Hillsborough

Hillsborough (1996)

Director:

Charles McDougall

Writer 

Jimmy McGovern

Cast: Christopher Eccleston, Mark Womack, Ricky Tomlinson, Anabelle Apsion, Tracey Wilkinson

This film is a drama based on the events of April 1989, when ninety-six Liverpool supporters were crushed to death during an F.A. Cup Semi-Final match against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium. 

The movie follows the lives of three families before the match, during the tragedy and at the ensuing court battles which tried to decide who was to blame and what went wrong. 

The movie features an amazingly strong cast, and is depicted with respect towards the victims families and the pain of their loss, the treatment they received immediately afterwards.

I am not a football fan but this is a film that kept me gripped and made me really think about how justice was not served until this year.

Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)

Director : Matthias Hoene



Cast: Georgia King, Honor Blackman, Michelle Ryan, Alan Ford, Tony Gardner, Harry Treadaway, Richard Briers, Rasmus Hardiker, Ashley Bashey Thomas, Dudley Sutton, Gerogina Hale, Jack Doolan, and Tony Selby

So the film is one of the many reasons I love British Cinema, totally crazy but still kind of believable.

Basically the film is set around an inept pair of brothers with a heart of gold, trying to raise money to save their Grandads old peoples home. So they come up with a plan with a bunch of misfits to rob a bank. At the same time zombies have been discovered on a local building site.

So the plan is to go and save their Grandad, played by the brilliant Alan Ford (Bricktop in Snatch), the film is a great ride that rivals and in some cases betters Zombieland, with its little nods to British culture, gun toting foul mouthed pensioners, losers do good, bad people get punished and asks the age old question, who is faster.... an old man on a zimmer frame or a walker?

I saw this film at this years day of the undead and I loved every moment of it. Its a good piece of British cinema. I would highly recommend giving this film a watch, even if you are not a fan of zombie movies, its basically a good comedy.

5/5

Shutter Island

Shutter Island (2010)

 Directed by Martin Scorsese

Writers:Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay), Dennis Lehane (novel)

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer and Mark Ruffalo

 I have always had a love hate relationship with Leonardo Di Caprio, he was fantastic in 'Whats Eating Gilbert Grape', but then became teen pinup material in the mid to late 90's, however, when he started working with Martin Scorsese, magic occured, Shutter Island is their third work together and as always Scorsese brings out the best in his leading man.

Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby.

This is a great movie full of twists and turns, whats the truth and what is fiction, is this all an elaborate role play used to help get Daniels back to sanity or is he really being tricked into never leaving. It has great moments of flashbacks to his dead wife, and sights from Dacau when he was in WWII. 

It has a fantastic cast from Michelle Williams to veterans like Max Von Sydow and Sir Ben Kinglsey.

I was a bit nervous about watching the movie but i'm glad I did, even now i'm still trying to work out the ending and enjoying doing so, give it a go its a great thriller of our time.

Are we going into another golden age of cinema?

Before Dawn (2012)

Before Dawn (2012)
(18) Horror
Director - Dominic Brunt
Writers - Mark Illis (screenplay), Joanne Mitchell (story)

Stars - Dominic Brunt, Joanne Mitchell


So you think you know Dominic Brunt as Paddy Kirk the loveable vet from ITV's Emmerdale, think again. Brunt has made his debut as a director, with a story co-written by his wife Joanne Mitchell in an intriguing, thought provoking movie that just happens to have zombies in it.

I saw this film at UK Festivals of Zombie Culture 2012, and it is one of the best films I have seen for a while, the story is based around an estranged couple, trying to rebuild their marriage by going away for a weekend in a remote cottage. The story and locations are extremely intimate, and the story changes from trying to save their marriage to trying to save the person you love, but there are many flaws in the couples relationship, and many good twists. 

The lack of body language communication between Alex (Brunt) and Meg (Mitchell) screams volumes as the film progresses making the couple seem to be doomed to fail but it is definitely worth watching for the characters progression.

I would recommend this not only to Zombie enthusiasts but any lover that enjoys close, intense movies, such as Pontypool (2008) with many character twists and beautiful locations. However, the film highlights the extent of communication breakdown in a relationship, and the realization of losing the person you love.

http://www.beforedawnmovie.com/trailer.html