated himself to bringing this unique and completely absurd yet true story to the big screen.
Greg Sistero was a struggling actor – he was shy and afraid of what people would think when they saw him. Tommy was the exact opposite, putting himself out there to an almost psychotic degree. The two of them bond and after years of unsuccessful struggling to become movie stars – and with help from Wiseau’s seemingly endless supply of money – decide to make a film all of their own. It is then that Sistero sees how controlling and insane Wiseau is, but also realises how much the two of them need each other. It all builds up to the fateful premier, where a mass audience will finally see what talent they have – or lack thereof.
While stylistically different, The Disaster Artist reminded me a lot of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. The subject matter isn’t massively different, and the theme of a man achieving a cinematic dream only to produce something awful in the end. But what really linked the two together for me was that, while both were comedies and hilarious ones at that, they did not make fun of their respective directors. In fact, they kind of celebrated them, and it’s easy to see why with the passion and drive they have. But, I will admit that The Disaster Artist is the far better film.
James Franco stars as Wiseau and even directs the film. Directing-wise, Franco delivers a very grounded and down to earth film. You really feel like you could be there, like the fly on the wall – which is exactly what we wanted with a film about the making of The Room. This also helps the humour hit with that dry-wit humour it has. It also allows the emotional moments, of which there are a few, hit home. It is an oddly impressive directorial effort from Franco. Made even more impressive when he and the cast recreate scenes from The Room. There is a moment just before the end credits when they play clips from The Room and scenes recreated in The Disaster Artist and it is near uncanny.
The Disaster Artist
James Franco plays Wiseau so convincingly well that I didn’t recognise him once in the film. As Greg Sistero, who is the films main character although Wiseau does have a regular presence, is Franco’s brother Dave Franco. Not only was he played just as well, but the chemistry the two of them share is flawless. I never saw them as brothers, I saw them as friends. It was what had me worried the most, but great writing and performances brought them over that hurdle. Other members of the cast, including Seth Rogan, Josh Hutcherson, Alison Brie and Ari Graynor, all do just as superbly. No performance failed to make me laugh or engage me in the more serious moments.
It’s almost fitting really that The Room, one of the worst films ever made, should lead to the production of a film this good. I have no issues with it outside of some strange uses of shaky-cam here and there – but even these aren’t that noticeable most of the time. This film does ultimately beg the question though, is The Room the worst film ever made? If it has brought so much joy to so many people how could it be? It feels very honest and sincere that way, making it pleasant as well as funny, involving and just plain great.
If you haven’t seen The Room then you can still watch and furrily enjoy The Disaster Artist. I hope that this film, and the story of Wiseau, will inspire and motivate others to bring life to their own stories, no matter how great or terrible the result will be. It may not be as funny as, say, The Death of Stalin, but it feels more sincere and pleasant. This is one that you should not miss. The Disaster Artist is easily one of the strongest, and strangest, films released this year and it deserves all of its ‘Hai Mark’s.
An expectant father (Bryan Veronneau) suffers from a profound fear of the unknown, possibly exacerbated by sleep deprivation. His thoughts turn to dark places as he desperately tries to find reason in the chaotic tatters of his emotional state.
Tonally reminiscent to Brad Anderson’s The Machinist by way of Cormac McCarthy, The Guard opens with a shocking potency that diffuses into malignant unease and concludes with fraught tension. The subject matter alone holds DNA distinctly present in the likes of Rosemary’s Baby, Eraserhead and The Amityville Horror as the primal, protective instinct of a parent is warped and subverted.
The Guard
This is a particularly male driven story and channels this character’s fears through a father’s perspective. At its core, The Guard is about protection, and the terror of not being able to fulfil that function.
Veronneau’s turn as the titular guard is a considerable one. His portrayal of a man with a fractured mind is similar to that of Guy Pearce in Memento, only with a melancholy that consumes every frame he appears in. Additionally, there are a couple of visual cues that, while not exactly subtle, do tether a thematic consistency and reinforce the desperation and loneliness faced by the character.
