- Awards
- 9
I'm not much of a fan of Westerns, but I love THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, its hyper-kinetic style and how it condenses decades of Western conventions and cliches into a single narrative.
What was the last film you watched?
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
- Start date
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I'm not much of a fan of Westerns, but I love THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, its hyper-kinetic style and how it condenses decades of Western conventions and cliches into a single narrative.
- Awards
- 9
I'm glad I gave this a watch; I loved it. It's the kind of film that theoretically I enjoy but in actuality rarely do. There's a perilously thin line between Slow Build and Total Bore and similar movies usually lean more towards the later than the former. The films atmosphere is as thick as the fog surrounding the house. Nice bit of misdirection too. One of the film's twists was fairly obvious, but that provided distraction from the other twist which I didn't see coming.
- Awards
- 9
SILVER BULLET (1985)
I spent most of the time while I watched this movie trying to answer a simple question: how have I gone my entire life without ever having seen this? This seems like exactly the kind of movie I would have watched as a kid. I watched AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON all the time on cable and yet, watching SILVER BULLET tonight, I did not have even an inkling of familiarity.
The movie itself I thought was ghoulish and grisly fun, with some appropriately creepy scenes. It all fell apart at the climax though, thanks to a fully revealed werewolf that looked like someone wearing a $25 bear costume.
I spent most of the time while I watched this movie trying to answer a simple question: how have I gone my entire life without ever having seen this? This seems like exactly the kind of movie I would have watched as a kid. I watched AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON all the time on cable and yet, watching SILVER BULLET tonight, I did not have even an inkling of familiarity.
The movie itself I thought was ghoulish and grisly fun, with some appropriately creepy scenes. It all fell apart at the climax though, thanks to a fully revealed werewolf that looked like someone wearing a $25 bear costume.
- Awards
- 44
Horsemen (2009)
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This ended up in my watch list based on suggestions from other films I've recently watched or added. I'd never heard of it and knew nothing about it other than the write-up saying it was about serial killings based on the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.
I envisaged something akin to Seven, and I suppose there are some similarities, though it arguably evokes other procedural/race for time/gimmicky serial killer films even more strongly: think The Bone Collector, Copycat or even The Silence Of The Lambs (the latter part of this film even featured the protagonist making frequent visits to the cell of one sociopathic killer in a bid to find another, subjecting himself to degrading taunts and crumbs of false hope in the line of duty).
Horsemen may invite direct comparison with some of the films mentioned, but whether it deserves or is worthy of this is a matter of opinion. It's certainly not as stunningly perfect as Silence, for instance. But then few films of its kind are.
Because the genre was most dominant perhaps a decade or a decade-and-a-half before Horsemen was made I'd assumed as I watched it was filmed around the late Nineties. Like a number of the other films mentioned, there's a kind of timeless quality to it, with the drabs making it feel almost mid-century at times. Perhaps by 2009, this kind of film would be viewed as old hat. By this time, the genre had been done thoroughly and well to the point there were very few surprises left.
This film valiantly attempts to push the boundaries a little, and while most of the skin-stretching is very clearly prosthetic, some of the imagery successfully shocks at times: one rather sick out-of-the-blue reveal around 30 minutes in is pretty difficult to shake once seen. Past this point, though, most of the film's turns can be seen coming from a mile away, and the film's ending felt positively anti-climactic to this slightly jaded viewer.
The casting helped this film. Beyond Jaws 3-D and Innerspace, I can't think of any other Dennis Quaid films I've watched (though I dare say there are one or two others). He turned in a good performance here that's piqued my interest enough to want to check out more at some point.
Also in the film's favour is its brisk 90 minute running time, which felt just enough. Had it been as long as most of its stablemates, it would have stretched things a bit too thin, and I appreciate the powers that be having the class to recognise this.
This ended up in my watch list based on suggestions from other films I've recently watched or added. I'd never heard of it and knew nothing about it other than the write-up saying it was about serial killings based on the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.
