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Film Review: Polar Storm

Posted in Polar Storm with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2012 by Higher Plain Music

By placing the word storm on the end of a TV disaster movie hopes generally aren’t high for what is to come. Strangely though, there is really no storm in sight and the film is actually quite competent! Shocks all round then.

The Premise

A close passing meteor sheds its bum which crashes into Earth and rips the electromagnetic properties of our planet to shreds. The poles of Earth decide to do a switcheroo and that’s when its time to end the world.

The Disasters Faced

Meteor’s, earthquakes, EMP’s, a dodgy pace maker and a child so is trying soooo hard to be like Justin Bieber it hurts me on the inside.

The Execution

Whilst Polar Storm is heavily reliant on some of the most dubious science found in a recent disaster flick, it goes with it and fully commits to it with gusto. Whilst the film is clearly done on a shoestring budget, the actors involved aren’t slouching and get on with it too and this elevates the dull script. The film has three distinct acts. The meteor coming to Earth, the EMP dramas and the solution to any b-movie ever made – some nuclear bombs to round-up. Sadly the third act is so reliant on CGI that just doesn’t cut it, the film ends damply but it is solid enough up until then to hold your attention.

The Effects

The meteor, its crash and the earthquake effects are passable. What is not is the awful submarine effects in the final half hour which completely shatter any illusion you’ve been trying to pretend you’re in. It’s like an early PlayStation 2 FMV sequence.

Why Its Worth Watching

Polar Storm is well paced and doesn’t use all its cards in the first twenty minutes. It’s full of clichés and disaster movie must haves like moody teenagers, the loveable old man, daddy issues and the government once again not acting on advice. Those of you looking for the drinking game, take a shot whenever teenage Shane tries to look innocent/sexy at the camera is a slightly awkward Bieber pose.

Best Death

I’ll go for Michael (Rob Morton) as the best death when his pace maker decides to give out on an EMP and he does the best death fall in the movie.

Favourite Character

Every few characters are really nice or given much in the way of character development but Marsha Regis’ Pam is always a good lady to declare the end of the world with. I’m sure everyone would have been a bit calmer if she was more involved.

Weirdest Moment

Aside from the science side of the whole film which is just silly, notice that the film seems to use the same two roads over and over for everyone to stop during an EMP pulse – in some cases in the exact same spot! It just made me laugh.

Conclusion

Not bad enough to be a classic, it is an interesting concept of EMP’s causing havoc that keeps things in motion. It may fall flat with awful CGI in the final third and have some improbable moments but hey – what other disaster movies aren’t taking liberties with reality these days! Passable TV affair.

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Film Review: Hindenburg

Posted in Hindenberg with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

Possibly one of the first disasters to be caught on TV feed, The Hindenburg is one of those moments that people will reflect back and note with historical importance. This 2011 adaptation was originally a three-hour TV adaptation but has been scaled down to just over half that to make a relatively pacey movie that despite some iffy accents, is relatively well put together and the actual disaster itself is surprisingly explosive.

The Premise

We follow the secret lives of various people aboard the Hindenburg before it fatefully bursts into flames.

The Disasters Faced

A bomb, a ton of hydrogen, static electricity, an affinity with men’s toilets and some dodgy guess the accent games.

The Execution

Due to the fact no one has ever been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the disaster, this film decides to take several of the theories and merge them all together. Most of the character driven plot and subtext drive the bomb theory and this throws most of the cast into the “whose got the bomb” story. What that does, by shrinking the story down by half, is drop a lot of the subplots and characters into a few small scenes. A Jewish family is introduced but half hour in with a suspiciously pervy magician but then suddenly are thrown into main characters for the explosion and then be dropped straight after. As a whole though, there doesn’t appear to be gaping holes missing in the story. However in the background an electrical storm is going on throughout and this is the other main theory for the crash. It’s fun to see the two ideas flirted with. As for the disaster itself, for what only lasted a minute in real life, it’s stretched to a couple on film in slow motion but is well done, even if it’s quickly over.