Without wishing to give anything away, the symbolism utilised in the opening scene has a Metal/ Music Video quality about it but that’s not meant as a disparaging remark, merely that the stylistic visual storytelling is ruthlessly effective.
Making an indelible mark in a short feature format is not an easy challenge, but here, writer/ director Mark Battle delivers an engaging thriller that challenges emotionally, with a central theme that I was truly invested in. Battle’s previous work, Here Lies Joe boasted a similarly understated, yet powerful performance and an unflinching fragility to his male characters. I’m keen to see where this filmmaker takes us next.
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who at least didn’t know Paddington by name. We all have heard of the marmalade loved bear in the blue coat and red hat. The books have touched many people over a number of generations, with the cartoon being just as charming and successful. Despite this, I was rather surprised when the first live-action Paddington film was released in 2014. But not as surprised as I was when, in a world of cynical cash-grabs that miss the point of their source material entirely – ala Garfield, The Smurfs and that upcoming Peter Rabbit film – we got a film that was charming, visually interesting and almost completely unique while always being respectful. It’s not a film I put on regularly, but I found very little to dislike about it. When I heard a sequel was on the way, I was very interested to see what could be done with it.
Paddington has found the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy – a pop-up book of London. Wanting to please her but unable to afford the gift. He tries to earn it honestly, but when he notices a mysterious figure sealing the book Paddington get framed and arrested for the crime. Paddington aims to get out, while befriending numerous inmates in the process. Meanwhile, the Browns try to prove Paddington’s innocence, and end up finding the real perpetrator in the most amusing of ways.
As you can probably gather, it’s not exactly the deepest story and is very much aimed at families with young children. But, as a film aimed at families, Paddington 2 does a fantastic job. Not only is it fun for children and adults alike, the film still has all the charm, style and respect of the first film. There is an amazing scene where Paddington first sees the book and imagines that being his way of taking Aunt Lucy through the city. In it we see the two of them walking through a paper city with paper people. It’s a great show of visual storytelling, and from it we immediately understand why, to Paddington, this book is so important. It’s moments like this that make the film moving and oddly powerful.
This is of course helped out by the actors. There is no better voice for Paddington than Ben Whishaw. He captures everything about the character, from his innocence, his naiveté and his drive to do good by others. Whether he is acting along big named actors, reacting to the series slapstick or featuring in sweet but hilariously dubbed adverts before the film starts, he is lovable in every sense of the word. Returning as the members of the Brown family are Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin. All are just as perfectly cast as Whishaw, and deliver their performances with great dedication – made more admirable due to all the silliness they all get involved in.
Besides them are such familiar faces as Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent and Ben Miller in numerous minor roles throughout the film. The two new cast members who stood out, by name and performance were Brendon Gleeson as inmate Knuckles and Hugh Grant as our villain. I don’t think either was in a scene that didn’t crack me up, they have both got a grasp on their comedy style, Gleeson as the deadpan straight man and Grant as the absurdist. Casting, and writing wise there are no issues whatsoever.
Even from a directing standpoint, Paul King handles everything near flawlessly. It’s visually nice, sounds great, it’s very funny and sweet. It also has a nice message about how your family will never forget you, and how trivial things like finding ‘the perfect present’ are ultimately not as important as the relationship you share with the person. It’s not really one I see too often, so I appreciated that that was the message King and the crew went for. There is just nothing of fault outside of nit-picking here.
It’s not every day that we can say Paddington 2 has earned a startling 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, but truthfully it has earned it. The only word I can use to describe it is nice. It’s a nice film. And it’s ultimately hard to find fault in such a pleasant and innocent little film. I am glad I saw it. I won’t be rushing to see it again, which I suppose could be seen as a flaw, but the fact that I really liked it in the first place should be praise enough. If you’re struggling to find something to watch as a family this Christmas season, then give this little film a go. I am sure it’ll tide you and your kids over nicely until Star Wars is finally released.