I envisaged something akin to Seven, and I suppose there are some similarities, though it arguably evokes other procedural/race for time/gimmicky serial killer films even more strongly: think The Bone Collector, Copycat or even The Silence Of The Lambs (the latter part of this film even featured the protagonist making frequent visits to the cell of one sociopathic killer in a bid to find another, subjecting himself to degrading taunts and crumbs of false hope in the line of duty).
Horsemen may invite direct comparison with some of the films mentioned, but whether it deserves or is worthy of this is a matter of opinion. It's certainly not as stunningly perfect as Silence, for instance. But then few films of its kind are.
Because the genre was most dominant perhaps a decade or a decade-and-a-half before Horsemen was made I'd assumed as I watched it was filmed around the late Nineties. Like a number of the other films mentioned, there's a kind of timeless quality to it, with the drabs making it feel almost mid-century at times. Perhaps by 2009, this kind of film would be viewed as old hat. By this time, the genre had been done thoroughly and well to the point there were very few surprises left.
This film valiantly attempts to push the boundaries a little, and while most of the skin-stretching is very clearly prosthetic, some of the imagery successfully shocks at times: one rather sick out-of-the-blue reveal around 30 minutes in is pretty difficult to shake once seen. Past this point, though, most of the film's turns can be seen coming from a mile away, and the film's ending felt positively anti-climactic to this slightly jaded viewer.
The casting helped this film. Beyond Jaws 3-D and Innerspace, I can't think of any other Dennis Quaid films I've watched (though I dare say there are one or two others). He turned in a good performance here that's piqued my interest enough to want to check out more at some point.
Also in the film's favour is its brisk 90 minute running time, which felt just enough. Had it been as long as most of its stablemates, it would have stretched things a bit too thin, and I appreciate the powers that be having the class to recognise this.
- Awards
- 44
Hangman (2017)
Another variation on the "jaded cop races the clock to save the next victim(s) of a gimmicky, themed, clue-leaving serial killer" theme. Moving beyond Biblical revelations, copycat killings or whatever, this film expands the repertoire to parlour games*.
All the expected genre stuff is here: the grizzled cop haunted by the unsolved murder of his wife some time earlier (which, naturally, ties into the current case); the unconventional ex-cop lured out of retirement to solve one last case; the wide-eyed-but-tenacious younger woman who is naturally intuitive and who earns the respect of those around her; the peek into sub-cultures such as BDSM; the increasing spectacle of the deaths; the red herring leading to the wrong man; the inevitable final confrontation. Oh, and the twist. Don't forget the twist.
Al Pacino's performance is fascinating. At first he seemed disinterested to me, almost as though he's phoning in his performance, but then I realised that this was simply his character (not entirely dissimilar to that of Peter Falk in Columbo). His is certainly the most compelling character here, and the disinterested air works incredibly well to keep the film grounded. As an example, one scene has the young woman reporter, seated in the back of the car, responding to a casual check-in from Pacino's character with a lengthy monologue about some previous trauma she experienced while squeezing out some tears as the camera lingers on her in close up. While I get the sense the writer, director and/or actress are treating this as The Big Showstopping Moment for the actress and her character, in context it feels comically awkward because it comes out of nowhere and is shoehorned in (think Phoebe Cates's infamous "And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus" scene in Gremlins). What's more, her character then attempts to justify the self-indulgent moment with virtue signalling, wrapping up by emphasising that "this isn't about me" but about "you" (the cops). Pacino's character simply utters "OK" (in a sing-song tone that suggests he's glad that awkward moment is over) before turning the key to start the engine and driving off. It summed up exactly how I felt in that moment.