The Effects

The Hindenburg looks fantastic. Good sets, period cars and the ship itself looks great. The explosion itself and subsequent action is well shot and the flame effects are way above the standard TV fair. There’s some good burn make up too. Yum!

Why It’s Worth Watching

From a historical point of view, I’ve no idea how accurate it is but it does feel like you’re viewing a bit of history. The acting is generally fine but the accents do take a wander from German trying to sound English to American to just stilted in a strange manner. However, because it’s not just one actor, it’s everyone, after a while it feels quite normal to have everyone talk in a bizzaro hybrid of accents. If you enjoy a good drinking game, I suggest a shot for every time someone turns out to already know a bomb is onboard. You’ll be sozzled by half way. (I think I need to make a new sub heading for drinking game from now on)

Best Death

I want to say Mummy Dearest for burning in a very large fireball (yay) but I think Eckner may take it after being murdered and dumped in the men’s toilet’s urinal. What an insult to injury!

Favourite Character

Strangely, not many characters stand out for me in the movie because no one appears to be good or bad, it’s all a blurring line. I’ll go for the lead lady Lauren Lee Smith as she’s very Winslet-esque.

Weirdest Moment

There’s a magician and performer onboard and there’s a very random scene where he emerges with a cabin boy making slightly sexual strange remarks only to then tell our leading male he’s off to the male toilets as he hopes to have as much action in them as he has. Of course he’s referring to the murder beforehand but it just comes across in a sinister kidnapper manner – not helped by the fact many of his other scenes are with a young girl.

Conclusion

Competent mystery before an explosive finale that while is over too soon, is worth the wait, Hindenburg is a good disaster flick. It’s certainly not a great one because of the strange accents, the completely inappropriate modern rock soundtrack and the strange need it has to over score scenes. It is a quirky entry because of its unique subject matter and disaster movie buffs could do a lot worse. Just don’t expect to feel much for the characters.

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Film Review: Flight 93

Posted in Flight 93 with tags , , , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

As we reach the ten-year anniversary of  a day that’s gone down in history, 9/11,  I’d like to go over a few of the films that have been made surrounding the event.

Flight 93 tells the story of the people whom were on the 4th plane and their heroic and moving plight to retake back their hijacked plane. This is the more emotional of the two main films about the planes, with United 93 being more documentary styled. Flight 93 focuses more on the people themselves, the emotional phone calls between them and their families on the ground and occasional glimpses of communication centres. It reminds me very much of how World Trade Centre deals with everything. Filmic, emotional but tasteful – never taking too much of a hollywood licence and staying relatively true to events as much as we know.

Toned down documentary style movies succeed based on the acting and the acting of the plane cast is generally excellent, as are the crew and comms room people – especially Monnae Michaell with her Lord’s Prayer scene. The same cannot be said for the families however with some of the emotional scenes looking almost slightly awkward. Crying with no tears really feels out-of-place yet a few of the actresses to this and it just takes away from the experience. The shaky, slightly too zoom-heavy camera work isn’t intrusive so you still feel like it’s a realistic portrayal without it being over the top ramping up the tension. Also its minimal use of underscoring helps make the film rise above a standard TV movie level to something that was aiming for higher.

However the only negative I can find with Flight 93 that other viewers may feel is that it’s too emotional based. If you came here looking for precise accounts of the operation then United 93 takes that route, while Flight 93 focuses on characters only. There’s no real right or wrong way of portraying the event between the two, it’s just down to personal preference. If you are emotionally invested however, you will find this the draining of the two as you will be reduced to tears egging the passengers on despite knowing their fate. That’s what makes accounts like this all the poignant, upsetting yet utterly fascinating to watch.

On a personal note, I enjoy the film as a piece of cinema despite it still seeming personally still a bit too close to the original events. The difference between these and say Titanic films is that there’s such a period of time over the event, you feel somewhat removed from it all. That’s a debate up for discussion for a long time I’d imagine and by going for the more Hollywood feel, this one hits closer to the knuckle than United 93. More effective potentially, but more potentially offensive compared to the more “business like factual” presentation of United 93.

