2013 Top 10 Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction

Starburst Magazine have asked all their contributors to come up with their top 10 of 2013. Starburst are a magazine dedicated to horror, fantasy and science fiction so all the movies picked have to fall into those genres. Also because the issue that looks back on 2013 has to be printed and ready to be published before the year comes to an end, only films released from November 2012 to November 2013 can be included.

That means yes to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and no to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. As it happens, I'm haven't even included An Unexpected Journey into my top 10 of the year anyway. However it did just miss making this list along with Safety Not Guaranteed, This is the End and Elysium.

So here are my top 10 horror, fantasy and science fiction films of the past year. Click the titles to read my full reviews:

10. Grabbers (Reviewed at Static Mass Emporium)

"Like a happy drunk, it appears effortlessly entertaining. More importantly it sobers up nicely when something more than lairy laughs are required of it. As the characters get increasingly inebriated, Grabbers manages to up the terror while also upping the comedy. No film that’s this funny is ever going to scare the pants off the audience but it does manage making exciting look easy. Go see it inebriated and have a laugh along with the tanked up characters. You might not wet yourself with fear but if you get pissed enough before hand, you’ll probably piss yourself laughing."

9. Star Trek Into Darkness

"The action and special effects are spectacular but never overwhelm in the same way as some of the more CG assisted scenes in other summer blockbusters (namely Man of Steel). All in all Abrams has nailed the reinvention and whether he chooses to return for a third Star Trek film or not, he has set the franchise up beautifully for further adventures. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that he can he can do the same for the galaxy far far away... "

8. You're Next

"Aussie stunner Sharni Vinson is the biggest reason to watch You're Next and her character Erin is quick to fight back when the masked men come a-knocking. She is endlessly resourceful, smart, strong and sexy and you will root for her right to the vicious end. As the body count surges and spikes, Vinson's Erin is forced into action; not just action but brilliantly brutal violence. The other victims might be infrequently sympathetic but screaming and shouting at each other does provide some darkly comic moments."

7. Iron Man 3 (Reviewed at Filmoria)

"Tony Stark might be battling demons, making Iron Man 3 slightly darker, but the trademark wit is still present and Robert Downey Jr. gives another performance that effortlessly demonstrates why Iron Man has become the leader of not only the Avengers but also Marvel's Phase 2 and also a bold and brilliant start to summer blockbuster season."

6. Gravity

Technically astounding, utterly gripping, but a little lazy in the story department.

5. Cloud Atlas

"Cloud Atlas is incredibly ambitious, an impossible adaptation that manages to capture the essence of the book and improve it with a streamlined and smart narrative structure. The directors have created breathtaking, visually astounding different worlds, taken a potentially pretentious idea and visualised it on a grand scale, both entertaining and intellectually stimulating."

4. The World's End (Reviewed at Filmoria)

"Instantly quotable and with some of the best profanity ever written, The World’s End is a great way to spend your last night on Earth."

3. Evil Dead (Reviewed at Filmoria)

"Relentlessly gory, with some of the most inventive and disgusting scenes of self-mutilation ever seen on screen; this is Evil Dead for the torture porn generation but far more fun than that sounds. Never quite as scary as the original, it makes up for this with shocking amounts of splatter-tastic violence."

2. Life of Pi (Reviewed at Static Mass Emporium)

"Life Of Pi has taken eleven years to get from page to screen but is absolutely worth the wait. Ang Lee has created an unbelievably cinematic treatment of the novel. Though the film itself takes its time getting to the heart of the story, the cinematography is spellbinding, the score is stirring and newcomer Suraj Sharma gives a heartfelt and compelling performance as hero Pi. Just don’t expect it to turn atheists into believers."

1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Reviewed at Starburst Magazine)

"The romance is starved of oxygen by the grim mood of the first half but finally sparks begin to fly until it positively crackles by the end. Building to an electrifying climax, this is one of the best science fiction sequels since The Empire Strikes Back."

What were your favourites of the past year? 

By the way, the worst of the year booby prize goes to Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem which I was overly generous to when I gave it 2 and half stars at Filmoria.

August 2013 Movie Reviews and Round Up

I'm going to come right out and say this. My August has been pretty lousy for movie watching. I was in Thailand for the first couple of weeks but as there were monsoon rains battering my cabin in the woods (rainforest) one evening, I sat in and watched Green Lantern as it was playing and I was sick of watching Al Jazeera. Then I watched five films on the plane ride home (but I'd already seen most of the decent films on offer) and then I've been rushing to catch up with new releases ever since. My biggest regret is that I think at this rate I might have missed Pacific Rim on the big screen. Must try and catch Elysium instead to make up for it.