Beyond Pacino, I wasn't familiar with anyone else in the cast, which is usually a plus for me as I'm going in with no preconceptions or baggage. The actor playing the cop was fine. There was nothing really standout about his performance for me and that's fine. He just did everything he was required to do with minimum fuss. The young woman playing the reporter was less engaging for me. I wasn't expecting Jodie Foster, but for me she just didn't have the right presence for a primary player in a big role and failed to generate anything that created empathy with her character. This isn't entirely the actress's fault: the writing tries and fails to create interest with her evasive allusions to her history that ultimately end up feeling distracting and attention-seeking. All the same, I suspect a different actress might have swung the balance towards me actually caring whether or not the character is in a scene. And while I felt similarly ambivalent about the police captain, I do applaud the attempt to cast and play against type there.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the Hangman himself. Once onscreen he's all indulgent theatrical monologues, but with overly-mannered teen drama emoting in place of any real presence or gravitas. It was hugely anti-climactic (which is rather impressive considering my already-low expectations).
Perhaps the film's strengths can be best summed up by saying that I was engrossed enough whilst watching but this morning it feels like a dim and distant memory, getting slightly muddled with the film of the night before.
Whether any film is good or bad is entirely subjective, of course, but having looked at some reviews and stats this morning I found it far, far better than they suggest. Rotten Tomatoes isn't a site I take seriously, but a 4% rating from reviews is extreme by any standards. Such reviews, however, will attract extremes, and perhaps in Hollywood it's a greater sin to be middling than it is to be genuinely terrible. Besides, for those who need to read these things before watching, hopefully such statistics will give the audience more realistic expectations (beyond those who make up their minds to hate watch).
As mentioned, my expectations were low enough, and I'm sure this helped. For me, it was never (fortunately) about attaining a life change of "road to Damascus" proportions. I wanted entertainment and an October-appropriate** thriller and I got it. And there was plenty in this film to justify the time spent watching it.
Another variation on the "jaded cop races the clock to save the next victim(s) of a gimmicky, themed, clue-leaving serial killer" theme. Moving beyond Biblical revelations, copycat killings or whatever, this film expands the repertoire to parlour games*.
All the expected genre stuff is here: the grizzled cop haunted by the unsolved murder of his wife some time earlier (which, naturally, ties into the current case); the unconventional ex-cop lured out of retirement to solve one last case; the wide-eyed-but-tenacious younger woman who is naturally intuitive and who earns the respect of those around her; the peek into sub-cultures such as BDSM; the increasing spectacle of the deaths; the red herring leading to the wrong man; the inevitable final confrontation. Oh, and the twist. Don't forget the twist.
Al Pacino's performance is fascinating. At first he seemed disinterested to me, almost as though he's phoning in his performance, but then I realised that this was simply his character (not entirely dissimilar to that of Peter Falk in Columbo). His is certainly the most compelling character here, and the disinterested air works incredibly well to keep the film grounded. As an example, one scene has the young woman reporter, seated in the back of the car, responding to a casual check-in from Pacino's character with a lengthy monologue about some previous trauma she experienced while squeezing out some tears as the camera lingers on her in close up. While I get the sense the writer, director and/or actress are treating this as The Big Showstopping Moment for the actress and her character, in context it feels comically awkward because it comes out of nowhere and is shoehorned in (think Phoebe Cates's infamous "And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus" scene in Gremlins). What's more, her character then attempts to justify the self-indulgent moment with virtue signalling, wrapping up by emphasising that "this isn't about me" but about "you" (the cops). Pacino's character simply utters "OK" (in a sing-song tone that suggests he's glad that awkward moment is over) before turning the key to start the engine and driving off. It summed up exactly how I felt in that moment.