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Film Review: United 93

Posted in United 93 with tags , , , , , , , on September 10, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

United 93 is the second well-known film centered around the fourth plane hijack. From the outset this film goes for as factual documentary style as possible by staying in the various communication centers and the plane itself. It’s a testament that several of the people actually play themself in the film as to how respectful and tastefully done it is.

In what feels like an almost realtime account of the events, we see each crash in turn from the people trying to manage the situation and exactly how impossible everyone’s job must have been on that day. The first hour centers around the general chaos of the morning itself as everyone shouts back and forth trying to make sense of events while the latter half focuses on the United 93 flight. This is where this adaptation is head and shoulders above the rest. By having some of the real people on the day being involved in the film, it lends credibility to what so many people like to have an opinion on.

The acting is superb throughout and there are no effects shots from outside the plane to put you off or take you outside of the general experience. It’s also filmed in a way that is dynamic but not intrusive – less camera shake wannabe documentary and more dirt and braces feel. It also doesn’t go tugging at heart-strings either by using the obvious things such as babies, the Lord’s Prayer (the moment that always gets me in Flight 93 yet I’m very aware that its being included for a reason) and a several goodbye calls but they are part of the films overall scope, not the whole scope.

I think United 93 knows that it could never fully include every single brave and heroic person and so includes very short snippets of lots of people and this makes a lot of sense. It’s not often I talk about extras on a DVD but United 93 makes a marked difference with two particular features. The first is a memorial section with a biography for each life lost on that flight. The second is an hour documentary about how the families have dealt with having such a high-profile disaster happening to them. It’s very interesting to hear what these people have to say and how they’ve formed a bond with each other as a new family as they mourn and pay tribute to their lost loved ones. Some of the actors meet with the families and it must have been an extremely surreal experience as they’ve matched physically the characters quite closely.

Ultimately I feel United 93 is the stronger film of the ones based on the ’93 plane. It displays everything in an understated way and although the last ten minutes, we will never entirely know what happened, it’s still done tastefully well. Add to that all the participation and support from the real people effected, it feels like this is the closest you can get to a supported recreation of the actual events.

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Film Review: Raise the Titanic

Posted in Raise the Titanic with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

Whilst not technically a real disaster movie, “Raise the Titanic” falls into a strange category of film. It’s an action, adventure, drama based on a real disaster but without really dealing with any of the above. In what is a very confused film, there is little enjoyment to be had. Full steam ahead with the review then!

The Premise

In the name of America (hallelujah!) a new mineral is discovered that could revolutionize defense systems and it can only be found in one place in the entire world – the sunken Titanic. That’s going to be one hell of a rucksack to carry that over your shoulder. It’s time to raise the beast!

The Disasters Faced

Drownings, implosions, a lot of murky camera work and generally being anywhere near any of the leading characters as they’re all as likeable as athletes foot.

The Execution

Based from a Novel that I’ve never read, Raise the Titanic had a whopping $36 million budget. That’s three times the size of The Towering Inferno. The question I ask is where did it all go? In film of two distinct halves, the first is devoted to setting up several characters who will form part of the group to Raise the poor boat from the water. Interestingly Anne Archer and Alec Guiness are not in that team and simply feature for a couple of scenes. Why they are splattered all over the cover arts I’ve no idea. However, what all the characters also have in common is that none of them are likable in the slightest. The script and actors are overwrought with angst dialogue as everyone tries to show they’ve got bigger balls than the rest to the point where it becomes aggravating. A love triangles introduced only to be dropped unresolved half way. Everyone suddenly decides to work together bang on the half way mark. It’s like the directors had a tick sheet of what they felt needed to be shoved into a movie and then crammed it all in without rhyme or reason.