Anyway here's what I watched this month:

Green Lantern: Not sure why everyone hated this so much. I had incredibly low expectations which must have helped but Ryan Reynolds is likeable, the constant CGI didn't completely alienate me and Peter Sarsgaard is perfect for playing baddies. Then again I've never read the comics so have no idea if this adaptation is a disgrace to the fans.

Admission: First film I watched on the plane home. Paul Rudd and Tina Fey in a strange but mildly entertaining dramedy. Strange tone and mixed messages but quite memorable characters and occasionally amusing script.

Identity Thief: Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman star in a suprisingly sweet road trip comedy that was not the complete car crash I expected. McCarthy struggles with such an unlikeable character and Bateman plays the same old schtick but it had some amusing moments.

The Croods: Family animation that angered me at first but vaguely charmed me by the end. Ryan Reynolds again too.

Broadcast News: Classic satire and irritating love triangle from James L. Brooks. Great performances from Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks and enthralling look behind the scenes of the news room. Also the last film I watched on the plane home from Thailand.

2 Guns: "For an action comedy, 2 Guns delivers plenty of shoot outs and a healthy dose of exploding stuff but the script is weaker when it comes to the comedy. Without the charisma of Washington and Wahlberg, it is easy to assume this might have gone straight to DVD. It's quite fun while it lasts but you certainly don't want to spend any time afterwards pondering the plot. 2 Guns is neither Washington nor Wahlberg's best but it's still worth a shot, just probably not 2"

Lovelace: "fails to fully penetrate the dark heart of the story despite some hard core performances from an excellent cast. It is however an eye opening look at an industry that I suspect is only getting more vicious and more worrying as time goes on."

Headhunters: Finally got round to seeing this bonkers Jo Nesbo adaptation. Not sure if I was feeling overly sensitive for some reason but I found this incredibly violent. Obviously that means I quite enjoyed it. Fast paced thriller with some crazy moments of pitch black humour.

We're The Millers: "may not break boundaries in its border crossing but it is a road trip fueled by excellent comedic performances and a few side splitting scenes; a comedy about a family that is definitely not suitable for the whole family"

You're Next: "The comparisons to Scream and the touting of You're Next as the future of horror are forced and not fair to Scream or this film. While it shows some great potential and has some beautifully scored moments, it will be even more interesting to see what director Adam Wingard has in store for us next"

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa: Mildly amusing throughout but like most British TV characters when they make it to the big screen, a little lost and stretched thin. Steve Coogan is game and the hostage crisis set up provides good laughs but loses its way towards the end.

Dark Tourist: Watched this at FrightFest 2013 but was too tired to stay awake and kept nodding off and then waking with a jump moments later. Not sure I missed much but I did get to interview the star and director before the film.

Rush: review coming soon at Static Mass Emporium.

The Lone Ranger: "According to Box Office Mojo, The Lone Ranger may have only just managed to scrape back it's over $200 million budget with a particularly poor domestic take. It looks likely that instead of becoming a Pirates size franchise, this might be the Standalone Ranger after all"

Apart from film watching, I've also been writing at Yahoo Movies and Filmoria, continuing to read the second Game of Thrones novel, A Clash of Kings and keeping up to date with Breaking Bad series 5. I've also just started watching Dexter series 7 so I'm only about a series behind on that one!

Best film of the month: Rush

Worst film of the month: Dark Tourist

Most popular phrase of the month judging by my mini-reviews above: Mildly amusing

How was your August? What did you see? What did you like? What did you hate?

You're Next Review

You know what you're getting into with a title like You're Next. Simplistic slasher thrills as a killer tears through a collection of nubile teens? Blood, guts, knives and other sharp implements and probably a showdown between a buxom blonde and the masked killer. You're Next offers a home invasion at a wealthy family's retreat as the siblings gather around the aging parents for a wedding anniversary celebration. Crossbow wielding psychos in animal masks show up and the bloody writing is soon all over the walls as the family members start getting picked off one by one.

You're Next is indebted to the slashers of the 80s it frequently alludes to. The music, the slow build stalking sequences and the bloody kills are all present and correct but things are slightly out of sync with this slasher. The victims are a family, not the half naked teens of some summer camp. The kills stack up quickly and the final girl doesn't start out meek and learn to man up slowly as people die around her.

In fact Aussie stunner Sharni Vinson is the biggest reason to watch You're Next and her character Erin is quick to fight back when the masked men come a-knocking. She is endlessly resourceful, smart, strong and sexy and you will root for her right to the vicious end. As the body count surges and spikes, Vinson's Erin is forced into action; not just action but brilliantly brutal violence. The other victims might be infrequently sympathetic but screaming and shouting at each other does provide some darkly comic moments.

