MOVIE REVIEW: Green Room (2016)

Green Room (2016)

Crime, Horror, Thriller

Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier

When Blue Ruin was released back in 2013 I was immediately blown away by the film making that was presented to me. Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier crafted one of the best modern American revenge films I have seen so I knew I was going to be following his career closely going forward. When word got around that his newest picture, Green Room, was winning over every festival audience it played for, anticipation for it grew to be massive. I went in expecting a lot after hearing nothing but praise for months and still I left the theater wildly impressed by the talents of Mr. Saulnier.

Unlike most movies these days, Green Room managed to keep most of its plot a mystery before its release. All the trailers told us was that a small punk band runs into trouble after taking a gig at a sketchy venue run by skinheads. In truth, that's all you need to know and the less knowledge you have going into this film, the better. What matters is that when things go wrong, it gets wonderfully brutal. The movie is hardly non-stop violence but when it does get messy the flick makes the audience feel it and when you finally see where the story is heading it never fails to payoff. 

Due to his success with his first two movies, Jeremy was given a larger talent pool to pick from this time around but it didn't stop him from keeping his veteran actor Macon Blair in the picture, who has now appeared in a major role in all three of his films. In addition to that he has also brought in major talents like Anton Yelchin,Imogen Poots and Alia Shawkat who are all wonderful in their roles. The real treat though is in the films big baddie played by the one and only Sir Patrick Stewart, who shows a side of his acting we don't get to see too often. 

Watching this young directors films I find myself constantly impressed by how real of an atmosphere he creates. While many other filmmakers in this genre often try to stylize the action and world in which they take place, he succeeds by creating a film that feels totally real in both setting and characters. Instead of trying to make the movie come off as a piece of Hollywood magic he relishes in showing us it's cryptic reality, violence and all. 

The film doesn't waste any time getting started, we get a quick intro to the characters giving us a simple idea of who each of them are and before you know it they are playing the club that would set the scene for the rest of the story. Staying mainly in one location and featuring only a handful of relevant characters the movie is a self contained thriller that never lets up. Without any backstory or much of any set up at all he manages to flesh out who each character is and the setting around them so by the end of the movie you have a clear picture of why each person made the decisions they did. 

Green Room is further proof that there is still plenty of original content out there to be seen and supported. We are lucky enough to have been given a wide release for this insane film so make sure to get out and support it. Jeremy Saulnier's third movie has solidified the fact that he is a first class filmmaker with a wholly unique style that is unlike anything else we are seeing today. If it is playing in a theater near you be sure to get out to see it and if you haven't seen either of his previous films (Murder Party, Blue Ruin) be sure to check those out as well. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Holidays (2016)

Holidays (2016)

Horror Anthology

When it comes to the horror genre, a short film can be just as effective as a full length feature. This is why the genre has lent itself so well to the anthology style of filmmaking, in which you segment the film into a collection of short films connected by a common theme. In recent years horror anthology fans have been spoiled with these films and the newest of the bunch, a film called Holidays, keeps that ball rolling. Bringing together nine talented genre filmmakers this movies tells eight different tales set on eight different holidays, each capturing the spirit of their set day of the year. 

The film moves in chronological order so it opens with a tale of true love on Valentine's day, but this isn't your typical love story. Written and directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer, Valentine's Day gives "Organ donor" a whole new meaning and is a confident and strong start to the anthology. From there we move into every drunks favorite holiday, St. Patrick's Day and although I found this to be the weakest segment of the bunch Gary Shore still manages to find some cool themes to center in on and shed some new light on the Irish holiday.

Nicolas McCarthy had the task of bringing horror to Easter and to do so he decided to focus on one of children's biggest questions surrounding the holiday, What is the Easter bunny and why does it exist? His story blends the mythology of the easter bunny with the faith based beliefs to create a creepy, clever take on an otherwise bright and shiny holiday. The film moves from there into Mother's Day, written & directed by Sarah Adina Smith this offers a new take on the "spawn of satan" as we follow a young girl who gets pregnant every time she has intercourse. 

The back half of Holidays is where the film really flourishes with Father's Day and Halloween, the next two, being the strongest of them all. Starting with the former, written and directed by Anthony Scott Burns, Father's Day is the short that will stick with you the longest after the film has ended. He tells you everything while showing nothing and when it's over you will find your mind racing to put the pieces together and figure out what exactly you just saw. You won't have much time though as the follow up Halloween story takes a drastic change in tone and story as it is written and directed by none other than Kevin Smith. Putting in some of his best work of recent memory he creates a totally original revenge thriller that is modern and relevant to the times. 

The film ends as each year does, by celebrating Christmas and New years and neither leave you disappointed. Scott Stewart's Christmas celebration asks a question many of us have been pondering with the technology looming, What would Virtual-reality mean for us? When a young father makes a difficult life decision to procure this technology for his son we get a small glimpse into what that could look like. While that story may leave you slightly bummed out the finale will send you off with a sinister grin on your face. Directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer and written by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer this short sets you up for a by-the-books kidnap and torture story until a small plot twist sends this into a blood filled battle that will be sure to leave you satisfied in the end.

As far as horror anthologies go, Holidays is about as strong of one as you can get. With just about every short hitting its mark and leaving the viewer satisfied you cant ask for much more from short form horror. As an added bonus it is also a horror film that fits the season for just about every holiday, and as any horror fan knows there is nothing better than seasonal horror. My only question is what the hell does this genre have against Thanksgiving? 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!