However while so much emphasis is given to all these unlikable characters, very little is given to the real star of the show itself – the Titanic. The best and most coherent moments in the film are about the ship itself and even though it’s factually incorrect, the model itself is impressive – but never exploited. It’s all about the mineral and that’s where the film goes so very wrong for me. If everyone disregards the huge scale of that event if it were to ever happen as they do in the movie, it makes everyone seem like tasteless jerks. As a result I couldn’t care for the plot, the characters or the conclusion.

The Effects

The model used for the Titanic was the biggest model used ever at that time and it looks good even if time hasn’t been massively kind to the effects. Where I assume the budget went was in the underwater photography which is eerie and beautiful at the same time. Some of it is very murky but then that’s what I’d expect. The submersible scenes are well executed too.

Why Its Worth Watching

The story is awful, the characters dull but the set piece of the raising itself is well done. Any Titanic interest can be found in the inaccuracies – some quite large. I was most interested in the film from this historical angle. As a film on its own merit, it doesn’t really do anything wrong – it’s just a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Best Death

No named characters die so the best death sequence is when a leaking sub implodes on itself. Rather nasty stuff!

Favourite Character

The Titanic itself. None of the humans are worthy of the vote. They are all that bad!

Weirdest Moment

The Titanic pops out of the Ocean with three masts and not one that it went down with.

Conclusion

I was left frustrated at what could have been. Raise the Titanic appeared to miss the whole point of the film. Aside from the beginning montage of pictures and the actual docking scenes themselves, its like they could have raised a rubber dingy out the water and had the same reaction. Add in characters from hell and a general dullness across the board and Raise the Titanic is hard to recommend.

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Film Review: Meteor Storm

Posted in Meteor Storm with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 24, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

From the director of Megasnake and Spiders 3D… ok we know what we’re letting ourselves in for then! Actually, for once I was pleasantly surprised – Meteor Storm has plenty of faults but it has its heart in the right place and is actually quite enjoyable indeed!

The Premise

A big meteor shower that’s meant to just be pretty turns nasty when the meteors containing a new element yet to be discovered fall from the sky. With each passing storm, things deteriorate. Yay!

The Disasters Faced

Meteors, comets, falling buildings, falling bridges, falling everything, a news crew that MUST GET THAT SHOT and bad mobile reception.

The Execution

Despite (in spite?) the directors legendary credentials Meteor Storm is a very tightly wound movie. The opening segment see’s an opening mini storm which sets up everything and introduces us to a collection of people. Of course we have the all new ideal family – separated parents who we know will be back together by the end, stupid children who do things like run off on their own and use lifts in a burning building (oh dear) and a news duo who will do anything to get a story. All the characters are heavily clichéd but in an endearing way. The leading duo do a remarkably good job of having internal dramas without everything becoming soap opera and the films much better for this.  No one is grating aside from the new reporter and you know he’ll get his comeuppance at some point. The film basically follows a storm – aftermath – science bit – revelation wheel several times before the finale. This ensures things aren’t stale and the science parts are kept down to small bite size chunks. The plot itself is silly and there’s some real problems with general character IQ levels – the children especially – but it’s all harmless fun.

The Effects

The meteor sections are fun to watch because some of the CGI is awful – especially the orange explosions. What’s worse is the green screen effects where you can see how things have not been blended well and things look really 2D. In fact the green screen is some of the ropiest I’ve seen in a while. Where things do pick up are in the bigger set pieces. The collapse of the Golden Gate is done well and so is the collapse of the huge tower block.

Why It’s Worth Watching

Meteor Storm has a decent amount of action. There’s two good set pieces, a fair amount of destruction for a low-budget flick and good tension throughout. The acting is above average for this type of film and that does a lot to make it so much more credible. There’s an abnormal amount of eye candy as well for men and women. There’s also a glint of enjoyment as you watch people doing things that defy all logic whatsoever and also spotting the massive continuity problems such as people being surrounded in traffic as they try to get out the city while the lead male chats happily next to a quiet street where cars roam freely. Other things include the Golden Gate bridge only being open one way despite a city evacuation (with traffic flowing into the city), man of motorcycles get saluted by armed guards for no reason and helicopter pilots sit stunned watching their ‘copters explode while civilians rush to help.

