Tag Archives: thriller

Our Last Film Of The Season: You Were Never Really Here

Wednesday, 20 June 2018, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2017, UK/USA, 89 minutes, (15)
Director – Lynne Ramsey

Joaquim Phoenix plays a traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living.  When a job spins out of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – You Were Never Really Here
Rotten Tomatoes – You Were Never Really Here

AUDIENCE REACTION:

A mixed response to the last film of the season

  • Excellent  6
  • Very Good 7
  • Good 6
  • Average 4
  • Poor 2
  • Off the scale 1

Giving an overall rating of 58.7%

COMMENTS:

  • Clichéd and over produced drivel
  • The plot was a bit think, but very clever management of atmosphere and character.  A reminder of how brutal life can be
  • Great film – really enjoy Ramsey’s attention to small details and themes – plus great soundtrack
  • Kind of like ‘Taxi Driver’ meets ‘The Shining’ –  most engrossing and one to revisit ……
  • Psycho babble
  • I saw it through – intriguing but confusing plot at times,  please don’t choose such a violent film again it was well done but not enjoyable.
  • Bit gory – soundtrack brilliant
  • Joaquin Phoenix is always watchable!
  • The film tried very hard but was too disturbing and pretentious in the depiction of violence.  The main character was a bit too devoid of emotion
  • Bewildered – bit too violent for my taste but liked music
  • Painful to watch at times but I liked the possibility of redemption at the end

Our Next Film: Loveless (Nelyubov)

Tuesday, 5 June 2018, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2017, Russia/France, 127 minutes, (15)
Director – Andrei Zvyagntsev

A couple going through a divorce must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their bitter arguments. Eerie thriller of hypnotic, mysterious intensity from Leviathan director

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – Loveless
Rotten Tomatoes – Loveless

AUDIENCE REACTION:

  • Excellent 7
  • Very good 8
  • Good 2

Giving an overall score of 82%

COMMENTS:

  • Great sound mix
  • Bleak
  • Very harrowing and hard hitting.  Quite difficult to watch in parts.  Haunting
  • Terrific music – start to end.  Dark and depressing.  Accurate but too cold for me to enjoy

Audience Reaction: The Nile Hilton Incident

AUDIENCE REACTION:

The Nile Hilton Incident was very well received scoring

  • 19 Excellent
  • 10 Very Good
  • 2 Good

With an overall scoring of 88.7%

COMMENTS:

  • Real portrayal of corruption
  • Superb.  Great thriller but also a fascinating social document.  The best film of the season
  • Such a bleak portrayal of a man trapped in a corrupt system.  Compelling thriller
  • Good thriller.  Interesting politics
  • Very compelling.  Kept one gripped to the end
  • Corruption with a capital ‘C’ – very believable characters living in moral mayhem – moody music provided good support

Our Next Film: The Nile Hilton Incident

Wednesday, 25 April 2018, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2017, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 106 minutes, (NR) subtitled
Director – Tarik Saleh

Set against the backdrop of the Egyptian Revolution, this thriller features a police officer who investigates the murder of a woman. What initially seems to be a killing of a prostitute turns into a more complicated case involving the very elite of Egypt.

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – The Nile Hilton Incident
Rotten Tomatoes – The Nile Hilton Incident

AUDIENCE REACTION:

The Nile Hilton Incident was very well received scoring

  • 19 Excellent
  • 10 Very Good
  • 2 Good

With an overall scoring of 88.7%

COMMENTS:

  • Real portrayal of corruption
  • Superb.  Great thriller but also a fascinating social document.  The best film of the season
  • Such a bleak portrayal of a man trapped in a corrupt system.  Compelling thriller
  • Good thriller.  Interesting politics
  • Very compelling.  Kept one gripped to the end
  • Corruption with a capital ‘C’ – very believable characters living in moral mayhem – moody music provided good support