The Unseen is one of those peculiar films. I watched this psychological thriller without any idea as to what is was and allowed myself to be carried along its twists and turns as the story was played out. From the beginning I was given an emotional and thrilling ride and was left satisfied with what I had seen. But once we had reached the end I started to get ahead of the story and I couldn’t help but feel like I had seen all of this before. Not long after it had finished, The Unseen sadly left me wishing for more.
Gemma, a radio and audiobook voice artist, and husband Will, who’s profession we don’t learn, are as happy as can be – then tragedy hits. Their infant son dies in a tragic accident and the grief starts to tear their life’s apart. Things only get worse when Gemma starts suffering from bouts of temporary blindness and Will is driven to the brink of sanity, hearing his son’s voice in the empty bedroom at night. Seemingly by miracle the kind, but down on his luck Paul invites them to stay at the cottage he has in the Lake District. Unfortunately, what sounds like the best plan for them turns into something far worse.
From the get-go this was a very well-acted film. It stars unheard of actors in Jasmine Hyde, Richard Flood and Simon Cotton. From the first act Hyde and Flood completely sold me as the grieving parents. You don’t just feel sorry for them, you feel sorry with them. There are scenes completely dedicated to an action both do out of grief, and big or small they always hit their mark. This includes Gemma telling some kids to ‘be careful’ when climbing on something in the street. Will’s torture is demonstrated perfectly with a scene that involves a goldfish. The writing does help of course, with some excellent material for the actors to work with – but I feel that these actors completely made the roles their own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsuL-WximNM
As a story, The Unseen works very well. While the film is probably a little longer than it needed to be – some moments towards the end felt a little redundant to me – it most certainly works as a slow burn, building up the atmosphere as it goes along. There is a scene in the middle of the film where Gemma hears her son’s voice while in the bath and goes blind again. We get this completely through a POV with her and it was genuinely intense. So much so that I felt like I needed a break afterwards. That is a good sign for the film. For the most part, the story is refreshingly different and necessarily upsetting. As the film goes on, though, we start to deviate from the grief drama and the film eventually becomes a pretty generic thriller, but I was still invested with it.
Unsurprisingly, there are twists towards the end. While some of them had me worried about how melodramatic or just plain silly they would be – like a painful twist where a certain character was behind the tragedy, which thankfully never happened – they mostly came off as smart and worked within the tone of the film. At least until you think about them, but the same can be said with most twists.
For the most part, director Gary Sinyor manages to hold the film together very well. It was obviously shot on a tiny budget, most of which was certainly put into the locations and sets. This does lead to moments that you know where done the way they were because they couldn’t afford to shoot it any other way. There is also a pretty dodgy edit here and there – for example, a man is knocked out when he is thrown against a wall, and the edit makes it painfully obvious that the stumble and the impact were shot at different times. But, Sinyor does manage to craft a decent style with the film. The budget does give off a decent sense of realism and the film has a style not dissimilar to an Adrian Lyne film.
But what is it that made me feel hollow about this film. There was a glaring issue with it and it wasn’t the budget or the generic finish. It took me a little bit to work it out. It’s that we never see the child. Not only that, but we only hear him once when he is alive. The film starts with the parents looking for their child, then dread as they look over the now covered family pool – and then it’s over and we get all of their grief afterwards. This is effective for what it is, but we never saw the kid before the accident so there was no connection felt between the audience and the characters. I give credit to the actors and the writing for salvaging what came next – but this was too quickly done to get me even close to invested in the story, both emotionally and as an audience member. The lack of connection this gave me did sadly haunt the film afterwards. I assume that there was a message being made in the absence of the child, or maybe they just couldn’t afford another actor, but either way the decision hurt the film.
The Unseen
Over all, while the film did struggle to invest me emotionally at first, I would say that The Unseen is still worth the watch. It’s actually a film I wouldn’t mind seeing remade with a larger budget. While it’s certainly no award winner, The Unseen’s tight writing, capable directing style and strong cast make it an entertaining and sometimes upsetting film. Handling its subject matter well and never delving into melodrama, The Unseen is definitely a memorable film. Will I watch it again soon, probably not, but I am glad I saw it.