Best Death

Two main characters die. I’ll go for poor Laura who goes in the big Golden Gate Bridge disaster. After crashing her car, instead of climbing out the window she decides to just shout and scream for five minutes before remembering there’s a window or boot to crawl out of and promptly and deservedly splashes into the river down below. A shame though, all she ever did was help the entire time – confirming the never be too nice theory in disaster movies – you will be bumped off!

Favourite Character

This is a real close one. Camera lady Lena (Lara Golchrist) wins as she is great with her one liners throughout as the comic relief. She hits the dry humour well and manages to get away with lines that shouldn’t really work in a script. However just behind Harper (Carmen Moore) who is severely underused in this film. In every scene she’s in she’s eating, looking disinterested in all that’s going on and like she just wants to be left alone with her pizza! Great.

Weirdest Moment

At the first meteor wave poor Jack is hit by a Meteor (I assume – it’s never explained). He then spends the entire film unable to get medical attention! For some reason the children take the entire night and morning to walk vaguely about down populated streets with flowing traffic stating they can’t get to the hospital. When they eventually get there, they give up because there’s a road block. Eventually instead of getting medical treatment Jack then wanders home and takes some pain killers and falls asleep and is left in a crumbling building. This then means our brave children, too lazy to take the stairs up 26 levels to get to him and rescue him decide to use the lift in a burning, crumbling building. Go figure. They then get stuck and cause the rest of the cast to turn up! The whole set up is one of the worst constructed plot devices I’ve ever come across and is utterly hilarious because of it.

Conclusion

Meteor Storm is elevated from utter tosh by its credible acting, tightly paced flow and some characters whose decisions are so stupid you have to watch to see what situations their ineptness takes them next. Coming in at a tight hour and a half, its fun, mindless and cheesy but instead of outwardly going for that edge like say Megasnake, this disaster movie straddles seriousness with silly and gets the tone spot on for its budget. Much better than your average TV disaster flick.

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Film Review: Poseidon

Posted in Poseidon with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

Sometimes movies get an awful lot of flak for not being the exact vision that may people expected them to be. Poseidon I believe is one of those films. It’s not without its faults admittedly but it is a full on action packed disaster movie that simply does not let up and is simply one of my all time favourite popcorn flicks.

The Premise

New Years Eve sees a rogue wave capsize the Poseidon and trapped survivors try to escape the wreckage before she sinks into the abyss.

The Disasters Faced

A rogue wave, a falling elevator, lots and lots of water, a wire, a ship that’s busy blowing itself to bits and Fergie trying to look beautiful whilst crying and failing miserably.

The Execution

Poseidon is upside down on the fifteenth minute of the film – and that includes a two and half-minute credits sequence. We’re (too) quickly introduced to several characters whom all have a mini drama of sorts going on although we won’t really be looking for character development over the course of the film and for what there is, its squashed into bite sized pieces. What Poseidon does best is set pieces. The capsizing itself is fantastically produced but even then other set pieces such as the elevator climb, the underwater swim and the wall of water moments are impressive. What’s more is that because the film spent its money not so much on CGI, but on building real sets to throw into real water, the actors aren’t so much acting but reacting to what’s going on around them. The way how the action is cut gives it a more realistic edge as you see characters jump at explosions, stumble about and genuinely panic when they’re looking like drowning. It’s this editing and attention to catching small little acting nuances that makes Poseidon so absorbing for me. Are the characters chatting about their lives through the movie? No. That’s because they’re busy working on the next problem. It reminds me of adult Goonies – straight from one problem to the next. It’s relentless assault is what drives the film through.

The Effects

The opening credits was at the time, the longest continuous CGI effect produced. Sadly you can also tell its CGI even though it is impressive. Everything’s a bit too clean. Aside from that however the effects are absolutely stunning. The capsizing has people flying everywhere, as does the flooding of the ball room which is impressive as its full of real water and stunt actors. In fact, the actors all appear to do their own stunts too – swimming, jumping, running around fire and being swept away. The sets were all made to tilt and be submerged into water and that’s what makes the film so impressive as it can show everything going on realistically because it was done for real to begin with!