Beyond Pacino, I wasn't familiar with anyone else in the cast, which is usually a plus for me as I'm going in with no preconceptions or baggage. The actor playing the cop was fine. There was nothing really standout about his performance for me and that's fine. He just did everything he was required to do with minimum fuss. The young woman playing the reporter was less engaging for me. I wasn't expecting Jodie Foster, but for me she just didn't have the right presence for a primary player in a big role and failed to generate anything that created empathy with her character. This isn't entirely the actress's fault: the writing tries and fails to create interest with her evasive allusions to her history that ultimately end up feeling distracting and attention-seeking. All the same, I suspect a different actress might have swung the balance towards me actually caring whether or not the character is in a scene. And while I felt similarly ambivalent about the police captain, I do applaud the attempt to cast and play against type there.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the Hangman himself. Once onscreen he's all indulgent theatrical monologues, but with overly-mannered teen drama emoting in place of any real presence or gravitas. It was hugely anti-climactic (which is rather impressive considering my already-low expectations).
Perhaps the film's strengths can be best summed up by saying that I was engrossed enough whilst watching but this morning it feels like a dim and distant memory, getting slightly muddled with the film of the night before.
Whether any film is good or bad is entirely subjective, of course, but having looked at some reviews and stats this morning I found it far, far better than they suggest. Rotten Tomatoes isn't a site I take seriously, but a 4% rating from reviews is extreme by any standards. Such reviews, however, will attract extremes, and perhaps in Hollywood it's a greater sin to be middling than it is to be genuinely terrible. Besides, for those who need to read these things before watching, hopefully such statistics will give the audience more realistic expectations (beyond those who make up their minds to hate watch).
As mentioned, my expectations were low enough, and I'm sure this helped. For me, it was never (fortunately) about attaining a life change of "road to Damascus" proportions. I wanted entertainment and an October-appropriate** thriller and I got it. And there was plenty in this film to justify the time spent watching it.
* I wonder if my watch list suggestions will eventually include similar films with a killer's motif that includes I Spy, Boy-Girl-Fruit-Flower or Charades. Bizarrely I can envisage each of them working, even if the last one might be unintentionally funny as the killer silently taunts the bewildered police from behind this face mask.
** Special mention to the hazy autumnal colours beautifully captured during a number of location scenes. Rich orange/red leaves in the background added a rich, warm contrast to the obligatory drab filters used for dark indoor scenes.
- Awards
- 44
Beneath The Darkness (2011)
Another blind watch. Presumably this Dennis Quaid film came up as a suggestion off the back of Horsemen. He certainly plays a very different character here: his character's narcissism and righteous belligerence here had rather Trumpian qualities. He seems to be having some fun playing the antagonist and watching him play innocent to the police when we've witnessed his criminal actions put me in mind of watching him play a Columbo killer.
Sadly, it's not a good film at all. While some of the performances are decent enough, it's not enough to overcome production values that feel made for TV (and I mean old school TV movie) and writing that's all over the place. For the first hour or so, I barely knew nor cared what was going on, and everything was so stiff and static.
I'm not even quite sure what genre of film I'm supposed to have watched. Some sources describe it as a teen thriller black comedy. The first part I get, since the young leads did feel straight out of a slasher (and, to be fair, a reasonably well-cast slasher). But there were no real laughs to be had. And it was far from thrilling. It was a bit like watching a student film reboot of Psycho.
There was also a weird backstory with the pretty young male lead seeing bad special effects as his sister died. It was pitched as hugely meaningful and came back at a key point as though it tied in, but I have no idea what it was all about, and it seemed to be completely forgotten about.
Expectations were in check as I usually try, but even I was disappointed.
Another blind watch. Presumably this Dennis Quaid film came up as a suggestion off the back of Horsemen. He certainly plays a very different character here: his character's narcissism and righteous belligerence here had rather Trumpian qualities. He seems to be having some fun playing the antagonist and watching him play innocent to the police when we've witnessed his criminal actions put me in mind of watching him play a Columbo killer.
Sadly, it's not a good film at all. While some of the performances are decent enough, it's not enough to overcome production values that feel made for TV (and I mean old school TV movie) and writing that's all over the place. For the first hour or so, I barely knew nor cared what was going on, and everything was so stiff and static.
