violence – 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 – Seven Psychopaths (2012)

February 10, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Abbie Cornish, Action, Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, Comedy, dark, Drama, Martin McDonagh, Michael Pitt, Sam Rockwell, Tom Waits, violence, Woody HarrelsonLeave a comment

If I tell you this was written and directed by Martin McDonagh of In Bruges fame, that may give you a little bit of an idea of what to expect.

Starting Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish and Michael Pitt, it sits somewhere between comedy and killing spree.

Set in the criminal underbelly of LA and following a struggling screenwriter (Farrell) in a search , it is as bat shit crazy as you could hope for. Expect violence and dark humour from the outset and it

The moral? Don’t mess with a man’s shih tzu.

100 Word Review – Starship Troopers (1997)

August 19, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Sci FiTagged adaptation, dystopian, Edward Neumeier, Neil Patrick Harris, Paul Verhoeven, Robert A Heinlein, satire, Sci Fi, violence, war1 Comment

This is glorious in both its satire and its exploding giant bug aliens.

Set in a militaristic dystopian future, Earth is at war with a race of bug aliens. A group of friends work their way through the ranks in the hopes of destroying the alien threat.

Adapted from Robert A Heinlein’s novel by Edward Neumeier (Robocop) and directed by Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Robocop), upon its initial release the satire was missed by many who criticised it as a glorification of war.

It achieves the perfect balance between violence and politics, showing one up by use of the other.

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 – Wild Tales (2014)

April 1, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Argentina, Comedy, dark, revenge, violenceLeave a comment

On cinematic release, here in the UK, this week, I first saw this Argentinian comedy at Bath Film Festival.

It is not for the faint-hearted.

Six separate stories, each following a very human story of frustration and revenge. From a psychotic pilot, to a bride discovering her husband’s infidelity. From parking ticket pay-backs to an extraordinary expression of road rage. This is humanity at it’s absolute worst and most violent. It is also hilarious.

I cannot stress this enough – it takes “dark comedy” to a whole new level. Be prepared for six beautiful, twisted modern fables for the modern age.