Why it’s Worth Watching

Aside from the effects and stunts, its fun to predict the ways people will be bumped off. I think people who will come in the preconception that they will want an experience similar to the original will be bitterly disappointed however. You need to almost rinse the original from your mind. Mia Maestro tugs at the heart-strings but not in the same way Shirley Winters will, the blossoming romance Maggie and Dylan is sweet but modernised and not as pristine as Nonnie and Mister Martin. There is no camp element to the remake and the heart, while its there in the background, has been torn out and stamped on. This is a mean film and therefore will not satisfy anyone waiting for a Linda Rogo put down!

Best Death

All the characters die in a particularly good way however most impressive is Lucky Larry as you know its coming and its so silly its great. Second goes to Kurt Russell for the eerily underplayed and unscored drowning scene which is acted fantastically as is scrambles and panics for dear life.

Favourite Character

While no one except Lucky Larry was annoying, Mia Maestro was my favourite character as she played her character with a lot of heart and gusto. We knew she wouldn’t last!

Weirdest Moment

I did enjoy how Christian’s leg heals like a miracle charm. Aside from that, Mia Maestro’s death I thought was a bit obscure. I actually had to rewind the DVD when I got it and sit and watch it a few times over to get the full picture of it. When I saw the film in the cinema (best way) I went “huh?” to myself. Maybe it was just me. Failing that, we can always go for Kurt Russell’s face underwater. Top marks for refusing the Botox beforehand, we salute you!

Conclusion

I’d love to see the original cut which was about twenty minutes longer where we got to know the characters more. This appears to have been the main criticism of the film to date. Wolfgang left after this film when they chopped all the character driven bits out so obviously it was critical to him. As it stands however, Poseidon is a maddening masterpiece of technical wizardry and actors literally being dragged through hell and back and for that, it’s worth every popcorn munching minute of tv time. Superb!

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Film Review: The Final Storm

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 19, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

Take “Signs”, remove the aliens and place a windy apocalypse and you almost have The Final Storm! A slow-moving, mystery/disaster/suspense hybrid movie, it builds its tension up slowly enough but never really fully realises its full potential.

The Premise

A huge storm leaves a small family cut off from the local village and when a lone stranger stumbles into their house and begins to be otherworldly, talking of the end of days, we’re left to wonder if he’s nuts or is he a prophet!

The Disasters Faced

Windiness, the most unloving uncomfortable sex scene I’ve witnessed in a while, a dead dog, a broken window and an empty supermarket… plus a very large psychedelic thumb!

The Execution

The Final Storm is low key. It’s acting is low-fi for the most part, the script rarely goes beyond the obvious and aside from two sections, the film is very talky. It’s a testament to the actors and the general pacing that I was kept interested throughout. You watch as Luke Perry swings from respectable old fashion valued man to religious freak and back again in the space of five minutes and wonder if he’s unhinged or not. Most of the film hangs off this. Lauren Holly veers for the good side, Steve Bacic the dark side and this drives them apart – not that it looked like they were happy together anyway! Bacic develops a drinking problem, attempts to stir some drunken passion in their sex life (argh nooo) and then gets the hump and goes off for answers. Holly makes Perry sandwiches, admires him fixing a roof tile and then brings him goodies while he’s naked in the bath. Eventually it all boils down to the last ten minutes when all is revealed and the not so shocking revelations are revealed. You wont be surprised but you wont mind the journey getting there.

The Effects

The one effects shot is over in a few seconds and is such a “tsk!” moment it’s overshadowed. However the empty streets and supermarkets are well done so kudos to the set designers for that. I also think the main house is creepy too. I wouldn’t want to live there!

Why It’s Worth Watching

It’s a slow burner, like Sign’s but not in the same league as it I have to say. It has the same camera style (if a bit more docu-style), the same style and ambience. I think it suffers from the fact that you can guess what will happen way before its revealed and its cheap ending doesn’t endear itself to anyone at all. It will spark debate afterwards though.