I'm not even quite sure what genre of film I'm supposed to have watched. Some sources describe it as a teen thriller black comedy. The first part I get, since the young leads did feel straight out of a slasher (and, to be fair, a reasonably well-cast slasher). But there were no real laughs to be had. And it was far from thrilling. It was a bit like watching a student film reboot of Psycho.
There was also a weird backstory with the pretty young male lead seeing bad special effects as his sister died. It was pitched as hugely meaningful and came back at a key point as though it tied in, but I have no idea what it was all about, and it seemed to be completely forgotten about.
Expectations were in check as I usually try, but even I was disappointed.
And a quick peek this morning tells me that Beneath The Darkness is one of only 43 films (with more than 20 reviews) to have a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Quite an accolade.
- Awards
- 20
Capricorn One (1977)
A Mars mission goes wrong. This is the film that popularised the Moon Landing Hoax hoax, yet paradoxically it explicitly acknowledges the Apollo missions as real history. What it really does, of course, is demonstrate how unlikely it would be that such a secret could be kept without someone slipping up.
A Mars mission goes wrong. This is the film that popularised the Moon Landing Hoax hoax, yet paradoxically it explicitly acknowledges the Apollo missions as real history. What it really does, of course, is demonstrate how unlikely it would be that such a secret could be kept without someone slipping up.
- Awards
- 44
Stir Of Echoes (1999)
One of those film names that's stuck in my head. Perhaps I've heard/seen it referenced. Perhaps I've read about it in relation to other films or certain awards. Or perhaps the title just grabbed me. It's certainly evocative and conjures up all kinds of images. And yet I've gone all these years knowing practically nothing about it other than it stars Kevin Bacon. I don't think I'd even heard of Richard Matheson's book upon which this is based.
It even felt a little familiar during last night's first-time watch, and I put this down more to it just feeling almost flawlessly "right" than I do its similar themes to other films released around the time this was (it came out around a month after The Sixth Sense, though Echoes' element of the ghost trying to communicate about her murder reminded me even more strongly of the following year's What Lies Beneath).
I thought this was a terrific film, creatively shot (the hypnosis scene was unforgettably surreal and subjective) and with great performances across the board. I've seen a few Kevin Bacon films (who hasn't?) and have never had any strong feelings about him one way or another. With this film, I feel he gave an impressive performance.
One of those film names that's stuck in my head. Perhaps I've heard/seen it referenced. Perhaps I've read about it in relation to other films or certain awards. Or perhaps the title just grabbed me. It's certainly evocative and conjures up all kinds of images. And yet I've gone all these years knowing practically nothing about it other than it stars Kevin Bacon. I don't think I'd even heard of Richard Matheson's book upon which this is based.
It even felt a little familiar during last night's first-time watch, and I put this down more to it just feeling almost flawlessly "right" than I do its similar themes to other films released around the time this was (it came out around a month after The Sixth Sense, though Echoes' element of the ghost trying to communicate about her murder reminded me even more strongly of the following year's What Lies Beneath).
I thought this was a terrific film, creatively shot (the hypnosis scene was unforgettably surreal and subjective) and with great performances across the board. I've seen a few Kevin Bacon films (who hasn't?) and have never had any strong feelings about him one way or another. With this film, I feel he gave an impressive performance.
- Awards
- 8
Being October, I am enjoying various Horror Genre Films.
- Awards
- 27
Watched it back in the (last) days of VHS rentals. I wonder how it looks today.
A surprisingly straightforward and not too original small-town-terror story a la THE MIST.
The place is called Maiden Woods but it's really just another Castle Rock. However, I happened to love stories about communities in upheaval because of the inherent element of soap. The performance of the lead actor was good enough to keep me interested and the horror part was good until they showed it.
- Awards
- 21
- Awards
- 27
We started with the same thought.
