Category: Thriller

28Jun

[FILM REVIEW] A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND Review (2019)

Posted in Crime, Film, Film Genre, Home Page, Thriller | Leave a comment

 

Summary: A young woman’s life is thrown into turmoil when he husband is murdered and the Police tell her that he lived a secret life as a drug dealer. While her son hasn’t spoken since witnessing the murder the mother decides that enough is enough and she wants answers and revenge.

Year: 2019

Australian Cinema Release Date: NA

Thailand Cinema Release Date: NA

Australian DVD Release Date: 13th June 2020

Country: UK, Belgium

Director: Abner Pastoll

Screenwriter: Ronan Blaney

Cast: Susan Ateh (Emily Scott), Shireen Azarmi (Sergeant Jones), Sarah Bolger (Sarah), Josh Bolt (Donal), Jane Brennan (Alice), Caolan Byrne (Terry), Diego Calderon (Drunk Ray), Rafaela Dias (Dr. Reid), Rudy Doherty (Ben), Jo Donnelly (Betty), Edward Hogg (Leo Miller), Siobhan Kelly (Dr. Rosa Brady), Packy Lee (Mackers), Mary Lindsay (Mandy), James McCaffery (Conor), Macie McCauley (Lucy), Daryl McCormack (PC Reeves), Nigel O’Neill (PC Huxley), Andrew Simpson (Tito), Sean Sloan (Jimmy)

Running Time: 97 mins

Classification: MA15+ (Australia)

 

 

OUR A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND REVIEWS & RATINGS:

 

Dave Griffiths’ A Good Woman Is Hard To Find Review:

Female led revenge films are nothing new. In fact you could say that several have surfaced every year since director Meir Zarchi delivered the controversial I Spit On Your Grave back in 1978. Yes a lot do exist, but I think I have lost count how many times they have left me leaving the cinema thinking “well I’ve seen that plot a few dozen times now.”

The key to making a film in this genre work is that the filmmaker must be creative enough to come up with something out of the box and never seenbefore. That is certainly the case with under-rated Irish film A Good Woman Is Hard To Find, a film that seemed to be swept under the carpet as all the attention on the genre over the last twelve months have focussed on the epic bomb Peppermint and the brilliant, award-winning The Nightingale.

When it comes to creativity A Good Woman Is Hard To Find is certainly on par with The Nightingale. Directed by Abner Pastoll (Road Games) the film’s revenge seeker is Sarah (Sarah Bolger – The Spiderwick Chronicles), a young widow who wants answers around the murder of her husband.

Her husband was murdered in a park not far from their home and in front of their son who now has not spoken a word since the incident. Much to Sarah’s anger the Police do not want to know about the case and instead insist on telling her that her husband was most likely living a secret life as a drug dealer – a risky move when you live on the patch run by the notorious and unforgiving drug baron Leo Miller (Edward Hogg – Jupiter Ascending).

Adding to Sarah’s woes is the fact that she is now living in fear of opportunistic thief Tito (Andrew Simpson – Notes On A Scandal) who has managed to steal some of Miller’s stash and now keeps it at Sarah’s home. With her family already suffering she now must deal with the constant threats of violence that Tito delivers in order to keep her silence.

What I thought separated this film from the many others in the genre is the great handle that Pastoll has on Oscar nominated Ronan Blaney’s (Don’t Go) screenplay. Blaney has delivered a gem of a script that brings in suspense by the bucket-load and then to top that off Pastoll then brings in his own style of gangster driven film noir that more than kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the film.

I should warn potential viewers of the film though that Pastoll also doesn’t hold back when it comes to the violence on the screen. To his credit though I didn’t think he was violent just to be violent instead I believe that the graphic violence that the director brings to the screen is there to show the brutal situation and events that Sarah has found herself in. In the wrong hands this could have become a virtual schlock thriller but in the hands of Pastoll it becomes a well thought out suspense thriller that comes to an epic conclusion with a blood-soaked finale.

Credit also needs to go to the film’ leading lady – Sarah Bolger. I believe she is nothing short of sensational in this film. A lesser actress may have felt the need to rest her laurels on the action and suspense of the film but here Bolger surprised me by delivering moments of intense drama and she portrays Sarah in such a way that I could not help but feel sorry for her.

I found that there was nothing disappointing about A Good Woman Is Hard To Find and I am glad that it has now landed on DVD and VOD as it made my Top 20 Films Of 2019 list after I was lucky enough to catch it on the festival circuit.