Best Death

Only one character dies on screen and after they’ve been set on fire and arrive at death’s door, they get given a kung-fu kick for good measure sealing the deal. Well done all round!

Favourite Character

I didn’t like the main couple and Perry is so ambiguous but see-through at the same time I couldn’t warm to him. With the child sulking about his dog all movie, I’ll go with the poor dog that disappeared at the beginning. Someone throw him a bone!

Weirdest Moment

During the supermarket scene, Bacic is busy developing a drink problem and instead of gathering food or anything vaguely resourceful, he harvests a massive box of beer – only for his wife to end up carrying it for him! If my life depended on supplies, a box of beer would be the last of my worries!

Conclusion

It’s a nice twist on the end of the world theme and while it’s not entirely successful at what it sets out to do, its by no means a disgrace and can be enjoyed just as much, if not more, by suspense film fans.

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Film Review: Nature Unleashed: Fire

Posted in Nature Unleashed: Fire with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

Nature Unleashed. A disaster movie series of limited budget but with big expectations, the fun is found picking out the goofs, the wobbly sets. the hammy script and the fun effects. At their core however, they are true to the disaster genre and therefore should be embraced. Fire doesn’t sound quite as exciting as the rest in the series – is it too hot to trot?

The Premise

A forest fire started deliberately bursts out of control for four bikers and a rescue ranger who need to escape quickly.

The Disasters Faced

Fire, a madman with metal weapons, macho men on bikes trying to bully each other like schoolboys in a playground, flash fires, a dodgy elevator and a lot of methane!

The Execution

NU: Fire is motocross porn. The opening segment acts like an MTV extreme sports video where four bikers muck about doing a few tricks. Once one of them crashes a jump to impress two girls and does his leg in, a rescue officer jumps down from a helicopter and tries to lead them to safety. Sadly after various snippets of some boots wandering around, a madman from an accident involving our main hero, takes revenge on the world by setting a forest fire. Cue a lot of wandering through the jungle, everyone getting injured stupidly and recovering at random and face offs with a madman in some awfully staged fights. It’s all very camp. It’s all over the top. It’s just hilarious. By making it oh so hammy, it works in an its-so-bad-its-good way. Watch in horror when our bloodied baddie brands a shotgun and declares he’s back! Titter as our main characters, whom all dressed in motocross power ranger costume colours so you can identify them all, argue their love interests with each other. This is love-forest! This film is best served with beer and munchies.

The Effects

The fires are well done if used sparsely. Some of the camera angles are cleverly done to make the fire look a lot closer and dangerous than it really is. This then makes some of the wider shots disorientation. It’s good that not all the fires are CGI although the smoke vastly changes shot to shot. The riders on the bikes do an excellent job too.

Why It’s Worth Watching

A hammy script that veers from schoolboy bullying with grown men to a lady that loses her boyfriend and waltz off with the male lead all within half an hour – its disaster movie by numbers – but all done with an extra slice of camp. The baddie has hissy fits, one of the girls spends most of the movie in tears, you can almost hear yourself saying “don’t go into the gassy cave with a fire in it” just knowing what’s going to happen. I have no idea why I enjoyed it so much – it really has very little in the way of redeeming features! May I need my head checked.

Best Death

Only one character dies and he manages to skid his bike into the flames and happily burns alive. He was an utter jerk throughout the film and he was the only character I knew would not make the full course of the movie. Good ridance! It was his fault they all got stuck in the forest in the first place!

Favourite Character

I have to say Bryan Genesse does a good main man, but the quiet Marcus (Ross McCall) wins as he manages to survive despite having what appears to be a broken leg at the start of the film and yet is running round saving the day by the end. Now that’s what I call character development!

Weirdest Moment

I have never seen so many miracle cures over the course of a film! These characters are gods that’s all I can say! Plus how many lives does our baddie have? Dead in the opening credits? No, no, no. Dead after being taken out by our hero? Of course not! Just call him Pussy!

