afzalshaikh-75417 Reviews

The Last Winter (2006)

Surprisingly Superior Eco-Horror

[7/10 · 21 May 2020]

With summer temperatures suddenly spiking, I searched 'winter horror' on Amazon Prime the other night and found this. It looked, at first sight, typically cheap horror fare that Prime seem to buy in bulk. But then the above-average Cast (Perlman and Britton) appealed to me. So I gave it a go, and was pleasantly surprised.

While it is no masterpiece, and borrows, probably too heavily, from the uber-classic horror, The Thing, it is a sustaining and superior eco-horror. It's a slow-burn, arty horror but retaining a pulpy edge. It utilises its fantastic location very well. Maybe that's its problem. The film doesn't know quite what it is: arty, festival horror or fright fest complete with hokey CGI. I just wish it had foregone the stupid and revealed monster-elements and just focussed on its strong points: the cast, setting and tension.

Drive (1991)

Criminally neglected offbeat road movie

[9/10 · 21 March 2019]

Not the famous Gosling 2011 movie of the same name, which is fantastic in its own right. No, this is a true early nineties Indie, rough around the edges and wilfully offbeat, filmed entirely inside a car during endless commutes and in-your-face in its non-linear style. It's one concession to the mainstream is its co-star, the veteran British actor David Warner, hardly a star anymore, and certainly on the wane when this movie was released in 1991.

What's it about? Two men. Workers, colleagues, commuters. The need to maintain a professional relationship with someone you despise. I think it's also about age. The bitter, acidic Warner is the Driver, a very British middle aged man, given to endless rants who despises his liberal, lovelorn romantic passenger, as they drive to their work at a computer firm every morning. Warner's Driver is the kind of man who would be on Facebook now, churning out alt-right retweets and attacking 'libtard' celebrities.

The film doesn't have much plot but it's clear both characters are increasingly worn down by each other's company and life. Warner's Driver clearly thinks he's in control but appearances can deceive.

In a recent interview online, I read that Warner is still fond of the movie and it's not surprising. His viscious Driver, with his monologues and soliloquy, are perfect for the veteran Shakespearean actor. There's a lot of fun in the movie too and the young actor who plays his passenger is fantastic in his youthful anger and tension.

I saw this on Amazon Prime last year and the director runs a nice little Facebook page for the movie. It's a shame it's not on Amazon anymore.

This Is My Year (2018)

Refreshing and Thoughtful Comedy About Hollywood Entryism

[9/10 · 19 March 2019]

This is a movie that could so easily be dismissed in the flotsam that washes up on Amazon Prime, but that would be an unfair dismissal. What could so easily have been an exploitative and airheaded account of a pretty actress's year of breaking into Hollywood, is a surprisingly tough and deep look at the price of fame in a highly competitive industry, but one that retain a light touch.

The leads are excellent and even the supporting cast well fleshed out. The arrival of RJ Haynes as the midpoint character, the lead's slacker older brother, is particularly welcome in providing a warm and comic injection. I especially liked the subplot of the famous actress and her downward arc as presented on the E!-Like Hollywood gossip channel that the characters watch throughout the movie.

I understand the one location used for the film is the director's apartment. This sums up the shoestring budget but the filmmakers really impress in injecting the film with so much spirit and interest that I didn't really mind the limitations of the budget at all. The film felt real in a way many higher budget films don't.

All in all, a really refreshing and thoughtful comedy about Hollywood entryism.