Psychological – cinemescope

100 Word Review – Saw (2004)

April 11, 2016April 8, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Horror, ThrillerTagged Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, dark, gore, Horror, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Psychological, Thriller, violence9 Comments

Although Cary Elwes will always be Westley, this has to be counted among his best performances. Ignore the rest of the franchise and consider this as a stand alone work of art and horror.

Two men (Elwes and Leigh Whannell) wake up in a dingy bathroom to find they are chained to the wall as part of a sick game set up by a notorious serial killer, with only a saw to help them escape.

It’s emotional, visceral and twisted, with enough plot to keep you on your toes throughout. This isn’t a slasher; it’s a psychological thriller with gore.

100 Word Review – Shutter Island (2010)

June 26, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, ThrillerTagged 1950s, adaptation, Ben Kingsley, crime, Dennis Lehane, Drama, Emily Mortimer, Goodfellas, IMDb, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Martin Scorsese, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Psychological, The Departed, Thriller1 Comment

Another wonderful example of Martin Scorsese’s (The Departed, Goodfellas) attention to detail.

Set in 1954, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is partnered up with Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) and sent to Shutter Island, a hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate a patient’s escape.

Based on a novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), this crime thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson all co-star, each contributing brilliantly to the sense of dread and suspense present throughout. It currently sits at 194 in IMDb’s Top 250 list.

100 Word Review – Memento (2000)

June 24, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged adaptation, Carrie-Anne Moss, Christopher Nolan, Drama, IMDb, Joe Pantoliano, murder, Psychological, Thriller, violence1 Comment

Based on a short story by his brother Jonathan, this is the earliest Christopher Nolan film to make it on to the IMDb Top 250 list. It currently places at number 45.

Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a man with short term memory loss on the hunt for his wife’s murderer. To cope with his disability he creates a strange system to help him remember and piece the clues together.

Full of violence, heartache and confusion, the story is told through two timelines running in opposite directions making this is more of a brain teaser than Inception could ever dream to be.

100 Word Review – Fight Club (1999)

June 3, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, ThrillerTagged Action, Brad Pitt, Chuck Palahniuk, Comedy, David Fincher, Edward Norton, Fight Club, Helena Bonham Carter, IMDb, Jared Leto, Meat Loaf, Psychological, ThrillerLeave a comment

Knowing that I am breaking the first rule of Fight Club just writing this, proves what a great film this is.

Edward Norton plays an insomniac office worker whose life is disrupted when he meets the formidable, effortlessly cool Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).

Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf and Jared Leto make up part of the amazing supporting cast to this classic psychological thriller.

Based on the best selling novel by Chuck Palahniuk (Choke, Snuff), directed by the indisputably brilliant David Fincher (Se7en, Gone Girl); it combines paranoia, dark humour and violence and currently proudly sits at #10 of IMDb’s Top 250.