Audience Reaction: The Shape of Water

The PontardaweFilm Club audice rated The Shape of Water as follows

AUDIENCE REACTION:

  • Excellent              31
  • Very Good          18
  • Good                     6
  • Average               3
  • Poor                      3

Giving an overall rating of 79%

COMMENTS:

  • Expensively made twaddle
  • Long and tedious.  Not really see the point…
  • Absolutely beautiful film
  • Interesting that the Russian spy becomes heroic
  • Not as amazing as Pans Labarinth but engaging adult fairy tale and quite beautiful imagery throughout– loved the homage to classic film
  • Beautifully done – took me through many emotions – a strange story but gorgeous despite the gory bits.
  • Really enjoyed it
  • Very well done – a real modern fairytale.
  • The grey selkie all over again.  Fab!
  • Deserving of the Oscar
  • A strange but good film
  • To my great surprise I loved it
  • Marvellous.  A great love story on many levels
  • Very enjoyable!  Very imaginative.  Very dramatic
  • Splash Noir!  Beautiful visual metaphoe and a classic Chekov’s gun
  • Seen and loved all his movies

Film Club, Our Next Film: A Fantastic Woman

Wednesday, 11 April 2018, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2017, Chile/Spain, 104 minutes, (R) subtitled
Director – Sebastian Lelio

Daniela Vega plays a transgender singer whose relationship with a much older man is brought abruptly to an end when he suffers a fatal aneurism. Instead of being treated with compassion she is faced with suspicion and contempt from the authorities and hostility from his family. An impressive exposition of courage and strength.

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – A Fantastic Woman
Rotten Tomatoes – A Fantastic Woman

AUDIENCE REACTION:

  • 13 excellent
  • 11 very good
  • 2 good
  • 2 average
  • 1 poor

Giving an overall rating of 78%

COMMENTS:

  • Compassionate film about being transgender and prejudice – lovely voice
  • Brilliant, tragic, ugly, sordid, beautiful
  • A passionate and powerful resistance to prejudice
  • Fab film, nice venue, staff welcoming
  • Brilliant performance by Daniela Vega
  • Wonderful film and riveting performance by Daniela Vega. Stunning!
  • Parts moved me unbelievably other parts left me cold
  • An intriguing and moving film not as gripping as I had expected but I enjoyed the upbeat ending
  • A very powerful film  good music and use of lighting
  • Very engaging and sympathetic protagonist – put spotlight on prejudices and raised valuable questions
  • Performance was good, cinematography good , too long! Bored!
  • I wanted more from this film than I feel it ultimately delivered

Our Next Film: The Shape Of Water

Tuesday, 27 March 2018, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2017, USA, 119 minutes, (15)
Director – Guillermo del Toro

An other worldy fairy tale set against the backdrop of the Cold War era in America. In a hidden high security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in isolation. Her life changes forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a classified experiment.

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – The Shape Of Water
Rotten Tomatoes – The Shape Of Water

AUDIENCE REACTION:

  • Excellent              31
  • Very Good          18
  • Good                     6
  • Average               3
  • Poor                      3

Giving an overall rating of 79%

COMMENTS:

  • Expensively made twaddle
  • Long and tedious.  Not really see the point…
  • Absolutely beautiful film
  • Interesting that the Russian spy becomes heroic
  • Not as amazing as Pans Labarinth but engaging adult fairy tale and quite beautiful imagery throughout– loved the homage to classic film
  • Beautifully done – took me through many emotions – a strange story but gorgeous despite the gory bits.
  • Really enjoyed it
  • Very well done – a real modern fairytale.
  • The grey selkie all over again.  Fab!
  • Deserving of the Oscar
  • A strange but good film
  • To my great surprise I loved it
  • Marvellous.  A great love story on many levels
  • Very enjoyable!  Very imaginative.  Very dramatic
  • Splash Noir!  Beautiful visual metaphoe and a classic Chekov’s gun
  • Seen and loved all his movies

Our Next Film: The killing Of A Sacred Deer

Thursday, 1 February 2018, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2017, UK/Ireland, 121 minutes, (15)
Director – Yorgos Lanthimos

Steven (Colin Farrell) a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behaviour of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister. Also starring Nicole Kidman.

