Reeker

(Dave Payne, 2005)

I'm going to tentatively recommend this. There are some negative aspects: it's not an entirely original plot, and the delivery of the "twist" at the end is annoyingly patronising, with a long montage of explanatory flashbacks obviously designed to guarantee that even the most thick-headed members of the audience can retrospectively comprehend what has happened. But on the plus side, the direction, dialogue, pacing and acting are all well above-par for a horror film of this type, and there are plenty of nice funny touches throughout. Also the SFX are basic but very effective.

Resonnances

(Philippe Robert, 2006)

Wouldn’t it be good if a film combined (1) a ghost story; (2) a ‘stranded in the wildnerness with a serial psychopath’ story; and (3) a sci-fi monster story along the lines of Tremors? If Resonnances is anything to go by, then the answer is clearly ‘no’. This film tries hard but achieves little. It obviously wants to be perceived as a whacky and enjoyable genre-mixing romp; but rather than being whacky, it seems desperate and unconvincing; and instead of being enjoyable, it’s boringly predictable. It has the overall feel of a rejected episode idea for The Outer Limits.

Resonnances @ Leeds International Film Festival website.

Romance & Cigarettes

(John Turturro, 2005)

Now filed under "Films I Found So Unbearably Bad I Had To Stop Watching" (alongside such torturous cinematic disasters as Crimetime, Dreamcatcher, The Producers (2005 remake), The Sweetest Thing, and Wild at Heart). I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film that’s so far up its own arse. Plus it’s a musical. Lord have mercy.

Romance & Cigarettes @ IMDb (UK)