Urgh....it's been a while since I've done this. What happened? Didn't Deadpool kill me in my last review?
Nah, I didnt even touch you. You tried to charge me and tripped over yourself. Been passed out for weeks now. I've just been in here eating your food.
That's....sad. Anyways, can you get out? I got some films to review and some shame to work out.
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Putting aside my typical sarcastic revue, I'm really sorry I haven't been able to write lately. Got some things going on- but thankfully I've got more time on my hands now and more chances to blog. So let's start again with a new film with rave reviews- the tale of a woman, a man and a crazy elder. This film is 10 Cloverfield Lane.
It's a little tough to explain what 10 Cloverfield Lane is about without explaining first the categories of both suspense and found-footage in film. By now we're all familiar with the concept of suspenseful horror- horror films that rely not on easy jumpscares and disturbing imagery but building tension and short, massive bursts of emotion and action (The Shining)- but found footage is much less prevalent. Whether you like them or not, i's difficult to deny that films such as the Blair Witch project and Paranormal Activity have brought much attention to unknown threat and found footage genres of film. Most of this comes from the inner fear of the unknown portrayed in the films in the fact that you never actually see the threat. This leaves it open to the imagination, and as such, the threat is only as dangerous as you imagine it.
10 Cloverfield Lane begins with a strong story and looming threat- our hero, a woman named Michelle is involved in a car crash on her way to Chicago and awakens in the bunker of Howard, an old man who informs her of the situation at hand. Apparently, there's been some sort of attack- Howard is unsure if it was terrorists or something worse- that has left the world in turmoil and the air apparently toxic. With nowhere else to go, Howard has taken Michelle into his bunker for her safety. Rounding out the group is Emmett, a handyman who rushed into the bunker at the cost of a broken arm. The three must survive in their small living space (which has a kitchen, living room, and bathroom among other things, including tons of stored food) while waiting for the air to clear. But trouble brews within the bunker as Howard's manipulative and demanding behaviors start to take shape. Is it really the things above ground that Michelle has to fear?
While the urgency comes across as an unknown threat our protagonists that makes returning to the surface impossible, Howard doesn't help matters. A former Navy soldier, Howard has spent his life preparing for the inevitable disaster he believed would once shake the world. And with the unknown disaster, he was right. Now holed up underground, Howard is struggling to keep sane as the strangers hold out with him. And he's willing to keep Michelle alive- no matter what the cost. John Goodman plays the part well, demanding with a tinge of regret and determination, and it's hard not to feel bad for him.
Everything is smooth and great about this film- until the ending. While I'm not going to give any spoilers....well, sometimes it's better to not know what happened. But putting that aside, 10 Cloverfield Lane boasts powerful shots, lots of looming tension and great acting, and an all-too-believable cast. It's slow, subtle and at times horrifying- exactly how a suspenseful film should be made.
9/10
This is a really good film. The quiet and looming tension coupled with a lighthearted soundtrack and design of the bunker really work to offset the outbursts of the characters and the bleak outlook of the situation. I may go into the ending in a later review, but for now just take it with a grain of salt and enjoy a truly suspenseful movie that understands how to be truly terrifying. Watch it for barrels of tension and a story that bubbles up in the most unpleasantly good way possible (see what I did there, people who have seen it? Heh, heh, heh.....)
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