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Rotten Tomatoes – The Killing of a Sacred Deer

AUDIENCE REACTION:

Well this one certainly split the audience!

Excellent      9
Very Good   4
Good             9
Average        6
Poor               1

Giving an overall rating of 62%

COMMENTS:

  • Totally weird
  • That’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back
  • Didn’t think I would like it after ‘Lobster’ but I did, so either I’m sick or tired
  • Reminded me of David Lynch, Kubrick and Michael Haneke in the way it was so unsettling and challenging to watch.  Great cinematography and score.  Provocative narrative.
  • Not as good as ‘Lobster’ but I still enjoyed.  The photography shots were good.  Acting very wooden but that was their characters.  Missing the link to the title of the film and the film itself.
  • In one word- hysterical.  Also remarkable cinema, so appalling and funny
  • Unusual macabre, zany music and camera angles – odd with no laughs
  • Does it mean something?  Is it a metaphor?  Is it telling of the limitations of medicine?  From the outset the relationships were peculiar.  It is Stephen’s self- destructive phantasy?  No idea!  The music/sounds were unsettling and unpleasant.  The final classical piece of music was sublime
  • Quite derivative in its score, pacing and style.  I think it wants to be understood on a metaphorical level.  From the outset the family seem odd and unaffectionate.   On the surface they have all they need materially but they’re soulless.  A metaphor for the death of the ‘American Dream’??
  • Good acting but what the hell???   What was it all about?
  • The filming was good – sound and music good but acting was wooden and hard to have any feeling for any of the characters.
  • A gripping film right until the end.  Moving performance by Martin.  But why do people have to eat so noisily in the cinema!

Next Film: Men & Chicken

Wednesday, 9 November 2016, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

2015, Denmark, 104 minutes, (15)
Director – Anders Thomas Jensen


Riotous, bawdy and transgressive black comedy. Discovering their father isn’t really their father two brothers go in search of their biological parent. They discover a unique place – where bestiality is gleefully accepted, casual violence the norm and unusual passions are indulged – and start to uncover the mysteries of their origins. Not for the faint hearted.

TRAILER:

LINKS:
IMDb – Men & Chicken (Mænd & høns)
Rotten Tomatoes – Men & Chicken (Mænd & høns)

Next Event: Silent Horror Shorts III

Wednesday, 26 October 2016, 7:30 pm


Commissioned by Abertoir, this collection of silent horror shorts celebrates the inventive and imaginative in early cinema with a selection of rarely seen films on the lighter side of horror and, forming the programme’s centrepiece, one of the truly dark but little known masterpieces of the avant-garde in silent cinema.

All the films will be introduced and accompanied on the piano by Paul Shallcross, presenting his own brand new scores.

Those Awful Hats

1909, USA, 3 minutes, (NR)
Director – D.W. Griffith


Possibly the earliest example of a public announcement film and from none other than the director later famous for Birth of a Nation, a film which features some very unexpected happenings in a cinema audience.

LINKS:
IMDb – Those Awful Hats

The Invisible Thief (Le voleur invisible)

1909, France, 5 minutes, (NR)
Director – Segundo de Chomón


The darker undertones of H. G. Wells’ story are transformed into a delightful skit on crime with Chomón’s camera techniques exploring every possibility of stop-motion and double exposure photography. This is the earliest recorded film to make use of the renowned author as source material.

LINKS:
IMDb – The Invisible Thief (Le voleur invisible)

An Over-Incubated Baby

1901, UK, 1 minutes, (NR)
Director – Robert W. Paul


Robert W. Paul was a pioneering engineer of movie cameras and a filmmaker with a keen eye for the fantastic and the bizarre. His films, such as this one and Undressing Extraordinary, are often cited as being some of the earliest manifestations of horror in film. A cautionary tale of what happens if you leave a baby cooking for too long…..

