Vertige - Trailer for terror in the mountains

A group of friends on vacation decide to venture onto a trail high up in the mountains that has been closed for repairs. The climb proves more perilous than planned, especially as they soon realize that they are not alone. The adventure turns into a nightmare.

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Inside Out - Trailer

An enigmatic psychiatrist moves into a suburban community. His secretive, suggestive behavior spins a web of psychological chaos around the neighborhood, pitting friend against friend and husband against wife. An angered patriarch takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of the doctor, though the answer may prove to only deepen the antagonism and suspicion overtaking the neighborhood.

Written and directed by David Ogden. Starring Eriq La Salle, Steven Weber, Kate Walsh

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The Shortcut - No Trespassing. Violators will be killed

A shortcut through the woods saved a lot of time getting to school, but no kids growing up in a suburban neighborhood dared to take it. The trail ran within sight of a scary house with an eerie old man who would accost its travelers with an ominous message to stay away. Town legend said he was involved in the disappearances of some kids long ago. Now that some of those same kids are in their late teens, they decide to find out the truth about the old man after they learn he’s still at his game

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Triangle - Trailer for psychological thriller

A promo trailer for Christopher Smith's psychological thriller Triangle which is in post-production.

From the Director of Creep and Severance, comes Triangle, a unique concept psychological thriller that turns the genre on its head. When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong. Her suspicions are realised when the yacht hits a storm and the group is forced to board a passing ocean liner to get to safety, a ship Jess is convinced she's been on before. The ship appears deserted, the clock on board has stopped, but they are not alone... Someone is intent on hunting them down, one by one. And Jess unknowingly holds the key to end the terror.

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The Killing Room - Poster for new thriller that features the words LSD, MKULTRA, CIA and Brainwashing. Could be a comedy!

The Killing Room is a psychological thriller about four people who sign up for a research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, classified government program and Firstshowing had the poster (via ShockTillYouDrop) and they also have a couple of photos from the film.

Clea DuVall, Timothy Hutton, Nick Cannon, and Shea Whigham star as the four individuals who join the program. They're also joined by Peter Stormare and Chloë Sevigny.

As a group, they are presented with a series of questions and a finite window of time by which each of them must submit a unique numerical answer. They soon come to realize that, in this lethal psychological game, the correct answer is not always the right one. Behind the scenes, the mysterious and brooding Dr. Phillips (Stormare) deviously pulls the strings as the most recent addition to his team, military psychologist Ms. Reilly (Sevigny), is emotionally torn by her first assignment.

The Killing Room is directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning)

Sounds like a good concept and the poster looks great. Sounds like the type of thing Chisholm, Howard Moon and The Russian would love.

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The Straw Men - Watch out, watch out the Straw Men are about

It looks like one of Michael Marshall (who is also Michael Marshall Smith, author of Only Forward, Spares, One of Us) is to have one of his books adapted for the big screen - Spares was optioned years ago, but was probably plundered for the not very good The Island.

Benderspink has acquired the rights to The Straw Men, Michael Marshall's first part of a trilogy concerning a secret organisation of serial killers. It's an excellent book and I recommend you pick it up.

“In Palmerston, Pennsylvania, two men in long coats walk calmly into a crowded fast food restaurant-then, slowly and methodically, gun down sixty-eight people. They take time to reload. On the Promenade of Santa Monica, California, a teenaged girl gives sightseeing tips to a distinguished English tourist. She won’t be going home tonight. In Dyersburg, Montana, a grief-stricken son tries to make sense of the accident that killed his parents-then finds a note stuffed in his father’s favorite chair. It says, “We’re not dead.” Three seemingly unrelated events, these are the first signs of an unimaginable network of fear that will lead one unlikely hero to a chilling confrontation with The Straw Men. No one knows who they are-or why they kill. But they must be stopped. Michael Marshall’s electrifying debut novel is an instant masterpiece of modern suspense. An epic thriller for anyone who has feared that someone is watching us.”

Are you a fan of Michael Marshall (Smith)? Do you feel The Straw Men would make a good film? Who should play the leads?
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The Broken - Trailer

On a busy street in London, Gina (Lena Headey) thinks she sees herself drive past in her own car. Stunned by this strange event, Gina follows the mystery woman up to her apartment. From here, events take an eerie turn for the worse until Gina's awareness slides from solid reality into a world that will haunt more than just her nightmares. Directed by Sean Ellis.

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The Forbidden Door (Pintu Terlarang) Trailer

Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Door) trailer

"A successful sculptor whose life run by domineering wife and mother discovers a secret organization in which members can watch the lives of most dysfunctional, depraved families in the town which are fed from hidden cameras. When he stumbles upon a channel showing a little boy who’s being viciously abused by his parents, he tries to find the kid to save him. But his quest leads him back to a secret door in his own house that could be the answer to many puzzles."
This is directed by Indonesian writer / directorJoko Anwar and looks dark and disturbing in a David Lynch kind of way.
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New Town Killers - Sounds a bit like Hard Target

I saw this on Quiet Earth. Sounds good. Trailer is below.

Two private bankers, Alistair and Jamie, who have the world at their feet get their kicks from playing a 12 hour game of hunt, hide and seek with people from the margins of society. Their next target is Sean Macdonald a parentless teenager who lives with his sister on a housing estate on the outskirts of Edinburgh. She's in debt, he's going nowhere fast. Sean agrees to play for cash. He soon realizes he's walked into twelve hours of hell where survival is the name of the game.

