Review Roundup - Deep Red

CRIMSON PEAK (2015)

Guillermo del Toro returns to his roots in a fashion, with a ghost story which is pretty far from the overblown schlock of Pacific Rim and Hellboy. Despite those features being intricately made and moderately entertaining, his body of work has always been stronger when it's without the action blockbuster mentality of his English language films. So with it was with a little trepidation I ventured into the grounds of Allerdale Hall, a none-more sinister household built with some rather unwelcoming architecture. The structure stands on a clay mine but this is like no terracotta I've ever seen, a seeping blood-red coloured earth which invades the building's plumbing and sometimes drips from the walls.

Review Roundup - Oh James

SPECTRE (2015)

When Casino Royale hit the screens everything seemed to be back on track. For a series that becomes more dated as time passes, it delivered. Stunts, music, drama, character development - everything was of a much higher standard than what could have been expected after the nose dive with Die Another Day. But since the subsequent films have felt like a waste of time, in spite of Skyfall improving things after the misguided Bourne wannabe Quantum of Solace. With Sam Mendes staying on to direct I wasn't too concerned, after all he'd brought some elements that had worked. But it seems as though the critical success and the fact he's such a fan have resulted in one of the weakest 007 adventures in some time. Did a lack of pressure allow things to get out of hand? The reality is probably more complicated, in a film which is mired in it's own self aware nature, tangled in a poorly thought out script full of tone deaf social commentary and awkward plot twists.

Review Roundup - Life on Mars

THE MARTIAN (2015) 

Ridley Scott isn't exactly a director I associate with humour. The most memorable moments of levity in his past work is probably courtesy of Oliver Reed in Gladiator, who played a character with a certain kind of charisma and got all the driest dialogue bites. Many of Scott's films have a cold and distant feeling where characters lack humanity, and it's not just those with androids in the cast. So it's an interesting change of pace when this story about a mission to Mars gone wrong as plenty of humour. It's full of sarcasm and is sprinkled with little moments that allow for a joke or a pithy remark. Its also got a licensed soundtrack coupled with the work of Harry-Gregson Williams that means ABBA and other 70s tunes are used, which adds to this atmosphere. But this is a story about facing possible death alone on a desolate planet, stranded with a small chance of survival. Like the makeshift equipment employed by Matt Damon's astronaut, there are a few structural weaknesses to be found.

Scorecard

JANUARY

FILM OF THE MONTH: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya ☆☆☆☆
Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind ☆☆☆☆
El Cid ☆☆☆☆
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade ☆☆☆☆
Theatre of Blood ☆☆☆☆
Zatoichi ☆☆☆☆
The Empire Strikes Back ☆☆☆☆
Misery ☆☆☆☆