LINKS:
IMDb – An Over-Incubated Baby

The Man with a Rubber Head

1901, France, 3 minutes, (NR)
Director – Georges Méliès


The inventor of inventive cinema applies his teeming imagination to his own remarkably distensible skull.

LINKS:
IMDb – The Man with a Rubber Head

The Fall of the House of Usher

1928, USA, 13 minutes, (NR)
Director – James Sibley Watson & Melville Webber


This is unusual in being the work of a group of amateur filmakers with both financial and artistic clout. The use of prism photography suffuses the whole film with an eeriness and claustrophobia which lead inexorably to the truly horrific catharsis. In many ways the definitive cinematic version of the Edgar Allan Poe short story.

LINKS:
IMDb – The Fall of the House of Usher

There It Is

1928, USA, 22 minutes, (Unrated)
Director – Charley Bowers


One of the now almost forgotten comedians of the silent era Charley Bowers is both actor, animator and inventor in this film. A thinly veiled ghost-house story is the vehicle for some extraordinarily surreal humour, for elaborate sequences of stunning camera effects rarely if ever seen in silent comedy, and for an eye-boggling array of Heath-Robinson-like contraptions which continually thwart the efforts of the two detectives (Charley and his midget assistant) to apprehend the malevolent spirit in the Daffydil Sanatorium.

LINKS:
IMDb – There It Is

AUDIENCE SCORE:  95.71%

And the comments as follows

  • Magical.  Perfect piano.  Timeless and delightful.  I felt delighted, amused and entertained
  • Another wonderful selection of silent era films
  • Loved the piano accompaniment
  • Fabulous
  • A rare treat excellently delivered.  Will be back next year.  Paul’s enthusiasm makes the evening
  • A real treat to see the films and to hear Paul play along in just magic
  • Very enjoyable.  Never knew that there were such interesting early films.  Excellently presented
  • Brilliant as usual
  • As always very entertaining, and also informative.  Music is inspired.  Paul is obviously very passionate about what he does
  • Charming, quirky and uniquely entertaining
  • The music suited the films very well.  Very entertaining
  • An atmospheric session of cinematic treats.  Live piano music extremely effective.
  • Entertaining Shallcross’s music great and his selection of knowledge of the films is rare
  • Erudite, informative and entertaining introductions.  Please let us have more of the genius that is Paul Shallcross
  • I really enjoyed the evening.  Info, films and music were fantastic.  I’m going home to read some Poe
  • Quirky as ever and very entertaining
  • Wonderfully entertaining and well presented
  • Very informative and some hilarious moments
  • Wonderful glimpse at history, and the music and talk were fantastic.  As a film novice and first timer at film club I was very impressed and will definitely be returning
  • Both educational and entertaining.  A most enjoyable evening
  • Really enjoyed The Fall of the House of Usher.  Inspirationally shot
  • Fabulous.  Great music, entertaining presentation, educational and interesting and fun.

Audience Reaction: ‘Dheepan’

The audience gave ‘Dheepan‘ a score of 80%

Here are their comments:

  • Out of the frying pan into the fire  Very good acting by all
  • Fine film spoilt by the shooting spree at the end
  • Was the ending intended to represent the life they were expecting – in stark contrast to the one they found themselves living?
  • An incredibly well acted reminder of reality in some part of Europe and the world
  • Moving, dark and disturbing.  Not a  pleasing viewing but necessary perhaps.  Ending didn’t fit
  • Dirty Harry at the end???   Hard work.  Don’t think I like film
  • Acting outstanding.  Totally believable.  Quality film
  • Multi layered, excellent acting and the tears behind the smiles
  • Wow!  Why did we have lighting stands on the stage obscuring the film?
  • Another thought provoking film.  Life is difficult