I guess it depends on one's mood or world view how that commentary comes across. I got the impression that the film maker was making fun of the super-politically correct Gen Z protagonist.
But it stopped after a while because the 80s characters became more and more one-dimensional and didn't mind being bossed around by some weird girl from Canada.
And of course it goes without saying that a 1980s high school queen bee would never-ever try to look like Molly Ringwald. They should really check their pop culture references before using them because it felt like that song about "punk rockers with flowers in their hair".
That was a promising start and I wish they had followed through and let her be the bitch until the very last moment rather than playing it safe (ironically, very much like the average 80s movie).
It has plenty of funny moments: the Sweet 16 podcast, the dolls representing the murder victims, the chaos that ensues in the Dollhouse Of Horrors after Marissa gets killed by the second murderer before she can press the rape alarm - I thought that was a funny inbuilt reference.
I didn't understand how the podcaster ended up in 1987, I guess he attacked Jamie's friend and used the machine she was working on.
The unbeatable serial killer is my #1 frustration in these kind of films, and this time he was attacked by a whole group. Stabbed in the back? Don't panic, just take the knife out and continue the sweet 16 kill. If he is that powerful then there's no need to sneak up on them.
Overall, an enjoyable and frivolous horror comedy.
Before that I tried DARK HARVEST (2023).
It starts with a lot of chaos and it felt as if I had missed the first half of the film. Usually, the story goes back to beginning to explain how this-or-that could or would have happened.
But not here, we're expected to buy into the fantasy from the very first minute and then it turns into a story about lots of teenage boys disagreeing with each other because...because. I clocked twenty minutes when I decided that enough was too much. Or actually, too little.
Anyway, it's trash. Avoid at all costs.
- Awards
- 44
The Owners (2020)
This has been in my watch list for a long time, and last night was the night. Scrolling past it regularly and seeing some lines of descriptive text gave me everything I knew about the film before watching: it's a home invasion story starring Maisie Williams. Beyond this, expectations were low.
Ten minutes or so into the film, I started to feel I'd made a mistake. It certainly didn't feel like glossy escapism. The younger characters felt grungy and incredibly real in a Trainspotting kind of way. We spent time with them in a car in their trackies as they did their drugs and planned a burglary. The beginning of the burglary itself also felt uncomfortably real, and I found myself getting infuriated as one of them went round trashing someone's nice house for fun. There didn't seem to be a redeeming quality between them.
Mainly on the basis of Rita Tushingham and Sylvester McCoy's names in the credits, I stuck with it, and it was worth persevering. There are some nice twists thrown in that change the way I view characters and, once all the small cast is present and doing their thing , everything clicks horrifically into place. There are some terrific performances. Rita Tushingham is the standout. I couldn't take my eyes off her and the range she shows in this film is astounding. She certainly still has it.
I wouldn't call it comfortable, enjoyable or pleasant to watch. Even "entertaining" is debatable. And I'm not sure I'd want to watch it again. All the same, as a showcase of humanity at its ugliest and darkest it was a morbidly fascinating experience that - for me at least - made it well worth the time invested.
This has been in my watch list for a long time, and last night was the night. Scrolling past it regularly and seeing some lines of descriptive text gave me everything I knew about the film before watching: it's a home invasion story starring Maisie Williams. Beyond this, expectations were low.
Ten minutes or so into the film, I started to feel I'd made a mistake. It certainly didn't feel like glossy escapism. The younger characters felt grungy and incredibly real in a Trainspotting kind of way. We spent time with them in a car in their trackies as they did their drugs and planned a burglary. The beginning of the burglary itself also felt uncomfortably real, and I found myself getting infuriated as one of them went round trashing someone's nice house for fun. There didn't seem to be a redeeming quality between them.
Mainly on the basis of Rita Tushingham and Sylvester McCoy's names in the credits, I stuck with it, and it was worth persevering. There are some nice twists thrown in that change the way I view characters and, once all the small cast is present and doing their thing , everything clicks horrifically into place. There are some terrific performances. Rita Tushingham is the standout. I couldn't take my eyes off her and the range she shows in this film is astounding. She certainly still has it.
