The Orphanage (2008 /
An engrossing supernatural tale which uses traditional horror techniques without ever seeming cliched. The spine-tingling atmosphere conjured by Bayona / Del Toro is beyond that of their contemporaries making this a modern classic of the genre.
Blades of Glory (2007 / USA)
This starts off as predictable as any of the other plethora of films churned out of the Stiller/Ferrell/Wilson stable with their “one note” approach to comedy (this instance being that ice-skating is “gay”). The final 30mins or so, however, contain some genuinely hilarious scenes and some incredibly silly laughs.
Diary of the Dead (2008 /
Not a continuation of Romero’s “Dead” lineage but more of a reflection upon them from a different angle. The handheld/amateur movie route doesn’t work as well as the similar Cloverfield and becomes a pointless gimmick before long. The scaled-down action strangely doesn’t generate the claustrophobic atmosphere you’d expect from Romero. Some excellent (and of course gory) special effects don’t rescue this from being a disappointment from the zombie-maestro.
Black Hawk Down (2001 / USA)
There’s a bearable limit to chaos and after an hour and a half of it, regardless of how realistic a portrayal it is, you begin to yearn for something to hold your imagination. Fortunately the final hour provides some more tangible scenes and action but if you’re looking for something more going on beyond the gunfights of the frontline you’ll be disappointed.
2 comments:
Re Black Hawk down, there was nothing in it for the girls. Just one big long action scene (emphasis on the long!) that all seemed a little pointless and avoidable.
Not a great film.
El orfanato deserves even more credit than you've given it I think.
It's much more than just a good example of its genre. The supernatural is just one element of the film. What I found even more engrossing, if thats the right word, was the plight of the desperate mother unable and unwilling to give up on her son. I think that the actress who plays the mother does this so well and that this overshadows the part that the supernatural plays in the film.
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