 

 

 

 

Average Subculture Rating:

 

 

IMDB Rating: A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019) on IMDb

 

Other Subculture Entertainment A Good Woman Is Hard To Find Reviews:

Nil

 

Trailer:

28Jun

[FILM REVIEW] ESCAPE AND EVASION Review (2019)

Posted in Drama, Film, Film Genre, Home Page, Thriller, War | Leave a comment

Summary: A detemined journalist hunts down the solider that was in charge of her brother’s unit when he disappeared. She is shocked to find though that the incident has left the solider facing demons of his own.

Year: 2019

Australian Cinema Release Date: NA

Thailand Cinema Release Date: NA

Australian DVD Release Date: 10th June 2020

Country: Australia, United Arab Emirates

Director: Storm Ashwood

Screenwriter: Storm Ashwood

Cast: Gus Bohn (Billy), Warwick Comber (Father Batty), Firass Dirani (Welshy), Jai Godbold (Tan), Sonny Le (Thong), Steve Le Marquand (Carl Boddi), Jett Lowen (Bo), Josh McConville (Seth), Lydia Mocerino (Imogen), Rena Owen (Michelle Pennyshaw), Natalie Rees (Sarah), Jessi Robertson (Lizzy), Hugh Sheridan (Josh), Bonnie Sveen (Rebecca), Juwan Sykes (Stretch), Oliver Wenn (Phil)

Running Time: 92 mins

Classification: MA15+ (Australia) TV-14 (USA)

 

 

OUR ESCAPE AND EVASION REVIEWS & RATINGS:

 

Dave Griffiths’ Escape And Evasion Review:

Often in cinema we see war glorified. The action star seemingly singlehandedly taking on a whole Army and coming out on top. Occasionally we do get to see the thought-provoking war film – films like Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge that such us the horrors of the battle field and have us questioning whether or not war is the necessity that we are led to believe it is.

What we rarely get to see though is the aftermath of war. What happens when the solider has left the battlefield and is now back at home trying to live an everyday life? Or what happens when somebody doesn’t return from war, is there family left wondering how they died? Was it quick, was it slow?

Those are the themes that Australian filmmaker Storm Ashwood (School) chooses to focus on in his latest film Escape And Evasion and the result is a sensational film made even better by the performance of a leading man that deserves to pick up an award or two for his portrayal of a returned soldier at breaking point.

The plot is driven by Rebecca (Bonnie Sveen – Home And Away) a determined journalist who is trying to find out what happened to her solider brother who never returned from active service in Burma. To her frustration she finds that there is no record of what happened or even what Australian soldiers were doing there.

She finally hunts down the man that was in charge of her brother’s unit – Seth (Josh McConville – Fantasy Island) – a soldier who is so haunted by his experience that he has turned to alcohol to try and cover the pain. That has left him with a torn apart family but helps him deal with the secrets that his superior, Michelle Pennyshaw (Rena Owen – Once Were Warriors), asks him to keep.

As a film Escape And Evasion never gives its audience a chance to take a break. Whether it be tense dialogue-driven scenes between Seth and Michelle or Seth and Rebecca or combat sequences Atwood floods the film with tension. Instead of making the film an uncomfortable watch this instead just adds to the experience. You literally feel the tension building inside as you become desperate to know what happened to Rebecca’s brother and what the hell occurred that has left Seth the broken man that he is now.

Ashwood may well be one of the directional finds of 2020. His debut feature film – School – did show us that there was a gifted director just waiting to break out. While some were sceptical of the film it did show an artistic side and was brave enough to be different than other films in its genre. With Escape And Evasion Ashwood loses the artistic or experimental side but again goes about things differently as he mixes tense dramatic scenes between characters with emotional charged war and torture scenes. The result is a well-rounded film that leaves the audience not asking any questions at all.

Even with all the brilliance that the director shows with this film it would have fallen in a heap if he did not have the right leading man to bring the story to the screen. Luckily Ashwood found the exact right person to have play Seth in the form of under-rated Australian actor Josh McConville. With known actors like Hugh Sheridan (Packed To The Rafters) and Steve La Marquand (Last Train To Freo) also attached to the project you could easily understand if Ashwood had given one of them the leading role. Instead though he takes a chance on McConville who repays him with one of the best performances you are likely to see on screen in 2020.

Escape And Evasion is one of the cinematic shining lights of this year. An intense and dramatic film – it is one of those movies you will find wanting to watch two or three times to really embrace it. One thing the film will leave you with though is the knowledge that Josh McConville and Storm Ashwood need to be noticed by Hollywood.

 

 

 

 

Average Subculture Rating:

 

 

IMDB Rating:  Escape and Evasion (2019) on IMDb

 

Other Subculture Entertainment Escape And Evasion Reviews:

Nil

 

Trailer:

25Jun

[VOD NEWS] WHAT GOES AROUND Gets Global Release

Posted in Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, Horror, News, Thriller | Leave a comment

 

Bounty Films is excited to announce the global video-on-demand release of the teen-slasher What Goes Around. It’s now available globally now via Prime Video, Genflix and Vimeo on Demand.