Conclusion

NU: Fire is a silly feature film. Non sensical, campy and full of a lot of low-budget amusement. If you’re a fan of bad films, grab this! Infact, get the whole Nature Unleashed series – its disaster camp gold!

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Film Review: Tsunami: The Aftermath

Posted in Tsunami: The Aftermath with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 26, 2011 by Higher Plain Music

  When I first heard about Tsunami The Aftermath my first initial reaction was “too soon”. Other disasters are left alone for at least a good decade before they’re poked and prodded by producers. How could you serialise the biggest natural disaster we’ve experienced for such a very long time? A lot of people are still recovering, surviving and getting their lives back on track. Perhaps by avoiding the whole tragedy and focusing purely on the aftermath, this mini-series manages to stay the right side of exploitation by keeping purely to the emotional side of things and how to pick up the pieces.

The Premise

Following on from the Asian Tsunami, we follow a group of survivors and aiders as they try to reunite with loved ones and save as many lives as they can.

The Disasters Faced

Aside from the Tsunami and ensuing drama we have a lot of government red tape to stop all and sundry as well as land stealers.

The Execution

Perhaps wisely, aside from a few real life shots taken from video cameras, the Tsunami itself is contained to a very small section of the film. Instead we follow a couple whose lost their child, a reporter, a Thai worker, a small family and a few aid workers as they cross paths with each other on their search for survival. The camerawork is kept smooth and steady. There’s no production frills on any artistic judgements on any level. There’s no hint of exposition for entertainments sake. Everything is focused on the people we are following and with a collection of fine actors and actresses, the story, while slow but constantly evolving, is kept purely centre to everything. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo and Toni Collette were particular stand outs for me with their sheer range and pitch perfection to the sensitive nature of the story. The realistic portrayal of how parents can utterly shatter apart when they’ve lost their child is heartwrenchingly played out as you see Ejiofor and Okonedo ebb away. There’s no weak link in the acting front at all and although perhaps the journalistic side of things maybe weren’t my cup of tea in general, even they were handled with dignity and respect.

The Effects

The actual Tsunami itself is shown via very short clips of real footage mixed with close camera proximity of Ejiofor in the water. Aside from that the sheer background devastation in the sets looks both horrific and magnificent. The reconstruction of some of the sets is astounding due the sheer depth of broken debris. Everywhere looks absolutely trashed to bits and the hotel set at the beginning is particularly saddening.

Why It’s Worth Watching

While it may be far too soon for some, Tsunami The Aftermath is an emotional rollercoaster that will affect most viewers. It is a slow burner and to some, I can see that they don’t think a lot happens. Most of the film is character based, talking, interaction with others and the hitting-a-head-against-a-wall as people try to help but find too much blocking their way. It’s an introspective film about how to deal with loss from either losing a parent or a child, or even your whole family and being the sole survivor. It’s also interesting to see how even different organisations struggle to work together to help others. It also touches on some of the less positive events that happened after the Tsunami such as companies trying to claim land from washed away settlements. The fact it doesn’t paint everyone perfectly makes everything much more human too.

Favourite Character

It has to be Toni Collette’s character whose single-minded approach to trying to get aid out may anger others but it’s that kind of grit and determination that gets things done in a crisis.

Weirdest Moment

Not particularly weird but I found Samrit Machielsen’s character repeating “all gone” a lot was a bit of a shame and his character deserved more time. He had lost the most and yet seemed to be the least emotional of the cast, simply trying to rebuild again. Whilst I understand that different cultures have different ways of dealing with loss, it just seemed his character development stunted way short. I also struggle a little with things being so British / tourist focused. I understand it from a tv point of view but the Thai people are left out and indeed are extras in the back of the set which is insensitive.

Conclusion

Emotionally devastating and powerhouse acting and set design all round make Tsunami The Aftermath something that will stick with you for a while afterwards. Too soon? Everyone’s of their own ilk and opinion, but when you are ready, this is a well-balanced tribute to all involved.

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