I wouldn't call it comfortable, enjoyable or pleasant to watch. Even "entertaining" is debatable. And I'm not sure I'd want to watch it again. All the same, as a showcase of humanity at its ugliest and darkest it was a morbidly fascinating experience that - for me at least - made it well worth the time invested.
Yes, that's the issue I had. The sensibilities were just a tad too Millennial to give the Gen-Z PC schtick the contempt it truly deserved.
I have a vague recollection (which may or may not be accurate) that we last saw the podcaster talking to Jamie's friend as she worked on the time machine, so I drew the same conclusion as you: that he attacked her off-screen in order to access the machine.
That sums it up nicely.
Thanks for saving me the trouble. I almost added it to my watch list a couple of days ago.
- Awards
- 27
That would be an interesting sub-genre theme for the Movie Top 10 (although the thread seems to have petered out, like The Artist Top 10 thread. But that's the nature of internet forums).
!
- Awards
- 17
The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023)
If I had listened to the reviews I would never have seen this movie. Not to mention I was the only one in the auditorium, but sometimes that can be a good thing. Daisy Ridley turns in a terrific performance as the daughter of a kidnapper, a most imperfect father yet you can feel her pain as she never stops loving him despite his transgressions. Definitely worth a watch.
If I had listened to the reviews I would never have seen this movie. Not to mention I was the only one in the auditorium, but sometimes that can be a good thing. Daisy Ridley turns in a terrific performance as the daughter of a kidnapper, a most imperfect father yet you can feel her pain as she never stops loving him despite his transgressions. Definitely worth a watch.
- Awards
- 44
Chariot (2013)
Well, Prime wrongly says this was made in 2023 which really helped me keep my expectations low since I was expecting TV movie production values (correctly, as it turned out). It feels low budget, with a very small cast of unfamiliar faces and taking place entirely on one set: the cabin of an aeroplane.
There were one or two moments that stretched it a bit (most of all, an ill-timed tearful monologue towards story's end when every second is supposed to count). All the same it's an incredibly effective story with very good writing and performances.
The concepts here are fascinating. Part Airport, part Big Brother (from Nineteen Eighty Four) and part Big Brother (the reality TV series where a dysfunctional group tries to get along). And plenty more besides. Something about the isolated location and the threat from within even reminded me of Alien.
I won't lie... I was drawn completely into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Well, Prime wrongly says this was made in 2023 which really helped me keep my expectations low since I was expecting TV movie production values (correctly, as it turned out). It feels low budget, with a very small cast of unfamiliar faces and taking place entirely on one set: the cabin of an aeroplane.
There were one or two moments that stretched it a bit (most of all, an ill-timed tearful monologue towards story's end when every second is supposed to count). All the same it's an incredibly effective story with very good writing and performances.
The concepts here are fascinating. Part Airport, part Big Brother (from Nineteen Eighty Four) and part Big Brother (the reality TV series where a dysfunctional group tries to get along). And plenty more besides. Something about the isolated location and the threat from within even reminded me of Alien.
I won't lie... I was drawn completely into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ooh yes. It certainly would.
Very true. If they ever make a comeback, count me in as I like a good list.
- Awards
- 27
They're quite inconsistent regarding "year of release" versus "year of added to prime catalogue".
And sometimes they even get their thumbnails wrong i.e. image of the original when it's the remake, or vice versa.
Btw, was CHARIOT really inspired by actual events? I had never heard of a plane that went missing for 10 years.
- Awards
- 44
Despite the on-screen text suggesting yes, I'm not convinced it was, but haven't found anything to definitively confirm or debunk.
I will say that it's a convincing presentation of something that feels as though it could occur and perhaps has. And on that level it feels disturbing.