The film centers around Erin, a timid college student with often crippling anxiety, has spent the past semester fawning after the mysterious and quietly charismatic Alex. However, when she accidentally stumbles upon a video of him seemingly committing a murder, she isn’t sure whether to be terrified or intrigued, especially when a group of bullies from her past begin meeting grisly fates.

‘Growing up, the highlight of each week was by far my Saturday morning trip to Blockbuster. Whether it was the attractive teen idols plastered on the covers, or just a craving for something a little bit darker before I ventured into fully-fledged horror, teen thrillers like Fear, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Faculty and Swimfan always seemed to call my name. I used to DEVOUR these titles weekend after weekend and, on an equally endless rotation, would fantasise about making one of my own.

What Goes Around is my answer to those childhood fantasies and a love letter to how those movies (the equivalent of best friends at the time) made me feel. Although the days of the video store are long dead, I hope that my film is found by a group of young souls craving a light scare or cheesy thrill, and can be their own gateway into horror. ‘

– Writer/Directer Sam Hamilton

 

Stream Now:

Prime Video: https://bit.ly/goes2amazon

Vimeo on Demand: https://bit.ly/goestovimeo

Genflix: https://bit.ly/goes2genflix

25Jun

[FILM NEWS] UNHINGED To Get Cinema Release

Posted in Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, News, Thriller | Leave a comment

Academy Award© winner, Russell Crowe, stars in UNHINGED, a timely psychological thriller that explores the fragile balance of a society pushed to the edge, taking something we’ve all experienced – road rage – to an unpredictable and terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late to work when she has an altercation at a traffic light with a stranger (Crowe) whose life has left him feeling powerless and invisible. Soon, Rachel finds herself, and everyone she loves, the target of a man who decides to make one last mark upon the world by teaching her a series of deadly lessons. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse that proves you never know just how close you are to someone who is about to become unhinged.

Unhinged will be released in Australian cinemas on July 16th.

19Jun

[FILM NEWS] 10th Anniversary Edition Of INCEPTION To Screen

Posted in Action, Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, News, Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Thriller | Leave a comment

Warner Bros. Pictures and Roadshow Films are partnering with exhibitors to invite audiences to celebrate the 10thAnniversary re-release of Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed box office sensation INCEPTION on July 16. This special anniversary theatrical event will also give audiences a never-before-seen look at footage from Nolan’s highly anticipated film TENET, which will debut worldwide two weeks later, on July 30.

“As cinema lovers return to theatres across the country we are thrilled to be bringing TENET, Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, to the big screen,” Said Joel Pearlman, CEO Roadshow Films. “Fans of Nolan’s work know the scope and scale of his films are made for the theatrical environment and as we countdown to the opening of this latest global film event, we are excited to offer his classic INCEPTION in cinemas on its 10th anniversary, July 16th.”

John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi action spectacle “Tenet.” Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. Not time travel. Inversion. The film also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, with Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh.  Nolan wrote and directed the film and also produced with Emma Thomas.

“Inception,” a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets. He is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased as payment for the implantation of another person’s idea into a target’s subconscious. The ensemble cast includes Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine.

For further information on session times and participating cinemas, please visit your local cinema website for full details.

15Jun

[FILM REVIEW] MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN Review (2020)

Posted in Crime, Drama, Film, Film Genre, Home Page, Thriller | Leave a comment

 

Summary: With the backdrop of 1950s Brooklyn a young Private Investigator decides to try and solve the crime that led to his boss’s death.

Year: 2020

Australian Cinema Release Date: 27th February 2020

Thailand Cinema Release Date: TBA

Australian DVD Release Date: 30th May 2020

Country: United States

Director: Edward Norton

Screenwriter: Edward Norton, Jonathan Letham (novel)

Cast: Nelson Avidon (Jacob Gleason), Alec Baldwin (Moses Randolph), Bobby Canavale (Tony Vermonte), Willem Dafoe (Paul Randolph), Cherry Jones (Gabby Horowitz), Leslie Mann (Julia Minna), Gugu Mbartha-Raw (Laura Rose), Edward Norton (Lionel Essrog), Joyce O’Connor (Cindy Fleming), Josh Pais (William Lieberman), Dallas Roberts (Danny Fanti),  Fisher Stevens (Lou), Ethan Suplee (Gilbert Coney), DeShawn White (Betty), Bruce Willis (Frank Minna), Robert Wisdom (Billy Rose)

Running Time: 124 mins

Classification: M (Australia), TBC (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)

 

 

OUR MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN REVIEWS & RATINGS:

 

Dave Griffiths’ Motherless Brooklyn Review:

Over the years I have always found myself intrigued by those people in Hollywood whose careers seem to go through weird unexplained ups and downs. Two examples are Keanu Reeves and Ethan Hawke – both actors were at the top their game and then suddenly just seemed to have a string of straight-to-DVD movies, some of which were so good that you couldn’t help but wonder why they never received the cinema release they so deserved.