There are plenty of suspenseful build ups, some shocking scares and a twist or two in the tale to watch out for but You're Next never quite fully delivers on the terror of the set up or the promise of the premise. The use of music is often inventive and occasionally bold and makes some sequences stand out from the rest. The problem is you can never quite forget that wonderful trailer for the film that promised so much and was scored to Lou Reed's Perfect Day (see below if you haven't seen it).

The mystery behind who is attacking the family becomes clearer mid way through the film and from there the suspense drops noticeably but there are still some thrills to be had as You're Next delivers it's next surprises. The comparisons to Scream and the touting of You're Next as the future of horror are forced and not fair to Scream or this film. While it shows some great potential and has some beautifully scored moments, it will be even more interesting to see what director Adam Wingard has in store for us next.

Watch the trailer here:

Recent reviews at I Love That Film: 

We're the Millers Review

Lovelace Review

2 Guns Review

Monsters University Review

Man of Steel Review

This is the End Review 

Fast and Furious 6 Review

Iron Man 3 Review

Olympus Has Fallen Review

Ethan Hawke in The Purge and Before Midnight

Ethan Hawke is all sorts of awesome and over the next month(ish) there are two films to look forward to featuring the star; The Purge and Before Midnight. The Purge trailer really surprised me a while back. Usually I'm pretty good at guessing the film from the first few frames or at least the first few seconds of a trailer but when I saw this, I had no idea what it was.

I hadn't actually heard anything about The Purge until I saw the trailer. The opening laid out the premise that sounded completely implausible and ridiculous. Then once it got into the action, I was hooked. For some reason it reminds me of a 90s film I used to LOOOOOOOOOVE as a kid called Judgment Night with Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr and Denis Leary. That was about a group of guys stuck in a ghetto with a madman on their tale chasing them down because they wtinessed a murder. Perhaps it is the dark tone, lighting and all set over one night thing that reminded me of The Purge.

The Purge is set in an America where the government have decided to let everyone have one night off from being law abiding citizens. The night is called the purge and is a way for society to let off steam and apparently has been very effective in reducing crime the rest of the time. Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey play a couple who lock all the doors and bar all the windows to their big, nice house and wait for the purge to pass. Then one of their kids lets a terrified stranger into the house and a group of masked psychos come a-knocking to get their prey back out.

No matter how ridiculous that premise sounds, I can't wait to see this film! Crime without consequences and people having to protect themselves from all kinds of degenerates without the help of the emergency services. Get me a ticket! It also reminds me of the upcoming You're Next which also has masked psychos causing madness after a home invasion.

Here's the trailer for The Purge:



Then if that isn't enough Ethan Hawke for you or The Purge just doesn't sound like your kind of thing, Before Midnight is finally out later in June. (Holy crap it's nearly June already?!) This could be the final part in what has been a beautiful trilogy about falling in love, rekindling an old flame and now marriage. Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have crafted beautifully written characters and revisiting Jesse and Celine is a constant pleasure. Set on a beautiful Greek island seeing the couple finally settled down with kids, I'm really hoping this is going to be a somewhat happy ending for the pair but who knows?

Here is the trailer:



Which bit of Ethan Hawke are you most looking forward to? Anyone seen either of these yet?

Check out more trailers on I Love That Film here.

You're Next Trailer Offers a Perfect Day

The trailer for upcoming horror You're Next features the second best use of Lou Reed's Perfect Day I've ever enjoyed. The use of the song is arguably more appropriate in Trainspotting, particularly as the scene it is used in when Renton overdoses on heroin actually takes place during the day. However it seems to complement this thrilling new trailer with the same kind of irony that Lou Reed hopefully intended of the lyrics that many suggest were about his own addiction.

So the perfect day featured in the You're Next trailer looks like a family reunion rudely interrupted by animal mask wearing hunter types, intent on killing their prey. Crossbows, axes, knives and all manner of weaponry look to be doled out in an excruciating horror that may not look overly original but still seems to have plenty of gore and thrills to offer. Check out the trailer below:



It reminds me of Switchblade Romance (aka High Tension), the French film that is possibly the last film to have genuinely scared me. That opened with a family under attack from a ruthless killer in a rural, isolated setting. The animal masks also remind me of the recent episode of Black Mirror called White Bear that is one of my favourite bits of TV ever. Whether You're Next can live up to the expectations created by these comparisons will remain to be seen. It isn't out until August in the UK, despite being screened at the Toronto Film Festival in 2011. All signs look good with many critics describing it as a superior home invasion horror.

Just for fun, I though I'd post this snippet of Trainspotting that featured Lou Reed's Perfect Day accompanying Renton's descent into over dose. It's also a nice timely reminder that plans are afoot for the follw-up to Trainspotting, based on Irvine Welsh's book Porno. Let's hope Danny Boyle and the team can bottle lightning once again.