See what I mean about the Hard Target similarity? Directed by Richard Jobson, New Town Killers is currently in post-production due out next year. It stars Dougray Scott (Hitman), Alastair Mackenzie, and James Anthony Pearson (Control, Kidnapped). What do you think of that?

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Titan AE & North by Northwest Reviews

Here are a couple of reviews from Jinja "Should have got an Oscar just for his face" is a great line.


TITAN AE. I was flicking through my DVD collection last night and came across a film I originally saw in New York in 2000. Titan AE.

Yes, I know its a cartoon, and yes, I know it did terribly at the box office and pretty much destroyed Don Bluth's studio. But, it is great.

'A reluctant young hero holds the key to the future of mankind in the palm of his hand in the eye-popping sci-fi adventure.Its the year 3028 and the Drej, a vicious alien race, have destroyed Earth. Fifteen years later a young man named Caled (Matt Damon) learns he possesses a genetically encoded map to the Titan, a spaceship that holds the secret to the salvation of the human race. With the Drej in hot pursuit, Cale blasts off with the new crew of the Valkyrie in an attempt to find the Titan before the Drej destroy it...along with mankind's last chance of a home of their own.'

Fantastic computer generated 3D and standard hand drawn 2D animation merge to bring this story to life. Colours and visuals (especially the ice scene) that, watching upscaled, were outstanding (on blu-ray they must be amazing).

As it says on the cover of my copy from the U.S. "This is the movie 'Star Wars' fans Have been waiting for". I couldn't agree more.

I highly recommend getting hold of this and giving it a watch if you missed it first time round. 9/10



North by Northwest, 1959 - DVD Review

I've recently been getting into Hitchcock movies again - especially with seeing 'Dial M for Murder' on a re-release at the local 'picture house'.

But this weekend I treated myself to North by Northwest. I had never seen this one before (amazingly) and throughly enjoyed the full 2 hours and 16 minutes of it - that must have seemed like a lifetime at the cinema in 1959.

Tagline: A 3000 MILE CHASE . . . That blazes a trail of TERROR to a gripping, spine-chilling climax!

Basic plot: Advertising Exec from New York Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by spies who believe him to be a CIA agent known as George Kaplin. Escaping in one of the best drunk driving scenes I think has ever been put on film (Cary Grant should have got an Oscar just for his face!), Thornhill sets out to find the real Kaplin and clear himself of murder.

I always thought the crop-dusting scene was near the end of the movie - how wrong was I!? The movie went on - but not in a bad way, you wanted to find out what was going to happen around every corner.

Set in the late fifties it reminds you of how small the world used to be, and how romantic.

A great mystery thriller full of adventure, comedy and romance. Again, another high score from me, 8.5/10!

Rear Window, 1954. DVD Review

Director - Alfred Hitchcock
Producer - Alfred Hitchcock
Starring - James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr
Running Time - 112 minutes

Score - 10/10

Now I've only seen a handful of Hitchcock movies (North by Northwest, The Birds, Vertigo, Psycho, The 39 Steps, and Rebecca) so I wouldn't say I am an expert on them, but this is one of my all time favourite movies.

James Stewart star as L. B. Jeffries, a photo journalist who specializes in taking photos in dangerous places. His last one, at a race track, left him with a broken leg and confined to a cast and wheelchair for the past few weeks. As the movie begins we are told numerous things through the slow pan of the camera (not like in some modern movies where we are told basic information through a voice over or text scrawl) treating the audience intelligently and bringing us into the claustrophobic world of L. B. Jeffries and his apartment. To keep himself entertained while stuck in the wheelchair Jeffries watches his neighbours in the surrounding apartment blocks (The heat wave that has hit New York makes this all the easier as all the windows and shutters are open). There is Miss Torso, a dancer who practices in her underwear, Miss Lonely Heart who makes candle lit meals for her imaginary lover, and a pianist who is stuck on his latest composition (it is this last apartment where Hitchcock makes his cameo, a feature in all his movies, winding a clock) amongst others. Across the way lives a salesman (Raymond Burr) and his bed ridden, nagging wife.

Watching the comings and goings of his neighbours Jeffries drags his physiotherapist, Stella,(Thelma Ritter) and high society girlfriend, Lisa Carol Fremont, (Grace Kelly) into his voyeuristic world.

As the film progresses the odd behaviour of the salesman leads Jeffries and the others to the awful conclusion that he has murdered his wife. This leads to them investigating and getting awfully close to the possible murderer.

A fantastic movie with strong performances by all involved. James Stewart is especially amazing as he is in a wheelchair for most of the movie. The actors portraying his neighbours do an amazing job drawing you into their world and telling you everything you need to know about them in a few short scenes. The sparse soundtrack is also provided via the various radios around the apartments and the occasional interlude by the frustrated pianist.

Hitchcock's direction and use of the camera is great and ratchets up the suspense as only he can. The scene where Grace Kelly is looking through the salesman's apartment while James Stewart and Thelma Ritter look on in impotent horror as the salesman returns is particularly gripping. The huge set should also be mentioned for being a brilliant supporting actor to the unfolding drama.

It has also been retold and spoofed many times - a remake starring Christopher Reeve, Disturbia starring Shia Lebouf, The Simpsons etc

Everything about this movie works well and nothing is wasted, hence, the top score. Nothing more can really be said apart from watch this film. You won't be disappointed.