Another that should be on that list is Edward Norton as a filmmaker. Flashback twenty years ago and on the hunch of a friend I watched a movie with one of the weirdest synopsis of all time. The film was called Keeping The Faith and featured Ben Stiller as a Rabbi and Norton as a Priest, they then both fall in love with the same woman played by then television darling Jenna Elfman. It was an interesting enough film, but was also the only film that Norton had directed right up to this year. That is surprising when you consider that as a filmmaker his debut film was a success and that he has actuallu been linked to a number of other films over the years. Now twenty years later Norton helms Motherless Brooklyn, one of the most criminally under-rated films of 2020.

Based on a novel by Jonathan Lethem (which is now on my must read list) Motherless Brooklyn is set in 1950s New York and follows the story of a lonely Private Detective suffering from Tourettes named Lionel Essrog (Norton – Hulk). When his boss Frank Minna (Bruce Willis – Signs) is killed Lionel decides to take over his case and soon finds himself lost in a world of crime, underground jazz clubs and politics.

For me to give away too much of the plot of Motherless Brooklyn would be criminal. All I will say is that it is a film that contains all the elements that a great noir Detective story should have. Intrigue, suspense, a plot with twists and turns at every point and of course the Femme Fatale that you are never really sure can be trusted or not – here beautifully played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle).

What won me over with this film though is the brilliant plot and an amazing performance by Norton and the cast around him. I love a film that I can’t predict the twists and turns of and that is certainly the case here. As characters like Paul (Willem Dafoe – Spider-Man) and Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin – The Departed) come into Lionel’s world it is impossible to tell who is telling the truth and who is lying.

I’ll be honest there were times that Motherless Brooklyn had me on the edge of my seat. It felt like Norton may have grown up on the same dose of Humphrey Bogart movies I did as he is the kind of director that has learnt that you don’t a huge action sequence to raise suspense, he can skilfully achieve that same intensity from tipping the audience off to the fact that a character is being untruthful or is concealing a weapon. For me there were times when this was almost heart-in-mouth kind of stuff and that is one of the reasons why this film will stay with me for a long time.

I can only describe this film as the perfect noir thriller. I was stunned at Norton’s brilliant, but reined in performance in which he manages to juggle Tourettes’ ticks with strong suspenseful scenes alongside some of the Hollywood’s elite. Given that he juggles that with directional duties on a film that explores topics as diverse as interracial relationships during the 1950s and Government corruption and I can only concur that Norton is one of the best filmmakers Hollywood has right now.

Very few films have ever made me feel like I wanted to turn around and walk straight back into the cinema to watch it again – but that is exactly how Motherless Brooklyn made me feel. This is a beautiful suspense film that showcases some of Hollywood’s best acting talents while never losing its unique noir feeling.

 

 

 

Average Subculture Rating:

 

 

IMDB Rating:  Motherless Brooklyn (2019) on IMDb

 

Other Subculture Entertainment Motherless Brooklyn Reviews: N/A

Trailer:

10Jun

[FILM NEWS] THE DINNER PARTY Released On VOD

Posted in Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, Horror, News, Thriller | Leave a comment

 

Bill Sage (American Psycho, “Power”) and Jeremy London (Mallrats, The Devil’s Dozen) star in writer-director Miles Doleac’s The Dinner Party, now available on DVD and Digital from Uncork’d Entertainment.

Renowned surgeon and culinary enthusiast, Carmine Braun, invites playwright, Jeffrey Duncan, and his wife to join his eccentric friends at their semi-annual dinner party, having promised to fund Duncan’s new play to Broadway. As the evening descends into madness, the group’s true intentions are revealed, along with an ancient secret that will change the Duncans’ lives and fortunes forever.

Lindsay Anne Williams, Mike Mayhall, Alli Hart, Ritchie Montgomery and Miles Doleac also star.

The Dinner Party  is now available on DVD and Digital from Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Fandango Now, Xbox, Dish Network, Direct TV and through local cable providers.

24May

[FILM NEWS] ANTEBELLUM Trailer Released

Posted in Film, Film Genre, Film News, Home Page, Horror, News, Thriller | Leave a comment

Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late.

ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from the producer of the acclaimed films GET OUT and US, and groundbreaking directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz (Bush+Renz) – an exciting new voice in filmmaking.

ANTEBELLUM is directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz and stars Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Keirsey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe

ANTEBELLUM is in cinemas August 20, 2020.