‘The Thing’ is a grotesquely eloquent special FX extravaganza; a startling exploration of suspense and paranoia, a psychological horror-thriller (that can mentally scar the uninitiated), and it’s an absolutely ingenious film; directed by horror aficionado – John Carpenter. This movie leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watches it.
It’s a truly well-crafted piece of cerebral horror, playing off a person’s natural phobias and the human inclination to suspect those around them, watching ‘The Thing’ is a paranoia inducing experience. The majority of us do not deal well with isolation and claustrophobic environments, this is an absolute truth. As a piece of cinema, ‘The Thing’ highlights this truth; and succeeds in exploring the effects it can have on the human psyche.
‘The Thing’ (1982) is a remake of ‘The Thing from Another World’ (1951) a black & white classic film that was also said to have pioneered progress in the area of visual effects.
"I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me." - Jack Costello
'The Departed' is a 2006 Irish-American crime-thriller directed by Martin Scorsese.
It is considered by many to be one of his seminal, modern motion pictures. It's a tour-de-force – incorporating the finer elements of filmmaking that Scorsese has acquired through a long and storied career. The acting, pacing, score, visuals, editing, and an expertly crafted narrative; all come together to form something truly riveting and roguishly romantic. With little touches of comedy and stylistic wit, that work to balance out the more somber moments — in my ardent opinion, 'The Departed' is among the most moving crime-capers put to screen, rivaled only by 'Casino' – one of Scorsese's formerly oft lauded gangster epics.
'Down Below' is a soon to be released Grindhouse horror-film by director Spyder Dobrofsky. It doesn't fully outshine its predecessors in the horror-genre, but it does manage to deliver a viewing exp. that proves to be quite a heap of fun — if you like a heavy serving of "kitsch" with your scary movies.
'Down Below' is a low-budget gem (albeit with some imperfections) providing standout performances from Doug Jones, Bai Ling, Alexis Knapp, and David Steen as the mysterious "Mr Monday". The narrative is somewhat Lynchian in its approach, reminiscent of the director's smaller pictures: 'Mulholland Drive', and 'The Lost Highway' – in that it gives the viewer visually disconnected scenes in an attempt to construe the apprehension and confusion the characters are going through. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and nonlinear storytelling are all utilized to abandon.
'GoldenEye', is the 17th installment in the James Bond film series, a post-cold war action/spy-thriller that capitalizes on the real world tensions left over from the collapse of the USSR. 'GoldenEye' – the first film to dispense with reliance on Ian Fleming's literary works for source material, and it had the near impossible job of revitalizing a franchise that many thought to have lost its mass appeal.
Martin Campbell directed this feature, it stars Pierce Brosnan in the lead role as the charismatic and dangerous secret agent – 007. Sean Bean stars as well: playing the part of Alec Trevelyan/006 – a turncoat MI6 agent, the main villain of the film. Judi Dench takes over for Robert Brown in the role of "M", and we're introduced to Isabella Scaruptco as Natalya Simonova — a hacker turned Russian defector — and eventually, Bond's love interest and ally.
Famke Janssen is stunning as Xenia Onatopp: a salacious JANUS agent working against Bond, who is shown to be more than capable as an assassin. And finally, Desmond Llewelyn reprises his role as series stand-by "Q", the man who provides Bond with his equipment and state-of-the-art gadgets.
